Roadside Litter Pickup This Saturday is Part of a Quiet, Long Tradition

In April 2006, John Dodge, the features writer for the Olympian, published an article entitled, The Angels of Steamboat Island Road’ – Dedicated crew incorporates exercise, cleanup into daily routine. The article began:

Just about every morning, anywhere from one to four retirees who live near Totten Inlet’s Gallagher Cove lace up their shoes for a two- to three-mile walk on the county roads in their neighborhood.

But they do more than walk. They pick up litter, too.

Local residents included Keith Anderson, Tom Martin, and Edward and Susan Hill. For more than four years, Dodge wrote, these “Angels of Steamboat Island Road” combined walking with a little community service. “It’s rare for volunteers to stick with it as long as they have,” said the head of Thurston County’s litter control program. “The low-traffic, low-speed county roads don’t get cleaned up without the volunteers.”

Coverage of our 1st Annual Picnic, in 1996, mentioned the “Litter Patrol Contest.” Click the image for a larger version.

Of course, the history of litter cleanup dates back earlier than the Angels. For example, in 1996, the Griffin Neighborhood Association held its 1st Annual Potluck Picnic. One of the events at that picnic was a “Litter Patrol Contest.” Teams of contestants picked up litter from 10 AM to noon. The team collecting the most won prizes. The event was repeated at the following year’s picnic, too. History does not record who won the contest or what the prizes were. What is certain, however, is the entire community benefitted from a little less litter along our roadways.Read More

Community Meeting Wrap-up: “Living With Wildlife” and GNA Year in Review

It was standing room only at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters when the Annual Community Meeting of the Griffin Neighborhood Association was convened this last week. The keynote speaker was Matt Blankenship, a wildlife conflict specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, whose presentation was entitled “Living with Wildlife.” The Association held its Board election, and a video presentation provided a photo review of some of the Association’s activities over the last year. Representatives of several local organizations were also available to meet with residents interested in learning more each group.

The Year in Review

In 2018 the GNA continued its tradition of offering a summertime community picnic. Musical guests Humor & Heart played. Taylor Seafood Farms made a generous donation of seafood and staff to prepare and serve shellfish delights we’re fortunate to offer at a community event of this kind. Association Board members and volunteers crewed the event and local businesses and organizations pitched in with donations and staffed informational tables. We covered the event in two pieces published before and after the picnic.

This last November the Association hosted a town hall on traffic safety, featuring representatives of the Sheriff’s Department. If you’re on Nextdoor, you can read a thorough summary here.

Volunteers associated with the GNA also conducted several trash clean-ups along area roads in the last year. A schedule of future clean-up events will appear on our Facebook Page and Nextdoor’s Events calendar.

Click here to view photos from this last year’s events.

Local Organizations Featured

Here are the names and links to information for the not-for-profit organizations that provided information at the Community meeting:

Arbutus Folk School. Local contact is David Paul.

Catholic Community Services

Feline Friends

Fences for Fido. Local contacts are Mike and Becky Reavis.

St Christopher’s Church and Food Pantry. Local contacts are Lindy Vincent or Bill Hanna.

Steamboat Island Church

“Living With Animals”

Matt Blankenship’s presentation greatly interested all of us. Before this meeting who knew Fish & Wildlife employed “wildlife conflict specialists”? Mr. Blankenship described many of the animals with whom we share our Peninsula and provided tips about how to enjoy them and, in some instances, how to protect our property from them. His presentation highlighted the presence of deer, woodpeckers, coyotes, bobcats, black bears, and cougars in our area. There were a lot of questions at the Q&A that followed! One big takeaway had to do with the variety of resources available to us from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. Also discussed was the importance of reporting especially large animal sighting (for example, bears and cougars) to Fish & Wildlife. Their phone number is (877) 933-9847, and there is a web page for making reports of dangerous wildlife at https://wdfw.wa.gov/living/dangerous/reports/

Here is a link to a downloadable PDF copy of the “Living With Animals” presentation.

Thank you to Board members Jan Hopwood and Jim Goldsmith for this year’s keynote speaker.Read More

Annual Community Meeting Thursday, January 24

The Annual Community Meeting of the Griffin Neighborhood Association will be held on Thursday, January 24th. This meeting is at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters. Doors will open at 6:00 PM for a half-hour of socializing. Snacks and beverages will be provided and local non-profit organizations have been invited to set up at tables within the meeting room. This is a nice opportunity to meet with neighbors and catch up on what’s happening in the Griffin area.

The formal program begins at 6:30 PM. There will be a brief business meeting of the Griffin Neighborhood Association. This includes nominations and voting for half the positions on the Board of the Association. The Bylaws of the GNA provide for a Board of between 10 and 17 members in size. Folks owning property or residing within the Griffin School District are eligible to serve on the Board and each year about half the Board positions come up for election.

Please consider this your invitation to join our Board. If you or someone you know are interested in serving on the Board of the GNA, this link to the Board Member FAQ (frequently asked questions) may answer some questions about what it means to work on the Board.

This year’s keynote speaker is Matt Blankenship from the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife. Mr. Blankenship is a “wildlife conflict specialist” and he will speak on the topic of “Living With Wildlife.” In our rural environment, this is a topic sure to be of interest to all of us!

If you represent a local non-profit organization and would like to host a table at the Community Meeting, please email Becky at furacres@gmail.com.

Annual Community Meeting
Thursday, January 24
6:00 PM
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters

We look forward to seeing you at this year’s Community Meeting!

Your Online Shopping Can Help Support the Griffin Neighborhood Association

Did you know your purchases on Amazon.com can benefit the Griffin Neighborhood Association? It’s true. At no additional cost to you, any purchases you make on Amazon can return a modest commission to the GNA, but only if you visit Amazon using our special Internet address.

It’s easy. Just begin your browsing at SteamboatIsland.org/Amazon It’s that simple. Or, find our link, near the links to our Facebook Page, Twitter feed, and Nextdoor, located to the right of our website’s masthead.

Any purchase you make, when you start your shopping at SteamboatIsland.org/Amazon will return a little commission to the Association. The price you pay will not change. 

Thanks for your support! from the Griffin Neighborhood Association.

Thanks To You, Our Community Picnic Was A Success

Taylor Shellfish Farms provided delicious food, featuring recipes by local resident Xinh Dwelley.
GNA hosts greeted event attendees.

A huge “thank you!” to all who attended this year’s community picnic, hosted by the Griffin Neighborhood Association. A special appreciation is extended to the sponsors who donated supplies, the volunteers who donated their time, and the many local businesses and organizations who participated.

This year’s picnic featured seafood prepared by Taylor Shellfish Farms and hamburgers and hotdogs prepared by volunteers and members of our Board. Drinks and chips were donated by the Steamboat Trading Post. The Island Market and Steamboat Trading Post provided the ice. Over at the driving range, the Salish Cliffs Golf Club hosted a game with prizes and there were kids’ games and face painting provided by the Steamboat Island Church. More than a dozen local businesses and organizations attended.

The Tin Cup Golf Driving Range and Steamboat Tennis & Athletic Club donated their facilities for the event. Thurston County Explorer Search & Rescue directed traffic, particularly into and out of the parking area. Wash facilities were provided by Island Johnny. Click here for a complete list of this year’s sponsors, with links to their websites.

The booths of local businesses and organizations arranged under sunny skies.

Musical guests were Humor & Heart and dulcimer musician Ellen Rice.

Each year we strive to provide a picnic event our community wants. In order to do that, we need your feedback! If you attended the picnic, let us know what you enjoyed or didn’t, and what you would like to see added or changed for next year.

If you weren’t able to attend, what would it take to get you there, next year?

Please email us with your comments and suggestions.

Read More

Our Annual Community Picnic is July 21st

Click for a larger image.

Perhaps the biggest event in the Griffin Neighborhood Association’s yearly calendar is the Community Picnic. On Saturday, July 21st we will again take over the lawn in front of the Tin Cup Golf Driving Range and overflow into Prosperity Grange with food and fun for the whole family. Come join your neighbors!

This year we’ll have live musical guests Humor & Heart. Local resident, Ellen Rice, will also perform with her mountain dulcimer.

Our popular bouncy house will be back, along with other kid’s activities: face painting, bag games, bubble stations, hula hoops and more. Try your skill on the golf driving range, with pro tips and prizes provided by the Salish Cliffs Golf Club.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages will be provided and, thanks to generous donations from Taylor Shellfish Farms, seafood dishes featuring the recipes of local favorite Xinh Dwelley will also be served.

A number of local organizations and businesses will provide information about their work and some great items for sale. Here are some of the local businesses and organizations who are expected to attend:

Bay Mercantile
Companion Cove
DiversiTree Arbor Care
Dogwoods Canine Play and Stay
Feline Friends
Griffin School Foundation
Lighthouse Alpaca Ranch
Melody Byrd Aprons
Nicholson Insurance
OCCU (Our Community Credit Union)
Rainbow Girls
St. Christopher’s Community Church
Stacy Lynn Wellness
Steamboat Animal Hospital
Steamboat Island 4H
Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool
Steamboat Island United Methodist Church
Thurston County Master Gardeners FoundationRead More

Annual Community Meeting to Be Held Thursday, January 25th

The Annual Community Meeting of the Griffin Neighborhood Association will be held at the Griffin Fire Department Headquarters on Thursday, January 25th. The doors open at 6 PM and the meeting begins at 6:30 PM. Everyone is invited. Each year, the GNA hosts an opportunity to reconnect with area residents, meet representatives of local organizations, participate in a brief Association business meeting, and hear from a group of speakers on a topic of general interest.

This year’s keynote speakers are representatives from Taylor Shellfish Farms, Squaxin Tribe Fisheries, and Thurston County Environmental Health. They will present on “The Health of the Sound”.

We’ll also receive an update from Drake Nicholson, on the Steamboat Tennis and Athletic Club and Steamboat Golf Driving Range.

Local organizations will be providing information about their work here in the Griffin area. The half-hour beginning at 6:00 PM provides you with a chance to meet these representatives. Some of the groups attending this year are:

Providence Behavioral Health Services
Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool
Steamboat Peninsula Lions
Feline Friends
Empowerment 4 Girls
St. Christopher’s Outreach Program

Annual Community Meeting
Thursday, January 25
6 PM
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters

At this meeting, the Association will call for nominations to its Board of Directors. Current members of the Association will vote on a slate of Board members. This meeting is a good time to renew your membership with the Griffin Neighborhood Association, since only current members can vote in the election. Or, you can join or renew your membership online at steamboatisland.org/joinus

The Association exists only through the service of volunteers from our community. Board membership is a terrific way to give back to the Griffin area. You can be a member of our Board! For more information about Board membership, click here to read our frequently asked questions. Or contact any Board member. To learn more about our more than 25-year history here, click this link. ‘Think you can’t make a difference? We do, right here in the community where we live. Join us!

Thurston County Food Bank logoThis year we are especially asking members of the community to help support the St. Christopher’s Community Church Food Bank. This is a satellite of the Thurston County Food Bank and provides important assistance to families in need, right here on the Steamboat Peninsula. Our focus this year is on collecting non-food items that are often provided by our food bank. Please consider whether you can bring any of these to the Community Meeting:

  • Toilet tissue
  • Laundry soap
  • Dish soap
  • Personal items, such as shampoo and hand soap
  • Travel shampoo, conditioner, soap, in the sizes made available at hotels
  • Gift cards for gasoline

Any other items, including furniture donations, are welcome donations. To make arrangements to donate large items, please contact St. Christopher’s directly, at (360) 866-2111 and leave a message. Lindy Vincent will call you back.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Do you need to have your name added to the monthly food distribution from our food bank? Call (360) 866-2111. All names are kept confidential.

Come to our Annual Community Meeting this Thursday. Doors open at 6 PM for a social gathering before the meeting begins at 6:30 PM. Snacks and beverages will be served.

Join Us for a Community Picnic, Sunday, July 30

You are invited to join us this Sunday, July 30, for a community picnic at the Prosperity Grange and Tin Cup Golf Range!

There will be plenty of complimentary food, a showcase of local organizations and businesses, animals and activities for families, and a special musical guest.

Austin RadioSunday, July 30
12 noon to 4 PM
Prosperity Grange and Tin Cup Golf Range

An illness prevents the Olympia duo, “Austin Radio“, from appearing at this year’s picnic. Instead, musicians Roger & Deb Hamilton will perform. Roger Hamilton crafts fine, handmade guitars at Hamilton Guitars in Rochester. Contact Roger at (253) 722-3442 or rahguitars@gmail.com for more information.

You won’t want to miss the delicious seafood dishes served by Xinh Dwelley, proprietor of the fabled Xinh’s Crab & Oyster House.

Griffin Fire Department

The Griffin Fire Department will hold a benefit car wash, this same day. Please come on by and get your car or truck washed, for a good cause.

Here’s a sample of some of the organizations and local businesses who will be attending:

And many more!

If you are a new member who joins the Griffin Neighborhood Association, at the picnic, your name will be entered into a drawing to win a $25 gift certificate donated by Character’s Corner.

The Olympia Host Lions Club are raffling off a 40-pound box of fresh fuji apples, to be delivered in October. Make sure you stop by their table to get entered into the raffle.

Special thanks to our event sponsors:

Character’s Corner

Island Johnny

Jay’s Farm Stand

Steamboat Trading Post

Taylor Shellfish Farms

Thurston County Explorer Search and Rescue

Tin Cup Driving Range

Xinh Dwelley

Lots of opportunities still exist, if you are able to volunteer to help with this event. There are tasks that take little time and people are needed to work for as little as an hour or so, the actual day of the picnic. For information about how you can help, please contact Becky at FurAcres@gmail.com

Bring your family and visit with your neighbors, enjoy a delicious meal, and listen to the sounds of Austin Radio at this free community event.

 

Annual Community Meeting Thursday, January 26

Click to download a 2-part flyer; give one to a neighbor!

An Introduction to Our Neighbors: A History and Activities of the Squaxin Island Tribe

You are invited to join us for our Annual Community Meeting on Thursday, January 26th. The evening begins with a half-hour for socializing and speaking with representatives of local organizations present at the event. Local elected officials, too, are expected to attend.

The evening’s program begins with a brief business meeting. This includes an update on this year’s activities of the GNA. There will also be nominations and an election of members of the Griffin Neighborhood Association Board of Directors. Voting is open only to current members of the Association; now is a great time to renew your membership online or at the meeting.

The featured topic of this year’s meeting is by Rhonda Foster, Director of Cultural Resources for the Squaxin Island Tribe, and Joseph Peters, Natural Resources Policy Representative. Their presentation, An Introduction to Our Neighbors: A History and Activities of the Squaxin Island Tribe, will introduce you to the Squaxin Island Tribe, also known as the People of the Water. The presentation may include a description of some of the annual cultural events in which the Tribe participates – the First Salmon Ceremony, the Canoe Journey, and others – and the significance of those. Foster and Peters may also talk about the health and sustainability of the Tribe’s fishery programs, the Squaxin Island Museum, and other areas of interest.

Thursday, January 26
6:30pm: Join us for a half-hour of socializing. The program begins at 7:00pm.
Griffin Fire Department Headquarters

3707 Steamboat Loop NW

Your Purchases on Amazon Can Help Support the GNA

amazon_black_fridayjpgThe Griffin Neighborhood Association, budget-wise, runs a pretty slim operation. For example, thanks to a generous contribution by South Sound IT and the work of a volunteer webmaster, this web site operates at pretty much no cost, to the GNA. But if you’ve picked up one of the several thousand “Steamboat Neighborhood” stickers we’ve distributed, then you’ve received at least one tiny benefit from the Association. If you are a contributing member, thank you so much! And if you’re not, please click here to join us (we’ve been around for more than 26 years and, with your help, the Griffin Neighborhood Association will be here for many years to come).

But your membership in the GNA isn’t the only way you can lend some financial support to the Association. When you shop on Amazon.com, your purchases can produce a small commission to the GNA. If, that is, you start your shopping at https://www.steamboatisland.org/amazon Even better: click on the link https://www.steamboatisland.org/amazon and then bookmark it as your Amazon link, so all your shopping on Amazon will help support the Griffin Neighborhood Association.

Our families wish you and yours all the best, this Thanksgiving. And we thank you for your support of the Griffin Neighborhood Association.