FICRA Flash - July 2019
Fox Island Upcoming Events:

  • July 13 - Kelp & Kritters Day at the Museum
  • July 20 - Yacht Club Music Festival
  • July 26 - Team Trivia
  • July 27 - Fox Island Amateur Radio Club
  • August 10 - Fox Island Fair!
Click on the Calendar icon (left) to view the all-island event calendar. If you have a Fox Island event that you would like to include, send email to ficranews@gmail.com .
Firework Information
Know the rules:
Types of Fireworks Sold
Only Washington State approved consumer 1.4G "common" fireworks may be sold in retail fireworks stands.

When can fireworks be Discharged?
Fireworks in unincorporated Pierce County (includes Fox Island) can be discharged during the following:

July 1 - July 3: 10:00AM - 11:00PM
July 4: 10:00AM - 12 MIDNIGHT
Where can fireworks be Discharged?
In unincorporated Pierce County, fireworks may be discharged on PRIVATE property with the permission of the property owner. Note that the boat launch is not private property!

Fireworks complaints:
Call the non-emergency line: 253-798-4721 or 800-562-9800.
Call 911 for emergencies only!

For more information visit:  www.co.pierce.wa.us/3893/Fireworks
Tennis Anyone?
It's not too late to take a few tennis lessons right here on the island. Classes continue through July 18. Contact Lorrie Wood at
or call 253-549-0033. Ages 4-18.
Fox Island Amateur Radio Club (FIARC)

The Fox Island Amateur Radio Club meets on the 4th Saturday of each month at the Nichols Community Center (NCC). The meeting starts at 10 am and usually lasts about an hour. Come early at 9 am for coffee, treats and chance to chat with other hams. Anyone is welcome to attend whether licensed or interested in learning about Amateur Radio. The FIARC will have a booth at the FICRA Fair to demonstrate Ham radio. Come learn about this exciting hobby. Another ham class has tentatively been scheduled for October, date to be determined. Email info@ficra.org if interested in attending the class and getting your license.
Annual Flower Show
FlowerShow
The Fox Island Flower Show will again be part of the ever popular FICRA Fair at Nichols Center on Saturday, August 10th. All area residents are invited to bring their special flowers and vegetables to this judged competition. This is a fun and rewarding opportunity for all local residents to share their gardening skills. Ribbons will be awarded to the winners in the following categories: single stem flower, bouquet/floral arrangements, container plants and vegetable/fruit displays. All entries must be homegrown.

A separate children’s division provides an opportunity for youngsters to share in the fun of gardening. Ribbons will be awarded to children in each of the four categories and each child will receive a participation ribbon. Don’t miss this opportunity to share some gardening fun with your children and grandchildren.

Drop your entries off between 8:30 and 10:00 AM on the morning of the show. The show will be open for your enjoyment between 11:30 and 4:00 PM. This popular event is sponsored by the Fox Island Garden Club. For further information contact Barbara Anderson at 253-549-5742. For those of you who don’t have a green thumb, stop by the show and see what your friends and neighbors are growing.
Fox Island Fair Concert Line-up
11:00am
Stephanie—Singer/Songwriter
12:00
Star Spangled Banner by Sarah Tweet
with Honor Color Guard by Kent Lackner and Doug Nelson
12:10
Dan Spencer
1:15
Ruthie Craft
2:30
Gene Sievers  
Seeking a few volunteers to work the FICRA membership booth at the Fair. You'll be there anyway, right? Help out FICRA by volunteering for 1 or 2 hours. Reply to this email if interested. FICRA Board Member Naomi Grant will gladly add you to the helpers list and provide training. Thank you!


More: Find out everything about the annual Fox Island Fair at our website including booth application forms. Visit http://ficra.org/ficrafair.htm.
Ballroom Dance Classes?
Fox Island ballroom dance classes will resume in the fall at the Nichols Community Center with our wonderful instructor, Aubrey. Please reply to this email and let us know if you are interested in attending and if so, do you prefer evenings or daytime lessons?
Welcome Summer!
We kicked off summer at the Summer Solstice Celebration on Saturday, June 22. There was a great food truck, beverage truck, games for all ages, music by DJ Spark and a special appearance by Ruthie Craft. It was a great day to get summer 2019 started but we didn't have much sun. That's one thing that we can't control! Thanks for all who organized this event or attended it!
A Very Special Birthday!
The family of islander Jack Avak held a very special 13th Birthday Party and Cancer Survivor Celebration in June. Jack was diagnosed with brain cancer at 8 years old and thyroid cancer this past year. He's now a two time champion and doing great! To celebrate this victory, a fun family party was held on the grounds of the Nichols Community Center. It was also a fundraiser for Mary Bridge Children’s Foundation as the family's way of saying thanks for supporting Jack in difficult times. They raised close to $15,000! Thank you to Jack's family and the Fox Island community!
Looks like a hot, dry summer - any special worries? On Fox Island we enjoy lots of trees and natural shrubbery all around us. That is a good thing, but, it also brings special concerns - especially if our summer becomes hot and dry. And it's looking more and more like that's what lays ahead. Fires become a major concern! There are actions we can take to minimize the potential for fires and to minimize the consequences if we do have a fire break out somewhere on the island.

Besides the obvious - no outside bonfires and well-controlled July 4th fireworks - there are other steps that can make our island safer. Our local fire district presented a Wildfire Symposium in Gig Harbor in June. Visit this website for tips on fire preparedness: www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/By-topic/Wildfire/Wildfire-safety-tips. We have also added a link to the FICRA YouTube Channel that includes a video called Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire. Please watch this informative video. You can find a link to the YouTube Channel at ficra.org or simply click here.
Sign up today! It is easy to do and you can get alerts for major road closures and catastrophic events on any-or-all of your computers, cell phones, and e-mail - you pick. Your Emergency Preparedness Team needs every household to be signed up to help with responding to a serious event. For more information and to register please visit www.co.pierce.wa.us/921/Pierce-County-ALERT.
The Gig Harbor Senior Center previously located at the Gig Harbor Boys and Girls Club has moved to a new temporary location the Harbor Covenant Church in Gig Harbor where lunches and activities will be provided on Mondays and Wednesdays. For more information email ghseniorctr@gigharborfoundation.org

Coming to the Fox Island Fair in August will be a representative of Pierce County Dept. of Human Services . This agency has a wealth of information on Meals on Wheels, vet assistance , lifetime and skilled nursing, food cards, energy assistance, identity theft, home repairs and other helpful services for older or disabled persons. Stay tuned for updates.

Activities- are Fox Island seniors interested in getting together once a month to have some fun with Dominos, Monopoly, cards other entertainment? If so, contact Ray Kittelberger at rkittelber@aol.com or 253-549-2195.
Do You Know Who Your Block Coordinator Is?

The FICRA Emergency Preparedness Committee manages a Block Coordinator Group that exists to encourage emergency prep at the neighborhood level and provide communication in the case of a major event. If you would like to volunteer or would like more information about the Block Coordinator Group or have questions about who your Coordinator is, please email FIBlockCoord@gmail.com. Also visit http://ficra.org/emergency-planning.htm.

We are working on an interactive map of the blocks. You may view this DRAFT map by clicking here. The blocks are split into groups Red, Blue, Green, Purple, and Teal (see below). If your area isn't covered by one of these colors, perhaps you would like to volunteer?
Fox Island Emergency Preparedness
Marine Unit

It is always easy to think about the impact of a Fox Island Bridge disaster when the sun is out and it is 70+ degrees.  Probably not, huh? The Fox Island Emergency Preparedness team is always looking for additional Fox Island boaters who want to be part of the assistance team.  We continue to seek out boaters and boats of all sizes to contribute to the transportation team when and if we do have a bridge disaster. We currently have over 30 boats on the team and would like to have between 45-50 boats enrolled.
 
If you would like to join the team, please contact David Smith at 253-970-2893 or
Citizens' Patrol Updates

As most of you have seen and heard, the burn ban goes into effect Monday, July 1st. There is concern about everything being so dry; therefore, please make sure you follow all the protocols issued by the Gig Harbor Fire Department.  

We also want to bring something to everyone’s attention – We do not place ANY notification flags on the bridge unless there is a definitive cause of alarm or concern. We have recently been asked about placing them for unconfirmed reports. Prior to any postings etc., we always confer with our contact with the Sheriff’s Department. We appreciate your understanding of our procedures.

Finally, you will all be getting our July Newsletter in your mailbox over the next few days. Please know we are eternally grateful for everyone’s generosity over the last 15+ years. We are very proud of this island and our fellow islanders.  

Your Citizens’ Patrol Members
Fox Island Directory
Are you in the book?  The new Fox Island Directory will be out soon! Is your information in the directory correct? Know of corrections that should be made? Send an e-mail to us at info@ficra.org  with any corrected information. FICRA members can pick up a directory at the Fox Island Fair or at the Museum during open hours (Wed, Sat, Sun, 1:00 to 4:00pm).
Livable Pierce County
Are You Interested?
The County is offering us a 3-part educational program that we will schedule at t he Nichols Community Center this fall if there is enough interest. We haven't had much response for this so far. The three sessions are:
  1. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
  2. Food Waste & Composting
  3. Green Cleaning

The sessions would be approximately 2 hours in length and scheduled 2 weeks apart. Please take our survey so that we can determine if we have enough interest to schedule these programs. Click here for survey.
What's Happening at the Chapel?
Chapel

Lots of weddings at the Chapel this summer! No member or public events scheduled until August.

Come visit us at the Fox Island Fair for a snack and/or a glass of wine. If you haven't already, you can also renew your Chapel membership at the fair.
What's Happening at the Museum?
Coming Soon! The Museum Barn!  
The Museum Barn construction is scheduled to begin in July, 2019. Donations are welcome to help with interior displays, exterior landscaping, and displays for our current Farm Room. Watch for updates throughout the summer and fall.
Kelp & Kritters Day
Saturday, July 13  
Join us as we partner once again with Harbor WildWatch for a fun, interactive, educational day! Kelp and Kritters Day at the Fox Island History Museum will feature hands on activities, storytelling, kelp tasting, face painting, games and more! Perfect for all ages.

Events for the day will include a talk by Rachel Easton from Harbor WildWatch regarding kelp forests in the sea and the critters that benefit from them. She will be speaking from 2-3pm which both adults and children will find fascinating.

Other events include: chalk drawing, games, seaweed tasting, touch tanks, undersea displays, photo ops with orca & shark, and films in the cabin.
Annual Cruise Around Fox Island
Saturday, September 7th  
Cruise Information:
Date: Saturday, September 7th
Time: Board at 2:30pm at the Fox Island Yacht Club; Cruise from 3-5pm
"My Girl" will be our boat this year.
Ticket sales begin on Saturday, July 13th at the Kelp & Kritters event.
Tickets are limited with only 55 available. Price per ticket: $45.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the Museum during open hours, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sundays 1-4pm or by calling Karen at 253-514-5884 starting July 13 until sold out.

This is a fully narrated 2-hour cruise by our local historian and Rachel from Harbor Wildwatch. Snacks are included in ticket price. Beer and wine will be available at a cash bar on board.

This is a fundraiser for the new Museum Barn. Hurry! This event will sell out!
Save the Date - All-Island Garage Sale
Saturday, September 14th  
Recurring Island Events
Men's Coffee @ NCC
Men's Coffee is every Wednesday morning from 9:00 to 11:00am. Bring your friends and meet new ones. Get and share expert opinions on all sorts of topics and stay for the camaraderie.

Nature Center Work Parties
You're invited to help keep our Nature Center in shape. Work parties are held once a month on the 3rd Saturday at 9:00am.

Guitar Clinic 
Tuesdays at 10:00am at the Nichols Community Center. Free!

Quilters  
Fox Island Quilters are on a break for the summer and will start up again in September. C ontact Sue Lester at suelester61@hotmail.com for info.

Monthly Adult Game Night @ NCC
Trivia is held on the last Friday of the month. Mark your calendars to attend the next one on July 26th.

Island Yoga & Exercise Schedule:  (all classes are on a donation basis)
  • Monday at the NCC at 9:30 with Sara 
  • Wednesday at the UCC at 9:30 with Katie
  • Thursday at the NCC at 9:30 with Sara
Note : The Tuesday Strength & Balance Class with Kristi is suspended for the summer.

Sand & Soil Garden Club Meetings
Meetings held the 2nd Thursday of the month at 11:00am followed by potluck luncheon.

Fox Island Art Group
Wednesdays at 10:00 at the NCC 

FICRA & FICRA Trust Board Meetings
Second Thursday of the month at 7:00pm at the NCC.

Fox Island Historical Society Museum Board Meetings
Normally the last Monday of the month at 7:00pm at the museum.
July in Gig Harbor
FICRA Membership
We hope that all residents of Fox Island enjoy the programs that are put on by FICRA. Your annual $25 FICRA membership dues support these programs. The membership period is from August 1 to July 31. If you are unsure if your FICRA membership is current, check here or email us at info@ficra.org

FICRA and the FICRA Building Trust are always looking for volunteers to assist with our various programs. Come join us in making Fox Island the wonderful place that it is. Please also consider a tax deductible donation to FICRA Building Trust and/or the Citizen Patrol Program along with your FICRA Dues payment. Thank you!
Helpful Numbers
  • Animal Control: 253-798-7387
  • Dead Animals: 253-798-3669
  • Injured Animal-West Sound Wildlife: 206-855-9057
  • Road signs: 253-798-6000
  • Road crews (potholes, etc.): 253-798-4949
  • Down trees on county roads: 253-798-6000
  • Code Enforcement: 253-798-3737
  • Health Department: 253-798-6500
  • Traffic Control: 253-798-4940
  • Fire Department Non-Emergency & Burn Permits: 253-851-3111
  • Pierce County Sheriff’: 253-798-4721 
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