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Washington Island school hosts State Superintendent of Public Instruction Carolyn Stanford Taylor

May 31, 2019 by admin

Photo by Heidi Hodges

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Carolyn Stanford Taylor visited the Washington Island school district, meeting with teachers, students, administrators and parents. Stanford Taylor arrived May 21, spending the school day touring classrooms along with her Chief of Staff Dr. Scott Jones. At the end of the day, Stanford Taylor posed with the entire school before heading back on the ferry and a trip back to Madison.

Filed Under: Featured News Articles 2

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding to build new ferry for Washington Island fleet

May 31, 2019 by admin

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding and Washington Island Ferry Line have signed an agreement to construct a new, year-round passenger/vehicle ferry for service across Wisconsin’s Death’s Door Passage.

The new ferry will be named Madonna, measuring 124-ft. length, 40-ft. beam and 10-ft. 8 in. draft. It will have capacity for as many as 28 vehicles and 150 passengers. The new ferry will be the largest in the Ferry Line fleet to-date. It is scheduled for delivery in late May 2020.

“We are pleased to build what is our third ferry for Washington Island,” says Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding’s Vice President and General Manager Todd Thayse. “All current ferry vessels were built in Sturgeon Bay – two by Peterson Builders and this will be our third here at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding. Our past work is indicative of the quality and attention to detail the Ferry Line and all of our customers have come to expect from our seasoned workforce. This contract will add to the steady work relied upon by the hundreds of women and men we employ from across the region.”

“This opportunity to build yet another ferry vessel in a Door County shipyard is something we’re extremely proud of,” says Washington Island Ferry Line President Hoyt Purinton. “Built locally, this ferry – like our other vessels – will operate exclusively in Door County waters between Washington Island and the tip of the Door Peninsula.”

(See full story in May 23 issue)

Filed Under: Featured News Articles

Classified Ad Rates

May 14, 2019 by admin

To place a classified ad:

Call 920-847-2661
Email: ads@washingtonislandobserver.com

The Observer prints Thank You, Lost & Found, Yard Sales and Give Away ads at no charge.

AD RATES (prepaid)
Regular: $5.00 per inch per issue
Boxed: $6.50 per inch per issue

Filed Under: Advertising

Media Kit

May 14, 2019 by admin

Interested in advertising in the Washington Island Observer?
Click below to see our 2025 Advertising Rates:

Filed Under: Advertising

2018 Photo Contest

March 5, 2019 by admin

First-ever “You oughta be in pictures” contest draws 140 entries

The Washington Island Observer thanks all of the many subscribers who entered our first annual photo contest. You captured the beauty and mystique of being on and around our unique islands! There were so many fine photographs among the 140 entries that the judges had a difficult time choosing winners for the three categories (People, Wildlife, Landscapes). Therefore, in addition to publishing the winners in this issue, we will be featuring other notable photo submissions throughout the coming year. We appreciate everyone who took the time to enter. If you didn’t win this year, please start taking photos for 2019 as you enjoy the islands’ fall season. Congratulations to the Washington Island Observer’s 2018 Photo Contest winners:

PEOPLE CATEGORY
First place: Kate Griffin
Second place: Haley Buckmaster
Honorable mention: Amy Lesnjik

WILDLIFE CATEGORY
First place: Jean Francois Pipereau
Second place: Duncan Petrie
Honorable mention: Dennis McDonald

LANDSCAPE CATEGORY
First place: Jean Francois Pipereau
Second place: Tim Sweet
Honorable mention: Vicki Rupiper


🙂
People category, honorable mention: Amy Lesnjak Judges’ comments: "We kept coming back to the baby photo. It is an unusual and a creative people pic. All the curves of the background material replicate the baby’s curvy legs. The sand on the feet is the reward. It tells a story."
People category, second place: Haley Buckmaster Judges’ comments: "Love the gutsy “portrait’’ of this fearless girl on the edge of a bluff with her carefree focus on the dandelion. The water on the upper left balances out the subject on the lower right. The position of the head fills the dead space of the bluff. Beautifully proportioned."
Wildlife category, first place: Jean Francois Pipereau Judges’ comments: "We really liked this photograph the moment it arrived. The chance formation of seagulls, yes seagulls, is unusual. Symmetry is commonly associated with larger waterfowl like geese. We don’t think this photo can be improved. Head positions are aligned, wings are perfectly feathered. It simulates a photo sequence of a seagull taking off. No doubt the photographer is pinching himself about this one.”
Wildlife category, second place: Duncan Petrie Judges’ comments: "Another shot where timing is everything. Squirrels are busy bodies that do not stay put in one spot long enough to pose. See how its body is framed in the open white spot between the trees? Nice. The image carries the viewer’s eyes even farther up. Considering the backlighting of the photograph, it was well salvaged."
Wildlife category, honorable mention: Dennis McDonald Judges’ comments: "There’s lack of color and quality in this print, but it doesn’t matter. The parade of hungry seagulls guiding the fishing tug into harbor screams Washington Island. A meaningful pic for anybody’s wall. The name of the vessel is barely visible — Seediver."
Landscape category, first place winner: Jean Francois Pipereau Judges’ comments: "WOW. What a beautiful night. Jean Francois Pipereau captured summer. With great camera equipment, a tripod and a longer exposure, the photographer was able to present the viewer an amazing panorama of the sky above Sailor’s Pub in Detroit Harbor. The photo carries a diminishing afterglow of the sunset and some clouds in the night sky. A bit of over exposure on the lower left is nearly impossible to correct. Well done. Hope it inspires hobbyists to toss iPhones and invest in a DSLR."
Landscape category, second place: Tim Sweet Judges’ comments: "Creative composition lending the observer “eyes’’ from inside the Thordarson Boathouse on Rock Island. The photographer teaches us to see from the unexpected view. A medley of thick dark clouds, a peak of the sun and layers of snow-covered ice give it a solid perspective of the distant Jackson Harbor. The bonus is the bright white ice illuminating the inside of the arches."
Landscape category, honorable mention: Vicki Rupiper Judges’ comments: "If you’re an Islander, a winter shot warms the heart. Another view of the fishing tug Seediver by a different photographer during a different season. The gentle gouache-like hoar frost in the trees truly boosts this image. It could be cropped a tad more on the right giving the vessel an illusion of “forward’’ progression. Couple of seagulls in tow is better than none."

SIGN UP FOR THIS YEAR’S PHOTO CONTEST

Contact us to sign up and participate in the upcoming island photo contest. Entries must be received by August 1st. Winners will be announced in September.

office@washingtonislandobserver.com

Filed Under: Photo Contest 2024

Tournament in Kiel hard-fought; yields triple-double for Gunnlaugsson

February 15, 2019 by admin

By Jim Rose

Tiffany Wacaser takes a shot in the late-December game against Kewaskum, at Kiel.
PHOTO BY JIM ROSE

On Dec. 27 and 28, our girls basketball team participated in a girls tournament in Kiel, Wis. Our team was not originally invited but got a chance to play when one of the other JV teams could not make it. They did also have a varsity bracket. The first night our team played the host team, Kiel, and was defeated handily. I was not there for that game, but was able to make the next game, against the Kewaskum, Wis., JV team. This was a much closer match and made for an interesting game to watch. Our girls were ahead for almost the entire first half, until Kewaskum pulled ahead with seven seconds left in the half. Kewaskum pulled further ahead in the second half, but our girls did not give up, catching up to within one point twice in that half. But, by the end of the game, our girls were down by ten, and ended up losing with the final score being 39-49.


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Filed Under: Featured News Articles 2

Get ready for the 2019 birding festival

February 14, 2019 by admin

By Chari Rutledge

All eyes will be on the skies during the 2019 Washington Islands Birding Festival. Mark your calendars for May 16-19.
PHOTO SUBMITTED

Plans are underway for the 2019 Washington Islands Birding Festival to be held May 16-19. The festival is under the auspices of the Washington Island Art and Nature Center, and is also sponsored by the Washington Island Ferry Line and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The festival features guided small group birding on Washington, Plum and Rock Islands. Our Islands are located on the Great Lakes flyway. Data collected on the Island shows that this weekend, in particular, usually promises the largest amount of bird activity. The 2018 festival bore that out with 139 species recorded by the 60 birders attending. The birders also enjoyed dinners and programs that gave them a chance to meet and get to know one another.


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Filed Under: Featured News Articles

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