big_brothers_big_sisters_of_island_county

Langley’s Mystery Weekend 2011

Feb 232011

February 23, 2011 Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

Langley’s Mystery Weekend is upon us again this time celebrating its 27th anniversary. The mystery weekend begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 26th and wraps up at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, February 27th with the murderer revealed and incarcerated.

For the last 23 years, the residents, and many of Whidbey Island visitors, are presented with a chance to solve the crime, and share in the “reward”. If you are a mystery sleuth, be it amateur, or professional, a great time is virtually guaranteed.

Playing in this annual whodunit is very simple, straightforward, and inexpensive. For the sum of $10 you may throw your super sleuth hat into the ring, and take a crack at solving the murder that has gripped the town of Langley. Better yet get a group of four together and the cost is only $25.

You cannot start before 10:00 am, so there may be a line to wait in. But everyone is there for the same reason as you, the Langley Mystery Weekend, so you are sure to hear gossip about the victim, possible suspects, and more. It is important to keep your wits about you, as you never know where a clue may come from.

Once you have paid the cashier at the visitors center you will receive a copy of the Langley Gazette, which is only printed once a year specifically for the Langley Mystery Weekend; it has all sorts of mystery weekend info inside, and sheds some light on the suspects, their connection to one another, and so forth.

You’ll also receive the official entry form, where you write down “whodunit” and a brief explanation of why you think, or know, they did it, after you’ve finished your sleuthing. You can also purchase a beautifully design sweatshirt or t-shirt for the occasion, you can place an order by clicking here. Sherry Jennings, the Executive Director of the Langley Chamber of Commerce, designed the logo for the shirts and also the posters that you will see throughout the town.

The suspects?

Yes, the suspects. This cast of shady characters is roaming the streets of Langley, where you have chances to ask them questions, maybe even listen in to other people asking them questions. The suspects can be found in the shops, coffee shops, restaurants, and stores. Good Cheer will have it’s share of participants to add to the mix.

Good Cheer volunteer Jesse Brooks. Jesse’s Langley Mystery character is Lon Beastly. Lon is the son of a Langley Veterinarian that attended the school of Sorcery & Alchemy. Obviously his father has taught him well. Perhaps he has the answers that you need?

Steve Sloan is Good Cheer’s I.T. Contractor and his Mystery Weekend character name is Al Bets Are Off. Some have said that he is a devious real estate agent. This will his sixth year as a character and you must ask yourself whether he can be trusted. His contact number is: 1-900-FeeMax.

John Ball, part of the staff at Good Cheer, will be playing the part of Valdimir Pushcon. Vlad is a vampirous phlebotomist; also know as a collector of blood. His many years of experience make him perfect for the job. You probably don’t want to meet him in a dark room.

Beware… the mystery weekend suspects are not required to tell the truth. One or more of those suspects is attempting to get away with it so of course if you happen to be talking to that suspect then you’re not going to get the truth. But since you don’t know who committed the crime, you don’t know who is telling the truth and who isn’t.

Since all the printed clues you must gather are inside the Langley businesses, you get a chance to see their goods, engage in conversation, and in the case of the coffee shops, restaurants, bakeries, and chocolate merchants, you can sample the goodies, and take some home, or back to the hotel, for snacks while you pour over the mystery weekend clues.

A good detective must keep his or her energy level up, since murder solving is demanding work.

Here is a video of Langley’s Mystery Weekend 2009.

Be sure to do some shopping in the Good Cheer Thrift Store and support the community food bank!

Good Cheer and Good Sleuthing!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County

Mar 212010

March 21, 2010 Posted by Kathy McLaughlin 1 Response »

For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters has helped children reach their potential through professionally supported relationships with proven results.

In 1904, a young New York City court clerk named Ernest Coulter was seeing more and more boys come through his courtroom. He recognized that caring adults could help many of these kids stay out of trouble, and set out to find volunteers. That marked the beginning of the Big Brothers movement. By 1916, Big Brothers had spread to 96 cities across the country.

Around the same time, the members of a group called Ladies of Charity were befriending girls who had come through the New York Children’s Court. That group would later become Big Sisters International.

Both groups continued to work independently until 1977, when Big Brothers of America and Big Sisters International joined forced and became Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters remains true to the vision of bringing caring mentors into the lives of children. Big Brothers Big Sisters currently operates in all 50 states and in 35 countries around the world. That’s what you call momentum; programs that work sustain themselves!

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children in one-to-one relationships based on friendship. Matched with caring volunteers, children gain new experiences while having fun. The agency is always seeking volunteers who possess high standards, are stable, honest and live with integrity in their lives. We assist children of every ethnic, racial, national, cultural and religious group in Island County who may need additional positive role models to further enrich their lives.

As a preventive program, the goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to reinforce positive attributes in children helping them to become confident, caring and competent adults within their communities. A strengthened sense of self worth at home, in school and in the community are often results. Children who have an older special friend tend to be less likely to be swayed by peer pressure, perform better academically and have a more even-tempered attitude. It is through this special friendship that our kids stay great!

Children ages 6-14 who are willing and anxious to build a positive caring friendship. Volunteers age 19 or older – individuals who are willing and able to be a child’s friend can become “Bigs” in community matches. High school volunteers can become “Bigs” for younger students in the school-based program.

If you are interested in enrolling a child in the program here is the link.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children (“Littles”) ages 6 through 18 with volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) in professionally supported relationships (“Matches”). Matches meet two to four times per month for at least 12 months in one of our programs.

You can donate in support of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County by clicking here.

If you click on the above photo there is a video about their Mentoring Program:)

Events like these are a great way to get involved.

Remember there are a lot of organizations on South Whidbey Island that provide support to the community. You can find out more be clicking on The HELP Network of South Whidbey Island.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County website .

The HELP Network – South Whidbey Island

Feb 102010

February 10, 2010 Posted by Kathy McLaughlin No Responses »

We have a HELP Network on South Whidbey Island that is truly amazing. Perhaps it’s time that we do our part in getting the word out! I plan on writing a post about each of these organizations over the next few months. People helping people and in so many ways.

Gary Zukov wrote in his book, The Seat of the Soul, that “millions of individuals are awakening sometimes to their surprise to a hunger for harmony, cooperation, sharing, and reverence for Life. Their challenge is to create those things in a world of discord, competition, hoarding, and exploitation, a world in which life is a cheap commodity.”

I’m currently reading a book called “Blessed Unrest” which is a story about how the largest movement in the World came into being and why no one saw it coming. The author is Paul Hawken and the book was released in 2007.

In Hawken’s book he identifies one to two million organizations working toward ecological sustainability and social justice. This social movement is decentralized and has no specific leaders; hence no media following. “This is the largest social movement in all of human history. No one knows it’s scope, and how it functions is more mysterious than what meets the eye.”

“What does meet the eye is compelling: coherent, organic, self-organized congregations involving tens of millions of people dedicated to change. What I see are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty in this world.”

“Collectively, it expresses the need of the majority of people on earth to sustain the environment, wage peace, democratize decision making and policy, reinvent public governance piece by piece from the bottom up, and improve the lives of women, children and the poor. Throughout history, armies, corporations, religious rulers, and political zealots have overpowered the majority world, which in our upside down world we consider to be minorities.”