Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

08/25/2026

For more than 50 years, volunteers have powered the behind-the-scenes work that keeps Granny’s Attic running and giving back to Vashon.

08/25/2026

Vashon’s only chain restaurant has closed, ending a six-year run marked by a pandemic, rising costs and an increasingly difficult fight to keep the business afloat.

Subway served its last sandwiches Aug. 18. Varun Dhir, who bought the franchise with his family in early 2020, said years of declining sales, rising costs and financial losses ultimately made keeping the restaurant open untenable — even though his lease on the building runs through 2028.

Vashon’s only chain restaurant has closed, ending a six-year run marked by a pandemic, rising costs and an increasingly difficult fight to keep the business afloat.

08/25/2026

Rain McMillen Walmsley died after suffering a medical emergency aboard a flight to California. He was 22. His mother remembers the Vashon-raised skateboarder and recent journalism graduate as “a beautiful soul.” Read his story:

The recent graduate died after a medical emergency on a flight to California, at a time when his mother said he was “just coming into himself.”

08/25/2026

Two months after beloved Vashon cyclist Maridee Bonadea was killed, a bike lane is taking shape on the West Seattle street where she died. Her family says the quick changes have brought both relief and anger — and their push for safer streets is far from over.

For Maridee Bonadea’s family, the safety changes bring both relief and questions about why they didn’t come sooner.

08/20/2026

Drama Dock is celebrating its 50th season with a big one: “Rent.”

The beloved rock musical opened Aug. 19 at Vashon Center for the Arts, with a powerhouse cast, live onstage band and all the raw emotion that has made Jonathan Larson’s musical endure for 30 years. Performances continue Aug. 20-23, with evening shows Thursday through Saturday and a Sunday matinee.

Read our review, then catch the show before it closes.

Drama Dock, celebrating its 50th anniversary season, opened a soaring production of “Rent” on Aug. 19, with only four more performances to take place Aug. 20 through 23 at Vashon Center for the Arts.

08/20/2026

Stupid Bike Night is sort of canceled.

The Stupid Bike Club quietly disbanded after last year’s ride, meaning there will be no organized parade — and no road closure past 8 p.m. — this September.

Still, some stupid bikes may show up.

We talked with a founding club member, Jason Culp, about how the beloved, bizarre Vashon tradition grew from a handful of friends riding silly bikes into a major community event — and why the group ultimately decided it had become too much to manage.

The club behind one of Vashon’s strangest traditions has disbanded, meaning no organized parade — or protected streets after 8 p.m. — this September.

08/18/2026

Kat Eggleston, an award-winning and beloved Vashon musician, composer and theater artist, has had an exceptionally busy and productive summer.

Throughout June, she acted and sang a key role in the U.S. debut of the stage version of “Brokeback Mountain,” which earned critical acclaim and nightly standing ovations during its month-long run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

That show closed on June 28, with Eggleston jetting back to Vashon to dive into yet another production: Ghost Boat Theater’s fully staged premiere of her own new play with music.

Kat Eggleston, an award-winning and beloved Vashon musician, composer and theater artist, has had an exceptionally busy and productive summer.

08/18/2026

An annual extravaganza of automotive splendor took place on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Engels Repair & Towing on Maury Island, drawing hundreds of car collectors from the island and beyond.

Paul Engels, the third-generation operator of the 75-year-old mom-and-pop service station, estimated that more than 200 vehicles — everything from rust buckets to vintage farm equipment to muscle cars and meticulously detailed European classics — lined the field next to the station for the show.

An annual extravaganza of automotive splendor took place on Sunday, Aug. 16, at Engels Repair &Towing on Maury Island, drawing hundreds of car collectors from the island and beyond.

08/18/2026

For a few hours Aug. 9, the Blue Heron parking lot became an open-air print shop — with an earth compactor standing in for a printing press.

Twenty-nine artists participated in Vashon’s second Big Print event, creating 41 large-scale prints from hand-carved linoleum blocks. Artists spent months preparing their designs before gathering to ink the blocks, lay sheets of paper across them and use the heavy compactor to press the images onto paper.

For a few hours Aug. 9, the Blue Heron parking lot became an open-air print shop — with an earth compactor standing in for a printing press.

08/18/2026

At 100, Yvonne Kuperberg reflects on a life of conservation

Yvonne Kuperberg had one question as her longtime friend Jane Neubauer drove her to Mukai Farm &Garden for her 100th birthday party last month.