Carl Burger, Marj Franke and Tish Knapp – members of the group Tow Away Zone – are kicking off Orcas Island’s summertime weekly Music in the Park series’ 2019 season in the Village Green. They look forward to sharing an evening of musical blending, traditional with irreverence, editorializing with nostalgia and slapstick with serenity on Sunday, July 7, from 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnic goodies, lawn chairs, sunscreen, voices and smiles.

Burger is a state park ranger-turned Innkeeper, living on Obstruction Pass with wife Sandy since 1992. He began playing guitar and banjo in 1962, hitting his peak around 1963. His musical muses are Peter Schickele, Spike Jones, Weird Al and his current singing partners.

Franke calls herself “a newcomer with deep roots.” Her first visit to Orcas was in 1947. She and husband Fred moved here in 2009. They find joy in the simple things, game nights, potluck events, Orcas Senior Center activities and tending to a home that always needs attention (one room is the original onsite log cabin!). She’s also an artist, a masseuse and she’s ready to sing anything, anytime, anywhere!

Knapp, family and her farm menagerie (including two yearling emus) have been on-island for more than 40 years. She taught literature and creative writing at Orcas High School for 26 years. She also sews and writes, enjoys long delicious philosophical conversations and loves singing close harmony.