The hanging flower baskets in town have been blooming like there’s no tomorrow. . .and, unfortunately, there is. It’s begun raining and also gotten cooler. Their days are numbered.
Category: Downtown Sequim
The Farmer’s Market
Summer months bring out the Sequim Farmer’s Market, an event held on Saturday’s downtown.
I was truly spoiled by farmer’s markets in California. Bigger metropolitan areas create a worthwhile demand for producers to truck their goods to these markets and California’s long growing season favors production. It’s not so bountiful and diverse in Sequim’s little corner of the world. Our local organic producer, Nash Huber, is the market’s “anchor” producer. There doesn’t seem to be too much other fresh produce at the market. Which isn’t to say it’s not available around here. It simply doesn’t make it to the Farmer’s Market.
I’ve read that the market is working to broaden their offerings and I know it’s not an easy proposition for a producer to spend a day sitting as a vendor at the market. In the meantime, there are plenty of tempting crafts and goodies to keep people coming back.
Our new purple decor
They’ve been doing some dolling up around downtown Sequim lately. There are new purple benches, new purple bike racks and (ta da!) new purple trash cans. I think I read that the city fathers got a grant to do this.
A new castle in town
It started out as 12 yards of glacier sand trucked in from Silverdale on June 7th, poured into an empty lot next to Adagio Bean and Leaf Coffeehouse. This is what it looked like as of July 4th, after about 100 person hours of work. The artist is Kali Bradford of Sequim, who has been constructing it in anticipation of the Lavender Faire and Festival. As you can see, it’s quite detailed.
Bradford has sculpted in sand competitions around the world and intends to finish on July 17th, by which time another estimated 100 person hours will have gone into in the work. To prevent erosion, the piece is sprayed with nine parts of water to one part of white glue. Though one would think rain would melt it, water runs through, packing more tightly the flat surfaces of the sand granules. Bradford suggests that the piece could last until the weather freezes.
The Bombardiers strike again
The local Fiber Arts Bombardiers have done again what they do best: yarn bombs on the streets of Sequim. In an attack of whimsy and patriotism, the group, described as a “loose-knit cell of knitters” staged a red, white, and blue guerrilla craft attack on West Cedar Street near the Sequim City Hall.
One member of the Bombardiers said, “Our goal is to inflict as much laughter, joy and good chuckles into town as we can.” Works for me.
I’ll be posting pictures of another yarn bombing, spied recently in Oregon, next week.
Need help?
The Colors of Sequim, our new art materials store, has a good idea. Readers like these are placed strategically around the shop. The tag flapping off the temple hopefully keeps the absent-minded from walking off with them.
Blondie’s Plate
There’s a new venue in Sequim’s restaurant scene, Blondie’s Plate, on Second Avenue. I’ve read it offers small plates – tapas style eating with dishes meant to be shared by tablemates. The owners/chef have come from Bella Italia, a very good restaurant in Port Angeles, so they’ve got the credentials. Online reviews are so far very positive. If I ever remove myself from my current, virtuous diet I’ll check it out and report back.