Olga dock returns – Sustainable Living Fair comes to Library Park – Farmers Market opens in Prune Alley

Community Band members Moana Kutsche, Sandra Durand (under pink umbrella) Pat Muffet, Gail Johannes, Ken Speck and Ron Myers greet the return of the Olga Dock

The lusty month of May began with a slightly gusty Saturday, but that didn’t slow Orcas Islanders down as they observed our island’s particular Rites of Spring.

Olga residents gathered at the dock, along with members of the Community Band, to celebrate the return of the dock at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.

While the band played and onlookers waited for Kevin O’Brien and his crew to maneuver the floating dock into place, Dale Mattson, who usually heads the team that replaces the dock, explained the age-old tradition.

John Barnes, Tim Ordwing and Dale Mattson await the return of the Olga dock.

The dock goes to Lopez every winter, because “it would get hammered by the winter storms here,” says Mattson.  “It’s a happy day, a big day, when the dock comes back.”

Olga residents have “been doing this forever” as John Barnes says.  He and Claude Ruebling, Mike Galvin and Tim Ordwing headed the crew with Mattson and O’Brien this year.

“We don’t mind the rain, we just don’t wan the wind to be blowing.

The dock is owned by the State Parks system — to Mattson’s knowledge, the only dock in the state operated in that way. The Olga Community collects overnight fees, and Mattson emphasizes that the dock is not for permanent moorage.

The community takes responsibility for the upkeep of the dock. Last year they put in a new ramp, all with volunteer labor.

“So it’s good for the State, and we’re luck to have it here in Olga,” says Mattson

Following the morning’s work, workers, band members and residents gathered at the Olga Store where Sami Messinger served fresh-baked scones and coffee.

Band President John Evans thanked Messinger for staying open all winter long to serve Olga residents.

Meanwhile, back in town, the Sustainable Living Fair and Farmers Market set up for business and information at the Library Park and in Prune Alley, respectively.

The Sustainable Living Fair, in its first year, is at the Library Park because the lawn reseeding project for the Village Green county park is not yet complete.

Chloe Scott and Iris Parker-Pavitt man the FEAST table at Sustainable Living Fair

The Sustainable Living Fair arose out of the gathering at the Outlook Inn on Nov. 4 to celebrate the election of the Obama administration. Organizer Sharon Abreu said, “The national strategy [for sustainability] all has to be implemented at a community levelso people can see what’s already happening here. There is so much potential and so many people working towards sustainability in a variety of ways. ”

So the group, working with Sustainable Orcas Island, which meets the last Wednesday of each month at the public library, decided to launch a Sustainable Living Fair.

Those displaying at the Sustainable Living Fair were:

– Phil Heikkinen and Bob Connell, Sustainable Orcas Island;

– Sharon Abreu, Irthlingz Arts-Based Environmental Education;

– Patrick Bennett, Good Earth Works, growing food at home;

– Mikial Denker, recycled and electric bicycles;

– John Mottl, Rainshadow Solar;

– Allan Rosato and Lisa Warden, Orcas Seed Bank;

– Chloe Scott and Iris Parker-Pavitt for the Farm Education and Sustainability for Teens (FEAST) program;

– Ken Wood, breeding ’silver fox’ rabbits as a sustainable local food source;

– Matthew Maher, Stem sustainable design – (at the Farmers Market);

– Ben Sheppard, promoting his workshop at the Funhouse about a new software program that will help people self-publish on the internet.

Abreu said that the purpose of the first-ever Sustainable Living Fair on Orcas is to show “sustainable choices …. that promote self-empowerment and create lucrative situations for people that are far less dependent on fossil fuels” and other traditional ways of production and distribution.

The Farmers Market will continue at its Prune Alley from Fern to A Streets location until May 23, when it  will move back to the Green, along with the annual Bite of Orcas, a benefit for Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Orcas Island Farmers Market Manager Charly Robinson

Charly Robinson, new manager of the Farmers Market, says that 33 vendors have signed up to bring farm products, crafts and prepared foods to the market.

This year, the fee is $500 for season vendors, up from $350 last year. Earlier this spring, the County Council granted $3,000 to the Orcas Island Farmers Market to offset the increase in Village Green rental fees to the County Parks Department. Robinson says that the Farmers Market, a non-profit organization, plans to refund money to the vendors from grants they are seeking and savings they may earn.

The Saturday market pays no fees for the use of Prune Alley.

Robinson adds that the Farmers Market accepts Women and Children (WIC) nutrition coupons, and is hoping to be able to accept food stamps, probably for next year.

Farmers Market hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays throughout the summer.

The market website is www.orcasislandfamersmarket.org