Friday, June 10, 6 p.m., Catkin Café
— from Olga Strawberry Council —
Barreling Plant the morning of July 19, 2013 – photo credit: Tom Tillman
July 19, 2013: If you were here on the island that day, you would well remember knowing of, or even experiencing, the arson fire that severely damaged the historic Strawberry Barreling Plant Building in Olga and its contents. Nothing was untouched by fire, smoke or water damage. The tenants, Orcas Island Artworks, James Hardman Gallery and Café Olga, were forced to find other locations and start over.
The Olga Strawberry Council (OSC), non-profit owner of the building, opted to rebuild and restore. Thanks to insurance money, a generous community and the hard work of many volunteers, the artists and a new café, the Catkin, opened their doors for business in a beautifully restored building in April of 2015, nearly two years after the fire.
The Olga Strawberry Council invites you to come to the Catkin Café on Friday evening, June 10th at 6:00 for beverages and small bites and to hear the story of that rebuilding and restoration process. As a final event in the OSC’s spring Strawberry Series, Ben Trogdon, architect for the project, will talk about that process and the work that was done, and about the story the building itself tells. By donation: $15 per person suggested. Reservations advised: Beverly Johanson at 376 4986 or lbjohan@rockisland.com. The Artworks and James Hardman Galleries will be open to those attending the talk.
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