Step right up, The Evergreen State Fair is celebrating its 114th year with this year’s theme of, “Little Moments, Big Memories!” The gates will be open August 24 through September 4, but closed on Wednesday, August 30, for sanitizing and to change over the barns. There are too many events and exhibits to individually list, so I suggest checking out the Evergreen State Fair website for an entertainment schedule, list of carnival rides, and map of fair food vendors.
As the largest county-sponsored event in the region, I know that county staff put in a tremendous amount of work to put on the event each year. I am appreciative of the staff’s focus on ensuring that the fair is accessible to all people, regardless of age or ability level. On Tuesday, August 29, the fair opens 90 minutes early for the “Morning of Dreams” where children and adults with special needs can experience the park in a calmer setting without lights or sound. More information on this event can be found here.
In 2014, the Fair was also the first fair in the country to implement a Zero Waste initiative with the goal of diverting 100% of the waste that’s generated at the Fair. Plans included the requirement for food vendors to use compostable packaging, installing water bottle refill stations, installation of high efficiency hand dryers, and the move to have all of the animal bedding and animal waste turned into energy and compost at Monroe’s Qualco Biodigester.
Looking forward to little moments, big memories, and lots of scones this year!
Last month I shared about Latino Expo 2023 presented by the Latino Educational Training Institute. I was able to join for the event and had a wonderful time visiting the resource tables and enjoying some amazing food. The event was a great celebration of the Latino culture and presence in Snohomish County. Thank you to the volunteers who helped to put on the successful event.
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With local leaders and dignitaries at the event |
The Everett Station District Alliance is a group working to reimagine and revitalize the area by the Everett Transit Station to help prepare the area for the future light rail station. Their vision includes the neighborhood’s future as a major regional transit hub, a home for industry, and a great place for people to live, work, and play. Recently, ESDA transformed a part of 32nd Street across from the transit station to a public gathering place called “The Yard” by closing it off to car traffic, installing turf grass, setting up picnic tables and chairs, and hosting events. Each Friday at noon through summer they are hosting a summer concert series, and on September 15 they will be hosting the PARK(ing) Day Celebration. Check out their website for more information and details: https://www.everettstationdistrict.com/calendar/the-yard-2023
With Paula at the ESDA's recent Food Truck Rodeo |
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Earlier this month a new dog park opened in Everett at the Henry M. Jackson Park located in the Delta Neighborhood. The Delta Neighborhood Association reached out to me early in my term to ask if I would be interested in supporting their vision through a special funding allocation that council receives each year. The dollars are through our Capital Improvement Projects fund and must be spent on a public-private partnership project in the community. The Delta Neighborhood Association partnered with the City of Everett and I was glad to help provide funding for a much-needed dog park in Northeast Everett.
I was honored to have recently participated in the Summer Refugee Reading Program with the Refugee and Immigrant Services NW organization. The program is designed to help children stay engaged over the summer by continuing to expose them to the people, places, and language of their new community. I joined as a volunteer and read Henry and Mudge stories to a small group of 5- to 7-year-old kids and we made pet puppets! It was a great experience to help prepare the kids for school in the fall and I hope to join again next year as a volunteer.
The summer has brought so many wonderful celebrations in our community and it’s been wonderful to join for so many of them. In July, I attended Nubian Jam hosted by Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee. It was held at Forest Park and featured live music, amazing food, a fashion show, and much more. I enjoyed running into old friends and making new friends and celebrating Black culture in Snohomish County.
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At Nubian Jam with Demi Chatters of the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission |
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I also recently attended an event celebrating India’s Independence Day hosted by UTSAV Youth and UTSAV Women. UTSAV is a local organization working to connect South Asians living in the Pacific Northwest with local community to help develop and empower civic leaders. The event was on the Snohomish County Campus and I had a wonderful time dancing, exploring the marketplace, and was honored to have been recognized by UTSAV leadership for my work supporting their efforts. Here’s a video that captures the spirit of the event – in the crowd you can see Han Tran who is a friend and founding member of UTSAV Women, and myself who is dancing next to Miss World America!
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I was honored to attend The State of Tulalip on July 28. Chairwoman Gobin shared more about the projects that the tribe has been working on including addressing homelessness and substance use disorder, new public works projects, and new projects for salmon protection. The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber hosted the event at the Tulalip Resort & Casino, the food was fantastic, and I enjoyed connecting with Port Commissioner David Simpson and Tribal Councilmember Mel Sheldon.
At the State of Tulalip Event |
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An initiative that I have been working on these past two years is to support local nonprofit organizations through vehicle donations from the county’s surplus vehicle inventory. When a county-owned vehicle comes to the end of its useful county life, the current practice has been to declare those vehicles as surplus, and send them to auction. I often hear from local non-profits and service providers that they are in need of a vehicle to provide rides to clients or move goods or food from one place to another. Seeing a possible connection, I have been working with staff to create an ordinance that would allow for some surplus vehicles to be donated instead of auctioned to help fill this need in our community. The Ordinance will be finalized and introduced soon, and I’ll share more updates as they come available.
I recently joined the ground breaking ceremony at Faith Family Village for the Pallet Shelter site that will be built there over the coming months. The project has been in the works for a few years but experienced delays because of the pandemic, so it was especially exciting to join for the long-awaited event. The site will host eight pallet shelters for families of up to four, a hygiene unit, and a laundry unit. Interfaith Family Shelter will be monitoring the site and providing case management to the families to help them stabilize and move to permanent housing. It’s encouraging to know that in just a few months, eight homeless families will have a safe space to call home.
The Fat Brush Art Workshop is hosting the Second Annual “Dress Like Frida” event on August 27. The event will be held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts and attendees are encouraged to join for the event dressed like Frida Kahlo using recycled materials. Both kids and adults are welcome to participate, and there will be prizes for best costumes. The event will also feature music, information about Frida’s life, and art workshops.
On September 21, the Snohomish County Human Rights Commission is hosting an event called “Resist Hate” to honor the International Day of Peace. The event will be at the Snohomish County Campus from 6-7:30p and will feature panelists from local organizations, the Anti-Defamation League, the Western States Center, and others to continue discussions on how we can end domestic extremism. Here is a link to the event on Facebook if you can please share with your networks.
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