You may have noticed that I've been quieter online the past couple of months and that has been really hard for me. I love staying in touch with everyone online – with friends all over the country and the world. When I haven't been online, I've been volunteering for some very noble causes in my little part of the world.
The first project I've been working on is our annual Lakeside Brewfest. We have a brand new City Manager for our little town of Lakeside, Oregon and he's a bit overwhelmed learning the new job and going after his passion projects. Our team, Lakeside Revitalization, was asked to produce this year's Brewfest and we agreed. It's not only a really fun, fabulous fest but it's also our town's major fundraiser for our annual fireworks each year. If you've seen our fireworks here on the lake, you know that this is a very noble cause indeed!
We're in the home stretch for the Lakeside Brewfest: the best little brewfest on the Oregon Coast. I can't wait to be in the moment that weekend, enjoying the live music, tasting some delicious ciders and brews, eating some delicious food, and sitting back to watch all of the smiling faces having a great time.
The other exciting project I've been working on is the Live Culture Coast event coming up in October. This event is being produced by a gal named Amber Peoples in association with the Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA). When I first heard rumblings of this event, I had a million ideas for Lakeside's participation. Being involved will literally put Lakeside on the map – the event map, that is, for the Live Culture Coast. It's a multi-event series that spans the course of 10 days and the entire Southern Oregon Coast. Its theme is fermentation but that doesn't just include food, it also includes cultural fermentation – how the rural and urban come together in more ways than we realize. It's about art and food and culture and of course, fun!
With my thinking cap on and my creativity flowing, I came up with all sorts of event ideas for us to host in Lakeside. A farm to table dinner, a forest dinner, a tea party, a farm tour, an art tour, lectures about Native American medicines and foods, and a class on foraged arrangements. We settled on a farm to table themed dinner with a twist – Lake to Table. Yes, that’s right, we’ll utilize the amazing assortment of fish available right here on Tenmile Lake. In addition, we’ll forage for local edible plants and berries, and ask local food artisans to participate as well. I’m dreaming of a long table, with everyone gathered sitting under twinkle lights, overlooking our beautiful lake on the sandy public beach.
The Live Culture Coast won’t happen until October, so we’ve got some time to dream up ideas, make connections with local artisans, and build a plan. I’m excited to see it all come to fruition.
While both of these projects have been in the works, I’ve also purchased an Apple Pencil so that I can create my drawings in a digital format and share them with you via prints, products, fabrics, and more! Father’s Day weekend is coming up in two weeks and when it has passed, I have big plans for a drawing series, some new fabric patterns, and lots of learning with the new tool. I can’t wait to share my creations with you soon!
Spring has been filled with learning, meeting new people, inventing new events and sustaining old ones, but there’s also been time to enjoy the lake life I love here so much. There have been brilliant dinner parties, days out in the boat in the sunshine, and I have started gardening. I’ve planted some foods and some flowers – had a watermelon plunge over the edge of the deck to its untimely demise, but the rest seem to be doing okay. The green beans have shoots and that’s always exciting!
How has your Spring been in your part of the world? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
