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Enthusiasm wasn't squashed at Christianson's Nursery northeast of La Conner Saturday. The opposite was the case. Squash, in the form of giant pumpkins, enthused throngs of people who descended upon Christianson's on a beautiful warm and sun-splashed afternoon the last day of summer. Christianson's Nursery held its annual Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, drawing growers and fans alike from throughout the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of parked cars made for a jam-packed Saturday afternoon,...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival is Saturday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. It ends with pumpkin and squash entry weigh-offs for prices. It starts with fun for kids of all ages and food, drinks, a hay maze and plants, of course.Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon. Get out your bibs, it’s the Skagit Tidewater Boil! Celebrate the food, farming and fishing communities of Skagit Valley with fine food, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the La...
NOT TO BE MISSED Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. It ends with pumpkin and squash entry weigh-offs for prizes. It starts with fun for kids of all ages and food, drinks, a hay maze and plants. Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, 15806 Best Road, Mount Vernon. Get out your bibs, it’s the Skagit Tidewater Boil! Celebrate the food, farming and fishing communities of Skagit Valley with fine food, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the La Conner Marina. Tickets on sale at genuineskagitvalley.com. COM...
Mark your calendars for these upcoming arts and entertainment activities. Teen Art Club at Museum of Northwest Art, 121 S. First St., is a free program for youth in grades 6-12, where you can bring your friends and your creativity to make art together and inspire your art. Pizza, snacks, and art supplies will be provided. 3-5 p.m. Fridays. MoNA Book Club: “Parable of the Sower" by Octavia Butler. The story is speculative fiction, addressing the effects of climate change and social inequity in post-apocalyptic 2025 America. Wednesday, Sept. 1...
The 25th annual Festival of Family Farms free tour is throughout Skagit County this weekend, Oct. 7-8.The popular annual event offers visitors hands on experience at a wide variety of farms across the Skagit Valley. You don’t have to be a city slicker to enjoy the many activities avaialable for everyone in the family including: Educational Exhibits Farm Tours, Harvest Markets Gardening Demonstrations Free Samples Kids Activities Corn and Hay Mazes Animal Exhibits Pumpkin Patches Scenic Tours and More For complete details of the event, i...
Harvey Cardwell from Oregon City, Oregon grew the winning pumpkin at the 13th Annual Skagit Valley Pumpkin Festival at Christianson's Nursery Saturday. The pumpkin weighed 1,460 pounds. It was the first time he had ever grown and weighed a pumpkin in a contest. He has grown vegetables before but this was the first year he grew pumpkins. Just how much water does a giant pumpkin need? Up to 600 gallons daily during the heat of summer said Cardwell when asked. He has two more growing at home also....
Giant pumpkins from throughout Western Washington will be displayed and weighed this Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival at Christianson’s Nursery on Best Road. Enjoy family-friendly carnival games, face painting, toad observatory, bluegrass music and more from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. The weigh-off competition for pumpkin-growing hobbyists and giant vegetable growers typically starts in the early afternoon. First prize is $2,000 with 10 prizes going down to $25. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest and ugliest p...
By Judy Booth “Get up offa that thing … dance and you’ll feel better!” – James Brown Whether you’re a six-year-old aspiring ballerina or a closeted John Travolta, Skagit Valley is chuck-full of dance performance and instruction. “May I have this dance?” begins Taylor Winningham’s introduction to dance etiquette on his Anacortes web site. His advice, while apropos, also shows his sense of humor and laid back, but very professional teaching style. After studying ballet and jazz, Winningham studied ballroom with Fred Astaire studios, competin...
The Skagit Valley Pumpkin Festival Sept. 17 was a success for both host Christianson's Nursery and farmers across the state. From 9 a.m.-4 p.m. visitors attending enjoyed family-friendly carnival games, face painting and tractor rides while the adults enjoyed a Farmstrong Brewing beer garden. Pumpkin festival entries competed to finish among the top ten for the heaviest pumpkins. Two bonus awards included the "Howard Dill Prettiest Pumpkin" and the "Ugliest Pumpkin." Winners received cash...
5 Festival of Tiny Trees From “Kiss Me Under the MistleJoe,” to “Skagit Valley Tree of Plenty,” 29 tabletop trees featured in local businesses created a buzz in downtown La Conner last weekend, as the holiday season kicked off with the Festival of Tiny Trees Trail. Started five years ago in the library as a silent auction of decorated tabletop trees, the event took a year off in 2020. This year a new twist featured local merchants, many of whom wanted to showcase a tree in their shops. A total of 29 trees were decorated by local businesses a...
Three greater La Conner family farms will participate in the Skagit Festival of Family Farms this weekend: Roozengaarde, Schuh Farms and Gordon Skagit Farms. Longtime participant Hedlin Family Farms is not on the roster. Started 20-plus years ago by the Washington State University’s Skagit County Extension program, the event took a break last year, a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “Last fall there was no vaccine, so we as a group decided it would be better not to encourage people to com...
After the wind storm Friday night, John Christianson, owner of Christianson’s Nursery, wasn’t sure about the attendance at the next day’s annual Pumpkin Festival. After he spent all morning standing up plants and saving uprooted dahlias, Christianson found the large crowd “a bit of a surprise.” He said, comparing the day to 2019’s turnout, it was as good as they could expect, especially considering the days’ forecast was for rain. But the overcast broke around noon, with bright blue sky and...
