Plans firm up for 120th annual Skagit Pioneer Picnic Aug. 1

La Conner will again serve as host and the upriver community of Concrete will receive special accolades when the Skagit County Pioneer Association holds its 120th picnic and business meeting at Pioneer Park on Aug. 1.

Concrete civic leaders Jason Miller, Valerie Stafford, Fred West, John and Gail Boggs, and Marty and Adrienne Smith will receive Pioneer Spirit awards during the event in recognition of their key roles promoting Concrete’s rich historical heritage and maintaining its envied quality of life while nestled amid some of Washington state’s most stunning mountain scenery.

Miller is publisher of the monthly Concrete Herald newspaper, carrying on the strong tradition of community journalism established there by the late Charles Dwelley and others.

Stafford and West own the Concrete Theatre and Act One Ice Cream Shop. They spearhead the Concrete Chamber of Commerce, noted for special events such as the town’s autumn ghost walk, a virtual time travel journey back to when Concrete was a rough-and-tumble village of miners, loggers, mill hands and cement plant workers.

The Boggses have provided yeoman support to historic preservation and landmarks restoration in Concrete through the Concrete Heritage Museum.

The Smiths have tirelessly labored for decades on behalf of the Concrete Food Bank, whose donors have famously included former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

In addition, during the association’s business meeting, the Wesen family will be honored as Skagit County Pioneer Family of the Year in recognition of their contributions for more than a century to agriculture, business, education and public service.

The family has farmed in the Bow area since 1907, when Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen’s great-grandfather, Charles Wesen, came from Sweden.

The public is invited to attend the Pioneer Picnic, always held in La Conner at 11 a.m. on the first Thursday in August.

The barbecued salmon luncheon, prepared by the Good Girls of La Conner and served by members of the La Conner Civic Garden Club, costs $20. The meal ticket includes free admission to the Skagit County Historical Museum Aug. 1-4.