An article about the Festival of Trees
The public is invited to this free, all day festival to celebrate the trees of Seattle. A host of indoor
and outdoor activities will enlighten and entertain. In ‘the ‘Brig’, famous garden writers (Marty Wingate,
Ciscoe Morris, Arthur Lee Jacobsen, Linda Chalker-Scott) and others will be giving tree and garden talks.
Topics include: top ten small trees, wildlife friendly gardening, fruit tree culture, gardening with natives,
how to prune trees, trees and creatures, and many more.
There will be tours of secret gardens hosted by Friends of Magnuson Community Garden. Come see the children’s
garden, native plant garden, the tranquil garden, the community pea-patch, the demonstration orchard and the
ribbon cutting dedication of the Magnuson Community Center Bird-friendly landscape, with Ciscoe Morris at
10:00 am (follow the RIBBON CUTTING signs).
A ‘tree adoption agency’ will help folks choose the best tree for them (some trees are free and others are
for sale). There will be plenty of free literature, mulch and advice on how to plant and care for your new baby
tree. For those who like to learn by seeing, rather than reading, we have live tree planting, pruning, moving,
and even big tree climbing demonstrations in the afternoon. Spanish versions will be presented.
Thirty entertainers from The New Old Time Chautauqua will lead two parades headed by the Fighting Instruments
of Karma Marching Band with stilt walkers, dancers and jugglers. The public is invited to join the parade with
a tree or critter costume of their own device. (Trees, flowers, birds, bees, bugs, shrubs, groundcovers, mushrooms,
vines and even ‘invasive-exotics’ costumes are welcome.).
Then the Chautauqua enters the ‘workroom’ to give live performances on stage: Nanda-Acrobaticalists;
Godfry Daniels-Lifesized Cartoon; Haute Trash Fashion show-ooh la la!; Thaddeus Spae-Trombonist with the
mostest; Fyodor Karamozov-weilder of unusual objects.
And DIY entertainer workshops will follow--learn to make a trash hat, juggling, mask-making and acrobatics.
We love The New Old Time Chautauqua because they add humor, whimsy and good old fashioned family entertainment.
They’re a hoot!
And from the Hispanic community we will have a wandering mariachi band and an authentic charro (Mexican cowboy)
with his five dancing horses!
Outdoors, between the entertainment and education buildings, is the festive, outdoor Green Court. You can
find goats that eat blackberries; red, wriggler worms for the compost; a beautiful bee hive; bunnies; and
even city chickens. There are over 30 non-profit green groups, local crafts and eco-vendors. We will have healthy
food-- you know, like folks selling curly fries made out of locally grown, organic, sustainable, non-trans-fat,
free range potatoes.
At 2 pm on the outdoor stage Cass Turnbull and John Curley will present PlantAmnesty’s
Friend of the Trees Award to Councilmember Richard Conlin.
There will be activities for moms and kids all day. The Hawthorn Hills Room of ‘the Brig’ will be an activity
room: crafts made from recycled materials--Bird-watching binoculars, Mother’s Day cards and crowns made by the kids
for their Moms, and a mural art project. Outdoor activities--visits to the children’s garden, taking bark rubbings,
sensory walks, worm bin exploration, bird watching expeditions, rides in bucket trucks and supervised climbing of
big trees with ‘rope and saddle’. Activities are led in the Spanish language too.
The best part is…it’s free!