Garden Art Fair to christen new Depot plaza next month Posted by Jacob Buckenmeyer | Apr 25, 2012 | 405 views

The Garden Art Fair returns to Anacortes May 4 and 5.

This year’s event at the Depot will begin at 11 a.m. Friday with a dedication of the new Depot plaza by Mayor Dean Maxwell.

Yard art and display and container gardens will be on display. Plants, bulbs and organic supplies will be on sale.

Various groups will give gardening demonstrations on the main stage through the afternoon, including representatives from Roosengarde with a tulip presentation at 5:30 p.m. Anacortes folk duo Cannery Underground is booked to perform on the main stage until 8 p.m.

Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department Recreation Coordinator Nicole Johnston said she hopes the fair can be a stop for folks who are already downtown on the First Friday Gallery Walk.

The festivities continue on Saturday with a demonstration by Northwest Woodturners at noon on the main stage. In the morning the Tri-Valley Rose Society will be in the Depot with educational displays and demonstration, and Viva Farms will be inside in the afternoon.

Food vendors will set up within and outside the Depot.

In years past, the Garden Art Fair was a fundraiser for the Anacortes Arts Foundation and the Depot Arts Center.

This is the first year the parks department has sponsored the event. Admission is free, but some funds will be raised through vendors’ fees. The proceeds will go to the Anacortes Arts Commission.

The parks department has taken over scheduling of the Depot since the Arts Foundation transferred custody of the grounds back to the city on January 1.

Parks and Recreation Director Gary Robinson put together a group of arts-savvy residents to look at a plan to keep arts alive in the Depot’s future.

The expanse of pavers east and northeast of the Depot is being installed by Strandberg Construction this month. The completion of the project will be just in time for the return of the Farmers Market to the plaza on May 12.

Through the summer months, the Farmers Market takes place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday.