San Juan Island Grange’s Farm Parade

Farm Parade

By Heather Spaulding • October 10, 2017 6:58 pm

The sun broke through the clouds just in time for the San Juan Island Grange’s eighth annual Farm Parade on Saturday afternoon, just as the organizer, Roger Ellison predicted.

“In all the years we have done this, the weather has always been good,” he said.

The parade was staged at the fairgrounds and farmers, horses, goats, musicians, and supporters like the San Juan Island Food Co-op, Friday Harbor Port, San Juan Island Farmers Market, marched down Argyle down Spring Street and up to the Grange where a dinner was held. Usually, according to Ellison, approximately 24 entities participate in the event. This year, with the theme “A Community of Growers,” seemed to have even more participants than that. The theme stemmed from the Grange’s mission statement “A Community of Growers since 1931.”

The Grange dinner showcased food from local farmers. The Grange held a ribbon cutting for its new deck with a gate donated by sculptor Paul Herbert.

Ellingson began the parade when the Farmer’s Market moved from the San Juan County Courthouse to Brickworks and hoped this year watchers would join the parade as it wound its way through Friday Harbor.

“Wouldn’t that be cool to have the parade grow as it went along?” he said.