Mother Nature is expected to be kind during Mother’s Day weekend as Federal Way folks explore an array of family-friendly activities. The weather forecast for this weekend calls for mostly sunny and clear skies. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 60s on Friday, and the mid-to-high 70s on Saturday and Sunday.
Buds and Blooms
The Buds and Blooms Spring Garden Tour returns to Federal Way this weekend. Tour the city’s greenery and floral treasures from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13.
Shuttle service is available at multiple sites. Featured tour locations are PowellsWood Garden, the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection at Weyerhaeuser, a pair of stunning gardens presented by the Federal Way Symphony, and opening weekend for the Federal Way Farmers Market in its new location.
Festival tickets are $20. Children age 12 and under are free. Rain or shine, it’s an exploration of Federal Way that’s suitable for anyone who loves Mother Nature.
Kids activities and demos include rhody pruning, a garden treasure hunt, Kusamonmo seasonal dish plantings, arts and craft activities and garden storytelling.
The farmers market will host a pancake and ham breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, served by Three Chicks Catering. Breakfast is $5 and includes coffee and orange juice. The market is located along South 324th Street outside The Commons Mall. Festival tickets will be available at the market.
The rhododendron and bonsai gardens rank among the world’s best. PowellsWood is an immaculately landscaped wonderland in the middle of Federal Way. All sites serve as hosts for lectures and demonstrations by horticulture gurus. Most sites serve snacks and treats, and some promise live music.
An all-access passport ticket and shuttle buses are available for the private garden transportation loop. Tickets can be purchased at Sacajawea Middle School, 1101 South Dash Point Road, and the Rhododendron garden on the Weyerhaeuser campus.
The festival is returning after a one-year hiatus. Buds and Blooms has secured approximately $36,000 from the lodging tax fund, which is specially designated for tourism activities in the city.
Visit budsandbloomstour.org to learn more.
Denny Cabin history celebration
The Historical Society of Federal Way is leading a celebration of the remodeled Denny Cabin, located at the West Hylebos Wetlands Park on South 348th Street, just west of Pacific Highway South.
The celebration begins at noon Saturday, May 12. Flag salutes and speeches by Federal Way dignitaries will begin at 1 p.m. Demonstrations include wood carving, spinning wool, music from the Old Time Fiddlers and a Civil War re-enactor.
The cabin, measuring 21 square feet and two stories, was built in 1889 for Seattle pioneer David Denny. The cabin was Denny’s real estate office and was located west of what is now the Seattle Center. The two-story log cabin was moved from Seattle to Federal Way in 1966 as a promotional attraction. After being located at the original Federal Shopping Way at Pacific Highway South and South 312th Street, the cabin was moved to its currently location in 1992.
To see photos of the cabin over the years, click here. To read more history about the Denny Cabin and the Historical Society of Federal Way, visit www.federalwayhistory.org.
Federal Way Farmers Market
The Federal Way Farmers Market will open for the 2012 season this weekend at The Commons Mall’s southwest corner parking lot, near South 324th Street and Pacific Highway South (behind Sears). More than 70 vendors set up shop at the market, which runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through October. Vendors offer everything from fresh flowers and locally-grown produce to gardening information and snacks.
For Mother’s Day weekend, the market will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The market is trying to expand its presence in the community, and hopes to do so with two separate Fun Runs this August. Organizers may bring back a mid-week evening farmers market this summer. The market’s signature event, a charity chili cook-off between Federal Way police and South King Fire and Rescue, is tentatively slated for Sept. 29.
Fallen soldiers
Tyler Stewart of Boy Scout Troop 330 is working on his Eagle Scout project — a war monument in Federal Way. Army Spc. Dennis M. Williams, Army Pfc. Erin McLyman and Army Sgt. Brandon Hocking were all from Federal Way, and all of them died in the Iraq War.
The project will honor their sacrifice on a grassy knoll at Saghalie Park, 33914 19th Ave. SW, Federal Way. Stewart will plant an oak tree for each of the soldiers. A granite plaque at each tree will list the soldier’s name, the operation the soldier was lost in, and the soldier’s branch of service. The dedication ceremony begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 12.
