Skagit Valley Food Co-op
Workshops

Saturday July 26^th     

Skagit Valley Food Co-op’s 35^th Anniversary

Birthday Party 11-6pm

Celebrate 35 years of food and community with us on Saturday. We’ll feature raffles, samples, and giveaways, in-store and beyond. Kid’s activities with the Children’s Museum, including a Procession of the Produce parade at 4pm.

We’ll be grilling up samples galore, along with some of our vendor partners who have samples to share, plus we’ll host local farmers, community organizations working toward a sustainable future, a beer garden serving Sierra Nevada, and live entertainment starting at Noon, with Dana Lyons. At 1:30, Robert Blake and the High Wide and Handsome Band will take the stage, and at 4pm Sabrina y Los Reyes will get us dancing with some Latin flair.

Downtown Mount Vernon will be spreading out along 1st Street for the Sidewalk Sale so it should be a marvelous day in downtown. Hope that you can join us!

Monday July 28^th  Co-op Room 309 6 – 8 pm

Do You Believe This?

With Michael Warmuth and Laura Lavigne

Are you having trouble accomplishing your goals or living the life you want? If so, you may have a conflict between your conscious desires and subconscious beliefs. As Henry Ford once said, "If you believe you can or if you believe you can't...you're right!"

Join Laura Lavigne of TreeHouse Coaching and Michael Warmuth of Dynamic Transformations for this informative and entertaining presentation. Not only will you learn how beliefs influence your life but how they can be changed to remove blocks to your happiness and fulfillment.

Wednesday, August 6^th Co-op Room 309 6:30pm

Poetry Reading

with local poetic luminaries Jane Alynn, Jeff Lair, and R.R Seitz

The Northwest is rich soil for poets, painters, and photographers to harvest their creative potential. Please join us for a free poetry reading featuring poetic speculation from some of Washington’s most ingenious thinkers.

 Writer and photographer Jane Alynn has lived many lives in many places: as a dancer at the New York City Ballet School, in San Diego and Seattle during her 30 year career as a licensed psychotherapist, and in Anacortes where she lives with her husband and two cats, writing and making photographs (when she’s not helping out with HR at the Co-op!)

 Her chapbook, Threads & Dust, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2005. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Quercus Review, The pacific Review, Snowy Egret, StringTown, and in many anthologies. Forthcoming are poems in Calyx and Floating Bridge Review. In 2004 she was awarded a William Stafford Award from Washington Poets Association. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles. Always with her eye and ear trained upon the natural world, Alynn’s poems embrace the contradictions and complexities of life – its beauty and terror, solace and suffering – revealing the interconnection between inner and outer worlds.

Jeff Lair’s new book of poetry, Tall Grass, brims with coyote magic from cover to cover.  His poetry invites you to peer over his shoulder into a mirror of foibles, mental quirks and risks of youth.  Lavishly illustrated by his brother, Gregg, this is a book that wants to stay in your hands, to be read and read again.

 Jeff Lair is poetry's accidental tourist. Without trying to, he traveled around the world from the 60's through the 90's, accumulating a string of calamities and failures of every variety, which he renders, for reasons he remains unsure of, into poems that manage to ask the questions we usually only mumble to ourselves in secret. You will find yourself making room for stolen moments as Jeff Lair’s poetry calls you back for more.  See for yourself why Jack McCarthy said he

“stole the show at Burning Word” ’08.

 By day he lives with a mysterious Gypsy woman in the oldest-still-standing house in beautiful downtown Lowell, Washington rejoicing in the day(s) remaining even as the wrecking-ball swings, and the blackberries and tall grass encroach evermore. Uh oh… Don't miss him!

R. R. Seitz, poet, raconteur, not easily measured by any list of the usual adjectives. His work will wake you, shake you - listen well: wending through his poems is a deep respect for life, a quiet and enigmatic hope. Said to have the finest collection of rejection letters in the northwest, his book, Right Here, Right Now is available from Brass Weight Press.

He has read in many niches around Seattle, including: the "Veterans for Peace" convention, KSER Radio, and was a finalist at the '06 & '07 Bart Baxter Competition. Lock n'load. Come give a listen. Consider it: a - dare.

Thursday August 7^th 6:30 pm Room 309

Germbusters for Home and Pet Care

With Michelle Mahler

Learn how to make your own GREEN cleaning and disinfecting products. You will learn how to use Essential Oils for natural disinfecting spray cleaners and powdered bathroom cleaner. We will also cover the basic flea repellant oils and mold and mildew neutralizers.

$5 supply fee for each cleaner you wish to create, including take home tips and instructions for future use.

Monday August 11^th 6:30 – 8 pm Co-op Room 309

Medical QiGong with Matthew Van Dyke L.A.c

QiGong's gentle, rhythmic exercises mirror the movements of nature, especially the fluidity of water.  Combined with simple breathing techniques, QiGong is uniquely suited to relieving stress, boosting the immune system, and increasing the body’s innate healing abilities. Unlike some yoga or tai chi routines, QiGong “flow” routines can be learned very quickly.  They are perfect for people of all ages and fitness levels, and they provide a powerful adjunct to any fitness/health program. Please wear loose fitting clothing as this will be a participatory class.

Matthew has been studying QiGong since 2002, and is excited to bring this powerful tool to the Skagit Valley area.  He practices Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine from La Connor through Skagit Valley Acupuncture & Herbs.

Wednesday August 13^th 6:30-8 pm Co-op Room 309

Hiking in Skagit County

With Jill Eelkema

It’s so easy to get outside for some incredible hikes in Skagit County! Certified Wilderness First Responder Jill Eelkema will share some of her favorite day hikes, including routes around Little Mountain, Mount Erie, and Blanchard Mountain. This workshop will cover the basics of hiking preparedness and what to bring in case your day hike becomes an unexpected overnight. We’ll look at clothing options, lightweight gear, and some basic map reading as well as Leave No Trace practices, trip planning, and weather coping skills.

Thursday August 14th 6:30pm Room 309

Skin Care Scrub with Dead Sea Salts and Oils

With Michelle Mahler

Skin care scrubs with Dead sea salts, Essential Oils, Jojoba oil, Carrotseed oil and more! Learn how to be naturally beautiful and treat your skin with luxurious healing Essential oils and natural ingredients which are gentle to your skin. You will be able to make your own 2 oz. smoothing, age defying scrub for a supply fee of $5.

Saturday August 16^th 10am and 12 Noon Co-op Room 309

Canning and Jamming and Pickling, Oh My!

With WSU Master Food preserver Vivian Smallwood

Master Food Preserver and Food Safety Advisor Vivian Smallwood will lead us through the basics of canning and jamming at ten am, followed by a pickling demo at noon, with lots of resources and suggestions for how to preserve just about anything, as well as a tracking sheet to help you remember what you’ve canned! In between we’ll take a tour of the produce department, to peruse fresh local produce that now you’ll know how to preserve for family and friends.

 Vivian Smallwood has been canning for over 50 years! A Master Food Preserver with WSU’s cooperative extension program since 1982, and a preserving judge at county fairs, Vivian is a wealth of information for food preservationists of all levels of experience.

 Friday August 29^th 2-6pm Room 309

Back to School Clothing Swap

Clean out your closet for a fresh take on the school year, Co-op style!

September 30^th 6:30pm Room 309

Herbal Immune Support for the Winter Months with Sarah Patterson

Join Herbalist Sarah Patterson for an informative discussion of herbs to  enhance immunity just in time to thwart winter illness. Come and learn basic strategies to keep adults and children well with herbal medicine. We will meet and taste several herbs that can help to prevent sickness and speed recovery time and learn the proper dosages of teas and tinctures. Participants will gain the confidence to use herbs effectively to stay healthy all year long.