By Jack Garton
Like buds emerging from branches, or green shoots poking up from garden beds and roadsides, community events are making their cautious return this spring. The community hall is starting to host classes, rehearsals, workshops and more. This column does not want to presume too much when it comes to predicting the future, since it has been proven wrong in the past, but it hopes sincerely that this spring will bring with it some of the things we’ve dearly missed.
The hall has been hosting a winter farmer’s market every second Saturday, which will continue until the summer market starts up again. It’s a great place to connect with local artists, musicians, and craftspeople, and enjoy hot chocolate, coffee, or pastries made on the island. The public is also invited to participate in ping pong every Sunday at the hall from 3-5pm, and the community Soup and Bread lunches every Monday from 12:30-1:30pm, where a suggested donation of $5-10 buys a bottomless bowl of soup and fresh bread. Soup can be many things besides just soup; it’s sustenance, comfort, a lifesaver, and a social glue. In this case, it’s also the first blossom of our vibrant schedule of community events returning.
We anticipate the return of Nettlefest this spring, scheduled for the weekend of April 1-3. One of our most beloved community events, and a sign that the new season is here in its full spiky, stinging, green, delicious goodness, Nettlefest is a celebration of a plant that covers the island every spring, but also a celebration of foraging, local food sustainability, resourcefulness, local knowledge and relationship with this place and each other. Friday April 1st will be a cooking class at the community hall, where islanders can learn ways to use nettles in a variety of delicious and healthy recipes. Saturday April 2nd will be a community foraging walk, a fun hike where nettle harvesting techniques are shared. On Sunday April 3rd, the weekend culminates in a potluck of nettle recipes, complete with local musical entertainment and judges to determine the tastiest nettle dish. For more information, contact galianofoodprograms@gmail.com.
We are pleased to report that the Valentine’s Day chocolate sale was a great success again this year. A big thank you to all who purchased Valentine chocolates. As always, we couldn’t do it without the help of devoted volunteers. Many thanks to Marianne, Margaret, Jelena, and Raven for your assistance. During COVID the hall has had little income from rentals, but expenses remain constant. Money raised in fundraisers like this has been a vital lifeline over the last 2 years, and the Galiano Club is very grateful for the community support. Another great way to support the club and all it’s active programs is to renew your membership. $10 covers membership for a calendar year, and applications can be found in the foyer of the hall as well as online at galianoclub.org/about/membership.
Wild Kitchen – Cooking Class – 5:00pm on Friday April 1st