Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson helped kick off the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market’s 21st season on Sunday, May 10. (The Osprey/David Mendez)
by David Mendez
King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski was scheduled to help kick off the seasonal opening Lake Forest Park Farmers Market on Mother’s Day Sunday, May 10, celebrating the market’s 21st year. That is, until late last week, when extenuating circumstances forced him to cancel.
Fortunately, his friend Bob was able to help him out.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, Dembowski’s predecessor on the county council, jumped at the chance to step in.
“It’s just a pleasure to be here — I probably would have been here anyway, picking up flowers and checking out the bookstore — but I just so appreciate everybody who does so much to create that third place,” Ferguson told a crowd watching the market’s opening ceremony. “That’s what we really need more than ever right now, when times are challenging: coming together and sharing our values.”
Third Place Commons Board Chair Aaron Stadler rings open the Lake Forest Farmers Market’s 21st year as Gov. Bob Ferguson, center-right, and community leaders cheer on. (The Osprey/David Mendez)
As the representative to King County Council District 1 from 2004 to 2013, Ferguson represented Lake Forest Park as well as Shoreline, Kenmore, Bothell and Kirkland, as well as parts of Seattle and Woodinville.
Ferguson’s remarks were well-timed, as the market on Sunday also distributed funds to flower vendors whose farms were affected by severe winter flooding.
“The floods, as you know, were historically devastating for thousands of Washingtonians across many different counties in western and eastern Washington. We’ve been working hard — we’ve got FEMA recognition, FEMA funding coming, which is great. But no government can really help everyone, right? That’s where we need individuals and communities coming together to support folks who they know,” Ferguson told The Osprey.
“That’s what makes Washington a great state, is people pulling together and looking out for one another,” he added.
Yeng Garden, Yang Lee Lao Flowers and Long Farm each received $1,500 checks from funds raised by Third Place Commons, the farmers market’s parent organization.
“When we heard that our flower vendors — three companies that have been with us for over two decades — had suffered hardships in the December floodings, we had to act,” said Third Place Commons board member Randi Sibonga, who thanked the farmers for bringing “vibrancy and beauty” to the community.
Flower bouquets bloomed from the plastic pots Yeng Garden and Yang Lee Lao Flowers arranged in their stalls. Yeng Garden’s tables overflowed with lilacs and peonies, which were ready “just in time” thanks to the region’s warm spring, Yeng Vue said as she held a bouquet she had just prepared.
“Lake Forest Park really reached out to help in so many ways,” she told The Osprey on Sunday.
Vue acknowledged that Yeng Garden, her family’s farm, is “still behind” in its recovery, and that their variety isn’t where it would normally be, though the forthcoming crop of flowers will be ready soon. The next challenge is dealing with the structural damage.
They’ve had to replace a greenhouse, their sheds are damaged, and plenty of flower bulbs — including lilies and gladiolus flowers — were washed away. The support from Lake Forest Park, which will go toward recovering from those losses, was deeply meaningful for Vue and her family.
Yang Vue, of Yeng Garden. (The Osprey/David Mendez)
“This is why we love this market. We’ve been with it since it opened, and it’s not just this time; when COVID happened, the community really came together and supported us too,” Vue said. At the height of the pandemic and social distancing, customers would place orders that Vue would drop off at a longtime customer’s home to be picked up in the driveway.
“That’s a great thing about farmer’s markets; you help your community, your farmers, and we grow everything we sell here,” Vue said as she, her niece, and a troop of “free range children” ran around, bundling and arranging bouquets in the booth. “They work hard, and we work hard, and we just love it here.”
Mother’s Day flower bouquets sit ready at Yeng Garden’s booth at the Lake Forest Park Farmers Market. (The Osprey/David Mendez)