If you’re looking for a taste of traditional Salt Spring community — and you and/or your family have clothes you can get a little paint on — the Friends of the Farmers’ Institute (FOFI) has a can’t-miss event for you.
An all-ages work bee has been set for Sunday, June 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Farmers’ Institute, an effort focusing on painting the long white fence at the fairgrounds that runs from Rainbow Road. It’s a natural continuation of FOFI’s recent work; every week for a little over a year, while the Tuesday morning group laboured on outdoor projects, FOFI members — Carole Walde, Gail Gulayets, Elaine Huser, Pam Fetherston and Anne Zahorecz — have been hard at work inside the historic exhibition hall.
As both Walde and Gulayets serve as baking coordinators for Salt Spring Fall Fair entrants, the group decided this winter they would paint the low-ceiling section of the main hall’s ground floor — and kept going. They painted down one side and up the other; they touched up the green rails that were replaced last year; they stained the centre posts and painted the trim. At press time, they had nearly finished painting the women’s washroom and were on to the men’s.
“When we started off, we were just going to clean the kitchen upstairs,” laughed Walde. “Next thing you know, we’re painting the bathrooms!”
The goal for the work bee is getting the fence bright and white for the summer, Walde said, and having a little fun doing it. Walde paused to thank the church groups that had washed down so many fence boards — the latest in a list of helpers that had come out for projects all year, from the Tuesday morning group that replaced the old trellises to the Salt Spring Cruisers car club that graciously donated and installed the new indoor lighting.
“For the work bee, we’ll do a bunch of baking,” said Walde. “We’ll have some snacks and drinks and what-not — and if we get the fence finished I’m sure we’ll have something else to move on to.”
FOFI also hopes the event will bring out people who might want to help with preparations for this year’s Fall Fair set for the Sept. 6-7 weekend — joining long-time volunteers who recognize how important the event is for the island.
“The groups of people that work here really enjoy it,” said Walde. “I think there are a lot of people out there who want that feeling of community — well, this is the place! And we’ve got a job for everybody.”
Those interested can RSVP to carolwalde@shaw.ca and are encouraged to bring gloves, as well as extra rollers, paint brushes, pruners and loppers if they have them.