LAKE STEVENS — St. Patrick’s Day will have come and gone, but you’re invited to tip a pint for the Y this weekend.
The Lake Stevens Brewing Co. and Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers are hosting a fundraiser for the YMCA of Snohomish County on March 20.
Casey and Hazel Borden founded Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers after COVID-19 hit. A group of about 20 swimmers — many of them families with children — meet at the North Lakeshore Swimming Beach twice a week to swim laps in Lake Stevens.
“We are a lake community and water safety is of great importance for us, which is why we also open the group to families,” Casey Borden said. “It’s important for kids to learn how to swim, adults to learn how to swim. I mean, my 15-year-old son swam a whole mile with us this summer.”
Two of the members are Lake Stevens Brewing’s Brock and Andrea Duerr. Brock is a triathlon swimmer — he’s done the Half Ironman and the Lake Stevens Triathlon. Andrea is a spotter for the group. She’ll kayak around the lake to provide water safety support.
“They swim a really long way,” Andrea Duerr said. “I don’t want to. I like kayaking. I just got one this summer for my birthday.”
Danielle Jacobson wades into Lake Stevens on Saturday morning at Lundeen Park. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
On March 20, $1 from each Lake Stevens Brewing Co. pint sold from 1 to 9 p.m. will go to the YMCA.
There will be 11 beers on tap on Saturday, including the new Morning Steel and Bullfrog IPA. Parked at the brewery will be Black Sea Food Truck, serving European comfort food.
In addition to the Y, Lake Stevens Brewing Co. has helped fundraise for the Lake Stevens Food Bank, Lake Stevens Boys & Girls Club, Sherwood Community Services, Lake Stevens Senior Center, Salvation Army and Washington CASA.
The Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers like that proceeds will help the Y pay for year-round swimming lessons for children.
“We just want to play our role in our community at large to be able to give back to our youth and to encourage them to learn water safety,” Casey Borden said. “We view swimming as a life skill and not a privilege because we live in a lake community — and the YMCA is able to offer that to all our families in our community.”
Members of the Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers group gather at Lundeen Park for an early morning practice. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Adding to the fun, every two hours, members of the Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers will take turns wearing themed swim attire at the Lake Stevens Brewing Co., such as sharks and parkas, wetsuits, bare pickle (just swimsuits) and hula party. In addition to getting a laugh, they hope to raise awareness of the Y and water safety.
“81% of the world is water,” Andrea Duerr said. “Your kids should know how to be safe near water. All kids should learn how to swim and take precautions.”
There are 230 members in the Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers Facebook group. Many of the swimmers are training for triathlons, so the Bordens organize 1 mile, 2 mile and 5K swims across and around the lake.
Lake Stevens Brewing Co. also teams up for the group’s Polar Bear Plunge and Swim & Suds events.
New beers on tap
Morning Steel
Style: Imperial oatmeal stout
Stats: 8.6% ABV, 45 IBU
From the brewery: “The best part of waking up is oatmeal in your beer. Conditioned on finely ground dark roast coffee beans, this dark beer is smooth and strong.”
Bullfrog IPA
Style: West Coast IPA
Stats: 6.6% ABV, 43 IBU
From the brewery: “Named after Lake Stevens’ historic resort way back in its lumber mill days. A twist on the West Coast IPA brewed with flaked oats and spelt grains. Spiked with Mosaic and Amarillo hops. Generous notes of grapefruit and ripe melon. Come green with us.”
YMCA annual campaign
Every year, for 120 years, the YMCA of Snohomish County has held an annual campaign to raise funds to help build community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.
The YMCA of Snohomish County’s fundraising goal this year is to raise $1.35 million to:
Hire 12 youth development program directors
Integrate Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program into all six Y branches
Reinvest in middle and high school leadership programs
Expand access to YMCA membership for middle and high school student
Commit to year-round youth sports programs and swimming lessons for children of all ages
Ninety-four cents of every annual campaign dollar provides financial assistance to low-income families and support to programs, such as child care, youth development, teen services, water safety, mentoring and summer camp.
Don’t drink beer but still want to help? Donate to the YMCA of Snohomish County at www.ymca-snoco.org/donate.
Sara Bruestle: 425-339-3046; sbruestle@heraldnet.com; @sarabruestle.
If you go
Lake Stevens Brewing Co. and Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers will co-host a fundraiser to benefit the YMCA of Snohomish County from 1 to 9 p.m. March 20 at the brewery, 2010 Grade Road, Lake Stevens. One dollar from each pint sold will go to the YMCA. Call 360-524-3678 or go to www.lakestevensbrewingco.com for more information.
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