Arlington opens up on Saturday

ARLINGTON — Whatever name you give it, Saturday in Arlington has a lot to offer.

Between noon and 5 p.m. along Olympic Avenue in downtown Arlington, people can meet volunteers involved local nonprofit organizations. Finding out how you can help others or get help for your family is the focus of Community Day.

Also planned between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. are music and dancing, exhibits and displays, a historical building tour of downtown, the Angel of the Winds Casino poker walk for adults, the Arlington farmers market, sidewalk sales, a chalk art contest, a bouncy house for kids, a chance to climb onto a fire truck and lots of goodies for sale.

While taking in all of the Community Day activities, people can stop for lunch or a treat and sample food from 18 of downtown Arlington’s eateries. This is the Downtown Arlington Business Association’s third annual Bite of Arlington.

Ruth Yost of the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneers Association hopes families also will stop by the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum and Hall to take part in a variety of historical activities for Pioneer Day.

“It’s a chance for kids to learn all kinds of old-fashioned things and see the way the pioneers used to do their chores,” Yost said.

Pioneer Day runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the museum, 20722 67th Ave. NE.

Learn to milk a cow, pump water, wash clothing in tub, split roof shakes, churn butter, grind wheat and use a treadle sewing machine.

Pioneer association members also will be on hand to demonstrate crocheting, knitting, spinning yarn, make old medical remedies, use an old ink pen and press sheets with a mangle iron.

The museum is open during the event and features model railroad, logging and crafts displays.

For more information about Community Day or the Bite of Arlington, call 360-403-8334 or go to www.arlingtonwa.org.

For information about Pioneer Day, call 360-435-7289 or go to www.stillymuseum.org.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.