Take strides for cystic fibrosis sufferers

Folks will be out walking Saturday morning for children with cystic fibrosis.

Living with the disease is a daily struggle for one Marysville family.

Herald writer Sharon Salyer wrote about Brenna Krug, 6, in March. The moment she wakes up each day, Brenna faces an hour and a half of medical treatments — a routine she repeats each night before she goes to bed.

“If you count all the pills she takes, it’s well over 20 pills a day,” her mother Brandy Krug said.

She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a genetic, ultimately fatal disease, when she was 10 months old. Even though one out of every 28 people carry the gene for cystic fibrosis and it affects 30,000 children and adults nationally and about 650 in Washington, it doesn’t have the kind of public awareness — and understanding — of diseases such as cancer or leukemia, said Brandy Krug.

Help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by walking at 10 a.m. Saturday, beginning at Tulalip Casino and Resort Amphitheater.

Register at 9 a.m. at 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd. in Tulalip. The walk is along a 3-mile trail.

Brandy Krug will walk with a team called “Brenna’s Butterflies.”

Her child is that beautiful.

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Loganberry isn’t the best known berry, but we know where you can get a slice of the berry pie.

Or ice cream.

Loganberry is a cross between raspberry and blackberry, and rather tart, says Virginia Bloom, Greenbank Farm director of operations. Celebrate the fruit at the 2009 Greenbank Farm Loganberry Festival July 25 and 26 at the farm on Whidbey Island at 765 Wonn Road, Greenbank.

Find wine tasting, music and art. There will be food booths and a play area for children.

For more event information, go to www.greenbankfarm.com/loganberryfestival.html.

All will come together if they have enough volunteers to work the event. An orientation is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at the farm. For more information, call 360-678-7700.

Event chairman Art Herrera says they need folks to do chores such as pouring wine and beer, putting up posters, cashiering, directing traffic for parking and picking up trash.

The farm was owned by Chateau Ste. Michelle in the 1970s when it was the nation’s largest loganberry farm, Bloom says.

The berry field is down to an acre now, she says.

“Although plans are to revitalize and enlarge the patch, we will never get back to the 100 plus acres it was then,” Bloom says.

There are new amenities. Whidbey Pies Cafe and Bakery is on site.

“Their loganberry pie is to die for,” she says. “Jellies and jams are also a popular use, and loganberry flavored truffles.”

And they supply berries for Whidbey Island Ice Cream Co. for loganberry ice cream.

One other volunteer job must get done: They need pie-shell bakers to get ready for pie-eating contests.

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Local entertainment is featured at Art by the Bay on Camano Island.

It’s planned for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Utsalady Elementary School, 608 Arrowhead Road.

At the Stanwood-Camano Festival of Art and Music, in its 17th year, find arts, crafts, food, plants, garden art and more.

Mark Dodge with the Stanwood-Camano Arts Guild said he’s always included at least one regional act at the yearly gathering, to mix things up, but times have changed.

“But this year the guild has tightened its belt and everybody wants to keep the concert stage up and running,” Dodge said. “Keeping it local and building community seems like a good thing right now.”

And they have quite an array of entertaining people around here, he said.

Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.