As many of you know, 2023 was a tragic year at Cascade Garden. We lost our 18 year old son Fritz, our only child, after a short illness. For a lovely well-done story about Fritz and his decision to help others (that was actually picked up nationally), you can view it by clicking here at Eric's Heroes: Fritz's Final Journey Heartbreaking. Heartwarming.
Fritz has been a huge part of Mother's Day Spring Faire since the beginning in 2011. He donated not only his time but he also made monetary contributions every year, even as a little kid. He worked as the cutest vendor of handmade wooden pens with his Opa Paul and then donated the profits. Many years he shared his baby chicks and raised money by taking donations from anyone who wanted to give them treats. For a couple of years he even charged people to feed baby lambs and donated the proceeds! More recently, he headed up the parking lot crews and rounded up his friends to help with all the heavy lifting. It was our annual tradition and the highlight of our year. I always popped in the photobooth with him, and then we put our feet up at the end of the long day together to finally celebrate Mother’s Day in our own way.
We will be back in 2024 bigger and better then ever -- WITH A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO FRITZ. Plans are already in the works to make it the best Mother's Day Spring Faire yet!!
Here's a brief history of Spring Faire. Many years ago when Cascade Garden was a nursery, the tradition of celebrating Mother's Day in the gardens was established. It was legendary! Everyone was welcomed with live music and a bottomless pot of chili as they shopped for their spring plants and kicked off the summer season for the old garden center. Many would bring their own lawn chairs and spend the whole day.
With Fritz's help, we transformed this fun yearly ritual into an annual event, officially dubbed "Mother's Day Spring Faire." It's everything you might expect from a "fair" with an "e". We invite local artists and artisans to exhibit and sell their creations and handmade items. You can look forward to glass blowing, jewelry, repurposed goods, garden furnishings, bakery treats, fresh gourmet food, hand sewn items, and much more! All day live music, wine and beer garden, and hanging flower baskets for sale.
Now Mother's Day Spring Faire has truly become a legendary tradition in its own right. It's the only event all year actually hosted by Cascade Garden with the gardens are open to the public for all to enjoy. Generations of moms come to experience music in the gardens, do a little shopping, and eat good food. (Well, it's true, sometimes they come for the mimosas, too.) Every mom is presented with a free flower at the gate and everybody is treated to complimentary Mother's Day portrait. (Thanks Classic Events Photography!) The festive atmosphere is undeniable.
But there's more to it than that. At Spring Faire, Mother's Day is all about supporting local foster kids. All of the proceeds from Mother's Day Spring Faire go directly to Voices for Children Foundation of Yakima, a local non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of local foster kids. Mother's Day Spring Faire was born out of our desire to give back to our community, and it has blossomed far beyond our imagination. We are grateful to a generous community for your outpouring of support for local foster kids. It's a joyous event and a great way to treat mom on her special day. But beyond that, the stories of how the funds raised on Mother's Day are used to enrich the lives of the most vulnerable children in our area are tremendous. We set the stage, but it is all of you who make Mother's Day Spring Faire so special and so successful.
PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION TO VOICES FOR CHILDREN FOUNDATION AT http://voicesforchildrenyakima.org
Cascade Garden is located at 5704 W. Washington Ave, and can be reached at (509) 966-3744.
Voices for Children Foundation
Dedicated to improving the lives of foster children in the Yakima Valley