Village Books is a cornerstone in Fairhaven. It is more than a bookstore, it’s the heartbeat of the area. This is where community is created. Well, the “Speed Readers” as they call their Traverse Team (shown below), came out in full force ready to tackle the work we had laid out. As part of their support for our Fairhaven Park Stewardship project and their Round it UP campaign, they also sponsored a Trail Work Party. Yes, if you are a local business, you can too!  

We begin our work parties with a quick Trail Talk with Todd, showing off the work we’ve done and what we’re planning to do! Read all about it in our Fairhaven Park Stewardship page. 

After a walk in the woods and a bit of Trail Talk with Todd, the Crew dug in. The task at hand was invasive species removal including blackberries and buttercups. We were out to protect our plants that we had put in the ground with Perry’s Planting Party.

With tools in hand, half the crew aggressively tackled the blackberries! The other half went in to gingerly protect our plants. We were all also delighted to have Bill join us for the day. 

Tackling the blackberries, Mary dove right in! 

Village Books is under new ownership, with a triad of trust between Kelly, Paul and Sarah at the helm. Read all about it on WhatcomTalk.com – New Owners of Village Books Capably Fill Big Shoes of Founders. As owners, they lead by example. Below, Kelly tends to one of our native plants. 

Meanwhile, her business partner and main man, Paul, goes after the invasive blackberries with his team. While yummy, this plant takes over the valuable resources of land, light and water that our plants so need and deserve. 

We were joined by our new friend, Bill, whom I had met at our Stones Throw Brewery – Behind the Bus fundraising event that we hosted for the trail last month. The well mannered man fit right in with the Village Books team. 

Mel has worked with the store for six years. He came prepared with some super duty clippers, big gloves and a can-do attitude. I even got a chance to work the tool and lop off some big branches. 

Mel’s work was mechanical and intentional. We had a job to do- get rid of those blackberries! 

Another longtime staffer, Joan, has been with Village Books for 20 years. With a smile on her face, she tackled the bramble patch. 

Kelly’s crew took care of the plants, weeding around those that we had planted in the spring. Lauren, another one of the book buyers, gets after it. 

The crew methodically went through and cleaned up around all of our precious plants. Hannah pulls weed out with a smile. 

They obviously work well together. It shows in the smiles on the faces of the colleagues. Asya add 

Oh yea, and then there’s my shameless dad plug for my little trooper, Violet, who came out and helped keep everybody in line. Here she is in our plant farm quenching the thirst of our efforts during our Fairhaven Park Phase Two – Wetland Mitigation – Native Plants Work Party.

After they got through the bramble, the next step was to remove the root balls. Trevor gets the shovel in the ground to get after it. 

One tradition that Paul will carry on is that of founder Chuck Robinson’s love of puns. Yes, these were the fruits of our labor: 

Violet and I were delighted to spend a Saturday morning with Village Books and Bill working on our special little place in the world, Fairhaven Park. 

Stay Tuned to what’s happening in the park and other events and programs- Sign up for our eNewsletter or follow us on Facebook.