Editorial: Local traditions make Vashon sparkle

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, August 20, 2025

It’s the unusual details that make a memory special.

Like the bramble-swallowed vehicles at Engels Repair & Towing, where car enthusiasts revved and roared last weekend; like the soon-to-be-restored historic barreling plant at Mukai Farm & Garden, which hosts its annual Japan Festival in September; like the iconic West Pass Whistle aboard the Virginia V, which will make a voyage around the island this weekend.

These memories happen because of the dedicated work of volunteers and wonderfully devoted nerds of history, technology and culture. Their work is often invisible, and often not credited in the newspaper.

But they are the people who care about the island’s history and heritage and who preserve it for future generations. They’re also the ones who make this just a fun place to live — an island that attracts tourism and cultural prestige, and that preserves lessons about identity, immigration and belonging that too many in our country seek to erase.

So we say “Thank you” to the tent-builders, the artists, the sound techs, the road closers, the performers, the oilers and everyone else who comes together to make these community events possible — paid or unpaid.

You are the beating heart of Vashon — and you make the summertime very fun for the newspaper.