A weekend to remember on Vashon
Published 12:26 pm Thursday, September 11, 2025
Islanders closed out the summer last weekend with a series of cascading celebrations that, each in their own way, seemed designed to perfectly express the deeply creative and caring spirit of Vashon.
On Friday night, Vashon Highway closed to traffic in the town center for Vashon Chamber of Commerce’s final “Vashon Summer Nights” of the season, as galleries, shops and eateries welcomed islanders.
Island artist Jennifer Hawke and friends chalk-lined the street with a beautiful “Flower of Life” art work at the town’s four-way stop, and then handed more chalk to island children to color in the geometric patterns on the ground.
Then, at dusk came the main event: Stupid Bike Night, a pedal-powered parade that lit up the night to delight a cheering throng of spectators lining Vashon Highway.
The annual ride once again featured a pack of Vashon’s most clever performers, party people and children of all ages, riding contraptions that included flower and foliage-festooned bikes and trikes, tricycles tricked out with platforms carrying full rock bands, terrifyingly tall unicycles and so much more.
A wild pack of daredevil middle-schoolers led the pack, ripping through town to signal the start of the parade.
Wild, colorful costumes ruled the night, as riders donned superhero capes and masks, disco attire, space suits, butterfly wings, neon wigs and plenty of glow lights and glitter.
But stupid bikes were only the start of the weekend.
On Saturday, record throngs attended Mukai Farm & Garden’s annual Japan Festival to celebrate Japanese art, culture and culinary delights.
The event included lively performances, demonstrations and engaging activities for all ages — including traditional Japanese taiko drumming and dances, sumo wrestling, kimono demonstrations, a labyrinth walk, a bon dance and even a stunning car show featuring ingenious Japanese design.
Meanwhile on Saturday, on the north end of the island, Jennifer Potter hosted a celebration to mark the newly acquired landmark status of the Vashon-Maury Grange Hall — a historic log building in which she will soon open a small new neighborhood grocery store and gathering spot.
Sunday afternoon brought yet another joyous occasion: Dre Neeley and Pepa Brower, co-owners of Gravy, a popular island restaurant, served up a community cookout on the rolling grounds of The Country Store & Farm to benefit Vashon Food Bank.
The event featured lawn games as well as spirited live music by Ryan Gray and friends. But the main event, of course, was the meal.
Several island businesses including Pollard Vineyard, Ace Hardware, Pop Pop Bottle Shop, The Lodges, Camp Colvos, Island Queen, Vashon Island Baking Company, Wine Shop Vashon and Herban Bloom all pitched in to help supply food, drink and hospitality for the bountiful southern-style feast of grilled meats, fish and vegetables, salads, macaroni salad, crisp cucumber pickles and lovely sweet treats.
Local farms that donated food included Aeggy’s, Plum Forest, Island Leafy Greens and Farmer Dave and Nancy’s Tomatoes.
Donations to the joyous, family-friendly event raised just under $7,000 for the food bank, said Emily Scott, its executive director, who called the tasty town gathering an “amazing show of support” for her organization.
Scott urged islanders who couldn’t make it to the event but still want to contribute to the food bank to do so at tinyurl.com/2kcrccwu.
The community cookout is a new island tradition begun last year by Neeley and Brower — one that seemed perfect, by 6 p.m. Sunday evening, to close out a warm and remarkable weekend on Vashon.
