LandFest 2024 guests enjoying the evening program under the tent. Keynote speaker Joe Kane is seated in the foreground. Photo by Hillary Smith.
On the evening of Thursday, July 11, more than 350 community members joined us near the beautiful marina at The Resort at Port Ludlow for an evening of inspiration and celebration at LandFest 2024! Our annual fundraising gala was extra special and bigger than ever this year as we marked 35 years of community-powered conservation.
Guests enjoying pre-dinner mingling and refreshments at LandFest 2024.
We’re thrilled that so many longtime and new supporters came together to laugh, learn, and be inspired by the incredible progress we’ve made as a community over the last three and half decades and by the vision of a bright, resilient future for Jefferson County we’re building together. Through donations, ticket sales, and sponsorships, we raised more than $270,000. Wow!
As our LandFest guests arrived at the marina, they were greeted by perfect summer weather, crystal-clear views of the Olympics across the water, and live music from local musicians Jonathan Doyle and George Rezendes. Fresh flowers, fronds, and even some antlers bobbed merrily above the crowd as many participated in our “Best Dressed for Fest” nature-themed headwear tradition. (Read on to see photos of this year’s “Best Dressed for Fest” award winners!)
Jefferson Land Trust 35th Anniversary wine from Marrowstone Vineyards was featured at 2024.
As we mingled with a mix of longtime and new friends, we were refreshed by tasty libations from our friends at Bar Car Mobile, including new Chimacum Ridge Toasted Fir Cider from Finnriver Farm & Cidery!
We also enjoyed delicious wine from our friends at Marrowstone Vineyards, including a Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier specially bottled for Jefferson Land Trust’s 35th Anniversary!
Chef Dan Ratigan and his excellent team from the onsite Fireside Restaurant at The Resort at Port Ludlow wowed the crowd yet again with a sumptuous farm-to-table dinner, including passed appetizers and dessert. Sourced from local farms like the ones the Land Trust works to protect, the menu was designed to elevate and celebrate the produce of our region’s lands and waters.
A team of nearly 40 amazing Land Trust volunteers kept the event rolling through their tireless work serving, greeting, directing parking, taking photographs, and much more. A big shoutout to our incredible volunteers!
Hosting the evening were returning emcees Luke Burbank and Matt Smith, who brought smiles to all as they welcomed a series of guest speakers.
Loni Greninger at LandFest 2024. Photo by Hillary Smith.
We were honored to begin the evening’s program with words and a blessing from Loni Greninger, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Culture Director. Loni returned to the stage at evening’s end to conclude the program of guest speakers with inspiring remarks about Chimacum Ridge Community Forest and the cultural significance of its protection for the Jamestown S’Klallam people.
We were also pleased to welcome four of Jefferson Land Trust’s founders as our special guests. On this anniversary celebration, their participation was a powerful reminder of the amazing things that can happen when passionate people with good ideas and a shared vision work together for the common good.
Keynote speaker Joe Kane shared his valuable perspective as the former executive director of Nisqually Land Trust and co-founder of the 4,000+-acre Nisqually Community Forest — an inspiration for our community forest now taking shape on Chimacum Ridge.
Cheers to 35 years! Photo by Hillary Smith.
Joe explained how this groundbreaking work offers us an opportunity to reimagine our relationship to the iconic forests that define our region. He reminded us that the community forest project not only stands to bring enormous benefit to our community, but can also act as a model to help other communities build a brighter and more sustainable future through community forestry.
Throughout the evening, we were inspired by learning about some of the most impactful projects the Land Trust has completed in three and half decades and about some of the exciting ventures we’re working on now, including the Community Forest and the Look to the Land campaign, which supports it. (Learn more about the Look to the Land Campaign here.)
This group won “Best Dressed for Fest” with their “Farms, Fish, Forest, and Forever” hats. From left: Forever, Forest, Fish, Farms.
LandFest guests left with their bellies, minds, and hearts full — and some left with fabulous prizes, including Jefferson County “Booze Baskets” featuring Marrowstone Vineyards wine, Finnriver cider, and Wilderbee Farm mead; gourmet cakes from Cold Mountain Baking and Many Moons Confections; and a coveted bottle of 21-year-old single malt Scotch.
This year’s “Best Dressed for Fest” prize went to a group of four whose matching straw hats were inventively festooned to represent the Land Trust’s areas of focus: “Farms, Fish, and Forests Forever.” They snagged a year-long CSA from Stellar J Farm, passes to the upcoming Port Townsend Film Festival, and more!
Bob and Susan Jaffe at LandFest 2024. Photo by Hillary Smith.
Runner-up went to last year’s winner, Bob Jaffe, who positively outdid himself with an incredible Chimacum Ridge hat. He won a forest bathing session for eight provided by Connie Barron. At the end of the evening, Bob gifted his one-of-a-kind headwear to Community Forest Manager Ryen Helzer.
A big thank you to everyone who made LandFest 2024 such a sparkling success: our guests, amazing volunteers, sponsors, musicians, guest speakers, emcees, and the incredible staff from The Resort at Port Ludlow and the Fireside Restaurant. Cheers to 35 years!
Goodnight, LandFest 2024! Photo by Jessie Short.
