Third Place Commons Breakfast: Celebrate the Heart of the Community on Valentine’s Day

Full house at the 2012 Commons Breakfast

Third Place Commons Breakfast

Celebrate the Heart of the Community on Valentine’s Day

By Constance Perenyi

Third Place Commons is the heart of the community in the north end. What better time to show your love than on Valentine’s Day at our annual fundraising breakfast? Tickets are only $40 each, or you can host table of 8 for $300. Every dollar raised supports our programs, over 800 every year, all free to the public.

The event starts at 7am, and ends well before 8:30 so our guests can get to work. Yes, it is early, but great fun, with music, delicious food from the Honey Bear (can you spell bacon?) and Great Harvest Bread Company, and lively commentary from M.C. Alan Schauffler.

Teri Howatt of Fresh Mail
and Master of Ceremonies Alan Schauffler

Auction items

And we’ve got you covered just in case you need a last minute gift for your valentine. Auction items this year include a Lover’s Basket, complete with wine, chocolate, dinner at the Lake Forest Bar and Grill, and a tango lesson for two.

Are you and your beloved missing the LFP Farmers Market? We have a picnic basket full of market goodies to tide you over until opening day in May. Bird lovers will enjoy a new feeder and seed from Wild Birds Unlimited, avian-inspired artwork from the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council, and the chance to have Tony Angell answer all your questions about birds and art over coffee. 

 Eager gardeners can bid on a consultation from Cottage Garden Designs and get a jump on the season with tools from Town Center Hardware. Last but not least is a book lover’s basket, filled with surprises from Third Place Books.

"Commons Creatives"

Every year, Third Place Commons honors partners who enliven our community. In 2013, we are pleased to recognize the “Commons Creatives,” the clever folks who make things in the space. They knit and crochet, draw and paint, write and perform music. They dance, sing, hook rugs, tie flies, and they make the Commons the lively, welcoming place it is.

Regular "Creatives"

If you spend any time at all in the Commons, you are sure to have seen some of our regular Creatives. Our weeks start with Good Knits sessions on first and third Mondays of the month. This is hybrid knitting/book club creates hundreds of warm, wooly accessories each year for charity while they discuss books. A group of illustrators meet regularly on Tuesday afternoons, and attracts artists who work in a variety of media. And if you work during the week, they encourage you to join the fun on the first Saturday Commons Art-In.

Members of the Church of the Holy Stitch
at work in Third Place Commons

Church of the Holy Stitch

On Thursdays, members of the Church of the Holy Stitch convene in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and stitch into the afternoon. These devoted knitters met weekly at Village Yarn and Tea, mourned when the shop closed a few years ago, then packed their knitting bags and moved into the Commons. They warmly welcome new congregants at all skill levels.

Welcoming Space

For many creative folks, the Commons serves as a home away from home, or an alternate studio for artists who crave companionship and support. Elsa Bouman, a Creative of many talents, notes that she and her family chose Lake Forest Park when they moved from California because of Third Place Commons. Even though she grew up in the area, Katy Scott has found an extended family of kindred spirits in the Commons. A remarkable young knitter who generously helps beginners through their first projects, Katy speaks for all of us when she admits that her life would not be the same without this welcoming space.

Sylvia's Owl

Arts and Music

We celebrate the spark of creativity at our Valentine’s Day Breakfast. Lake Forest Park musicians Glen and Alisa Milner kick off the morning with their energetic fiddles, and local singer Dale Cummings treats us to a timely love song written by Robert Burns. We are honored to welcome Jim Kelly, Executive Director of 4Culture, as our featured speaker. 4Culture generously funds programs in the Commons, and Jim explains why third places are so important to the communities we serve.

Tickets for the breakfast are available at Third Place Books, and online. 

Won’t you be our valentine on February 14th?