Drums and dancing mark the first summer at the Miyawaki Forest

Miyawaki Forest Celebration, 25 booths, Food truck, Sweet Dream Bakes and Programs

By Sally Yamasaki

Around 350 people came to celebrate The Miyawaki Urban Forest’s first summer at the Shoreline Historical Museum last Saturday, June 29, 2024. 

The Forest is in bloom - trees and flowers are reaching new heights, and the Shoreline Historical Museum field was transformed for this event.

Children's Activities

Around the edges of the field, there were 25 different informational and activity booths. Paparepas food truck, and Shoreline’s own Sweet Dream Bakes filled the air with deliciousness. Children painted night scapes, molded clay forest protectors, and made magical forest wands.

To celebrate the Forest there were drum performances. When Seattle Kokon Taiko started playing, the rumbling of the drums gave sound effects to the gray-skyed backdrop. As they continued, the deep patterned resonance of the drums seemed to pull the crowd together, as if the many heartbeats rhythmically joined the drums.

Audience Participatory Dancing

The rhythms continued the audience’s connectivity with JHP Legacy playing drums that looked over 5 feet tall. Eben Pobee, Shoreline City Councilmember and co-founder of JHP Legacy, explained and demonstrated how drums could be used for long distance communication. 

The group then led the crowd in joining in the performance with clapping out rhythms and dancing on stage as well as in seats.

Concept drawing of Welcome Stone

On behalf of the Rotary Foundation, the design for a Welcome Stone was unveiled that Roger Fernandes is creating for the Miyawaki Forest entrance. 

Fernandes is an artist, storyteller, and educator whose work focuses on the culture and arts of the Coast Salish tribes of western Washington. He is a member of the Lower Elwha S’Klallam Tribe.

His design will be an art form with function, as part of the 6’ x 3’ glacial rock which will be carved and allow for seating. 

Fernandes will carve petroglyphs that represent images based on local tribal teachings. 

According to Fernandes, "Plants are our greatest teachers. The carvings represent local tribal stories that teach our relationship to the plants and brings storytelling into the meaning of the rock and carved designs."

The Forest is always open. Come walk through it. Talk, and listen to the plants. Take a moment to pause and take a deep breath and enjoy summer. 

As the weather begins to change and the leaves of the trees begin to transition, mark your calendars to join us at our next program: Life of the Forest, on Saturday, September 28th from 10 – 12pm. 

At this event, Roger Fernandes will share traditional stories that will give us an opportunity to learn and gather again as a community.

See more photos from the event.