One happy day: Heart of the Valley brings people together for fourth year running

Published 3:44 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2015

No one was complaining Sunday at Snoqualmie’s Centennial Field Park. The 200-plus people gathered there dutifully moved two steps to the left, or four back, as requested by photographer Mary Miller for the fourth annual Heart of the Valley community photo. They chatted in line about what they were making, suggested other shapes, fiddled with the toy gliders provided for the day, and patted their, or other people’s dogs.

Just as they finished the second formation, an old-school smiley face, Nancy Mickel ran across the field to hug a friend good-bye, because she had to go to work.

“Nancy, come back, we need you as the dimple!” Miller’s assistant Anne Landry called over the PA system, but it was futile.

Valley photographer Mary Miller takes the ladder bucket 100 feet up to take the annual Heart of the Valley community photo.

After a few other formations, including the modern smiley face,  the people were ready to do what they came for.

“Now it’s time to do the heart!” announced Landry.

A new murmur ran through the crowd, and one little girl blurted, “Finally!”

People began moving right away, as if they already knew where to stand for the heart shape, and assistants Rich and Sharon Wiltshire made quick work of shaping the free-form heart up. Miller, harnessed into a ladder bucket 100 feet above the ground, gave directions over the phone to Landry, who relayed them.

Some thought the heart was the end of the session, but Miller and company had one more surprise and challenge for the crowd, an outline of Mount Si, with the Haystack and three snowy channels down its face.

Rich Wiltshire, consulting the picture of the mountain on his phone, stepped back with quiet approval when the arranging was done. Then he was reminded to get into the photo.

Afterward, there were games, music by the Antone brothers and a continuation of the potluck.

Payton Kraetsch, age 4, wows her parents, Matt and Abby, with her skills.

Miller, back on the ground, was gratified to see people playing, either in organized games or, as she did four years ago with the original Heart of the Valley, making something up as they went.

“That’s the thing about playing,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be designed perfectly… you can relax and do your own thing.”

See all the 2015 Heart of the Valley photos and time-lapse video, on Facebook; look for Heart of the Valley 4.0.

A ‘70s-style smiley face was one of the shapes in play in Sunday’s Heart of the Valley event.