A very heartfelt “thank you” to the people of Snoqualmie Valley and beyond… who came out for the “Heart of the Valley” community photograph Sunday, May 19, forming not one, not two, not three, but four co-created designs on the grounds of Centennial Fields, in Snoqualmie.
No one knew, fully, what I had in mind, as I was very carefully keeping designs a “secret” until the day of. You see, this professional photographer loves a great surprise and is not afraid to go to great heights to do so.
Lifted approximately 60 feet in the air, between two tall trees, it was evident to me that the crowd below was more than ready to “play.” My mission was to collect upbeat and positive images to share with my “home,” embracing playfulness and celebrating community love, as well as history in the making. You all did just that and more.
Captain Jack Greathouse of Eastside Fire & Rescue, brought two EFR vehicles, and those crews stepped onto the field to join over 400 others. I happily welcomed and enthusiastic Mount Si freshman, Zach Wunder, to join me on the lift to collect incredibly fun time-lapse video of the activity that looked so easy, but really was challenging given that the shapes were freeform co-creations.
Directed by microphone, hand movement and sometimes with the good-humored help of members of the band, Storybox, the fun-loving contingent kept at it, forming first a circle, ebbing into a People Peace Sign, morphing into a large outlined heart, next a double heart, and finally, a filled heart. Two women discovered that they knew each other from childhood and hadn’t seen each other in over 40 years.
A young man from North Bend was hired on the spot by owners of a local and quickly growing company. Among the crowd were eight dogs, a 6-week-old baby, families from Seattle and all Upper and Lower cities of Snoqualmie Valley, and even “bike guy” Travis Bridgeman, who isn’t paid to pick up litter in North Bend, but does, to keep it “pretty” and to discourage misuse.
The final “surprise” for my Valley friends is that all your collaborative effort will be culminated by notation in the 2014 Guinness Book of World Records. Way to go, kind people of the Valley and beyond!
Special thanks to QFC, IGA, Eastside Fire & Rescue, Ace Hardware, Pioneer Coffee, The Grange, the city of Snoqualmie, the city of North Bend, Selah Gifts, Ballboy, Cameras West, Encompass and Storybox, and thank you to all who helped in support of “Saving the North Bend Theatre.”
Mary Miller
North Bend
