Join us for our first ever SummerFest! A chance for the community to celebrate together, enjoy family-fun activities, shop in an outdoor art market, and eat delicious food.

Help Fill the Food Bank this summer! Scroll down to learn how you can help Federal Way families this season!

Admission is FREE!

Food Trucks:

El Chapulin Oaxaqueno 10 am – 4 pm in the garden
B&B Ice Cream 10 am – 4 pm in the garden

Live Demonstrations:

SUMI-E (Japanese Ink-Brush Painting)
Rutherford Conservatory terrace | 10 AM – 4 PM
by Darlene Dihel
Darlene currently teaches Sumi-e painting in her home once a month, at the Senior Center every few months, and provides demos at a local gallery for various occasions. She is a member of the Puget Sound Sumi Artists and is presently the Exhibits Chairperson. For more information visit sumi-org. Darlene has wall space at Arts Alive where she displays her artwork for sale and volunteers once a week.

Make & Take Lei Demonstration
Visitor Center Courtyard | 10 AM – 12 PM
by Kaiulani Osorio-Sawka 
Fresh Flower Lei making demonstration with Kaiulani. Join us and learn to make and take your own Flower Lei, while supplies last.

Federal Way Public Works
Stop by the City of Federal Way Public Works booth for a free compost bin and tips for how to create a safe, healthy garden without using pesticides or fertilizers.

Art Market

Blue Cactus Press
Chris/tina Vega (they/them) is the publisher at Blue Cactus Press, where they make books that offer liberatory approaches to being in better relationship to ourselves, our communities, and the earth. Chris is also a Queer Chicana poet from the borderlands of Texas & New Mexico. They live on Puyallup and Nisqually Land. They published their sophomore poetry collection, Vega, in 2023 through Blue Cactus Press.

Hannah Nicholson
Functional handmade ceramics for your home, made in Gig Harbor, WA. I’m inspired by the beauty of Western Washington, particularly the spring blooms and bright colors you can find among the wildflowers. Treat yourself to a planter, mug, travel tumbler, plant stake, incense holder, berry bowl or one of my other one-of-a-kind goodies!

Jessica McClain
Jessica resides outside of Seattle, WA with her husband and two young children. You may find her at a local art or metaphysical market where she shares her gift of insight as well art; snapshots of fantasy, reality, and the duality of it all within epoxy resin. Her specialties include full resin boxes, shadow boxes, candle holders, and more.

Kelly Loney
My art is mostly set in agricultural, park, preserve, and open space lands. Usual subjects are animals and whatever looks interesting, fun or thought provoking. My greatest hope is that my work will strike someone to their core with (insert any emotion here).

Olive Rae Boutique 
Welcome to Olive Rae Boutique, where we passionately embrace beauty, ethics, and sustainability. Committed to a world of fairness, we champion Fair Trade and stand in collaboration with resilient women globally, offering them a haven from human trafficking and domestic violence. Through safe living spaces, fair employment, and education, we empower these women to thrive.

Paisley Studio Brush & Lens 
Husband-and-wife artistic team Eric Shellgren and D’Arcy Heiber create photographic and watercolor art. Their creations are inspired by their love of nature, travel, and life in the PNW. Eric specializes in botanical photography, focusing on Pacific Northwest plants as well as desert species and landscapes. D’Arcy also enjoys painting botanicals, old houses and rusty relics. Many of their inspirations come from the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden.

Patton Glass
Patton Glass is a Tacoma based artist who creates hand blown glass work in her small home studio. Her art is heavily inspired by time spent in the garden and in nature, you will find bright colors and whimsy in her work.

Poverty Bay Beads
Kay Pedersen “plays with fire”, creating nature inspired glass beads with her torch at her Federal Way home studio. Each piece of jewelry is handmade by Kay and uses her own unique beads, and designs. Sculptural floral beads are her specialty, which she pairs with silver accents for a lovely, casual elegance.

Rainbow Goods & Readings
Rainbow Goods is the creative corner for Washington native Natalie Haywood, a multidisciplinary artist who loves working with resin and digital mediums. Natalie draws from her background in Shamanic energy work to embody the wonder and beauty of our beautiful Earth in everyday decor. Her jewelry, trays, boxes, planters, and more are all one of a kind- with no two ever the same.

Xeric Ceramics
Julie Baldock is a poet, ceramicist, and general gal about town who lives and loves in Tacoma. Currently, she is selling a 2nd edition of her book of poetry, written during the pandemic year, called A Woman of a Certain Age. You can find her teaching writing workshops around Tacoma or selling her books and art at local markets.

Interested in volunteering? Email info@rhodygarden.org

For sponsorship opportunities email natalie@rhodygarden.org

Help the Multi-Service Center Fill the Food Bank this summer!

When school is out families still need food, that’s why donating in the summer is so important. Please bring items from the list below to SummerFest and help Federal Way families this season!

Currently, the most needed items in the food bank include:

• Canned soups and meals
• Canned vegetables and fruits (including tomatoes)
• Canned or pouched meats
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Pasta (all varieties) and pasta sauce
• Macaroni and cheese
• Rice
• Canned or dry beans
• Cereal and/or oatmeal
• Crackers
• Pudding and fruit cups
• Juice
• Granola bars and high-energy foods
• Infant and toddler needs such as diapers, baby formula, baby cereal and jarred food
• Hygiene products such as small soaps, shampoos and toiletries (including razors and deodorant)
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste
• Feminine hygiene products
• Can openers
• Plastic flatware (spoons, forks)

Click here for more information about donating to the MSC.