Moritani Preserve Hosting its Annual Community Picnic on Labor Day, Monday Sept. 2

Looking for something fun to do on Labor Day? Consider attending the annual Moritani Community Picnic, from 4-6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 2 at the Moritani Preserve.

In case you are unfamiliar with the Preserve, and its whereabouts, it’s situated just west of Downtown Winslow and located between Winslow Way and Shepard Way. The physical address is 542 Winslow Way W.  This nine-acre passive park is a great place to commune with nature, walk your dog on several designated paths, have a picnic with friends or family, or just hang out on one of several beautifully designed wooden benches.

The Preserve is filled with firs, maples, dogwoods, a few fruit trees and any number of native and non-native shrubs and grasses, was once a strawberry farm owned and operated by the Moritani family – a longtime island family of Japanese descent.

At one time, strawberries from those fields and perhaps other areas on the island were processed at a plant that was just west of the Leslie Landing neighborhood. The old strawberry plant burned down in a spectacular blaze in 1997 and the land on which it once stood is now a small waterfront park on Eagle Harbor.

At this year’s Community Picnic, as in year’s past, gourmet picnic boxes can be pre-ordered.  Each $40 picnic box for one – catered again by Fig & Spice and benefiting the Preserve – includes naan bites with an array of fresh, Mediterranean-style dips; an organic tabbouleh salad; Lemon Thyme Sugar Cookies; and choice of kombucha or premium sodas. You can order a picnic box and learn more by visiting:  www.biparksfoundation.org/picnic

Local strings band Buckshot String Band will return for a relaxed, end-of-summer celebration for the entire family. For the first time this year, music will include children’s songs with Johnny Bregar and Mike Derzon!

At the picnic, attendees can make a contribution to Moritani stewardship and forest restoration and learn more about what’s next in this beloved preserve of woodlands and fields in the heart of Downtown Winslow.

“There is so much to celebrate about our gem of a preserve and the community it creates,” said Mary Meier, executive director of the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation. “There is also still so much to accomplish now that the forest has been thinned according to the ecological management plan. As the understory regenerates, we will stay committed to funding native plantings, Student Conservation Corps, EarthCorps, and community work parties.”

Picnic boxes are $40, with $17 of each meal tax deductible and benefiting the restoration and stewardship of Moritani Preserve. There is no parking at the Preserve, so it’s advised bicycle or walk to the event from area parking spots.

“Of course,” added Meier, “you can bring your own picnic and enjoy the sounds of the Buckshot String Band.”

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