SEQUIM — Unique holiday shopping in a natural setting can be found this weekend at the 12th annual River Center Holiday Nature Mart today and Saturday.
Nature Mart will be at Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 Hendrickson Road.
Hours have been extended for today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. so attendees can also see the light-lit bridge. Hours on Saturday will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Parking is available off Hendrickson Road, with round-trip shuttles available for shoppers’ convenience.
Handcrafted gifts and other items will be in the courtyard and in the center itself, with item sales going to support educational programs at the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
Fresh wreaths and table arrangements will be available for purchase. Visitors also can make their own by bringing cuttings. Local natural materials also will be provided.
The event also will feature a sweet and savory bake sale.
Participants may have a photo taken with selected wildlife from the center’s collection of native animals. A donation of $5 is suggested. Interested persons should bring a camera or have a photo taken by a volunteer.
Raffle tickets are already on sale through the gift shop at the center; only 100 tickets ($20) will be sold for a wood sculpture of an eagle valued at $700, donated by local artist Joyce Volmut.
The winning ticket will be drawn at 4 p.m. Saturday. Winner need not be present.
All proceeds from the sale benefit educational programs provided at the center and in the greater community.
Staff, supported by a team of volunteers, provide experiences for children in first grade through high school in Sequim, as well as other schools on the North Olympic Peninsula. All experiences are hands-on science, focused especially on the wildlife of the Dungeness and Elwha watersheds and how humans interact in these areas.
The center also hosts an Adventure Club for pre-school aged children throughout the year, a variety of summer camps, talks by local and visiting experts, weekly bird walks, a River Festival at the end of September, BirdFest in April, wildflower walks in the spring, a class to create an illustrated field guide to Railroad Bridge Park combining art and science, and field trips for teens and adults.
For more about the river center, see dungenessrivercenter.org.
