SEQUIM — The conventional wisdom: Men do not go wild over the Lavender Festival.
“That is a correct statement,” said Tim Kirby, who should know. He’s the man’s man who owns Kirby’s Barbershop at 169 E. Washington St., downtown lavendertown.
Yet Kirby has developed a way to have a little fun during the herbal feeding frenzy — and during the long, dark winter.
The barber and graphic artist, who likes a good game of Trivial Pursuit, created “Kirby in the Lavender Field,” a board game replete with Sequim colors: sun yellow, lavender purple, pink flowers, blue sky.
It’s for two to four players who roll dice and move their tokens across the slick-paper board onto spaces that say things like “You just joined City Council, go back to Start,” “Lavender cookie break, lose a turn,” “Advance to farm tour” and “Go back to barn dance.”
It’s hard to get very far in this game, said Kirby’s friend and frequent player, Clint Boyd.
Humane society donation
But it’s just for fun, said Kirby, who’ll sell the games for $10 apiece this Saturday at Hardy’s Market on Old Olympic Highway at Sequim-Dungeness Way.
Make that partly for the good of local animals: Kirby will donate $1 from each game purchase to the Clallam County Humane Society.
Boyd added that next year, he and Kirby hope to involve local merchants in production of another edition that features their shops on the game board.
Kirby is also planning to take part in Hardy’s customer-appreciation day Saturday, during which he’ll help serve free hot dogs and give away lavender bundles from 10 a.m. until he runs out.
“Bring your wife a lavender bouquet. She’ll melt in your arms,” Kirby told a barbershop client, mid-haircut, Wednesday.
“Kirby and the Lavender Field,” naturally, joins acre upon acre of lavender-infused goods.
Across the Olympic Peninsula and beyond, there’s lavender ice cream, lotion, salad dressing, shaving cream and dog bandannas that contain the calming herb.
Within just one block of Kirby’s Barbershop, another product has debuted: Jazz in the Alley wines, named for the Lavender Festival jazz concert series tonight and Saturday night in downtown Sequim.
The St. Hilaire Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, riesling, Chardonnay, merlot and pinot gris are priced from $15 to $19.50 at Dungeness Bay Wine & Cheese, 123 E. Washington St.
Tracy Blume, the Sequim jazz singer who helped develop the Jazz in the Alley idea in 2007, credited Jean Haught, the late owner of Dungeness Bay Wine & Cheese, with the JITA wine idea.
The varietals will be served at this weekend’s concerts, and they will continue to be available at Dungeness Bay. So long after the last note fades, Blume said, “the wine will bring a year-round awareness to the event.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
