BLYN — The energy of Hazel Wolf, a fierce activist for Mother Nature, will flare to life in “Hazel Speaks!,” a staged reading at the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Center this Saturday.
A quartet of actresses who share Wolf’s humor and passion compose the cast: Helen Carrick, Charlotte McElroy, Rebecca Redshaw and Elizabeth Kelly. They will step up inside the center’s Red Cedar Hall at 2 p.m. Saturday; admission is by donation to this event sponsored by the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
Refreshments and a tour of the Jamestown campus will follow the performance.
“We’re asking people to reserve seats both to assure that they’ll get in and to help us determine refreshment quantities for the reception afterward,” said River Center board member Julie Jackson.
To RSVP, phone 360-681-4076 or visit www.DungenessRiverCenter.org.
“Hazel Speaks!” is the creation of Redshaw, a local playwright inspired by the book Hazel Wolf: Fighting the Establishment by Susan Starbuck.
This staging of her play honors Wolf, who died in 2000 at age 102 after spending much of her life as a champion of the Audubon Society. Fittingly, Saturday is the 229th anniversary of John James’ Audubon’s birth.
“Hazel Speaks!” also honors Wolf’s granddaughter Ann Sargent, who was born in Port Angeles and lives in Sequim. She’s executive assistant to Ron Allen, the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe’s chairman and CEO, as well as the tribe’s webmaster. She also serves as secretary on the Dungeness River Center’s board and volunteers with the Peninsula Trails Coalition.
“Growing up on the Olympic Peninsula, every summer I looked forward to hiking the trails in the Olympic National Park with my grandmother Hazel,” Sargent has said. “She taught me to not only appreciate nature but also the importance of public service.”
Sargent takes pride in the River Center’s programs for elementary and middle school children, adding that her grandmother emphasized how knowledge about the natural world must be passed forward to the next generation.
“The River Center staff and volunteers are doing just that, and I’m happy to be part of it,” Sargent said.
