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Hemlock State Brewing Co. in Mountlake Terrace was packed with trivia players Thursday evening during a food forest fundraiser. Hosted by the Food Forest at Ballinger (FFAB) and stand-up comedian and Mountlake Terrace resident Kermet Apio, the event raised more than $1,000.
FFAB Treasurer Robyn Rice told My MLT News that Hemlock State will also donate a portion of their sales, but the amount hasn’t yet been determined.
“There was a lot of beer drinking, so fingers crossed for a decent contribution,” she said. “This [$1,000] total does not include T-shirt sales, which are still open through May 14.”
The trivia had four categories with 10 questions each: Movies, anatomy, “same as” and music. The top three teams were:
- “Can’t See the Forest Through the Peas” who also won the “Best Name” bonus category
- “Four French Hens”
- “Foragers and Furry Friends”
The prizes were a $25 gift card to Hemlock State, a garden-in-a-bag gift basket full of vegetable seeds, and either a FFAB T-shirt or stickers for the whole team.
“Given how successful it was from our perspective on getting the community involved in addition to raising awareness and funds, it would be nice to have another event over the summer,” Rice said. “We do not yet have an event on the calendar, but we are considering other event options.
Rice said that FFAB is working with Tilth Alliance’s Community Food Forest initiative that helps FFAB towards its fundraising goals for supplies, such as plants, tools and infrastructure.
Last December, Rice and FFAB member Audrey Meyer joined City Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz in presenting the food forest plan to the Mountlake Terrace City Council. Rice told the Council that when the Ballinger Master Plan was published in 2015, the cost estimates for installing the garden and food forest was about $230,000. In 2025, the cost has increased to about $315,000.
Rice told the Council that $60,000 to build the garden is about 20% of the plan’s cost.
“We are still working on funding for the community spaces and the community garden, and have applied for several grants,” Rice said. “Our goal was originally $60,000. With in-kind donations, the Tilth partnership and current fundraising, we are likely still around $40,000 from full build- out. However, our design can be implemented in phases as fundraising continues.”
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