By Downtown Anacortes Alliance
Originally written by Beth Smith, March 5, 2022 | Updated May 2025
About 2002, a conversation over breakfast sparked an idea that would grow into one of downtown Anacortes’s most beloved beautification projects. A friend invited Beth Smith to join a new effort to brighten up Commercial Avenue with sidewalk planters. After a few false starts, the Downtown Planter Project was born.
At first, the group faced the usual startup hurdles: finding a sustainable way to fund the planters, and just figuring out how to keep everything alive. For the early years, the volunteers even handled all the watering themselves—hauling a water bladder in the backs of their pickup trucks each week. Eventually, the city’s Parks & Recreation Department took over watering, and the group focused on keeping the project funded and flourishing.
To raise money, they created the Garden Fair, held for several years in the courtyard of the Majestic Hotel. Vendors and community members came together to support the cause, and generous partners like Christianson’s Nursery donated roses by the hundreds—leftovers from the previous season that were lovingly nursed through the winter by volunteers. The event was famous for its $5 rose deals and its community spirit.
Over time, the Garden Fair became harder to manage, so the team shifted to direct donations, with support from local service clubs like Soroptimist and Kiwanis, as well as contributions from Tesoro/Marathon and individual donors. The Chamber of Commerce helped by processing donated funds. The whole project was powered by an ever-dedicated crew of volunteers who weeded, watered, planted, and nurtured the planters year after year.
There were memorable moments too—like the year the planters featured full-sized corn stalks thanks to a mix-up in plant orders. “The corn is kind of a mistake,” Beth said in a 2006 Anacortes American article, but the community loved it. One passerby from Minnesota, a corn farmer himself, was delighted to see a bit of the Midwest sprouting in downtown Anacortes.
After nearly two decades of leadership, Beth passed the reins in 2021 to Susie Paxman and Anniece Kiersky, who continued the project with the same passion and care.
Now, in 2024, the Downtown Anacortes Alliance has formally taken over the management of the planters. While our team will coordinate volunteer plantings, maintenance, and funding, we are deeply grateful for the strong roots this project has in community care and creativity. We aim to honor that legacy—while continuing to grow it.
As Beth once said, “So happy and satisfying to know that the Downtown Anacortes sidewalks will look bright and cheerful now and for a long time to come.”
