Camas Plant & Garden Fair returns to downtown this Saturday

One of the Downtown Camas Association’s most popular springtime events, the 26th annual Camas Plant & Garden Fair, will fill downtown Camas streets with a huge array of plants, vegetable starts, fruit trees, flowers, planters, garden art, outdoor furniture and everything a person might need to spruce up their gardens this year.

“We will have just under 100 vendors. We’re maxed out. I don’t think we could fit another vendor at this event. It’s the biggest fair since I’ve been here, and this is my fourth plant fair,” said Leah Nichelson, the association’s events and project manager.

Traditionally held the Saturday before Mother’s Day, this year’s fair is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10 throughout downtown Camas.

In addition to around 80 returning vendors, this year’s fair has nearly 20 new vendors, Nichelson said.

Jessie Mallory, of Camas, will bring offerings from her new business, Cloud Cycle Gardens, to this year’s fair.

“Cloud Cycle Gardens is my love letter to people who want to be plant people but have never taken the leap,” Mallory said. “And there are so many reasons for not taking that leap — they may not have the money, or may live in an apartment with limited space or maybe they can’t keep anything alive.”

Mallory, who moved to Camas five years ago and said she was thrilled to find the annual plant and garden fair was within walking distance of her new house, said she revels in helping plant newbies find and maintain beginner-friendly plants.

She’s even produced her own zine, which will be available at Saturday’s fair, that shares her most helpful plant-care tips and tricks.

“Over the past decade, I’ve lost count of how many colleagues and friends I’ve helped get started with their first garden,” Mallory said.

Plant and garden fair participants who consider themselves beginners may want to swing by the Cloud Cycle Gardens booth to talk with Mallory about the easy-to-care-for plants she’s selling and about common plant-care errors.

“I think people’s instinct is to provide water and nourishment, but they can go a little bit overboard and end up overwatering the plant,” Mallory said.

In addition to a variety of beginner-friendly plants, Mallory will also have seeds from a Portland seed grower and Mother’s Day flower bouquets available.

Hockinson artist Elizabeth Wocasek is another vendor new to the Camas Plant & Garden Fair this year. Wocasek will bring a variety of durable ceramic animal figures, vases, mugs, canisters, planters and garden stakes to the fair.

Wocasek, the owner of Little Tail Ceramics, has been making art full-time for the past 10 years.

“When I first started doing art, I was so excited about this part of me that was waking up. I felt so alive with it,” Wocasek said. “And I fell in love with expressionist art and then with folk art.”

Initially, Wocasek was drawn to the human face, especially to people’s eyes, but said her art evolved over time. Since moving into her home art studio in what she describes as “a little old farm house near Hockinson” five years ago, Wocasek has been drawn to animal forms and now creates whimsical, hand-sculpted creatures — an owl with a rose on its head, a tuxedo cat with a red heart on its belly, a mouse with a flower crown.

“They’re lovely,” Nichelson said of Wocasek’s sculptures. “They just have a soul to them.”

Also new to this year’s fair is a partnership with C-Tran that offers a free bus shuttle service. Participants can park at Camas High School, 26900 S.E. 15th St., and catch a free bus ride to downtown Camas. The shuttle will run continuously throughout the fair.

Scout Troop 562 will be on hand again this year to help people stash their fair finds in a secure area.

“It’s perfect for storing purchases while exploring all the fair has to offer and then items can be picked up at the car-loading spot there,” Nichelson said.

The fair also will have 20 designated “expert vendors” available to help answer plant and gardening questions. The vendor experts will have yellow sun signs at their booths. A full list of fair vendors and more information about the event can be found online at downtowncamas.com/event/camas-plant-garden-fair/.