Vote early, vote often — for depot Posted by Elaine Walker in Blog Sep 01, 2010 | 730 views

“All Aboard for 1911! 100 years of Railroading,” a project with art, music, displays and creative activities celebrating the Anacortes Great Northern Railway Station’s 2011 centennial, is in the planning stage at the Depot Arts Center.

But your vote is needed to help win a $10,000 grant to fund the festivities. Depot Arts Center Board member Barbara King and the center’s office manager Kathy Peterson submitted a grant proposal to the Pepsi Refresh Our Community project sponsored by Walton Beverage and the Whatcom Community Foundation.

To vote, visit www.depotartscenter.org. Votes must be made by Sept. 6. The contest is essentially a popularity contest — winners will have demonstrated the most community interest popular vote.

If awarded a local Pepsi Refresh Project grant, the depot will host activities designed “to build community support through a shared history, a shared cultural experience and a shared vision for the future.”

Events spaced throughout 2011 would include a sing-a-long and storytelling centered on the June anniversary of the completion of the Great Northern station. All events would be geared to family participation, with any financial contributions to the Depot Arts Center serving as a donations to defray meeting expenses and fund continued restoration of the facility.

Citizens founded the Depot Arts Center to preserve the train station as a public venue for cultural activities. The center organizes music concerts, public art shows and festivals such as the Garden Art Fair to showcase local talent and create a shared vision of community life.