Meerkerk Gardens hosts Mother’s Day concert, music, food and scavenger hunt

Meerkerk Gardens turned Mother’s Day into an afternoon outing built around live music, food and the spring landscape above Saratoga Passage and Baby Island. The celebration ran from noon to 4 p.m. at the gazebo, with sets by Philip Van Seters, TC Ryder, and the Groovetones, and Ike and the Old Man.

The event was designed to feel like a family stop rather than a formal concert. Pie and mimosas were available for purchase, parking was free, and children under 13 were admitted free. Meerkerk also encouraged visitors to bring camp chairs or blankets, while premium tickets bought before May 5 included a chair and one drink ticket. A scavenger hunt added a second activity for children and adults moving through the grounds.

That setting is a major part of the appeal. Meerkerk spans 53 acres and includes more than 2 miles of trails, with display and educational gardens mixed into a woodland preserve. The garden’s mission is to provide educational, recreational and cultural opportunities year-round, and the Mother’s Day event fit that goal by combining performance with time outdoors in the rhododendron garden.

Meerkerk’s history also gives the event local weight. Ann Meerkerk bequeathed the gardens to the Seattle Rhododendron Society in 1979, and the independent nonprofit that operates the site was established in 2002. The garden has long been one of Meerkerk’s signature events, alongside its bluegrass festival and Oktoberfest celebration, and it has been part of the South Whidbey calendar for decades.

The garden’s regular visitation schedule makes it an easy place to return to after the holiday weekend. Meerkerk is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March through October and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through February, with adult admission listed at $10. Dogs on leash are welcome.

The event also reflected the volunteer-heavy structure behind the garden. Meerkerk has seven staff members and relies heavily on volunteers, a mix that keeps the site rooted in the community even as it draws visitors for concerts, bloom season and family events. Bloom updates were set to run through April, May and June, keeping the focus on the gardens well beyond Mother’s Day.