BLUE FORGE GROUP
Blue Legacy EIN 83-4307421 + A Volunteer-run 501(c)3 Nonprofit + Est. 1989
Company-wide Updates
The blog below is for everyone. However, if you're a contracted artisan, you'll want the internal company blog so you can sign up for events and read all the insider news. Get the most vital 2021 blogs for our contracted artisans here and get all the 2022 contracted artisan blogs here. You'll need your artisan password to open these searchable files.
Welcoming 2022 with Gratitude and Hope
Welcome to everyone joining us for the first time here at Blue Forge Group! As we enter March, the campus has officially reopened for the first time in two years and what a joy it is to be able to see smiling faces and host Create4U and more once again. While the permanent campus restroom project had to be put on hold when the temperature dropped into the twenties (yikes!), with some hard work and ingenuity, we were able to set up a temporary restroom so reopening could happen on schedule.
But that isn't all we're accomplished this surprising winter: The improvements have been completed to our first artisan-in-residence cottage, the Cathedral. With support from artisans, the DiMarco family, Arrow Hardware and the Port Orchard Lowe's, we swapped out the mini fridge with a 3.2 cubit foot fridge with freezer; added an eave over the porch, and added sixty cubit feet of storage to the back of the Cathedral. Thank you to everyone who contributed or participated on those cold, cold days!
Speaking of new projects: Blue Forge Films artisan Ty Smith donated his beloved truck, Betty (known to some as Ole Rusty), to Blue Forge Group. After hearing our plans to replace her cracked windshield, reseal the cab, replace the seatbelts and interior liner, and get Betty an all-new blue paint job, Ty responded, "You guys are really going to church her up!" Yes, indeed, Ty, Betty will be an official Blue Forge Group beauty and you're always welcome to come take her for a spin. Betty will allow us to stop renting trucks to pick up supplies and deliver large set pieces to filming locations and book fairs. Thank you, Ty!
Thanks are also due to the incredible teams at the Washington Arts Commission (ArtsWA), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and at the Poulsbo Walmart! ArtsWA has selected Create4U, our youth creative group, to receive a summer grant to expand our film options offered to children and young adults and to add outdoor activities like basketball, soccer and an archery lane to the campus! Expect a third season of Space Marines and more amazing content from Create4U this summer.
Meanwhile, support from ArtsWA and the NEA have allowed our Washington Kids Speak classroom showcase project to move forward with videos and print materials for teachers throughout the state, allowing them to create magazine featuring writing and artwork by their students at no charge. And the Poulsbo Walmart has stepped in to support the dedicated efforts of Seriously Cereal as it surpasses its 250th episode this month! Seriously Cereal has been teaching children and families nutrition and promoting inclusion and friendship for more than three years. Congratulations to the Seriously Cereal team!
As we move steadily toward the second quarter of 2022, we're looking forward to our quarterly Board of Directors meeting and to the start of book fair season! This year, Blue Forge Press authors will be making appearances outside Book 'Em Bookstore in Port Orchard and at BBQ2U in Gig Harbor among other venues. Check our Event schedule for details. Or, if you're a contracted artisan, make sure to download the artisan blog at the top of this page to sign up for a book fair or to join us on the Board of Directors.
And what about this new Blue Forge Group website?! We're so delighted by the fast-loading, mobile-optimized site and are looking forward to the remodeling of all the division websites as well. Look for the Blue Forge Films and Blue Forge Press websites to be revised in March and June with Blue Forge Records and Blue Forge Gaming changes later in 2022.
Have questions? Want to support our efforts? Contact us! We loving hearing from the community.