Event promotes cancer research and neighborhood business

Women from around the area gather for a fun night in the neighborhood

Mothers, daughters and girlfriends will step out in their finest Thursday, May 6 for the annual event, “Girls Night Out” in downtown Fairhaven. The event is a fundraiser for St. Joseph’s Cancer Center and promotes businesses downtown.

Forty businesses will participate in the event providing a range of activities from live music to raffles and snacks. The main events include a bra parade and fashion show. New events this year are a bachelor auction and female comedians from the Upfront Theatre. The night concludes with a dance at the Fairhaven Pub and Martini Bar.

Planning a night out

Co-chair Cathy Lee began her involvement with the event as a participating business, Southside Trends Consignment. This is her third year as co-chair. Her favorite part of the event is seeing so many women have fun, she said.

“Everybody loves it so much, and it’s for such a good cause,” Lee said.

The event began as a way to promote businesses in Fairhaven and benefit breast cancer research. As “Girls Night Out” grew, the charity expanded to raise money for all types of cancer, she said.

This is Co-chair Pamela Felke’s third year planning “Girls Night Out” as well. Several months of planning and coordinating go into the event, she said. One year was just the fashion show, then the silent auction and now we’ve advanced to the bachelor auction. This year, we have included an all age’s portion for the fashion show as well, she said.

Felke said she would like to get more WWU students to attend “Girls Night Out” in the future.

Adorn and march

“My favorite part of ‘Girls Night Out” is the bra parade,” Felke said. “It’s so much fun and has so much energy. We started it last year and the entire district was so enthused about it.”

Participants will decorate their own bras for the parade. One contestant will be chosen to appear in the fashion show.

“We try to add to it every year,” Lee said. “This year the parade is bigger and will include cancer survivors.”

Lee said she expects to see 500-700 people attending this year.

An event for the community

People travel from different areas of Washington such as La Conner and Mt. Vernon to attend “Girls Night Out.” Last year, a woman from Camas happened to be in the neighborhood during the event. She enjoyed it so much, she started a “Girls Night Out” event in Camas, Lee said.

“’Girls Night Out’ has a really good impact on the Fairhaven neighborhood,” Lee said. “It brings people to Fairhaven. One person will visit and bring back others to see all the neat shops, which is always a good thing for Fairhaven.”

Julie Allen, a Fairhaven regular, has attended the event twice. Once on her own and the other with a group of girlfriends, she said.

“I found out about the event through fliers around the neighborhood,” Allen said. “It was a lot of fun, I love the Fairhaven area.”

Allen attends many events in the Fairhaven neighborhood.

It’s a fabulous neighborhood, and one of the best places to just meet strangers and talk,” Allen said. “Fairhaven is made for events like ‘Girls Night Out.’”