Sept. 2: Let's celebrate Tom Robbins

Some people, no matter how dire the situation, always see things with a glass half-full perspective.

And then there's Tom Robbins.

The acclaimed La Conner author, who famously quit his gig at the Seattle Times by calling in "well," has during his more than 50 years here earned repute as a joy hunter, always seeking and cherishing life's "cup runneth over" moments.

That tireless devotion to optimism, regularly punctuated with wit and whimsy, will be saluted during "Tom Robbins Day" festivities in town Saturday.

Robbins, whom the Los Angeles Times hailed as the new Mark Twain following release of his "Another Roadside Attraction" in 1971, will be feted as king for a day in recognition of his long reign over the domains of imagination and exultation, often dispensed from the renowned New York Times bestseller list.

Additionally, the Sept. 2 event will generate financial support for youth arts and literacy outreach programs at the new La Conner Swinomish Library on Morris Street.

"This is huge for us," library director Jean Markert said. "We're really excited about it. We're still quite early in the process, but we can envision a space where kids can come and be creative and be themselves. It's going to be great."

Markert said that Robbins' books are quite popular with La Conner readers.

"Most of them are (always) checked out," she said, "especially right now."

The library has added a trivia card game to its Robbins collection that can now be obtained with a donation to the La Conner Library Foundation, she said.

Ahead of Saturday's celebration, the library has unveiled a "Tom Robbins Tree" bearing images of and quotes from the author, a son of the rural south who seamlessly transitioned to life in the Pacific Northwest, where among his more notable and early reporting assignments was a review of Jimi Hendrix's homecoming concert for a Seattle underground newspaper.

La Conner proved an ideal landing spot for the former Seattle metro journalist. Much like the La Conner of yore, Robbins' North Carolina hometown had morphed each summer from what has been described as a "backwater small town" to a popular tourist destination.

"When you live in a fast-paced, competitive environment, you're less inclined to daydream, or to engage in long conversations, in which language is used for its own sake," Robbins told interviewer Mary Ann Gwinn in 2014. "As a kid I was exposed to snake handlers, gypsies, moonshiners and eccentric old men who were great storytellers."

Robbins, now 91 and the grandson of preachers, would become one of America's preeminent storytellers through his string of bestselling novels.

His career led local fans earlier this summer to approach Robbins' wife, Alexa, about the possibility of honoring him with a day of joy and celebration – complete with a parade, costume contest, food, beverages, arts and shopping.

Alexa Robbins gave her blessing, especially when Tom Robbins Day was aligned with support of the library's mission to serve the community's youth.

"Libraries," Alexa Robbins told the Weekly News, "are interactive places where people can be fed. And our library is the perfect place to be a real community center.

She called the day for her husband "a great idea. It's a great way to celebrate imagination, creativity and wonder. It's a way we can celebrate what we can be as a human family."

Mayor Ramon Hayes will be among the celebrants. He intends to present the author a formal Tom Robbins Day proclamation during the Saturday parade.

"First and foremost, like every citizen of La Conner," said Hayes, "Tom is a valued member of the community. And, in his case, he has achieved a significant level of achievement."

Library patron Kelsey Stevens, a parent of school-age children, was literally on the same page as the mayor.

"It's always a good thing to have a celebration," Stevens said as she perused titles at the library Friday morning, "especially since it's going to help the library's children's reading programs."

Robbins said it best in describing how the upcoming townwide celebration dovetails perfectly with her husband's "joy in spite of everything" approach.

"We're here in this beautiful place," she said, "and I feel our community is ripe to be a model for something that promotes the possibility of a movement for hope."