What if you could take a ferry to a book fair at a small island creamery? Sound unlikely? Or fun?

Contemplate no more because Oscar B, the last remaining ferry on the lower Columbia River, can help get you to Little Island Creamery‘s first Big River Book Festival on March 1 and 2.

“We’re so excited to be showcasing authors and book culture,” said creamery events coordinator Delphine Criscenzo, who recalled it all started with a visit from Astoria author Jennifer Nightingale. She saw the barn and meeting spaces and imagined a book fair.

“We’ve hosted many weddings and celebrations here at the farm,” Criscenzo said. “Why not a book festival since there are so many wonderful writers on the coast and in our Cathlamet area?”

With encouragement from local authors and members of The Writer’s Guild in Astoria, Criscenzo sent out requests to regional authors to see if it would be plausible and was surprised when 30 signed up.

The two-day festival will encompass a flurry of free events beginning at 10 a.m. March 1, with author engagement, bookselling, readings and writing workshops. Vendors will offer coffee, pastries and breakfast foods, as well as lunch on both days. Poet Emmett Wheatfall will take the spotlight for a keynote presentation at noon.

Afterward, find more book readings and workshops, including advice on self-publishing and insider tips on “How to Write a Letter to the Editor” from newsroom staff of the Wahkiakum County Eagle. From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., an open mic will be accessible for festivalgoers 18 and under.

“We’re open to all ages and we especially want to encourage young people to come and explore the world of books and writing,” Criscenzo said.

On March 1 at 7:30 p.m., guests can join Kim Stafford, a former Oregon poet laureate, for a special evening of poetry and conversation — the only paid event — for $15 per person.

Sunday festivities continue with more readings, open mic opportunities, visits with authors and food selections, including the creamery’s award-winning artisan cheeses. A variety of workshops will give guidance, such as on writing family history, how to contribute to the Columbia River Reader, or character development and scene setting for youth. Ponca poet, writer, and storyteller Cliff Taylor, who lives in Astoria, will be featured at noon.

“This is just the kind of community engagement that Dick McDonald and his sister, Kathleen, envisioned for the property,” Criscenzo said.

McDonald, who lived across the highway from the farm, jumped at the chance in 2010 to purchase the handsome, though derelict, 1946 barn and property. Restoration of the barn and efforts to bring the property back to life as a licensed dairy operation began in earnest four years later, when both the creamery at ground level and the upstairs event space, The Venue, opened in 2015.

“Little Island Creamery is such a special place and we’re delighted to share it,” Criscenzo said. “The whole idea was this passion to revive a local dairy and to create a place to bring people together. It’s so wonderful to be celebrating authors and books.”

The 54-acre farm is situated on Little Island, adjacent to Puget Island, across the Columbia River from the community of Cathlamet, Washington. Access is either from the Oscar B ferry just off U.S. Highway 30 in Westport or via Washington State Route 409, crossing the bridge from Cathlamet.

Big River Book Festival

Big River

Book Festival

March 1 and 2 at Little Island Creamery, 48 E. Little Island Road, Cathlamet, Washington.

Events from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. An evening with Kim Stafford is at 7:30 p.m. March 1. Tickets are $15. For information, call 360-849-9456 or visit www.littleislandcreamery.net.

The Oscar B ferry leaves the Oregon side to Puget Island every quarter after the hour from 5:15 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. daily and accommodates about 20 vehicles.

Ferry information at 360-795-7867 or www.co.wahkiakum.wa.us/252/ferry.