The popular gathering spot gets new turf for next year.

Having been stripped to brown earth, then covered with yellow straw, the Village Green should soon be, yes, green again.

“It’ll be a lot nicer for the farmers market, I think, come next year,” said Frank Gates, a 17-year employee of Orcas Excavators, as he and colleagues spread straw across the expansive public swath off Eastsound’s North Beach Road Tuesday.

The crew was commissioned by San Juan County Parks to refurbish the parcel, home to the weekly farmers’ market and numerous musical events throughout the year.

Because the work had to be done in good weather, they had a two-day window to strip off the battered old sod, bring in fill material, regrade the surface and spread grass seed to create a new lawn.

In the end, the crew put down 60 cubic yards of sand, 40 yards of manure and 100 yards of topsoil. One “divot” – although “crater” might have been a better word for it – in the northeast corner of the grounds took 40 yards of fill to level.

“It was pretty roly-poly,” Gates said.

Dona Wuthnow, director of parks and recreation for the county, traced the pocky earth to the park’s days as a nursery and a vacant lot. At one point it was to have been improved as a road extension, before it was turned into a park and a band shell added.

More improvements are planned – stage lighting should be added in time for the next concert season, Wuthnow said.

Refurbishing of the lawn was funded through donations to the Stage on the Green and Orcas Open Arts organizations, she said.

The work drew curious passersby Tuesday and Wednesday, with some folks pausing to ask what was going on.

The straw will help the grass seed germinate, and will keep birds from eating it all.

“Hopefully,” Gates said, “it’ll be a little better and come out nicer.”