Los Alamos Flea Raises Funds and Showcases Sustainability

Katie Smith-Adair Hosts First-Ever Weekend Affair with Focus on Regenerative Wine

IRL Arts Foundation founders Katie Smith-Adair and Hagan Blount prepare in the kitchen for one of their Place Invader events. | Credit: Meghann Prouse, photomegs.com

After years of building a nationwide events business called Place Invaders from their home in Brooklyn, Katie Smith-Adair and Hagan Blount moved to Los Alamos in 2016 and sought to become part of the small but stylishly surging scene.

“We really wanted to quickly get to know the community,” said Smith-Adair, who started hosting dinners and wine tastings at their home, just a block off of the main drag of Bell Street. “It was both of our first times living in such a small town.”

Event pros Katie Smith-Adair and Hagan Blount, seen here in New York City during one of their Place Invader dinners, are turning their skills to raising money and awareness around sustainable farming with the first-ever Los Alamos Flea May 5-7. | Credit: Courtesy

While parts of living in Los Alamos were “not hugely different than Brooklyn” — like the ability to walk a block to get half-and-half at the bodega — Smith-Adair recognized that the tiny population offered the opportunity to effect change. “This is a place where members of the community can make a difference and can be heard,” she explained.