Sequim This Week

The Sequim Irrigation Festival is set to take place May 1 through May 9.

Each year hundreds of people participate in and attend the Sequim Irrigation Festival to catch a glimpse of the small-town ambiance Sequim residents have worked so hard to preserve. The agricultural history of Sequim and the pioneers who settled in and shaped the valley will be celebrated during the event. Elders, children and even those who are new to the area will find themselves bursting at the seams with community pride as the grand parade rolls down Sequim’s main street. Neighbors and coworkers will enjoy running into each other at the arts and crafts fair.New friends will be made during the family picnic. People will be stunned by the strength and grit on display during the strongman competition. A laugh or two will escape attendees as they watch competitors race around a dirt track on ramped-up lawn mowers. And these are just a few of the event highlights that have made the Irrigation Festival the oldest continuous festival in the state. You will not want to miss the 115th Sequim Irrigation Festival. Keep reading to find out some of the things you can see and do at this year’s festival.

Kids Day
Children of all ages will enjoy the Kids Day on Saturday, May 1. The day will be jam-packed with dozens of free activities for children to enjoy. More than 3,000 children and their families participated in Kids Day last year.
The fun will take place inside the Guy Cole Center at Carrie Blake Park where children can participate in an array of activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Indoor activities include face painting, model making, crafts and
activities with the Clallam County Literacy Council, Aspire Academy and the Happy Tymer Clowns. Outside the center, children can enjoy a Touch-a-Truck activity.

Festival Family Picnic
The Festival Family Picnic is an event for the entire family, which will take place at Carrie Blake Park and the Guy Cole Convention Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 1. Activities for the family include softball and baseball games, a dog park doggie walk and doggie games, a bicycle poker run, tractor hayrides, a dunk tank sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club and pie throwing to name a few. KSQM 91.5 FM staff will be serving award-winning Jeremiah’s BBQ and pizza from the Pizza Factory will be available. Demonstrations will be presented by Olympic Disc Dogs, the Boy Scouts of America and the Olympic Peninsula Eagles Minor League Football team.

Arts & Crafts Street Fair
Imagine a street lined with dozens of vendors selling one-of-a-kind art, functional and decorative crafts, helpful garden gadgets and delicious food. This is exactly what you will find at the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s 20th annual Arts & Crafts Street Fair. The street fair will be held between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 1, and
Sunday, May 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Bell Street between Second and Sequim avenues.
The maypole dance will be held at noon on Saturday.During the street fair, people will have the opportunity to see original works of art from some of the area’s renowned photographers, painters and craftsmen. Other vendors will offer unique clothing, leather crafts, handmade toys and much more. Some vendors will demonstrate their craft by continuing to work on their masterpieces during the fair.To keep people entertained at the fair there will be a cross section of Pacific Northwest entertainers performing. A sampling of autos provided by the Sequim Valley Car Club, as well as members of the local Gold Wing Motorcycle Club will be on display Saturday.

Merchants Street Fair
This year, area merchants are joining in the fun by providing a shopping experience on Washington Street between Sequim and Second avenues between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, May 1.Washington Street will be closed to traffic, and tents will line the street with merchants providing specials and information about area businesses.

Gold Wing Touring Association Drill Team
The Gold Wing Touring Association, as part of the Northwest Wings Motorcycle Drill Team, will be performing precision maneuvers at Sequim Bible Church, 847 N. Sequim Ave., at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1. The Northwest Wings Motorcycle Drill Team rides to promote safety and the Goldwing Touring Association, as well as good will for riders and non-riders alike.

Sequim High School Operetta
The Sequim High School Operetta “Into the Woods” will be performed in the school’s auditorium, 601 N. Sequim Ave., on the following days:
<<< Thursday, May 6 at 4 p.m ,
<<< Friday, May 7, 8, 13, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if all the fairy tales we grew up with got mixed up together?
That is exactly what happens in Steven Sondheim’s musical, “Into the Woods.” Tickets for opening day are $7.
All other show tickets cost $10 general admission or $8 for seniors, Sequim High School ABS members and children 12 years of age and younger. Family price is $40.

Funtastic Carnival
This family-oriented carnival features rides and games for the entire family.The carnival is located on the Sequim High School “green field.”
Hours are as follows:
<<< Thursday, May 6 and Friday, May 7 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
<<< Saturday, May 8 from noon to 5 p.m.

Crazy Daze Breakfast
A breakfast honoring D.R. Callen, the man who designed and developed the Irrigation ditches around Sequim, will be held at the Sequim Elks Lodge, 143 Port Williams Road, at 7 a.m. Friday, May 7. Because the irrigation concept was so far out at the time, Callen was dubbed Crazy Cal. Crazy Daze is Sequim’s way of celebrating and honoring Crazy Cal. Cost is $10 per person. Businesses and individuals will perform skits in costume.
Awards will be given to the best skits. Whether you arrive in costume or not, or perform a skit or not, you will have a fun time celebrating Crazy Cal. Throughout the festival you may see business owners in downtown Sequim dressing crazy or decorating their windows and stores in a crazy manner.

The Logging Show: A Family Favorite
Learn more about the North Olympic Peninsula’s logging heritage at the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s 22nd annual Logging Show. Watch experienced loggers demonstrate axe throwing, spar-pole climbing, pole-falling skills and more in a variety of competitions. This year the show will start Friday, May 7 from 5 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and continue Saturday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the field south of Carrie Blake Park off Washington Street.
Contestants from throughout the Northwest and Canada will participate. Competitors can register for the event they want to participate in at noon the day of the show. Friday night’s events will include chain saw carving, lawn mower races and a logger’s ball with live music from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Competitions during the event will include axe throwing, spar-pole climbing, pole falling and power saws, hand bucking, lawn mower racers and tractor pulls. In addition, an antique saw exhibit and food vendors are available throughout the day.
Entrance is by donation at the front gate.

Fireworks
Fireworks will be a part of the logging show again this year. The display take place in the Blake Avenue lot starting at 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 7.

Strongman Competition
The Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Strongman Competition will test the boundaries of
physical strength with a variety of contests. The public is welcome to witness the
competition from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, May 7. The free event will be held in the logging show area, which is in the field south of Carrie Blake Park off Washington Street. Each event will test the competitor’s strength.
The arm-over-arm rope pull with a U.S. Army humvee is a brutal test of back, arm and grip strength as the athletes attempt to pull a humvee truck back to them using an 80-foot length of rope. In the car dead-lift, the athlete who can dead- lift a car the greatest number of times in 60 seconds will win. In the tire flip athletes will flip a 900-pound tire four times.

Kids Parade
The Kids Parade is tailored for children ages 12 and younger and will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, which is just before the Grand Parade. Categories include cartoon character, storybook character and best-dressed pet. No advanced sign-up is required to enter the parade. Families can create mini floats on a wagon, dress up their dog or create a kazoo band to join in the fun. Line-up for the parade starts at 9:30 a.m. on Second Avenue. The parade starts promptly at 10 a.m. and will travel from Second Avenue to Fourth Avenue along Washington Street.

Lo-co-Motion Cruzz Show’n Shine
Make sure you get your spot early for the car show and parade Saturday, May 8, which is right before the Sequim Irrigation Festival Grand Parade. The Lo-co-Motion Cruzz at 11 a.m. makes its way through Sequim from the Evergreen Collision parking lot, 703 E. Washington St., to the Wal-Mart parking lot, where the Show n’ Shine will begin at noon. The show continues until 5 p.m. allowing attendees to take a trip down memory lane to the bygone era of the Model T. Shake, rattle and roll with the classics of the 1950s. Put the “pedal to the metal” with the muscle cars of the 1970s. Last year, there were cars dating back to 1927 all the way up to the present day. Cars came from all over the Pacific Northwest, including Canada, and from as far away as Arizona to participate in the show. Registration begins at 7 a.m. There will be plenty of awards, including “the people’s choice” for the best of show. Raffle prizes and shuttle service to the parade will be part of the event. So shine up the chrome on that classic in your garage, and travel to the Lo-co-Motion Cruzz Show n’ Shine.

Grand Parade

The Irrigation Festival Grand Parade will make its way along Washington Street starting at noon Saturday, May 8.The parade draws entries from Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties and beyond. Entries include automobiles and floats carrying festival grand marshals, pioneers, royalty and other dignitaries. The official Irrigation Festival float, bands from around the state, community groups, businesses, service groups, children’s groups and more will be highlights of the parade. The parade starts at KeyBank, 120 N. Dunlap Ave., and will feature dozens of original floats made by locals and others from across the state. People are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets to get comfy while they watch the parade make its way through the downtown.

Sequim Arts Juried Art Show
Sequim Arts, a non-profit organization of more than 150 artists living on the North Olympic Peninsula, is
sponsoring its 34th Annual Fine Arts Juried Show. The show will take place at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 525 N. Fifth Ave. The show opens with a reception at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 5. The show’s judge will award more than $1,500 in cash and merchandise prizes. The exhibit opens to the public on Thursday, May 6, and runs through Sunday, May 9. Show hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 6 through Saturday, May 8. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 9. Entries to this exhibit come from all over the United States, as well as, Turkey and South Korea.

First Friday Art Walk Sequim
First Friday Art Walk Sequim is a free self-guided tour of local art galleries, artists’ studios, the Museum and Arts Center and alternative art venues in Sequim held on the first Friday of each month. The May 7 art walk will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information about the walk and for a map or participating venues, visit www.sequimartwalk.com.

For more detailed information about the Sequim Irrigation Festival, visit www.irrigationfestival.com.