Community Clicks
The Dungeness River Festival, held Sept. 23-24, celebrates the diversity of the Dungeness Valley and the river that offers great recreational opportunities for locals and visitors and supplies vital water for farming. The festival offers an array of entertaining and educational activities and events for people of all ages.
A chance to see salmon spawning and to learn more about the lifeline of the Dungeness Valley are only a few of the reasons to attend the 12th annual Dungeness River Festival.
The festival will take place in Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 and Saturday, Sept. 24.
Admission to the family-oriented event is free, but donations are accepted and will benefit the Dungeness River Audubon Center and Railroad Bridge Park.
“This is a big year for pink salmon and right now Railroad Bridge Park is one of the best places to see them spawning,” said Bob Boekelheide, director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
The festival celebrates the diversity of the river and highlights its importance in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley with 25 hands-on nature activities and exhibits including fish printing and bird identification contests in addition to expert-guided nature walks and lively presentations.
Salmon burgers, fry bread, storytelling by Jamestown S’Klallam tribal elder Elaine Grinnell, a driftwood art show and live musical performances are just a sample of the festival’s attractions.
New events this year include nature photography walks with Don Wallace and a program by storyteller and fiddler Mitch Luckett.
Railroad Bridge Park offers easy public access to the lower Dungeness River, and Railroad Bridge Park provides access to the popular Olympic Discovery Trail.
The festival provides opportunities for attendees to enjoy the fall bounty of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Festival attendees won’t want to miss Juana Marimba’s performance on the River Stage at 10:30 a.m. on Friday.
Grinnell will present “Legends of the Jamestown S’Klallam People” in the Dungeness River Audubon Center at 2 p.m. on Friday.
Drummers and singers from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe will officially open the festival at 10 a.m. on Saturday by inviting the crowd to take part in a traditional welcome ceremony.
Other Saturday highlights include lively performances by musicians Mike Kamphaus and Cort and Kia Armstrong and storyteller and fiddler Mitch Luckett.
The Olympic Driftwood Sculptors’ third anniversary art show in the River Center will also be part of the festivities. Although the festival will close at 4 p.m. on Saturday, the art show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25. (See below for more information.)
The Dungeness River Audubon Center also hopes to have the first stage of an “Animal Olympics” course open in time for the festival.
The course will consist of 10 stations with instructions to exercise like a specific animal. For example, festival attendees may be asked to “jump like a frog” or “flap like a hummingbird.”
The initiative is part of the North Olympic Health Champions program in which physicians prescribe outdoor activities for children with health concerns, such as obesity or diabetes.
Funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service are enabling the River Center to produce a permanent Animal Olympics course along the Olympic Discovery Trail in Railroad Bridge Park and mobile courses that other communities on the Olympic Peninsula can use.
DUNGENESS RIVER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTSSample the music, food, expert-guided nature walks, presentations, demonstrations and festivities during the Dungeness River Festival in Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24.
Although admission to the festival is free, donations to support Dungeness River Audubon Center programs and maintenance of Railroad Bridge Park are greatly appreciated.
Friday, Sept. 23
<<< 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — 25 interactive nature activities and exhibits including fish printing (bring your own white T-shirt to print).
<<< 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Salmon burgers, fry bread, hot dogs and more will be available for purchase.
<<< 10 a.m. to noon — Face painting by Laff Pack clowns.
<<< 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Bird identification contest within the River Center.
<<< 10:30 a.m. — Juana Marimba, music that makes you want to move, starts on the River Stage.
<<< 11 a.m. — River walk with Dungeness River Audubon Center Director Bob Boekelheide. Walkers meet at the festival’s information table.
<<< Noon — Nature photography walk led by Don Wallace. Meet at River Center bird feeders.
<<< 12:45 p.m. — “Cougars and Bears: Be Aware!” presentation by Dungeness River Audubon Center Education Coordinator Powell Jones on the River Stage.
<<< 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. — “Legends of the Jamestown S’Klallam People” by tribal elder and storyteller Elaine Grinnell in the River Center.
<<< 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. — “Trees & Shrubs of Railroad Bridge Park” presentation by Clallam County Conservation District Manager Joe Holtrop. Meet at River Center bird feeders.
Saturday, Sept. 24
<<< 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — 25 interactive nature activities and exhibits including fish printing (bring your own white T-shirt to print)
<<< 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Salmon burgers, fry bread, hot dogs and more will be available for purchase.
<<< 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Olympic Driftwood Sculptors third anniversary art show and demonstrations in the River Center.
<<< 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Bird identification contest in the River Center
<<< 10 a.m. — Jamestown S’Klallam drummers and singers traditional welcome ceremony. Public invited to participate.
<<< 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. — Live music in the park on the River Stage by Mike Kamphaus, a one-man band and musical show “Me, Myself & I.”
<<< 11 a.m. — Nature photography walk with Don Wallace. Meet at River Center bird feeders.
<<< 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. — “Cougars and Bears: Be Aware!” presentation by Dungeness River Audubon Center Education Coordinator Powell Jones on the River Stage.
<<< 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. — Live music in the park on the River Stage by Mike Kamphaus, a one-man band and musical show “Me, Myself & I.”
<<< 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. — “Trees & Shrubs of Railroad Bridge Park” presentation by Clallam County Conservation District Manager Joe Holtrop. Meet at River Center bird feeders.
<<< 1:30 pm. to 3:30 p.m. — Live music in the park by Cort & Kia Armstrong, who will have your toes a tapping with their mountain blues, country music and soul stompin’ sound.
<<< 1:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. — “Cougars and Bears: Be Aware!” presentation by Dungeness River Audubon Center Education Coordinator Powell Jones on the River Stage.
<<< 2 p.m. — “How They Built the Bridge” presentation. Meet engineer Ken Wiersema on the Railroad Bridge trestle at the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society table.
<<< 2:15 p.m. — “Tall Tales and Fiddle Tunes” with Mitch Luckett on the River Stage.
<<< 3 p.m. — River walk with Dungeness River Audubon Center Director Bob Boekelheide. Meet at the festival’s information table.
For additional information about the Dungeness River Festival including a program schedule and directions to Railroad Bridge Park, visit www.dungenessrivercenter.org or phone 360-681-4076.
Olympic Driftwood Sculptors Art Show held during festival
SEQUIM — The Olympic Driftwood Sculptors will celebrate their third anniversary with a driftwood show during the Dungeness River Festival.
On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 23 and 24, the club will host a children’s booth with an activity in which children can participate.
There will be a display of sculptures by numerous artists in the Audubon Center at Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, Sept. 24-25. Although the festival closes on Saturday, the art show continues Sunday, Sept. 25.
In addition to the exhibit of sculptures, there will be demonstrations showing the technique involved in finishing wood projects.
The hours for all show events are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
Admission is free and cameras are welcome.
Raffle tickets will be on sale for a chance to win a driftwood sculpture created by several club members. The drawing for the winner of the raffle will take place Sept. 25.
For more information about the Olympic Driftwood Sculptors, phone 360-681-2535, visit www.olympicdriftwoodsculptors.org or email info@olympicdriftwoodsculptors.org.
