Get set for fun on the 4^th and some of the hottest music in the Pacific NW.

Summer is in full swing and promises to heat up even more with blazing hot events and activities throughout the month. We have performances that will get your blood pumping, your heart thumping and your feet stomping. Bring your family, your best friend, your sweetheart or come solo, but whatever you do, be sure to check out all the fun. Enjoy Port Townsend this summer!

Celebrate America’s birthday at Fort Worden and get ready for the biggest and best party of the year at the “Old School” 4^th of July. Don’t miss an epic lineup of live entertainment, food vendors, field games, free root beer floats, a tug-of-war, watermelon eating contest, and a community portrait, all culminating in a glorious laser light show at 10:20 pm. The festivities begin at 4 pm on the parade grounds at Fort Worden. Headline sponsors for the event are Thunderbull Productions, the City of Port Townsend, the Friends of Fort Worden and Seattle Theater Group, along with many local businesses.

An ”Old School” 4^th overlaps with Centrum’s Festival of Fiddle Tunes, a week-long immersion workshop presenting fiddle styles from specific regions of the world. Two performances will honor this American holiday: Fiddles on the Fourth is at 1:30 pm in the McCurdy Pavilion and at 7:30 pm, enjoy Fireworks and Fiddles featuring artists from Iowa, Georgia, Western Canada, New England and Louisiana Cajuns, also at the McCurdy Pavilion. For tickets, go to www.centrum.org.

photo by David Conklin

Rock the dock this summer at the free, all-ages, outdoor Concerts on the Dock, in downtown Port Townsend on the waterfront across from City Hall. The series, sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street Program, runs every Thursday, July 11 through August 29, at the Pope Marine Park/City Dock Civic Plaza. Come to dance, see friends, enjoy a drink and have a bite. Local vendors and a beer/wine/cider garden will contribute to the festive atmosphere. Seating opens at 4:30 pm, show starts at 5 pm and ends at 7:30 pm. Bring chairs or blankets and settle in for some great tunes. For more into and details about the bands that are playing, go to www.ptmainstreet.org/concerts-on-the-dock/.

Centrum offers the Free Fridays at the Fort concert series July 5 through August 4, showcasing fiddle tunes, jazz and blues on the lawn of the Commons at Fort Worden and is free to the public. Performances begin at noon and go until 1 pm. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, a picnic lunch or grab something to go at Reveille in the Commons. In the rare event of inclement weather, alternative plans will be posted on www.centrum.org.

The wildly popular Olympic Music Festival presents its 36th annual summer concert series, offering 12 world-class performances of chamber music and other styles over six weekends, July 13 and 14, and August 10 through September 8. Concerts are presented in partnership with Centrum at Fort Worden.

Opening weekend celebrates the festival season with Art of the Violin I. Superstar Sarah Change joins pianist and OMF Artistic Director Julio Elizalde for an exclusive recital to kick off the summer season. Together, the duo explores treasures of the violin and piano repertoire including Beethoven’s powerful “Moonlight” and “Appassionata sonatas,” Bazzini’s demonic Round of the Goblins; and Ravel’s dazzling gypsy fantasy, Tzigane. Buy tickets early as space if limited and expected to sell out: www.olympicmusicfestival.org

Jazz Port Townsend is the perfect opportunity to experience excellent musicians, soak up a weekend of jazz in a seaside paradise and participate in a wide array of mainstage and nightclub performances, July 25-27. Artistic Director John Clayton inspires a true sense of family during this special week of events that showcases internationally-known performers in new and unexpected pairings. Jazz Port Townsend has emerged as one of the leading jazz festivals in the nation.

Festival mainstage performances take place in Fort Worden State Park’s 1200-seat McCurdy Pavilion. Jazz Port Townsend also features the popular Jazz in the Clubs series, in venues throughout Fort Worden. Come alive with the sounds of jazz. Jazz in the Clubs: Thursday, July 25, 8-11 pm, Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, 10 pm – 12:30 am. Mainstage Concerts: Friday, July 26, 7:30 pm, Saturday, July 27, 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm. For more information, go to www.centrum.org/jazz-port-townsend-performances/.

A few upcoming events later this summer—Save the Dates!

Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, July 28-August 4. www.centrum.org

Olympic Music Festival at Fort Worden, August 10-September 8, www.olympicmusicfestival.org

Key City Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, The Merry Wives of Windsor, August 1-25, www.keycitypublictheatre.org

Jefferson County Fair, August 9-11, www.jeffcofairgrounds.com

Uptown Street Fair, August 17, www.ptmainstreet.org

Concerts on the Dock, every Thursday in August, www.ptmainstreet.org

Wooden Boat Festival, September 6-8, www.woodenboat.org

Pack up your dancin’ shoes, favorite shorts, best hat, music-loving friends and family, and head to Port Townsend for some epic fun and sizzling hot summer events this month. We can’t wait to see you!

Port Townsend is all abuzz with excitement about our super cool events this month. We’re serving up something for every appetite. Catch your breath when the wind fills the sails of the stunning wooden boats in the Classic Mariners’ Regatta and be part of the exhilarating send-off of the participants in the incredible 5^th Annual Race to Alaska!

From the Taste of Port Townsend event for foodies and the Brass Screw Confederacy Steampunk Festival to music galore with Centrum and so much more, we know you’ll love the adventure of surprise and delight when you join the fun this month in Port Townsend!

Photo by Michael Berman

The 36th Classic Mariners’ Regatta, May 31-June 2, brings beautiful wooden boats, high-caliber sailors racing their hearts out, and a friendly atmosphere. Since 1984, the Classic Mariners’ Regatta has animated Port Townsend Bay with the wooden boat spirit that is quintessentially Port Townsend. This event draws classic wooden boats from across the state to race and celebrate the beauty of these classic vessels.

The weekend kicks off with a welcoming gathering on Friday night. Saturday brings two races, the first starting at noon and the second one commencing immediately after. The final sailboat race will start at noon on Sunday and the weekend concludes with an awards ceremony at 5 pm. www.nwmaritime.org/events/classic-mariners-regatta/

This year the Classic Mariners’ Regatta, SEVENTY48 and the Race to Alaska are back-to-back in a weekend of epic fun and on-the-water adventure. So come to the Northwest Maritime Center ad Pope Marine Park to watch or race in the regatta, cheer on SEVENTY48 racers as they arrive from Tacoma, take part in the R2AK madness on Sunday during the Ruckus, and see the R2AK teams set off early on Monday.

2018 R2AK winner: Team Sail Like A Girl

R2AK (short for the Race to Alaska) is simple. Get a boat without a motor. Race 750 miles to Ketchikan, Alaska any way you can. Don’t get eaten by a bear. $10,000 if you’re first.

The starting gun goes off at 0500 (nautical lingo for 5 am!) on Monday, June 3, from the Northwest Maritime Center. The excitement of the start is palpable and not to be missed. But if that’s too early for you, come for the Pre-Race Ruckus on Sunday, June 2, from noon to 8 pm and let loose like you’re about to sail to Alaska…with people who actually are about to set sail for Alaska! Bring your sense of adventure. Get a free tattoo. Have a blast.

Photo by Deja View Photography

The Port Townsend Wednesday Farmers Market opens June 5, at Haines Place Park and Ride, from 11 am to 3 pm. The market season is in full swing with the Saturday Farmers Market Uptown from 9 am to 2 pm.

The Wednesday Farmers Market can be easily accessed from anywhere in the Jefferson County. Try taking transit to the market or walk, bike or drive to Jefferson Transit’s Park and Ride. There’s plenty of parking and you can stroll from Uptown through Kah Tai Lagoon to get to the market. For more info, go to www.jcfmarkets.org.

Photo by Deja View Photography

The Port Townsend Main Street Program celebrates the Tastes of Port Townsend on June 6 from 5-8 pm at the Northwest Maritime Center. Foodies will enjoy delicious samples from 21 restaurants and dessert spots, breweries, wineries and cideries, plus tea and coffee businesses.

“Join us for a culinary adventure in support of our local Port Townsend Main Street Program. We’re excited about the menu this year featuring lots of local tastes from savory to sweet, perfectly complemented by delicious hand-crafted, artisan beverages,” says Mari Mullen, Executive Director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program. This is a 21+ event, please bring valid ID. For more info and to purchase tickets, go to www.ptmainstreet.org.

Photo by Diane Urbani

Key City Public Theatre presents a Cole Porter revue with the title The Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen through the Eyes of Cole Porter, running Thursday through Sunday from June 7 to 30. The guests are arriving as the music plays. Drinks flow at the bar on stage. A little sipping, a little dancing—and then the party morphs into a performance where the songs of Cole Porter transport the audience to a 1940s cabaret. This show is steeped in saucy Porter rarities from the early 20^th century, an era when plenty of declining and falling were going on. For more info and to purchase tickets, go to www.keycitypublictheatre.org.

Photo by Nyk Fury

Join the Brass Screw Confederacy, for its 8^th annual Steampunk Festival, June 7-9. Celebrate diabolical geniuses who give “us punks our steam” and their Mad Science! Come decked out in your steampunk finery for another amazing year’s adventures. And while, this may not be the biggest, fanciest, first, nor certainly not the last steampunk something-or-other on earth—there is something to steam up ingenues and aficionados alike. You won’t be disappointed. This year’s event aims to rock you back on your boot heels and steam up your goggles. They’re turning it up with the hottest Hootenanny ever, Tactical Croquet, the stupendous Bazaar of the Bizarre, Brass Screw Chautauqua, fashion show, Hot Dam Scandal, magic and mayhem galore plus more! For more details about what to expect, go to www.brassscrew.org.

Centrum is hosting the Chamber Music Series featuring the American String Quartet on Friday, June 14 at 7:30 pm in the Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden. The program will include works from Shostakovich, Fauré and Ravel. The quartet has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it’s famous. Celebrating its 45^th anniversary this year, the quartet has performed in all 50 states and has appeared in the most important concert halls worldwide. For more info, go to www.centrum.org/port-townsend-chamber-music-festival/.

The first of Centrum’s Free Friday Concerts begin at noon on Friday, June 28 at Fort Worden, outdoors on the Nora Porter Commons Lawn and lasts for an hour. It’s a great way to welcome the weekend, relax and enjoy fantastic music. Bring the family. Have a picnic. Enjoy summer.

The Chetzemoka Interpretive Trail will have its grand opening ceremony on Saturday, June 29 at Memorial Field at 1 pm, approximately 131 years since the last hereditary chief passed away. The new trail tells the story of Chief Chetzemoka and the S’Klallam people in Port Townsend in both a visual and physical way. It’s a partnership with the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, City of Port Townsend, Jefferson County Historical Society and the Port of Port Townsend, connecting many points of tribal, geographic and historic interest spanning 3-mile and 6-mile loops on a 12-mile route around the city and through Fort Worden. Many of Chief Chetzemoka’s descendants will be in attendance. For more info about the trail, go to www.tribalmuseum.jamestowntribe.org/hsg/chetzemoka_trail.php.

A stunning totem pole has been given to the Northwest Maritime Center by the Jamestown S’Klallam which will be erected the morning of June 27 on the corner of Water Street and Monroe Street.

—

Upcoming Events this Summer—Save the Dates!

The 5^th Annual “Old School” 4^th of July at Fort Worden

The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, public concerts July 4 and 6

Concerts on the Dock, July 11 – August 29, every Thursday from 5-7 pm downtown

Jazz Port Townsend, July 21-28

Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival, July 28 – August 4

Olympic Music Festival at Fort Worden, July 13 & 14, August 10-31 (weekends)

Key City Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park, The Merry Wives of Windsor, August 2-25

We can’t wait to welcome you to Port Townsend this summer!

As April showers give way to May flowers, nothing takes center stage as eloquently here in Port Townsend as the Rhododendron, which you’ll see blooming prolifically around town. It’s not only Washington’s state flower, but it’s the star of the show this month as we celebrate our 84^th Rhododendron Festival, with activities and fun for the whole family…even your pet! Mark your calendars to join us May 15-19, 2019!

But that’s not all that’s coming your way in May. Read on to learn about more exciting events and activities for you to enjoy in Port Townsend this month!

Art Wave, May 1-31

You’ll be inspired by this colorful month-long exhibit of over 400 pieces of children’s artwork displayed in businesses in Uptown and Downtown, created by grades K-12 in the Port Townsend School District. Come to the historic districts for Art Walk on Saturday, May 4, from 5:30-7:30 pm and see the creativity of our children. For more info, go to http://ptmainstreet.org/may-is-art-wave/.

Jefferson County Historical Society (JCHS) Celebrates 140 years with a Birthday Bash

The JCHS Birthday Bash is Friday, May 3, at the Northwest Maritime Center. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event to celebrate 140 years of preserving stories and community heritage. The event begins at 4 pm with fantastic party favors for the first 140 to arrive, with cake and champagne for a toast. Come for the party and stay for the lecture!

JCHS First Friday Lecture Series – History of the S’Klallam people in Port Townsend

The lecture follows the party on May 3 at 7 pm featuring David Brownell, Historic Preservation Officer for the Jamestown S’Klallam. He will talk about the village of qatay (Kai Tai, Kah Tai) and the history, archaeology and ethnography connecting the S’Kallam people and Port Townsend. The presentation will cover a general timeline of pre- and post-contact Native presence in and around the area.

Opening Day on the Bay, Saturday, May 4

Opening Day of the 2019 boating season is cause for celebration as the Port Townsend Yacht Club invites the public to view the waterfront parade and enjoy the US Navy’s Northwest Region Funk Band playing before and after the parade. Watch the boats sail by from the Northwest Maritime Center Pier, Pope Marine Park or any other convenient location along Water Street. The parade will begin after the departure of the 12:30 pm ferry to Coupeville. Following the parade, there will be the traditional Blessing of the Fleet. www.PTYC.net

The Port Townsend Wearable Art Show

Fifty-five works of art will be coming down the runway at this year’s show on Saturday, May 11, featuring designers from New York, British Columbia, New Mexico, Colorado, California, and, of course, the Pacific Northwest. Designers competing in the wearable art category will vie for a “Best in Show” prize of $2,500. Showtimes are 2 pm and 7 pm at the McCurdy Pavilion in Fort Worden State Park. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ptwearableart.com or call 1.800.838.3006.

84^th Annual Rhododendron Festival and Rhody Run, May 15-19

Talk like a local and call it “Rhody!” For those of us in Port Townsend, this term encompasses anything going on during the week of the festival. We simply call all of it “Rhody.” Feel free to do so, too. Make plans to join us this year for Rhody and celebrate our Port Townsend “community holiday” with us. Here’s the scoop:

Wednesday, May 15

• 6 pm Trike Race begins

Thursday, May 16

• 3:30 pm Pet Parade begins and the Funtastic Carnival opens at Memorial Field

Friday, May 17

• 2:15 pm Kiddies Parade begins and the Carnival is ongoing through the evening
• 6:30 pm Bed Races begin

Saturday, May 18

• 1 pm Rhody Festival Grand Parade
• Cake Picnic following the parade at the Civic Plaza on Water Street

Sunday, May 19

• 11 am 41^st Annual Rhody Run begins
  www.RhodyFestival.org or www.RhodyRun.com

The 7^th Annual Artisan Food Festival

This festival is May 25 in Uptown Port Townsend with 70+ local farms, live music, artisan foods, craft beer, cider, wine, and arts and craft vendors including cheese pairings with Mt. Townsend Creamery and Port Townsend Vineyards. Chef demonstrations by Jefferson Healthcare’s Executive Chef, Arran Stark; Finistere’s Executive Chef and Co-owner Deborah Taylor; Jesse Rose, Silverwater Café’s Executive Chef; and Denise Joy from Mountain Spirit Herbal Company. For a schedule of events, go to http://jcfmarkets.org/ptaff/.

Save the date for upcoming events in June:

June 2-3
Pre-Race Ruckus and Race to Alaska
No motor, no support, all the way to Alaska. Watch the race start in Port Townsend!
www.r2ak.com

June 6
Port Townsend Main Street’s Taste of Port Townsend
Sample. Sip. Mingle. It’s going to be delicious!
www.ptmainstreet.org/tastes-of-port-townsend-2/

June 7-9
The Brass Screw Confederacy – Steampunk Festival
Join us somewhere between 1891 and a time that yet may be…
www.brass-screw.org

June 14
Centrum’s Chamber Music Series
An evening concert by the American String Quartet
www.centrum.org/port-townsend-chamber-music-festival/

June 24-July 1
Centrum’s Voice Works Performances
Vocal Showcase of music, June 27
Boogie at the Honky Tonk Polka Dot Dance, June 30
Vintage Vocals Concert, July 1

We can’t wait to welcome you to Port Townsend this month!