Plan Fourth of July at the Beach

One of our favorite times at the Beach is the Fourth of July. We are usually just getting used to the summer days, Westport is finally bright and noisy with visitors and fishermen, and everyday the giant American flag flies proudly over the Maritime Museum visible from our house miles away.

We love to dress the kids in their matching red, white & blue and head down to the presentation of the colors by the U.S. Coast Guard Grays Harbor at the Maritime Museum. The Old Fashioned Fourth of July is one of those events that makes me thankful as a parent to live in a small town.

This year, according to Westport-South Beach Historical Society president Peggy Coverdale, visitors can enjoy musical entertainment with Captain Pete’s Lollapalooza (Pete Darrah of the Wilapa Seaport Museum & percussionist for the Grays Harbor Banjo Band), a magic show (amazing tricks and outrageous fun with magician Jeff Evans) a cake walk, clowns, children's games, face painting, vendors, a plant sale, silent auction, hot dogs, strawberry shortcake and root beer floats at the former Coast Guard Lifeboat Station.

The 4th will also mark the opening of a special exhibit of limited edition Lighthouses by Harbour Lights. The collection was recently donated by Gretchen and John Lamb of Aberdeen and is valued at more than $10,000. The Destruction Island Lens Building will be open, providing visitors an opportunity to examine a first order Fresnel lens up close. The museum itself will also be open from 10AM until 4PM on July 4.

The Maritime Museum is located in Westport’s Marina District. The Westport-South Beach Historical Society operates the museum and is presenting its 17th annual "Old Fashioned Fourth." Museum admission will be $5 for adults and $2 for children under age 12. There is no charge for admission onto the grounds and access to the events.

When the Maritime Museum's Old Fashioned Fourth is over at 4PM, visitors can enjoy a dinner in one of Westport's many restaurants or stroll on the waterfront, until the Shoalwater Bay Casino presents the South Beach community's spectacular fireworks demonstration. The exhibition will beginning at 10PM in Tokeland—where the fireworks will light up the skies.

We will probably hit the beach after dark, and watch the amateur pyrotechnics go wild with their fireworks, make a fire, and have too many smores. The boys love to eat food they cooked on sticks :) The beach on the 4th, with all the families, the campfires, the fireworks, is quite a sight. Somehow, the next day, it all gets cleaned back up.

Where ever you go on the 4th, have a great one! See ya at the beach!

Westport’s 24th Annual World-Class Crab Races & Crab Feed - Saturday, April 16, 2011

It's the 2nd weekend of April and in Westport, that means CRAB RACES!! It brings back memories of my previous life, as a big city dweller, a group of coworkers and I used to go to a place called Brennan's Pub, in Marina del Rey. Every Thursday night Brennan's ran Turtle Races, which was a crazy event where for $1 you could choose a "racing turtle" as your own. Each participant would place their racer down in the center of a circle (on the Brennan's outside patio) and then everyone would yell at their chosen turtle until one of them reached the outside circumfrence, thus being declared the winner. Prizes were awarded out of a giant trash bag, and were not anything you could discuss in polite company. It was crazy, and the liberal vegan that I was at the time found it really wrong. But the beer was cheap, it was walking distance from my office, so I witnessed a lot more Turtle Races than I care to admit.

The point is that this weekend is Westport's version of that event. At the Crab Pavilion, a giant tent set up in the Marina district for this event, anyone can register and borrow a racer crab for $3. When your heat is called, racing human places racer crab on a slanted table and the racing human pounds on the table and yells at his crab and the first crab to slide to the bottom of the table is declared the winner! Again, lots of fun for those who are into it, mixed with possible feelings of conflicted guilt if you're an animal lover, with any misgivings removed by the time you take your first bite of the fresh Dungeness Crab from the Crab Feed.

If this sounds at all intriguing to you, below is the Westport Chamber's description of the event with all the details. Rain or shine, hit the coast for the 24th Annual Westport Crab Races and Crab Feed on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

Festivities are centered at the Crab Pavilion, with admission just $2 per person for live music by Catch of the Day, and the main attraction - "World Class Crab Races!" Then dig into the tastiest, freshest local Dungeness Crab dinner you'll ever have, with all the trimmings (just $10 for half or $15 for a whole portion).

Enter the Crab Pavilion for the event - Westport's World Class Crab Races run from 1pm to 5pm - sign up starts at 11am. Select a racer from one of our field of draft picks ($3 registration gets you a crab that's been training since their last molt), or you can bring your own fresh racing crab if you prefer. Racing registation begins at 11am and the heats start at 1pm. Lots of prices donated by local merchants are up for grabs in this annual fun event.

The crab feed will go from 11am to 5pm. The dinner ($10 for half a crab/$15 for a whole crab) includes assorted salads, baked beans, and garlic bread, plus coffee or a soft drink. Hot dogs and other beverages, including beer & wine will also be available for sale. If you prefer to catch your own, take part in sport crabbing right off the docks or the fisherman's boardwalk any time during the season. Westport is home to the most delicious Dungeness Crab you'll find anywhere in the world.

Whales Breaching off Westport Marina

More than 20,000 California gray whales swim along the Washington coast from March to the end of May every year on their 5,000 mile trek from Baja to the Bering Sea. Gray whales up to 52 feet long and weighing up 36 tons can be seen just off Westport marina.

Westport locals say to bring binoculars for the best onshore whale watching from the beach at Westport Light State Park. Or visitors can reserve ahead for one of the Westport whale watching excursions that often find gray whales just outside the marina entrance.

Whale watching excursion boats are based in the Westport marina, taking visitors on a 2-2 ½ hour cruise to view gray whales from the water at a safe distance. All of whale-watching boats are fully US Coast Guard certified and inspected, and have the latest safety equipment onboard.

Westport excursion skippers often see whales returning year after year like ‘Old Spot,’ the elder male, who generally shows up early in the season. Gray whales are mainly seen just outside Westport harbor in a place locals call ‘The Whale Hole’ where they rest on their journey north.

Westport is located on the Washington coast in Grays Harbor County where boat building, sport fishing, and commercial fishing traditions dating back to the turn of the century live side by side with surfers catching waves on Half Moon Bay, and fun along Westport’s 18-mile sandy beach. Visitors can tour the Westport Maritime Museum, enjoy ocean views from the South Beach jetty and the Westport Viewing Tower, or the historic Gray’s Harbor Lighthouse, Washington’s tallest and third tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast.

Crush me, Squeeze me, Make me wine (at the beach)

Are you looking for a grape-stomping good time? Just head to Westport Winery on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 2, 3, and 4 to participate in their annual Crush Me, Squeeze Me, Make Me Wine At The Beach Festival from 11am to 6pm. The winery will provide bins of grapes for you to stomp your way into purple-footed bliss. The featured “stomp grape” this year is Merlot with plenty of fresh wine grape sampling to boot.

On Saturday, October 3 at 5pm the winery will hold their Lucy and Ethyl Look-Alike Contest featuring guest judges...last year’s Lucy and Ethyl. This contest is open to men, women, children, and dogs with one pair of winners selected from each category. All ages are welcome to attend this fun-filled event featuring live music from classical guitarist Scott Lindenmuth along with Italian wedding soup as the hearty repast to get you in the mood of this Tuscan tradition.

This event is free and all ages are welcome at the winery. Wine is available to purchase by the taste, glass, or bottle. Reservations are not necessary to participate in this event just stop by Westport Winery located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway between Aberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’). For more information call Westport Winery at 648-2224.

This just in... Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill takes home another Blue Ribbon - 1st place at Bite of Seattle

We couldn't be prouder! The Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill bested out 61 other restaurants in a competition judged by 4 independent food critics to take home the #1 entree at Bite of Seattle. Not bad for a little seafood shack on the marina!

Congratulations to brother Donovan & his crew!

If you're in the City this weekend, head over to Seattle Center and give a shout out to Team Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill!

Windriders Kite Festival at the Beach in Grayland - July 10-12

It's that time of year, Kite Festival time! I've written before about why I love the Windriders Kite Festival, but there is of course, more to the story than what I noticed in my experience. Evening Magazine profiled Jerry Cannon and the World Champion Sport Kite team, who will be competing at this weekend's Windriders Festival.

The past 2 years I spent most taking photos of the kites, but this year, I will definitely pay more attention to the actual skilled kite flying taking place.

For some details:

The Festival takes place at Grayland Beach Park. For directions, google map "Grayland Beach Road" in Grayland, WA. It's about 5 minutes south from Westport.

It's pretty casual, if you're just there to watch you can drive onto the beach, or park at access road, and just walk around. There is an information booth that opens from noon - 3ish on Friday, 9am -4pm on Saturday and 9am -3pm on Sunday. Those times are approximate and probably vary depending on the volunteers that are working it :) Check out their flyer at the Windriders Club site for a little more information.

See you at the Beach!

Old Fashioned Fourth of July at the Maritime Museum

I am totally late on this one... the whole point of this blog is to get information out to all of you in ADVANCE of things happening, but between the babies and a technical conference I was attending in Seattle last week, I didn't get a chance to post about all the things happening in town on the Fourth of July. But I can't skip it because this is one of those holidays that this town does right. And by this town, I mean the Westport-South Beach Historical Society.

The Old Fashioned Fourth of July at the Maritime Museum is the cutest

small town festival you could ever lay your eyes on. First of all, there is probably no prettier place than the front lawn of the Maritime Museum on a sunny day, secondly, many of the volunteers have been doing this for years, and are the friendliest bunch of seniors you ever met, and finally, the Maritime Museum flies its GIANT American Flag, which just makes it feel like 4th of July.

I love this event for all of those things, but mostly for its unpretentiousness. There are silly little homemade carnival games for the kids. Yes, the prize is a tootsie roll, but yes, my 3 year old still loves it. This is where you take your family to appreciate the simple things. Strawberry

Shortcake, hot dogs, root beer floats, and nothing costs more than a few dollars. The cake walk is a hoot, a real live piano player and people who are geniuinely happy to win a simple home baked cake. The silent auction? Well, okay, this part I actually don't understand, because a lot of the items looks like regifted Christmas presents, more like a garage sale than a silent auction, but hey, nobody's perfect :)

It's great to bring a picnic blanket and just hang out and watch all the people wandering in from the Marina, listen to music, and play a few games. Like everything in Westport, its also very pet

friendly, and there are lots of well behaved four legged friends hanging around watching the action.

This year they added a blues festival to the end of the event, and unfortunately, 2 children under 3 and concerts don't mix, so I have nothing to report. But I highly do recommend this Old Fashioned Fourth of July to all families looking for a slower change of pace on your next Independence Day at the beach!

Pirate Daze are here... 2009 Edition

It's Pirate Daze time, and I'm pretty excited because for the first time, I planned ahead and got my boys Pirate costumes ahead of time (and well, this is the first Pirate Daze for the baby). They look darned cute in their pirate hats, and I've got my fingers crossed that they will actually wear them & smile for my camera. If they do, I'll be sure to innundate you with photos.

Since the Rusty Scupper Pirate website is a little hard to follow, I thought I'd post the schedule of some of the highlighted events here (Note that most activities happen along Westhaven Drive in the Westport Marina District, and you can pick up a "South Beach Bulletin" the free weekly paper and there is an insert with all the details on the Pirate Days Festival):

Friday, June 26, 2009:

12:00 noon, festival opens, Games open in Scallywag Alley

3:00 pm Mini Brig Battle in the marina

4:00 pm B.O.O.M Pirates Show (Black Powder)

4:30 pm Treasure Chest Drawings

5:00 pm Espresso Drama "Shiver me Timbers"

Lady Washington & Hawaiian Cheiftain Tall Ship Tours

6:00 pm Captain Jack Sparrow Look Alike Contest

Saturday, June 27, 2009

10:00 am Festival opens

10am - 1pm Tall ships tours

11:30 am Costume contest for amatuer pirates, wenches & Scallywags

1:00 pm B.O.O.M Pirate Performace

2 - 5 pm Tall Ships Battle Cruise (Boards at 1:30)

6 - 9 pm Tall Ships Battle Cruise (Baords at 5:30)

Sunday, June 28, 2009

10:00 am Festival opens

11:30 Professional Pirate Costume Contest

12:30 noon B.O.O.M. show

So go shiver thy timbers (whatever that means), and have a piratey great time! If you see two adorable little baby boys in pirate costumes with their mama, say hi, it's probably me :)

Westport Winery’s 2009 Bottling and Production Tour & BBQ

Westport Winery’s second free bottling and production tour for 2009 is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7. Bottling will begin at 8am both days and will run until 6pm. The winery already has plenty of volunteers who will be working on the bottling line, so this is simply a chance to come and observe the process while enjoying the scenic vineyards and farm. There is no charge to watch the action and all ages are welcome. Bill Hamlin, of Custom Mobile Bottling in Benton City will again keep the line rolling. You are encouraged come to meet or reacquaint yourself with Bill and see his incredible bottling truck.

The winery will be bottling their 2008 reds including the much anticipated Pinot Noirvana. (This wine will not be released for purchase until September 25 during the Kurt Cobain Memorial Committee’s Lounge Acts weekend.) The winery is also bottling several new fruit blends this weekend for release throughout the summer including Pineapple Express and Dawn Patrol.

As part of the weekend’s open house, guests are invited to enjoy a barbecue picnic from 11am to 3pm. Catered by Sherrie Rust and Jaymie Towle of Westport Event and Wedding Planning, visitors may purchase of lunch of beef bratwurst or hot dogs on hoagie rolls, homemade pasta rotini with fresh vegetables, potato salad, Heath and chocolate chunk cookies, chips, and a beverage. The price for this lunch is $10. Reservations are not required for this fun outdoor picnic.

Vehicle access to the production barn is limited so guests should wear appropriate footwear as the trail to the barn is not paved. Those with mobility issues should check in at the tasting room and someone from the team will escort them to the production area.

The winery is open daily, year around from 11am to 6pm, and after hours by reservation. For more information call Westport Winery at 648-2224. Westport Winery is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway between Aberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’).

Fleur de Lis Festival for Flag Day at Westport Winery!

Join the Westport Winery in celebrating Flag Day with their Sweet Flag Irises or Fleur de Lis Festival on Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14 from noon to 5pm. This free event will highlight all things Francophile in a tribute to the long history of French wine, cheese and chocolate making.

In the new culinary herb garden the Roberts family has built a Petanque Court. The game is similar to Bocce with the goal to throw aluminum balls as close to the “jack” as possible. This is a sport often played in French villages. Throughout the weekend the winery will host a Petanque challenge with prizes for the winners.

This new garden space will increase the area available for the winery’s sculpture garden. Sculpture garden artists will be selling some of their work in the garden in the style of a French market. Classical guitarist Scott Lindenmuth will be playing in the winery’s Gathering Room on both days.

And Chef Erin Worth will offer Fleur de Lis French Onion Soup for those who wish to purchase food while listening to music and tasting wine. A series of French cheeses and chocolates will also be available for tasting and purchase.

All these festivities will be set against the backdrop of the winery’s 10,000 irises (which may or may not be in bloom on this date, but everyone is keeping their fingers crossed.) There is no charge to attend this inaugural Fleur de Lis Festival.

Westport Winery is open daily between 11am and 6pm to guests of all ages and is located on the corner of Highway 105 and South Arbor Road (halfway between Aberdeen and the Westport ‘Y’).

Entertaining the Family in Westport

People always ask me what there is to do in Westport. It's a pretty simple place, after all. So, I thought that I would share my family's list of our favorite things to do. We have a almost-2 year old, and a 2 year old cousin, a 4 year old cousin, a 6 year old cousin and an 8 year old Cousin.

(1) Visit the playgrounds at one of Westport's many public parks. Here is a shot from the Westport City Park, which is behind Anchor Bank off of Montesano (look for the green sign). There is also a great playground at the Ocosta School (you can see it from the parking lot) as well as behind the lighthouse (I'm not sure if this one is supposed to be private for the Coast Guard housing, but it's not locked). Also a small playground for those staying at Westport by the Sea is convenient for smaller children.

(2) Go to the beach. No tools, no toys, no equipment required. Kids love the beach. And Westport and Grayland are special because the auto traffic is low compared to the North Beaches. My son and his cousins can spend hours, in the warm and cold weather, combing the beach, finding treasures, chasing birds, running from the waves, digging in the sand.

(3) Maritime Museum. There is a special discovery room for small children with learning toys and games on all things nautical, including a full size whale skeleton. The Historical Society also runs the tours to the lighthouse, but note if you have children shorter than 40", they won't be allowed to climb.

(4) Fish off the pier, go clam digging, drop a crab pot, anything to bring the kids a little closer to their dinner. Even if you've never done it before, if you go to Angler Charters on the marina, they will set you up with everything you need to drop a hook and tell you what you might be finding at that particular time of year (all for about $40). Clam guns can be purchased at the Red Apple for about $12. Crab pots can be rented up and down the marina. Licenses are also available at various locations on the marina, but often times, the kids don't need them. There are few things more satisfying to most kids than cooking and eating something they helped catch.

(5) Bike or walk along the Westhaven State Park path. Park either at Westport Light State Park or Westhaven State Park, and bring out your bikes, skates, or feet for a nice mile walk (2 miles round trip). For more exercise, you can walk from Westport Light State Park to the Marina, but that is about 5 miles round trip. This provides some interesting signage, deer sighting, I've even seen eagles out there. There are typically not a lot of people out there, this is not the Burke Gilman Trail, so bring your slowest family members, and don't worry about having folks yell "on your left" as you take the time to smell the beach grass.

Other things that are fun include kite flying, paddle boats (on the marina), watching the surfers, shopping in the Marina, and bowling. Of course, in the summer time, just getting a ice cream cone from Whale of a Cone and sitting out in the sunshine is a treat in itself.

See you at the beach!