Get married at the Beach! Learn how at the Harbor Bridal Show!

The second annual Harbor Bridal Show is Saturday, January 9 at Westport Winery. From the venue to the food and wine, from the hair to the gown, and from the announcement to the music, this casual and personal presentation will help answer questions and offer suggestions on each aspect of wedding planning with the least stress while staying within a budget.

Paula Rudberg-Lowe, the editor of South Sound Event and Wedding Magazine will share current trends in wedding planning along with important etiquette considerations. The team from Dunsire’s Printers will offer suggestions on how to keep costs down and quality up on each piece of printed material.

Margaret Tingwall and Lorrie Walsh from Passion Salon will teach you how to create lovely hair, skin, and make-up for your bridal party. A bridal fashion show presented by Lorna’s Line will inspire you, while the designers from Bayside Floral will explore how to best compliment the gowns. Merrill Photography will show you how to capture both candid and staged memories that will last forever.

The Roberts’ family from Westport Winery will discuss various beverage and catering options. Suzie’s Cakes will offer samples and suggestions on how to be both original and traditional with the perfect wedding cake. Jenny Leighton and Lindell Stacy-Horton will perform music and highlight options to help you set the mood for your guests. And Journey Travel will explore some of the best means to find the perfect honeymoon.

Space is limited for this incredibly personal and educational one-day event so pre-registration is required. There is no charge to attend the Harbor Bridal Show. Brides-to-be and their guests can register for either the 10am to noon session or the 2-4pm session. Because of space limitations children are not invited to participate in this event.

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

Razor Clam Season Set for 2009!

Razor clam season tentatively set
to open in mid-October

Digging at all beaches will be restricted to the hours between noon and midnight.

Tentative opening dates and evening low tides in October are (the best time for digging is 1 - 2 hours before low tide):

• Friday, Oct. 16 ( 5:50 p.m. -0.5 ft.)
• Saturday, Oct. 17 (6:38 p.m. -0.8 ft.)
• Sunday, Oct. 18 (7:23 p.m. -1.1ft.)
• Monday, Oct. 19 (8:06 p.m. -1.1 ft.)

In addition, WDFW has tentatively scheduled four other digs through Jan. 3.

Digs scheduled in November include:

• Wednesday, Nov. 4 (7:33 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Thursday, Nov. 5 (8:18 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Friday, Nov. 6 (9:07 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Saturday, Nov. 7 (9:59 p.m. -0.5 ft.)

• Saturday, Nov. 14 (4:34 p.m. -0.3 ft.)
• Sunday, Nov. 15 (5:21 p.m. -0.7 ft.)
• Monday, Nov. 16 (6:05 p.m. -0.9 ft.)
• Tuesday, Nov. 17 (6:47 p.m. -0.8 ft.)

Digs scheduled December 2 through Jan. 3 include:

• Wednesday, Dec. 2 (6:32 p.m. -1.2 ft.)
• Thursday, Dec. 3 (7:18 p.m. -1.4 ft.)
• Friday, Dec. 4 (8:04 p.m. -1.3 ft.)
• Saturday, Dec. 5 (8:51 p.m. -0.9 ft.)

• Thursday, Dec. 31 (6:16 p.m. -1.1 ft.)
• Friday, Jan. 1 (7:01 p.m. -1.8 ft.)
• Saturday, Jan. 2 (7:45 p.m. -1.6 ft.)
• Sunday, Jan. 3 (8:29 p.m. -1.2 ft.)

The WDFW website lists "Twin Harbors" as the location for a 4 day clam dig. That is actually code for the 18 miles of beach that stretches from Willapa Bay to Grays Harbor, ie. Westport/Grayland/Tokeland.

I have made a little primitive map which shows where the best places to find Razor Clams are. If you want to go to Westhaven, I recommend following the map to Westport, then turning toward Westhaven State Park on Jetty Access Road. Park at the state park and walk down to the beach.

To try Grayland, you can access the beach either on Bonge Road or Grayland Beach Road. The area in between these two roads are prime razor clam habitat.

Good luck & happy Clamming!

Cranberry Festival Week! Grayland/Cranberry Coast

I love autumn at the beach! The crowds are gone, the air is crisp, and most often, the sun is still out. We have been having the most wonderful late-summer-early-fall weather this year, and the weatherman is forecasting sunny skies through this weekend - Cranberry Fest weekend!

I love Cranberry Festival weekend, for the kitschy community festival, for the cranberry harvest tours, for the bog jog, but mostly, because I am one of those people who will do anything for a blue ribbon, I love Cranberry Fest weekend for the cranberry cookoff. Unfortunately, I will be headed south for a wedding, which leaves the cookie category up for grabs this year :) Haha.

If cooking is not your thing, there are other reasons to head to Grayland this weekend. There are harvest tours (by bus), there is a cranberry eating contest (have you ever tried to eat uncooked, unsweetened cranberries?), a "biggest berry" contest among the farmers, and some farm fresh cranberries to be purchased. There are also food vendors, cranberry crafts, and live entertainment. After you stuff yourself with fair food and kettle corn on Saturday, head to the bogs for a friendly 5k "Bog Jog" to work it off on Sunday morning. There may be nothing nicer than the quiet cranberry bog lined roads of Grayland for a fall workout.

Check out the Cranberry Coast Chamber for specifics!