Labor Day Weekend - Traffic
| Plan ahead for heavy ferry traffic this coming Labor Day weekend |
| Washington State Ferries advises travelers to expect heavy traffic on all routes this coming Labor Day weekend, Thursday through Monday, Sept. 2-6. The most traffic is expected westbound on Thursday and Friday, and eastbound on Monday, Sept. 6. Vehicle reservations are advised on the Port Townsend/Coupeville (Keystone) route. As of Aug. 29, eastbound availability on the 50-car Steilacoom II is filling up on both Friday and Monday, and westbound slots are filling on Friday. Make reservations in advance by calling 1-888-808-7977 (Washington and British Columbia) or through 5-1-1, or online at https://business.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Reservations/ The Port Townsend/Coupeville routes and Kingston/Edmonds routes are operating on the regular summer sailing schedule throughout the Labor Day holiday weekend. The Seattle/Bainbridge Island route operates on a holiday (Saturday) schedule on Monday, Sept. 6. 8/29/2010 02:07:00PM Port Townsend Leader |
This Month on the Peninsula (August 2010)
Commanding Officer's Quarters Museum, Fort Worden State Park. Historical exhibits. Tours offered at 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, free for children. Phone 385-1003.
Fort Flagler State Park, Marrowstone Island. Tours at 10:30 a.m. from the Park office. Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for children. Take flashlights. Historic hospital tours begin at 2:00 p.m., $2 for adults, free for children.
Jefferson County Historical Society (JCHS) Museum and Shop, 540 Water Street, Port Townsend, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $1 for children 3-12, free for JCHS members. Exhibits include Jefferson County's maritime heritage, James Swan and the Native Americans, the Chinese in Early Port Townsend, and Learned family textile exhibit. Phone 385-1003.
Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water Street, Port Townsend. Free 45-minute tours of the Center's new headquarters, 11:00 a.m. Call 385-3628, ext 102.
Northwind Art Center, 2409 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend. Art Port Townsend Expressions Northwest juried show, noon to 5:00 p.m. Call 360-379-1086 for information.
Port Townsend Aero Museum, Jefferson County International Airport, 195 Airport Road, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $6 for children 7-12. Exhibits feature vintage aircraft and airplane art.
Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum, Fort Worden State Park, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $1 for children, free for JCHS members. Exhibits show harbor defenses in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Phone 385-1003 or visit jchsmuseum.org.
Quilcene Historical Museum, 151 E. Columbia Street, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Artifacts, documents, and photos of Quilcene and surrounding communities. Phone 360-765-0688, 360-765-3192 or 360-765-4848 or e-mail quilcenemuseum@olypen.com for information.
Rothschild House, 418 Taylor Street, Port Townsend, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults, $1 for children 3-12, free for JCHS members. Phone 385-1003 or visit jchsmuseum.org.
Fishing on Lake Leland in Jefferson County, near Brinnon, fishing from the shore, www.fishingworks.com/lakes/washington/jefferson/uncas/leland-lake/, Free.
Fallsview Canyon in Quilcene
July 9-11 Weekend Activities
Peninsula in for sizzling weekend of activities
PORT TOWNSEND -- A living-history encampment will be held at Old Fort Townsend State Park, four miles south of Port Townsend on Old Fort Townsend Road, at 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The encampment allows visitors to step back through history and experience what it was like to be a solider in the 1800s.
Visitors will witness cannon blasts and rifle shooting.
The annual encampment is sponsored by Washington State Parks and Friends of Fort Townsend, and it is free and open to the public.
For information, phone Friends of Fort Townsend at 360-385-2998.
Flower hike set
QUILCENE -- The Washington Native Plant Society will hike Mount Townsend to view blooming wildflowers on Saturday.
Hikers will meet at the North Hood Canal Visitors Center, 295142 U.S. Highway 101, at 9 a.m.
It is peak season for meadows of wildflowers on the southern slopes of the mountain.
Hikers will walk up the Big Quilcene Trail No. 839, a 3.8-mile hike with a 3,000-foot elevation gain.
Participants should bring lunch, sturdy shoes and rain gear.
The hike is free and open to the public.
For more information or to RSVP, phone Sharon Schlentner at 360-379-9810.
Or e-mail sschlentner@waypoint.com.
Dust off the Crab Gear...Crab Season Starts July 1st @ 7 am!!!
CRAB: Dungeness and Red Rock Crab, all fishing methods;
Opens at 7:00 a.m. July 1, 2010. Open Wednesdays through Saturdays only through September 6, 2010, but open the entire Labor Day weekend (September 4 - 6).
Last Updated: June 30, 2010
NOTE: all fishing gear must be removed from the water
by one hour after sunset on the last day of any fishing period.
ShrimpFest in Brinnon - Memorial Day Weekend!!
By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News
The annual Brinnon ShrimpFest -- which will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday -- lured upward of 9,000 people last year, and that was with the Hood Canal Bridge closed for construction, said vendor organizer Debbie Williams.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, the event that has been around since 1994 will open another Memorial Day weekend with Hood Canal spot shrimp on sale.
The fresh and tasty tails are expected to be gone before noon.
"I know we cleaned and processed about 1,200 pounds of shrimp," Williams said.
"We have about 700 containers to sell, a little less than last year, but it's the same price."
That's $10 a bag.
Once that runs out, containers of Taylor Shellfish Co. shrimp will be sold.
The event -- which is on the grassy part of Dosewallips State Park in Brinnon, east of U.S. Highway 101 and north of the Dosewallips River -- has grown popular with vendors, too, with up to 30 turned away this year for lack of space.
"We were full with 100 vendors in two months," Williams said.
Eleven vendors will offer food. The rest will sell arts and crafts.
Belt-sander races
Popular souped-up belt-sander races will heat up at 1 p.m. each day, with more than 20 entries from the region and Canada expected to zip in for the show.
The stage will light up with local music and entertainment and a Veterans of Foreign Wars beer garden will be featured for adults. There are pony rides and other fun for kids.
The tides are usually low enough during the weekend for easy harvest of clams and oysters on the public beaches at Dosewallips State Park near the festival (state Fish and Wildlife shellfish license required) and the weather is traditionally good, Williams said.
Williams said ShrimpFest T-shirts, mugs and shrimp necklaces go fast, too.
The festival is busiest on Saturday until 2 p.m., Williams said, with traffic sometimes backing up on U.S. Highway 101 and people having to park outside the state parkland lot and walking in.
Flaggers on the highway help guide traffic into the festival parking area.
A pancake breakfast is planned at 7 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Brinnon Community Center on Highway 101.
Proceeds from ShrimpFest 2009 will be donated to community projects.
Over the years, the proceeds have benefited the community through donations to the Brinnon School and the Brinnon Volunteer Ambulance & Firefighters Association, Brinnon and Quilcene community centers as well as many other projects.
