PORT TOWNSEND — A low cloud ceiling and early morning fog turned Airport Daze at the Jefferson County International Airport into airport haze Saturday.

Perhaps a third as many people showed up for the free annual event compared with last year, one observer said.

The poor weather didn’t dampen spirits, however, at the annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life at Memorial Field in Port Townsend.

While the number of participants was off sharply due to the weather, organizers said cancer doesn’t stop because of a few raindrops.

One walker, Ray Grier of Port Townsend, planned to walk all 24 hours despite the weather.

“I was going to do it, but I brought extra gear [for the weather],” he said.

“It’s rain or shine. Cancer never sleeps, and it also doesn’t care about the weather,” said Tracy Radford of Arlington, American Cancer Society community relations worker.

Out at Jefferson County airport, the early morning fog that blanketed much of Quimper Peninsula canceled plans by the Sequim chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association, or EAA, to provide free 20-minute, hands-on airplane rides for youths ages 10 to 17.

“We had everything prepped and were waiting for the go, no-go this morning” when word came that Port Townsend was socked in, said Donna Sommer of Sequim.

“It’s every pilot’s responsibility to check the weather.”

Chapter 430 of the EAA — home-built aircraft are considered experimental — had planned to fly six planes over from Sequim Valley Airport to provide aircraft rides as part of its Young Eagles program.

Sarah Sawyer of Chimacum, her son, Forrest, and her mother, Carol Naumann of Seattle, attended the event in spite of the weather.

“We’re from here, so anything can be expected this time of year,” Sawyer said.

“We stumbled upon it last year, but it was really hot. You were scrambling for shade.”

Jodi Hallinan of Port Townsend, owner of Port Townsend Aircraft Services, estimated the attendance was about one-fourth of last year’s estimated 200 to 250 people.

“It’s just too bumpy to fly,” she said. “The aircraft that showed up were maybe about a quarter of those that showed up last year.

“But there’s always next year.”

Donnie Weathersby of Port Townsend and his daughter, Jessica, nonetheless took an airplane ride in a 1928 Travel Air biplane piloted by Steve Goodwin of Port Townsend.

Goodwin said good weather for the 2010 Airport Daze brought out many more people than Saturday’s event.

“Normally, we would have people back to back all day long,” Goodwin said. “That was a better day last year.”

The bad weather also rained on the fundraising efforts of the Quilcene Masonic Lodge. Rain shorted out the volunteers’ popcorn machine, but they were able to get it operational, and lessened the business for hot dogs, coffee and pastries, said lodge secretary Arnie Finley.

“We did rather well last year,” Finley said. “

Proceeds from the hot dog stand support the lodge’s Bikes for Books program in Quilcene. The lodge donates books to the school and presents a bicycle twice a year to students in the program through a random drawing.

The sun almost broke through at around 2 p.m. Monday at Memorial Field during the Relay For Life.

Kim Bachelor of Port Townsend, committee chair for the event, said she expected the event would reach the $32,000 fundraising goal.

“The rain probably did cause a less than stellar turnout,” she said. However, donations from the many corporate sponsors combined with individual donations would meet the goal.

While about a dozen people walked the perimeter of Memorial Field midday Saturday, Bachelor said more people would likely participate in the survivors walk and dinner at 6 p.m.

“Every little dime counts in the fight to find a cure,” she said.

_______

Philip L. Watness is a freelance writer and photographer living in Port Townsend. He can be reached at whatnews@olypen.com.