NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, July 8.
CLALLAM BAY — Food, fireworks, music and parades will highlight summer on the Strait of Juan de Fuca at the 35th annual Clallam Bay-Sekiu Fun Days running tonight through Sunday.
The community festival serves as a get-together for locals, including family reunions.
Visitors from out of town will find the annual festival an opportunity to explore the area, meet the people and enjoy some beautiful vistas. Visitors are welcome to join the celebration.
This year, there will be plenty of music as well as local favorites, said Patricia Hutson, Fun Days chairwoman and chief of Clallam County Fire District No. 5.
Tonight, the Loose Gravel band will kick off music for the event during the festival potluck social at the Clallam Bay High School bus barn, 16933 state Highway 112.
On Saturday, Therapy Session, a band specializing in blues, country, gospel, folk and rock, will play at Three Sisters Art Gallery, 16590 Highway 112, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Then at 9 p.m., Jeremy and Anna Pederson will take the stage with acoustic rock at the Breakwater Inn Restaurant, 15582 Highway 112. The show is open to anyone 21 and older, Hutson said.
Parade
The Grand Parade will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. Lineup and judging will be at Weel Road.
Saturday will be filled with activity, including kids’ activities, the Poker Race Ride, the Lions Club barbecue and the Messy Palettes art show.
A live auction will begin after the Grand Parade at the bus barn.
Each year, the auction funds the following year’s Fun Days and fireworks show.
Fireworks display
Those who crave fireworks can enjoy the show at dusk Saturday.
The public show, sponsored by the Breakwater Inn, will be fired off in Sekiu.
Hutson said people start finding spots to watch the fireworks from the beach around 6 p.m.
“Come out and enjoy the fireworks,” she said. “It’s always a good show.”
The fireworks show is shot out over the waters of the Strait, so there is little fire danger associated with the professional show, Hutson said.
All of the events during Fun Days are free except for the Fun Run and the Fly-In.
Fun run
Registration for the Fun Run from Sekiu to Clallam Bay is at 9 a.m. Sunday.
Entry is $10 for adults and $5 for children.
The race will begin at 10 a.m. on Front Street.
The 3.7-mile course will begin at Front Street in Sekiu, follow Highway 112 and finish at the Clallam Bay Park.
The top male and female runners, and those who finish in the top three in each division, will receive ribbons and medals at an awards ceremony at 11 a.m.
Fly-In
The Sekiu Fly-In lunch at Sekiu Airport will be during Fun Days this year. Prices for the lunch are $8 per adult, $7 per senior citizen and $1 per child younger than 5.
Hutson said the event is usually held over Memorial Day weekend, but organizers switched it up this year because Fun Days usually has better weather.
Proceeds from the Fly-In help fund scholarships.
For more information, visit www.clallambaysekiufundays.com.
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.