By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON
A move up the beach last year has been a boon for the Grays Harbor Festival of Colors, the annual kite show and competition that attracts hundreds of acrobatic stunt kites and gigantic show kites that will fill the North Coast skies this weekend, June 1-3.
Event organizer and the owner of two Ocean Shores Kites stores, Andy Sias said running the event in the space north of the Damon Road beach approach, just outside the city limits and stretching up toward the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino, has made it more accessible for fans because they can drive up the beach alongside the kite flying participants, instead of having to park and walk down to the kites, as was the case when the event was held south of the Chance A La Mer beach approach.
Sias said the result is “a much more enjoyable experience for the guests,” with a “huge open area where a family can fly kites right next to a professional with a giant kite the size of a house.”
He also said telephone, text and online traffic has increased dramatically, to the point where “for the first time, we are bigger than (the kite festival in) Long Beach. We’re the biggest on the West Coast!” The word has spread, he said, attracting more participants each year since Sias and his wife, Brenda, took over the already established event in 2011. Also, they’ve become “the biggest page on Facebook, when it comes to kites.”
The Festival of Colors kicks off Friday with informal, open flying all day, a prelude to Saturday, which is filled competitions, demonstrations, free kite-making for kids and more. Sunday holds time for any leftover competitions, and more open flying.
Sias expects 150-200 serious enthusiasts and professional fliers, including a team from India and several folks from Canada. They will participate with dual-line and quad-line sport and stunt kites in precision, ballet, individual, pairs and team competitions at novice, intermediate, advanced and masters levels. Others will launch the huge, colorful show kites that have become iconic images of the event.
He invites and encourages spectators to bring their own kites to fly, noting that anyone can compete: “It’s a freebie — there’s no cost at all to walk up, sign up, and fly your sport kite in a competition.”
The event also makes it fun for kids, as volunteers will help make over 150 free single-line kites that kids can fly and take home.
Another highlight is the dinner, raffle and auction that begins at 5 p.m. Saturday at Ocean Shores Elementary School. The evening includes awards, thank-yous, bag raffles, a short live auction, kite pin trading, and indoor kite flying in the gym. All activities are free except dinner, which is $10.
The annual event obviously helps promote the Ocean Shores Kites stores, but Sias and his family also know it is good for the town. He said the participants, and many spectators as well, “come from at least 2-3 hours away,” and most are so taken with flying at one of the West Coast’s best kite beaches, that “they all come back again to go flying.”
More information is available online at www.oceanshorekites.com, and on the Ocean Shores Kites and Grays Harbor Festival of Color Facebook pages.
Saturday Festival of Colors schedule
7 a.m. – Meet and greet with free donuts at OS Kites, 172 Chance A la Mer NW.
8-9 a.m. – Flying begins north of Damon Rd. beach approach.
9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Free kitemaking for kids.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. – Kite flying competitions and demonstrations.
5 p.m. – Dinner, raffle & auction at Ocean Shores Elementary; dinner at 6 p.m., dinner tickets $10.
Hood to Coast
Hood To Coast Washington is back for its second annual relay run covering 77 miles from Hood Canal and ending at the Pacific Ocean.
Thousands of runners are expected to partipate in the event that ends at Seabrook, with festivities that include a pre-race kickoff from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, June 1, at Crescent Park.
The relay race starts at 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 2, at Lake Isabella, and proceeds through Grays Harbor, ending along the North Beach and at Seabrook. At the finish line, Seabrook plans a celebration with a beer and wine garden, food trucks and a live DJ.
North Beach Singers
North Beach Singers present “A Spring Concert” Saturday afternoon, June 2 at 3 p.m. in Moclips at Chapel By the Sea, 4612 State Route 109. Join the singers for a concert that will include a selection of their favorite songs. Admission: a donation of non-perishable food and/or money to benefit the North Beach Food Banks. For information call (360) 289-4499.
June
9: Flag Day Parade, through downtown Ocean Shores, starting at the city gates and ending at the Convention Center. Biggest Flag Day parade in Western Washington, (360) 289-2314 to participate or for more information.
15: Seabrook is hosting an advanced beach volleyball competition. The AVA Beach Volleyball tournament draws talented applicants from Vancouver and across the U.S. to play for a chance to win $2,000 in either the Men’s or Women’s Open Winners tournament, with a total grand prize of $10,000 for the competing adult divisions. Entry is open to anyone of any skill level to join and form a team, and there will be clinics with professional coaches available. All junior and adult levels can compete for this cash pool, regardless of experience. Men’s and Women’s A and Masters (ages 35+) have a chance to win a cash payout along with the $10,000 total prize money for competing adult divisions. For more information about AVA, visit http://www.alkibeachvolleyball.com/
15-23: Quinault Beach Resort & Casino’s 18th anniversary celebration begins, along with the annual Cooking the Blues festival extending through the week with live blues music daily and the finale of Williams and Ree Comedy Show on June 23.
22: Official ribbon cutting ceremony, including a traditional Quinault blessing, for the opening of the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino expansion. Festivities start at 3 p.m.
22-24: Five Star Dealerships Sand & Sawdust Festival, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. Sand sculpting demonstrations and chainsaw artist auctions daily.
July
27-29: Bikers at the Beach motorcycle event at the Ocean Shores Convention Center, with Hog Wild Weekend also ongoing simultaneously at Quinault Beach Resort and Casino.
August
11: Ocean Shores Woof-a-Thon. Annual event honoring our pets and raising funds and awareness for animal welfare. At North Bay High School with dog walk on the track Games, sporting events and demonstrations, and auction. Online at www.oceanshoreswoofathon.org.
11-12: Body and Soul Festival. Learn all about a natural and homeopathic way of life. At the Ocean Shores Lions Club on Ocean Shores Boulevard.
17-19: Ocean Shores Fan Fest & Beach Party, with events planned for Quinault Beach Resort & Casino, Oyhut Bay and the Ocean Shores Convention Center.
18: Gnome & Fairy Festival at Seabrook. A day of enchantment and outdoor play for the whole family, face painting, games, crafts and live animal encounters. Starts at 11 a.m.
Aug. 31-Sept. 2: AAOS Arts & Crafts Festival at the Convention Center: www.associatedarts.org. Visit one of Western Washington’s largest indoor and outdoor handmade arts and crafts fair. Thousand of unique items are showcased by gifted artists and talented craftspeople. Admission is free.
Aug. 31-Sept. 2: Annual Kelpers Festival and Shake Rat Rendezvous, featuring tug of war competition between Moclips and Pacific Beach, kid’s parade, full parade in Pacific Beach on Sunday, and various logging competitions.
September
1: Ocean Shores Paddleathon. Saturday, Sept. 1. Oyhut Bay Seaside Village Canal. For kayak, canoe, and rowing enthusiasts. All Skill levels are welcome. Human-powered boat activities on the lakes and canals of Ocean Shores. Race, Poker Paddle, picnic, seminars and the latest in paddling gear at end-of-season prices.
21-23: Whale of Quilt Show at the Ocean Shores Convention Center, (509) 715-9082 for information.
October
6: Big Foot Brew Festival at Seabrook, for craft beer enthusiasts, with some of the regions’ best breweries featured from noon to 5 p.m.
16-21: Irish Music Festival. The West Coast’s largest Irish music festival: 6 stages, 3 venues, including Galway Bay and the Convention Center in Ocean Shores, and 30 great bands. Come tip a pint and kick up your heels. For more information and a schedule visit www.galwaybayevents.com
November
3-4: Run From the Rain Indoor Kite Fly in Ocean Shores, sponsored by Ocean Shores Kites (oceanshoreskites.com). Call (360) 289-4103 for more information.
23-25: Winter Fanta-Sea pre-Christmas festival of holiday gifts and vendors, Ocean Shores Convention Center, (360) 289-9586.
