PORT ANGELES — Unlike other festivals aimed at drawing tourists, the second annual Jammin’ in the Park celebration is intended to be a special gathering place for local residents, said Steve Zenovic, Nor’Wester Rotary special events officer.
The free event, organized by Nor’Wester Rotary, will be from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Waterfront Park, located at West Railroad Avenue and North Oak Street in downtown Port Angeles.
“We have all these events that are trying to draw people into the community,” Zenovic said.
“This is one that is really for the community, just so the locals can come by.
“We aren’t going to charge you a dime if you don’t want to have a burger,” he added. “You can sit there and listen to good music and watch all the fun going on.”
The end-of-summer blast will offer live bands throughout the day, a volleyball tournament, a beer and wine garden, a food court, a dunk tank and a car show.
Proceeds from food and drink sales and the dunk tank will go toward providing scholarships to local students and to other Rotary projects, according to a news release.
There is no registration fee to participate in the car show, although it is aimed at high-end vehicles, Zenovic said.
“Mostly, it is going to be Porsches that are coming in,” he said.
“It will be high-end cars, [but] we are not going to tell somebody to go away” if their vehicle isn’t exotic or pricey.
Plenty of children’s activities are planned, too, Zenovic said.
“We’ve got a big kids zone with lots of stuff going on — a bean bag toss, volleyball and all that stuff,” he said.
Jammin’ in the Park is the successor of Arts in Action, an annual summer street fair organized for about 40 years by Nor’Wester Rotary, Zenovic said.
During the past 15 or so years, Arts in Action took place on City Pier before being discontinued. The main event was a giant sandcastle competition.
“That was a vendor-driven thing,” Zenovic said.
“It just became too much of a challenge for us and did not, frankly, make enough money for the amount of investment.”
Nor’Wester Rotary members still wanted to provide an annual community-oriented get-together and began seeking an alternative, Zenovic said.
“We didn’t want to completely drop doing something for the community,” he said.
When Waterfront Park opened to the public in September 2015, Nor’Wester Rotary members saw an opportunity “to have an event down there that was fun for the locals and for families,” Zenovic said.
“It provides people an opportunity to come down and wander through the park and enjoy the space and have some fun. It is an incredible spot.”
Zenovic invites area residents to “come down and listen to good music” and have a beer and a hot dog, he said.
“Come and support the community,” he said.
For more about Nor’Wester Rotary, visit www.rotarynorwester.org.
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Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at [email protected].
