PORT ANGELES — With the Hood Canal Bridge closed this weekend, it might be a good time not to drive to Seattle.
Instead, visit the Peninsula’s largest city and enjoy its history.
Port Angeles will be a place to visit this weekend as it hosts the fourth annual Heritage Weekend, which will feature historic tours, steamboats, entertainment and food beginning 9 a.m. Saturday and lasting until 4 p.m. Sunday.
The lineup includes tours of downtown, the historic Port Angeles Underground, historic Port Angeles homes, Clallam County Courthouse clock tower and Lower Elwha Dam.
The event also includes a display of antique steamboats in Port Angeles Harbor, entertainment on City Pier, an antique car show and street dance, and authentic Makah-style baked salmon on Hollywood Beach.
“We actually combined this year and made the steamboats a star attraction,” said Don Perry of Heritage Tours, one of the event’s organizers.
“We’ve been working all summer to set it up.
“It’s the coup de gr^occe for the whole weekend.”
Boat parade in harbor
The boats will be on display in Port Angeles Harbor on Saturday and Sunday, with a parade through the harbor starting at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Various steam-related machines also will be on display at City Pier, Perry said.
“We’ll have a 1919 horsedrawn steam fire truck, a 60,000-pound working steam donkey and other displays and people there to answer questions about them,” he said.
Guided walking tours of historic downtown Port Angeles, including the Port Angeles Underground, will run every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for the Downtown Port Angeles tours are $12 for adults, $8 for children and $30 for a family pass.
Visit the Registration Booth in the atrium of The Landing mall to sign up. Tours are limited to nine people.
People who sign up for the tours will receive a reproduction of a 50-cent certificate from the Puget Sound Cooperative.
The certificate can be redeemed at participating downtown merchants for a tax-free purchase of up to $100.
Perry said this year’s tours also will include the recently restored murals beneath Sound Bikes & Kayaks, 120 E. Front St.
Trolley tours of homes
People can take trolley tours of Civil War-era and other historic homes throughout uptown Port Angeles every two hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Tours, limited to 15 people each, also will be offered of the Lower Elwha Dam, slated for removal later this decade.
Entertainment, sponsored by the Port Angeles Business Association, will be provided by roving musicians in the downtown area and on the Port Angeles City Pier on Saturday and Sunday.
An authentic Makah salmon bake on Hollywood Beach, sponsored by Landing’s Restaurant, is set for noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Avoiding bad weather
“We moved it from September because of the weather,” Perry said.
“We had a real problem last year with the wind and rain.
“It’s supposed to be in the 80s this year. The Hood Canal Bridge is closed but downtown Port Angeles is still open.”
And, looking on the bright side, you won’t get steamed by waiting in line for a ferry or driving way out of your way on Highway 101.