PORT HADLOCK — Last year, they rode in the back of a pickup truck.
This year, they’ll ride in style.
“The Hadlocks are going to the grand marshals this year,” said Tammy Brown, co-coordinator of Hadlock Days, to be held July 10-11.
The Hadlock family from Texas — Steve, Louella, son Shane and Shane’s girlfriend, Melissa — were the surprise entry in last year’s Hadlock Days parade, the highlight of the community celebration.
Held every year at Port Hadlock’s Kivley Center overlooking the south end of Port Townsend Bay, the community event features games on the lawn, including an egg toss and tug o’ war in which losers are dragged through a sprinkler.
Craft and food vendors set up in front of the shops, with a stage for music.
In the afternoon, a small parade winds its way down the main street.
Found festival on Internet
The Hadlocks learned of the festival last year when Steve Hadlock was surfing the Internet looking for family references.
Deciding to plan a family vacation around the event, he contacted Carol Fletcher at Hadlock Realty and made reservations at the local inn.
But when the family members arrived in Port Hadlock, they learned they were not just going to see the festival, they were going to be in it — riding in the parade in a pickup truck.