Old School 4th of July celebration gets underway in Port Townsend today

PORT TOWNSEND — The fourth annual Old School 4th of July celebration kicks off in Port Townsend this afternoon and culminates with a laser show beginning at 10:20 p.m.

Today’s celebration at Fort Worden Commons at 200 Battery Way will start at 4 p.m. The event’s entry fee is a $5 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay, said event coordinator Daniel Milholland of Thunderbull Productions.

The laser show is being put on by Rick Hale, who owns and operates Slick Lasers of Seattle.

Other offerings in the celebration include Olympic Games at 7 p.m. The games include a competitive tug of war, with a $1,000 grand prize. It costs $100 to enter a team.

Participants can register online at https://thunderbullproductions.com/4th-of-july.html or show up at 11 a.m. today to weigh their teams. The competition has a strict weight limit for each team of 1,500 pounds per team.

The tug of war is not the only competition planned. There will also be a watermelon-eating contest for a $5 entry fee, as well as a walnut sack race.

There’s also mini-golf and free root beet floats for 1,000 people.

The celebration will also feature live music throughout, face painting and an impromptu classic car show.

A large number of local food vendors are anticipated as well as a beer, wine and cider garden that will be serving locally made beverages.

Photographer David Conklin will take a large group shot of all the attendees who want to be in it, and people will be able to download the photo after the event at https://thunderbullproductions.com/4th-of-july.html.

Here is the schedule:

• 4 p.m. — S’Klallam drummers, singers.

• 4:30 p.m. — The Shed Boys.

• 5 p.m. — Free root beer floats.

• 5:30 p.m. — Maria Powell, winner of the 2019 Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow contest.

• 6 p.m. — PT Summer Band

• 7 p.m. — Olympic Games, including tug of war, walnut sack race, watermelon-eating contest and a Community Portrait.

• 8 p.m. — The Unexpected Brass Band.

• 8:30 p.m. — Caela Bailey & General Mojo’s Seattle Psychedelic Circus.

• 10 p.m. — NANDA acrobaticalists.

• 10:20 p.m. — Laser light show.

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Jefferson County reporter Zach Jablonski contributed to this report.