PORT ANGELES: Vendors an important part of Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts

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PORT ANGELES — Somewhere between the gyros vendor and the lawn ornament display, Stephen Ladd stood in his 12-foot boat Sunday and talked about adventure.

Ladd is one of about 65 outdoor vendors and displays at the Juan de Fuca Festival, which continues through today.

The eighth-annual event, which includes more than 125 performances from 70 groups, ends its four-day run tonight.

While performances continued on the festival’s five stages Sunday, small groups gathered around Ladd and his boat on the Vern Burton Memorial Community Center lawn. The 47-year-old Bremerton native retold his story of traveling 15,000 miles with the tiny vessel, Squeak.

Ladd started his journey in 1990, leaving Seattle with the boat he had spent a year and a half building. He named the 200-pound vessel after his cat, because all other names were “too serious.”

This full report appears in today’s Memorial Day editions of the Peninsula Daily News, on sale throughout Clallam and Jefferson counties. Or click onto “Subscribe” to order your copy via U.S. mail.

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