SEQUIM — Organizers of the community’s annual Irrigation Festival learned an important lesson Saturday: 108 years of experience doesn’t guarantee perfection.
Confusion over the start time of one of the festival’s most popular attractions — the Kids Parade — led to several young entrants showing up early for the event at Sequim High School’s football field.
And that led to parade organizers deciding to launch the event before its publicized start times, which varied between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., depending on which promotional material a parent happened to read.
Fewer kids trekked around the track than in past years, but the costumes of those who did were no less creative.
And there was plenty more in store for youngsters after the parade.
An all-day children’s event — renamed this year from “Festival in the Field” to the “Kid’s Irrigation Festival Day” — drew a sizable crowd at the Boys & Girls Club building on Fir Street.
Miniature golf, face-painting, a rubber “bouncy tent,” a chocolate fountain and some educational booths awaited those who had the patience to make their way through the building.