PORT TOWNSEND — The 80th annual Port Townsend Rhododendron Festival slips into the home stretch this weekend with a series of special events, culminating with Saturday’s Grand Parade.
Rhody kicks off the Port Townsend festival season that includes Steampunk, May 29-31; Fiddle Tunes, June 28-July 5; Jazz Port Townsend, July 19-26; the Acoustic Blues Festival,
July 26-Aug. 2; the Port Townsend Film Festival, Sept. 25-27; and, last but not least, the Kinetic Skulpture Race, Oct. 2-4.
(NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” in this story refer to Friday, May 15.)
But while those festivals draw tourists into the town, Rhody brings in a different crowd: former Port Townsend residents who treat the week as if it were one huge family reunion.
“People get to see all of their former classmates and all their friends,” said Brandi Hamon, secretary of the Rhody Fest board.
“It’s all about the community.”
Rhody royalty
This year’s Rhody Royalty includes Queen Sam Smith, 17, along with Princesses Morgan Chaffee, 17, Deidra Morris, 16, and Lillian Kelly, 17.
All are juniors, an advantage over past royal courts because they will be available for activities during the next school year.
The summer is always the busiest time for royalty because of parades across the state, but there are some activities that occur during the school year.
This year’s royalty serves until March when a new group is selected.
Most years, royalty consists of a queen or king and three princesses or princes; this year, there were only four contestants, and the Rhody organization declined to eliminate just one.
Royal scholarships
This placed an extra fundraising burden on the organization, as the queen receives $1,500 toward college, while the princesses each receive $1,000.
The crowning event of the festival is Saturday’s Grand Parade.
It will begin at 1 p.m. going east on Lawrence Street from Harrison Street, turn right on Monroe Street and right again on Water Street before ending at Adams Street.
It usually takes two hours for all the floats — 113 this year, beginning with the Tenino Motorcycle Drill Team and ending with DM Disposal — to run their course.
Balls and cakes
The parade will be bracketed by two events: the Running of the Balls before and the third annual Cake Picnic afterward.
Port Townsend Sunrise Rotary’s annual Running of the Balls competition will begin at 12:30 p.m., when a few thousand numbered golf balls will be released on a steep portion of Monroe Street on the Grand Parade route.
The balls will bump and clatter for three blocks to the end of the course.
Prizes will be awarded to those who have purchased one of the first three balls to reach the finish line.
First place is a new, street-legal motor scooter, while second prize is $500 cash and third prize $250 cash.
Proceeds go to the Rhododendron Festival, the Third Grade Dictionary giveaway project, the ReCyclery, the Backpack Food Program and the Rotary foreign student exchange program.
Tickets cost $5 for one golf ball or $20 for five.
They are available at the Port Townsend Farmers Market on Saturday and at Safeway from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. today.
They also will be sold Saturday at the top of the course at Monroe and Lawrence streets and at the bottom at Monroe and Washington streets beginning at 11:30 a.m. until the race starts at 12:30 p.m.
For more information, phone Dick Shipman, publicity chairman for Sunrise Rotary, at 360-301-1559.
The Cake Picnic will be in Pope Marine Park, where an expected 7,000 slices of artisan cake will be served.
Cake Picnic
Donors contributing $20 or greater will receive a limited-edition Cake Picnic bandana designed by local artist Julie Read.
Donors should send checks made out to the Rhododendron Festival and mail to P.O. Box 650, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
Cash donations can be contributed day-of at the picnic.
Already taken place were the Dude Looks Like a Lady cross-dressing fundraiser May 9, the Rhody Crafts Fair last weekend, the Trike Race on Wednesday and the Pet Parade on Thursday.
Still to come are the Kiddie Parade, the Bed Races, the Grand Parade and the Rhody Run, along with a host of other events.
For more on the festival, see www.rhodyfestival.org.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
