If you get a little tired while celebrating at the Mason County Forest Festival (see previous post), then you’ll be glad to know that Annas Bay is offering two musical events to enjoy this weekend. Take a short break from the Forest Festival and let yourself unwind. You can sit back, put your feet up (metaphorically, of course!) and let the music relax and refresh you.

On Friday, 05/30/08, at 7 p.m. is the first annual Director’s Circle Gala at the Elmer & Katharine Nordstrom Great Hall at Harmony Hills in Union, WA. The Gala will benefit Annas Bay’s growing roster of community music programs. Attendees will be the first to learn about the 2008/2009 Annas Bay season while enjoying guest artists from Seattle. The Annas Bay Chorale and the new Mosquito Fleet and Hood Canal Youth Choir will also present music from Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, and some classic rock favorites. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 7 p.m., and the music will begin at 8 p.m.

Then on Saturday, 5/31/08, at 7:30 p.m. the Annas Bay Chorale, Mosquito Fleet and Hood Canal Youth Choir will perform together at a free concert in the Shelton High School auditorium, presenting popular music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. You can relax to the music of the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, and Dan Fogelberg, just to name a few. And did I mention that it’s FREE?

So come on, take a break from the Forest festivities and let the music move you for a while! You can get more information on Annas Bay and these events at the Annas Bay website, or contact 360-898-5000 or info@annasbay.org.

The wonderful abundance of evergreen trees distinguishes the Pacific Northwest from other regions of our country. I’d never thought much about this until I had a friend who moved to Washington State from Hawaii. One of the first things she said, driving from SeaTac airport to her new home was, “Look at all the Christmas trees!”

Of course, we don’t just have evergreens here. My daughter pointed out the other day that no matter which direction she pointed, she could see trees – all types of trees. It reminded me of the few years I lived in California … and how different the landscape looked there. California had its own beauty, but I had grown up in “The Evergreen State” and quickly made my way back here at the earliest opportunity.

When you are blessed with an abundance of something, it’s easy to take it for granted. So if you want to celebrate the blessings of our trees and forests, you can do that this weekend at the Mason County Forest Festival.

The 63rd Annual Mason County Forest Festival kicks off this Thursday, May 29th and runs through June 1st. This annual event, held in Shelton, features a carnival with rides and attractions, a 7 mile fun run/walk, a 2 mile fun run/walk, parades, fireworks, a car show, a logging show, and some “royal” events as well. You can find all the information you need at the website for the Festival, as well as a schedule of events.

So plan to take some time out of your weekend and enjoy the Mason County Forest Festival. If nothing else, it’s a great excuse for some fun family time!

If you’re going to hang out on the Peninsula this weekend, check out our posts on the fun stuff going in the neighborhood. Here’s Part 2 of our coverage of this weekend’s activities (see previous post for Part 1):

Friday, 5/23 to Monday, 5/26: Viking Cup Soccer Tournament in Poulsbo, WA. This annual regional soccer tournament features 22 fields, 250 teams, and over 3600 players from all over the Pacific Northwest competing for the Viking Cup! You can find information on brackets and schedules at the website for the North Kitsap Soccer Club.

Saturday, 5/24, 10 am: Street Scramble in Gig Harbor. The Street Scramble is for explorers of all types. Competitors receive a map with 30 checkpoints circled and a brief description of each. Answer a simple question to prove you were there, and try to be the first to visit all 30 checkpoints. You can participate solo, or in teams of 2-5, but teams must stay together at all times. For more info, contact the City of Gig Harbor at 253-857-4842.

Saturday, 5/24, 6 pm: Destruction Derby in Bremerton, WA. Gates open at 4 pm, time trials start at 4:30 pm, race starts at 6 pm. More information available at the Kitsap Destruction Derby website.

Saturday, 5/24, 8-11 am: Theler Community Center Donation Breakfast. Enjoy breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, coffee, tea, juice), then stay to shop the Parking Lot sale and Belfair Farmers Market. For more information, call 275-4898.

Saturday, 5/24, 9 am – 3 pm: Theler Parking Lot Sale at the Theler Community Center.

Saturday, 5/24, 10 am – 6 pm, and Sunday, 5/25, 10 am - 5 pm: Shrimpfest at Brinnon, WA. This free weekend festival celebrates Hood Canal Spot Shrimp and other local seafood. Enjoy craft and food booths, belt sander races (1 pm), exhibits, live music, kids’ activities and more, all located in the grassy field on the north side of the Dosewallips River, on the east side of Highway 101. All proceeds support local community projects.

Monday, 5/26, 1 pm: Memorial Day Time for Remembering at Waterfront Park in Allyn, WA. Allyn’s 9th annual remembrance will honor and recognize veterans and active military. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy under the gazebo while listening to patriotic music Coffee and dessert provided, with a short program at 1 pm. Gather your family and plan to attend this event, which reminds us that freedom is not free.

Here on the Peninsula, we’ve got tons of fun things to do this Memorial Day weekend, so no matter how you like to spend your time, we’ve got you covered!  Here’s Part 1 of our coverage of this weekend’s activities (look for Part 2 on Thursday morning):

Thursday, 5/22, 7-8:30 pm: Performances on the Passage at Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort. This is a series of weekly free outdoor concerts open to the public, beginning this Thursday and running through the end of August. You can check out the scheduled performers at their website. A free concert? Sounds good to me!

Saturday, 5/24 to Sunday 5/25, 10 am – 6 pm: Olympic Art Festival at the Olympic Art Gallery in Quilcene, WA. The Olympic Art Festival is held three times a year, and offers opportunities to meet local artists and watch them create their art, as well as view other pieces they’ve created. Live music also provided by Diva, Shirley Smith-Moore. You can find more information at their website.

Sunday, 5/25 to Monday, 5/26 (runs until 6/15), 2 pm: Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, performed by the Mountaineer Players at the Kitsap Forest Theater.  Come and enjoy the classic tale of Belle, Gaston and the Beast in a unique setting. Tickets are $14 adults/$8 children in advance ($16/$10 at the door) and children under 6 attend free with an adult. Tickets can be purchased at The Mountaineers in Seattle, at The Learning Tree in Silverdale, and at Liberty Bay Books in Poulsbo. (Note: tickets are no longer sold at the Kitsap Mall.) Check out the theater’s website for more information.

Saturday, 5/24, 9 am – 2 pm: Quilcene-Brinnon Garden Club Plant Sale at the Quilcene Community Center on Highway 101.  This annual sale is a long-standing tradition which features locally grown plants for sale, as well as a popular raffle with lots of great prizes. You can also purchase homemade goodies and bouquets for Memorial Day tributes. (Sorry, no early bird sales.)

And this is just Part 1. Start planning now for your weekend … and check back on Thursday for Part 2! (Comments, as always, are welcome!)

Welcome to the camping segment! Yes, the sun is out and we do think “camping” here in the Northwest when it’s warm and with good reason-the Northwest is famous for excellent camping options. Along the Hood Canal in particular, there are a multitude of choices. So hit the websites now to reserve your spots and make sure that you choose ones with great features.

Here are some tips on choosing the right campsite once you decide where you are heading.

Facilities-If you have small children or elderly, you might want to be closer to the restrooms. However, be prepared for heavier foot traffic near your campsite if you do choose this.

Privacy- Perhaps you like some privacy and if so, a tree line might be perfect between you and the next site. I know of a campground (not on the Canal) that is a complete, wide-open field with many spaces. I never book my friends there and they always seem grateful.

Space- Consider your tents, vehicles, number of people and toys before deciding whether you need a small, medium or large space.

Water- Camping near water access always seems to have benefits not only for drinking but washing dishes, rinsing feet, etc.

Fun- If you have children, they will consider the campsite a vacation spot in itself. A few trees to climb, a river nearby or a trail to play on will make their camping trip even more fun.

Don’t forget to bring your bikes and fishing poles!

Hood Canal Camping Spots

Camping in Brinnon

Camping in South Hood Canal

Have you caught the Geocaching bug yet? It’s too much fun. You need a hand-held GPS as coordinates are essential to the chase. And then all you need to do is to log onto the web to get the coordinates, read the clues, find the caches and report your findings.

Geocaching is the modern day treasure hunt. Anyone can hide an object in a container, place it anywhere in the world and record the information and coordinates on a website. Then others search via the coordinates, find the object and report their findings on same site. Sometimes, finders will replace the object with something else or add to the cache. Often, the hider will make it more of a game or mystery and add other components (such as figuring out clues) in the process of finding said object.

There are plenty of geocaches available on the Hood Canal. Go here and search by zip code. Note that you have to sign up for a free account on this site in order to access the information.

Washington State Parks have approved the parks for use of geocaching if you get permission when hiding your object so there are lots of places to hide…and hunt.

Have fun!

Now is the time to plan ahead for the next several weeks of family activity. Not only will pre-planning help you find the right facilities to support what you enjoy, but it will also help the experience be as stress-free as possible.

Camping-I highly recommend camping along the Hood Canal at the various State parks available. In particular, Twanoh State Park and Potlatch State Park have many amenities and beautiful nature settings for the whole family. Along with camping, there are rivers, beachfront, hiking, bike trails, sail boarding, boating, crabbing and more.  

Directions to Potlatch

Directions to Twanoh

Fishing- Check out Maggie Lake near Belfair for a good fishing area, as well as a boat launch. To get there, take SR 3 in Belfair and turn west onto SR 300 (name changes to North Shore Rd). Follow to Belfair Tahuya Rd. Turn right and go 2.5 miles to site. Parking is available.

Fishing is also available closer to Shelton at Limerick Lake. To find Limerick Lake, go east from Shelton for 4.2 miles on SR 3, then north on Mason Lake Road for 2.2 miles. Go west on St Andres Dr for 0.5 mile to site. Parking and an undeveloped grass bank are available.

Sunday Brunch- Every Sunday in May from 10 AM-1:30 PM, you can take advantage of a Sunday Brunch at Fort Worden in the Commons. Area residents voted it as the Best Brunch on the Peninsula in 2006. It costs $16.95 per person and reservations are required. Make sure to check out the historic buildings while you are there. For more information and directions, call (360) 344-4441.

The Ladies Club at the Alderbrook Golf & Yacht Club will hold its annual Rhododendron Tournament on May 6th and 8th. This three-lady, best-ball team competition is lots of good, clean fun, with a great spirit of teamwork (and competition)!

Golfers who have signed up for the tournament in the AGYC clubhouse should show up at 8:30 a.m. to be ready for the 9 a.m. shotgun start on both Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

But this tournament is not just about golf; on May 7th there will also be a bridge tournament, with all the card players joining the golfers on May 8th for lunch and awards. All winners get to pick a beautiful rhododendron as their prize!

On a final note, we’d like to give our heartfelt thanks to Queen Anne Landscaping for providing the beautiful rhodies for the tournament winners. If you live here on the Olympic Peninsula and need some quality landscaping done, you might want to check them out. You can reach owner Rhoda Pykonen at 360-426-4598 for more information on the services they provide. Thanks, Rhoda!

Can you believe it’s already May? It seems like we just celebrated New Year’s Day! Well, believe it or not, May has begun, and this first weekend brings with it lots of different ways to enjoy yourself right here on the Olympic Peninsula. 

On Friday night, May 2nd, you can take in a movie at the Admiral Theatre in Bremerton. The Independent Film Series presents In Bruges (rated R). You can find a description of the film, along with other information, at Admiral Theatre’s website.

If you like history, you’ll enjoy the Old Timers’ Historical Fair at the Mary M. Knight School in Matlock. Though it started as a way for residents to educate their children about the lives of pioneers, it has evolved over the years to include live entertainment, plant sales, chainsaw carving, food booths, and an antique and classic car show. The Fair runs from Saturday, May 3rd to Sunday, May 4th. 

Do you like to attend Farmers’ Markets? The Farmers’ Markets in Belfair and Shelton both kick off this weekend, featuring locally grown produce and hand-made specialty items. You can find information on Belfair’s Farmers’ Market here, and information on Shelton’s Farmers’ Market here. Check it out! Eating locally grown foods is good for the environment, and for you, too!

And if all that isn’t enough, on Saturday evening you can enjoy great jazz at the Admiral Theatre. This evening will benefit the Admiral Theatre and the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra, and features Diane Schuur, winner of two Grammy awards for “Best Jazz Vocalist.” You can hear a little sample of her work at her website.

Who knew the Olympic Peninsula was such a hotbed of culture, history, and art? (And I didn’t even mention the Seagull Calling Contest in Port Orchard on Saturday! *grin*)