Port Angeles – Page 10 – Sequim Daily Photo

The “everything store” expands

Swain’s General Store in Port Angeles is a local institution. Before we moved here DH informed me with an air of authority, “If Swain’s doesn’t have it you probably don’t need it.” The point can be argued. But for the real goods you need from day to day Swain’s has it. Tools, hunting and fishing gear, hardware, kitchenware, work, casual and outdoor clothing, shoes and boots. It’s all there. Mind you, Swain’s isn’t fancy. But when you need something and want to stay local I’m happy to leave fancy merchandising to the big city stores.

A few months back the appliance store that shared the building with Swain’s closed, giving Swain’s an opportunity to expand. The wall’s down now and the store’s being rearranged. Shifting that much stuff seems like a herculean job. But another positive thing about Swain’s is that the staff is great and most of them have been there a long time and they’re in it for the long haul.

Here’s a peek into the new area. I’m sure everyone will be happy when the dust settles.

Farewell performance

The final edition of Arts in Action was staged last weekend by the Nor’wester Rotary in Port Angeles. This was the 35th year the event was organized and offered to the community and has been the site of sand sculpture contests that many of us have enjoyed for the past 13 years. There was no competition this year, just three works of sand art offered by sculptors who chose their own themes.

Sue McGrew, left, and another worker here put the final touches on this piece. McGrew and sculptor Sandis Kondrats designed this gorgeous Poseidon tribute.

A team from Merrill & Ring created this piece. The salmon at the end of the fishing line is being grabbed by a seal which is being grabbed by an Orca whale.

I love the look on the boy’s face.

Members of the Phoenix Dragon Martial Arts School produced this sculpture of the Seahawks stadium.

A member of the Sequim Noon Rotary expressed interest in possibly keeping the event alive. The group as a whole has not discussed this.For now, the event has ended. Fingers crossed that it may yet continue.

Until next year

One last view of the Clallam County Fair…

Eye candy

I’m not a great fan of the hustle of a typical carnival. But they can’t be beat for sheer spectacle, eye candy, and people watching.

Animal portraits

The animals that visitors see at the Clallam County Fair are raised and shown by various 4H clubs. Many of the dogs we saw last Saturday competed in agility trials.

I know the bunnies were judged on their bunniness qualities but for me it was a walk down the Cute Animal isle.

Mama swine had a passel of suckling piglets. While we visited her, 4H members who had raised pigs were moving them through their paces at an auction nearby. Many 4H livestock projects culminate at auctions at the fair. The animals they raise are auctioned and the “project” quickly becomes a commodity.

This rooster had just finished a “cock-a-doodle-doo” serenade.

The cattle are really groomed for showing.

People and animals at the fair

It can probably be argued that a county fair is a holdover from the days when agriculture was front and center in most communities across the U.S. and the business of agriculture — showing prized animals, stock auctions — was a community focal point. That’s less the case in many regions today, but the fair still has value. We need to remember — and children need to learn — where our food and fiber comes from. And maybe it’s because I’m an animal lover, but I believe that humans have a natural affinity for animals. Fairs give some of us a fleeting chance to touch skin to fur and feathers and see animals that aren’t part of our daily lives.

People line up to touch. They ooh and aah over softness or texture, snuggle where they can.

Children have a chance to see and learn, often with babies that are just the right size, without the typical “don’t touch!” warnings.

And the interaction goes both ways.

Stock saw competition

Loggers, of course, use chainsaws, so no logging show is complete without firing up a couple of them. At the Clallam County Fair two chainsaws were calibrated with matching RPMs and then competitors were timed at how fast they could blast through equally sized logs. The chainsaws are called “stock” saws because they’re standard, off-the-shelf models. It looks like this fellow is taking a moment to pray before he starts but the competition begins with both hands pressed onto the log.

Ready. Set. Go! Grab the chainsaw and start cutting.

It’s over fast. Pine logs were used. Pine is a soft wood. Douglas fir, a harder wood, is also used but I don’t know where or when.