Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
The Clallam County Fair last weekend featured a rodeo on Saturday and Sunday. I caught the action on Sunday and it did not disappoint. Here’s an example of bareback riding, where a cowboy climbs on an unwilling horse, keeps one hand in the air, and takes a ride. There are finer points, but suffice it to say that it’s quite a ride.
The Clallam County Fair was last weekend and it was full of all the things you’d expect from a fair, starting, of course, with animals. The swine barn is always a must-visit. Aren’t they just the cutest?
And there’s the lineup of the hardworking kitchen canners.
The quilters strut their stuff.
There are always flowers, simple or exotic, single or arranged.
Things to buy. (Okay. I didn’t purchase and I took a picture anyhow. So far no one’s come after me.)
And, of course, there’s fair food. Good luck trying to find the alien stuff they eat on another planet: anything healthy. It is, after all, the County Fair!
The annual Windermere Sand Sculpture Classic contest was held recently in Port Angeles. I could only attend before the sculptors completed their works, which were themed “Hollywood.” Above is Sue McGrew of Tacoma working on “Hollywood Heroes,” which won first place.
Second place honors went to this piece entitled “Metropolis” by Delayne Corbett of Vancouver, B.C.
This year’s event included community team sculpting, which was a new feature here. Assisted by a master sculptor, two local groups learned sand sculpting, then each team worked collaboratively on a project. A dragon was taking shape, above, for a piece entitled “Phoenix Dragon” which was the work of about a dozen sculptors. The team event is an opportunity to get a start in this art form. This year’s winner started in Olympia in a similar contest.
This cool young music lover was mesmerized by a performance last week at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts. He was steps away from joining Brothers of the Baladi.
Children under 12 are admitted free to the Juan de Fuca Festival. Many activities are tailored for kids.
There’s nothing like live music. There are a number of venues for it around the Olympic Peninsula, and other events that feature terrific performers, too. But the Juan de Fuca Festival is one of our favorites and the one we budget for. Musicians come from far and wide and there is a great diversity of musical styles. Mary Flower, above, is a guitarist and blues singer who has placed twice in the top three in the National Fingerpicking Championship, the only woman to do so.
Paul Chasman, above, accompanied Mary Flower on Saturday and also performed on Monday. He is a well known West Coast guitarist.
The Portland Cello Project performs nontraditional and classical music – a great mashup of styles, wonderfully interpreted. They give a whole new twist to what a cello can do. One original piece they played was entitled “Robin Hood Changes the Oil.” Great fun!
Last weekend was the 19th annual Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles. It’s a weekend full of live music and more. There’s free entertainment outside and dozens of live acts inside for paying customers. Sequimarimba played outside on Saturday.
Sequimarimba plays music largely from the Shona culture of Zimbabwe and the group has played together for decades. It was a perfect day for an outdoor performance and marimba music is upbeat and totally addictive. Click here for a link to a video of part of the performance I saw.
City Daily Photo’s Theme Day today is “Action shot.” This barrel racing photo was taken at the Rodeo at Clallam County Fair in August. I loved this competition and the beautiful teamwork of horse and rider. If you’d like to see other action shots from this event, click here. Other events included bareback riding and bull riding.