PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Main Street Program is calling for community members to come out for this year’s town photo, which will kick off the 27th annual Uptown Street Fair celebrations.
This is the 13th all-town photo, officially called the Main Street Family Portrait.
“It’s a good way to gather the community together,” said Mike Kenna, owner of Printery Communications in Port Townsend and one of the portrait organizers.
The photo will be taken at 10 a.m. Saturday. Community members are encouraged to show up early, before 9:45 a.m., and to gather near the bell tower on Tyler Street, said Mari Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
Sunrise Coffee will offer free coffee samples. The photo will be taken by David Conklin of David Conklin Photography and printed by Kenna.
About 300 posters will be printed and will be on sale for $10 at the Uptown Street Fair, which will shut down Lawrence, Tyler and Polk streets from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
The first community portrait was in October 1983. The portrait isn’t an annual tradition but is usually organized around big renovations or as a part of other events that celebrate Port Townsend’s community.
“It’s usually in front of a historic building or to celebrate a special event,” said Mari Mullen, executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
This year, the photo will kick off the 27th annual Uptown Street Fair and will feature the historic fire bell tower, which stands at the end of Tyler Street.
“It’s a prominent feature of Uptown and has been lovingly restored by the city and the [Jefferson County Historical Society],” Mullen said.
In 2015, the photo was taken outside of the Port Townsend Elks Lodge at 555 Otto St. as part of the Main Street Program’s 30th anniversary celebration. More than 700 people turned out to be a part of it, Mullen said.
In 2013, the photo had a Victorian theme to celebrate the annual Victorian festival and the 100th anniversary of the schooner Adventuress, which sailed in the background.
The community photo hasn’t been taken in Uptown since 2003, when residents gathered in front of Aldrich’s Market, which had almost entirely burned down earlier that year.
The community photo will be the first event of the Uptown Street Fair.
Arts and crafts vendors will be set up along Lawrence Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the weekly Saturday farmers market will be open along Polk Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Along with vendors, the Street Fair will feature local talents such as stand-up comedian Emillia Nun, the PT Summer Band and fire artists Anami.
The “Grandly Local Parade” will march down Lawrence Street at 2 p.m.
“It’s about a 15-minute parade,” Mullen said. “There are no political or religious floats allowed, and we encourage people to get creative. There are awards handed out afterward made by local artist Jeanne Moore, and everyone’s a winner.”
The photo and the fair are fundraisers for the Main Street Program, but Mullen said that’s not really the point of these events.
“It’s not a big fundraiser for us, but it’s one of our signature events,” she said.
More information about the Street Fair and how to enter the parade is available on the Main Street Program website at www.ptmainstreet.org.
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Jefferson County Editor/Reporter Cydney McFarland can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 55052, or at cmcfarland@peninsuladailynews.com.
