SEQUIM — For 21 years, the message of the Dungeness River Festival has been the same: support the Dungeness River.
Various agencies, nonprofits and resource managers will share their efforts with hundreds of visitors to Railroad Bridge Park at 2151 W. Hendrickson Road from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today for the free event.
Powell Jones, executive director of the Dungeness River Audubon Center, said the festival serves as an introduction for children on how to maintain the health of the river.
“And as the years go by it gets instilled in them,” he said.
Per tradition, Sequim elementary school third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students visit the festival throughout the day, along with area home-schoolers and Chimacum fourth-graders.
Jones said organizers changed the hours to focus on families and children after organizers saw turnout drop off after about 2 p.m.
“There was a realization that our main audience is the families that come during the school hours,” he said. “It’s a soft 2 p.m., so we’ll go until the last school bus leaves.”
Each visitor is encouraged to ask any of the exhibitors, “What I can do to help the Dungeness?” and follow up with a visit to the River Center’s booth to draw on a flag sharing how they’ll help.
The flags will hang from the Railroad Bridge in coming weeks.
More than two dozen exhibitors are anticipated to attend, including representatives of the U.S. Forest Service, Peninsula Trails Coalition, Back Country Horsemen Peninsula Chapter and the North Olympic Land Trust.
Each booth will have a child-friendly activity, too.
Jones said the event will not have a preview night.
Five Acre School’s Marimba Band and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s singers will perform.
Jones said they intentionally scheduled fewer performers so that attendees could focus on the exhibitions.
“We want the exhibitors to be the show,” Jones said. “We want to show the agencies doing great work on the Dungeness.”
Organizers estimate about 1,500 people attend the festival each year.
For more information about the Dungeness River Audubon Center and the Railroad Bridge Park, visit dungenessrivercenter.org or call 360-681-4076.
________
Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach him at mnash@sequimgazette.com.
