PORT ANGELES — Area bluegrass musicians will gather to pluck and strum their favorite tunes at the 15th annual Snowgrass bluegrass performance at the Port Angeles High School Auditorium on Saturday.
The musical fundraiser at the auditorium at 304 E. Park Ave., will feature performances by Crescent Blue, Luck of the Draw, Tony Flagg’s Trio and Haywire.
Master of Ceremonies Terry Kahler will host a family night of music that organizers promise will be toe tappin’ and boot stompin’. The audience is encouraged to sing along.
Multiple instruments
Music on banjos, mandolins, guitars and in harmonies will fire up at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 if purchased in advance, $14 at the door the night of the event, $10 for seniors (65 and older) and $7 for teens. Children 12 and younger will be admitted free.
Tickets are available at Port Book and News in Port Angeles, Clallam Co-op in Sequim, Forks Outfitters and online at www.firststepfamily.org.
“The idea behind the pricing levels is that we want to raise funds and awareness for First Step Family Support Center, but we also want to provide an affordable musical experience for families,” said Amber Hosken, marketing director at First Step.
Musicians are donating their concert to First Step.
“The support we have received from these local musicians each year is truly inspiring,” Hosken said.
“Their talents and goodwill keep bluegrass alive in our community and bring family support to homes across the Olympic Peninsula by supporting our work at First Step.”
The show is presented by Johnson, Rutz, Tassie &Schwantor, whose contribution means that more ticket proceeds go directly to First Step Family Support Center.
Since 1972, First Step has provided education, advocacy and social support to ensure that all children in Clallam County grow up feeling loved, safe and cared for.
First Step provides 23 programs — both home-based and center-based — to promote the healthy development of children and families in Clallam County, said Nita Lynn, executive director.
The nonprofit agency — which is based at 325 E. Sixth St., in Port Angeles and also maintains a Sequim drop-in center at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 525 N. Fifth Ave. — has been serving a growing number of families, she said.
Totals for 2016 show that the Port Angeles drop-in center program drew 6,600 family visits.
The Port Angeles drop-in center is open three afternoons a week for parents to get referrals, talk with staff and look into the clothing closet, while children play.
Four programs
The agency runs four programs that reach out to families in their homes, Lynn said.
An example of an at-home program is Parents As Teachers, in which a family is visited twice a month until the child is 3 years old and parents are given information about child development, do child screenings and are offered ideas of activities that parents can do with children.
Ninety-eight percent of First Step’s clients are low-income families. Many of them are families with working parents.
“We serve a lot of people who are working full time but still don’t make a lot of money,” Lynn said.
Snowgrass isn’t First Step’s largest annual fundraiser — that is Midnight in Paris in September — but it might reach more people.
Some Snowgrass events have drawn more than 1,000 to the high school auditorium, Lynn said.
“We’ve tried to keep the price down so we can include more children and young people with their families coming to Snowgrass to introduce them to American music,” Lynn said.
“We hope to keep it alive and celebrate the artists in our community.”
First Step is a United Way agency.
For more information, phone Rhonda Raymond of First Step at 360-457-8355.
Denny Secord Jr., who plays in Haywire, performs at Snowgrass in Port Angeles in 2015.
Jerry “Hoof” Sullivan, dobro player for Loose Gravel, performs during Snowgrass in Port Angeles in 2015.
