MARROWSTONE ISLAND — Fort Flagler State Park’s 50th anniversary celebration will be held Saturday. Park staff and volunteer organizers say they are excited to see the one-time military base converted into a recreational park reach its half-century milestone.
“We’re a little off the beaten track and in the shadow of Fort Worden,” said Park Ranger Mike Zimmerman.
The 784-acre marine camping park is on a high bluff overlooking Puget Sound and is surrounded on three sides by shoreline.
Many historic buildings remain at the fort, which was established in the late 1890s.
“The park is a hidden and undiscovered area, and for some people that’s the attraction,” said Zimmerman
Zimmerman is hoping the park, eight miles northeast of Hadlock at the north tip of Marrowstone Island, doesn’t remain too hidden on Saturday when activities will keep those in attendance busy from morning until dusk.
Outdoor fun
Many local recreation businesses will be on hand to keep outdoor fun the focus of the afternoon.
“We wanted local businesses and local clubs first,” said Zimmerman.
The celebration gets under way at 9 a.m.
Vendors from local businesses will give demonstrations of their outdoor recreational items.
Items will range from model airplanes to bicycles to inflatable boats to fishing supplies.
There will even be a power parachute, which is a parachute with powered propellers that give it lift.
At 10 a.m., a main gun line tour will take visitors on a walk to see some of the old artillery weapons used during the fort’s past life as a military base.
Kayaking lessons will be offered at 11 a.m.
At 1 p.m., a park geology walk will be led by a ranger, and also at 1 p.m. the Junior Ranger Program will host a treasure hunt and fish prints, where a fish is painted and used as a print on paper or T-shirts.
Mary McQuillen, a Makah tribal elder, will tell stories at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
A tour of the 1903 hospital now being renovated will be at 2 p.m.
Trick kite demonstrations will take place at 2 p.m. as well.
Fly fishing lessons will be offered all day.
Also, those who make it to the event can venture off on their own to hike on the 12 miles of trails at the park or comb the 4 miles of beaches.
The Beachcomber Cafe will barbecue burgers and dogs all day, and will also sell items in its gift shop such as kites and beach toys.
Live music is planned all day, with Fiddling Rangers beginning at 11 a.m.
It’s a group of park rangers who fiddle with each other.
Rhythm Planet begins at 1 p.m., Dukes of Dabob at 3 p.m., Marrowstone at 5 p.m., and Fiddling Rangers will end the night from 7 p.m. until dusk.
Organizers want everyone to come out Saturday to enjoy the scenic beauty and recreational potential of the park and see how far it’s come since it was a military base.
Long history
Fort Flagler once was one of several forts guarding the entrance to Puget Sound.
These posts established in the late 1890s were the first line of defense against a hostile fleet reaching the Bremerton Naval Yard or cities such as Seattle, Tacoma or Everett.
The fort served as an Army artillery installation.
The Department of Defense closed it in 1953, although the Treasury Department continued operating the lighthouse until the fort was transferred to the state.
It became a state park in 1956.
Fort Flagler was named after Brig. Gen. Daniel Webster Flagler.
Zimmerman said that even though the park is practically in the back yard of local residents, people don’t make as much use of it as they could.
Saturday’s celebration is a good opportunity to get out and enjoy what Fort Flagler Sate Park has to offer, he said.
