Music, fireworks to explode at Fort Worden

PORT TOWNSEND — Port Townsend will hold its traditional Fourth of July celebration at Fort Worden State Park on Monday.

Events begin at 1:30 p.m. with music and will end with fireworks.

The new State Parks Discover Pass will not be required for entry for the event, held within the park.

American Fiddle Tunes

The public is invited to come early for the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes’ special “Old Time Glory” show beginning at 1:30 p.m. at McCurdy Pavilion in Fort Worden.

The show will feature traditional sounds of North America, from Mexico to the Canadian Magdalen Islands.

A second show, “Fiddles and Fireworks,” will begin at 7 p.m. at McCurdy Pavilion.

Fiddles and Fireworks is an all-star showcase featuring old time, bluegrass, Kentucky and Cape Breton styles.

Reserved seating tickets for each concert are available for $17 to $36. Youths ages 18 and younger are admitted free.

To purchase tickets, and for more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/3fvt6ve.

Fireworks will light up the sky at about 10 p.m.

There are some changes to this year’s fireworks display, said John Eissinger of the Sunrise Rotary Club, which is organizing the event.

The fireworks display will originate from the lighthouse area at Fort Worden State Park.

In past years, the fireworks originated from a barge in the middle of Port Townsend Bay.

After last year’s display, the Rotary Club announced that it could no longer afford to sponsor the event and sought other fundraising options.

In April, the Port Townsend City Council approved $10,000 for Fourth of July fireworks, while Rotary Club members agreed to run the fireworks themselves.

By forsaking the barge and operating on land, this year’s fireworks will cost $6,000 less, Eissinger said.

Operating on land allows the fireworks to be shot from different angles and on a wider field which should enhance the display, Eissinger said.

Access to the fireworks area will be restricted to pedestrians and the boats will be kept out of the area in proximity to the fireworks, Eissenger said.

The schedule for the “Old Time Glory” show is:

■ Hank Bradley, American, Greek, and European fiddle music.

■ Bertrand Deraspe and Alain Turbide, Quebecois and Acadian tunes from the Magdalen Islands.

■ Alice Gerrard and Rick Good, old-time and bluegrass fiddle and banjo.

■ Michael Doucet, Cajun fiddle.

■ Trio Chicontepec, Huastecan music from the Gulf of Mexico.

■ Eddie Bond and Kirk Sutphin, Round Peak fiddle music from North Carolina.

The schedule for “Fiddles and Fireworks” is:

■ Paul David Smith and Jimmy McCown, old-time Kentucky music.

■ Bobby Hicks and Adam Masters, bluegrass.

■ Bruce Green and Don Pedi, traditional mountain music.

■ Andrea Beaton and Troy MacGillivray, Scottish fiddle from Cape Breton.

________

Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.

Jefferson County reporter Charlie Bermant contributed to this report.

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