FORKS — The three-day Rainforest Run rally is expected to attract hundreds — perhaps thousands — of motorcyclists, along with a host of music fans, to the Quillayute Airport beginning today.
A free concert series and free camping at the Quillayute Airport will be offered, said Billy Oldfield, who assisted organizers Dan Roth and Bob Wishon.
“This year, we have the free concert and on-site camping — it is, of course, still a motorcycle rally, but people do not have to be on a motorcycle to attend the other events,” Oldfield said.
“With the kind of economy we are having, we thought a free thing would be good.
“I mean, seriously, when is the last time you have heard the word ‘free’ with these kinds of festivals and concerts?”
Last year’s event drew about 1,500 people. Oldfield said this year “anywhere from 500 to 5,000 people” are expected, depending on the weather.
Registration for camping and the poker and fun runs will open at 8 a.m. today.
Vendors of food, crafts and other goods will be open for business at 8 a.m. each morning.
Roth said that for this year’s event — put on by Don’t Tell Me What To Do Productions, owned by him and Wishon — he encourages parents to keep children younger than 18 at home after 6 p.m.
“Once the bands start playing, it would be a good idea for the kids not to come,” he said.
Roth said the group was jazzed to snag the World War II hangar at the airport for the event.
“We’ll also have the beer garden there this year,” he said.
“We have four food vendors, and the beer garden will have a few snacky type things as well.”
The Quillayute Airport is about 10 miles west of Forks. From U.S. Highway 101 turn west on state Highway 110, travel about three miles and turn right on Quillayute Road.
The airport is about five miles from the intersection of Highway 110 and Quillayute Road.
Three bands will perform.
“These are all really well-known bands with huge followings,” Oldfield said.
“We are really grateful to have them come up for this.”
Ambush — last year’s headliner band — will return for concerts at 6 p.m. both tonight and Saturday.
Band members, who hail from Coos Bay, Ore., describe their influences as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, ZZ Top and Ozzy Osbourne.
For more information or to hear clips of the band, visit www.myspace.com/ambushoregon.
Tonight’s headliner band, Indubious — described as reggae, hip-hop and psychedelic — will begin playing at 8:30 p.m.
For more information or clips of the band, from the Rogue Valley area of Oregon, visit www.myspace.com/indubious.
Randy Hansen, a Jimi Hendrix emulator, will headline Saturday night’s concert starting at 9 p.m.
For more information on Hansen visit www.randyhansen.com.
The poker run is $10 on its own or $35 with registration — which also gets a T-shirt, pin and a host of other items, Roth said.
The fun run, which will go through the Hoh Rain Forest on Sunday, will cost only the entrance fee to Olympic National Park — which generally is $5 for a motorcycle.
“They might give us a special on that, so we don’t know quite yet how much that will be,” Roth said.
__________
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
