PORT TOWNSEND — The late 1800s were a lively time for this early outpost of the wild, woolly Northwest.
It was a time when mustache wax futures grew more lucrative by the day, clothing styles were the raciest they had been since the Puritans and barbershop quartets were corrupting the youth of America.
This weekend, hold fast to your bloomers because through Sunday the 10th annual Victorian Festival will be raising the specter of a time when Port Townsend was poised to become the “New York of the West.”
The absence of a railroad terminus ended the dream of becoming a metropolitan epicenter — that distinction went to a little backwater burg called Seattle — but much of the city’s ornate architecture still stands today, preserved and celebrated as a unique feature of the North Olympic Peninsula’s most unique town.
Some of the activities available to visiting Victorians are free, while others, like the Epicurean Victorian Dinner on Sunday, costs $100 a person.
Other activities can be enjoyed for a donation.
Relive post-Civil War era
But whatever your budget, the festival that aims to relive the period between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the 1900s aims to please.
The festival originally started as a remodeling and renovation gathering for homeowners and contractors interested in refurbishing Victorian-era homes.
Since then it has shed its home improvement past and moved on to historical spectacle.
However, candlelit tours of historic homes will still be offered.
“It’s not the same as telling people how to do it,” said Bill Tennent, director of the Jefferson County Historical Society, one of the main sponsors of the event.
“We try to educate people in a fun way.”
Among the new features to the festival this year are the interactive dinner theater piece, “Temperance Tantrums,” which shows the humorous side of a movement that ultimately banned booze and birthed mobsters.
The show takes place at the Upstage Theater, 923 Washington St.
Seats are limited, and Thursday’s show was sold out days in advance, Tennent said.
“That’s going quickly,” he said.
It isn’t required, but visitors are encouraged to dress in period garb. It may be the only place one could wear bonnets and sleeve-garters without drawing glances.
For some, that’s the main draw.
“Some people just seem to like dressing up in Victorian clothes,” Tennent said.
Festival draws 3,000
In the early days of the festival, it was organized to help attract visitors during the tourist off-season, Tennent said.
He estimated that the festival draws about 3,000 people from outside Port Townsend.
Often, North Olympic Peninsula residents aren’t aware of the events in their own backyard, he said.
“People go to Seattle to do something, when there is something right here that is a lot of fun,” Tennent said.
The remaining schedule includes:
Today
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Market Place Emporium, 2000 Sims Way.
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Scavenger Hunt. Get clue sheet at Festival Office. Free
11:30 a.m.: Mary McQuillan, Native American storyteller, Mount Baker Block Building underground. By donation.
Noon: Victorian Tea at Manresa Castle. $22 per person.
2 p.m.: Key City Players present readings and discussion with the directors o of “Three Penny Opera” and “Mrs. Warren’s Profession.” Key City Playhouse, 419 Washington St. $7.50. Content not suitable for children.
7 p.m.: Temperance Tantrums dinner theater. $10 plus cost of dinner.
Saturday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Scavenger Hunt. Get clue sheet at Festival Office. Free
1 p.m.: Victorian Fashion Show, First Presbyterian Church, 1111 Franklin St. Admission by donation.
2 p.m.: Cornucopia Band at Water Street Brewing and Ale House, 639 Water St. With Pure Silver Barbershop Quartet. Admission by donation.
2 p.m.: Key City Players present readings and discussion with the directors of “Three Penny Opera” and “Mrs. Warren’s Profession.” Key City Playhouse, 419 Washington St. $7.50. Content not suitable for children.
4 p.m.: History of Port Townsend Then and Now by Steve Levin. Mount Baker Block Building Underground. Admission by donation.
7 p.m.: Ragtime Concert. First Presbyterian Church. Admission by donation.
7 p.m.: Temperance Tantrums dinner theater. $10 plus dinner.
8 p.m.: Victorian Grand Ball, Erickson Building, Fairgrounds. $25 per person.
Sunday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Scavenger Hunt. Get clue sheet at Festival Office. Free
1:30 p.m.: History’s Mystery revelation. Mount Baker Block Building.
4 p.m.: Formal Victorian Dinner at Manresa Castle. $100 per person. Limited availability.
