PORT TOWNSEND — This year’s Fourth of July weekend in Port Townsend will be one to remember, with three days of festivities with an old-fashioned flavor planned at various locations and a fireworks display to cap off the celebrations.
The $8,000 fireworks display at 10 p.m.
July 4 at Fort Worden will be the first such display in Port Townsend since 2012.
“We are actually putting it together ourselves, so that saves a bunch of money,” said David Chuljian, who is overseeing the pyrotechnics.
The inaugural Old School 4th of July celebration will kick off at 4:30 p.m. July 2 with a rendition of the Concert on the Docks at Pope Marine Park at the corner of Water and Madison streets.
The festivities will be sponsored by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with Thunderbull Productions and Centrum’s Festival of American Fiddle Tunes.
It will include music, food and “old-school traditions,” event organizers said.
The festivities will continue July 3 at Fort Worden State Park with the “Free Friday Concert” and at 8 p.m. with a pub crawl.
The main body of events on the Fourth of July will include a pie-eating contest, field games, piñatas, free root beer floats, a car show and live music.
In the “throwdown” tradition, attendees are encouraged to contribute to the fun by bringing picnic baskets, blankets, games and anything else they want to enjoy with friends and family.
The festivities are free to the public, but a $5 parking fee may be required at Fort Worden.
The fee will go to the Friends of Fort Worden.
Carpooling, bicycle riding or arriving on foot will be encouraged because organizers expect a very large attendance and parking will be extremely limited.
“It is going to be amazingly fun,” said Daniel Milholland of Thunderbull Productions.
The aerial fireworks — there will be no ground-level display — will include “everything you can get in a 5-inch mortar,” said Chuljian, a Port Townsend dentist.
“I’ve tried to pick out stuff that has fairly good altitude and good color.”
The display in Port Townsend will be similar in scope to the 2014 Fourth of July fireworks display held in Port Angeles, Chuljian said.
“It will be a little smaller . . . but not much. It should be fun. I am glad we are having one finally.”
The tradition of Fourth of July fireworks had gone on hiatus because of lack of funding.
“At some point, it just became not a sustainable tradition, and so there has been an attempt to put fireworks back on for the past couple of years,” Milholland said.
“This year, we just pulled it together early enough and were able to get the funding and partner with the many organizations to make it happen,” he said.
“The enthusiasm and support from our event partners and the community is amazing.”
Milholland also is excited about a tug-of-war competition planned on the Fourth.
“It is a big deal,” he said.
Richard Walcome, an international tug-of-war champion, is helping coordinate the event this year, Milholland said.
“Richard helped the Port Townsend team the ‘Centipede’ win the 1977 Sea Fare World Championship match with a $10,000 prize,” Milholland said.
The event will follow guidelines established for the Olympics such as a weight limit of 1,500 pounds per team, the use of a 60-foot rope, single elimination, no sitting down and a 15-minute limit.
“You can have more smaller people or fewer bigger people” on each team, Milholland noted.
Only 12 teams will be allowed this year.
Each team must preregister at a cost of $150 per group, with sponsorships sought to pay the fee.
The winning team will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
Sign-up deadline and team weigh-in will be at 6 p.m. July 1 at Pope Marine Park.
For more information, email danielmilholland@gmail.com.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
