SEQUIM — Tickets are on sale now for the Last Dam Summer party celebrating the final summer of the Elwha River dams in Olympic National Park.
Tickets are $35 for the party, which will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 27 at the new Holiday Inn Express, 1442 E. Washington St., Sequim.
Proceeds from the evening will support education, preservation and protection efforts at the park, said the sponsor, Washington’s National Park Fund, in a prepared statement.
The evening will feature food from across the North Olympic Peninsula, highlighting Olympic Culinary Loop Association members.
An auction selling travel packages, artwork and dining opportunities also is planned.
Entertainment will be by Therapy Session of Forks.
A special appearance of a National Park Service yellow bus also is scheduled.
Dam removal in 2011
Beginning in 2011, dam removal will restore the Elwha River to its natural free-flowing state, allowing all five species of Pacific salmon to once again reach habitat and spawning grounds.
Olympic National Park, which was listed as a World Heritage site in 1981, is internationally recognized for it diversity, with ecosystems ranging from a temperate rainforest, alpine meadows and a pristine coastline.
The park is one of 890 World Heritage sites.
The Sequim Holiday Inn Express is operated by Wirta Hospitality Worldwide, a member of the World Heritage Alliance, which promotes sustainable tourism and local economic development of World Heritage sites.
Bret Wirta, CEO of Wirta Hospitality Worldwide, said that the term “sustainable tourism” conjures up images of adventures in the rain forests of Costa Rica and bicycling around Europe, but that the vast majority of travel time and dollars are spent in hotels like the Sequim Holiday Inn Express.
Showcases local cuisine
The Olympic Culinary Loop Association showcases Olympic Coast Cuisine by bringing together the region’s culinary interests from farm to table.
At the party, chefs from the Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips, Lake Quinault Lodge and Kalaloch Lodge will prepare appetizers from local ingredients.
Food will be donated by Nash’s Family Farm in the Dungeness Valley, Short’s Family Farm in Chimacum, Wild West Seafood and Mushrooms, Little Skookum Shellfish Growers and Ocean Crest Resort in Moclips.
Dessert will feature Elevated Ice Cream from Port Townsend. Wine selections will include the Olympic Cellars Winery and other Olympic Peninsula Wineries.
Olympic Culinary Loops Association President Peter Becker, who also owns the Little Skookum Shellfish Growers, said the group has a special attachment to Olympic National Park as the region’s biggest tourist draw.
“We ask visitors for three, three and sleep – experience three excursions, eat three meals a day and sleep in our local lodgings,” Becker said.
To purchase tickets, or donate an auction item, visit lastdamsummer.org.
Gifts are tax-deductible.
For more information about Washington’s National Park Fund, phone 253-566-4644, see www.wnpf.org or write P.O. Box 64626, University Place, WA 98464.
