BRINNON — This south county hamlet, home of some 800 people, is expected to swell to more than 10 times its population this holiday weekend with the Brinnon ShrimpFest.
The 22nd annual festival is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
It’s held between Yelvik General Store at 251 Hjelvicks Road and the Cove RV Park & Country Store at U.S. Highway 101.
Admission is $4 a day or $6 for two days.
Active military, veterans and children younger than 12 will be admitted free.
The festival features belt sander races, a wide array of arts and craft booths, food vendors, a beer garden and carnival games for the kids.
And, of course, lots of shrimp.
Good year for shrimp
“This has been a really good year for spot shrimp,” said Phil Thenstedt, who is organizing the event.
“Last year, we had only around 1,000 pounds of shrimp to sell.
“This year, we are expecting around 1,300.”
The shrimp is frozen and put in packages that are just under 1 pound and sold for $15.
Aside from take-home shrimp, the food vendors feature the crustacean in tacos and other foodstuffs.
Thenstedt said he expects favorable weather conditions this weekend and predicts that about 10,000 people could visit Brinnon during the two-day event.
Proceeds are channeled back into the community. The $10,000 raised last year helped support schools, parks and public facilities.
Belt sander races
The belt sander races are ShrimpFest’s most unique attraction.
They will take place Sunday only, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
There is no preregistration. The races are open to anyone with a belt sander.
Contestants start their sanders, which are plugged into extension cords, at the top of a tilted 30-foot plank and let them fly.
The momentum yanks the cords free from the sanders and carries the machines across the finish line. The first one over the line is declared the winner.
Racers are encouraged to decorate their sanders.
“The fiercer the better,” Thenstedt said.
Live music is scheduled both days.
On Saturday, the lineup is Eric Miller, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; Locust Street Taxi, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Soul Siren, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and the Old Sidekicks, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday’s performers are Greg Parke, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Eric Miller, noon to 2 p.m.; and the Old Sidekicks, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
No shellfish harvesting
The tides are typically low enough for harvesting clams and other shellfish, but beaches near Brinnon were recently closed to shellfish harvesting because of elevated levels of the biotoxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.
The biotoxins do not affect shrimp.
In any case, the shrimp at the festival were all harvested prior to the state closure, Thenstedt pointed out.
For more information, see www.brinnonshrimpfest.org or www.facebook.com/BrinnonShrimpFest.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
