EDITOR’S NOTE: “Today” refers to Friday, July 19; Saturday is July 20; Sunday is July 21.
LAPUSH — A weekend of canoe races, softball, salmon, a concert, fireworks and traditional and modern dancing will highlight the 2013 Quileute Days beginning today.
Festivities at the three-day celebration of Quileute culture and history are for the whole family.
Premiere events, such as a parade down Main Street, are set for Saturday, and games, canoe races and a fun run are scheduled on the final day, Sunday.
The weekend events begin today at 3 p.m. with the opening ceremonies, followed by the 4 p.m. Royalty Pageant at the A-Ka-Lat Community Center.
‘Paddle as One’
This year, the annual celebration is right before the Paddle to Quinault stop in LaPush. The Quileute will host the pullers July 28-30 as they rest before their final push.
Pullers, who have traveled from all over the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, will leave LaPush and stay over with the Hoh tribe south of Forks for one day before they reach their destination of a Quinault-owned site near Point Grenville north of Taholah for a week’s worth of potlatch and festivities from Aug. 1-6.
“It’s such a premiere cultural celebration, and we’ll be hosting a few thousand only a few days after Quileute Days,” said Russell Brooks, Quileute events coordinator.
“Many in our community see the two events as one.”
The logo for the Quileute Days, created by Quileute artist Kali Martinez, reflects the “Paddle as One” theme, featuring a Quileute canoe among the ocean waves.
“On behalf of the Quileute tribe, we want to extend a heartfelt welcome to everyone to join us for our annual Quileute Days celebration,” the Quileute Tribal Council said in a joint statement.
“Our theme this year, ‘Paddle as One,’ is a tribute to our hosting the ‘Paddle to Quinault.’”
Brooks said the annual canoe races, to be held Saturday and Sunday at the riverfront along River Drive in LaPush, will have a greater importance to the tribe this year, as the participants and many of their supporters celebrate the Canoe Journeys.
The canoe races will be at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Quileute Days Talent Show, which begins at 9 p.m. tonight, will continue Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Main Street stage.
Senior dance
New to Quileute Days this year is a dance just for elders and seniors, the Quileute Days Senior Dance, to be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Quileute Senior Center, 61 Ocean Drive, leading into the fireworks show Saturday evening at 10 p.m., Brooks said.
Elders and seniors also will have a place of their own to gather and share stories, he said.
The Elders Lounge, which will be open from 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, is also at the Quileute Senior Center.
Saturday events
Adult and youth softball tournaments begin Saturday at 8 a.m., with adults at Coast Guard Field and youths at the Tribal School Field.
The Quileute Days Parade, beginning at noon Saturday, will be led by Grand Marshal Thomas L. Jackson, an Army veteran who served from 1966-1970 and a veteran of the Canoe Journeys.
Jackson has been a part of the Canoe Journeys since the very first Paddle to Seattle in 1989, Brooks said.
Jackson’s selection as grand marshal ties into the Paddle to Quinault theme of “Honoring Our Warriors,” recognizing the tribes’ military veterans.
The salmon bake will begin at 1 p.m. at The Pit on Main Street.
The feast is $12 per plate and includes side dishes and drinks.
On Saturday, the 10 p.m. fireworks show, which can be viewed from First Beach, will be capped with a concert from Kore Ionz, a Seattle-based reggae band that Brooks said has a “unique sound.”
Sunday
A 9 a.m. family 5K fun run beginning at the A-Ka-Lat Community Center will kick off the final day of events, along with the final day of the adult co-ed softball tournament at Coast Guard Field.
Canoe Races will continue at 1 p.m. at the riverfront.
Bingo is set to begin at 10 a.m. in the west wing of the west wing of the Quileute Tribal Office, 90 Main St., and stick games will be at 1 p.m. at the A-Ka-Lat center.
More information on Quileute Days can be found at www.Facebook.com/QuileuteDays.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
