DockDogs
The Festival is the perfect opportunity for our community to celebrate the tremendous salmon resources in the Skagit watershed and inspire their conservation.
ANACORTES, Washington (PRWEB) August 28, 2014
Celebrate the Skagit River and the return of the salmon at the Skagit River Salmon Festival. The Festival runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 6, at the Waterfront Park at Swinomish Casino & Lodge in Anacortes. The Festival is a free, family-centered event featuring youth activities and crafts; local artisans; recreational and educational booths; live music; great food; cultural opportunities; and, new this year, the Northwest DockDogs Club Challenge.
“The Festival just keeps getting bigger and better,” Festival President Kevin Tate said. “It’s a wonderful family event with something for every interest—young or old.”
Each year the Festival continues to grow, drawing just shy of 5,000 visitors from around the Puget Sound region in 2013. As part of its commitment to the community, a portion of the proceeds raised will help fund a scholarship in Environmental Sciences at Northwest Indian College, as well as support the Mighty Skagit Watershed Exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Skagit County.
Festivalgoers will enjoy live music throughout the day, including the worldbeat sound of Rivertalk headlining the entertainment lineup. The Puget Sound DockDogs Northwest Club Challenge provides fur-flyin’ fun as dogs and their owners from Washington, Oregon and Canada compete in the following aquatic events:
- Big Air (long jump)
- Extreme Vertical (high jump)
- Speed Retrieve (fastest dog to the end of the pool wins the race)
The festival is also adding a Kidz Zone run by the Boys & Girls Club of Skagit County, with lots of energy-burning activities for the younger crowd to do. Providing smiles all around will be the clown team of Zig Zag & Ragz with their amazing twisted balloon creations and face painting art. Back by popular demand is FIN, the 25-ft migrating chum salmon. Climb inside and explore a beautiful mural depicting watershed habitat and the animals that live there.
“We are excited about hosting the Skagit River Salmon Festival,” said Swinomish Lodge Manager Dallas Widmark. “The Festival offers visitors exposure to our property, amenities, tribal culture and community involvement.”
The Skagit River Salmon Festival is a diverse partnership between local, state and federal agencies; tribal communities; local utilities; businesses; and non-profit organizations focused on inspiring conservation of the amazing Skagit River, its rich cultural history and abundant natural resources.
“As the largest river in Puget Sound, the Skagit River is of critical importance to the recovery of threatened salmon species in Washington state,” said Alison Studley, Executive Director for the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and a festival board member. “The Festival is the perfect opportunity for our community to celebrate the tremendous salmon resources in the Skagit watershed and inspire their conservation.”
For more information about the Skagit River Salmon Festival, visit: http://skagitriverfest.org
