The sights and sounds of Street Fair 2017 will fill downtown Enumclaw this weekend, while the bourdon of bagpipes and rat-a-tat of drum corps take center stage at the Expo Center.
It’s time again for the busiest few days of Enumclaw’s summer season, when two popular events overlap. Friday and Saturday bring the Street Fair to Cole Street and environs, while the Scottish Highland Games fill the Expo Center grounds Saturday and Sunday.
The Street Fair, again sponsored by the Enumclaw Rotary Club, will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days. Aside from several city blocks filled with 90-plus vendors hawking everything from sofas to salvation, there will be entertainment, food and drink, and family-friendly fun and games.
Back again is the Saturday 5K run/walk and, for the second year, there’s a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
The fun run, now in its 11th year, will begin and end on Railroad Street next to the public library. There will be a Kids Dash, covering a bit less than a mile, at 8:45 a.m., followed by the main 5K attraction at 9.
The early-registration period has passed, but participants will be able to sign up at 7:30 the morning of the event.
The 3-on-3 tournament, contested from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, will have teams of all ages competing on Kasey Kahne Drive. The formal registration period has passed, but there are still some slots that can be filled. Those interested in entering a team should email cjillcarlson@gmail.com.
As for live entertainment, there will be featured acts on the main stage, located at the intersection of Cole Street and Stevenson Avenue. The entertainment schedule is laced with local faces – Camp Commotion, Magic Strings and Tae Kwon Do Connection, for example. Among the featured acts will be bluegrass artist Jess Morse at 4 p.m. Friday; the Sunday Gone Band at 6 p.m. Friday; singer-guitarist Sean Lewis at 3 p.m. Saturday; and, closing things out at 4:30 Saturday afternoon, will be the Fabulous Murphtones, providing a diverse mix of popular dance, rock, classic rock, and old-school music.
Flanking the stage will be a food court and beer garden.
The Kid Zone will return and this year will also feature a nine-hole miniature golf layout, plus an area for “safe” archery. Kids also will enjoy a bouncy house, obstacle course and face painting.
Tickets and ride wristbands for the Kid Zone will be sold at the Rotary Club’s booth on Cole Street.
Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering
The 71st annual Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering officially kicks off Friday evening, but gets rolling for the general public at 8 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
These Highland Games, hosted by the Seattle Scottish Highland Games Association, are the sixth-oldest in the United States and the largest in Washington state. Attendance tops 20,000 visitors.
An annual highlight is the massing of the pipe and drum bands and the parade of the clans, which takes place at 12:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors can stroll through the Avenue of the Clans, delve into Scottish heritage or wind through the Hall of Vendors and the Celtic Marketplace to see the workmanship of Scottish artisans. Others will wander through the Scottish farm with shaggy Scotch Highland cattle and Clydesdale horses and canine fans will visit the Celtic kennel where dogs will put on agility, obedience and herding demonstrations. After strolling the Expo Center grounds, some might choose to quench their thirst with Scottish-style ales at the Rampant Lion or Tilted Kilt pubs.
The musical acts traditionally provide everything from quiet strings to raucous reels, from solo performers to bands filling the stage. Acts range from Blackthorn, which celebrates the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland, to the three-part harmonies of Golden Bough, and the popular Wicked Tinkers. Those are familiar names for Highland Games veterans, as all are making repeat performances in Enumclaw.
As always, athletes will compete in traditional Celtic events like the caber toss and sheaf toss.
Tickets are $17 for adults per day or a two-day pass is available for $25. Senior citizens, children and active military personnel can get a daily pass for $12 or a two-day admission for $18; kids younger than 5 are admitted free. There’s a $7 daily fee for parking.
For information call 206-522-2541 or visit www.sshga.org.
