Enumclaw will be hopping this week as the three-day Street Fair floods downtown and the always-entertaining Scottish Highland Games take over the Expo Center grounds.
The two events account for three days of good times, as the Street Fair greets visitors Friday and Saturday, while the Highland Games will draw a crowd Saturday and Sunday.
The Street Fair, again sponsored by the Enumclaw Rotary Club, will operate from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. As usual, several city blocks will be filled in downtown Enumclaw, with vendors hawking everything under the sun, from education to athletics, from cosmetics to politics.
On the food-and-beverage side of things, vendors will be cooking up burgers and hot dogs, kettlecorn, doughnuts, snowcones and south-of-the-border fare. There will be soft drinks available, along with coffee and — for the 21-and-older set — the Buck Up Bar.
Live music is traditionally a part of Street Fair and this year is no different. Friday will see Sugar High taking the stage at 5 p.m., followed by Camouflage Cowboys at 7; on Saturday, it will be Sunday Gone playing at 4:30 p.m. and Chicken Wire at 7. Other acts gracing the stage include the young performers with the Magic Strings program, Imagination Theatre and the athletes from Peak Gymnastics.
Back again is the Kid Zone, providing family fun, especially for the younger set. There will be plenty of free entertainment in the Zone, with fees for things like face painting and rides.
Getting much more visibility this year will be the 3-on-3 basketball tournament. The all-ages tourney will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday along Cole Street; during its first two years, the tournament was a bit hidden, with courts on Kasey Kahne Drive.
SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES AND CLAN GATHERING
The Pacific Northwest Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gathering officially kicks off Friday evening, but really opens its gates to the general public at 8 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Festivities run until 11 p.m. Saturday and 5:30 Sunday.
This year marks the 72nd annual Highland Games and the association’s 32nd year in Enumclaw.
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 is known to top 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. There are six featured performers, each taking the stage three times daily, so there’s no shortage of music.
A different type of entertainment is provided by the Seattle Knights, a theatrical troupe whole specialty is billed as “medieval fantasy.” Expect to see sword fighting and jousting, using real armor and weapons.
As always, brawny athletes will compete in traditional Celtic events like the caber toss and sheaf toss.
Tickets are $20 for adults per day or a two-day pass is available for $30. Senior citizens and children can get a daily pass for $15 or a two-day admission for $20; 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.
