9th Annual Irish Festival

When you hear the following, what do you think of?

Molly's Revenge, Darby O'Gill, Sons of Malarky, Stout Pounders...

If images of tall frothy glasses of Guiness and rollicking fiddle music fill your imagination you are on the right track. 

This weekend the 9th Annual Irish Music Festival, the largest on the west coast, is set to commence.  There will be 3 fantastic venues on the Harbor, with 8 stages to enjoy the music, and 25 Irish bands to dance along with.  Starting on Thursday October 25 and continuing through Sunday the 28th, come out and check out the festival events in Ocean Shores and Hoquiam.

Ticket sales are available by cont Galway Bay Irish Pub at 360-289-2300 and the price for the All Venue pass is just $60.  Not to bad for an entire weekend of music and drinks!
(If you choose to go day by  day the schedule of pricing is available below.)

Day                 Galway Bay               Ale House
Thursday       5pm til close-$5         Dinner $25/person
Friday         11am til 5pm-$10         Free
Friday         5pm til close-$15        $5
Saturday       10am til 5pm-$15         $5 all day
Saturday       5pm til close-$20        $5 all day
Sunday         10am til 5pm-$5          Free

ShamRock the Coast!


Those Venues once more for the 9th annual Irish Music Festival for 2012:
Galway Bay Irish Pub - Ocean Shores, Washington
8th Street Ale House - Hoquiam, Washington
Ocean Shores Convention Center - Ocean Shores Washington
Cli here for the schedule of events!

Minors are not allowed at the 8th Street Ale House

Minors are not allowed at Galway Bay after 5pm on Friday, all day on Saturday, and Sunday before 5pm

Minors are allowed at the Ocean Shores convention center all days until 10pm
Bands are scheduled to come from Ireland, Canada, Illinois, Oregon, California, New York, and Washington

Hoptoberfest in October

Honoring Octoberfest, the two week beer festival in Munich, Germany, the East County Rotary Club is sponsoring Hoptoberfest 2012 .  This festival is featuring craft brews from Dick's, Fish Tale, Manny's, Mac & Jack's and many more.

Ocean Shores Quinault Beach Resort and Casino is hosting Hoptoberfest on Saturday October 20th from Noon to 10pm.  Stop by anytime during the festival to sample seasonal craft beers, food and hear live entertainment provided by Jackie Mitchell and Humptulips. 

The Mary Hill and Nicole's Red wineries will be represented as well.

Tickets will be available at the door as well as online at hoptoberfest.org.

Mardi Gras Night in Ocean Shores

When you hear of a Mardi Gras Night you know you are in for a treat and a fun-filled party.  Mardi Gras has a rich history that some say began in the US when the French explorers celebrated the holiday in New Orleans in 1699.  

If you do not own a time traveling machine, and cannot go back to this first Mardi Gras, there is an alternative. 

Saturday night, October 20 at 5:30, travel out to the Ocean Shores Convention Center to celebrate Mardi Gras Night.  Hosted by the Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber of Commerce, Mardi Gras Night has all the trimmings of a celebration not to be missed. 

Tickets are on sale at the Chamber main office for $35, and all proceeds are going to help support the chamber and the work it does for our beach communities. 

Included in the evening festivities will be a live auction with local radio personality Luceman and weekend travel packages will also be available for bidding.

Enjoy delicious Creole and Cajun food including jalapeno corn bread, blackened salmon, and sweet potato souffle, while you dance with the Ocean Shores Pirates to Zydeco music from Charlie Baer's collection.  At the conclusion of the evening, the Business of the Year award will be bestowed on one of the monthly winners throughout the year.

10th annual Mushroom Festival

Webster dictionary defines a mushroom as

"an enlarged complex above ground fleshy fruiting body of a fungus ...

that consists typically of a stem bearing a pileus; especially : one that is edible". 

Sound yummy? 

To a mushroom enthusiast it sounds like the amazing Mushroom Festival at Lake Quinault Lodge

happening this weekend October 19-21. 

This yearly event is in its 10th year,

 and is packed full of events all weekend long that will make any fungi lover rejoice.

Beginning with a  welcome reception that includes a wine and cheese social to mix and mingle,

guests of the mushroom convention can enjoy chainsaw sculptures in the shape of mushrooms

 made by Jeff Coleman, and lectures from Dr. Steven Trudell and Heather Risher.

Saturday is the day for guided tours to forage, identify and collect native mushrooms including; chanterells, oysters, king boletus and chicken of the woods.

 

Demonstrations are happening all weekend, with cooking tips and recipes, a grow your own edible mushrooms class and lectures on the types of mushrooms that you can find here in the PNW.

Saturday ends with fungi-bingo

and all weekend long vendors will be peddling their mushroom goods.

Schedule of events Here.  Official website Here.

Cranberries and the Beach

Don't know much about the simple, delicious cranberry?  Neither do we here at Go Go.  However that is all about to change this weekend  We will be where you should be, in Grayland, at the 2012 Cranberry Harvest Festival.  Running two days, the 13th and the 14th, the festival includes a cook off, cranberry bog tours and Jog the Bog and Beach on Sunday.  Kick off the weekend with a Cranberry Harvest Breakfast from 8 am to Noon on Saturday then cruise the Cranberry Market Place and vendors starting at 10 am.  Sign up for one of the many Bog Tours throughout the day and then relax listening to the music of Bob Gorton and Virgil Stroeheon.  Saturday night concludes with a Firefly Parade at 8 pm and Sunday ends with the awarding of a trophy to the winner of the Big Berry weigh in and a Cranberry eating contest.

We cannot wait to check out this festival this weekend and will be sure to share information and pictures as soon as we can.  Come join us this weekend in Grayland for a Bogtastic time.

Hey There, Buckaroo

Name: Cowpoke Wrangler Buckaroo

Where Do You Live: Elma, Washington

Profession/Day Job:  a hired hand who tends cattle and horses at a ranch

Loyal To: Buckaroo Days! September 22 in Elma!

Best Harbor Moment: Chili/Salsa Cook off
Cash prizes: Chili Category:

• First Place - $250
• Second Place - $100
• Third Place - $50

Salsa Category:

• First Place - $100
• Second Place - $75
• Third Place - $50

Elma Feed & Farm Supply, 2nd & Martin Street

Cost: Tickets available for $1 each to be used for sampling.
The Chamber will provide sampling cups to each contestant for serving

Favorite Festival: Buckaroo Days in Elma, Saturday September 22

Favorite Local Business: Elma Chamber of Commerce,  Elma Feed and Farm Supply, Guesthouse Inn and Suites, Les Schwab Tire Center, House Brothers Construction, and Puget Sound Railroad (the sponsors)

Grunge, Metal or Country: The music of Momma at the Beer and Wine Festival following the daytime festivities at Guesthouse Inn and Suites of course.

Beach, Forest or River:  Saturday on the Harbor at Buckaroo Days September 22

Favorite Outdoor Adventure: Elma, Saturday!  Enjoying events that include a grand parade, a chili cook off, a "fun" dog show, a bouncy house, kiddy cowpoke games, a Cowboy jail and mutton busting!

Define the Harbor in One Word: Fun events and great people!

If You Could Change One Thing About the Area, What Would it Be: A packed crowd this Saturday at Buckaroo Days in Elma!

Grays Harbor's Best Kept Secret: Beer and Wine Fest with wine samples from Westport Winery and beer Samples from Westport Brewery from 4-9 p.m. at the Guesthouse Inn in Elma!  If you want to spend the night use the codeword "Buckaroo" for a discount!

Festival in the Park (school)

I have a long history with the town of Cosmopolis that goes back to childhood.  The city, and my parents of course, raised me.  I feel like an old soul that has been living in Cosi since the days when Neil Cooney built the first sawmill.  Maybe the reason for this is my mothers stories that she shares with me about her days as a Cosi termite (yes that really was the mascot!) Or how she could walk from one end of town to the other using only the alley ways.  Mill Creek park was always in these stories as well.  How her and her friends would swim in the pool that formed below the dam.  Well the dam has since broke and while the park is still there the festival that always culminated at the end of summer below the shady trees of the park has moved to the elementary school that so many cosi-ites know and love to this day.

Come out on Sunday the 9th and check out the booths, games and food.  The sense of community is rich and deep and the Lions Club burgers will keep you full!

Friday Five: Logging Lingo

With Logger's Playday weekend upon us its time to break out the flannel, the suspenders and the Stihl hat and proudly show your logger pride (you know all of that is somewhere in the depths of your closet.). But don't let your logging expertise end at surface level- image isn't everything. To show that you're a true logging aficionado (as every Harborite should be!) be sure to sprinkle logger lingo into your daily conversation this weekend.

Wait... you have no idea what a contour felling is or a grapple skidder? Never been a rigging slinger or a snap guy? Never even picked up a chainsaw? Eh, no worries! We've got you covered with these five words, cleverly redefined for this very weekend, that will make you sound like a logging expert. Just toss these around while you enjoy the annual weekend festivities and you'll fit right in. We hope.

1) Logarithm: (noun) The natural meter and cadence of the act of logging.
Example: Look at old lumber Jack workin' that saw over there, he's got natural logarithm!

2) Logicize: (adjective) A new style of exercise offered at the gym, where movements mimic the strenuous work of logging. Classes end in the signature "TIMBER!" move, where participants fall straight to the mat like a tree.  
Example: Have you tried the 5 o'clock Logicize class? The sawing motion really works the core muscles!

3) Logistician: (noun) A professional doctor of trees, charged with diagnosing and correcting arbor ailments.  
Example: My ol' cedar tree was looking a little green, so I called the logistician in for an annual check up.

4) Logogram: (noun) The new, trendy cracker treat for kids. Like a teddy gram, only shaped and flavored like logs. Example: My kids love the new logograms. They're the perfect after school snack, especially with a side of maple syrup for dipping!

5)  Logomaniac: (noun) One obsessed with the art of logging and the logging lifestyle. A true treesman who worships the forest around them. And probably wears a lot of flannel.  
Example: Oh man, have you seen lumber Jack lately? He's really turned into a logomaniac!

So, there you have it. Your own personal log (harhar) of vocabulary to get you through the weekend. Now, if you're still wondering where you can play wordsmith this weekend, the annual Hoquiam Logger's Playday festivities will take place throughout the day on Saturday. Visit the Facebook page for more details, or the City of Hoquiam website.
But here's the jist of what's happening:
6AM - Rotary Club Pancake Feed @ Our Lady of Good Help
8AM- Truck Driving and Binding Throwing competition @ Levee & 8th Street
10AM- 4PM Vendor Fair @ downtown Hoquiam (visit our booth!)
12PM- Hoquiam Elks Parade. Route starts on 9th, continues down K Street
2PM- Lions Club Salmon Bake @ Washington Elementary School
6PM- Logger's Playday Show @ Olympic Stadium. Buttons are $3 for entry
9PM- Hoquiam Elks Dance featuring Ready or Not. 21 & over. Admission

The Fab Four, Loggers Playday and more more more!

With so much going on this weekend we here at GoGo wanted to wrap up the upcoming events into a nice little package and stick a bow on top to make planning your weekend of fun stress free.

Even though we are back to school and there is a tiny chill in the air, it is in fact still summer and there are many summer festivals to be enjoyed this upcoming weekend.

Speaking of festivals, Pacific Beach is soaring things into high gear this weekend with the Up Your Wind Kite Festival.  Sponsored by Hi-Flyers kite shop, this kite festival is family friendly and full of fun.  Up Your Wind is happening both the 8th and the 9th at the Pacific Beach State Park. 

Cosmopolis is also hosting a festival that will once again be hosted at the Cosmopolis Elementary School.  The Cosi Festival in the Park has operated out of the school for the past three years due to park closure when the Mill Creek Dam broke.  However, the show must go on and so will the festival this year on Sunday the 9th!

Did we mention that it is Logger's Playday weekend?  Officially starting with the Rotary Clubs pancake feed and including the Elks Lodge grand parade, Loggers Playday offers something for every history buff in town.  The Loggers Playday loggers show is a must see, along with fireworks and booths that will have you working up a logger's sized appetite.  Hoquiam hosts Loggers Playday and the festivities begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday the 8th!

If Music is more your thing then you should definitely be in Westport this weekend for the Dock of the Bay Blues Festival.  Running from Friday to Sunday the Dock of the Bay Blues Festival is the beaches answer to Loggers Playday.  Live music and food and booths to make every music lover smile.  Head to Westport this weekend for Blues music and fun.


When you are looking for live entertainment, the D&R Theater never dissapoints.  This weekend the D&R is throwing a concert that you must simply see to believe.  The Fab Four tribute band that is so much more than a tribute band will be performing on Sunday the 9th.  These musicians attention to detail makes this show a can't miss performance.  Make sure the D&R Theater is on your list for this weekend.  A perfect way to finish off the weekend!

Not to mention Hoquiam's First Thursday on the 6th of this week, the Jack Reynvaan Memorial Run at the Hoquiam track on Saturday the 8th, the Brady Clean Water Oyster feed on Saturday the 8th, the Seabrook Saturday Market on Saturday the 8th, and the AAOS Arts and Crafts festival in Ocean Shores the 7th-9th.

It is a Kite flying, Park festival, Blues playing, Loggers Playday this weekend and you must simply get out and enjoy!

Blue(s) skys are in Westport this weekend

When thinking of Blues music, one might just picture a New Orleans bar around midnight.  The lights are low, candles flicker, and clinking ice is the bass drum of the music on stage.  A three piece band is swaying in the middle of the room to low notes with a rhythmic beat, while a singer belts out a folksy song reminiscent of the working hollers.  

You might just think that blues music has no place in our world, but you only need to look no further than Westport this weekend to prove yourself wrong.  Like our parents listening to Elvis and James Brown, blues music is as current today as the popp-y tunes that blare out of the DJ booths at any dance club in the city. (think White Stripes)

In the serene setting of the Westport Inn grounds the band line up this weekend is a perfect mix of Blues standards and today's stars.  The Dock of the Bay Blues Festival is starting a day earlier this year on Friday night September 7th at 6 p.m. with Blues Attitude and continues all weekend long.  A jam session and dance on Saturday follows Spider Murphy and Sunday begins with "Badd Dog".  The entire weekend is a chance to expand your musical tastes and enjoy the ocean breezes at the same time.

Make sure you pick up one of the custom Tee's that are available now.

photo courtesy of westportblues.com

Say Hello to our Brighter Summer Businesses

We are so excited for what is to come this summer. We are working on creating what we think will be the BEST booth at the summer festivals this year! Trust me, you'll want to come out and find us... so here's where we'll be:

Aberdeen Art Walk on July 28th

Hoquiam First Thursday (next to Gray's General Store) on August 2nd

The Kelpers Day Parade in Pacific Beach
-Want to be in the parade with us? We'd like to take our Bicycle Revolution to Pacific Beach! Email us for details. gogograysharbor@gmail.com

Logger's Playday

The Pacific Beach Sand Sculpture Competition
-We have a big announcement about this one too. Check back soon!


So, we want to introduce you to our lovely summer sponsors. You'll be hearing more from them as we have some fun this summer. We encourage you to go pay a visit to their fantastic establishments and tell them thanks for sponsoring this project of ours!

Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill

It's Saturday morning and you had a little too much fun at the bar last night - why not go grab a Bloody Mary from Half Moon Bay and enjoy the view of the Westport Marina? They also have great food, friendly service and live entertainment!

Vacations By The Sea

After a day of yummy seafood and fresh ocean air, you'll probably want to stay at the beach forever! Well, at the very least you can make a weekend of it and rent a condo right on the beach. The good people at Vacations By The Sea will help you plan the trip of your dreams!

Gray's General Store

If you're having trouble trying to find that perfect beach tote bag, why not make it yourself?! Gray's General Store in downtown Hoquiam has all of the supplies you need, and the knowledgeable staff, to get your summer crafty projects going. They also carry a wide selection of cute and quirky gifts for everyone on your list - many of which are locally made. And grab a cup of hot coffee or tea and stay a while on those foggy days while you wait for the sun to break through.

Lunch

If you want the freshest food in town, head over to Lunch in Aberdeen. Their selection of sandwiches, salads, and soups are drool worthy (I know I'm addicted - I eat there at least once a week!) and they also serve up espresso drinks and a yummy lemonade. Order at the counter and have a seat in their warm and inviting dining area. You can also find their sandwiches available at a variety of coffee shops across Grays Harbor! And make sure you like their page on Facebook to see what specials Chef Erin is cooking up this week!

Bergey Voice Studio

I'm sure you've been getting a lot of time singing in the car while you're on your summer road trip and maybe you've wondered "if I had a little training, I could probably be famous." Well, we think you're right so why not grab a lesson or two from Kelsey at Bergey Voice Studio located in downtown Aberdeen? Pick your favorite song and Kelsey will help you perfect it so you can start playing all of those open mic nights you've been dreaming about.

Pacific Beach Inn

Looking to get out of town, but want to keep it low key and somewhat local? We suggest you head up to Pacific Beach Inn. This is as close to the beach as it gets with ocean views and close proximity to a beach that isn't overloaded with vehicles. You are walking distance to all that Pacific Beach has to offer and the Inn Keepers Jen and John are very friendly and take pride in their recently renovated and clean rooms. Our blog team is even looking forward to a "corporate retreat" out there this summer!

Pure Clothing

We Grays Harborites love our jeans and t-shirts and we love getting them at Pure Clothing in Downtown Hoquiam! This little shop is filled to the rafters with unique, high quality used clothing. It's the perfect place to find a new outfit for relaxing this summer and for you music fans, you could probably spend hours in here looking for your favorite band t-shirt!

Queen B Quilts

If you find you've collected a few too many t-shirts over time, why not turn them into a quilt?! Queen B Quilts is a Hoquiam business that will turn your t-shirt collection into a cozy quilt. They make great graduation or Christmas gifts (might as well get a jump start on the holidays, right?) and they will work with you to create a memorable quilt that you can take to all of your beach bonfires and summer picnics this year.

The Salty Dog

For all the love your dogs give you, don't you think they deserve a little spoiling every once in a while? If you're looking for the cutest treats and toys for your pup, head up to The Salty Dog in Seabrook. Their shop is full of great gifts for dogs and those who love them. And many of them are perfect for beach lovers too! I saw the cutest knit sweater with a crab on it last time I stopped in and a crab toy made of rope to go with it!

So there you have it folks! Go say hello and thanks these Brighter Summer Businesses for their support! And visit us at all our summer festivals this year!

A Tropical Bearadise

We're having a heat wave... a tropical heatwave...

They just might be in McCleary this weekend.  The 2012 McCleary Bear Festival is set to begin on Thursday, July 12.

It is the 53rd anniversary of an event that was dreamed up by the editor of the McCleary Stimulator ( a hometown paper ) in 1958.   Local community blog Grays Harbor Down has an excellent post about the origins of this festival and is definetly worth checking out.

It all begins with a kick off dinner, auction and coronation, yes coronation. There are Bear Festival Princesses that will be crowned at dinner on the 12th.

If you have an itch to try something new, you must stick around for the traditional bear stew!

animalwallpaper.org