Photos from the Sequim Irrigation Festival 2016

The entire week we had the nicest summer weather in Sequim. Then Sequim Irrigation Festival weekend with the Grand Parade comes up and the weather changed totally around. It did not take away the spirit and enthusiasm of Sequim residents and visitors. Have a look for yourselves at the Downtown Sequim Parade in Washington Street:

Looking forward to seeing you at our next year's 122nd Sequim Irrigation Festival.

Sequim 120th Irrigation Festival

Hello again to all our Sequim town blog visitors,
The lovely month of May is here with spring blossoms everywhere. Ever since we moved to Sequim, we've fallen in love with its two big Festivals: the Lavender Festival in the middle of July with Lavender in the Park, Lavender Farm Tours and the most amazing Lavender products in the street market...

and the Sequim Irrigation Festival at the beginning of May starting today.

The Sequim Irrigation Festival is the oldest festival in WA state. It's held downtown Sequim with its tons of vendors and competitions in Carry Blake Park. The 2015 festival will be from May 1st through 10th under the motto "120 Fun a Plenty".

Among the many fun events of interest for you and the entire family are:

Family Fun Day Saturday, May 2, 2015, 9am – 5pm Washington Street between Sequim Avenue & 2nd Avenue Businesses and Non-profits from around Sequim will have booths along Washington Street and offer activities and events for kids and their families.

Kids Parade Saturday, May 2, 2015, 10am Downtown Sequim Parade for kids 12 years and younger. Prizes are awarded.

Sequim Arts Juried Art Show May 1 - 30, 2015 Reception during the First Friday Art Walk Location Sequim Museum and Arts Center Sequim Arts

Sequim Farmers Market Saturday, May 2, 2015, 9am - 3pm Corner of Washington Street and Sequim Avenue

Grand Finale Weekend Thursday, May 7, 2015 to Sunday, May 10, 2015

Logging Show, Truck and Tractor Pull Friday, May 8, 2015, noon - 10pm Saturday, May 9, 2015, 10am - 5

Fireworks Friday, May 8, 2015, 9:30pm Blake Avenue Lot -  our favorite!

120th Irrigation Festival Grand Parade Saturday, May 9, 2015, Noon Downtown Sequim - our favorite!

We are lucky to live in sunny Sequim just as our current Sequim vacation rental guests are to be just 5 minutes away from all the fun events of the 120th Irrigation Festival. See you in town!

Sequim vacation rental - Peaceful & private location - 1Bd/1Ba w/FREE Wifi + long distance phone + cable TV

Walk through the Park - 5 minutes from Sequim vacation rental

Exhibition of drift wood sculptures available in the Park

Happy Fourth of July in Sequim

Exciting events for this year's Independence Day celebration. Sequim residents won't only celebrate 4th of July but as we all know this is Sequim's centennial year. Yes, the city of Sequim of Sequim was incorporated 100 years ago, to be precise on October 31, 1913.

Reason enough for us to celebrate big time:

The Old Fashioned Town Picnic from 10:30am - 4pm at Carrie Blake Park - just a short 5-minute walk from 'Bell Hill View Sequim Vacation Rental' 

All Sequim residents are invited to pose for a community photo at 10:45am in the park

The family friendly picnic will include live music, relay races, horseshoes, croquet and much more. Picnic food will be available for purchase.

For more information on our 4th of July Sequim events of music, food, free contests, other activities visit the SequimWA site.

Happy Fourth of July in Sequim to all Sequim visitors and our resident friends! See you in the Park!

Sequim Balloon Festival

Dear Sequim visitors,

Guess what?! Now we don't only have a Sequim Irrigation Festival in May and a Sequim Lavender Festival in July, our newest attraction is Sequim Balloon Festival in September for three days over Labor Day weekend. Actually, balloons already took off each morning from a field next to Sequim Airport. They were flying passengers early in the morning, when winds have not picked up yet, for a fee of $250/person for a sightseeing over Sequim.

We decided this morning at 6am to get ourselves some glimpses of the hot air balloons + photos at Sequim Airport. Alas an early fog made it in from Sequim Bay. When we returned at 7:15am to Sequim Airport, to our surprise the fog had lifted, lots of visitors and 7 air balloons and their teams had gathered for a spectacular exciting event: the filling and taking off of the balloons.

Tomorrow Saturday September 1 will be the first day of the official Sequim Balloon Festival. The Festival site will be a field, next to Purple Haze Lavender Farm, off W.Sequim Bay Road. There will be a dozen balloons, including the Little Bee Balloon team - we hope to still be able to post of photo of those - an evening Night Glow, a Hare and Hound balloon race on Monday morning, a classic car show, live music, arts & craft booths, street dances, beer & wine garden and so much more. For tickets & more details visit Sequim Balloon Festival.

Now let's enjoy Sequim Ballon Festival photos:

Sequim Airport

Road to Airport at 7am Friday morning

Keoki watches the first balloons getting filled with hot air

Exciting to watch the balloons getting filled

More air balloons getting ready

REMAX balloon is the first to take off

Biggest basket carries about 10 passengers

There they are up in the air enjoying their ride over Sequim town

Balloons with famous Sequim 'Blue Hole' as a backdrop

All the balloons are ready to go - the Sequim Balloon Festival has started

Tags: New Sequim event, Sequim Balloon Festival

Sequim News for July 2012

Dear Sequim visitors,
Let's have a little glimpse about what you can await on your July Sequim visit. Sequim News published by the City of Sequim each month will help us to put today's blog post together.


As usual, let's start with the Sequim weather this July. July did not start as 'summerly', as we all expected after 'June Gloom'. Yes admittedly that was a bit of a disappointment especially when one is waiting for going picking berries + cherries. Our cherry orchard lady told us just yesterday that we will still have to wait another 1 1/2 or 2 weeks, all depending on the sunshine Sequim will be getting. Most important there are cherries on the trees. We just need to patient and wait a bit longer.

What else is new in Sequim this summer?

Music in the Park

Annual Music in the Park during summer started. Concerts take place each Tuesday 6pm at the James Center in Carrie Blake Park. Nice to know what music will be played. So make your selection:
July 3 Dukes of Dabob play Dixieland<
July 10 Mark Whitman Band plays Rhythm & Blues
July 17 Bound to Happen plays variety

July 24 Karaoke Idol - Contest (see sequimwa.gov website for registration)
July 31 Cascada plays Latin Guitar & World Fusion 2012

2012 Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim Lavender Festival coming up Some of my lavender bushes at the house are already in full bloom. Others are still waiting. It all depends on the kind of lavender. However, we know that by July 20th, the start of the Lavender Festival, all the lavenders on Sequim Lavender Farms, along Sequim's sidewalks (don't miss Hendrickson St for a photo) and people's personal lavender bushes will be blooming beautifully. The wonderful scent of lavender will be lingering everywhere in little Sequim town. It's a lavender extravaganza which thousands of visitors will enjoy when visiting Sequim on the weekend of July 20 - July 22 for the Lavender Festival. Also visit SequimLavenderFarms for more information about events.

Sequim Centennial

Plans are underway for Sequim's 100th birthday party! There are many ways for Sequim residents & visitors to participate and enjoy the celebration. Visit SequimWA.gov for the highlights of Sequim Centennial. The Sequim Centennial Celebration starts October 2012 with lots of events leading to its finale in November 2013, which will make the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Sequim. Become a sponsor of the Sequim Centennial 2013.

If you are planning a vacation in Sequim , our Sequim Vacation Rental 'Bell Hill View', at a beautiful peaceful location offers a 1Bd/1Ba fully equipped for Sequim vacation.

Happy 4th of July everybody from Sequim!

Tags: Visit Sequim this summer, Sequim Lavender Festival

Sequim reunion of Hawaii expats

Dear Sequim Town visitors, real ones or cyberspace ones,

When we moved to Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula from Hawaii in January 2006, we didn't know a soul here in Sequim but that should change soon. We found lots of kindred spirits at SARC (Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center) where Keoki started teaching his Easy Stretch class - still going strong now: Mondays + Wednesdays 10:45am at Sarc for those who live in Sequim and surrounding areas - and among the big group of Hawaiian expats, people like us who had moved to Sequim from Hawaii.


The Hawaiian expat group puts a reunion together twice a year, once in summer and another one in winter during the Christmas holidays. Last Saturday we all came together for our summer luau to celebrate our lives and blessings with a great Hawaiian style pot luck luau and lots of Hawaiian music by volunteers who love to play the ukulele and other instruments.

What would be a Hawaiian luau without the traditional Hawaii hula?! Hula teacher Mahina and her hula halau from the Sequim Senior Center danced to their own and to all the Hawaiian expats' entertainment. Just look at their smiling faces in the photos! They tell you how we all felt: loving our lives in Sequim yet enjoying great memories of our lives in Hawaii!

We would like to thank John and Margret Mitchel who opened their beautiful Sequim home and property for all of us and made this summer Hawaii luau party a full success with their TLC. Mahalo, Margret and John!


You want to move to Sequim, a Sequim vacation home is the first step to learn about life in Sequim.

Tags: What is it like to live in Sequim, Sequim events

Sequim Library hosts a 'Whodunit'

Dear Sequim visitors,
First things first, we really love our Sequim library. One can find almost any book there and if they don't have the book you want at our Sequim location, it's easy to order it. The Sequim library also offers book sales at least once a month where you can buy paper backs as cheap as 25cents. Perfect for getting books for going on vacation. Those who come on vacation to Sequim will like the Sequim library a lot because it also offers free Internet service.

The Sequim Library 'Whodunit' seems to be a great fun addition to the library. This past Friday night a hoard of amateur CSI'ers descended on the Sequim library to solve the mystery of who killed the book author. The library hosted this event, inviting all, young and old, to come and solve the mystery. The Sequim library was packed and we were divided into groups of 4 to 6 persons, given a clue sheet and a crossword puzzle to complete in case of ties. There was a cast of 8 characters who read from scripts detailing the storyline and slipping in clues along the way. The story mixed in locales in and around Sequim, mostly in a funny way. We were given 3 breaks to discuss our clues and to roam the library to find more clues stuck here and there.

The Friends of Sequim Library provided a table of snacks to satisfy any hunger pangs brought on by all that thinking. The evening ended as we turned in our choices of who killed the author, the motive and the weapon used. The first place team received $25 gift certificates for a local restaurant, 2nd and 3rd place received a Lotto ticket each. All in all it was a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Friday evening. I for one am looking forward to the next mystery to solve at the Sequim Library.

Tags: Whodunit at Sequim Library, Sequim Library mystery

Sequim July Summer Round-up

Dear Sequim visitors,

Well, to tell you the truth, so far Sequim and the Olympic Peninsula did not really enjoy a summer, yet. The annual precipitation is already over 10" very close to our annual average of 12". Too many gray and rainy days and only sporadic days of sunshine but our Sequim vacation rental guests are so happy to escape the long lasting heat waves in AZ, TX, NM or PA. What can we say? We still feel blessed and comfortable to be able to enjoy the cooler weather in Sequim this summer when 22 states of the rest of the nation are exposed to sweltering temperatures. So what's happening this summer in Sequim?

Sequim Lavender Festival

Despite the rain during this year's Lavender Festival - long time Sequim residents told us that this is a first - I think it was a success. When I visited the new Lavender Festival in the Park on Saturday I missed a bit the vibe of the Street Fair in Fir (we had some drizzle rain then), which we enjoyed on Sunday noon. Great audience, beautiful arts and crafts. Everybody had a great time! I did not go to a farm with the tour bus but saw that the buses were crowded as usual. Yesterday I shopped at Jardin du Soleil and they told me that they had a great crowd enjoying the lavender fields and their lavender products!

You pick Berries in Sequim

The Camron Strawberry and Graysmarsh Berry Farm opened late this year in June for picking strawberries. However, since the rainy weather fruits were not really big and sweet, so u-pick strawberry season was not a big success this year. Yesterday I picked for the first time raspberries at Graysmarsh after I had picked the first sweet berries at my bushes. Raspberries obviously loved the rain. The fruits are big, juicy and sweet. Graysmarsh sells them for $2/lb I also checked their early blueberries which should be ripe for picking by the end of the week.

2011 Tribal Canoe Journey

When walking to SARC yesterday, where Keoki is teaching his Easy Stretch class, I noticed in Fir St next to the Sequim High School tennis courts tons of tents on the grassy area which had a sign for the'2011 Tribal Canoe Journey', which is organized by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Their colorful canoes are coming from the west while others are crossing from the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Today the canoes will paddle to Port Townsend and then head further to their gathering place at La Conner.

New Sequim Soccer Fields in Carrie Blake Park

Yes, that's what the current dirt piles on a huge 13 acre area will be in Carrie Blake Park. Before all that digging, there was 'just' grass and Canadian geese and ducks roaming around on it, bikers biking the Olympic Discovery Trail and the senior people of Sequim walking through the peaceful scenery with beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains. Looks like some people came up with the idea this area should be made into 5 large and 3 small new soccer fields. We heard of a petition so we could vote for or against this project, but we and most of our friends never saw it.

Now we are wondering whether this new Sequim project, which is actually paid for by donations to Sequim Family Advocates, will not only be in the best interest of the 'alleged 1000 children waiting to play there' but also of the senior community of a retirement town like Sequim! How that can be accomplished will still to be seen. Another interesting question will be who will be paying for the maintenance costs for 13 acres of playground since the city of Sequim is already under financial pressure as is.

Let's hope the new Sequim soccer fields in Carrie Blake Park will be an improvement for Sequim, for the children AND the seniors and last but not least fro the wild life in Carrie Blake Park!

Tags: summer in Sequim, Sequim events, Sequim City projects

Sequim Retirement Home celebrates

To be specific, well-known Sequim retirement center 'The 5th Avenue' turned 25 on Thursday this week and celebrated its birthday with Sequim residents. The retirement center had invited visitors to 'high tea' and tours at the retirement home. We joined the afternoon celebration which included a few birthday speeches, horse-drawn carriage rides a taste of the delicious food the retirement serves its residents and tours through the building in a beautiful garden setting. See my photos.

On the tour we were able to view some of the apartments which include , 1-Bedroom and 2-Bedroom units which are available for rent on a month to month basis. Most of the apartments have large patios or balconies. Amenities and services like full meal service, house keeping, utilities, transportation and activities are part of the monthly rent. Sequim retirement home rentals start at $1950/mo. for a person. A 2-Bedroom condo rents for $3225/mo. for a couple meaning one definitely has to have some decent savings or have a good pension to be able to retire at '5th Avenue' Sequim retirement home.

With 87 being the average age of residents, Sequim residents obviously take their time to check themselves in. We all want to be and stay active, healthy and independent as long as possible. However, it's a good thing to know that Sequim town has a nice retirement home as '5th Avenue'. To check things out on your own, you can always come to Sequim. An affordable charming Sequim vacation apartment makes your visit easy.

Tags: Sequim Retirement Home

The 116th Sequim Irrigation Festival 2011 has started

Our Sequim Irrigation Festival celebrates the initiation, development and support of the irrigation ditches which brought water to the once dry areas of Sequim. After a somewhat tougher winter than usual for Sequim moderate weather standards, the Irrigation Festival will be a way of welcoming spring everywhere in Sequim. This year we will have more events than ever. We mostly hop on our bikes and can easily visit our favorite events like the Logging Show in Carrie Blake Park and the 'Grand Parade' in Sequim town at noon May 14th.

There will be so many more Sequim events at this Sequim Irrigation Festival 2011. Come and see for yourselves. The Peninsula Daily News gives you the entire calendar of events for family and kids.


Last but not least, this will be the fourth year for fireworks at the Logging Show events on Friday night May 13, 2011, 9:30pm making it a spectacular 116th Sequim Irrigation Festival!

Sequim Lavender Festival talk of Sequim town

Can Sequim support two lavender festivals at the same time?

That’s a question that will be answered in July of this year. We have had an abundance of visitors to previous Sequim lavender festivals and it seemed to run pretty smoothly, all things considered.

Well, there are obviously philosophical differences among the many Sequim lavender growers and those whose differences were the same decided to take matters into their hands and break off and form a new group of lavender growers, according to the Peninsula Daily News of January 12, 2011.

This new group, not to be left out of the very popular,annual lavender festival has stated that they will participate in the festival, but to what extent is unknown at this printing. We will have to wait until this July to see how things turn out. 2011brings a new challenging situation to Sequim Lavender growers and Sequim visitors. Sequim Town blog will keep you posted.

Sequim Mushroom Show

Hello everybody who loves Sequim and a Sequim vacation,

First of all, thanks to all of our Sequim Town blog followers for being so dedicated with reading about our life in Sequim as retired people and what's it like to come to Sequim on vacation.

I tell you what, life in Sequim is never boring. Even if you cannot do tough hikes in the Olympic Mountains anymore or bike the Olympic Discovery Trail, just hop in your car and drive to one of our many Sequim events. Just as Sequim events attract people from other parts of the Olympic Peninsula, we Sequim residents like to visit events in Port Angeles or Port Townsend. But this time we got lured to a Sequim event, not far from our own house.

Early Sunday afternoon, we did not hop in our car but we hopped on our bikes and rode to the Elk's Lodge in Sequim, where the Annual Wild Mushroom Show took place put together by the members of the Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society. We were extremely surprised about the huge number of people and the number of mushrooms! It must have taken the members a lot of time to pick the variety of wild mushrooms and to display them wonderfully on green moss on different tables, the edible ones separated from the poisonous or not recommend ones!

All the mushrooms had signs which stated their botanical names, whether it's edible and if so, what the taste is like! Three wild mushroom experts helped visitors who had brought mushroom samples or a whole basket with mushrooms to get their mushrooms identified.

Bottom line of the Wild Mushroom Show was sharing with the public that there are many wild mushrooms growing on the Olympic Peninsula - over 300 fungi, can you imagine?! - but a lot resemble each other and it's not always easy to identify the good from the bad. So if you are not certain about a mushroom in your basket, don't eat it.


If you love eating mushrooms, you might want to join the Olympic Peninsula Mycological Society in order to know better next time. As this fall season's weather has been wetter than usual, wild mushrooms are growing everywhere in Sequim and surroundings. Mushroom picking can be fun when spending a fall vacation in Sequim!

Tags: Sequim events, events Olympic Pensinsula, Sequim Mushroom Show