Small town USA. Almost every sleepy little town livens up once a year for its own unique festival. Whatever their claim to fame is, the entire town gets ready for what makes them special, different or outrageous.
Towns nestled in the mountains might be famous for a lumberjack or winter festival. Tiny little one-stop-sign towns spring to life each year with a daffodil or tulip festival. There are blackberry festivals, blueberry festivals, even a garlic festival (that I have yet to visit, but it’s on my list). There are bear festivals, Sasquatch and gnome festivals. Beer festivals, music festivals and bacon festivals. Pretty much anything you could think of seems like a pretty good reason to have a festival .
In Ocean Shores, we have some of the most beautiful beaches that are surrounded by forests, so it is only fitting that one of our most popular and best known festivals is the Sand &Sawdust Festival.
The Ocean Shores/ North Beach Chamber, artists and vendors plan all year long. The city gathers mountains of sand in preparation for amazing creations.
Businesses join in adding sculptures so festival attendees can travel around Ocean Shores and view.
Truckloads of cedar are dropped off at the Convention Center awaiting the artistic eye of the chainsaw carvers. There will be music and cotton candy. Fried food and shopping galore, as any good festival should have.
Visitors can participate in contests and competitions or just watch masters in action. Strollers full of sticky babies and pets on leashes make laps around Ocean Shores with sun-burned tourists. For some it’s the first festival of the summer vacation and the first sunburn. The smell of cedar and salt air linger into the evening as folks find their way to fish and chips or ice cream. Small town summer memories in the making.
Here are a few things to keep us locals busy until it’s our time to shine:
Pamper yourself with an evening of summer beauty ideas with our very own pink Cadillac-driving Mary Kay extraordinaire; Judy Heacock. Giveaways, prizes and refreshments. Wednesday June 21, 6 p.m. at the Oyhut Bay Wellness and Activity Center.
The Ocean Shores Library will kick off the Summer Reading Program with “Cap’n Arr,” a fun show for all ages. Thursday June 22 from 2-3 p.m.
“Cars 3,” “Transformers: The Last Knight” and “Wonder Woman” are playing at the Ocean Shores Cinemas. Call 360-289-1234 for show times.
As Ocean Shores prepares to celebrate some of the unique things that make beach life so special, the visitors are on their way to experience our small town USA here “On the Beach.”
