Once again, the good waterfront folk of Tacoma seem to be able to pull it all together. This year’s Tacoma Maritime Fest, set for July 18-19, has an impressive set of activities and exhibits, with an emphasis on doing, not just seeing. Read the press release printed below for a rundown of the major activities, and check out the event web site for details.
It’s clear that organizers spent some effort figuring out and delivering activities that will appeal to kids, from meeting the Sea Scouts to creating a Lego exhibit. That alone would get my boy excited about coming!
The release:
TACOMA (June 9, 2015): This year on July 18 and 19, expect some fun new things to happen at Tacoma Maritime Fest.
The Foss Waterway Seaport museum will have an HO scale model railway on display, a unique maritime-themed Lego exhibit, a story-telling mermaid, a marine biology education center and much more! In the grounds, we’ll have a knitting corner where kids and kids-at-heart can join in creating a huge sea creature out of yarn. Sailors and pirates will be roaming around regaling guests with tales of the sea.
Mural on a Sail Design by Kate Cendejas
Boaters big and small can walk the docks and board the various boats we’ll have on display including the Sea Scouts’ M/V Charles N Curtis and the Fire Department’s M/V Destiny. If that’s not enough to satisfy the boater in you, try your hand at maneuvering either remote controlled sailboats or remote controlled tugs (or both!) at Maritime Fest.
Learn what it takes to be a Sea Scout! These capable sailors will be showing off their line handling and safety skills, and will offer guests the chance to learn how to throw and heave a line, toss a safety ring, perform a rescue with a life sling or stoke litter, and more! Once these skills are mastered, a Sea Scout can take you out on a relaxing Walker Bay sail boat ride.
The Charles N. Curtis and its crew of Sea Scouts.
Maritime Fest’s Art Initiatives are coming back in a big way this year. Wunderkammer, an exhibition featuring some of the Pacific Northwest’s foremost artists, will cleverly embed artworks inspired by the “wunderkammer,” or cabinet of curiosity, with the Foss Waterway Seaport’s permanent collections. Artistic kids will also be featured in their own exhibit; a design contest for next year’s Maritime Fest poster! And last, but definitely not least, kids will have the chance to help paint a maritime mural on a sail. The finished mural will be displayed in the Seaport for all who wish to see it!
Of course, many of our guests’ favorite activities and spectacles will be returning as well including the free Port of Tacoma tours (Sunday only), the Quick and Dirty Boat Building Contest (Saturday only), toy boat building, and live music all weekend. Come and join the fun!
