Aberdeen Events Calendar

This calendar is the place to find fun events happening throughout Grays Harbor County including Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Westport, Ocean Shores, Elma, Montesano and beyond.

Have an event that isn’t listed? Please email events@GraysHarborTalk.com with the following information:

  • Name of Event
  • Date, time and location (name of business if applicable and complete address)
  • Organizer(s) name
  • Cost
  • URL to purchase tickets
  • Website URL
  • SHORT description of event
  • Photo

Our editors will review and post within a few business days.

Apr
22
Sat
Historic Hoquiam Memories @ Historic Hotel Emerson aka Emerson Manor
Apr 22 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

A get together of local history and memorabilia. Hotel Emerson was opened in April 1924 and will be 93years old on the 30th of the month. Stop in and tour the lobby and what is now the Hoquiam Senior Center, which was a part of original hotel building.
Several local buildings will be represented at this event.

To date the following have made a commitment to attend and share the time relating stories of the buildings and history of Hoquiam events.

Their will also be several Hoquiam Memorabilia Collectors attending and sharing stories and their memorabilia of local historic events. Bring your stories and memorabilia and share. Please contact me if you would like to participate.

Apr
29
Sat
Layers of Meaning: Community Mapping Activity and Self-Guided Tour @ The Polson Museum
Apr 29 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Layers of Meaning: Community Mapping Activity and Self-Guided Tour @ The Polson Museum | Hoquiam | Washington | United States

What gives us a sense of place and belonging on the Harbor? Participate in a community mapping project to tell your story of what makes the Harbor…home. To participate, visit here to add to our online map or pick up a mapping kit at the Hoquiam Library beginning on Saturday, April 15.

We will compile community contributions from the mapping activity into a self-guided tour. The link to the tour will be available online or pick up a paper copy at the Hoquiam Library.

Join us for a reception at the Polson Museum on April 29 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss insights and perspectives sparked by the activity and learn about other historic walking tours in the area.

Voices from the Harbor – Layers of Meaning: Experiencing the Built Environment @ The Polson Museum
Apr 29 @ 2:30 pm
Voices from the Harbor - Layers of Meaning: Experiencing the Built Environment @ The Polson Museum | Hoquiam | Washington | United States

Origins. Remnants. Renaissance. Peel back the layers of meaning of places and spaces of special significance to the Harbor region’s identity along a self-guided tour. Then, join us for a reception at the Polson Museum with local historians and discussions of insights and perspectives sparked by the tour. Tour guides and information will be available on April 29 beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Hoquiam Library.

Voices from the Harbor is an event series produced with funding from Humanities Washington. Layers of Meaning: Experiencing the Built Environment is the second event in a three part series.

Sep
16
Sat
8th Annual Lake Sylvia Fall Festival @ Lake Sylvia State Park
Sep 16 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm

Shuttle service will be available at Simpson Elementary School. For those wishing to park at the lake, you must have a Discover Pass (passes are available at the park).

Activities include: Camp Pancake Breakfast; Trail Races; Music in the Park; Kids Games and Races; Artists’ Market; Food Vendors and more.

Sep
21
Thu
State of the Watershed: A Report Card for the Chehalis River @ Swede Hall
Sep 21 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

This session will be the capstone event for “Learnings from the Chehalis.” Over the past 15 years, community volunteers, citizens, and government agencies have been putting effort in to making the Chehalis River clean and healthy for people, fish and wildlife. How well have we done? This session will look at progress made on water quality improvement, salmon habitat restoration, water conservation, and the impacts of regulations and policies.

Our capstone talk will be held by a panel from the Chehalis Basin Partnership. The Chehalis Basin Partnership was formed in 1998 to provide a framework for local citizens, interest groups, and government organizations to work collaboratively to identify and solve water-related issues. Come with questions!

Sep
23
Sat
Author Talk: The Razor’s Edge: The Washington Razor Clam Phenomenon @ Aberdeen Timberland Library
Sep 23 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

A challenge to dig up but delicious to eat, razor clams are entwined with the state’s commerce, identity, and history. Join author and clam digger David Berger to explore the twists and turns of a quintessential Northwest activity, from its pre-settlement days to the present. This program is cosponsored by Humanities Washington. For Adults.

Author Talk: The Razor’s Edge: The Washington Razor Clam Phenomenon @ Westport Timberland Library
Sep 23 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

A challenge to dig up but delicious to eat, razor clams are entwined with the state’s commerce, identity, and history. Join author and clam digger David Berger to explore the twists and turns of a quintessential Northwest activity, from its pre-settlement days to the present. This program is cosponsored by Humanities Washington. For Adults.

Oct
3
Tue
Map Your Family’s Migration @ Timberland Libraries
Oct 3 @ 10:00 am

All October long, pick up a colorful world map at the Information Desk to trace your family’s passage from your ancestral homeland to Grays Harbor, with landing points along the way. We will supply markers and other crafting supplies for you to use. Maps will be available starting Oct. 3. Supplies are limited. Submissions may be posted to library social media.

Participating libraries: Aberdeen, Amanda Park, Westport

Oct
14
Sat
Tell Your Immigration Story: A Writing Workshop @ Aberdeen Timberland Library
Oct 14 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Explore the story of your immigration or an ancestor’s in this writing workshop under the guidance of author and poet Joanne Clarkson. Clarkson most recently published a volume of poetry, “The Fates,” which touched on her grandmothers’ immigration experiences.

Oct
19
Thu
Lecture Series: Rayonier – 90 Years of Land Management @ Home Port Restaurant Banquet Room
Oct 19 @ 6:30 pm
Lecture Series: Rayonier - 90 Years of Land Management @ Home Port Restaurant Banquet Room | Ocean Shores | Washington | United States

Coastal Interpretive Center’s Rayonier: 90 Years of Land Management is a presentation about the 90-year history of Rayonier’s land management and modern forestry practices, presented by Mark Smalley, Engineering Manager, and Dan Stransky, the Senior Timber Marketing Manager for Rayonier’s lands in Oregon and Washington.

Nov
4
Sat
Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth? @ Lacey Timberland Library
Nov 4 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Sasquatch: Man-Ape or Myth? @ Lacey Timberland Library | Lacey | Washington | United States

Throughout the Northwest, people have been reporting encounters with the Sasquatch— a hairy, eight to ten-foot-tall hominid —for hundreds of years. Yet no scientifically accepted evidence has been offered to establish this being’s existence.

Author David George Gordon evaluates the data gathered about the legendary Northwest icon, discusses the rules of critical thinking and the workings of the scientific method, and explains how one can become an effective “citizen scientist” by gathering credible evidence that can be used to substantiate the Sasquatch’s status as either Man-Ape or Myth.

He is the author of “The Sasquatch Seeker’s Field Manual: Using Citizen Science to Uncover North America’s Most Elusive Creature“.  Read more about the author here.

Feb
15
Thu
Lecture: Olympic National Forest from a Private Perspective @ HomePort Restaurant
Feb 15 @ 6:30 pm

Presenter: Bill Pickell

Mar
17
Sat
Grays Harbor Happenings: the Newsreels of C.D. Anderson @ McCleary Timberland Library
Mar 17 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
The McCleary Historical Society and the McCleary Timberland Library are hosting “Grays Harbor Happenings: the Newsreels of C.D. Anderson” on the big screen.
The documentary highlights the discovery of newsreel footage of the 1920s from Grays Harbor County, the preservation of the films, and a community embracing its history. Produced, written, and directed by Ann Coppel, with narration by Grant Goodeve of the popular KING-TV series “Northwest Backroads”.
May
12
Sat
Maritime Washington: A Watercolor History by Robert Chamberlain @ Elma Timberland Library
May 12 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Come for an exhibit of paintings by Robert Chamberlain illustrating marine activity of Washington’s ports, yesterday and today. They take the viewer from the Columbia, up the coast, through the Straits, and down Puget sound to Olympia.

Jun
16
Sat
Tour and Vigil for Housing @ Downtown Aberdeen
Jun 16 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tour and Vigil for Housing @ Downtown Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Washington | United States

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“We are coming together because we are tired of Grays Harbor County’s economic devastation and we are working together to make our city a better place for everyone,” says Mashyla Buckmaster, organizer with Harbor Rising and Chaplains the Harbor.

June 12th, 2018

CONTACTS:
Mashyla Buckmaster (360) 580-4278
Stina Janssen (360) 301-3340

Downtown Future Housing Site Tour and Vigil to advance vision for 2,000 affordable housing units in Aberdeen Revitalization Plan

Aberdeen, WA – Residents of Aberdeen who have experienced homelessness first-hand and housing-insecure families advocate that affordable housing must be a central emphasis in Aberdeen’s Revitalization Plan. Saturday, under the banner “Harbor Rising,” we will gather to welcome the Most Reverend Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, to the streets of Aberdeen. Having sermonized at the Royal Wedding, Curry is now an international household name. Presiding Bishop Curry’s presence honors the work of our local community, which is rising to the challenge as we face down a housing crisis and advance lasting solutions.

Local residents will lead a downtown tour highlighting both our plight and our potential for future affordable housing and treatment centers, demonstrating our vision to the Presiding Bishop and members of the New Poor People’s Campaign visiting from across Washington State. We will end the day with a vigil at Aberdeen City Hall to honor the many lives lost due to homelessness in our community. The tour will meet at 3:00pm Saturday, June 16th in the parking lot next to Jay’s Fruit Stand (corner of South G St and E Heron St, Aberdeen, WA 98520) and will end at City Hall (200 E Market St) for a vigil.

Making housing a central priority in Aberdeen’s Revitalization Plan would address issues at the heart of citywide concern for Aberdeen’s economic future.
In recent weeks, the City has responded to homelessness with ordinances that would punish homeless people for the housing crisis. There have been community efforts to evict the largest homeless camp in the city. Like the City and the business community, we want a better future for our city and we want businesses and workers to do well.

We mourn the devastating loss of the Aberdeen Armory, which housed vital services including Meals on Wheels, the Museum of History, and Coastal Community Action Program, a provider of housing assistance. Despite the backlog the fire’s destruction will place on housing resources, we know that as a resilient community, we will rise.

Those who know homelessness firsthand have a vision to restore our county and its people by rebuilding our housing stock. One in sixteen people—approximately 1,000 people—are homeless in Aberdeen (DSHS 2017). For every 100 extremely low-income families in Grays Harbor, there are just 17 housing affordable units available. For the 1,775 extremely low-income households in the county, there are only 615 affordable units available, and for the 1,715 very low-income households, only 605 affordable units are available (American Community Survey Data 2016).

Meanwhile in Aberdeen, 11.7% of housing, 862 units, stand vacant (US Census 2010), most of these currently unfit for human habitation. We propose that 2,000 units be built or restored in Aberdeen to fill the gap in affordable housing availability. Harbor Rising imagines responsible agencies partnering with local organizations to provide housing including pathways to home-ownership and employment in housing construction and restoration. The Future Housing Site tour, led by people who have experienced homeless and housing insecurity first-hand.

The tour will end at City Hall for a vigil for those who have died on the street, prayer, and words from Presiding Bishop Curry.

Harbor Rising is made up of people with experiences of homelessness and housing insecurity, local residents, and organizations including Chaplains on the Harbor, Democracy Rising, Blind Justice and more.

Sep
13
Thu
1968: The Year That Rocked Washington exhibit opening @ State Reception Room, Washington State Capitol
Sep 13 @ 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1968: The Year That Rocked Washington exhibit opening @ State Reception Room, Washington State Capitol | Olympia | Washington | United States

In 1968, Vietnam, civil rights, women’s liberation, and conservation coalesced—and tragedy led the 6 o’clock news. It changed us in ways still rippling a half-century later. 1968: The Year That Rocked Washington features a collection of online stories and an exhibit at the Washington State Capitol with profiles, compelling photos, and artifacts that document the activism and aftershocks of a landmark year in world history.

Channel Point Speaker Series – John Larson of The Polson Museum @ Village Concepts of Hoquiam - Channel Point Village
Sep 13 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Please join us for Channel Point Village’s opening Speaker Series event with John Larson, Executive Director of The Polson Museum in Hoquiam, WA, as he explores the theme “Capture the Moment” in relation to the museum’s community-based oral history project “My Harbor Story” and his work at the museum.

Oct
27
Sat
Harvest Moon @ Channel Point Village
Oct 27 @ 1:00 pm

Harvest Moon, Storyteller and Quinault Tribal Ambassador shares stories from the Northwest Coast Indian tradition. In partnership with Hoquiam Timberland Library.

 

Nov
10
Sat
Sand, Snakes, and Silver Wings: Women Pilots of World War ll @ Aberdeen Timberland Library
Nov 10 @ 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Storyteller Rebecca Hom will share the stories of several Women Airforce Service Pilots, (WASPs) as well as the history of the program. The WASPs were an essential part of the US military’s air efforts during WWII.

The WASP training base was in Sweetwater, Texas – A dry desolate place where 1,100 women trained at Avenger Field, during WWII. They were selected from more than 25,000 applicants from all over the United States. Those chosen were highly qualified civilian pilots, and became the first females to earn their Silver Wings and fly military aircraft. These women flew over 60 million miles, in pursuit, cargo, and bomber planes during the brief two years of the WASP program. Their proficiency, enthusiasm, and spirit served the country, broke the norm, and paved the way for the future inclusion of female pilots.

Sand, Snakes, and Silver Wings: Women Pilots of World War ll @ Westport Timberland Library
Nov 10 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Storyteller Rebecca Hom will share the stories of several Women Airforce Service Pilots, (WASPs) as well as the history of the program. The WASPs were an essential part of the US military’s air efforts during WWII.

The WASP training base was in Sweetwater, Texas – A dry desolate place where 1,100 women trained at Avenger Field, during WWII. They were selected from more than 25,000 applicants from all over the United States. Those chosen were highly qualified civilian pilots, and became the first females to earn their Silver Wings and fly military aircraft. These women flew over 60 million miles, in pursuit, cargo, and bomber planes during the brief two years of the WASP program. Their proficiency, enthusiasm, and spirit served the country, broke the norm, and paved the way for the future inclusion of female pilots.

Sep
21
Sat
10th Annual Lake Sylvia State Park FALL FESTIVAL @ Lake Sylvia State Park
Sep 21 @ 7:00 am – 4:00 pm
10th Annual Lake Sylvia State Park FALL FESTIVAL @ Lake Sylvia State Park

10th Annual Lake Sylvia State Park
FALL FESTIVAL

Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 7 AM – 4 PM
Lake Sylvia State Park – 1813 Lake Sylvia Rd North Montesano, WA
https://www.facebook.com/LakeSylviaStateParkFallFestival/

Pancake Breakfast
7 am—11 pm $5
Trail Races 8:30 am
Half Marathon / 10K / 5 K
Artists Market 9 am—4 pm
Food Booths and Live Music
Historic Talk by “Doc Shores” 1 pm
Kayak Paddle 2 pm
Kids Vintage Games and Nature Crafts
Educational booths by Stream Team

Sep
25
Wed
Channel Point Speaker Series – Notable Harborites with Tom Quigg @ Village Concepts of Hoquiam
Sep 25 @ 3:00 pm
Channel Point Speaker Series - Notable Harborites with Tom Quigg @ Village Concepts of Hoquiam

Tom Quigg, proud Harborite, Port of Grays Harbor Commissioner, and Real Estate Broker, will provide an engaging presentation on notable Harborites through the years and their impact on the world. The public is welcome and refreshments will be served. This will be a fun event for newcomers to the Harbor and for long-timers alike. We hope you will join us!