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.
Thank you for letting us know about your event! Did you know you can post all your future events directly onto our site? It’s the fastest way to make sure we see it!
Here is How to Post an Event on GraysHarborTalk:
Follow this link directly to our calendar: https://www.graysharbortalk.com/grays-harbor-events-calendar/
Click the green “+ Post Your Event Button” which is located above the first calendar post, on the right.
Please be sure to include the following items. We cannot approve a post that does not contain AT LEAST:
- A start date AND time (Time is added by checking the “add time” box AFTER you select a date. An end time is helpful for readers but not necessary)
- A Location (including name of venue and address)
- A brief description (no more than two short paragraphs)
- A link to a website
A picture always make your posts more appealing to your audience so we highly suggest one, but it is not necessary.
Once you submit it, your event has to be approved by an editor. Please allow 2-3 days for this. Any questions can be sent to events@graysharbortalk.com.
“Each item on the beach has a story, and each day at the beach tells a story. If you learn how to read each tideline it’s like a page of a book. It tells you not only what’s happened, but it will tell you what’s coming.” – Alan Rammer
Looking for ways to explore the outdoors after the weather begins to get stormy? Join us for an interactive and lively conversation with marine educator and beach combing enthusiast Alan Rammer. Beach combing – like salmon fishing, picking wild blackberries, harvesting fiddlehead ferns, and logging – is part of the cultural fabric of life on the coast of Washington. It has served as a form of supplemental income for coastal residents and reflects the deep cultural knowledge connected to this place. Bring your questions, the items you’ve found on the coast, and your curiosity as we gear up for coastal winter storms and the stories they share.
Register and learn more here: https://waculture.org/2020/10/22/reading-the-tidelines/?fbclid=IwAR0RNYBWS4UadUGfwa96RQqvIX2KqHYDYh7UEjLyyiy4CqGVUU6LKFe8gvI
Memorial Day weekend May 29th – 30th – 31st will be the first time the Simpson Railroad will be offering locomotive pulled rides. Our “Caboose Hop” will be around the 2.25 mile loop aboard historic 40 year old caboose #201. The 201 and it’s two sisters were the last commercially produced in the United States, marking an end of an era. Scheduled to operate is locomotive #1200 built in May of 1956 making her 65 years old and is still going strong. Caboose 201 was built in June 1981. These two pieces of our museum collection have always been in logging service and represent 105 years of collective history that the Peninsular Railway & Lumbermen’s Museum is dedicated to preserving. So come out and take a ride with the us aboard logging railroad history.
Memorial Day weekend May 29th – 30th – 31st will be the first time the Simpson Railroad will be offering locomotive pulled rides. Our “Caboose Hop” will be around the 2.25 mile loop aboard historic 40 year old caboose #201. The 201 and it’s two sisters were the last commercially produced in the United States, marking an end of an era. Scheduled to operate is locomotive #1200 built in May of 1956 making her 65 years old and is still going strong. Caboose 201 was built in June 1981. These two pieces of our museum collection have always been in logging service and represent 105 years of collective history that the Peninsular Railway & Lumbermen’s Museum is dedicated to preserving. So come out and take a ride with the us aboard logging railroad history.
Memorial Day weekend May 29th – 30th – 31st will be the first time the Simpson Railroad will be offering locomotive pulled rides. Our “Caboose Hop” will be around the 2.25 mile loop aboard historic 40 year old caboose #201. The 201 and it’s two sisters were the last commercially produced in the United States, marking an end of an era. Scheduled to operate is locomotive #1200 built in May of 1956 making her 65 years old and is still going strong. Caboose 201 was built in June 1981. These two pieces of our museum collection have always been in logging service and represent 105 years of collective history that the Peninsular Railway & Lumbermen’s Museum is dedicated to preserving. So come out and take a ride with the us aboard logging railroad history.
“What is doing downtown?” This is the daily question asked by Sam Benn, founding father of Aberdeen. Come join the 4M Klub to uncover the mystery, murder, Mannheim, and madames that lie beneath the sawdust.
A two hour tour of the city with a spectacular, panoramic view of the harbor from atop the Becker Building, its history
The mission is to unite our residence. Enjoy a “new” downtown with its history to connect our community with the “old fashioned” hometown atmosphere; showing off local artists, Sunday market(in season), Friends of the Museum, and programs for our younger generation, discussed during the tour. Tours start promptly at 1:00 PM. “Phil Talks” also available Sundays, starting at 1:00 PM in Game Day Sports Bar and Grill.
2 hour walking tour with panoramic view of harbor atop The Becker Building. “Phil Talk”
and photo history in the 210 s. I St. office if weather is too uncomfortable to talk.
This is a weekly event/every Saturday, Sunday @ 1: PM.
Come join the 4M Klub to uncover the history beneath the sawdust.
Exhibiters: local business history. Such as 7th Street Theater, Hoquiam Library, Masonic Lodge, Elks. Authors will discuss their books on local history. School history of Hoquiam. Coins, tokens, and calendars, etc.
BLESSING OF THE FLEET – Please join us in remembering those lost at sea and bless the fleet for a safe and bountiful harvest. Sunday 1:00 p.m. at the Fishermen’s Memorial. Sponsored by the South Beach Ministerial Assoc. and WEfish. For more information, call Westport-Grayland Chamber of Commerce at 360-268-9422 or go to https://ComeToWestport.com.
FIVE STAR DEALERSHIPS’ SAND AND SAWDUST FESTIVAL
Ocean Shores, WA – June 10, 2022 – Come celebrate summer at the beach with one of the largest events in Ocean Shores – the Five Star Dealerships’ Sand and Sawdust Festival, June 24th through 26th. The free annual festival at the Ocean Shores Convention Center celebrates the forests and the beaches of the Washington State coast and the Olympic Peninsula in Grays Harbor.
At the Convention Center, the festival features the Chainsaw Art Show and Auction with 25 carvers creating pieces for the daily auction, more than 40 vendor booths, food booths, beer garden and bar, and live music.
On the beach is the Sandcastle Building Contest on Saturday,11am – 3pm. This year’s theme: The Beach is Calling! Families, friends and businesses are invited to join in the beach fun. Form Finders of Olympia will be building one of their signature sculptures Friday, conducting sandcastle workshops on Friday afternoon Saturday morning before the fun begins. They will be there to advise and encourage the teams. Teams of any size or composition can sign up on our website, at the Festival or Saturday morning on the beach. Cash prizes in twill be awarded to winners in three categories. Registration fee is $5 per person with a cap of $30 per team.
Around town watch the building of three sand sculptures in the Master Sand Sculpture Contest. Starting Thursday afternoon-Saturday afternoon the artists will be building their creations for Bennett’s Fish Shack (at the Convention Center), Playtime Family Fun, and Oyhut Bay. The sculptures will be on display until nature blows away the sand.
Also on the beach is the Sand Drawing Celebration by Justin the Circler, Friday and Saturday. Watch as the artists make amazing large geometric drawings in the sand, to be washed away by the next tide. Justin will offer a free class on Friday and Saturday morning, so everyone can make their own sand drawings – on 6 miles of beach!
The Chainsaw Art Show and Auction is one of the largest in the Northwest featuring 25 amazing carvers. In three days, there will be 100 or more chainsaw sculptures created, with an auction each day. Watch the artists at work, then purchase your favorite creations. We have international, pro, and semi-pro artists coming from all over the world – Argentina, Australia, California, Oregon, and the Northwest — all to celebrate this amazing art form. Friday and Saturday the program includes the audience favorite “quick carve” at 11am. The live auctions are Friday and Saturday, beginning at 5pm and Sunday at 2pm. The auctions typically last 3-4 hours.
The Festival begins on Friday June 24th, 11am-6pm, Saturday June 25th, 10am-6pm and runs through Sunday June 6th,10am-4pm. Activities take place at the 30,000 sq. ft Ocean Shores Convention Center, surrounding parking lots, and on the beach. Rain or shine there is space for everyone. The Convention Center is located at 120 W Chance a La Mer NW, just two blocks from the beach. https://tourismoceanshores.com/sand-and-sawdust-2021/
FIVE STAR DEALERSHIPS’ SAND AND SAWDUST FESTIVAL
Ocean Shores, WA – June 10, 2022 – Come celebrate summer at the beach with one of the largest events in Ocean Shores – the Five Star Dealerships’ Sand and Sawdust Festival, June 24th through 26th. The free annual festival at the Ocean Shores Convention Center celebrates the forests and the beaches of the Washington State coast and the Olympic Peninsula in Grays Harbor.
At the Convention Center, the festival features the Chainsaw Art Show and Auction with 25 carvers creating pieces for the daily auction, more than 40 vendor booths, food booths, beer garden and bar, and live music.
On the beach is the Sandcastle Building Contest on Saturday,11am – 3pm. This year’s theme: The Beach is Calling! Families, friends and businesses are invited to join in the beach fun. Form Finders of Olympia will be building one of their signature sculptures Friday, conducting sandcastle workshops on Friday afternoon Saturday morning before the fun begins. They will be there to advise and encourage the teams. Teams of any size or composition can sign up on our website, at the Festival or Saturday morning on the beach. Cash prizes in twill be awarded to winners in three categories. Registration fee is $5 per person with a cap of $30 per team.
Around town watch the building of three sand sculptures in the Master Sand Sculpture Contest. Starting Thursday afternoon-Saturday afternoon the artists will be building their creations for Bennett’s Fish Shack (at the Convention Center), Playtime Family Fun, and Oyhut Bay. The sculptures will be on display until nature blows away the sand.
Also on the beach is the Sand Drawing Celebration by Justin the Circler, Friday and Saturday. Watch as the artists make amazing large geometric drawings in the sand, to be washed away by the next tide. Justin will offer a free class on Friday and Saturday morning, so everyone can make their own sand drawings – on 6 miles of beach!
The Chainsaw Art Show and Auction is one of the largest in the Northwest featuring 25 amazing carvers. In three days, there will be 100 or more chainsaw sculptures created, with an auction each day. Watch the artists at work, then purchase your favorite creations. We have international, pro, and semi-pro artists coming from all over the world – Argentina, Australia, California, Oregon, and the Northwest — all to celebrate this amazing art form. Friday and Saturday the program includes the audience favorite “quick carve” at 11am. The live auctions are Friday and Saturday, beginning at 5pm and Sunday at 2pm. The auctions typically last 3-4 hours.
The Festival begins on Friday June 24th, 11am-6pm, Saturday June 25th, 10am-6pm and runs through Sunday June 6th,10am-4pm. Activities take place at the 30,000 sq. ft Ocean Shores Convention Center, surrounding parking lots, and on the beach. Rain or shine there is space for everyone. The Convention Center is located at 120 W Chance a La Mer NW, just two blocks from the beach. https://tourismoceanshores.com/sand-and-sawdust-2021/
FIVE STAR DEALERSHIPS’ SAND AND SAWDUST FESTIVAL
Ocean Shores, WA – June 10, 2022 – Come celebrate summer at the beach with one of the largest events in Ocean Shores – the Five Star Dealerships’ Sand and Sawdust Festival, June 24th through 26th. The free annual festival at the Ocean Shores Convention Center celebrates the forests and the beaches of the Washington State coast and the Olympic Peninsula in Grays Harbor.
At the Convention Center, the festival features the Chainsaw Art Show and Auction with 25 carvers creating pieces for the daily auction, more than 40 vendor booths, food booths, beer garden and bar, and live music.
On the beach is the Sandcastle Building Contest on Saturday,11am – 3pm. This year’s theme: The Beach is Calling! Families, friends and businesses are invited to join in the beach fun. Form Finders of Olympia will be building one of their signature sculptures Friday, conducting sandcastle workshops on Friday afternoon Saturday morning before the fun begins. They will be there to advise and encourage the teams. Teams of any size or composition can sign up on our website, at the Festival or Saturday morning on the beach. Cash prizes in twill be awarded to winners in three categories. Registration fee is $5 per person with a cap of $30 per team.
Around town watch the building of three sand sculptures in the Master Sand Sculpture Contest. Starting Thursday afternoon-Saturday afternoon the artists will be building their creations for Bennett’s Fish Shack (at the Convention Center), Playtime Family Fun, and Oyhut Bay. The sculptures will be on display until nature blows away the sand.
Also on the beach is the Sand Drawing Celebration by Justin the Circler, Friday and Saturday. Watch as the artists make amazing large geometric drawings in the sand, to be washed away by the next tide. Justin will offer a free class on Friday and Saturday morning, so everyone can make their own sand drawings – on 6 miles of beach!
The Chainsaw Art Show and Auction is one of the largest in the Northwest featuring 25 amazing carvers. In three days, there will be 100 or more chainsaw sculptures created, with an auction each day. Watch the artists at work, then purchase your favorite creations. We have international, pro, and semi-pro artists coming from all over the world – Argentina, Australia, California, Oregon, and the Northwest — all to celebrate this amazing art form. Friday and Saturday the program includes the audience favorite “quick carve” at 11am. The live auctions are Friday and Saturday, beginning at 5pm and Sunday at 2pm. The auctions typically last 3-4 hours.
The Festival begins on Friday June 24th, 11am-6pm, Saturday June 25th, 10am-6pm and runs through Sunday June 6th,10am-4pm. Activities take place at the 30,000 sq. ft Ocean Shores Convention Center, surrounding parking lots, and on the beach. Rain or shine there is space for everyone. The Convention Center is located at 120 W Chance a La Mer NW, just two blocks from the beach. https://tourismoceanshores.com/sand-and-sawdust-2021/
This event takes place at the Polson Museum.
To celebrate the reopening of the Polson Museum, join Museum Director John Larson and Hoquiam Librarian Katie Lutz with a discussion of what resources are available to the public for researching Grays Harbor history. Lutz and Larson will share their knowledge of online sites as well as those found in university, library and museum archives located regionally and beyond. Practical handouts will be provided at this museum open house event.
The Grays Harbor Genealogical Society will be hosting a Genealogy Café at the Hoquiam and Montesano libraries. Whether you’re new to genealogy or experienced, you’ll learn about local resources, as well as get individualized help using the library’s online resources and print materials. This free program is provided on a first come, first served basis, no registration is necessary. Drop-in anytime between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. on Sat., April 8th.
North Beach Genealogy Society Ocean Shores, WA meets monthly at the Ocean Shores Library, the third Tuesday of the month at 1pm, Programs and discussions regarding Family History research, resources and DNA. The NBGS began in 1994 and will be celebrating 30 years soon!
Public is welcome. To become a member of the NBGS, the dues are $12 for an individual, $18 for a couple, yearly.
The Museum of the North Beach will be hosting a book signing on Saturday, August 12 from 10am to 12 noon for Exploring Maritime Washington by author Erich Ebel.
Discover the popular destinations and hidden gems along Washington’s coastline, from the Mukilteo Lighthouse to the Wedding Rocks petroglyphs and beyond. Learn about the seafaring Coast Salish people, who navigated the waters of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years, and the early exploration and settlement by European Americans in the late eighteenth century. Delve into the expansion and growth that led to the development of international ports and the modern maritime economy. View the enormous sternwheel snagboat W.T. Preston—one of a trio that kept inland waterways navigable for nearly a century—and hundreds of other fascinating sites. Join author Erich R. Ebel on a journey through the cultural and nautical history of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area and beyond.
Erich R. Ebel was born in Spokane, Washington, and has had stories to tell ever since. During his ten years as a TV and radio journalist and twenty in communications and marketing, Erich pursued his passions—the history, heritage and culture of the greatest state in the Lower 48. His blog, videos and podcasts hold a treasure-trove of Washington facts and help promote local history worldwide. Learn more at www.washingtonourhome.com.
Erich spent several hours at the Museum of the North Beach in April 2021 doing research. His 222 page book sells for $24.00 and is loaded with photographs including a segment about the Museum, some of our local history and the amazing story of the 1892 shipwreck of the British bark Ferndale at Copalis Beach.
North Beach Genealogy Society invites you to join us on November 21st at 1 pm at the Ocean Shores Public Library. All levels of interest in Family History are welcome. Our November speaker will be Michael Turner, presenting “Ethnicity Estimates – Why do they mismatch our Paper Trails?”
The 1974 John Wayne movie “McQ” will be shown on May 4th & 5th at the magnificent 7th Street Theatre in Hoquiam, co-hosted by the Museum of the North Beach.
“McQ” was released fifty years ago on January 1, 1974. This action-packed crime drama was filmed on location in Seattle, Aberdeen, Pacific Beach, Pt. Grenville and Moclips.
A car chase involving three vehicles begins on the beach at Analyde Gap between Pacific Beach and Moclips. A car rollover stunt using the “McQ Cannon” was the first time in cinema history an explosive device was used to flip a car over. A 1973 Chevrolet Impala rolled over five times and landed perfectly on its wheels.
This special showing is a fundraiser. There will be a raffle for a scarce “McQ” coffee mug with John Wayne’s imprinted signature on the reverse side (winning ticket will be drawn on Saturday August 31). Several copies of the 2007 DVD (with a special 8 minute featurette) will be available for sale.
The 7th Street Theatre will be showing the film on Saturday, May 4th at 7:30pm and again on Sunday, May 5th at 2pm. Admission is $6.00. Don’t miss your chance to see this film on the big screen!
The 1974 John Wayne movie “McQ” will be shown on May 4th & 5th at the magnificent 7th Street Theatre in Hoquiam, co-hosted by the Museum of the North Beach.
“McQ” was released fifty years ago on January 1, 1974. This action-packed crime drama was filmed on location in Seattle, Aberdeen, Pacific Beach, Pt. Grenville and Moclips.
A car chase involving three vehicles begins on the beach at Analyde Gap between Pacific Beach and Moclips. A car rollover stunt using the “McQ Cannon” was the first time in cinema history an explosive device was used to flip a car over. A 1973 Chevrolet Impala rolled over five times and landed perfectly on its wheels.
This special showing is a fundraiser. There will be a raffle for a scarce “McQ” coffee mug with John Wayne’s imprinted signature on the reverse side (winning ticket will be drawn on Saturday August 31). Several copies of the 2007 DVD (with a special 8 minute featurette) will be available for sale.
The 7th Street Theatre will be showing the film on Saturday, May 4th at 7:30pm and again on Sunday, May 5th at 2pm. Admission is $6.00. Don’t miss your chance to see this film on the big screen!
The McCleary Museum is hosting an open house for the community to see the updates that have been made to the historic building that they moved to in 2021, as well as see new and updated displays. Refreshments offered.
AmeriCorps members in Aberdeen to unite in service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
AmeriCorps members will volunteer, lead activities at Stewart’s Memorial Park Jan 20
ABERDEEN— The Moore Wright Group of Aberdeen is inviting AmeriCorps members and community volunteers for a day of beautifying Stewart’s Memorial Park, 2332 N B. St. The event takes place at 10 a.m. Jan. 20. Volunteers should dress warmly and wear work gloves.
Their service project is one of thousands simultaneously occurring across the country to honor the late civil rights leader.
Observed each year on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King and improve their communities. AmeriCorps has been charged with leading this effort for more than a quarter century. While much work remains to fulfill Dr. King’s dream of creating the Beloved Community, AmeriCorps remains committed to showing that joining together in service can unify Americans of different backgrounds and experiences to transform unjust systems through a fierce urgency of now.
How to volunteer: Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Peter Van Volkinburg, pete@tmwg.org.
Find a service project in your area: Serve Washington has a “Get Connected” volunteer opportunities site that lets you search for volunteer opportunities in your community. You can filter results by location, focus area, ability and more.
National Resources
Websites like Idealist, Just Serve and Volunteer Match let you search for local projects by zip code. AmeriCorps and Points of Light have lists of projects that can be done in any community by yourself, or in a group.
Share your volunteer experience:
Serve Washington invites you to share your MLK Day volunteer experience to inspire others to serve! We’ll be sharing as many photos, stories and videos to our Facebook and Instagram pages in the days immediately following MLK Day. Don’t forget to tag us! You can also upload your volunteer story using our volunteer story collection tool.
About Serve Washington: Serve Washington is the state commission on national and community service and is a division of the Washington State Office of Financial Management.
Serve Washington advances national service, volunteerism, and civic engagement to improve lives; expands opportunity to meet the local critical needs of residents of Washington and strengthens community capacity while creating healthy and resilient communities. We promote and grow volunteer efforts in the state of Washington. These include AmeriCorps, Washington Climate Corps Network and Community Emergency Response Team, CERT programs. For more information, visit servewashigton.wa.gov.
About the Moore Wright Grupp: The Moore Wright Group is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty, abuse and abandonment in the community by providing hope Their vision is to create communities where people can thrive. The Moore Wright Group operates out of two locations, one in Demopolis, Ala. that services the needs of Marengo County, and the other in Tumwater, Washington that services the needs of Washington and Northern Oregon. Learn more at https://www.tmwg.org/.
About AmeriCorps: AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, provides opportunities for Americans to serve their country domestically, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, improve lives and communities, and strengthen civic engagement. Each year, the agency places more than 200,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in intensive service roles; and empowers millions more to serve as long-term, short-term, or one-time volunteers. Learn more at AmeriCorps.gov.
For more information about MLK Day, visit the AmeriCorps’ MLK Day of Service website.
On February 23, from 3pm to 5pm, Lee and Dani Bacon, the founders of UNPLUGGED: Kurt Cobain Tribute Museum and the Music Project will present a FREE lecture titled The Life and Times of Kurt Cobain in the sunroom of the Sea Glass Grill at Westport Winery Garden Resort. The couple will offer Nirvana and Cobain fans significant insights into the band’s phenomenal success and its impact on our community. Their museum has a strong focus on the grunge music era, what inspired the artists, and why their music struck so deeply in the hearts of their fans.
Lee and Dani opened the museum in 2024, but their adventure began when they purchased the Cobain family home with the idea of preserving it, but without a specific plan. Their story is nearly as fascinating as the grunge music history they celebrate. Guests will get a look behind the scenes at the evolution and future of their incredible museum. UNPLUGGED is open Friday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm at 121 W. Wishkah in Aberdeen.
Please call Westport Winery at 360-648-2224 to register for the lecture. Even though it is free, it helps to plan the seating. Walk-ins and all ages are welcome.
