By Karen Robes Meeks
From Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, the Port of Olympia will host the 46th Harbor Days Maritime Festival to celebrate the community’s maritime roots.
Vintage and working tugboats will be on display at Percival Landing and Port Plaza in downtown Olympia. Some tugs will offer tours on Saturday.
Festival goers will be able to admire various vessels including the retired US Coast Guard Cutter tug Comanche, now a floating WWII museum, and Tordenskjold, a 100-year-old Bering Sea fishing vessel. Also returning to Olympia is the famous tall ship Lady Washington, which will share dock space with the historic Mosquito Fleet steam ship Virginia V and US Navy retired admiral’s barge, Old Man IV. Tours and cruises will be offered all weekend.
On Saturday, Aug. 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., visitors are invited to take a free port tour. Go to the Port of Olympia’s booth on the northwest corner of the Port Plaza, just north of Percival Landing on Budd Inlet for more details.
Harbor Days after Dark will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings at the Port Plaza. This free live theater performance of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” is presented by OlyArts Magazine, a local art publication.
Not to be missed is the annual Tugboat Races in Budd Inlet scheduled for noon on Sunday Sept,1.
For more information, visit www.HarborDays.com.