Free family fun in store at Summerfest

The Aberdeen Revitalization Movement will host its inaugural Summerfest on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

ARM board members Bette Worth and Bobbi McCracken have been developing the community event for several months in an effort to make it “fun, free and family-friendly.”

Starting at noon, families are encouraged to take blankets and picnic baskets to Zelasko Park.

“Our theme was an old-fashioned picnic in the park, like in the ’20s,” said McCracken.

Along those lines, volunteers will conduct children’s games such as a three-legged race, a tug-of-war and limbo.

“There’s even one called Pick Your Nose,” McCracken said with a laugh. “And you’re just gonna have to come down and see what that is for yourself.”

The Electric Park Jazz Band, led by John and Tiffany Maki, will play Dixieland-style jazz from 1 to 3 p.m.

But there will be no vendors at the park.

“Part of our thinking is keeping this free,” said McCracken. “If you’ve got three or four kids and you’re at the park, and there’s the popcorn guy and the doughnut guy and the ice cream guy, then it’s not a free event. We just want to keep it low-key.”

“But we will be passing out ice cream sandwiches,” said Worth.

The element that brings everything together, though, is the scavenger hunt.

Starting at 10 a.m., visitors can pick up the official map at the Aberdeen Art Center. The colorful guide, drawn by Lori Carossino, pinpoints 30 downtown locations with helpful notes and landmarks. They include many of downtown’s “usual suspects,” such as City Center Drug, Wiitamaki’s and Furniture World; but some might be pleasantly surprised to find Marshall’s Garden & Pet and Alfie’s motorcycle repair shop on the list as well.

“We tried to be inclusive of all our businesses, not just the ones on the 300 block of Wishkah and Heron that are doing well,” said McCracken.

“But some aren’t open on Saturday, so we couldn’t go to them,” added Worth.

With the map in hand, folks can make their way through town looking for small versions of the Aberdeen flag inside each of those shops. Employees at each site will stamp the back of the map to signify a successful visit. Most also will be conducting sidewalk sales for those wishing to browse a bit along the way.

When all 30 stamps are collected, bearers can write their name and contact information on the map and turn it in at Zelasko Park as a raffle entry. Numerous drawings will be held during the afternoon for small prizes, which have been either donated by the participating businesses or purchased by ARM to help support them.

“We received a small-capacity grant from the Grays Harbor Community Foundation for Main Street,” said Worth. “And this is a Main Street event.”

ARM continues to work toward establishing the city as a Main Street America community. At this point, Aberdeen is a Main Street “affiliate,” which allows officials access to a variety of helpful resources, but no direct funding or tax breaks.

Worth said as part of the Main Street effort, ARM Executive Director Wil Russoul is working “to make the businesses downtown feel more like a family. They’re working toward a common goal, not out there trying to survive on their own.”

Summerfest and Winterfest (planned for December) are intended to help bring those businesses and the community together toward that goal.

“It’s just hometown fun,” said McCracken. “We know we won’t be drawing people from Olympia or Tacoma. We just want to encourage our local people to come out and see what’s downtown.”

The Aberdeen Art Center is located at Market and K streets. Zelasko Park is on F Street between Heron and Wishkah.

For more information, visit chamber.graysharbor.org.

(Courtesy image) The official flag of Aberdeen represents (in part) the confluence of the Wishkah and Chehalis rivers as they empty into Grays Harbor.