Festivals showcase communities’ unique charms, characteristics and senses of humor. Attractions and events run the gamut from outhouse races to gravity-fueled coaster races, a Bigfoot calling contest to Basque dances and strength contests, and handcrafted mahogany boats of yesteryear to colorful kites to banana slugs.
Alaska’s Outhouse Races
Imagine an outhouse shaped like a fighter jet.
That was one of the unforgettable entries in Anchorage’s annual Outhouse Races. The contest, held on the last Saturday of February, is a highlight of the two-week Fur Rendezvous—a prelude to the Iditarod and celebration of all things Alaskan.
The “Top Gun”-esque outhouse was built by the Alaska Air National Guard team.
“There are so many hilarious, crazy entries,” says John McCleary, executive director of the festival, known locally as Fur Rondy.
Dozens of creative teams build an outhouse on skis and race it around a course, pulling and pushing it toward the finish line. Teams of four runners and one rider—who must wear a helmet and have toilet paper on board—choose between two categories when they build their peculiar privies. In the traditional class, outhouses must measure at least 30 inches square. The unlimited class allows a maximum of 12 feet in length and 8 feet in width and height. The categories were set in 2006, when the University of Alaska’s Architecture and Engineering Club started the event as a fundraiser.
Along with prizes for the fastest and last-place finishers, there are awards for best theme, most realistic, cleanest and best engineered. Along with bragging rights, the winners receive a trophy like no other—a toilet paper roll holder ensconced in a small-scale outhouse.
The outhouse races are among more than two dozen events brightening spirits during the darkness of winter. Another crowd-pleaser is The Blanket Toss, when people grip the edge of a taut, tanned walrus skin and toss someone in the center skyward. Also popular are ice sculpture contests and the Running of the Reindeer, where entrants dash down a street with deer hot on their heels.
The event is a fundraiser for the Three Barons Renaissance Fair, scheduled for the first two weekends in June with pirate and fantasy themes. Sword fights, crafts and food booths are featured.
Idaho’s Silver Wake Celebration
There’s a backstory to the names of dozens of handcrafted wooden antique and classic boats that line up at Sandpoint’s boardwalk during the Silver Wake Celebration, an annual boat show in mid-July in Northern Idaho.
“Our boat was called the Donna Rosa for my red hair,” says Jan Keener, show chairperson. “I’ve always loved the sound of the motor, the beauty of the boats, and the lasting friendships and camaraderie
of boaters.”
The sleek boats’ white oak frames are covered with mahogany and varnished to a glistening shine.
“They all have a story,” says longtime boater Ron Yandt, who owns the Uncle Bob. “It was named for my uncle, who built about 75 boats that were used on Lake Coeur d’Alene as water taxis, racers, or mail and grocery delivery, or for pleasure. He was known for his distinct boats and using blueprints of a Hacker-Craft design. They’re low in the water, so they have a smooth ride.”
Ron and his son are restoring another boat his uncle built named Skippy Junior.
“We work on it a couple of nights a week,” he says. “He was an amazing craftsman.”
The Inland Empire Chapter of the Antique & Classic Boat Society hosts three summer shows. This year’s Sandpoint show is July 11-13, with the public showing on Saturday, July 12. Boats are mostly from Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. Boat owners from chapters in Portland, Seattle, Payette and Western Montana also attend.
The Coeur d’Alene Boat Festival is Aug. 15-17, and the Dry Rot Boat Show at Priest Lake is Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
Nevada’s Basque Festival
The 61st National Basque Festival, July 5-6 in Northern Nevada, is sponsored by the Elko Euzkaldunak Club at its clubhouse. The celebration features live music, dancing, weightlifting, wood chopping, food and vendors, all celebrating the culture of the Basque region in Spain and France, and the immigrants who brought it with them to America.
“It’s great to see how our culture is still alive. The festival is personal for our family because my grandfather, Marcial Goitia, was Basque,” says Michelle Cromwell, marketing and advertising manager at the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority. “He was a sheepherder and business owner. He opened a pool hall.”
Michelle recalls seeing a photo of her grandfather’s wife, Glenna Goitia, holding a shovel to break ground for the Basque Club, a meeting place for residents of Basque heritage.
To celebrate their heritage, Michelle’s three daughters learned traditional Basque dances.
“The Basque community is close, and dance groups perform at festivals throughout the area,” she says. “Our daughters are looking forward to dancing at Jaialdi, the world’s largest Basque Festival in Boise.
“Basque food is amazing,” she adds. “I still make my grandmother’s salad dressing recipe with a little garlic, sour cream and vinegar.”
Elko’s Basque restaurant, The Star, honors Basque culture year-round.
“People sit at the same long tables, and the food is served family style,” Michelle says.
The schedule of festival events will be posted on the Elko Euzkaldunak Club’s Facebook page.
Arizona’s Bisbee Coaster Races
For more than a century, generations of Bisbee residents have celebrated the Fourth of July by racing soapbox derby-style cars, called coasters, at speeds of up to 40 mph down a canyon road.
“We start at the top of Tombstone Canyon and end at the post office,” says Bridgette Christian, chairperson of the Coaster Race Committee. “It’s how we start the holiday in the morning. My dad was a big volunteer, so I want to keep it going.”
Drivers ages 9 to 16 build their own vehicles and coast along for about 1.6 miles in roughly 3 minutes. They practice at trial runs in June to be ready for the big day in July.
The town’s population of 5,000 doubles during the event “because it’s so family-oriented,” Bridgette says. “We have a strong sense of community here. We’re grateful to all the volunteers who make it happen.”
After the town’s copper mine closed, a large group of residents left the area, but many come back for a reunion to celebrate the summer holiday.
Other unique festivals in Arizona include the Oatman Egg Fry, ShoLo Lawn Mower Races and Wyatt Earp Days.
Northern California’s Decades of Bigfoot Daze
Bigfoot’s sonorous calls resound across the small town of Willow Creek in Northern California during Bigfoot Daze, the second Saturday of July.
“We have so many events with one of our most popular ones being the Bigfoot Calling Contest,” says Shannon Hughes, president of the Willow Creek Chamber of Commerce. “It always draws a lot of entrants and a lot of laughs, too.”
She says local and worldwide Sasquatch devotees come to the annual event.
“This will be our 63rd celebration,” she says. “For some, it’s an annual pilgrimage. It’s understandable why we’re the Bigfoot Capital of the World. We’re surrounded by wilderness where there are always some sightings.”
About 300 purported sightings of the elusive creature are chronicled at the local museum along with Sasquatch exhibits. A 1967 film taken near Bluff Creek became famous when it showed an ape-like creature walking along the banks.
Among the numerous events, another one that makes spectators laugh is the 20-minute parade with entries expressing the theme of Bigfoot and the watermelon-eating contest.
“It’s a great community festival,” Shannon says.
Washington’s Slug Fest
“May the slime be with you” is the saying on June 28-29 at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville.
Children learn what life looks like from a slug’s point of view. They even get the chance to race while wearing tentacle headbands, goggles and plastic sacks as they slide around on their bellies on a wet tarp.
The event is organized to celebrate the importance of the local yellow-green banana slug that helps decompose organic matter to nourish trees and plants.
Oregon’s Lincoln City Kite Festivals
Professional kite flyers demonstrate aerial acrobatics at Lincoln City Summer and Fall Kite Festivals in Oregon’s Central Coast.
“It’s amazing what the professional flyers can do,” says Stephanie Hull, event outreach coordinator for Lincoln City. “We have about 50 flyers come to our events.”
KiteLife magazine named the town the Kite Capital of the World with its more than 7 miles of beach. Many festival participants handcraft their kites with shapes of whales or octopuses.
“The large inflatables are really creative,” Stephanie says. “Some people paint their own designs on the kites and others handsew them. Some choreograph their flights, too.”
This year is special.
“We’re celebrating our 40th summer festival and 45th fall festival,” she says. “We’re looking forward to seeing an LED illuminated night flight on Friday.”
The summer festival is June 21-22, and the fall festival is Sept. 20-21.