Whaling Days are back in Old Town Silverdale

SILVERDALE — Get ready for three days of fun, fairs and fireworks: Whaling Days is back in Old Town, and it’s always a whale of a good time.

The annual event began in 1974 and brings in an average of 30,000 people to the Old Town section of Silverdale each year. This year’s festivities begin on July 27 at 5 p.m. with the carnival and the beer and wine garden, and lasts until 10 p.m. on Sunday.

“We’re real excited about it,” Whaling Days co-president Vicky Webb said. “We’re looking forward to great weather. We have a great group of volunteers that work year round and a wonderful group of sponsors. We’re very grateful for that.”

During the course of the three days, be on the lookout for new some characters on Saturday and Sunday. Webb said there will be balloon artists making souvenirs for youngsters, magicians wowing the crowds with amazing feats and roaming pirates giving away some freebies. Also new this year is a Museum of Curious Things that folks can enter for free, and a Sunday afternoon motorcycle poker run — a race in which the motorcyclists travel to different destinations and receive a playing card at random. The best poker hands at the end of the race win prizes and the money raised from entry goes to charity.

“We’re really trying this year to offer some more things to folks that are free,” Webb said.

All of the old favorites will be back. In addition to the carnival, there will be entertainment on the stage near Dyes Inlet throughout the weekend and fireworks on Friday night. Whaling Days also plays host to popular events such as the Whale of a Run four-mile, one-mile and kids dash races and the Dyes Inlet Dash canoe race.

The First Federal Lions/Kiwanis Parade always draws a big crowd. It will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 28. Silverdale resident Carl Johnson will be the grand marshal.

And don’t forget about the Silverdale Rotary Duck Race at 3 p.m. on Sunday, now in its 25th year. Get your ducks in a row and hopefully your’s will be the first to cross the finish line. The grand prize is a 2018 Nissan Truck or $16,000 cash. The event has raised over $1.5 million dollars for the community. Visit silverdalerotaryduckrace.org to find a full list of places to get tickets.

And for even more details on the weekend of events, visit whalingdays.com.

Full list of events:

Friday, July 27

4 to 7 p.m. — Whale of a Run registration pick-up (at Kitsap Mall)

5 to 8 p.m. — Information booth (at Byron and Washington Streets)

5 to 10 p.m. — Carnival rides

5 to 10 p.m. — Beer & wine garden (must be 21 or older)

6 to 10 p.m. — Main stage entertainment

10 p.m. — Fireworks over Dyes Inlet

Saturday, July 28

7 a.m. to 11 a.m. — Silverdale Rotary Pancake Breakfast (at Silverdale United Methodist Church)

7 to 10 a.m. Meals on Wheels Kitsap Whale of a Run. Registration and packet pick up takes place at 7:15 a.m. at the Sears Parking Lot in the Kitsap Mall. The four-mile race starts at 8:45 a.m.; the one-mile race starts at 8:50 a.m.; and the kid’s dashes begin at 9:40 a.m.

10 to 11 a.m. — First Federal Lions/Kiwanis Grand Parade

11 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Carnival rides

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Street fair and information booth

Noon to 10 p.m. — Beer & wine garden (must be 21 or older)

Noon to 10 p.m. — Main stage entertainment

4:30 to 8 p.m. — Kitsap Destruction Derby (at Thunderbird Stadium at the Kitsap Fairgrounds)

Sunday, July 29

7:45 a.m. — Dyes Inlet Dash registration

9 a.m. — Dyes Inlet Dash canoe races

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Street fair and information booth

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Carnival rides

3 p.m. — Silverdale Rotary duck race