Peninsula College looks to offer something for everyone at the school’s first Fall Spectacular, set for 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Oct. 1, on the Port Angeles campus, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
The inaugural community festival brings food, drink, live music, hot air balloon baskets of fun, family-friendly attractions and hands-on activities in “hometown celebration style,” organizers say.
Attendees can enter to win event swag, and a new laptop will be given away each hour beginning at noon.
All activities, except food and drink purchases, are free and open to the public.
“Fall Spectacular is anything but a traditional college open house,” Peninsula College president Suzy Ames said. “We want to connect with folks of all ages in an immersive festival atmosphere.
“We want kids on the Peninsula to grow up with fond memories of this event, and we want them to know the college is a place where they belong.”
Hot air balloon displays and rides will be offered on the athletic field by Captain Crystal Stout of Morning Star Balloon Co. The tethered hot air balloon rides, dependent upon safe weather conditions, will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis and anchored by Wilder Auto vehicles.
For the young and young-at-heart, Robins Green will feature a zip line, 24-foot dual inflatable slide, inflatable soccer darts, 20-foot enclosed bounce house, inflatable bungee run, 32-foot rock climbing wall and a junior inflatable obstacle course.
A variety of food and drinks will be available for purchase, including: Welly’s Real Fruit Ice Cream; Fogtown Coffee; Leftie’s Baseball Beer and Wine Garden, and Peninsula College Market and Deli, as well as vintage-style cotton candy and popcorn.
Cherokee conceptual artist Karen Sixkiller will provide drop-in beading workshops throughout the day at ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse.
The Uptown Arts District will offer an Art Zone in the quad featuring free face painting, sidewalk chalk drawing and interactive booths.
Port Angeles Fine Arts Center will host printmaking activities, and the Juan de Fuca Foundation for the Arts, in partnership with North Olympic Library System, will offer a Día de Muertos display and flower making activities. Olympic National Park will display an interactive glacier memorial with glacier art activities.
Clallam County Mosaic, Port Angeles’ U.S. Coast Guard and Olympic Medical Center will also host interactive booths, and Clallam 2 Fire and Rescue vehicles will be available to explore.
The festival main stage on Robins Green will feature the Lower Elwha Song and Drum Group, Port Angeles High School Jazz Band, and Soulshakers Blues Band. Check out PC Talk, 20-minute lectures offered by PC faculty in the PUB.
Interactive classroom activities will be held across campus including: Raku Firing and Clay Throwing; Prairiescapes and Prairie Plants; Film and Digital Storytelling; Esports Arena Tour and Games; Anatomy/Physiology Demonstration; Makerspace Activities; Welding Demonstration; and medical assisting and nursing program lab tours.
Seven Cedars Casino will provide free shuttle service to the event with various stops throughout Sequim and Port Angeles, and Clallam County Transit offers routine service from downtown Port Angeles to campus throughout the day.
Fall Spectacular is made possible thanks to the Peninsula College Foundation, with funding for PC Talks and Interactive Classroom Activities made possible through a National Endowment for the Humanities American Rescue Plan (ARP) grant that supports humanities faculty, staff and projects impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
