No dip in ‘sunshine’ for second festival

Organizers of the second Sequim Sunshine Festival didn’t see much drop-off this year, despite an abbreviated list of activities because of the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Created as an event to draw people to the city in the tourism offseason while bringing a positive event at the end of winter, the festival held March 5 and 6 featured three activities: the Sun Fun Color Run, with 5k and 1k options; a Scavenger Hunt, and display of lights at Carrie Blake Community Park and downtown.

“I felt it went great,” said Barbara Hanna, Sequim’s communications and marketing director.

She said the run was the “real cornerstone” of the weekend with 425 people registering for the event, compared to 450 last year. Both distances featured color blast stations for people to run through as volunteers safely threw puffs of washable colored powder onto runners/walkers clothes.

“I was there all day (March 6) and it had great weather and everybody seemed to be very joyful,” Hanna said. “Seemed like people were having great times and excited to be out there.”

Virtual races continue for participants through March 31.

See full results of the 5k race at tinyurl.com/SunRun2021.

The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Sunny Sequim Scavenger Hunt launched with about 300 people downloading the free GooseChase app to play, Hanna said.

The game will be available through the visitor season, she said, with different iterations becoming available as an ongoing activity.

The Sequim Visitor Information Center, 1192 E. Washington St., continues to offer a paper version of the game, too.

Hanna said the event also incorporated the City of Sequim’s “Year of Kindness” theme with visitors encouraged to take their picture as the “I” in the “Be the I in Kind” billboard with the hashtag #BeKindSequim.

As for special lights on display, artist Ross Brown helped illuminate a portion of a bridge at Carrie Blake Community Park while volunteers Emily Westcott and Captain-Crystal Stout modified lights downtown to celebrate the festival. There were some questions about last year’s popular illuminated drone show not returning this year, Hanna said, but she told residents they weren’t comfortable with thousands of people gathering for a show this year.

“Our goal is to bring it back next year,” she said.

The festival’s committee will meet soon with a clearer vision for the Sunshine Festival’s third year becoming clearer by the summer, Hanna said.

“Hopefully, we’ll be able to do a full blown festival in 2022,” she said.

For updates on local activities and the Sequim Sunshine Festival, go to visitsunnysequim.com.

Nikki Hooker stands for a photo with her two girls Skylee, 4, and Stephanie, 7, to “Be the I in Kind” after running the Sun Fun Color Run on March 6 as part of the Sequim Sunshine Festival. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash

Vicki McCurdy and Tim MacDonald celebrate finishing the 1k Sun Fun Color Run in Carrie Blake Community Park on March 6. It was McCurdy’s second time participating and MacDonald’s first. Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash