Summer is just days away and that means a full slate of family-friendly activities. First on the agenda is Splash Days, Birch Bay Kite Festival, and a new downtown Blaine concert series and beer garden the weekend of Friday, June 24 to Sunday, June 26.
The city of Blaine and Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) will host Splash Days at 3rd and Martin streets 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Friday, June 24. Sprinklers will cool down children running around the blocked-off street and Sugar Shack’s ice cream truck will be at the event.
On Saturday, June 25, the city and Blaine Chamber of Commerce will host a 10 a.m. volunteer work party to clean up downtown. Volunteers should meet at 10 a.m. at G Street Plaza and gloves, tools and mulch will be provided, wrote Alex Wenger, the city’s tourism and economic development coordinator, in an email to The Northern Light. The Blaine by the Sea Market will also run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the last art studio tour of the year will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Starting at 3 p.m. June 25, the Blaine chamber will hold the first outdoor concert and beer garden event on G Street Plaza. Gateway 1890 Taphouse & Grill will provide brews, with a portion of sales going to the city’s Fourth of July fireworks. Mike and Skye Hill are sponsoring live music from Whisky Minstrels, a Celtic group from Vancouver. Alex Britton Band will perform Irish music during an outdoor Blaine concert Saturday, July 9 and Nick Vigarino will play blues during a Saturday, July 23 outdoor concert, Wenger wrote.
Blaine’s fun will only carry into the weekend with Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Kite Festival June 25 and Sunday, June 26. Families can enjoy vendors, yard games, community story hour, silent disco and more at the weekend-long event at the Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) property at 7968 Birch Bay Drive.
“We’re excited for this to be a two-day event again,” chamber event coordinator Sacha Sanguinetti said. “It’s going to be more of a festival atmosphere than just an activity.”
The chamber will host the first day from noon to 9:30 p.m. on June 25, starting with giving away about 400 free kites available to children while supplies last. A Friends of Birch Bay Library (FOBBL) hotdog fundraiser will be going on from noon to 2 p.m. WCLS will have community members read stories to children from 1 to 2 p.m. and then BBBPRD2 will host educational beach walks at 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. A silent disco will be playing 2–6 p.m.
Lawn games, around 20 craft vendors and interactive entertainment will be available from noon to 7 p.m. Entertainment will include inflatable archery and ax throwing games, Sanguinetti said.
Local artist Doug Parent will put on a painting session for children 5-12 years old at 7 p.m. Registration for painting is required and materials will be provided. To register, visit birchbaychamber.com/paintwithdoug.
Saturday will end with an outdoor screening of Encanto at 9:30 p.m. at the WCLS property. Seating is first-come, first-serve and a $5 donation is suggested.
On June 26, the kite festival will open at 10 a.m. with a FOBBL pancake fundraiser that will serve food until noon. Kites, vendors, lawn games and family friendly entertainment will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A silent disco will play from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. and story hour will be from noon to 1 p.m.
The event will round out with a family-friendly, non-gambling golf cart and bicycle poker run, 1-3 p.m. The top three winners will receive gift certificates from Birch Bay businesses. To register for the poker run, visit birchbaychamber.com/pokerrun.
“Attendance at these events is what keeps them happening,” Sanguinetti said. “Come out and take advantage of what we offer on these event weekends.”
For more information on the kite festival, visit birchbaychamber.com/events. More information on the art studio tour and other Blaine events can be found at blainebythesea.com.
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