Whidbey Weekly
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A Night for the Museum p. 18 MAY 10 - MAY 16, 2018
LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED
Penn Cove Water Festival celebrates rich cultural heritage Photo Courtesy of Penn Cove Water Festival Association Traditional Native American canoe races are expected to draw big crowds to the Penn Cove Water Festival Saturday in Coupeville. Festival hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; canoe racing begins fron the boat launch at 12:30 p.m.
By Kathy Reed Whidbey Weekly For more than a quarter century, the Penn Cove Water Festival has sought to celebrate Whidbey Island’s rich Native American heritage and its water resources. This year will be no different, as the festival returns to Coupeville Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The annual family-friendly event, put on by volunteers of the Penn Cove Water Festival Association, includes Native American arts and crafts, artist demonstrations, storytellers, music and dance performances, authentic Native American foods, youth activities, exhibits and displays, and the always popular canoe races. The opening ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on the main stage at the corner of Front and Alexander Streets near the Coupeville Wharf. From that point, it’s easy to find family fun and activities to enjoy before the canoe races get started at the boat launch around 12:30 p.m. “I really think starting in town works well, because the festival opens at 11 a.m., and then people can wend their way through the educational exhibits, arts and crafts and entertainment,” said Vicky Reyes, president of the Penn Cove Water Festival Association. “It’s an easy walk to the boat launch. There are viewpoints along the wharf and along Front Street, but I highly recommend getting down to the launch at some point and seeing how it all happens.”
Special Storytelling Event! Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Pacific Rim Institute, 180 Parker Rd., Coupeville Kick off the Penn Cove Water Festival early with storytelling around the bonfire with anthropologist and lecturer Lou LaBombard. The canoe races, which have several different divisions, will continue throughout the remainder of the day with teams from several area tribes competing. The races were first held in Coupeville in 1930, before World War II brought the early version of the festival to an end. Since the festival’s revival in 1992, the races have remained one of the most popular elements of the event. Other activities highlight the important role the Pacific Northwest’s original residents played in shaping and preserving the land – a rich history of which many may be unaware. “I think what many might not know is that truly the Salish were a peaceful nation,” said Reyes. “They were hunters and gatherers and lived off the land very successfully, even managing the land to some extent to ensure crops survived.
Photo Courtesy of Penn Cove Water Festival Association This year’s Penn Cove Water Festival is dedicated to the memory of Jackie Feusier, pictured here with her husband, Joe Walck.
“Because they were hunters and gatherers, they used what they had,” she continued. “They made their clothing and hats from cedar bark. They used everything and they always asked forgiveness. They were very reverent of the land and their surroundings.”
For the past several years, Feusier used designs bequeathed to the PCWFA by artist Roger Perdue – including this year’s White Raven - to create the unique posters, T-shirts, fine art prints and advertising that has been a hallmark of the festival.
Look for details of that history to be passed on at the festival through the storytellers and performers, Reyes said.
“During the opening ceremony we have a replica of the special paddle we give first-place winners at the races showing the festival is dedicated to Jackie and we’ll be presenting that to her husband, Joe Walck,” Reyes said, adding that an AED unit installed at the boat launch was placed in Feusier’s honor as well. A special paddle will also be presented to Vracien’s husband, Wylie.
“I suppose many of the songs and stories are similar to other native tribes, but those of the Pacific Northwest will have their own twist on it,” she said. “I love the entertainment. The culmination of the day when the Tsimshian Haayuuk Dancers perform and invite the community to join in, it’s the perfect ending to a perfect day.”
Photo Courtesy of Penn Cove Water Festival Association Music and dancing also play a huge role in the Penn Cove Water Festival, taking place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in Coupeville.
Perfect days like this don’t happen without a lot of work by a lot of people. It takes about 150 volunteers to pull this event together and Reyes said the festival association is always looking for people who want to volunteer. She said they are also looking for new board members, following the passing of longtime bread chairman Ginny Vracien and community activist and graphic artist Jackie Feusier. This year’s Water Festival is dedicated to Feusier’s memory.
Reyes anticipates as many as 4,000 visitors will attend the water festival. A complete list of the performers, maps and festival history can be found online at www.penncovewaterfestival.com. Anyone interested in donating a loaf of homebaked bread to be presented to honored Native American guests, entertainers and canoe clubs is welcome to drop them off Friday at the Coupeville United Methodist Church. Anyone interested in volunteering may email penncovewater festival@gmail.com, noting “volunteer” in the subject line.
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