It has rained on Shrimpfest for the past few years, and every year, festival organizer Phil Thenstedt wishes for sun.
Shrimpfest got plenty of sun this year for the annual Memorial Day event, but …
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Kids practice for the belt sander races, which one Boy Scout said was a good way to settle disputes between families.
Shrimp wasn’t the only protein available at Shrimpfest. Jaydin Salter, 8, found a huge barbecued turkey drumstick and enjoyed it at the event. Although Shrimpfest ran out of frozen shrimp, organizer Phil Thenstedt noted that many of the vendors used Hood Canal shrimp for everything from gumbo to skewers. Photos by Allison Arthur
Genidive Roberts looks down the line to see what's going on after she has run out of shrimp to sell at Shrimpfest 2017. Leader file photo
Silas, 5, of Everett, enjoys the Shrimpfest with his family. Face painting was a big hit at Shrimpfest this year.
Jim Smith of Chehalis has been coming to Shrimpfest for years and bought 400 pounds to cook this year. He says Hood Canal shrimp are sweeter than other shrimp. He smokes them, then grills or deep-fries them. Here, he holds up some that are ready for the grill.
It has rained on Shrimpfest for the past few years, and every year, festival organizer Phil Thenstedt wishes for sun.
Shrimpfest got plenty of sun this year for the annual Memorial Day event, but attendance was “not what we were hoping for,” Thenstedt said.
If anything, he said, it might have been too hot.
“Everybody who came out had a good time,” he said. “But on Saturday, with the heat, there was no breeze at all.”
The festival bought 1,400 pounds of Hood Canal shrimp to sell and sold out two-thirds of it on Saturday by 1 p.m. Organizers always hold back some shrimp for Sunday festival-goers.
Thenstedt said he also wished more food vendors would promote the fact that they are using Hood Canal shrimp in their dishes, which included gumbo, and fried and grilled shrimp.
“People don't read the signs, and I struggle with this message,” he said. “I might create some new signs.
As of Monday, Thenstedt had not had a chance to tally up how the festival did financially. The event is the biggest fundraiser for the Emerald Towns Alliance, which supports community programs in Brinnon.
