By Kirk Boxleitner

The Port Townsend Victorian Heritage Festival runs April 26-28 this year, but tickets went on sale online March 1, and festival co-chairs Kathleen Knoblock and Scott Rovanpera don’t want anyone to miss out before certain events and activities sell out.

Knoblock emphasized that the festival dates back to 1996, so the Port Townsend Heritage Association and its members see themselves as merely “the next generation” of caretakers for the festival. The Association was formed in 2021.

“I’ve lived in Port Townsend for almost 25 years, but I’ve just recently joined the festival,” Knoblock said. “Many of the original founders are still here in town, and I’m proud to join their company as a custodian of this delightful and educational event.”

Knoblock elaborated that the Port Townsend Heritage Association also conducts uptown walking tours each Sunday from early June to late August, and is updating the Port Townsend visitors’ map to identify and locate significant historic structures in uptown Port Townsend.

“We’ll also be staffing an information booth on the Victorian Heritage Festival at the farmers’ markets on April 13,” Knoblock said.

Knoblock explained that each year’s festival has a theme, and this year’s theme is “Home & Hearth,” with Jim Buckley providing his expert insights on 19th century fireplaces, while Brigid’s Loft, at the original Odd Fellows building on Quincy Street, hosts donation-only exhibits and demonstrations on historic handcrafts, complete with local lacemakers, quilters and wool-spinners.

This year’s festival features seven scheduled walking tours — two uptown, three downtown and two more at Chetzemoka Park — in addition to a tour of the restored U.S. Post Office building on Sunday, April 28.

Two of the walking tours scheduled for Saturday, April 27, are already sold out, as are the afternoon teas at the historic Barthrop and Col. Landes houses on April 27-28, respectively.

Among this year’s attractions are the evening “Magic Lantern Show” at the Mount Baker block building on Friday, April 26, as well as the fashion show and contra dance in the American Legion Hall April 27.

“We’ve been strolling downtown in period costumes to promote the festival, passing out ‘Save the Date’ cards and posters for local merchants, but attendees don’t need to dress up for the occasion, unless they really want to,” Knoblock said.

Just as Rovanpera emphasized that the Port Townsend Heritage Association is a charitable nonprofit organization, whose mission in taking ownership over the production of the Port Townsend Victorian Heritage Festival is to educate and celebrate the history of Port Townsend, so too does Knoblock hope to help preserve what she believes makes this community special.

“We came to Port Townsend to sail our old wooden boat, and to fix up an old Victorian house,” Knoblock said. “We love the unique nature of this town, its community and its character.  Helping out with the Victorian Heritage Festival came as a natural progression for me.”

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit porttownsendvictorianfestival.org online.