Irrigation Festival wraps up with sun and fun

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 13, 2026

By Matthew Nash Sequim Gazette

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Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim Junior Soccer was one of 118 entries in the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Grand Parade on May 9. Passing a soccer ball along Washington Street were, from left, Rowan McCreary, a U6 player, Logan Ralston, a U8 player, and Alyx Smith, a U8 player, with referee Emma Ralston behind them.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ The Sequim Irrigation Festival’s royalty float rolls through downtown Sequim on Saturday, May 9 for the Grand Parade. Featured on the float are, from left, princess Caroline Caudle, princess Emma Rhodes, prince Brayden Baritelle, and queen Tilly Woods with float designer Guy Horton driving. They’ll appear in 15 more parades this year, including the Rhododendron Festival this weekend in Port Townsend.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/
Sequim Middle and High School band students march along Washington Street on May 9 playing a number of tunes.

Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash
John Bridge, Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Citizen of the Year, waves to the crowd during the Grand Parade while wearing a fun hat.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/
Friends Jordan Shay, Myah Neal, and Shanty Gallegos wear matching fire hats as they watch the Grand Parade.

Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash
Honored Pioneer Merle Holden waves to audience members of the Grand Parade. He was one of four pioneers honored this year, including Beverly McInnes, Lou Pinnell, and Lyle Brown.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim FFA members ride in a trailer for the Grand Parade while holding a few bunnies they’ve raised.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Family members, from left, Samuel, Benji, Bianca and Arlo Aceves Espinoza sit and watch the Grand Parade near its end in front of Sound Community Bank. Bianca said they come every year to watch.

Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash
Parade watchers interact with log trucks as they drive down Washington Street during the Grand Parade.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/
Molly Bishop of Sequim runs through foam courtesy Strait Up Foam Fun at the end of the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s two mile Bubble Run on May 9. Bishop said it was her first time participating and that she practiced beforehand running to and from Carrie Blake Community Park and beat her personal best time.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Captain Marc Lawson with Clallam County Fire District 3 drives one of the district’s new fire engines during the Grand Parade.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Clallam County Fair royalty dance to music during the Grand Parade. The fair is set for Aug. 20-23 in Port Angeles.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash
Sequim Acrobatics members stand tall next to the grain elevator on May 9 during the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Grand Parade.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Cousins Wyatt Carpenter, 15, and Sydney Owens, 17, wait for the Grand Parade to march by as they watch from a truck bed. They attend the parade with their family every year, and they come from a Sequim pioneer family, with their grandfather Milton Lynch honored as a Grand Pioneer in 2018 and his granddaughter Shelby Wells a royalty princess in 2019.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim High School’s Equestrian Team trots along during the Grand Parade.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Mike Schrock of Sequim walks with his two-year-old grandson Grayson prior to the start of the Grand Parade. It was Grayson’s first Grand Parade, Schrock said.

Sequim Gazette photo by Monica Berkseth
The Sequim Logging Show featured action-packed chainsawing, chopping, climbing and more on May 9. It went May 8-9 with truck and tractor pulls, a Loggers’ Ball and fireworks.

Sequim Gazette photo by Monica Berkseth
Justin Sutherby’s 1989 Skyline GTR won two awards at the Classic Car Show on May 9 - People’s Choice and Best Import.

Sequim Gazette photo by Monica Berkseth/ The Sequim Logging Show was packed with people in the Blake lot south of Carrie Blake Community Park with food, games, truck and tractor pulls, a logging show, fireworks and more.

Sequim Gazette photo by Monica Berkseth/ Josh Bitzer of Chimacum won second place in Underhand Chop and won the 140cc Chainsaw Race at the Sequim Logging Show.

Sequim Gazette photo by Monica Berkseth/ Ralph Shelley’s Factory 5 Cobra was one of about 200 vehicles at the Sequim Irrigation Festival’s Classic Car Show. Shelley said he’s lived in Sequim for a year and his car has been an “absolute blast to drive.”

The weather held up nicely for the last two weekends as another Sequim Irrigation Festival rolled on to keep the streak as Washington’s oldest, longest, continuous-running festival.

For its 131st year, the festival featured Crazy Callen Weekend May 1-3 and the Grand Finale Weekend May 7-10 with the Trashion Show, “The Wizard of Oz” operetta, Grand Parade, Classic Car Show and more. The Sequim Logging Show, now a separate nonprofit, ran May 8-9.

“We thought it was an excellent day,” said the festival’s Executive Director Michelle Rhodes about events on May 9.

See more photos at the Gazette’s website.

The car show had 200 cars with a lot of volunteer help from Scout Troop 90, she said, and the parade, coordinated by the Sequim Sunrise Rotary, had 118 entries.

The parade saw some new entries and groups that royalty have invited to participate after meeting them at other parades, Rhodes said. A volunteer with the Rotary also called several school districts to invite their bands to participate, she said.

Olympic View Middle School Marching Band and Color Guard brought about 200 students from Mukilteo for the event and won first place for Middle School Band awards.

“We appreciate all the schools making the budget to come here,” Rhodes said.

Along the parade route, many first-timers attended, including babies and toddlers. Babies included Marie, who attended with her mom, 2007 festival queen Janaye Birkland.

Jasmine Whitney brought her 20-month-old daughter Lily for the second time to the parade saying her then-baby surprisingly slept through all of last year’s parade, including when log trucks blew their air horns.

KSQM radio also had four announcing booths through the parade route, including a new Spanish speaking booth in front of Jose’s Famous Salsa.

The Run Series featuring a two mile Bubble Run with foam at the end from Strait Up Foam Fun didn’t have as many participants as organizers hoped, Rhodes said, but they’ll give it more time.

“Those who did come seemed to have a really great time,” she said.

Molly Bishop of Sequim said the run was fun and that she participated for the first time after practicing beforehand running to and from Carrie Blake Community Park. Bishop said she beat her personal best time.

As for Crazy Callen Weekend, organizers said the Trashion Show featured more than 20 costumes and filled the Guy Cole Event Center with twice as many people. The Crazy Daze murder mystery breakfast organized by Taylor Dowley also sold out.

“Like the Trashion Show, (Crazy Daze) has grown in popularity,” Rhodes said. “It’s finding its niche.”

Despite the festival ending, the royalty will ride in 14 more parades, including the Rhododendron Festival this weekend in Port Townsend.

This year’s festival tagline was “Let’s go Sequimming,” and next year’s will be “2027 set down your roots and kick up your boots.” It’s set for May 1-9.

Volunteers will work on the festival’s 2027 storyline through July, commission a logo in August and unveil it in October.

Irrigation Festival wraps up with sun and fun

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