One of the highlights of the Port McNeill community is Orcafest, and this year’s event will be amped up.
The regular Orcafest staples will return; activities like the fishing derby, parade, and a baseball tournament are spreading the usual joy.
But Chris Woo, manager of visitor experience for Port McNeill, talked about the two extra additions that are also lined up for the weekend.
“Having Rumble on the Runway just worked out, but the weekends coincided this year and I hope that it actually just adds to the value,” said Woo. “I think it’s gonna be a way better weekend having everything together.”
A monthly car racing event, Rumble on the Runway happens at the airfield. Another new addition will be a 5k run, deemed Run PMC— as in Port McNeill. Registration for the run is still open.
“If people registered and they with registration, they get … a branded t-shirt for it that it’s going to be called Run PMC,” Woo said. “So they’ll get their own Run PMC t-shirt, and a medallion for participating in the 5k fun run.”
Woo said that the main parts of the activities will be held at the waterfront. He included that there are a lot of fun things planned for families, like bouncy houses.
“We will have like inflatable activities for kids and families.”
The downtown is also planned to be bustling with an estimated 40 or 50 food vendors located near the waterfront.
Orcafest officially happens on Aug. 19, but the fun actually kicks off that Thursday with the baseball tournament. Twenty-four teams from all over the island are participating.
This is Woo’s first Orcafest at Port McNeill and he’s excited to see the community having fun.
“I love community events. I love seeing how happy everybody is when they all get together,” said Woo.
“That’s kind of what does it for me. It’s just seeing how excited people are to participate in something fun and to have something fun to do especially if we can get full weekend out of it.”
For more information on the event, visit the Orcafest Facebook page.
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