Penn Cove Water Festival
Saturday, May 7, 2005 11 am-5 pm
Coupeville, Washington
Coupeville saw its first Water Festival back in 1930. Organized by local businessmen as a way to draw tourists to the Island, a great deal of time was invested in not only soliciting community support, but also in visiting Pacific Northwest Indian tribes to recruit canoe racers. While only three 11-man canoes participated in the first Water Festival, their time did pay off in the long run. In subsequent years more than twenty-two tribes gathered at the festival, with most participating in the canoe races.
Keep in mind that before white contact, it is believed that the Northwest Native American population in Puget Sound was between 10,000 and 20,000, and that there was most likely at least one boat for every ten people. That would be 1,000-2,000 canoes out on the Sound on a regular basis.
Fleets of boats would gather for fish runs, at portage sites, in safe harbor during storms, and for defense during warfare. It is not surprising that the gathering of boats led to competitive racing.
To further your perspective, before 1940, the populations of Coupeville, Oak Harbor, and Langley all hovered between 250-350. Also remember that until 1913, there was no bridge to Camano. Until the mid-1920's, there was no ferry service to the islands, and until 1935 there was no bridge at Deception Pass…you got to the islands on a steamer, or you used your own boat.
By 1930, however, cars were becoming common, and Whidbey businessmen were touting the island as a wonderful place to visit and tour by car. The scenery and the views had become the commodity of interest, and the Water Festival was a way to expose people from the cities to the offerings of the island. The Native American canoe races provided the main event, and parades, sack races, egg and spoon contests, pie eating contests, "prettiest baby" contests, tribal dancing, and prize drawings rounded out the festivities.
World War II brought an end to the Water Festival. And despite several attempts to revive it in the 1970's and 1980's, it was not until the WSU/Island County Beach Watchers adopted the festival in 1992 that it once again became an annual event.
The Native American Canoe Races continue to be the main attraction, local merchants still hope for throngs of mainlanders to visit their shops and use their services, and one of the major commodities remains our scenery and views of the water and surrounding mountain ranges. But with the enthusiasm, expertise, and support of the Beach Watchers and other community members, the festival has also become a celebration of our water resources.
Residents and tourists alike benefit from a healthy Sound, lakes, groundwater, and aquifers. What's more, we all benefit from the salmon, otters, whales, shellfish, and other critters that live in, or because of, those waters.
Sack races have been replaced by fish printing. Booths no longer display the latest in washing machines but the most recent trends in kayak construction. Educational activities offer prizes where once it was the spoon and egg competition.
So the Water Festival continues. For more information on the tribes that have participated, or how the festival came to be, or how the races turned out in years past, or any number of other festival-related topics, stop by the Island County Historical Museum.
(copied from www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/wf/WFhome03.htm)
Penn Cove Water Festival
Saturday 11 am - 5 pm ADMISSION=FREE!
Coupeville Waterfront
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR MAY 7 AND THE PENN COVE WATER FESTIVAL!
This year’s annual Penn Cove Water Festival is rejuvenated, newly created, well planned, and in good hands as 2004 brings the historic Penn Cove Water Festival to a new life as our Native community and neighbors participate in their annual tribal canoe races. The Penn Cove Water Festival has formed a new planning committee consisting of community members from the Town of Coupeville, South Whidbey, The Orca Network, Beachwatchers, Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce, Native Tribal representatives, Skagit Valley College, and the Island County Historical Society. This committee has been working tirelessly to revitalize the festival and take it in a direction of more traditional Native American culture and traditions with emphasis on Native education and the importance of environmental resources as it relates to Native traditions. Our community saw its first Water Festival back in 1930. While only eleven-man canoes participated in the first Water Festival, subsequent years brought larger canoes as well as over twenty-two tribes gathering each year to participate in races and share their heritage with the population of Penn Cove. Today, the newly created Penn Cove Water Festival Association hopes to bring that spirit back to life by educating us on our Native community with not only tribal canoe races but increased Native arts and crafts, demonstrations, storytelling, dance performances, artist demonstrations, authentic Native foods, children’s activities, and exhibits and displays. The Museum staff and volunteers have been assisting this year by creating the festival’s program calendar with a grant generously provided by the Coupeville Festival Association. Over five Native artists, three Native storytellers, and four Native performances are scheduled along with children’s activities, an historic film on the Festival, as well as an exhibit detailing the history of this great event. Help us by volunteering the day of the festival as volunteers are needed with assisting the performers, artists, racers, and children’s crafts. Contact Julie Dougherty with the Museum at 678-3310 for more information on volunteering. See you there!
The Penn Cove Water Festival is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, 2005, 11am to 6pm on the Coupeville Waterfront.