Annual Events
Events are big in our small town. There are always other happenings going on in Blaine, to see what is currently happening, click here.

FEBRUARY
Bite of Blaine - February 16th, 2009 - This annual event brings together local restaurants and area food confectioners from Blaine and Birch Bay serving up tasty samplings. Attended by hundreds of hungry people this event is sold out every year.
Tickets: $25/pp. Get your tickets early, there will be no ticket sales at the door. Purchase tickets at:
Pacific Building Center, 2677 Bell Road, Blaine - (360) 332-5335
Blaine Cost Cutter, 1733 H Street, Blaine - (360) 332-5909
Seismology Resort, 9565 Seismology Pkwy, Blaine - ( 360)-318-2000
For more information contact the Blaine Visitor Center at (360) 332-4544.

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APRIL
Wings Over Water Pacific Northwest Birding Festival -
April 19th, 2008 - 9AM to 5 PM Downtown Blaine - I-5 Exit 276.
Great for avid enthusiasts and casual observers! Come and join the celebration at this annual event held in one of the Pacific Northwest's premier bird viewing areas. Originally known as the Washington Brandt Festival, this festival focuses on the thousands of br ant geese and other birds that visit the pristine shores of Blaine and Birch Bay on their annual migration. Events include viewing stations, seminars, exhibits, live raptor displays, walking field trips of Seismology Spit, Blaine’s Marine Park and Birch Bay State Park. For more information on this event, please visit:
www.blainechamber.com/wow



OTHER RESOURCEFUL LINKS:
www.washingtonbrant.org
http://wa.audubon.org

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Semiahmoo Sailing Ragetta April 26-27, 2008 - This is a 2-day event is currently planned for April 2008. Semiahmoo Bay is less than a day's sail for the racing fleets of Bellingham Bay, English Bay, Victoria and Anacortes. This annual yacht race has become a Vancouver Area Racing Council (VARC) sanctioned race. Strategically situated on the border between White Rock, BC and Blaine, the Semiahmoo Bay International Regatta is the perfect opportunity for the best of the US Pacific Northwest fleets to test the best in Western Canada. In addition to the yacht racing and kite festival, this year festivities should be bigger than ever with the following activities planned:
Dragon Boat Races
Sunday Barbeque in Blaine WA
Waterfront Trade Show
Kayaking Demos
Children's Activities - boat building, fishing, face painting and more.
For more information visit www.semiahmooyachtclub.com

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MAY
Sweet Road Art Studio Tour - May 10th & 11th, 2008. The tour is put on by the Sweet Road Artisans Alliance and is also known as SpringFest. The studio tour runs both Saturday and Sunday during Mother’s Day weekend. Maps of artists studios are available around town at various businesses that have signed on as sponsors as well as at the Blaine Visitor Center.

Peace Arch Park International Sculpture Exhibit - May 1st thru October 1st, 2008 - The international fine arts program features outdoor sculptures in Peace Arch State Park's magnificent gardens with some sculptures placed in downtown Blaine. The exhibit features sculptors from the United States and Canada and is held annually from May to September. For more information on the Peace Arch Park and Sculpture Exhibit, please visit: www.peacearchpark.org. Location Map.

Historic Plover Passenger Ferry Rides
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Beginning Memorial Day through Labor Day.

The oldest passenger foot ferry in Washington State, the MV Plover was used to shuttle cannery workers to the Alaskan Salmon Cannery on Semiahmoo Spit, now home to Semiahmoo Resort & Spa. MV Plover now provides passenger foot-ferry services during the summer season, shuttling up to 17 passengers along with bicycles & strollers to summer activities happening on both sides of Drayton Harbor. The Plover is certified by the U.S. Coast Guard. Complete details on the Historic Plover with sailing times, routes, history and fares can be found at: www.draytonharbormaritime.org

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JUNE
Hands Across The Border - June 14th, 2009. ATTENTION: Due to construction at the Peace Arch border crossing, Hand Across the Border will not take place in 2008, but will return in June 2009. Peace Arch State Park, I-5 Exit 276. Join the hundreds upon hundreds of scouts and veterans who participate in the hands across the border ceremony held the second Sunday in June. This event takes place at Peace Arch State Park between the United States and Canada. The International Peace Arch Association sponsors this celebration that includes a flag exchange, speeches, a parade through the arch and a peace ceremony. Location Map.

For official information on this annual event, please visit:
http://www.peacearchpark.org/peacearchcelebration.htm

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JULY
Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration - Come spend the day celebrating the 4th of July in Blaine. Thousands of people come to celebrate the 4th with day-long activities that include a pancake breakfast, a parade at noon, a arts & crafts fair with over 80 vendors, a beer garden, a show & shine, live entertainment, dunk tank and plenty of good food. Get your spot in Blaine Marine Park for a community picnic and jazz concerts. Ride the historic Plover Ferry from Blaine to Semiahmoo Resort where you can make an afternoon and evening of it with a salmon BBQ and a perfect spot to watch the fireworks over Semiahmoo Bay! For lodging accommodation, click here.

PDF DOWNLOAD:
VENDORS: Take a $10 discount if you make payment by March 31st, 2008

PDF DOWNLOAD:
For more information on this event and participating, contact Carroll Solomon at the Blaine VIC (360) 332-4544.
Location Map.

Blaine Jazz Festival -
July 6th - 12th, 2008 Six exciting days of rehearsals, combos, improv, composition, and other great classes for teens with an internationally recognized faculty culminating in a jazz concert featuring student big bands, combos and vocal groups PLUS multiple performances by visiting jazz artists. Sponsored by the Pacific Arts Association, an all volunteer organization, that produces annual series of concerts by professional artists throughout the year in Blaine at the Blaine School Performing Arts Center. For more information on the Blaine Jazz Festival visit www.pacificartsassoc.org.

2nd Annual Peace Portal Street Fair - July 12, 2008. The Peace Portal Street Fair (Jazz Arts Fair) is beingheld in conjunction with the 6th Annual Blaine Jazz Festival and will feature the arts and crafts of local area artists and artisans. Vendor space is free. For more information, call the Blaine Visitor Center at (360) 332-4544.

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AUGUST
Drayton Harbor Maritime Festival - August 2nd 2008 - Formerly know as the Blaine Boardwalk Festival, this one day event is held along Peace Portal between H Street and D Street.

To be an exhibitor or vendor...
PDF DOWNLOAD:
Deadline for vendor applications is July 25, 2008.
For more information, call the chamber office at (360) 332-6484.

Wood On Water Festival - August 2nd & 3rd, 2008 This two day event is held in conjunction with the Drayton Harbor Maritime Festival and takes place along Blaine Marine Drive at the Blaine Harbor's Visitors Dock. The visitors dock is open to the public to view a fleet of steam boats and vintage water craft. Other activities during this event is the prestigious George raft race held at the Blaine harbor launch ramp. Race watchers are welcome to watch the raft race from the port's promenade board walk at the north end of the marina and from the gate #2 gangway ramp. For more information contact Drayton Harbor Maritime's Founding Director, Captain Richard Sturgill at (360) 332-5742, the Blaine Visitor and information center at (360)332-4544 or the Blaine Harbor Master's office at (360) 332-1042.

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SEPTEMBER
Sam Hill Peace Arch Dedication Days - Take a walk down memory lane and welcome the late Samuel Hill and other re enactors back to Blaine to commemorate the Peace Arch's Dedication Days, or "Sam Hill Days". anniversary. Sam Hill was the creator and builder of the Peace Arch Monument on the border of U.S. and Canada. He built the monument in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 between the U.S. and Great Britain. Attendees at the original dedication included arch creator Sam Hill, his friend Queen Marie of Romania, Blaine's mayor H.W. Hunter and British Columbia Premier John Oliver. During this annual event, community members dress in period costumes impersonating the famous people who took part in the original dedication. For more information on Sam Hill Dedication Days, please visit: www.peacearchpark.org.

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OCTOBER
Bountiful Fall Harvest - A weekend celebrating the changing of seasons welcoming the Fall harvest and holidays. Activities include Scarecrow building and a artists studio tours. More on this event can be obtained from the Blaine Visitor Center.

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DECEMBER
Annual Christmas Lighting - Enjoy a day of music, caroling, refreshments, Mr & Mrs Santa visit, free candy canes, hot cider & drawing prize. For more information on the event, please contact the Blaine Visitor Center.

Winter Wonderland Holiday Displays - Come on downtown for a festive holiday celebration viewing Snowman and holiday decoration by local businesses and community groups as they participate in the "Winter Wonderland Holiday Display Contest." Prizes are handed out for the best decorations on December 1st. For more information on the event, please contact the Blaine Visitor Center.

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Surrounding Communities Annual Events

Birch Bay
JANUARY
Birch Bay Polar Bear Swim - Watch as hundreds of shivering brave souls plunge in to the icy waters of Birch Bay as a kind-of ritual celebrating the new year. Sponsored by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce.

JUNE 21st, 2008
Birch Bay Sand Sculpture Contest - Families and kid's of all ages build their creations on the sandy beaches of Birch Bay. For more information on this event contact the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce.

JULY
Birch Bay Discovery Days Celebrations - Usually held the third weekend in July, this weekend festival includes a parade, and arts and crafts fair sponsored by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce.

DECEMBER
Ring of Fire & Hope - This has become a Birch Bay tradition over the past couple of years, a way to ring in hope for the coming new year. Held on December 31st hundreds of participants gather along the shores of Birch Bay from Birch Bay State Park to Birch Point on the north shores of the bay with lighted flares. Sponsored by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce