Fireworks, Freemasons, a Film Festival and Fish (and Fun!) are on the menu this weekend in Fort Bragg.
For those thinking about a last-minute trip to the Coast, check out our lodging page for rooms and special deals at B&B’s, motels and vacation rentals.
Whether a visitor or a local, you won’t want to miss these events:
Fireworks: Mendocino County’s longest running fireworks display will once again take place over Noyo Harbor Saturday night, July 2, just after dark (around 9pm). Arrive early for a good parking spot at Todd Point. A $5 parking fee helps support next year’s show.
Freemasons: Fort Bragg’s Redwood and Dana Gray Elementary Schools will benefit from the a Mendocino Masonic Lodge barbecue on July 3 from 11am to 3pm. The Masons, who value education as a basic tenet of democracy, are celebrating nine Free Masons, including Benjamin Franklin, who signed the Declaration of Independence. The Lodge (at Savings Bank of Mendocino) is on Lansing and Ukiah Streets in Mendocino, and meeting rooms will be open for public tours.
Fish: The 40th Annual World’s Largest Salmon BBQ, July 2, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm in Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg. Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 at Harvest Market.
Film: The first-ever Salmon Film Festival, sponsored by the Salmon Restoration Association, the City of Fort Bragg, and the North Coast Brewing Company, takes place July 1st and 2nd in Ft. Bragg Town Hall. The Salmon Film Festival and barbecue proceeds help support local salmon education and conservation programs.
It was a ton of fun this weekend at the Nor Coast Rodder’s annual Father’s Day get-together in downtown Fort Bragg. Fun, fundraising and hot cars … and some great oldies music.
The Fourth of July is all about fun: hamburgers, hot dogs, barbecue, and, of course, fireworks.
One again, thanks to a City of Fort Bragg grant of $5,000, the show will go on. This year it takes place Saturday, July 2, around 9 p.m. (just after dark) at the mouth of Noyo Harbor. There are good views near Todd Point (parking at Todd Point is $5 with funds to support next year’s show) and on the Noyo Bridge.
I’ve seen the show when fireworks are exploding overhead and from a neighborhood 6 miles south. From any vantage point, the fireworks show in Fort Bragg is a Fourth of July must. For a place to stay, check our lodging page.
But here’s another reason to visit: the 40th Annual World’s Largest Salmon BBQ, July 2, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm in Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg. Tickets are $25 at the door or $20 at Harvest Market.
And there’s more:
The Salmon Film Festival is held in conjunction with the salmon barbecue, which a major fundraising event held by the Salmon Restoration Association to support local salmon education and conservation programs.
Kite flying is thousands of years old and a sport loved by kids of all ages and generations. If you’re one of those “kids,” you won’t want to miss the 13th Annual Kite Festival in Fort Bragg from noon to 4pm tomorrow, Saturday, June 11, at Todd Point, near Highway 1 and Highway 20 (access at Ocean Drive). Admission is free.
We also think you’ll find this video uplifting … might even spur you to buy a kite and join the fun. If you don’t see a video link, try this link.
Riding in an open car. Surrounded by a giant redwood forest. A warm breeze rushing through your hair. The sound of a train whistle signaling the approach to a tunnel. Finally, at North Spur a big brunch greets your arrival. That’s the promise of the Skunk Train this Father’s Day.For tickets and other details.
Each of the past 18 years, the Mendocino Art Center has organized a fundraiser tour to showcase some of the area’s most beautiful gardens.
This year’s 19th Annual Tour — scheduled for 10am to 5pm June 25 — features the Surf Motel and Gardens, winner of the 2008 City of Fort Bragg “Mayor’s Well Done Award” and the 2010 Fort Bragg Garden Club’s first place award. A highlight of these beautiful gardens is a gazebo, a peaceful spot where guests can relax and enjoy the colorful flowers and a spectacular view of the ocean. To learn more about tickets and reservations.
Local Cindy Lemas is producing the Sunday Series, a video series, and will be in Fort Bragg this next week filming parts of several episodes.
The web-only programs are expected to premier in late Summer.
Here is the shooting schedule for Fort Bragg scenes which include actresses Bonnie Piesse and Gregory Hoyt.
Friday: June 3. 10 AM – 6 PM – S/V Allegro, “D” dock on South Harbor Drive
Saturday: June 4 – 10 AM – 6 PM private property Sherwood Road
Monday: June 6 9 AM – 6 PM – Botanical Gardens
7 PM – 9 PM – Bamboo Garden Spa
It’s hard to believe that three years has passed since the Fort Bragg Promotion Committee launched its blog on FortBragg.com.
The first post, April 10, 2008, bragged about how local Thanksgiving Coffee Co. had been honored with a global peace award.
Since then, our blogging team has written on average twice a week about special people, places, attractions and events in and near Fort Bragg. From Paul Bunyan Days to the whale watching at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, we’ve given you a front row seat.
The stories, pictures and videos haven’t gone unnoticed: monthly visits to FortBragg.com have risen from around 13,000 to 22,000. During the same time, we joined the Facebook community and now have more than 8,200 “friends.”
With a new, updated website expected to debut soon and the addition of more videos in the future, we hope you’ll continue to return again and again to find out what we are “Fort Bragging” about. And from all of us at the City of Fort Bragg and the Promotion Committee, we thank you for your interest and support. Don’t forget to keep reading and watching!
Of course safety rules, including helmets and knee and elbow pads, apply at all times.
But the main rule at the new Stakeboard Park behind the C.V. Starr Center in Fort Bragg is to have fun. It’s become a popular home for kids after school and on weekends.
But you don’t need to be a kid — either as a participant or spectator — to enjoy skateboarding. Older folks will remember fondly racing around city streets without pads or helmets with rollerskate wheels nailed to a board. That’s old school.
New school is dips, twists, drops, and jumps on custom boards racing over a course designed just for skateboarders. Regardless of your interest in the sport (the 2012 Olympics in London may officially make it a sport), watching a mostly younger group race around doing acrobatics non-stop is a blast.
Park hours are 9 a.m. to sunset daily. No admission.
PS. This is the Fort Bragg Promotion Committee’s 300th blog post!
It’s no secret that Fort Bragg, California is a great place to see shore birds — from Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park to MacKerricher State Park’s Laguna Point. Among the great birders and bird photographers in the world is Fort Bragg’s own Ron LeValley seen in the this video. Many of us enjoy his Outside My Window “bird of the day” email or regularly stop by to see stunning new wildlife photographs at the Mendocino Coast Photographer Guild and Galley on Main Street (Highway 1) in downtown Fort Bragg.
If you want to know more about Ron, his work, workshops and more, read on …
