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.

Have Fun.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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

Tuesday:  June 7      10 AM – 4 PM – V’Canto

You’re all invited.

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!

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!

If you want to know more about Ron, his work, workshops and more,  read on …

Ron founded Mad River Biologists in 1982 and is the company’s Senior Biologist. Ron is probably best known for his knowledge about the identification and distribution of birds along the Pacific Coast; he served for six years as a Northern California regional editor for AMERICAN BIRDS. A lifelong interest in marine birds and mammals was enhanced by a long involvement with Point Reyes Bird Observatory beginning in 1966, including serving as a biologist at the Farallon Island research station in 1968 and for two years during 1979-81.

Among the many projects he has been involved in, Ron has co-authored and coordinated a training program under the auspices of the Pacific Seabird Group’s Marbled Murrelet Inland Survey Protocol. Virtually all of the Marbled Murrelet surveyors in California and southern Oregon have gone through his training program. In 1979 Ron founded and for 15 years operated an ecotourism company specializing in marine mammals and island biology. His travel expertise extends from South America and the Galapagos Islands through Baja California to Alaska, northern Canada, Australia and Africa.

As a professional photographer, Ron has compiled an impressive collection (over 70,000 images) of wildlife photographs that he uses for presentations and publications. One of Ron’s outstanding attributes (and favorite activities) is sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with others. He is particularly adept at explaining complex biological principles in understandable terms, a talent that he brings to his report writing and consultations with regulatory agencies.