The Portland-based band Outer Orbit will headline the musical entertainment at the Methow Arts Fest on July 4.
New parade route, new venue for daylong activities
It will be a full day of activities in Twisp on Tuesday, the Fourth of July, including the traditional parade and the Methow Arts Fest returning at a new venue.
This year the 132nd annual parade will reverse its usual course. Staging will begin at 10 a.m. at the Town Park at the north end of Lincoln Street, and the parade will proceed south down Glover Street from Twisp Avenue to Fifth Avenue, starting at 11 a.m.
As soon as the parade concludes, the Methow Arts Fest, hosted by the Methow Arts Alliance, will begin, this year staged on the TwispWorks campus beginning at 11:30 a.m. and continuing until 4:30 p.m. The theme is “Outer Space.” Enjoy live music, dance performances, art activities, contests, local food and drink, and the TwispWorks splash pad.
Cost is $20 for adults, $5 for ages 6-17, free for kids 5 and younger. For online tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/methow-arts-fest-tickets-638115489607.
Parking will be limited in town because of the July 4 parade, and there will be no parking on the TwispWorks campus. Walking, biking or carpooling encouraged. Visitors are asked to park respectfully.
Some highlights:
• There will be more than 10 art-making stations; a galactic costume contest (winners receive gift certificates from the Thrifty Fox); a pie-eating contest sponsored by the Mazama Store; and air brush temporary tattoos sponsored by Heart of the Valley Tattoo.
• Performances by Tonasket-based band Make Up Sax, local band Friday Feels, dance by Danzas Multiculturales from Wenatchee, and the featured band, Outer Orbit from Portland, Oregon. On its website, Outer Orbit is described as “a funk soul collective” of all-star performers that “brings original burning soul and pocket heavy funk while drawing on a range of influences from Sly Stone and The Meters to Aretha Franklin and Emily King.”
• A variety of vendors will be offering food, and OSB Taphouse Beer Garden will be open.
• Many TwispWorks studios will be open, featuring jewelry, pottery, printmaking, woodworking, illustrations, metalworks, digital art, collage, and locally made products.
Want to help out as a volunteer? Email coordinator.methowarts@gmail.com and receive one free admission ticket, a Methow Arts T-shirt, and free drinks and snacks.
Event sponsors include Blue Star Coffee Roasters, Old School House Brewery, Printmade Apparel, the Mazama Store, The Icicle Fund and Winthrop Kiwanis.
The parade, presented by the Twisp Chamber of Commerce, is encouraging participants to take part. Contact Juliet Kennedy at TwispWashington@gmail.com for additional information, or visit http://twispwa.com/fourth-of-july to find the parade application form. Applications should be submitted by July 1.
For complete details, visit ww.methowarts.org/methow-arts-fest/. For information, email info@methowartsalliance.org.
Proceeds benefit Methow Arts Alliance educational programming in the 2023-24 school year.
About fireworks — don’t
A Fourth of July reminder: it is not legal for an individual to discharge fireworks in the Methow Valley.
Okanogan County has banned the discharge of fireworks in any unincorporated part of the county unless a permit is issued by the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
In Twisp, personal fireworks are banned, and the town follows the county’s burn ban. In Winthrop, fireworks are illegal to sell or discharge for the Fourth of July.
