North Mason Chamber of Commerce :: Arts, Culture & Festivals

Live theater, art and music thrive in North Mason County. Several of our communities host annual festivals that residents anticipate and participate in for fun and fund-raisers. Click here for a complete list of annual events.

The Taste of Hood Canal (tasteofhoodcanal.com), hosted by the North Mason Rotary is held in Belfair on the second Saturday in August. Local restaurants offer tidbit samples from their menus, so visitors can dine al fresco as they move from one booth to another. The North Mason Chamber offers "world famous" grilled oysters with a reputation that has spread far and wide to oyster lovers everywhere. Other participants include the local fire district, Boys and Girls Club, many artists, vendors and musical entertainment. A Classic Car Show is held in conjunction with the Taste and draws participants from around the Northwest.

The Allyn Community Association (allynaca.com) is an active group of citizens that meets monthly "for the betterment of Allyn." Each summer for the past 26 years, the group has hosted its own fabulous summer fund-raiser, dubbed the Allyn Days Festival and traditionally held the third weekend in July at the Allyn Waterfront Park. The festival attracts over 5,000 visitors and residents who come for a delicious alder-smoked salmon dinner cooked outdoors, two days of lively entertainment, vendor booths and a multitude of activities and exhibits. A town dance under the gazebo caps off the Saturday festivities.

Tahuya Day in July, the annual Victor Flea Market in June and a Community Sing-along at the Allyn gazebo in December all draw visitors and residents.

The Grapeview Art and Water Festival in late July offers tasty seafood, a kids' fishing derby, hole-in-one contest over saltwater and the opportunity to view and purchase the work of many talented local artists.

On Memorial Day there is a patriotic celebration at the gazebo in Allyn, where local and visiting veterans participate in a ceremony culminating with a remembrance wreath placed in the water to honor those lost to war.

January brings Polar Bear plunges at local beaches and bridges. Residents come out to cheer on volunteers who plunge to raise money for local charities.

North Mason High School features an annual music-theater student production, which sells out for multiple weekend performances.

Friends of the North Mason Timberland Library in Belfair offer several interesting programs throughout the year, many with local authors, live music or some historical connection to the area. Other groups offer theater productions in nearby communities.

Professional theater is just a ferry ride away in Seattle with live performances at the Paramount, Fifth Avenue and Seattle Center, as well as world-class concerts at Benaroya Hall.

Only a 30-minute drive south, the Little Creek Casino near Shelton presents big-name entertainment throughout the year in their new performance center (little-creek-casino.com). To the north, nearby Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort (clearwatercasino.com) on the scenic Kitsap Peninsula offers four-diamond amenities and a full-service spa.

A casual drive through Belfair takes you past a number of colorful murals commissioned by the Belfair Public Art Society beginning with the Welcome to Belfair mural on the railroad trestle at the north end of town above SR-3. A wetlands theme with salmon and a Great Blue Heron graces the trestle and introduces visitors to a key facet of Belfair's identity. Look for more large-scale murals with outdoor recreation and salmon themes throughout the town at McLendon's Center, QFC and North Bay Mortgage.

Allyn has a pair of colorful, carved totem poles on display - one at the Allyn Waterfront Park on SR-3 and another that extends 40 feet in the air above Ornamental Stone just north of the town. Gift shops in North Mason's many small
towns frequently offer the works of local artists.

The Hoodsport Winery (hoodsport.com) in Hoodsport and Cameo Boutique (cameoboutique.com) in Union are fun stopovers for wine tasting along the Hood Canal Loop, a scenic drive with many miles meandering the Hood Canal
shoreline and offering sweeping mountain views of the Olympic Range and Mount Rainier.

North Mason's visitors and residents enjoy the good life, with local music and art, summer festivals and uncrowded parks and trails. North Mason is a beautiful place to live, work and visit - it is truly like no other place on earth.