What would a harvest festival be without the harvest queen and face painting for the kids?
Miss Lughnasa and a little princess pose in the cakewalk area at last year’s festival. Submitted photo.Sports played a huge part in the traditional Lughnasa festivals. This year will feature “Scorcher Wheel races” (scorcher translates to bicycle), numerous field day events, including three-legged races, and “pedal-powered fruit smoothies” – if you can call that sports. “Traditionally,” says Sullivan, “people would push carts to the top of the hills and set them on fire as a sign of the declining sun.” They won’t be setting carts on fire, but the festivities include a labyrinth, fortune tellers, a hand crank grain grinder featuring traditional grains from around the world and Fort George brewing demonstrations. Old-fashioned carnival games and cakewalks will be conducted throughout the day, with proceeds benefiting local nonprofit organizations, including the Clatsop Regional Food Bank, CASA, The Healing Circle, Community Garden Association, Watershed Association and the Clatsop County
