Tacoma Welcomes Sister City Delegations from Japan and China

TACOMA– Mayor Marilyn Strickland will serve as master of ceremonies for the Global Engagement and State of Trade luncheon on June 16, 2017 at the Hotel Murano. The event will be hosted in partnership with the World Trade Center and the Sister Cities Council, and feature a panel of dignitaries from Tacoma’s sister cities Fuzhou, China and Kitakyushu, Japan. The visiting delegations will be in Tacoma for the Festival of Sail.

“Tacoma is an international waterfront city that benefits from our strong sister city relationships,” said Strickland. “The Festival of Sail is a unique opportunity to highlight what makes Tacoma special and allow our sister city delegations to experience our maritime heritage. The global forum will be a great venue to discuss common goals and share ideas about education, the arts, trade and environmental stewardship.”

“I have had the opportunity to represent the city of Tacoma on missions to Fuzhou to strengthen our sister city relationship,” said Council Member Joe Lonergan. “It has been a great honor for me to assist in that effort, and I’m pleased that both Fuzhou and Kitakyushu accepted our invitation to come to the Festival of Sail. I look forward to welcoming them to Tacoma.”

While in Tacoma, the visiting dignitaries will attend the Festival of Sail and other sightseeing activities, and have a rare opportunity to spend time with the local Sister Cities volunteer committees. Tacoma has held sister city relationships with Fuzhou since 1994 and Kitakyushu since 1959. The Sister Cities Council aims to enhance international communication, acquaint citizens of Tacoma with the world’s cultural and political diversity, and encourage international trade and tourism.

  – City of Tacoma

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The Festival of Sail has partnered with the Foss Waterway Seaport to bring over 22 ships to the Thea Foss Waterway. Many of the 22 vessels will feature dockside and on board tours along with day sails of Commencement Bay. Passengers on these day sails may be asked to assist in the raising and maneuvering of the ship’s sails or with steering the ship. The Seaport is also pairing up with the charter boat My Girl for daily sailings and guided tours of maritime history and marine life on the waterway and Commencement Bay. Sailing will leave daily June 16, 17 and 18 at 9, 11, 1, 3pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, on site from the South End of the Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock Street. Tickets are $20.00 can be purchased on site or from Captain Paul at (253)927-5351.

Activities at the Foss Waterway Seaport will include:

• A Children’s Play Zone featuring a band of Roving Pirates, Pirate Ship Bounce House, mermaid storytelling, and face painting.
• A Children’s Education Zone with a variety of educational activities including arts & crafts.
• An exclusive exhibit created for Festival of Sail detailing the history of Rum Running in Puget Sound.
• Tours of the Edward by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
• A maritime themed art show.
• The Dead End Shanty Singers will be performing during the festival
WHEN Thursday, June 15, 2017 – Sunday, June 18, 2017
WHERE Foss Waterway Seaport
CATEGORY Arts & entertainment, Fairs & festivals
AUDIENCE Kids, Teens, Singles, College Students, Dads, Moms, Seniors, Families
COST Single-Day Festival-Only Pass: $9, Single-Day On Board Tour Pass: $12, Multi-Day Pass: $20,
Day Sail: $95, Parade of Sail Day Sail: $150

CONTACT NAME Sophie Engle
CONTACT EMAIL museumstaff@fosswaterwayseaport.org
CONTACT PHONE 2532722750

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Pierce Transit Routes An Easy Way To Access Festival Of Sail

Pierce Transit is adding extra bus service on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, to help people get to and from the Festival of Sail. In addition, many Pierce Transit buses running their regular routes all four days of the festival, June 15 – 18, can also help people access the event.

The Festival of Sail, which features some of the grandest ships of yore, will take place primarily along the Foss Waterfront. Here are some of the ways people can take transit to and from the event:

Route 13

Pierce Transit Route 13 travels closest to the festival, with stops along Dock Street at S. 21st St., S. 19th St. (near the Museum of Glass) and S. 15th St.

On Thursday and Friday, Route 13 follows its regular schedule, except with a detour onto Pacific Avenue (instead of Dock St.) for southbound trips. The southbound stops along Pacific will be at S. 11th St., S. 15th St. and S. 19th St.

Route 13 usually only runs on weekdays, but Pierce Transit is operating it on Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, for the Festival of Sail. On those days Route 13 will run between the Tacoma Dome Station (Zone E) and Pacific Ave./S. 11th St., with stops along Dock St. The first bus will leave the Tacoma Dome Station at 8:30 a.m., with the last return trip at 5:30 p.m. both days. A trip is scheduled to leave approximately every 20 minutes. Festival-goers heading back to Tacoma Dome Station can catch Route 13 on Dock St. (S. 21st St., S. 19th St. [Glass Museum] or S. 15th St.) or on Pacific Ave. (S. 11th St., S. 14th St. or S. 19th St.).

Parking is FREE at the Tacoma Dome Station. Please note that parking fills up very early on weekdays, but there should be plenty of space available on Saturday and Sunday.

Other Routes

Many other Pierce Transit routes travel to downtown Tacoma for easy access to the festival, including routes 1, 2, 3, 11, 15, 16, 28, 41, 42, 45, 48, 57, 500 and 501. Most of these routes serve stops at Pacific Ave. and S. 14th St., and at Pacific Ave. and S. 19th St.

Fares

Local fares apply to these trips. Each boarding is $2 for adults, $1 youth (ages 6-18), and $1 discounted fare with a Regional Reduced Fare Permit. Children ages 5 and younger ride free with a fare-paying passenger. All Day Passes can be purchased on the bus ($5 adults; $2.50 youth/discounted) with exact cash, and ORCA cards may be used. Valid passes and One Ride Tickets will also be honored for fare payment.

SHUTTLE Customers

Pierce Transit specialized transportation is available for registered SHUTTLE customers, during normal SHUTTLE service hours. Call 253.581.8000, option 1, then option 2, one to five days in advance to schedule your trip.

Customer Service

For help planning their trip riders may contact Pierce Transit’s customer service representatives at 253.581.8000, option 1, weekdays from 6:30 am – 6:30 pm. They may also visit piercetransit.org for trip planning.

More Information

For additional details about Pierce Transit routes that will reach the Festival of Sail, visit piercetransit.org/2017-festival-sail/.

– Pierce Transit