Grayland Driftwood Show Celebrates its 60th year.
By John Shaw WSBHS
A special acknowledgment to Barb Aue, WSBHS Life Member, for research from her collection.
Sixty years ago, visitors to our area were hitting the beaches in the "off-season" on the lookout for that perfect piece of driftwood, glass float, or unusual item brought in by the winter tides.
In the early 1960s, a brainstorming conversation on how to improve winter business brought about the first Beachcombers Derby - a winter family fun contest opening on January 12, 1963, culminating with a Driftwood Show on St. Patrick's Day at the Grayland Community Hall.
Paul Myers, a Westport motel owner, was the founder of this project with the support of the Westport, Grayland, and Tokeland boosters. Bud Slover and Elizabeth Peterson of Grayland did the staging of the first Driftwood Show and continued with this work until 1996.
There was uncertainty during the first year, and no one knew if anyone would attend that first show or even submit entries. This did not stop the work and enthusiasm of the volunteer crew. By the end of the single-day event, 700 visitors had gone through the hall with nothing but positive comments and appreciation for the displays.
By the second year, 1964, the event was enlarged to two days - Saturday and Sunday. Driftwood artisan's demonstrations were also added that year. Commercial booths were added in the second year, and local commercial booths have been present at the show, selling items related to beachcombing ever since. Jim's Agate Shop of Westport, Gray Gull of Grayland, Driftwood Gift Shop of Grayland, and the Basket Shop of Westport were among these exhibitors. Klee-Wik Studios, Stan Langtwait of the "Shapes of Clay" studios, and Mary Ann Bigelow with her fine driftwood carvings.
Famous PNW silkscreen artist Elton Bennett attended every show starting in 1964. His daughter, Barbara Bennett Parsons, remembers, "One of the year's highlights was the annual Driftwood Show in Grayland. My father was a participant for as long as I remember, and he would prepare for the event by creating a special small silkscreen. He would bring this screen, along with his oil inks, paper, and squeegee, setting up a demonstration of the silkscreen process."
In the early 1960s, seasonal driftwood was far more plentiful than today, with wind and weather landing loads of material flushed from Washington and Oregon's rivers and estuaries. Unique driftwood and Japanese glass floats were common, and visitors and locals would hit the beach after a good blow.
In the early days of the Driftwood Show, entries were limited to guests visiting between January 1 and March 15. Finds and entries would be dropped off at participating motels and businesses to be displayed and judged at the mid-March show. Residents of the Twin Harbors were not allowed to enter in an effort to encourage off-season visitors.
The early years consisted of rows of simple wooden tables with entries arrayed in categories for the judges and the public to view. Judging was a serious endeavor with slates of multiple judges comparing notes in a method still used to this day. The main categories were based on natural found items, driftwood with flowers, "no plastic," and worked driftwood.
Categories evolved and changed over the years, and entry was open to all at some point. In an era where finding real Japanese glass floats every season was part of life on the South Beach, the hard-core beachcombers decided which hot new find to enter and display every year.
Over the years, the show has grown with the addition of more vendors and the addition of the popular "Float Hunt" and "Dash for Trash" along the Grayland Beaches. Organizers report attendance reaching 6000 guests by the mid-1990s.
The tables and displays of competitive entries being judged remain a popular part of the show. Another popular element of the show was the attendance by noted beach combing experts and authors such as Curtis Ebbesmeyer and Alan Rammer, who were on hand to answer questions and display their beachcombing treasures and share their expertise.
In recent years, the Westport Maritime Museum has coordinated a group of "experts" to be on hand to share their beachcombing knowledge and answer questions from the public. The Museums Float Fairies will also be adding a bit of magic with Wild Floats at the north end during the Show cycle.
The times have changed along with the look and dress of the public. The Grayland Hall, with its tables of carefully displayed driftwood entries, marks 60 years in 2022 and is as timeless as the beach and driftwood it celebrates.
The annual Beachcombers Driftwood Show & Glass Float Hunt at the historic Grayland Community Hall attracts natural beach art enthusiasts and glass float collectors each year to Westport-Grayland for fun and prizes.
59th Beachcombers Driftwood Show
August 27 & 28, 2022
The annual Beachcombers Driftwood Show & Glass Float Hunt at the historic Grayland Community Hall attracts natural beach art enthusiasts and glass float collectors each year to Westport-Grayland for fun and prizes.
Grayland Community Hall: 2071 Cranberry Road, Grayland, WA 98547