Aberdeen will shine at Saturday Rain Glow Festival

By Dan Hammock The Daily World • July 21, 2021 6:00 pm

Downtown Aberdeen will be aglow on Saturday for its second Rain Glow Festival.

Seven downtown alleyways will feature different “glow worlds;” the theme this year, “bootleggers and bordellos,” celebrating some of the more colorful elements that are such a part of downtown Aberdeen’s history.

Volunteers have been hard at work all month prepping for the event, which will feature live music and prizes for the best glow costumes. Doors painted by Hoquiam High School summer students will be featured in Steampunk Alley — also known as Glow World #5. A few weeks ago, local artists went through 15 gallons of paint prepping Glow World #3, Artists’ Avenue.

There’s a bubble burst game at the festival’s Kids World, part of Glow World #6. Kids can toss two paint-filled balloons at a wall to create their own mural. New this year will be glow in the dark face painting by Seattle-based artist Gurnoor.

In its first year, 2019, local artist Douglas Orr, owner of the Aberdeen Art Center, organized the event, which wound up drawing more than 1,500 people.

Live music will be provided by three bands, including Los Halcones De Oaxaca, a Spanish-speaking band, performing near Mount Olympus Brewing.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $7 for kids age 9-12, available at the corner of K and Market streets the night of the event. Kids age 8 and younger are free. Show up in an illuminated costume at get $2 off the cost of the ticket. The roughly $4,000 raised by the event in 2019 went toward plans for a park for the city’s Senior Center.

For more on the festival check out its Facebook page, facebook.com/AberdeenRainGlowFestival, or the festival website, aberdeenartcenter.com/rain-glow.

The city of Aberdeen announced the closure of the following alleys for the festival, starting at 6 a.m. Saturday: Between K and Broadway — alleys between Market and Wishkah, Wishkah and Heron, and Heron and State. Between H and Broadway — alleys between Market and Wishkah, Wishkah and Heron, and Heron and State. Alleys will reopen by 6 a.m. Sunday.

The following roads will be closed by 4 p.m. Saturday: the northbound lane of Broadway, between Market and State, H Street, between Heron and State. Roads will reopen at 2 a.m. Sunday.