Penn Cove Water Festival kicks off its 25th year today in downtown Coupeville.

Canoe races this year promise to be the best ever with 345 pullers from a dozen canoe clubs, organizers said.

Volunteers were busy these past few weeks building racks, designed by a member, to help store canoes during the races.

The races are a direct link to the beginnings of the water festival in the 1930s. At those races there were only three 11-man canoes, but later up to 22 tribes participated.

The races were stopped with the onset of World War II, but revived in 1992.

Canoe races will begin just after noon Saturday in Penn Cove and will run throughout the afternoon.

They can be viewed from the Coupeville Wharf and other areas on Front Street, Ninth Street and at the Coupeville Boat Launch.

“As I look back on 25 years of the Water Festival and canoe races, what touches me most deeply is seeing the young folks in the ‘Junior Bucks’ races from the early years of our Coupeville race, who are now parents racing in the adult races, with their young kids racing in the Junior Bucks races,” said Susan Berta, canoe race coordinator.

“I learned early on how important the canoe races are to these families. They spend their entire summers traveling across the Pacific Northwest from race to race each weekend.”

“Many months are spent training in cold waters before the racing season begins.”

“It is an important part of their culture, and especially for the youth; it provides a healthy family cultural event in their life, as they continue this long-time tradition.”

The Water Festival is the only non-tribal sponsored race in the canoe race circuit. It has continued for the last 25 years with the help of tribal and canoe racing partners, Berta said.

Prior to the races starting, the festival will kick off with a special pre-festival performance by Dana Lyons, an internationally known, Bellingham based environmental troubadour. She will perform 10 a.m. at the Coupeville Library.

The opening ceremony follows at 11 a.m. at the main stage on Front Street.

Lou LaBombard will be storytelling 11:15-11:45 a.m. and 3:30-4 p.m. at the Island County Historical Museum. LaBombard will regale the public with Native American traditional tales.

As racers paddle through Penn Cove, performances on shore will include flute player Peter Ali at 11:30 a.m., storyteller Lois Landgrebe at 12:15 p.m., JP Falcon Grady at 1 p.m., storytelling and music by Rona Yellow Robe at 1:45 p.m., violinist Swil Kanim at 2:30 p.m. and the ever-popular Tshimshian Haayuuk Dancers at 4 p.m.

Between performances, visitors can meet performers, shop at arts and crafts booths set up along Front Street, view educational exhibits on Alexander Street and at the wharf or dine on some Native American staples.

Russell Morton, “The Bead Man,” will have a beaded tapestry, eight years to date creating and ongoing, on display on the museum porch.

“This is an ultimate form of intense-slow art and has consumed over 14,000 hours of my spare time,” Morton said of his tapestry.

“I have the idea we ought to be more aware of the natural world around us”

“The Four Seasons of Water is another form of bringing attention to the planet’s water problems and something I could actively participate in.”

Youth activities this year will be located in booths on Alexander Street and at the boat launch.

Special to the festival, there will be Salmon Tacos on fry bread, Indian tacos, sno-cones and hotdogs at the festival. At the boat launch, Coupe’s Last Stand will also be selling hotdogs.

Front Street Grill will be serving a variety of specialty salmon dishes as part of the festival.