Today at Dirty Dan Days - Sunday

<< Back to archives | Sunday, April 27, 2008

The piano race finish - with Fairhaven Runners the winners.  Coming in a close second is the Colophon Cafe with Haggen Fairhaven Market and ‘Security’, a team from Western just behind.  The crowd knew enough to give these thorough bred racing pianos plenty of room.  The pianos are pulled and pushed by four person teams as they race uphill on Harris Avenue to the corner with 10th Street. 

The race is inspired by somethind Dan Harris, the founder of Fairhaven, did.  In 1889, Dan Harris took ship to California and retirement - and never returned to Fairhaven.  As he prepared to leave, he sold off his property and possessions - including his piano.  The day he was to board ship, the buyer of the piano had not yet paid - but promised Dan he would send a check.  Dan was having none of that.  He pushed his piano out of his house, down Harris Avenue and off the end of the dock into Bellingham Bay.  He then got on the ship and left.  And that was our inspiration for probably the world’s only piano race.

Tis 9 pm and we are working to post more photos.  More should be up by 10.