Closure at the west end of the 100-year-old bridge provides rare opportunities to camp and dine above the Dungeness in Railroad Bridge Park.

SEQUIM, WA, June 19, 2015. “We’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pitch your tent on the bridge for one night and another to Dine on the Dungeness,” says Executive Director Powell Jones. The Dungeness River Audubon Center is hosting the camp out and the dinner on the historic bridge in Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 W. Hendrickson Road, in Sequim.

Reservations are required as space is limited for the camp out, Saturday, June 27 and for the dinner, Friday, July 10. Both events are fundraisers for the River Center and Railroad Bridge Park.

The $75 fee per campsite will include an evening program and s’mores in the River Stage amphitheater and a “Bagels on the Bridge” breakfast. Ten campsites will be available on the bridge from 6:00 p.m. Saturday, June 27th until 9:00 a.m. Sunday. Campers must bring their own tent and bedding (maximum 4 people per site, no one under 18 without an adult, and no pets). Call (360) 681-4076 to reserve a campsite.

Kokopelli Grill will provide a delicious meal for “Dine on the Dungeness” at 6:00 p.m., Friday, July 10. The dinner will also feature Washington wine and beer and dessert by The Sweet Beginning. “We’ve wanted to hold a special dinner on the bridge for a long time and the temporary closure of the flood-damaged trestle gives us that opportunity while it is closed to through traffic,” says Board Member Tuttie Peetz. “Diners may never again have such a memorable way to experience and enjoy the natural serenity of Railroad Bridge Park.” The cost of the dinner is $95.00 per person or $570 for a table of six. Only 100 seats will be available. Tickets can be purchased online until June 30 at www.dungenessrivercenter.org, or by calling 360/681-4076.

The camp out and dinner are part of the 100-year celebration of Railroad Bridge, where trains were once used to transport logs and passengers across the north Olympic Peninsula. The last train rolled through in 1985, and the tracks and bridge have since been turned into a popular walking, bike-riding, and jogging trail. Damage to the trestle in February temporarily stopped those activities ‘in their tracks.’

Proceeds from the camp out and dinner will help support the non-profit Center’s educational programs and the Park’s maintenance.

Anniversary festivities will also take place on September 26 during this year’s Dungeness River Festival. A plaque will be unveiled commemorating the bridge’s 100 years and honoring that it is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Dungeness River Audubon Center inspires understanding, enjoyment, and stewardship of the Olympic Peninsula’s unique natural and cultural resources with emphasis on birds, rivers, fish, and people.