Every June, when the heat and humidity return to Washington, one event has become an annual tradition that many in the community look forward  to ą the annual Washington Yacht and Country Club Summer Festival Golf Tournament. This year will be the 42nd edition of the tournament and it will be held June 10th through June 12th.

The festival was the brainchild of then club president Dr. Fred Howdy, and the board of directors, and coincided with the Summer Festival in  downtown Washington. According to long time club member and current board member Maurice Cutler, there were many times when the  participation was so great, the lines that led to the food area wrapped  around the club house.

“I’ve seen the days when we have over 250 golfers and a total of  500-600 participants,” said Cuttler. “There was a time that we had 10  cooks and five cookers running at one time.”

The field of annual participants is not just limited to Eastern North Carolina. According to PGA Head Golf Professional Jeremy Shadle,  golfers come from many different states to play in this event.

“At one time this event covered just North Carolina and Virginia,” said  Shadle. “However, now we have yearly participants that come from as far  as New York, Louisiana, Florida and Georgia as well as other parts of  the country.”

This year’s event will begin with practice rounds on Friday, June 10, to be followed by a cocktail party with heavy hors d’oeuvres and disc  jockey Steve Baker providing the entertainment.

On Saturday morning, June 11th, the first round will begin at 7:30 a.m.  and continue until approximately 6 p.m. After the round, participants  and their guests will be invited to attend a cocktail party with heavy hors d’oeuvres with entertainment to be provided by Victor Hudson.

On Sunday mornin,g June 12th, the final round will begin at 7:30 a.m.  with the championship flight scheduled to tee off at approximately 1:30  p.m.  The awards ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. If you would like to participate, there are still spots available for  this year’s event. Please contact Washington Yacht and Country Club by  phone at (252) 946-3245 or at the club website  HYPERLINK  “http://www.wyccnc.com” www.wyccnc.com or by clicking the “LIKE” button on the club’s Facebook page.