Karaoke from the ocean to the mountains

By Gary & Jo Christensen

The weather is starting to shape up, and it’s time for Jo and I to get out of town again.

First it was a trip to Ocean Shores for the popular ocean razor clams. All you need is a clam shovel, a bag, and a license. Watch the old pros in the surf and follow their lead. You’ll be done in no time if the clams are showing. Clean the clams, ice ‘em down, then it’s time for a shower, dinner and karaoke. The bowling alley and the casino do not have karaoke as of this writing.

This trip we found two places doing karaoke in Ocean Shores, the Porthole Pub Bar & Grill, and Cadillac Jacks. They are both on Pt. Brown Ave. NW as you enter town. We checked out The Porthole Pub first, and liked it so much we never made it across the street. They have one pool table, two dart boards, and a full kitchen that’s open ‘til 10pm. Karaoke is from 9:30pm to 1:30am Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with DJ dancing on Thursday hosted by Julie’s Karaoke & DJ out of Aberdeen (360-532-5995). She put on a great show; the system sounded good and everyone had a good time. The nights we were there it was a mix of locals and out-of-towners looking for a nightcap before hitting the beach for clam digging the next day.

Denise was the bartender, and when time allowed she also hit the karaoke stage. I’ll also mention that Julie donates her services to Rick’s Saloon in Aberdeen at Christmas for the “Toys for Tots” drive. Bring an unwrapped toy and you get a free beer. Then they pick two families in town, and make their Christmas special. Stop by The Porthole Pub the next time you’re in Ocean Shores. You won’t be disappointed.

The next weekend, we hit the mountains to chase Merriam’s turkey up near Cle Elum. No luck for turkey, although we did see lots of deer and elk. Later in the day, we asked the locals about karaoke and found the Starlight Resort at Lake Cle Elum. It’s about 7 miles up Salmon La Sac Road from Cle Elum, past Roslyn and Ronald. We walked in to the upstairs’ lounge, sat right next to the fireplace, had a glass of wine and an awesome evening of karaoke. Right off the bat the host, Kelly Bare, had the show going full bore. They had a nice system with good sound, double shots to start unless it got crowded, and a challenge game for the host. Pick a song out of the book and if he doesn’t know it you get a free drink.

Siri and Audrey were the bartenders that night. Greg Pugh was the other karaoke host, and was there singing as well. Kelly is awesome on the mic, and has been doing karaoke in the area for quite a while. We were also entertained by Dancin’ Mike. He sure could lay on the dance moves.

Karaoke is from 9pm to 1:30am on Saturday night. They will do Friday night by request. To contact the resort, call 509-649-2222 and ask for a brochure.

Well, it’s time to plan our next outing. Who knows where we’ll end up next. We had a great time at both of these locations. Stop in if you can.

Bye for now,
Gary & Jo Christensen