The Whale Fest Kodiak is a week-long event that features the whales in their natural habitats. Commonly featured are the orca and the gray whales that pass through the small island of Kodiak, in Alaska. It’s more of a small scale festival, featuring several lectures about the whales, art shows and galleries, movie features, activities by the local schools and by the community as a whole.

The whole event actually lasts for ten days, in celebration of the migratory return of the whales from the Pacific Ocean to the waters of Alaska. The first inhabited stop is the island of Kodiak, off the gulf of Alaska. This is the height of whale-watching, and the visitors are not disappointed by the outcome. A lot of the resident whales aren’t camera shy, and some do well with posing for the cameras.

Admittedly, it is not the festival that draws the crowd in but the whales themselves, as their sheer and immense numbers are a rare thing to see. Most of the people consider whale-watching as the center of the festival, and the locals couldn’t digress with this fact. For after all, the festival started with the migratory routes of the whales.

This year, more events have been added to spice up the festival. Scientific lectures, music shows and games to forums; all focused to not only educate the guest, but to entertain as well. The festival also does well to bring income to the island of Kodiak. The community receives a lot of visitors on the height of the festival.

The festival is also a good nexus for school goers, those who want to see marine action up-close. Most schools take their kids up north for this annual event.

Interested in the festivals of Alaska? Visit Alaska Craft Shows for a complete directory! Ian Kleine personally uses Alaska Craft Shows for his festival-trotting.

When: Registration begins Sunday, May 17, at 9:00 am at Club Impulse, 4660 W. 14th St., Midlothian.

Cost: Entry fee is $15/rider and $10/passenger and includes raffles, bike show, entertainment and run pins. $10 donation for post run party featuring food and entertainment. 708.425.6867. www.bigbikesbighearts.com.