Champagne Sunday’s Tacoma
If you’ve ever taken the time to explore a state as diverse and colorful as Washington, chances are you’ve stumbled upon at least a few surprising moments. For Jessi and Jared Fredeen—better known as the dynamic duo behind the band Champagne Sunday—one such moment still stands out: spotting a camel in someone’s backyard in the outskirts of Port Orchard. That’s right, a camel.
Touring the rural backroads in their RV before moving up north, the couple and their bandmates were navigating tricky roads when an unexpected sight stopped them in their tracks. As recalled on the latest episode of “What’s Your Washington?”, their drummer’s exclamation “Is that a camel back there?” sparked disbelief—until they saw it with their own eyes. Among a menagerie of llamas, horses, and a donkey, the presence of a camel was a quirky reminder that Washington, for all its forests and mountains, has its fair share of eccentric surprises just waiting to be discovered off the beaten path.
Their story is a testament to what makes Washington so unique. It’s a place where the weird is celebrated, community trumps pretense, and even in the drizzliest weather, warmth is always close at hand. Whether you’re here for the music, the camels, or the camaraderie, there’s truly something in Washington for everyone.
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Explore Washington State has been covering the real Washington for more than a decade. State parks, small towns, back roads, rest stops, and the people who make this place worth exploring. What started as a hyperlocal project covering individual communities grew into a full media project with more than 340 podcast episodes, a weekly newsletter with over 5,700 subscribers, and coverage of all 146 Washington State Parks. The content here comes from people who have actually been to these places: locals, regulars, and lifelong Washington residents who care more about getting it right than getting clicks.
