(WSB photo: 2016 Harvest Festival Chili Cookoff competitors)

A little over two months until this year’s West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival (co-sponsored by WSB), and the menu of competitors in the Chili Cookoff is already filling up! Five spots remain as of the announcement sent this afternoon by Lora Swift of the West Seattle Junction Association:

The Junction Association is sponsoring a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank at our 6th Annual Harvest Festival on Sunday, October 29th.

Our neighborhood restaurants will bring their best pot of chili and compete for bragging rights of Best Chili at Harvest Festival – 2017. It’s free for restaurants or caterers to enter.

The West Seattle public will vote by buying a flight of chili and choosing their favorite!

100% of the donations collected will go to the West Seattle Food Bank to help our community.

Some logistics and rules to enter. Participants must:

*Be a West Seattle business or caterer.

*Bring three gallons of hot chili made in a commercial kitchen in a commercial container.

*Provide a chili server who has a current Food Handlers Card.

*Be ready to serve at 11am! With 3 gallons of chili, we’ll be able to serve about 150 flights and the competition will probably be done by 1pm.

We’ll provide everything else: tasting spoons, trays, napkins, individual chili containers, voting forms, warmers (thanks, Jack Miller).

To register … complete the Harvest Festival registration form.

Deadline Friday, October 6th – HURRY, though, we only have five spots remaining!

P.S. Even if you’re not a chili creator (or you are, but you’re not a restaurateur or caterer), there are other ways to be part of the Harvest Festival – check them out here!

(WSB file photo from past Arts in Nature Festival)

Yes, there will be Life After The Eclipse. So you might as well start planning next weekend, if you haven’t already. One of the biggest events will span both Saturday and Sunday (August 26-27) – the Arts in Nature Festival at Camp Long! From the organizers at Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association:

The Arts in Nature Festival is unlike any other summer festival in Seattle. The variety of performers alone rivals some of the larger events the region is known for, but add in the verdant abundance of Seattle’s only camp site, Camp Long in West Seattle, and you get an experience that is unrivaled in its beauty and its capacity to utterly engage all your senses and make you feel at once exuberant and peaceful.

The 2017 Arts in Nature Festival takes place Saturday, August 26, 11 am-9 pm, and Sunday, August 27, 11 am-6 pm at Camp Long, 5200 35th Ave SW. Tickets are $10 per day for adults (or $16 for a weekend pass) and $5 per day for kiddos 5-12. Get tickets through Stranger Tickets or buy them at the festival. For more information go to: fest.naturec.org.

For two delightful summer days, the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association hosts musicians, dancers, actors and artists from all over the style, cultural, media, and entertainment spectrum! Wander the meandering paths of Camp Long with the entire family to discover puppets by the pond, fine art in the forest, sound creations in the cabins, and much, much more.

This year, the Arts in Nature Festival is particularly excited to feature Seattle’s own Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band, known for bringing exciting reggae beats to wider audiences.

Other artists include West African musician and Griot storyteller Naby Camera, alt-folk duo Animals of Grace, rumba musicians Cocotazo, storytelling and choral collaborations from the Moonshine Revival Tent, and a scavenger hunt installation by Melanie Reed, plus many more!

A convoy of food trucks including GAI BOX, PICNIC, and POP UP keeps you energized for art-making, dancing, and nature-trail exploring. For an added dose of hoppy happy, Monumental Undertaking sponsors this year’s beer garden!

We’re pleased to also welcome participants Caz NW – A Performing Arts Family Camp, Full Circle, King County Dept. of Natural Resources & Parks, the National Wildlife Federation, and the High Point Branch Library, hosting a fun and informative trivia afternoon on Saturday from 4:00-5:30.

Special thanks to our local Sponsors who help make this magic possible, including: Boeing, Nucor, KUOW, Seattle Parks & Recreation, Northwest Folklife, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, and the West Seattle Blog.

More previews as the countdown continues in the week ahead.

(WSB photo)

A week and a half after our area’s biggest party of the year, volunteers who helped out with West Seattle Summer Fest were invited back to The Junction for a thank-you celebration tonight. Above, photographed on the patio at Pecado Bueno, are some of the 20+ volunteers who gave their time during the festival, with their host (third from left), executive director Lora Swift of the West Seattle Junction Association, which presents Summer Fest.

P.S. Lora tells us that more than 360 people have answered the Summer Fest survey, with thorough, detailed, constructive feedback. (We mentioned it here a week ago.) If you haven’t yet, but can spare a few minutes to offer your thoughts, please go here before 9 pm tomorrow (Thursday).

That’s the Alki Art Fair from above, photographed on Saturday by Long Bach Nguyen. Its second and final afternoon is another beautiful one, and you have until 6 pm to come visit (or revisit) the dozens of artists and other vendors who are here. Inside the Alki Bathhouse, you have until 4 pm to bid on the final round of silent auction items.

Music continues until 6, too. Onstage now, Viking Surfers:

Find the bands on the main stages east of the Bathhouse and the busker stage on the boardwalk by 63rd – see the schedule here.

Been to the beach yet? You have until 6 tonight to catch the artists/vendors, 9 tonight to catch the music, on day 1 of the 20th anniversary edition of the Alki Art Fair. We just walked through – there’s lots to see and buy. Angela Belzetsky‘s pelican caught our eye:

Don’t miss the free kids’ activities just west of Alki Bathhouse. There are two music stages, the main stage just east of the bathhouse, and a busker stage on the boardwalk at 63rd – here’s the schedule. Back to the bathhouse – go inside to see the 20th anniversary display, and to bid on silent auction items- these are just a few of the ones with bidding closing at 4 pm.

You can catch the shuttle bus from the Spokane/Avalon/Harbor park-n-ride under the bridge (it’s a big yellow school bus) or get there many other ways (we noticed bicycles in the area from the two new bike-share companies that debuted in Seattle this past week, Spin and LimeBike).

P.S. If you missed it earlier this week, here’s our interview with Giovannina Souers, who’s been involved with the Alki Art Fair since it began 20 years ago.

(Summer Fest Saturday photo by Leda Costa for WSB)

We mentioned in our coverage of West Seattle Summer Fest this past weekend that the festival-presenting West Seattle Junction Association planned an online community survey to gather your thoughts. We just got word from WSJA executive director Lora Swift that the survey is now up – “I’m invested in bringing the neighborhood quality events and would love some feedback,” she explains. So if you went to the festival, you are invited to spend a few minutes answering it – go here. Thanks in advance for taking the time to help them understand what was and wasn’t good about West Seattle’s biggest party of the year, so next year’s Summer Fest can be even better.

P.S. You’re also welcome – but not required! – to share comments here, instead of or in addition to/replication of the survey; they’ll be read too.

(Today’s schedule is here … Bus reroutes: C Line here, Route 22 here, Route 37 here, Route 50 here, Route 55 here, Route 57 here, Route 128 here, Route 773 here … Previous coverage: Saturday report #3 here, report #2 here, and report #1 here; Friday report #2 here and report #1 here; Summer Fest Eve here)

(“Live” SDOT camera showing part of the festival zone, on California north of Alaska)

11:57 AM: Day 3 of West Seattle Summer Fest 2017 went from 0 to 60 very fast. Lots of people, lots of bubbles, lots of music. And – dancing!

Jennifer Cepeda and friends were at the main stage to get the morning moving as the festival’s final day began about an hour ago. As for the bubbles – the bubble-machine-equipped clown who’s been busking all weekend is on the KeyBank corner this morning and breezes are bringing bubbles right onto our keyboard! WSB’s Leda Costa photographed him toward the end of day 2:

In the Community Tent section of the Info Booth this morning are the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association and Harbor School – you can check out community groups here as well as at Sustainable West Seattle‘s GreenLife expo over in Junction Plaza Park (42nd SW/SW Alaska). (At noon, SWS president Stu Hennessey of Alki Bike and Board will be talking about E-Bikes on the stage there.) And some organizations have booths amid the visiting vendors – you can buy a raffle ticket from the West Seattle Food Bank:

That’s Ben Viscon (winemaker of WSB sponsor Viscon Cellars) and Judi Yazzolino in the WSFB booth this morning. It’s a Summer Fest theme of sorts – look around every corner, inside every door, you never know what you’ll find (and we mean that in a good way). You also never know who you’re going to see. Seattle’s most famous busker Boe “Scarf Dancer” Oddisey just stopped by the Info Booth, and while we didn’t get him on camera, we did photograph two well-known West Seattleites who also visited about that same time:

If you’re new – that’s County Executive (and lifelong West Seattleite) Dow Constantine and daughter Sabrina. It’s been eight years since he introduced Mudhoney here at Summer Fest, by the way – somebody was sharing that festival memory on Twitter the other day. (See the video here.) As for today’s music, South Sound Tug and Barge is about to get going on the main stage. And we’ll say it yet again, since it’s the top question at the Info Booth so far – yes, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS still happening, just not in its usual spot – it’s in the lot behind KeyBank (if you’ve been here for a few years, you’ll remember that as “where the market used to be”):

Besides answering questions, we also have lots of info here about other upcoming summer events – the West Seattle Big Band Concert in the Park (Tuesday, 7 pm at Hiawatha), the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts @ Hiawatha series (starting Thursday, 6:30 pm), West Seattle Outdoor Movies (starting next Saturday, July 22nd, in the SW Snoqualmie/36th SW “festival street” by the West Seattle YMCA [WSB sponsor]), the summer-quarter West Seattle Art Walk (second Thursdays), and the West Seattle Car Show (August 26th at South Seattle College [WSB sponsor]). Stop by the booth (California/Alaska), get flyers/cards you can take home and put up on the fridge.

12:57 PM: Some video from South Sound Tug and Barge on the main stage an hour ago:

Mega Bog is starting shortly; Swedish Finnish is up at 2 – full lineup here. The festival continues until 5 – but today, unlike the first two days, everything closes at once … and then it’s breakdown time … so c’mon down soon and join the rest of your neighbors and friends.

2:02 PM: We’ve reunited a dog and a wallet with their respective owners here in the past half hour or so. We’ve also got new arrivals at the Info Booth – the Junction Neighborhood Organization on the west side, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on the south side. West Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Lynn Dennis is volunteering on the east side. Yes, Summer Fest can be educational. Especially in GreenLife at Junction Plaza Park, where you can check out some bees, talk with a beekeeper from the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association, and buy raw honey:

Three hours left – lots of time to shop, nosh, play. This is the afternoon that feels most like a West Seattle-wide family reunion. And it’s also a chance to find out more about local businesses – like longtime WSB sponsor Fitness Together:

Get here this afternoon to get in on their festival special: “10 sessions for $50 each, this weekend only!” They’re on the northeast corner of California/Alaska, outside the city-landmark Campbell Building.

A few other WSB sponsors who are here that we haven’t mentioned yet in earlier coverage – Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate; Westside School; HomeStreet Bank; Dream Dinners; Emerald Water Anglers; GoodMed Direct Primary Care (which is providing first aid for the festival); The Whittaker.

Meantime, at the main stage (California north of Oregon):

That’s Swedish Finnish! Two more performances ahead – Carrie Akre and Danny Newcomb at 3 pm, The Dusty 45s closing out the festival at 4 pm.

2:53 PM: Got little ones? Haven’t been to the Kid Zone yet? Behind the Hamm Building (Easy Street, Virago Gallery, etc.), under the Wells Fargo drive-thru overhang, lots of activities:

And our area’s most famous facepainter, Lashanna, is working her magic:

4:06 PM: Last hour. The Dusty 45s are playing on the main stage now – (added) here’s some video:

And dancing!

Still lots of people in line for food and rides, and wandering the booths. Even though the festival officially ends at 5 and breakdown begins, you of course can still stay in The Junction and have dinner and/or drinks at the year-round restaurants, some of which are new since last Summer Fest – including Great American Diner and Bar and Falafel Salam, both on the east side of California just north of Edmunds, and Alchemy, on 42nd south of Alaska.

We should also note – if you lost your car keys, we have two sets here at the Info Booth. For lost-found info after the festival’s over, contact the Junction Association (wsjunction.org).

4:36 PM: Last chance this year for a cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme … really!

Perhaps just as well that’s across the street from the mentioned-earlier Fitness Together booth. Unless you are from the “street fair calories don’t count” faction. Meantime, signs of cleanup are erupting early. And if you wondered what happens to keep this going behind the scenes, frequent trash pickup is part of it – here’s a Recology worker we noticed about an hour ago:

It’s getting serious now. The QFC booth across from us, which has offered $3 coconuts and $1 water all weekend, is folding up. The balloon-and-bubbles-busking-with-boombox clown has switched to “California Love.” But summertime is all West Seattle love. Later this evening, we’ll move on to looking ahead to the big stuff happening this week and next weekend.

5:04 PM: We’re done – but several hours of hard work are ahead for festival producer Oliver Little of Monumental Undertakings and his crew, among others. The Junction streets will stay closed to traffic until everything’s all packed up. We’ll update when we get word. And Lora Swift of the West Seattle Junction Association, which organizes and presents Summer Fest, says you can look for a survey soon to gather festival feedback – we’ll have that link when it’s available, too. Thanks to everyone who was part of the festival, whether visiting or vending or volunteering or presenting or … and to everyone who stopped by to say hi.

12:50 AM: The Junction streets are open to vehicle traffic again – just verified via the live video feed on the city’s info map.

(Bus reroutes: C Line here, Route 22 here, Route 37 here, Route 50 here, Route 55 here, Route 57 here, Route 128 here, Route 773 here … Previous coverage: Saturday report #1 here, Friday report #2 here, Friday report #1 here, Summer Fest Eve here)

4:56 PM: That’s a screengrab taken a few minutes ago from the SDOT camera (see it “live” here) pointed north at California/Alaska, where we are headquartered for the duration of West Seattle Summer Fest 2017. The streets are buzzing, and bubbling – a busking clown has been here with a bubble machine, and a boombox, all weekend, and it’s kept things iridescent, to say the least,, all weekend. Meantime, the biggest attraction in the Information Booth/Community Tent right now – dead birds, courtesy of Seattle Audubon.

Music continues on the main stage, on California north of Oregon, and tonight’s headliners are West Seattle’s own Brent Amaker and the Rodeo at 10 pm. Before then, you can see:

Genders – 5:30
Sisters – 6:30
Charms – 7:30
Porter Ray – 8:30
Memway – 9:30

Here’s Golden Gardens, the 4:30 pm band:

There’s also special evening programming at GreenLife in Junction Plaza Park (42nd SW/SW Alaska) – the film “Transition 2.0” at 8 pm. That’s also the closing time for kids’ rides tonight (price info is here).

5:26 PM: You can admire art and buy art at Summer Fest … and you can make some! The Community Mural is being created in the Kids Zone by Wells Fargo:

You can buy yard art … we spotted this critter:

And outside Fleurt on the east side of California between Oregon and Alaska, this coffee cup:

On the west side of that block, you can find West Seattle merch – the famous yellow-star logo, including T-shirts – at CAPERS.

6:25 PM: The crowd milling around Walk All Ways keeps growing. Some are watching the father-and-son buskers performing steps away. Sign says the little guy’s 5:

One comment we’ve heard over and over this weekend – the weather’s perfect. Sunny, not too hot, not too cold. Don’t be alarmed if you wake up tomorrow and discover it’s cloudy – forecast says that’ll burn off.

ADDED 8:48 PM: The sun has set and tonight’s headline performance is a little over an hour away. Meantime, here’s an aerial view, looking south along California from the beer garden/mainstage zone, courtesy of Paul Weatherman:

Paul says the photo is from about 7 o’clock tonight.

NOTE: For coverage of Saturday night’s headliners Brent Amaker and The Rodeo, go here!

(DAY 1, REPORT #1 HERE … DAY/NIGHT 1, REPORT #2 HERE … SCHEDULE LINKS HERE … BUS REROUTES HERE)

10:48 AM: THAT is how you get your West Seattle Summer Fest on … Bear the dog knows how. And if you bring your own canine companion, don’t miss the gelato at the Camp Crockett (WSB sponsor) booth:

They’re on the west side of California between Oregon and Alaska. Here’s the overall festival-zone map:

If you’re looking for a specific vendor, stop by and ask us in the Info Booth (California/Alaska, look for the giant INFORMATION banners). For specific links to what’s up today, see our West Seattle Saturday daily preview. A few notes: Music starts at 11:30 am, with performers from the School of Rock; at Sustainable West Seattle‘s GreenLife expo in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska), the next presentation is about “minimalist consumption,” at 11 am, with West Seattle Timebank and the Community General Store. And parading around the festival, based at GreenLife, it’s a giant inflatable orca:

Festival shopping goes until 6 tonight, rides and food (everyone keeps asking us about corn on the cob –
none this year that we’ve found, sorry!) until 8-ish, music until 11 pm.

12:06 PM: The music has begun! Above, that’s video from School of Rock performers on the main stage (north of SW Oregon) about half an hour ago. Another place you’ll find music:

The West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ pop-up “instrument petting zoo” is inside the ArtsWest lobby, west side of California south of Alaska, until 2 pm. Stop in and try something! Then wander a little further south on the west side of California, and you will see the friendly people in the Explorer West Middle School booth:

You can play a game there – draw a ball, get asked a question, and win some candy.

12:48 PM: One week from today, the Float Dodger 5K will be on the run from Admiral to The Junction, followed by the West Seattle Grand Parade. You can sign up for the 5K here at Summer Fest – look for the booth on the east side of California between Oregon and Alaska – that’s where we found Tim and Lori McConnell of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), which is presenting the run/walk again this year:

Another note – if you’re looking for cotton candy and/or snow cones, they’re in the ride zone on Alaska west of California.

1:18 PM: Again today, there’s pop-up entertainment all around – the DNG Dancers just put on a show at California/Alaska:

Seen in the crowd – cool balloon hats:

The balloon artist is midblock on California between Alaska and Edmunds – at least when last we saw him.

Meantime, it’s getting close to showtime for the one Summer Fest event we’re involved in besides hanging out at the Info Booth – the mayoral-candidates forum, coming up at 2 pm. Junction Plaza Park is a bit hidden behind some of the food vendors, north side of Alaska between California and 42nd – we’ll see you there.

4:15 PM: The forum is over – thanks to everyone who was there, watching, and/or asking questions, plus the candidates! 14 in all showed up. Several left before the forum was over because of another event. Sustainable West Seattle had someone recording video and we’ll point to it when it’s available. We’re now about to get going with today’s second report!

(DIRECT INFOLINKS: Today’s lineups are here … Bus reroutes: C Line here, Route 22 here, Route 37 here, Route 50 here, Route 55 here, Route 57 here, Route 128 here, Route 773 here, )

The mainstage music has begun at West Seattle Summer Fest! Above, a short clip from Po’Brothers’ performance, kicking off the schedule, which concludes with tonight’s headliner Thunderpussy at 10 pm. Wiscon is up next at 4:30 See the full music schedule here. And also note, there’s music tonight on the GreenLife stage in Junction Plaza Park, too – Teresa and the Wolves at 6:30, The Broadcast at 7:45, and Cellar Bells at 9.

Shopping and snacking continue throughout the festival. And art! Diane Venti, former proprietor of Alki Arts at the beach, has a pop-up booth outside CAPERS:

She’s selling work by Michael Birawer. Nearby, we figured out this mystery pretty fast:

That’s a promotion for the opening-this-fall Escape Artist (as explained in our story last month) “escape room” game venue coming to three spaces off the midblock breezeway. Also seen in the area, unique apparel outside the Antique Mall:

And further south, don’t miss the ultimate summer outdoor furniture at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor):

It’s been a trouble-free day so far – the SPD Summer Fest patrol has been here all day, and verifies that:

5:13 PM: Dinner time! Remember the ~20 outdoor cafes. Food goes beyond what you see in the festival-specific booths – although they have unique treats (not just the ones we mentioned earlier) like the burger on a Krispy Kreme donut, Trinidad street food, $3 coconuts at the QFC stand (which is right across from us in the Info Booth – north side of Walk All Ways – $1 water bottles too, as well as bags of tortilla chips).

5:36 PM: Frequently asked question – “is the Farmers’ Market still happening on Sunday?” Yes, it is – but since the street is full of festival booths, you’ll find it in its old spot, the lot behind KeyBank/Bin 41/Pharmaca/etc., 10 am-2 pm Sunday. Another common question – where do you buy ride tickets? Look for the tent just past Pecos Pit and Fish Ice Cream on the south side of SW Alaska, west of California. But if you forget any of this, just ask any of us at the Information Booth in the heart of Walk All Ways – we’re here with reps from the West Seattle Junction Association (which presents Summer Fest) plus volunteers from local organizations like the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, and the “community gathering tent” groups (see the list here). If you’re looking for a community group that’s not in the “tent,” you might find them at GreenLife, or even in a booth of their own along California.

6:05 PM: Lots of dogs seen today at Summer Fest. Among them, Olive:

The “Pet Junction” zone is on the west side of California north of Alaska, by Next-to-Nature. We’ve seen signs of pet-friendliness elsewhere, too, such as drinking bowls set out for dogs.

Lots of kids here, too, from babies in front-packs to tweens and teens. Rides are scheduled to run until 8 tonight:

And the music goes until 11 (headliner Thunderpussy is at 10). Getting lots of questions right now about the stage location – California, north of Oregon.

More to come! (Today’s first report is here.)

8:32 PM: From Junction Plaza Park, the first of three acts on the GreenLife evening music slate, Teresa and the Wolves, who started playing around 6:30 pm:

ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: We went back for the start of Thunderpussy‘s headliner performance, closing the night on the mainstage:

The crowd filled the street:

And the band rocked the stage:

They were introduced by Troy Nelson, who with Ben Jenkins curated this year’s Summer Fest slate:

(Photo added – this great shot is by Keven Ruf:)

Saturday’s headliner is West Seattle’s own Brent Amaker and the Rodeo.

(DIRECT INFOLINKS: Today’s lineups are here … Bus reroutes: C Line here, Route 22 here, Route 37 here, Route 50 here, Route 55 here, Route 57 here, Route 128 here, Route 773 here, )

(“Live” image of festival zone, courtesy of SDOT info-map camera – refresh page for newest image)

11:08 AM: At the bottom of the image above, that’s the Info Booth/Community Tent at California/Alaska, where we’re stationed, covering West Seattle Summer Fest again this year. The festival’s in its second hour – shopping, noshing, riding, all under way already. The weather’s perfect. Music (here’s the lineup) starts at 3:30 pm. We’ll be showing the sights and the highlights as the day goes by – more to come.

11:41 AM: One trick of maximizing your festival visit is knowing where to look for everything. This year the Sustainable West Seattle GreenLife Expo is in Junction Plaza Park (42nd SW/SW Alaska) – a bit obscured by food booths, so don’t pass it by! Behind the solar panels, in our photo:

Here’s the schedule of demonstrations and events – you’ll find many cool community groups there too. Meantime, at one of the food booths on that side of SW Alaska, the most unusual offering we’ve spotted so far:

Another place you’ll want to look past the main Summer Fest routes on California and Alaska – the Kids Zone (presented by longtime WSB sponsor, the West Seattle YMCA). Activities and inflatables are under the Wells Fargo drive-thru and in the lot beyond, as well as some on Alaska by 44th .

You’ll find the ride-ticket booth on the south side of Alaska by the entrance to the parking lot behind KeyBank – and note that the rides are open a little longer than other vendors on Friday and Saturday night; prices are here.

Back to the food – many year-round Junction eateries do something special at Summer Fest. Like Husky Deli, whose Jack Miller was all smiles already, first thing this morning:

Lots of outdoor seating, too, throughout The Junction, special for Summer Fest. Meantime, between year-round merchants and festival-only booths, about 200 places to shop and visit – including this one that caught our (admittedly geeky) eye:

By the way, if you’re here or in The Junction in general, that’s just a TV helicopter buzzing the festival right now.

12:32 PM: A few government agencies are here too. Including WSDOT, on the west side of California south of Alaska, answering questions about the tunnel – with an exhibit featuring this:

Meantime, festival activities are starting to intensify. Coming up at 1 pm on the stage at GreenLife in Junction Plaza Park – an opening ceremony with the Duwamish Tribe.

1:35 PM: Here’s a short clip of Ken Workman, Chief Si’ahl’s great-great-great-great grandson, welcoming the festival:

On that same stage, Orca Dance: Illuminatos is scheduled at 4 pm. The ongoing displays at GreenLife include these guys:

The crowd is getting bigger as the afternoon goes on – and a lot of people are stopping by to ask about the band schedule – we do have the Summer Fest programs here, free, while they last, along with various other informational items you might want to pick up, such as the cards with the West Seattle Outdoor Movies schedule (first movie “Rogue One,” one week from tomorrow, at the Y “festival street,” 36th/Snoqualmie in The Triangle).

3 PM: We’ll be launching report #2 once the mainstage music gets going later this hour – we’re taking a break to publish a few non-festival news stories in the meantime. By the way, the stage/music isn’t the only reason to head north of Oregon (where you have to wait for a crossing signal, since it remains open to east-west travel):

Art is happening just north of Oregon – at and around the Art Dive. Our photo shows what’s happening just outside Red Cup Espresso – where there’s not only an artist at work, but also DJing, and a food truck. More Summer Fest coverage to come! Vendors are open until at least 6, food and rides until 8-ish, beer garden and music until 11 – come see and hear what’s happening.

7:24 PM: The Bubbleman is on – and so is West Seattle Summer Fest Eve! The streets closed a little over an hour ago for festival setup – and for a pre-festival party that’s become a fun locals’ night over the years. You’ll find outdoor seating at a variety of venues – as well as entertainment, also including Shabazz Palaces at Easy Street …

… and Big Band Blue outside West 5 …

plus your chance to see behind the scenes of setup for Summer Fest, which starts at 10 am tomorrow:

That’s one of the crews working north of Oregon, where you’ll find the Summer Fest main stage and beer garden all weekend long (plus a new band-merch tent). At California/Alaska, the Info Booth tent’s gone up – that’s where you’ll find us throughout the festival again this year (we’re a co-sponsor, too). And did we mention it’s West Seattle Art Walk night too?

10:35 PM: More photos added – first, from Bubbleman’s finale:

Next, a closer look at Shabazz Palaces @ Easy Street:

People-watching on Summer Fest Eve can be fun – in this case, birdwatching too:

That’s Michael with Tara on his shoulder. Meantime, the Kid Zone setup included a test of the pirate-ship ride (on SW Alaska between California and 44th):

And even before sunset, the main stage continued taking shape:

When you come to Summer Fest, if you visit the Info Booth at California/Alaska, say hi! We are there – with festival staffers and community volunteers – again this year. Official festival hours are 10 am-6 pm Friday and Saturday, 11 am-5 pm Sunday; on Friday and Saturday, the mainstage music and beer garden goes late into the night, and the food usually runs at least a few hours past vendor-closing time those first two nights too. For the Kids Zone – here is our report on ride hours and prices. See you at Summer Fest!

(WSB photo from last year’s festival)

With West Seattle Summer Fest 2017 starting Friday, you might be getting serious in your planning – so we’re trying to answer some of the questions asked most often every year. In this installment: The schedule and prices for the rides. Lora Swift, executive director of the festival-presenting West Seattle Junction Association, shares the info from the ride provider:

Friday Hours – 10 am to 8 pm for the rides

**Unlimited Use Pass for the day (Friday only) – $20 (allows unlimited use of all rides)

**Unlimited Use Pass for all three days (allows unlimited use of all rides for the entire event) – $47

**Individual Tickets (rides cost one to four tickets each) – $1.25 per ticket

Saturday Hours – 10 am to 8 pm for the rides

**Unlimited Use Pass for the day (Saturday only) – $20 (allows unlimited use of all rides)

**Unlimited Use Pass for two days (allows unlimited use of all rides for Saturday and Sunday) – $34

**Individual Tickets (rides Cost one to four tickets each) – $1.25 per ticket

Sunday Hours – 10 am to 5 pm for rides

**Unlimited Use Pass for the day – $18 (unlimited use of all rides)

**Individual Tickets (rides cost one to four tickets each) – $1.25 per ticket

Note that those hours are different from the basic festival hours (10 am-6 pm Saturday and Sunday, with beer garden and bands running until late night, and 11 am-5 pm Sunday). The Kids Zone is on SW Alaska between California and 44th, and in and around the Wells Fargo lot immediately north of there. The schedule for other kids’ activities is here.