As we continue previewing West Seattle Summer Fest, we have word another tradition continues this year. The announcement and photo are from West Seattle Quilters:

For the 11th year in a row, the West Seattle Quilters have created their raffle quilt to benefit the West Seattle Senior Center. The 2016 queen-sized quilt, titled “Star Dusk,” features a star pattern in quiet grays and blues, with red accents.

Raffle tickets for the quilt are $1 each, and all the money goes directly to the West Seattle Senior Center. Ticket sales begin July 8 at the West Seattle Summer Fest (look for us outside the Stop and Shop). After the festival, tickets will be available at the Senior Center at the reception desk. The drawing will be held October 28, 2016, during Rainbow Bingo at the Senior Center.

Quilters work together on the raffle quilt beginning with pattern selection in February and working through June to complete it. Last year’s raffle quilt raised $2,000 for the West Seattle Senior Center.

West Seattle Quilters meet at the Senior Center on the first and third Mondays of the month at 7pm to share quilting ideas and projects. Quilters of all ages are welcome!

Stop and Shop is on the lower level of the Sisson Building, headquarters to the Senior Center, on the southeast corner of California/Oregon, near the north end of the festival zone.

(UPDATED 5:18 PM with Metro’s Summer Fest reroutes, just posted)

4:24 PM: It’s the day before the night before West Seattle Summer Fest – and we have more updates on what’s happening Thursday night (Summer Fest Eve) as well as Friday-Saturday-Sunday for the festival itself:

SUMMER FEST EVE AT WEST 5: One of the original presenters of Summer Fest Eve entertainment in the street is West 5 (4539 California SW), and we just got the lineup from proprietor Dave Montoure – musicians from the Jazz Night School will be back for a second year, their Big Band and a jazz quartet.

PET JUNCTION ADDED: One more Summer Fest feature has just been added to the lineup – look for Pet Junction on the sidewalk by Next to Nature (4543 California SW).

SIDEWALK SALES: When you’re going through the Summer Fest vendor list, take note of the year-round Junction merchants who are listed too – Summer Fest has its roots in what was an annual mega-sidewalk sale, and the tradition continues for many stores.

WHERE TO FIND THE FARMERS’ MARKET ON SUNDAY: This is the second Summer Fest since the Farmers’ Market moved into the street, so maybe fewer people will be confused this year – the market DOES happen on Summer Fest Sunday, 10 am-2 pm as always (although the festival itself doesn’t start up until 11 am on Sunday), but just for that day, you’ll find it in its “old” location, the lot behind KeyBank, 44th/Alaska.

West Seattle Summer Fest’s official hours are 10 am-6 pm Friday and Saturday, 11 am-5 pm Sunday; music runs longer on Friday-Saturday (see the California Stage schedule here). Find festival info here; we’ll continue with previews through tomorrow – scroll through this WSB archive for our earlier previews – and with coverage from The Junction starting tomorrow night, throughout the weekend!

ADDED 5:18 PM: Metro has finally posted reroute information for Summer Fest, Thursday night through Sunday night. Find it here.

(WSB photo from Summer Fest Eve 2015 – a night to just play in the street)

As West Seattle’s biggest party of the year approaches, we’re continuing to preview Summer Fest (Friday-Saturday-Sunday) and Summer Fest Eve (the pre-festival pop-up fun that starts after Junction streets close for setup at 6 pm Thursday).

Tonight – word of what’s up Thursday night at Elliott Bay Brewing Company (4720 California SW), which always throws a great party on Summer Fest Eve. Elliott Bay’s Thursday festivities will include the re-release of Alpine Lakes Pale, a benefit brew with $1 from every pint sold going to Washington Wild. That starts at 6, and Elliott Bay will have kids’ activities and entertainment on Thursday too – balloons, magic, and a Grateful Dead cover band, we hear. Clear your calendar and plan to spend Summer Fest Eve in The Junction – it’s a special early West Seattle Art Walk night (tour the murals again!), too, among other festivities we’ll be previewing. See you there!

Our area’s biggest party of the year is just three days away! West Seattle Summer Fest starts Friday. Here’s what you need to know right now:

*Streets close to motorized-vehicle traffic starting Thursday night at 6 pm for setup and Summer Fest Eve festivities, and stay closed until breakdown and cleanup are concluded late Sunday night

*Closure zone is California SW, from just south of Genesee to just north of Edmunds, with SW Oregon open for east-west through traffic, and SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd

*Festival hours are 10 am-6 pm on Friday and Saturday, with music running later those nights, then 11 am-5 pm on Sunday

*One main stage for music, the California Stage – the lineup’s here

*You’ll also find some music among the events at GreenLife, on the west side of California just north of the south end of the festival zone – details are on the Sustainable West Seattle website

*The kids’ zone is back, with both free activities and buy-tickets/bracelets rides

*Who’s in the vendor booths this year? See the list here

*Who’s selling food and where? The list has both visiting vendors and Junction eateries with sidewalk plans

*In the heart of the festival, California/Alaska, you’ll find the Information Tent, where Team WSB is joined again by community-group volunteers to answer your Summer Fest questions, and local nonprofits helping you learn more about what they do

Our next preview, later today, will have more details about Summer Fest Eve on Thursday night!

Lots of countdowns now that the biggest month of West Seattle summer fun has arrived, with big events including this one:

3 weeks from today, it’s day 1 of the two-day Alki Art Fair (with this year’s sponsors including WSB). AAF spokesperson Diane Venti says the lineup so far includes almost 90 artists, 30 musicians, and eight food vendors. And YOU can be part of it all if you can spare a little time to volunteer … e-mail volunteers@alkiartfair.org – thanks, and we’ll see you at the beach!

(See the festival schedule here)

11:17 AM: We’re seeing breaks in the clouds here – even a bit of sun! – in the second hour of today’s Morgan Junction Community Festival. Above, the Endolyne Children’s Choir is performing in the park right now; at 11:30 am, it’s the legendary Bubbleman, who has arrived and is getting ready for his show.

The festival layout is a little different this year – it’s all on the west side of California, as this map shows:

North to south, it stretches from SW Eddy north of Morgan Junction Park and south of the former commercial building that will soon be demolished to expand the park … to the park itself … to the food zone in the lot on the north side of Beveridge Place Pub … to the rows of vendors and nonprofits north of and behind the Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor)/Whisky West building, including the Authors Realm:

The north side is where you’ll find the plant exchange right next to Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor):

11:37 AM: The Seattle Police Mobile Precinct is here right now, parked on California, behind the purple van driven by Bubbleman

He’s just started his performance in the park. Here’s a bit of video:

And if you’re feeling like it’s lunchtime, along with the festival food zone and the Morgan Junction restaurants, you also have the option of wandering over to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor):

Today’s burger barbecue goes to the fund that keeps this festival – presented by the all-volunteer Morgan Community Association – free!

12:09 PM: Hour three already! If you share your life with one or more dogs, you want to get here for the Bark of Morgan at 1:30 pm – parading around the festival grounds, and then contests here on the north side. But that aside, the festival is about people. The three-dozen plus vendors and nonprofits here include local independent businesspeople, like Anne Higuera of Ventana Construction and Parie Hines of LD Arch Design:

They are in a booth behind Zeeks/WW, ready to talk with you about construction and design of home projects including backyard cottages. (Both are WSB sponsors.) Then if you check out the row of booths here on SW Eddy north of the park, where we are, the people you can meet include Clay Eals of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. You can congratulate him for just being announced as recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community! Also here in the north row – east of the Kids’ Activities zone – are Seal Sitters, West Seattle Timebank, West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network, and the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs.

Plus – just arrived, you can meet the firefighters of Seattle Fire Department Engine 37 (headquartered in Sunrise Heights):

12:21 PM: Bubbleman just wrapped up, and live music resumes in the park, with jazz by West Seattle’s own family act The Ellis Brothers:

Then, just after 1 pm, it’ll be Comfort Food!

1:34 PM: And that’s who’s onstage now, sounding great. The weather has progressed to partly sunny. Thanks to all the folks who’ve come to the festival already – and to those who have stopped by to say hi. Be sure you make it all the way through the festival grounds to see the local businesses and groups that are behind Zeeks/Whisky West (which opens at 3, per a sign on its door), too! Meantime, the Bark of Morgan dog parade is about to pass our booth … en route to the contest zone by the ex-Short Stop:

The mellow sounds of Comfort Food continue.

At 2 pm, the musicians and dancers of the Tongan Choir will perform in the park – an annual tradition. (photo added)

And then at 3 – ever painted a building during a festival?

Between 3 and 4, be at the ex-Short Stop to take your turn “spattering” it with (water-based) paint. It’s due for demolition soon but festival organizers thought this might be a fun way to bid it farewell.

2:50 PM: Haven’t been here yet? Perfect time. Come down, get ice cream from Sweet Bumpas in the food zone, no line for face-painting. The Mobile Precinct and Engine 37 have departed but the SPD Mounted Patrol is reported to be on the way, and the “Spatter” is just about to get going. Two more musical performances, too – Broken Horses at 3, Gary Benson at 4.

3 PM: And here they are:

More to come … the festival’s on until 5.\\

4 PM: Shortly after that photo, the rain returned, briefly, and the Mounted Patrol took refuge under an overhang:

But now – sunshine!

The kids’ activities zone in that photo, however, is closing up. Other vendors and nonprofits are here, and we’ll be here until the final moments. A few more scenes:

That’s Jennifer Young from My Three Little Birds (WSB sponsor), the kids’ resale shop in south Morgan Junction, and her family. Hers is one of the dozens of businesses (including ours) that sponsored today’s festival – the kids’ zone, in this case, which was very popular, with lines almost every time we looked over!

Also done for the day – the “Spatter of Morgan” paint-splashing on the soon-to-be-torn-down Short Stop building:

4:43 PM: Festival is in its final moments. Accompanying the winding-down vibe, mellow acoustic rock by Gary Benson:

Congratulations to the Morgan Community Association for another fun festival – a heroic task for an all-volunteer community council to make happen. MoCA meets quarterly – you’re invited to the next meeting, 7 pm July 20th at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).

One more reminder – 10 am-5 pm Saturday, whatever the weather (might be a little showery), the Morgan Junction Community Festival is on!

Live music all day, the legendary Bubbleman @ 11:30 am, local authors’ reading/meeting/greeting all day, Bark of Morgan dog parade and contests at 1:30 pm, food and ice-cream carts, dozens of community groups/businesses/vendors to see and meet, even a chance to “paint” the building at the future park-expansion site, 3-4 pm … You’ll find it all in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW) and around/behind the Beveridge Place Pub and Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor)/Whisky West buildings next door.

Rain or shine, the Morgan Junction Community Festival is on for Saturday, 10 am-5 pm in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW).

Last night, we brought you a thorough preview of most of what you’ll find at the festival, which is presented by the Morgan Community Association, with sponsors including WSB. But we promised that tonight we’d share the word about the food.

In addition to the area’s year-round restaurants, including Zeek’s Pizza (WSB sponsor) right next to the festival zone, four mobile vendors are scheduled for Saturday, according to festival organizers, and this year they’ll be next to Beveridge Place Pub, adjacent to the park, rather than across the street as in the past few years. They are:

Kabob ‘n Kabob
Dirty Dog hot-dog cart
Gourmet Tamales
Sweet Bumpas Ice Cream

And kitty-corner from the park, at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), look for the barbecue tent outside the store entrance – you can support the festival by getting a fresh-grilled burger, chips, and drink for lunch, $7 suggested donation goes to keeping the festival free! 11 am until about 3 pm.

One more preview tomorrow, and then we’ll see you in Morgan Junction on Saturday!

Saturday is getting closer! And so far, looks like sun will grace the 2016 Morgan Junction Community Festival. We have even more information tonight about what you’ll find in and around Morgan Junction Park during the festival, which is coordinated and presented by the Morgan Community Association.

Festival hours are 10 am-5 pm. When you get there, you’ll find a program at the festival-info booth in the park. The overall schedule grid is here; here are the featured events:

Music/entertainment lineup:

Alan Erlich, 10:00
Endolyne Children’s Choir, 10:45
Ellis Brothers, 12:15
Comfort Food, 1:00
Tongan Choir, 2:00
Broken Horses, 3:00
Gary Benson, 4:00

Vendors and Community Groups, starting at 10 am

More than 40 commercial vendors and community group reps will be in the parking lot behind Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor) and Whisky West, on Beveridge Place, and Eddy Street. Highlights include the Seed and Plant Exchange booth; Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) will feature an architect with whom you can discuss backyard cottage design/build ideas and requirements, Parie Hines of LD Arch Design (also a WSB sponsor); a representative from the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) will be available; and dozens more (we’ll be there reporting live as usual).

Writers’ Realm – Starting at 10:30 am, it’s back, featuring fifteen West Seattle authors, with readings and book sales at booths in the parking lot vendor area behind Zeeks and Whisky West – the authors’ list is here.

Kids’ Activities – 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. Jennifer Young, owner of My Three Little Birds (WSB sponsor), is coordinating the children’s activities. Chief entertainment for the kids is The Bubbleman, of course. He begins his always-pleasing wild and colorful show at 11:30 in the park. Craft activities start at 10:30 and end at 3:30. In addition to the crafts, face painters will be in the kid activity area from 10:00 to 3:30 and a balloon artist between 12:15 and 3:00. Mode Music Studioss (WSB sponsor) will hold half-hour Kindermusik sessions for younger children beginning at 12:30 and ending at 3:30.

Seattle Police Mounted Patrol – visiting at some point between 12:30 and 4 pm
Meet the horses (and the human officers), who are based right here in West Seattle.

Bark of Morgan dog parade and contests – 1:30 pm on, bring your leashed dog to SW Eddy just north of Morgan Junction Park – costumes encouraged! Parade through the festival grounds and then return for judged contests around 1:45 pm – more info here.

Spatter of Morgan – 3-4 pm
You’ll have the chance to “spatter” the soon-to-be-demolished building north of the park (site of future park expansion!) with water-based paint.

Tomorrow – we’ll preview Morgan Junction Community Festival food! (Thanks to festival publicity coordinator Susan Madrid for providing the detailed information featured above.)

(WSB file photo)

See and be seen! Want to be part of the heart of West Seattle Summer Fest 2016? Get your group into the Community Tent! With the festival just a little over three weeks away, the deadline is just days away. From the West Seattle Junction Association:

Now is the time to apply for the 2016 Community Tent at West Seattle Summer Fest – July 8, 9, and 10. We’re accepting applications from West Seattle nonprofits and community groups who are interested in being considered for this FREE space in the festival. Priority will be given to local groups who strive to benefit, strengthen, and educate the West Seattle neighborhood in a direct way.

The purpose of the Community Tent at Summer Fest is to allow West Seattle’s small neighborhood nonprofits and community groups easy access to the largest event of the year in West Seattle – free of charge! Each year more than 20,000 people attend Summer Fest, making it a great place for local groups to reach out to the community and connect with like-minded people.

The Community Tent will be centrally located in the heart of the festival, near the intersection of SW Alaska Street and California Avenue SW. A tent, tables, and chairs will be provided. Participants are encouraged to set up their table and area with displays that reflect their mission and contributions to the West Seattle community. Participants are welcome to bring props, brochures, and other materials to promote their organization and encourage festival attendees to stop and chat. Please note that NO SALES will be permitted in the Community Tent area.

Interested neighborhood nonprofits and community groups can apply by emailing Jenelle Clark of WSJA by Friday (June 17th) at jenelle@wsjunction.org. In your email, please include a brief cover letter including details about your nonprofit or group, and please outline your direct impact in the West Seattle neighborhood. Including specific details about how you engage with the West Seattle community will be key.

Summer Fest hours are 10 am-6 pm Friday, July 8th, and Saturday, July 9th, and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday, July 10th; shifts available in the Community Tent are 10 am-2 pm or 2 pm-6 pm on Friday and Saturday, 11 am-2 pm or 2-5 pm on Sunday.

One week from tomorrow, it’s the next big neighborhood celebration of summer, the Morgan Junction Community Festival, presented by the Morgan Community Association, in and around Morgan Junction Park, 10 am-5 pm Saturday, June 18th.

One fun feature you’ll find again – the “Bark of Morgan” dog parade and canine contests. First, at 1:30 pm, parade your pooch around the festival grounds (on leash – and costumes are encouraged); then, at 1:45 pm, compete in one of the seven contest categories, with judging by audience applause:

* Highest Jump
*Smallest Dog
*Best Urban Village Dog
*Best Trick
*Best Costume
*Longest Tail
*Best Owner/Dog Lookalike

Other festival fun includes kids’ activities starting at 10:30, Bubbleman‘s performance starting at 11:30, live music, food trucks, local authors, vendor booths, more; the park is on California north of Fauntleroy.

Take the time to wander the surrounding Morgan Junction business district, too – lots of great local businesses are co-sponsoring the festival, as are we. See you there!

Now that June’s here, the big events are rolling in like the tide.

Two weeks from today – on Saturday, June 18th – we are proud to again be co-sponsoring the Morgan Junction Community Festival, in and around Morgan Junction Park, 10 am-5 pm. It’ll bring the first West Seattle summertime sighting of The Bubbleman, at 11:30 am; the Bark of Morgan Pooch Parade is back too, welcoming you and your canine companion(s) at 1:30 pm; and throughout the day, you’ll enjoy live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, and a treat for reading fans – a chance to meet and hear from more than a dozen local authors. We’ll be there to cover the festival live all day – hope to see you there!

SDOT has finally officially announced the September 25th Seattle Summer Parkways (aka “car-free day”) West Seattle event, more than two months after we brought you first word it was on the way.

A few hours after Wednesday’s announcement, Seattle Summer Parkways coordinator Jordan Adams briefed the Southwest District Council, during its June meeting. The plans sound bigger than any of the previous “car-free days” in the area held 2008-2014.

One key point he mentioned: While Alki Avenue will be closed in its entirety between 63rd and 56th during the event (see the map above), the closure will be only one lane from 56th eastward (the water side of the street). Otherwise, the lineup for the 11 am-4 pm street party is taking shape; he told SWDC, “We have a few food trucks participating, and we’re opening the event with a 10K run … a bunch of groups already have signed up to organize events, we have a bike parade, a full music stage on Alki Beach, also up at the boat ramp.” (The run is the Orca Half, first reported here last week.) Also part of it: A fun way to work on emergency preparedness – cargo-bike trials in conjunction with the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs.

Adams is also inviting other organizations to be part of the Summer Parkways event (technically on the first Sunday of fall, as someone pointed out during the SWDC discussion), promotionally and/or offering an activity, no fee required- here’s the application.

This year’s Alki Art Fair (with co-sponsors including WSB) is now less than two months away and tonight, organizers have a two-part request involving the T-shirts for which the event is well-known:

We need a little help from our friends!

Over the last 18 years of the Alki Art Fair, there have been 20 different official T-shirts (a couple of years we had an extra supplemental ‘Kids Entry’ Winner). We have collected 18 past designs and are missing a couple … if you have an Art Fair T-shirt that is NOT one of those pictured above, please send us a photo!!!!!

Also, please let us know if you can identify the years that any of the shirts without printed dates on them are from.

Plus: We are still taking submissions for this year’s T-shirt design with the theme ‘Around the Sound.’ Please send your entry to vendors@alkiartfair.org by June 7. Design entry is open to the public and should include ‘Alki Art Fair 2016’ in the design.

This year’s Alki Art Fair is set for Saturday and Sunday, July 23-24, along the Alki Beach Park promenade as usual.

11:11 AM: The West Seattle Bee Festival is on! And this year it’s indoors AND outdoors – inside Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW), at the West Seattle Bee Garden on the north side of High Point Commons Park, along the street on the west side of the park between those two points … live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, just come wander! We’re reporting “live” from the Vendor/Info Fair, which continues until 2 pm, while the festival runs until 3.

11:29 AM: Added video from the Bee Festival parade, which just went by. Many of the young participants had their faces painted inside HP Center:

Just west of HP Center is where you will find the food!

And if you were/are a fan of a certain Northwest-set TV series that’s about to make a comeback, this menu will be of interest:

12:01 PM: Excellent soundtrack so far – DJ Ron (below center) is the man to thank:

We also just talked with Bee Garden founder Lauren Englund (here’s our original story about her dream, back in 2012), who mentions that while it’s a little damp today (the rain has stopped, though) she’s had 20 field trips at the garden so far this year and the weather’s been spectacular.

12:27 PM: Festival organizer Karen Berge stopped by to tell us that Lauren is giving a demonstration over at the Bee Garden – which is home to hives – right now!

1 PM: Still two more hours of festival to enjoy! Live music (bluegrass with Ricky Gene Powell and band) is happening, activities in HP Center – Sherry Lankston from Woodland Park Zoo and “Up Close: Ninja Pollinators” program until 1:30 – (added: That’s Juliette the Jungle Nymph:)

Plus, food, the plant/seed/tool swap at the north end of the Vendor/Info Fair (until 2 pm) row … Put on a jacket and come say hi!

1:50 PM: The Vendor/Info Fair is wrapping up – just, of course as the sun starts to show signs of breaking through. Still a beautiful day at High Point Commons Park – where the Bee Garden alone is worth the visit! We’ll be adding more festival photos later. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi (or in one case, we got high-fives)! And remember … respect the bees … where would we “bee” without them?

ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: A few more photos as promised. Here are Scouts from Troop #42553:

And more young festivalgoers – this photo’s from Tamsen Spengler, who leads the West Seattle Timebank, part of the Vendor/Info Fair at the festival:

Our area’s biggest party of the year, West Seattle Summer Fest, is now just seven weeks away – July 8-10 – and today, we have a participation invitation!

The West Seattle Junction Association (WSJA) is again offering the FREE Community Tent at West Seattle Summer Fest – July 8, 9, and 10. WSJA is now accepting applications from West Seattle nonprofits and community groups who are interested in being considered. Priority will be given to local groups who strive to benefit, strengthen, and educate the West Seattle neighborhood in a direct way.

The purpose of the Community Tent at Summer Fest is to allow West Seattle’s small neighborhood nonprofits and community groups easy access to the largest event of the year in West Seattle – free of charge! Each year over 20,000 people attend Summer Fest, making it a great place for local groups to reach out to the community and connect with like-minded people.

The Community Tent will be centrally located in the heart of the festival, near the intersection of SW Alaska Street and California Avenue SW. A tent, tables, and chairs will be provided. Participants are encouraged to set up their table and area with displays that reflect their mission and contributions to the West Seattle community. Participants are welcome to bring props, brochures, and other materials to promote their organization and encourage festival attendees to stop and chat. Please note that NO SALES will be permitted in the Community Tent area.

Interested neighborhood nonprofits and community groups can apply by emailing Jenelle Clark of WSJA by June 17th at jenelle@wsjunction.org. Applications should include details about the nonprofit or group applying and their direct impact in the West Seattle neighborhood.

Community-tent shifts at the festival will be four hours on Friday and Saturday, 10 am-2 pm or 2 pm-6 pm, and three hours on Sunday, 11 am-2 pm and 2 pm-5 pm.

(YouTube playlist of videos by Summer Fest 2016 bands, starting with Tacocat’s “Bridge to Hawaii”)

West Seattle Summer Fest is now less than two months away – and one of the most eagerly awaited previews every year, the music lineup, has just arrived! See it here – and read the announcement:

The West Seattle Junction Association is excited to announce the full music line-up for West Seattle Summer Fest. This 34th annual event will occur July 8-10 in the West Seattle Junction.

Music is once again taking center stage with a stellar line-up that includes some of the best bands in the Northwest. Headliners for this event include Tacocat, Grace Love & the True Loves, and Chastity Belt. West Seattle’s Ben Jenkins and Troy Nelson, co-founders of the new Killroom Records, booked the event lineup and had this to say:

“We had a lot of fun rounding up the artists for West Seattle Summer Fest 2016. Showcasing artists that are making a significant impact in our city is something we focused heavily on this year. We also wanted to represent all genres from our vibrant music scene, including rock, hip hop, electronic, blues, metal, and more. We’re excited to see this lineup come together!”

In addition to the headliners, festival goers can catch more than 20 artists performing on the California main stage Friday through Sunday. The diverse lineup includes fresh, up-and-coming artists like Tomten, Maszer, DoNormaal, and Draemhouse as well as stalwart Seattle influencers like Pillar Point, Hobosexual, and The Dusty 45’s.

This FREE 3-day party in the streets celebrates West Seattle as a thriving music and arts community. Shopping, festival food, kids rides, and a beer garden mean there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Check out music from the full line-up in this YouTube playlist.

It’s also featured above – just hit “play” and it begins. Again, the full lineup, with days/times, is here.

(WSB photo from east end of closure zone on first “car-free day” in 2008)

9 AM: New information about this year’s “car-free day” event September 25th on Alki, which, as reported here last month, will be the first one since 2014. An SDOT representative told the Morgan Community Council last night that the event now officially known as Seattle Summer Parkways (previously, Seattle Summer Streets) will also be the first one in several years to close Alki and Harbor Avenues all the way to Don Armeni Boat Ramp. That’s the distance spanned during the first event in 2008; a lane will remain available for residents to get to and from their homes if needed. Entertainment and other plans will be out as the event gets closer. This was one of more than half a dozen topics on the MoCA agenda – full report to come.

ADDED 10 AM: One more note about Summer Parkways – there’s a planning meeting tonight, starting at 5:30 pm at Alki Community Center (5817 SW Stevens), to review the route and brainstorm activities before heading out to walk the route for half an hour and “build a vision” for the event. All welcome.