(WSB photo: Participants in 2011 Arts in Nature Festival ‘Species Parade’)
West Seattle’s next festival is six days away: As promised, Nature Consortium is bringing back the Arts in Nature Festival after a one-year hiatus. It’s next Saturday and Sunday (August 10-11) at Camp Long. The schedule is online – use the tabs on this page to see each individual day/venue. Saturday begins with Caspar Babypants at 11 am at the lodge; after that, he and Kate Endle will be in residence at Cabin 4 as part of the ongoing “Museum of Sound.” Headliners Cloud Cult will perform at the lodge at 7 pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday. The always-popular Species Parade is set for 1 pm Saturday and 11:30 am Sunday in the meadow. And those are just a few items from the long list of festival events. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the first Arts in Nature Festival; admission is free, but a donation is suggested, $10 individual/$25 families.
All the park’s a stage at Hiawatha as Mediterranean Fantasy Fest, the region’s premier belly-dancing festival, continues for a few more hours. You just might find a troupe getting ready, as we did, while others are onstage:
Performances continue outdoors and indoors until about 5 pm today – here’s the schedule. And don’t miss the vendors! Among them, West Seattle’s own Dina Lydia, the Costume Goddess:
The festival’s been an annual tradition for more than a quarter of a century, founded by the Babylonian Ensemble, whose website tells the story here.
ADDED 8:46 PM: Dina Lydia shared a few of her photos from the festival:
Belly-dancing is for all agencies; those sisters dance as The Bellybuttons. Next, Shalaa and Amanda in sailor outfits for a humorous mother-daughter routine:
On to the traditional – a Persian dance by a member of the troupe Karavans:
Here’s veteran troupe Shahradezade Dance Ensemble with a traditional beladi dance in the Hiawatha gym:
And the student troupe Dancing Mirage:
SiDE NOTE: This festival’s over, but summer fun at Hiawatha keeps going – next up, six Thursday nights of music, with Summer Concerts at Hiawatha beginning next Thursday night – details here.)
(Photo by Keri DeTore)
Parade’s over but – as shown in our West Seattle Saturday lineup – other big events are on, including the first day of the Alki Art Fair! Above, a mother-and-daughter team you’ll find among the more than 60 artists/vendors at the fair – Holli (from Holli With An I Photography) and Iris Clementine. We have a crew at the beach right now and will be adding photos a bit later. Quick links:
*Artist list here
*Today’s music lineup for the main stages here (PDF)
*Silent-auction items inside Alki Bathhouse
And remember you can take a shuttle from theWest Seattle High School parking lot (3000 California SW) if you’re not biking, bus-riding, walking, skateboarding, etc., to get to the fair, which is along the boardwalk, paralleling Alki Avenue from about 60th SW westward. Artist booths are open until 6 pm today and again 10-6 on Sunday, with music continuing tonight until 9.
ADDED: More scenes from Saturday – all photos below are by WSB’s Katie Meyer. Beautiful afternoon for a fair:
Music filled the air all day long and into the evening – this is MoonGirl:
So much to see, hear, and do, whatever your age:
The art being shown and sold is sometimes dazzling:
Sometimes fun:
And you’ll find it in a variety of media:
Or – if you’re of a certain age – create your own; Young At Art is there for projects with little ones.
Also look for Seal Sitters, whose art and essay contest for kids is under way (read all about it here), with a chance for them to enter at the fair:
(WSB photo from 2012 Alki Art Fair)
One of the marquee events in what looks to be West Seattle’s biggest weekend of the summer is the Alki Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday (July 20-21) – two days of arts, crafts, live music, food, and (if the forecast holds) beautiful weather at the beach. Here are the basics:
*Hours – 10 am-6 pm for the artists’ booths both days; music till 9 pm Saturday, 8 pm Sunday
*Transportation – If you’re not coming by bus or bicycle, or on foot, park at West Seattle High School (3000 California SW) and take the free shuttle bus!
And fair organizers have shared the artist/food-vendor lineup – always subject to last-minute change, but here’s where things stood as of this morning:
Even if you’ve already been to West Seattle Summer Fest this year, come on down one more time before it’s over! Thanks to Krista for sharing the top photo – “beautiful day in The Junction,” she noted; so true! Music, shopping, food, art, and more – it’s all here, until 5 pm. Art, by the way, is here to observe, to purchase, and to create – Jessie shared this photo from the kids’ area by Wells Fargo, where youth can create along with Young At Art:
1:38 PM NOTE: From Don Bereiter at Prudential NW Realty (WSB sponsor), whose booth has a fun game to check out: “For every child that participates, we are donating a can of food to the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks. 979 so far. Come on out and help a great cause!” (added) Here’s Tom Root and Chariti McEndoe photographed late in the day – note the counter’s gone up:
2:40 PM UPDATE: The last musical act of the day, The Jellyrollers, is scheduled to start right about now. Earlier, we caught Jazzberry with a young fan up front:
Summer Fest has been a bit lighter on political visitors than past years, but we’ve seen two mayoral candidates so far at the Info Booth – Mayor Mike McGinn, talking with, at right, Dave Montoure and Nancy Woodland from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:
And State Sen. Ed Murray, photographed talking with Susan Melrose from the West Seattle Junction Association:
WSJA, by the way, presents Summer Fest every year. Meantime, outside West Seattle Optix, balloon-making was in full swing earlier:
And there’s still time to get down and meet representatives of businesses, organizations, and service providers – we photographed Lisa at the Highline Medical (WSB sponsor) booth, handing out reusable bags.
More to come in the final few hours!
3:42 PM UPDATE: Just got a chance to upload video from today’s first performance onstage – that’s Rat City Brass! The festival is still crowded yet mellow. SPD Lt. Ron Smith, who heads up the on-site Summer Fest patrol, tells us there have been no major problems (and few minor ones) throughout the three days. As for the rest of West Seattle – we’ll get an update tomorrow, when the Southwest Precinct hosts the mayor, as the precincts around the city have been doing, for the latest on the Safe Communities project.
4:35 PM UPDATE: Down to the last half-hour, already. Another politician visited a little while ago:
With County Executive Dow Constantine – who said he had been making the rounds of festivals, including Kent Cornucopia Days earlier in the day – that’s Hamilton Gardiner and Jerome Cohen with him, both in the Info Booth today as community volunteers representing the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
5:04 PM UPDATE: And Summer Fest is a wrap for 2013. Thanks to everyone who’s been part of it – whether visitor, vendor, exhibitor, performer, staffer, local year-round merchant, volunteer, law enforcer, sponsor, etc. … it’s been awesome. We’ll have an update later tonight when the streets reopen – it’ll take a few hours for cleanup/breakdown/loadout.
P.S. Just for fun, we have a photo album on the WSB Facebook page with some of the dogs spotted at Summer Fest – see it here.
11 am is the official start time today for the final day of West Seattle’s biggest event of the year, Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB). And there’s more on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendarfor today. Here are the Sunday highlights, starting with festival-info links:
WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST, DAY 3: Toplines:
*Hours today – 11 am-5 pm
*Metro bus-stop changes, linked route-by-route here
*Music – Here’s (the lineup) – today’s first act is bound to be a highlight, Rat City Brass at 11:50 am; last scheduled act on the California stage is The Jellyrollers at 2:40 pm, but you’ll find musicians elsewhere during the day too – maybe even these two who were performing outside La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor) on Saturday (or catch them during La Romanza’s regularly scheduled musical meals):
*GreenLife: Find GreenLife on the south side of the festival zone; see the demonstration/event schedule here, with an encore of “Illuminatio – ‘Slavery of the System'” at 4 pm – here’s our Friday video snippet:
The GreenLife day begins with “Cooking in Season,” 11 am.
*Vendors/exhibitors:Here’s the directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
*Map to booths:Vendors/exhibitors map is here (PDF; we’re not listed because WSB is headquartered in the Information Booth for the 6th consecutive year)
*Kid Zone: On Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be; $20 for unlimited rides all day; same hours as festival, 11 am-5 pm
*Food: On Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note “Sidewalk Cafes” too at )
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Same hours, same spot! 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska – enjoy Summer Fest AND the market.
MINI-“STP” BIKE RIDE: Family-friendly, fun, AND headed for Summer Fest! Meet at Hamilton Viewpoint Park at 9:45 am; ride starts at 10 am. Traveling California SW from Seattle (Street) to Portland (Street). Then at 11 am, join a discussion about local greenways and more with West Seattle Bike Connections at the GreenLife zone at Summer Fest! Details in our calendar listing.
We recorded Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands around 5 pm, just asWest Seattle Summer Fest, night 2, began. Once again tonight, 8 pm is the official end time for booths and most activities), but some, like the community groups, have rolled up for the night. It’s been sunny all day and on into the evening, not too hot, a perfect Seattle summer Saturday.
ADDED 7:20 PM: Thanks to Will Wharton for sharing this photo via the WSB Facebook page – a police officer handing out stickers to kids at Summer Fest:
When you get 10,000 people in one place at one time, it’s no small task to help make sure things stay lively but peaceful. Meantime, speaking of lively, our crew is just back from recording some video during Hobosexual‘s performance. (added – here it is):
More big smiles we saw today – Anna was selling LED light-up bows at Forsythe Studio:
We have a few more Saturday scenes to add later. But it’s after 8 pm, and the booths are closing up – music continues until about 11, with the Street Dance, featuring Whisky River at 10 pm.
Two Sunday notes: Yes, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on as usual tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm; Summer Fest itself does not officially open until 11 am, and closes at 5 pm.
We’re live at West Seattle Summer Fest again today, covering it from the Information Booth in the heart of The Junction as it happens. Biggest event of the day so far – fans of Caspar Babypants thronged Junction Plaza Park for his performance; in case you missed it, we have a song on video, above. Spectacular sunny day in The Junction, and it’s been busy since the start – come on down and see your neighbors and friends!
Sticker update: Unfortunately, we’ve just been told the first run of WEST SEATTLE- WE HAVE THAT stickers has run out. Checking on plans for a second run.
ADDED 1:03 PM: If you’re bringing your dog to Summer Fest – more than a few have passed by – see Furry Faces Foundation in the Community Tent – between our spot in the Info Booth and the kids’ zone on the west stub of Alaska:
They’re making pet tags for the amazingly low price of $5, to increase the chance your pet will be returned home if s/he gets lost. Find them there till 6 today and 11-5 tomorrow. Also in the pet department – West Seattle See Dogs is with The Kenney (WSB sponsor) today – here’s Vanessa the guide puppy:
Ruth from West Seattle See Dogs says they desperately need new puppy raisers to sign up – so stop by to find out more, or contact her through Facebook.
Meantime, wander down to GreenLife to see The Whale Trail – with a chance for kids to create some art:
That’s TWT founder Donna Sandstrom with a young artist and with TWT’s papier-maché orca.
1:56 PM UPDATE: Speaking of marine mammals, Seal Sitters is setting up on the west side of the information booth – which has become spillover from the Community Tent across the way:
Also back here at California/Alaska, you’ll find the West Seattle High School Cheerleaders along with a setup offering WSHS alumni merchandise:
If you hear random cheering – it just might be them. Or maybe you’re hearing music and it’s nowhere near a stage – perhaps it’s members of the West Seattle Community Orchestras:
By the way, if you’re looking for information on other summer events around West Seattle – here in the info booth, we have info on all that too – West Seattle Outdoor Movies, which start next Saturday, for example (which is also the day of the West Seattle Grand Parade and the West Seattle Rotary-presented Kiddie Parade preceding it).
4:03 PM: And we’re on to the late afternoon! Still a tremendous turnout. Some observers who are here year after year say this seems to be the busiest Saturday ever. SPD says it’s peaceful, and so far as we’ve heard, we’d concur. Sights and sounds everywhere. Midblock north of Alaska, you’ll find the West Seattle Hi-Yu“Alki Deep” float:
That’s Senior Court Queen April. If you miss the float during Summer Fest, you’ll see it here on California SW again during the West Seattle Grand Parade next Saturday (starting from California/Lander at 11 am and traveling south to California/Edmunds). P.S. Buy a Hi-Yu button to support our city’s last traveling community float – this very one.
4:59 PM: Gerald Collier, performing earlier this afternoon:
Tonight’s music highlights include The Blakes at 5:40 pm, Hobosexual at 6:40 pm, and Whisky River for the Street Dance at 10 pm. We’ll have an evening update started shortly, as Summer Fest’s second (and usually biggest) day continues.
West Seattle Summer Fest day 2 is on, with street entertainment (that’s what’s in our video above) as well as scheduled music, demonstrations, and lots more! Here are some miscellaneous notes about what’s happening today
MUSIC:Caspar Babypants coming up at 11 am in Junction Plaza Park. See links here for the full schedule.
GET YOUR ‘WEST SEATTLE – WE HAVE THAT!’ STICKER: At the info booth, where WSB team members and community-group volunteers (today, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is helping out) can be found, at the heart of California/Alaska.
ALSO GET YOUR WSB INFO CARD: We’ve long been asked for a card that’s not just a standard business card, but includes information on how to use WSB for everything from a breaking-news tip to a lost/found-pet notice to a yard-sale announcement. Pick one up along with your WS – We Have That! sticker.
REST STOP FOR PARENTS: There are two – Nurturing Expressions’ booth near Puerto Vallarta and Northwest Art and Frame, and City Mouse Studio’s storefront on SW Alaska just west of Junction Plaza Park.
COMMUNITY TENT: It’s just west of our spot at the Information Booth, on the west side of California and Alaska. Among those on hand today; West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network and West Seattle Be Prepared.
WEST SEATTLE SEE DOGS: They’ll be with The Kenney (WSB sponsor) just north of Easy Street Records
(northwest side of California/Alaska), a chance for you to meet their seeing-eye puppies. Kids’ art project, too!
THE WHALE TRAIL: Here today too! In the GreenLife zone on the southwest edge of the festival – in the lot just north of Technical Analysis at California/Edmunds. They’re also having kids’ art, and your chance to see a papier-maché orca, among other things.
BOOK SALES: Two places where you will find books for a great price during the sidewalk sale – Pegasus Book Exchange, with thousands of hardcovers and paperbacks for $1 each during Summer Fest, and Merryweather Books. Both are on the west side of California SW, between Oregon and Alaska.
‘RUBY ROOM’ BENEFIT: Cherry Consignment on the east side of California just north of the festival zone has a sale today that’s raising money to help young people via the Ruby Room.
Day 1 of West Seattle’s biggest celebration of the year! Our coverage continues:
KID ACTIVITIES INFO: Top question of the day here in the West Seattle Summer Fest Info Booth – which is also WSB headquarters during the festival – has to do with the kids’ activities and features. This year, SW Alaska west of California is the kids’ area, since the “food court” has moved to the east side of Alaska. You’ll also find activities like face-painting (thanks to Pathfinder K-8 School volunteers led by Lashanna, in our top photo) and art projects (thanks to Young at Art) in the Wells Fargo lot as usual. We were asked about the hours and prices; the rides are open until 8 pm tonight, with a one-day unlimited pass $20, $45 for all three days, or $1.25 per ride ticket, with ride prices varying from one to five tickets. And a reminder – there are two “parents’ rest stops” for a quiet spot to feed your baby, etc. – at City Mouse Studio (4218 SW Alaska) and at the Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) booth:
Nurturing Expressions is on the west side of California between Edmunds and Alaska:
FOOD HIGHLIGHTS: Joining your WSB co-publishers (Tracy and Patrick) here at the info booth are other members of the team, including Katie and Callan, who are not only helping answer festivalgoers’ questions, but are also helping rustle up information. We sent Callan on a mission to check out the food situation. First, here are the Junction venues with outdoor seating during Summer Fest:
*La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor)
*West 5
*Elliott Bay
*Bang Bar
*JaK’s
*Beer Junction
*Matador
*Terrible Beauty
*Pizzeria Credo
*Maharaja
*Shadowland
*Pagliacci Pizza
*Ma’ono – which is offering $5 shave ice, $3 fried-chicken drumsticks, $6 kalua pork lettuce wraps
*Seattle Fish Co.
*Shoofly Pie
*Talarico’s
Highlights from the food stands include deep-fried PB&J for $, deep-fried Twinkies for $4, coconuts for $4 at the QFC stand (across from us!), $6 brats, kosher dogs, or jalapeno cheese dogs at Husky Deli (proprietor Jack Miller‘s in our photo above), $4 fried banana with coconut milk at Pho Cyclo’s stand.
ADDED 3:08 PM: Stop by for your free West Seattle – We Have That ! sticker (explained here):
Other ways to show your West Seattle pride include West Seattle-branded T-shirts and other swag you can find at some vendors’ booths, including The Junction’s own Seattle Logo Pros, and another West Seattle business’s booth, Shockwave Tees, which shared this photo of their “Alki Seagull” shirts:
If you have any trouble finding a particular vendor’s booth, stop by the Info Booth, where we and community volunteers (currently, the new president of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, Len Burton-Hardin, is here) will do our best to help. ADDED 3:42 PM: We’ve been rolling video on some of today’s performances. Music to come – but for starters, the performance troupe Illuminatio was at GreenLife earlier and will be back there at 4 pm – here’s an excerpt:
The performance will be repeated at 4 pm Sunday, if you missed both today. Meantime, here’s a snippet of Blackheart Honeymoon, first band of the day on the stage, which is on California SW north of SW Oregon:
ADDED 6:08 PM: It’s been a great crowd all day. The police in charge of festival patrol tell us it’s been quiet for them too. Continuous music is revving up now at the stage north of SW Oregon; the most-awaited act of the night is Young Fresh Fellows, coming up at 10 pm. Not all music is on the stage, though – check out the didgiredoo:
That’s one big reason to come on down – what’s on the official schedule is only a small part of what’s going on! P.S. Thanks to Rotarians Gary Potter and Josh Sutton for being part of the team here in the Info Booth these past few hours.
6:45 PM: And thanks to the many awesome people – those we had never before met, as well as those we had – who have stopped by today, to share information and/or to just say hi. It’s our favorite part of Summer Fest – and we have heard many others appreciate it for the same reason – getting to catch up with friends and neighbors from all over West Seattle that you don’t always see in person otherwise. Tonight’s closing time for booths is listed as 8 pm, by the way, but you may see some closing sooner. Tomorrow, things rev up at 10 am. We’ll have more coverage later tonight – including a look ahead to tomorrow.
***************
ONGOING: Quick links (which will keep floating down to the end of each Summer Fest report):
FOOD ZONE: It’s on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
The festival is on! We’re live at West Seattle Summer Fest in the information booth right in the heart of the California/Alaska intersection. Important informational note for starters – Caspar Babypantsis TOMORROW (SATURDAY) at 11 am in Junction Plaza Park, NOT today.
ADDED 11:48 AM: Remember a few things are different this year – including the kid zone, which has taken over the west end of SW Alaska:
As a result, the main food zone (top photo) is on the east side of SW Alaska. We’re checking out the highlights and will feature them in our afternoon report, in case you’re thinking of coming down for dinner (remember all the regular restaurants are open too, many with temporary sidewalk cafés). Along the same vein, Junction stores are all open for business too, many with sidewalk sales – here’s the big tent that Easy Street Records has set up:
As mentioned in one of our Summer Fest Countdown previews – here’s the basic pricing:
Used CDs – $1/ea
Used DVDs – $3/ea OR 4 / $10
Used Vinyl – $1/ea OR 12 / $10
Lots of other sidewalk sales happening – we’ll be checking more of them out.
Quick links (which will keep floating down to the end of each Summer Fest report):
VENDORS/EXHIBITORS:Here’s the directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
MAP TO BOOTHS:Vendors/exhibitors map is here (PDF; we’re not listed because you’ll find WSB in the Information Booth for the 6th consecutive year)
KID ZONE: It’son Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be FOOD ZONE: It’s on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
(UPDATING late Thursday with video and more photos)
(Live SDOT camera looking north along California from Alaska)
In The Junction, the barricades are up and the pre-West Seattle Summer Fest fun (and setup!) has begun. California is closed from Edmunds to Oregon, then open for cross-traffic at Oregon, and closed again from Oregon north to Genesee; Alaska is closed between 42nd and 44th. Tonight’s plan includes:
*West Seattle Art Walk until 9 pm – see artist/venue previews, and the map/list, here
*44th/Morgan(video above), musicians live until 8 pm outside Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor)
*Bret Wiggins with two sets of his Elvis stylings outside La Romanza Bistro Italiano (WSB sponsor)
*Bubbleman scheduled to be under way now outside Elliott Bay Brewing
Check in on your favorite eating/drinking places – many have other special plans tonight; Puerto Vallarta called us earlier and said its kitchen will be open until 1 am.
ADDED 7:17 PM: We heard from Linda Cox with RE/MAX on 44th – they’re having a burger barbecue! Live music too:
So wander westward while you’re in The Junction.
7:36 PM: And a reminder that Art Walk is under way all over the peninsula, not just The Junction. Erik LaSeur shares a photo from the Center for Movement and Healing in Gatewood:
That’s artist Jolene Hagin, showing encaustics & oils. More to come!
The countdown’s almost over and West Seattle Summer Fest 2013 is hours away – but we have a few more previews tonight – including this: The brand-new West Seattle Timebank will debut at Summer Fest! The idea’s been percolating for a while, and there was an organizational meeting last year. Now, Tamsen Spengler sends word the West Seattle Timebank‘s website has just gone live, and the Timebank will be at GreenLife with Sustainable West Seattle (see the GL location on the map above), 11 am-5 pm all three Summer Fest days, Friday-Sunday. To find out more about it, check out the brochure here and the flyer for the July 24th orientation, here.
West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) is almost here – and our countdown continues with more miscellany:
CLOSING THE STREETS: In the heart of The Junction, the no-parking signs take effect at 4 pm Thursday; California between Genesee and Edmunds and Alaska between 44th and 42nd will be closed by 6 pm and will stay that way until cleanup is over late Sunday night.
SUMMER FEST EVE/ART WALK ON THURSDAY: Along with Bret Wiggins‘ Elvis stylings outside La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor), The Bubbleman outside Elliott Bay Brewery, Yada Yada Blues Band outside West 5, there’ll be music at Click! Design That Fits, too – 44th and Morgan, with Alex, Maya and Conor, playing 6-8 pm. (And browse the Art Walk highlights – not only The Junction – on the official website.)
GOT LITTLE ONES? Once again this year, Donna Ryan will open her City Mouse Studio and Store (4218 SW Alaska, just east of Cupcake Royale, as “a space for parents of little ones to nurse, feed, change, relax, and break from the heat.” And on the south end of the festival zone, the Early Days moms’ support group plans a changing/feeding area in the Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) booth, which should be by Northwest Art and Frame, between Edmunds and Oregon on California.
SIDEWALK SALES: There’ll be plenty! A couple notes –
*JF Henry & Co. starts 8 am Thursday.
*Easy Street Records‘ sale during Summer Fest goes like this:
Used CDs – $1/ea
Used DVDs – $3/ea OR 4 / $10
Used Vinyl – $1/ea OR 12 / $10
BENEFIT SALE: Nyla at Cherry Consignment, at 4142 California SW just north of the festival zone, will have this going on Saturday:
The Ruby Room is having its annual Dresses for Divas sale this Saturday, July 13, 2013 from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m, at Cherry Consignment. Come buy a $10 party dress and support The Ruby Room send a low-income teen to her school dance in style.
PIZZERIA 22 HEADS SOUTH: Once again this year, Cary Kemp will be at Summer Fest – with “wood-fired pizzas all weekend long at our booth: Margherita, Pepperoni, and the Primavera.”
SEATTLE MOBILE RETAIL TOUR: Second stop for these six mobile retailers, with West Seattleites among them – full details on their Facebook page; they’ll be in the 7-11 parking lot at Edmunds/Erskine/California throughout the festival.
More to share Thursday morning – and it’s not too late to let us know what your business/organization/etc. is up to during West Seattle Summer Fest! E-mail editor@westseattleblog.com ASAP. We also want to know for our continuous live coverage, anchored again from the Information Booth at California/Alaska – see you there! Basic links to EVERYTHING Summer Fest are in our previous preview.
When you’re wandering West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, don’t miss GreenLife, the sustainability expo that’s tucked in the lot north of Technical Analysis and east of the Chase drive-thru. Sustainable West Seattle and West Seattle Nursery present GreenLife; this year its stage is sponsored by Alki Bike and Board, whose proprietor Stu Hennessey has just released the full three-day schedule of GreenLife demonstrations, from bicycling to cooking to gardening to chicken-raising, as well as sustainable energy, and more! See the schedule here – or embedded below:
As for the rest of Summer Fest – quick links here:
*Summer Fest music lineup
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors map (PDF; we’re not listed because you’ll find WSB in the Information Booth for the 6th consecutive year)
*Summer Fest kid zone is on Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be
*Summer Fest food zone is on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
*Other specialty areas – GreenLife is back on the south side of the festival area; Art Dive is back on the north side
*West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be ON during Summer Fest, 10 am-2 pm as always
Festival hours will be 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday.
Skateboarders of all ages are invited to get ready to compete at this year’s Delridge Day festival! Just announced:
Delridge Day and Alki Bike & Board are teaming up this year to bring you the second annual skateboard competition! The event will take place Saturday, August 17th from 11:00 am-4:00 pm at Delridge Community Park. Alki Bike & Board is the main sponsor for this event and is putting in time and effort along with the Delridge Day committee to be sure this event will be a fun success!
We are continuing to count down to West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) next Friday/Saturday/Sunday (July 12-14) and to the night before, which is a street party all its own, once the central blocks of California and Alaska close for Summer Fest setup. Four things to note so far for Thursday night (and if you know of more, PLEASE let us know!):
–West Seattle Art Walk: 6-9 pm Thursday. See the summer venue list here, and artist previews on the official website
–Bubbleman outside Elliott Bay Brewery, a tradition (just confirmed today; checking on time)
–Yada Yada Blues Band outside West 5 around 7:30 pm (just confirmed today; p.s., AFTER Summer Fest, West 5 will be closed a few days for upgrades, so enjoy them extra in the week ahead)
–Bret Wiggins‘ Elvis stylings outside WSB sponsor La Romanza Bistro, first of 2 sets at 6:30 pm (as noted here last Wednesday)
The Junction streets close at 6 pm Thursday (July 11th). See you there on Thursday night AND for the ensuing three-day party (official Summer Fest website here; quick links in our Friday countdown report).
(1st, 2nd, 4th photos by William Morgan)
Scurvy dawgs! Those two begin a gallery of more sights we want to share before Alki’s big Seafair Saturday is too much further away in the rear-view mirror – both community-contributed photos and a few more from our crews at the scene. And then there’s the aerial view of the pole-vaulting alongside the Seafair Pirates‘ Landing festivities:
(Photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
The Pirates of course came in with cannon fire, just like their landlubbing parade sailings:
And they had many a welcoming delegation – by sea…
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
… and by land …
… as they “barged in”:
14 more photos ahead – including pirate portraits!
11:34 AM: Cannon fire can be heard offshore as the Seafair Pirates make their way toward Alki Beach – with landlubbers awaiting them. (added) Listen to the cannon blasts in our video:
11:44 AM UPDATE: They’ve arrived, wading ashore as usual, after the Global Diving and Salvage craft brought them as far in as it could. (added) This year’s Captain Kidd is West Seattleite Rusty Harper:
Onshore festivities commence now!
ADDED 12:13 PM: Above, the Pirates accompanied ashore by the West Seattle Hi-Yu delegation; below, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s been here handing out special pirate hats, and Kiwanian Mike LaFranchi shares smiles with a recipient:
More to come. Events on the beach continue into the afternoon, including bouncy toys for the kids.
You might not be counting the days yet, but we are – West Seattle’s biggest festival of the year, the Junction Association-presented West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB), is now exactly one week away – Friday, Saturday, Sunday (July 12-14). Or you might say it’s six days away, if you count what we call Summer Fest Eve, Thursday night, July 11th, when California and Alaska close in the heart of The Junction starting at 6 pm and Summer Fest setup begins, concurrent with the July edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, and featuring street performances (we’ve already mentioned Bret Wiggins bringing his award-winning Elvis styling to the street outside La Romanza Bistro Italiano [WSB sponsor] that night).
Quick links and notes:
*Summer Fest music lineup
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors map (PDF; we’re not listed because you’ll find WSB in the Information Booth again this year)
*Summer Fest kid zone is on Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be
*Summer Fest food zone is on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
*Other specialty areas – GreenLife is back on the south side of the festival area; Art Dive is back on the north side
*West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be ON during Summer Fest, 10 am-2 pm as always
Festival hours will be 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday. More details to come as our countdown continues in the days/nights ahead! And if your business/organization has something special to spotlight, please let us know ASAP so we can include it in countdown coverage – editor@westseattleblog.com.
(2012 photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
Now that it’s July, the big events of summer are sailing our way at top clip – including this Saturday’s Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki. From today’s Seafair update:
Join Seafair for a Pirate-style party at Alki Beach in West Seattle on July 6. In accordance with the Legend of Seafair, the cutthroat Seafair Pirate crew has made a deal with their new Captain Kidd and is coming to collect the bounty they left behind last year. The Seattle Seafair Pirates will sail in from the seven seas and will storm Alki Beach in West Seattle to kick off the 64th Seafair. Exhibitors and interactive booths will line the beach and participants can shop, eat and dance along with the Pirates throughout the day! The Seattle Seafair Pirates will land at Alki Beach between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
The event will feature a music stage with local bands, dancing and storytelling. Kids can play on inflatable rides and participate in a Pirate look-alike contest to win prizes sponsored by the West Seattle Kiwanis. 2012 Miss Seafair Veronica Asence, the Seafair Foundation Scholarship Program for Women participants and the West Seattle Hi-Yu princesses will make appearances! Dress in your favorite pirate costume and meet us out on the beach – Ready, Aim, Fire!
P.S. According to the Pirates’ website, this year’s Captain Kidd is Rusty Harper, whose home (port) is right here in West Seattle.
A followup to our report Monday afternoon about the announcement of the West Seattle Summer Fest music lineup: Susan Melrose from the West Seattle Junction Association says the originally published schedule has a big error – Caspar Babypants is actually performing on SATURDAY, not Friday. His show will be at 11 am Saturday, July 13th, in Junction Plaza Park. While Susan says the website will be fixed, a “pocket guide” that’s already been printed will include the error – so please make a note on your personal calendar and/or anywhere else you can – CB’s on Day 2, not Day 1. (Meantime, as also noted in our Monday report, the Summer Fest website now has the vendor list and map too – we’re not on the list because, as always, you’ll find us helping out in the information booth – see the big question mark on the map above at California/Alaska – we look forward to seeing you there!)
Announced today by the West Seattle Junction Association – the music lineup for this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB), coming up July 12-13-14; see it here. Kicking it all off, Caspar Babypants at 11 am Friday 7/12. Other highlights include Not Dead Yet, Hobosexual, and the Rat City Brass. Meantime, you can find the vendor/organization list here (you’ll find us in the Information Booth at the heart of the festival zone again this year). As always, West Seattle Summer Fest is a three-day extravaganza that’ll be out in the street on California SW between SW Edmunds and points just north of SW Oregon, as well as on SW Alaska between 44th SW and 42nd SW. And there’s a pre-funk too – the night before Summer Fest, on Thursday, July 11th, the streets will close for setup and it’s a great time to wander while enjoying the West Seattle Art Walk‘s Junction venues.
ADDED 3:38 PM: Some other notes – starting with, the food. This year the food court is on SW Alaska east of California, instead of west as in past years. And yes, deep-fried PB&J sandwich provider Peanut Butter Goodness is back.
We are continuing to count down to 
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