Those medals await the 8- to 12-year-olds who win the kids’ pumpkin-pie-eating contest at the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival. If yours wants to be part of it, you need to sign up at A la Mode Pies in The Junction (4225 SW Alaska, hours here) ASAP – they’re looking for 10 participants (eight spots remain at last check). The contest will happen at 1:30 pm at California/Alaska during the festival this Sunday (October 27th).

The festival also features:
–Applepalooza tasting and voting during the Farmers’ Market (10 am-2 pm)
–Activities presented by local businesses/schools/organizations (10 am-2 pm)
–Chili Cookoff benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank (10 am until sold out)
–Hot Cocoa/Cider Garden
–Costume Parade at 11:30 am
–Trick or Treating at noon

See you Sunday in The Junction! (WSB is a Harvest Festival community co-sponsor.)

(WSB photo from past West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival)

We know, the weekend’s just ended, but so much is happening next weekend, we’re going to spend the whole week looking ahead to it. Today we’re continuing previews with another one focused on the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival. It runs concurrent with the Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm Sunday (October 27th), and while the market remains on its usual block of California SW, the street closure will extend south to SW Edmunds, with the extra block full of activities provided by local businesses, schools, and organizations, who provided these descriptions:

*Create King and Queen crowns
*Decorate tea-light lanterns with leaves, glitter, etc. and put the handles on. Made out of school milk cartons!
*Bean Bag into Pumpkins Toss
*Jack o’ Lantern Face basketball hoop shoot.
*Tea light crafts
*Turkey hands: kids will draw their hands and paint them to look like turkeys
*Pumpkin faces: kids with paint a paper plate with two holes for eyes and they can paint
*Photo booth with Halloween props
*Hula hoops for contests to see who can last the longest and just general fun with a large photo backdrop so parents can take pictures
*Kids coloring placemats.
*Spin a wheel or pick up a pumpkin (and look underneath) to see if they win a prize or a 4oz Pumpkin yogurt cup
*Fly casting for kids!
*”Mock” election for kids to try out ranked-choice voting.
*Spin wheel for small prizes!
*Cookie Decorating
*Coloring pages
*Marshmallow/toothpick building, hand turkeys, and large Pinko
*”Build your own sushi” table with hot glue guns (adults will be there to help assemble), cotton balls, felt and markers etc. Come on over and build your own nigiri and temaki’s!
*Math games for students and they will win free prizes and candies
*Coloring and origami
*Sensory bins
*Food systems-based trivia for all ages. Prizes will include a selection of goods
*Spinning wheel that kids can spin to win fun prizes
*Spooky tic-tac toe with painted rocks. Winners will receive a prize!
*Learn to row with a coach.
*Button making and a guitar for kids to try out
*Cow Toss Corn Hole
*Mini putt-putt golf green with small prizes for making a hole in one.
*Goal with a goalie that kids will be able to pick up a lacrosse stick and take shots on goal!
*Allow kids to harvest seeds off plantings and create seed packs that they can take home and plant in their home gardens
*A spin wheel, ring toss, Plinko board
*Witch hat hoop throw and obstacle course.
*Decorate lunch sacks to look like Turkeys
*Decorate mini pumpkins
*Pie Face – kids dig through whipped cream with their mouth to pull out the candy corn and pumpkin candy. Each has their own pie dish to dig in
*Ring toss the Pumpkin – we line up pumpkins and they use a hula hoop to ring toss a pumpkin
*Connect 4
*Jenga and Corn Hole
*Color your own teddy bear and a photo booth.
*Cornhole, stickers, coloring.
*Getting kids involved in jump roping
*Photo booth
*Fishing booth where kids get fishing poles to catch Goldfish crackers.
*Applepalooza (Farmers’ Market taste testing and voting)
*Photo Booth with costumes and cut out dancers and coloring!
*Coloring pages and a fun spinner wheel trivia game

Also – the costume parade at 11:30 am, trick-or-treating at noon, and the chili cookoff (as previewed here). We’ll be in the Info Booth at Walk-All-Ways just like West Seattle Summer Fest – see you there!

(WSB photo from 2018 Harvest Festival)

Time to start counting down to next weekend’s biggest event, the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival (Sunday, October 27th, 10 am-2 pm). First preview: A popular feature, the Chili Cookoff, which raises money for the West Seattle Food Bank. Nine local restaurants/caterers donate chili so hundreds of “flights” can be served for $10 donations; tasters get to vote, and at 1:30 pm, the winner will be crowned. From Lora Radford of the West Seattle Junction Association, this year’s list of competitors:

Duos Catering
Easy Street Café
Elliott Bay
Girls Gone BBQ
Husky Deli
Ma’ono
Pecos Pit
Shadowland
The Westy

All but Ma’ono were part of last year’s lineup; the 2018 winner was Duos. Who will win the taste test this year? Look for the chili being served on the southwest corner of California/Alaska during the festival, which also includes a Hot Cocoa/Cider Garden, the costume parade at 11:30 am, trick-or-treating at noon, and the Farmers’ Market ongoing throughout.

The countdown begins! Four weeks from today – on Sunday, October 27th – two of West Seattle’s biggest fall events are back to back.

(WSB photo, Harvest Festival 2018)

First, 10 am-2 pm, it’s the Junction Harvest Festival, including the traditional 11:30 am costume parade led by the West Seattle High School Marching Band, trick-or-treating at noon, the Chili Cookoff to support the West Seattle Food Bank, and a hot-cider-and-cocoa garden. That’s all concurrent with the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, which stays in its usual block that day, but for the festival, the road-closure footprint expands southward oto the Alaska-to-Edmunds block of California, as well as onto Alaska on both sides of Walk-All-Ways.

(WSB photo, Fauntleroy Fall Festival 2018)

Then, 2 pm-5 pm, it’s the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, spanning both sides of the 9100 block of California SW (the church, Y, and schoolhouse, indoors and out) with activities including pumpkin-painting, birdhouse-making, cakewalking, entertainment, and much more.

BONUS: Pre-festival – at 1 pm Caspar Babypants performs at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, launching its new Kindie Fest concert series – watch his site for ticket info.

Until 10 pm tonight, it’s the biggest day of the WestFest “carnival of community” at Holy Rosary School (along 42nd SW north of Genesee). You’ll find rides outdoors …

Face-painting and games indoors …

The games include bingo, if you’re looking for something a bit more grown-up. Back outside, food, drinks, and more…

You never know who you’ll see …

West Seattle’s own “Officer Lumpy” from the Seafair Clowns was first on today’s entertainment schedule. The rest of the lineup for today/tonight is in our preview, wrapping up with the West Seattle Big Band!

(WSB file photo)

Almost fall but the fun’s not over. Holy Rosary School‘s WestFest happens tomorrow and Saturday! We’ve just received an update with the entertainment lineup:

Starting this Friday, September 20 at 6 pm, Holy Rosary School’s WestFest begins! This is a community event and everyone’s invited! Come experience great music, eat delicious food, and crazy fun kid rides! There is so much to do and see, including BINGO, a classic cake walk with scrumptious prizes, a kids’ talent show, and carnival-style games galore. Grab a brew at the beer garden and enjoy the day – there is truly something for everyone at WestFest!

WestFest Hours
Friday, September 20 from 6 pm-10 pm
Saturday, September 21 from 10 am-10 pn

Stage Lineup:

Friday 9-20
-Janet Mudge and The CurMudgeons 4:30-6
-The Diabolical Jazz Conspiracy 6-8
-DAD 8-10

Saturday 9-21
-Toddler Time w/ Officer Lumpy 10:30-12
-Magic Show with Maritess Zurbano Woman Hypnotist 12:30-1:15
-Mode School of Music 2-3
-Fairy Magic (Magic Show) 3-4
-Church hour Quiet 5-6
-Service Animal 6-7
-West Seattle Big Band 7-10

Holy Rosary is at 42nd SW/SW Genesee; most of the festival happens on the north side of the campus.

The West Seattle Beer & Music Festival‘s second day is under way – but first, a toast to this year’s beneficiary, the West Seattle Food Bank! Those toasting were participants in this afternoon’s fundraising fun run, the .5K Run4Food. Festival organizer Joe Jeannot led the refreshing celebration at the finish line:

The run was literally around the block where the festival’s happening, at the Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds) in The Junction:

Participants included the WSFB’s tireless executive director Fran Yeatts, who feigned fatigue at the finish line:

Go here to see what’s happening at the festival through 10 pm; it’s followed by the second-night #NotDoneYet afterparty until 1 am. (Dogs are welcome at the WSBMF until 7 tonight.) Ticket info’s here. Community co-sponsors are listed here (including WSB).

(WSB photos)

The beer is cold and the music’s cool as the first night of the second annual West Seattle Beer & Music Festival continues at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW). We were there as the live music got going with Fly Moon Royalty:

Next up onstage, Marmalade, scheduled for 8:15 pm, followed by DJ Indica Jones. The music’s on the north side of the site, with beer booths on both sides, including local faves like White Center’s Future Primitive Brewing:

Above are Dave, Shelley, and Andrew. (See the music and beer lists here.) The festival (including tomorrow’s 2:45 pm .5K Run4Food) is raising money for the West Seattle Food Bank, and you can stop by their booth on the south side to find out how they help thousands of your neighbors every year:

Above are WSFB executive director Fran Yeatts with volunteer Bobby. Not far away, food trucks with options from tacos to banh mi. The festival segues into the #NotDoneYet afterparty at 10 pm; tomorrow’s the long day, with VIP tickets getting you in at 1:30 pm, music starting with Willow at 2:15 pm, general admission at 3 pm. Tickets/info here!

(October 2018 photo by Leda Costa for WSB)

The West Seattle Junction’s fall celebration, the Harvest Festival, will return for its eighth year on Sunday, October 27th, 10 am-2 pm. Even though that’s more than two months away, The Junction is signing up sponsors/activity providers now, if you’d like to be part of the festival. If you’re new, here’s how it works: The West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on California SW between Oregon and Alaska that day as usual, but the block to the south is closed too as well as part of SW Alaska (just like Summer Fest!) for free kids’ activities and other highlights – a costume parade, chili cookoff, and root-beer garden are usually part of the celebration. If you’re interested in sponsorship, go here!

(Photo by Yvonne Chan)

Even with August almost here, a whole lot of summer fun is still to come. The West Seattle Beer and Music Festival is back for a second year, August 23-24 at the Alki Masonic Center, and you can still buy tickets at earlybird prices. Highlights as announced by organizers:

More than 20 breweries from the Northwest and beyond will be pouring 40+ beers.

The musical lineup features an eclectic mix of funk and soul acts, including New York-based Mega Ran and last year’s fan favorites Marmalade. DJ Indica Jones will be DJ-ing a nightly after-party for those who aren’t ready for the party to end.

New this year is a .5k Run4Food (no, that is not a typo, it really is only .5k!) that benefits the West Seattle Food Bank, taking place on August 24th. Tickets for the costumed and comically short fun run can be purchased for $40 for individuals and $230 for groups of six. Run tickets include admission to the festival on Saturday, tasting tokens, and a glass. Better yet, $10 of every individual ticket for the run and $50 of every group ticket goes back to the West Seattle Food Bank.

The festival hours will be 5-10 pm Friday, 3-10 pm Saturday (with an early-entry option for VIP ticket purchasers). You can find more info and/or buy tickets by going here – earlybird prices through August 11th. P.S. This is a 21+ event.

In perfect counterpoint to the gray-ish sky, brightness is everywhere at the Alki Art Fair – from boardwalk chalk art (above) to ~120 artist/vendor booths:

You can listen to live music (here’s the schedule):

(Angela Soffe Band)

Or if you’re of a certain age, you can play in the kid zone set up by soon-to-open Alki playspace Outer Space Seattle:

Go into the Bathhouse to bid on silent-auctions donated to raise money to help keep the festival free for attendees:

Booths are open until 6 tonight (and again 10-6 Sunday) with music continuing until 9 on the main stage (when you visit, also check out the busker stage at the west end of the boardwalk, which we’re sponsoring again this year). Even if you’re not biking, walking, or busing to the beach, you can still go without worrying about parking – a free shuttle is running between Alki and the Admiral District (California/Admiral by the Chevron station) and the park-and-ride under the bridge.