West Seattle Summer Fest 2014: Day 2, report #1

10:17 AM: Again today, we start with the SDOT traffic camera facing north on California at Alaska – right over our HQ at the Info Booth in the heart of West Seattle Summer Fest, where Day 2 continues until 8 pm (with music running later). Here’s the basic Summer Fest map:

We’ll be updating live throughout the day – with this report continuing until we launch the day’s second live chronicle at mid-afternoon. (If major/breaking West Seattle news happens, we’ll of course cover that too.) Festival music starts at noon with reggae band Two-Story Zori. Festival quicklinks are in our daily preview, for starters. More to come!

10:44 AM: Need a tote bag? Stop by the west side of the Info Booth, where Karen and Deb from the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network also have some tchotchkes courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation – hundreds of tote bags, coloring books, and more. Also in the booth with us today are volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle. Meantime, local businesses are having sidewalk sales again today, all along the festival grounds – at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), just north of Alaska on the east side of California SW, the hammock’s the thing this weekend:

Click! co-proprietors Frances and John Smersh are in the photo (taken on Day 1), demonstrating. When you’re not resting – maybe you’re on the run. If so, be sure you have signed up for the Float Dodger 5K, preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade one week from today:

West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) is presenting the Float Dodger 5K this year – it benefits the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society – and signing up participants at their Summer Fest booth. Later in the summer, it’s the Alki Beach 5K, benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing, and you can sign up for that at Summer Fest too – here’s the temp tattoo sported by NWHH’s Shari Sewell:

11:29 AM: Teri Ensley of Furry Faces Foundation, which is in the Community Tent today – actually a double-canopied area against the south wall of Easy Street Records at California/Alaska – has a plea for pet owners, given the heat advisory for today:

Please leave your dog(s) at home, in a cool place, with lots of available water. Leaving them in a car, can kill them. Walking them on concrete can burn the pads of their feet…if the concrete is too hot for our bare feet–it’s too hot for theirs. Lastly, keep your dogs out of the sun when you are walking them—they can suffer from heat exhaustion because they are wearing a fur coat.

Here’s who you will find in the Community Tent today – meet local community groups’ reps, find out more about what they do:

10 am-2 pm
Environmental Science Center
SSCC Parent Education Program
West Seattle Be Prepared
Furry Faces Foundation

2 pm -6 pm
West Seattle Community Orchestras
Seal Sitters
34th District Democrats
Furry Faces Foundation

Here are Cindi Barker and Sharonn Meeks from West Seattle Be Prepared (go ask them questions about your nearest Emergency Communication Hub!):

WSCO is bringing its Instrument Petting Zoo – don’t miss that this afternoon.

Meantime, a couple of visitors this past quarter-hour at the Info Booth – Pete Spalding, who’s on his way to volunteer at the West Seattle Food Bank booth (photo added above – don’t miss their raffle!), had a few updates about Delridge Day, which he’s helping organize, August 9th – looks like the “Picnic at the Precinct” SPD features will be combined with the festival again this year, and also, there’ll be a Delridge Day Eve outdoor movie on Friday, August 8th – “The Lego Movie.” Stay tuned for more details on that. Also saying hi, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – first politician/elected official we’ve seen this Summer Fest.

And reps from West Seattle Hi-Yu – don’t miss their float, and a chance to buy a Hi-Yu button for just $1 to support the festival – on SW Alaska just east of California, near Junction Plaza Park.

12:57 PM: A snippet of Instagram video of today’s first band, Two-Story Zori:

Just about to start on the stage (north of SW Oregon), Sundae + Mr. Goessel, described as “a spirit reminiscent of 1930s pop.” We just returned from another stroll in that direction – noticed the Windermere sidewalk setup has a mister keeping passersby cool:

Today, almost every eatery on California SW has an outdoor area set up just for Summer Fest, even ones that don’t have outdoor seating otherwise. So along with the official “food court” area stretching along the south side of SW Alaska east of California – all the way to the corner of 42nd – lots of other options. We noticed that Pagliacci Pizza just north of SW Oregon is offering slices, something not usually on their West Seattle menu.

1:44 PM: Another local business that’s all in for Summer Fest, CAPERS, is grabbing attention on the sidewalk with the West Seattle T-shirt made famous by Eddie Vedder:

Don’t miss GreenLife at the southwest end of the festival zone, presented by Sustainable West Seattle in the parking lot north of Technical Analysis, with a full schedule of demonstrations and a few performances. One that was a hot ticket last year is back at 4 pm today – backyard beer making! (Update: just found out at 2:36 pm that the workshop has been canceled.) Speaking of hot … imagine having to wear a big furry costume in this weather:

Those two were wandering to promote the Sasquatch! music festival.

2:38 PM UPDATE: Other places that will be happy to “mist” you – as well as meet you – the West Seattle Fabric Company booth, for one:

And a reminder that if you are here with a baby and/or toddler and need a place to nurse, change diapers, otherwise get out of the crowd – the Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) booth by NW Art and Frame on the west side of California between Alaska and Edmunds is one place, as is City Mouse Studio and Store at 4218 SW Alaska. Meantime, we’ll be launching the day’s second round of coverage around the top of the hour, after a non-festival-related story or two.

8 Replies to "West Seattle Summer Fest 2014: Day 2, report #1"

  • ACG July 12, 2014 (10:56 am)

    Summerfest booths and activities only are going on until 2 pm? Bummer. I don’t know if we can make it there by then!

    • WSB July 12, 2014 (12:55 pm)

      Sorry, typo, fixed. Yes, it’s till 8 pm, with music going later, as mentioned in our other updates.

  • Chrisma July 12, 2014 (10:59 am)

    Day 2 only goes until 2:00 pm? Assuming that’s a typo since Summerfest website says 8:00 pm (with music going later).

  • ACG July 12, 2014 (11:24 am)

    TR- are you sure that “day 2 continues until 2 pm (with music running later)” ?

    Just looked on the Summerfest website, and it said 8 pm (with music continuing later). Are they closing early due to the heat?

    We wouldn’t be able to get there until about 2 or 3 today. So, if things are really closing up early today, we won’t try to come down. Any confirmation on the ending time of the festival would be helpful!!

  • MercyMoi July 12, 2014 (11:34 am)

    The hammock looks amazing – will have to give that a test drive today!

  • Jck July 12, 2014 (12:16 pm)

    Thanks for the coverage! Isn’t it till 8 pm? At the top of this post it says till 2 pm…

  • sc July 12, 2014 (2:10 pm)

    The beer garden was certainly an afterthought. If their goal was to discourage drinking, and to sell as little beer as possible, then they succeeded!

  • sam-c July 14, 2014 (2:15 pm)

    not quite closing early at 2pm, but early: at 7pm. we had to get out of the house to beat the heat that evening (Saturday). was fun walking around the streets (much cooler than our house), but was disappointed to see that many of the booths had already closed up. did get some tasty dinner though!

Sorry, comment time is over.