West Seattle Summer Fest 2014: Sunday report #2 – final hours

4:23 PM: Final hours of West Seattle Summer Fest 2014 – official end time is 8 pm, but some vendors will close starting around 6 pm, so don’t wait too much longer to come on down. The final few hours tend to involve major mingling – friends and family just hanging around. Our top photo is from GreenLife on the west side of California just north of SW Edmunds, where The Whale Trail has had an interactive art installation going – visitors helping create “West Seattle’s Orca Pod.” Also at GreenLife, Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board has been leading DIY Bikes all afternoon:

Up at the stage, on California north of SW Oregon, The Darci Carlson Band started at 4; we caught part of STAG, the 3 pm band:

And they drew at least one tiny dancer:

Final band of the day will be Billy Dwayne and The Creepers at 6.

Also sighted at Summer Fest … Warren Buffett. Sort of.

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Northwest (WSB sponsor), the newest name for a longtime local company, is part of WB’s family of companies. And its booth is traditionally a place for community giving during Summer Fest – kids can knock over cans, and however many cans get knocked over, they contribute to the West Seattle Food Bank – the tally on the sign is from just a little while ago.

Another number: Almost 400 Seattle Police Foundation tote bags given out by the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network on the west side of the info booth. That’s Deb from WSBWCN at right in our impromptu info-booth pic:

Apparently free tote bags were a somewhat scarce commodity at Summer Fest this year! P.S. We’re here in the Info Booth until about 7 pm.

4:56 PM: Art everywhere at the festival – including impromptu chalk art:

And like the “orca pod” above, there are myriad kids’ art projects that have been under way throughout the festival – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) booth, celebrating the high bridge’s 30th anniversary, has made one each day:

Next event in honor of the bridge anniversary is tomorrow (Monday, July 14th) night in the Hotwire courtyard (4410 California SW) – a panel discussion at 6:30 pm.

Back here at Summer Fest, on Alaska east of California, not far past the SWSHS booth, you’ll find the West Seattle Hi-Yu booth, and the float that you’ll see in next Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade (and White Center Jubilee Days Parade later that day). Hi-Yu royalty has also been walking around selling the $1 buttons that raise money for the all-volunteer group to keep taking the float to parades.

Missed the chance to get yours? The Hi-Yu Concert in the Park this Tuesday night (July 15th) on the east lawn at Hiawatha – West Seattle Big Band onstage, free, 7 pm! – is your next chance.

5:59 PM: Booths have the go-ahead to start breaking down, and some are – we’ve been looking north at QFC, selling fruit kabobs, water, and soda all weekend, and they are first to go; YMCA (WSB sponsor) next door, which has had hula hoops and bouncy pads and a stationary cycle for kids to try throughout the weekend, is taking down their sign. More Summer Fest trivia: A vendor that sold bamboo sheets in years past, but wasn’t here this year, has been the #1 most-asked-about vendor here at the Info Booth.

6:43 PM: Here they are, final band of the festival – Billy Dwayne and the Creepers:

Thanks to “Super Dave” for that photo and others of some of this weekend’s performers. Now, one last look at the live cam at California and Alaska:

With vendors’ vehicles to be allowed in at 8 pm, and asked to be done by 10 pm, the roads aren’t likely to reopen before 11 – the permit allows them to stay closed until midnight. If you have to go to/through The Junction late tonight, watch this camera (which you’ll usually find on the WSB Traffic page) to see if it’s open again – we’ll update when we know for sure.

9 Replies to "West Seattle Summer Fest 2014: Sunday report #2 - final hours"

  • Trileigh July 13, 2014 (8:12 pm)

    I was wondering about the bamboo-sheets place too! We’ve bought sheets from those folks each of the past two years and LOVE them! The sheets sort of just float on the bed; lovely, like sleeping on silk. Sorry they weren’t here this time around.

  • add July 13, 2014 (8:39 pm)

    I think I’ve seen bamboo sheets for sale at Costco – not sure if it’s the same company, but the same idea at least!

  • starsky July 13, 2014 (10:10 pm)

    This street fair was awful

    • WSB July 13, 2014 (10:14 pm)

      Please elaborate – at least for the Junction Association – http://wsjunction.org – with what you would like to see, as well as what you didn’t like, as they look ahead to next year – thanks!

  • miws July 14, 2014 (8:50 am)

    In the pic with Deb from WSBWCN, it looks like somebody is scoping out a table for lunch, at Easy Street Cafe! ;-)

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    Mike

  • Melissa July 14, 2014 (3:47 pm)

    Thanks to all the people who came out! I’m a West Seattle-ite & was a vendor. What a delightful weekend! So many friendly grown-ups, kids, and dogs. It was a pleasure to see neighbors and friends and meet so many folks from my neighborhood. I’m exhausted and pretty much inarticulate today, but not so inarticulate that I can’t say thanks.

  • G July 15, 2014 (10:22 am)

    I would invite the organizers of the West Seattle fest to come down to Burbank, CA for “Ladies Night Out,” basically a pumped up sidewalk sale, and see what fun looks like. Buskers, food trucks, businesses open late, etc. I know it’s SoCal, but maybe they come back with some of that vibe and some ideas. Heck, you ever you are, don’t miss it you’re in the area! Right now, the West Seattle Fest feels about as festive as a root canal, people walking by vendors all day.

    The famous West Seattle poet Richard Hugo said that Seattleites are fundamentally not a festive bunch. But you can always hope :)

  • miws July 15, 2014 (9:14 pm)

    What in the hell is so wrong with Summerfest?

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    We get it, G! You like L.A. better than West Seattle!

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    Fine!

    .

    Mike

    • WSB July 15, 2014 (9:20 pm)

      And if anyone has opinions they haven’t voiced here, the Junction Association stands ready to hear them. E-mail address is on the website – http://wsjunction.org

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