VIDEO, PHOTOS: West Seattle Summer Fest 2017, Sunday coverage

(Today’s schedule is here … Bus reroutes: C Line here, Route 22 here, Route 37 here, Route 50 here, Route 55 here, Route 57 here, Route 128 here, Route 773 here … Previous coverage: Saturday report #3 here, report #2 here, and report #1 here; Friday report #2 here and report #1 here; Summer Fest Eve here)

(“Live” SDOT camera showing part of the festival zone, on California north of Alaska)

11:57 AM: Day 3 of West Seattle Summer Fest 2017 went from 0 to 60 very fast. Lots of people, lots of bubbles, lots of music. And – dancing!

Jennifer Cepeda and friends were at the main stage to get the morning moving as the festival’s final day began about an hour ago. As for the bubbles – the bubble-machine-equipped clown who’s been busking all weekend is on the KeyBank corner this morning and breezes are bringing bubbles right onto our keyboard! WSB’s Leda Costa photographed him toward the end of day 2:

In the Community Tent section of the Info Booth this morning are the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association and Harbor School – you can check out community groups here as well as at Sustainable West Seattle‘s GreenLife expo over in Junction Plaza Park (42nd SW/SW Alaska). (At noon, SWS president Stu Hennessey of Alki Bike and Board will be talking about E-Bikes on the stage there.) And some organizations have booths amid the visiting vendors – you can buy a raffle ticket from the West Seattle Food Bank:

That’s Ben Viscon (winemaker of WSB sponsor Viscon Cellars) and Judi Yazzolino in the WSFB booth this morning. It’s a Summer Fest theme of sorts – look around every corner, inside every door, you never know what you’ll find (and we mean that in a good way). You also never know who you’re going to see. Seattle’s most famous busker Boe “Scarf Dancer” Oddisey just stopped by the Info Booth, and while we didn’t get him on camera, we did photograph two well-known West Seattleites who also visited about that same time:

If you’re new – that’s County Executive (and lifelong West Seattleite) Dow Constantine and daughter Sabrina. It’s been eight years since he introduced Mudhoney here at Summer Fest, by the way – somebody was sharing that festival memory on Twitter the other day. (See the video here.) As for today’s music, South Sound Tug and Barge is about to get going on the main stage. And we’ll say it yet again, since it’s the top question at the Info Booth so far – yes, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS still happening, just not in its usual spot – it’s in the lot behind KeyBank (if you’ve been here for a few years, you’ll remember that as “where the market used to be”):

Besides answering questions, we also have lots of info here about other upcoming summer events – the West Seattle Big Band Concert in the Park (Tuesday, 7 pm at Hiawatha), the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts @ Hiawatha series (starting Thursday, 6:30 pm), West Seattle Outdoor Movies (starting next Saturday, July 22nd, in the SW Snoqualmie/36th SW “festival street” by the West Seattle YMCA [WSB sponsor]), the summer-quarter West Seattle Art Walk (second Thursdays), and the West Seattle Car Show (August 26th at South Seattle College [WSB sponsor]). Stop by the booth (California/Alaska), get flyers/cards you can take home and put up on the fridge.

12:57 PM: Some video from South Sound Tug and Barge on the main stage an hour ago:

Mega Bog is starting shortly; Swedish Finnish is up at 2 – full lineup here. The festival continues until 5 – but today, unlike the first two days, everything closes at once … and then it’s breakdown time … so c’mon down soon and join the rest of your neighbors and friends.

2:02 PM: We’ve reunited a dog and a wallet with their respective owners here in the past half hour or so. We’ve also got new arrivals at the Info Booth – the Junction Neighborhood Organization on the west side, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on the south side. West Seattle Chamber of Commerce CEO Lynn Dennis is volunteering on the east side. Yes, Summer Fest can be educational. Especially in GreenLife at Junction Plaza Park, where you can check out some bees, talk with a beekeeper from the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association, and buy raw honey:

Three hours left – lots of time to shop, nosh, play. This is the afternoon that feels most like a West Seattle-wide family reunion. And it’s also a chance to find out more about local businesses – like longtime WSB sponsor Fitness Together:

Get here this afternoon to get in on their festival special: “10 sessions for $50 each, this weekend only!” They’re on the northeast corner of California/Alaska, outside the city-landmark Campbell Building.

A few other WSB sponsors who are here that we haven’t mentioned yet in earlier coverage – Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Real Estate; Westside School; HomeStreet Bank; Dream Dinners; Emerald Water Anglers; GoodMed Direct Primary Care (which is providing first aid for the festival); The Whittaker.

Meantime, at the main stage (California north of Oregon):

That’s Swedish Finnish! Two more performances ahead – Carrie Akre and Danny Newcomb at 3 pm, The Dusty 45s closing out the festival at 4 pm.

2:53 PM: Got little ones? Haven’t been to the Kid Zone yet? Behind the Hamm Building (Easy Street, Virago Gallery, etc.), under the Wells Fargo drive-thru overhang, lots of activities:

And our area’s most famous facepainter, Lashanna, is working her magic:

4:06 PM: Last hour. The Dusty 45s are playing on the main stage now – (added) here’s some video:

And dancing!

Still lots of people in line for food and rides, and wandering the booths. Even though the festival officially ends at 5 and breakdown begins, you of course can still stay in The Junction and have dinner and/or drinks at the year-round restaurants, some of which are new since last Summer Fest – including Great American Diner and Bar and Falafel Salam, both on the east side of California just north of Edmunds, and Alchemy, on 42nd south of Alaska.

We should also note – if you lost your car keys, we have two sets here at the Info Booth. For lost-found info after the festival’s over, contact the Junction Association (wsjunction.org).

4:36 PM: Last chance this year for a cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme … really!

Perhaps just as well that’s across the street from the mentioned-earlier Fitness Together booth. Unless you are from the “street fair calories don’t count” faction. Meantime, signs of cleanup are erupting early. And if you wondered what happens to keep this going behind the scenes, frequent trash pickup is part of it – here’s a Recology worker we noticed about an hour ago:

It’s getting serious now. The QFC booth across from us, which has offered $3 coconuts and $1 water all weekend, is folding up. The balloon-and-bubbles-busking-with-boombox clown has switched to “California Love.” But summertime is all West Seattle love. Later this evening, we’ll move on to looking ahead to the big stuff happening this week and next weekend.

5:04 PM: We’re done – but several hours of hard work are ahead for festival producer Oliver Little of Monumental Undertakings and his crew, among others. The Junction streets will stay closed to traffic until everything’s all packed up. We’ll update when we get word. And Lora Swift of the West Seattle Junction Association, which organizes and presents Summer Fest, says you can look for a survey soon to gather festival feedback – we’ll have that link when it’s available, too. Thanks to everyone who was part of the festival, whether visiting or vending or volunteering or presenting or … and to everyone who stopped by to say hi.

12:50 AM: The Junction streets are open to vehicle traffic again – just verified via the live video feed on the city’s info map.

14 Replies to "VIDEO, PHOTOS: West Seattle Summer Fest 2017, Sunday coverage"

  • Crispen H. July 16, 2017 (1:54 pm)

    This is the common image when visiting the AK Junction today.  Everywhere you look over flowing dumpsters, garbage cans and sidewalks.  Doesn’t this image just scream… “Welcome to West Seattle!”

    • WSB July 16, 2017 (3:08 pm)

      Well, it says a whole lot of people are here. The receptacles here in the heart of the festival zone have lids and are not overflowing. Looks like your photo shows one at or by a bus shelter, and I don’t know Metro’s pickup schedule, nor how or whether organizers coordinate with them (aside from reroute info). Could be a good thing to mention on the festival survey that will be launched by the Junction Association soon; we’ll link to it here too, and you will be able to share whatever feedback you have, including “bus shelter trash can overflowing” etc. – TR

    • Yma July 16, 2017 (3:57 pm)

      Walked the whole festival this afternoon. I bet there were some receptacles overflowing at times – I admit, did not see that. Within the main parts, did see lots of trash receptacles & recycling bins available & not trash on the ground. Does get a bit overwhelming for me with all the folks – but I really don’t think what was posted is the ‘common image’.

      • WSB July 16, 2017 (4:27 pm)

        At 3:47 pm, I photographed a Recology worker emptying the receptacles here at California/Alaska (three on each corner, trash, recyclables, compostables).

  • Yma July 16, 2017 (3:52 pm)

    Dunno if you caught the video of our Police men & women at the Meeples booth playing Happy Salmon.

    Delightful & silly.

    Yes – I love Meeples – but seeing our Police-force out there as part of the community is wonderful.

  • Eddie July 16, 2017 (5:07 pm)

    Since we’re talking trash here, I have two thoughts: In my opinion there were plenty of well placed Recycle and Garbage containers.  In my opinion, there were way-too-few Compost/Food waste containers.  I guess I’ve just been trained. Except for a couple of beverage containers, all my trash this weekend was Food waste/Compost, but it went into Garbage containers. Not for lack of trying.

    • Sam-c July 16, 2017 (8:30 pm)

      There was a large compost bin at the bank on the main corner.  Composted my lunch trash there (VERY tasty tacos from the matador stand)

  • fiz July 17, 2017 (7:58 am)

    We couldn’t attend this year but live nearby and enjoyed hearing the bands.

    Good selections.  Thank you.

  • squareeyes July 17, 2017 (9:38 am)

    I had a plate of pierogi from the Sebi’s Bistro stall.  It’s possibly the first time I’ve had carnival food that I really liked.  Thanks for being there Sebi!

    • WSB July 17, 2017 (9:53 am)

      Definitely a variety! Spending 26+ hours onsite over the three days, between the two of us, we enjoyed takeout from some year-round Junction eateries’ regular locations (sushi from Azuma, burgers from Elliott Bay and Coastline) and also checked out a few stands (vegetarian tamale from Frelard, pad thai from Bang Bar, sandwich from Pecos Pit). And those who wanted classic fair food would have found elephant ears, cotton candy, big stacks of french fries, etc. I was hoping to try the “vegetarian Trinidad street food” truck by Junction Plaza Park but ran out of time.

      • newnative July 17, 2017 (10:05 am)

        I tried the Trinidad doubles at Double Up for you. She is hoping to have a truck soon and I did like and share her Facebook post about the Summerfest. I thought a few of the food options, including Double Up,  were refreshing this year. 

  • squareeyes July 17, 2017 (2:03 pm)

    I had a pork tamale from Frelard at the Seattle Int’l Beerfest – really liked it!  Got a taste of the jalapeno/cheese one which was also good.  They choose well with their food vendor selections.  

  • Poultine July 18, 2017 (8:02 am)

    Does anyone know if video of the mayoral debate was posted online? I thought I saw a camera there, but can’t find anything from the usual suspects.

    • WSB July 18, 2017 (8:19 am)

      We weren’t able to record it ourselves since I was moderating and Patrick had to stay in the Info Booth, but SWS assured me they had someone rolling video – I haven’t seen it yet, though.

Sorry, comment time is over.