11:26 AM: An hour and a half into the first day of West Seattle Summer Fest 2015 – just about everyone is set up and the fun has begun. Again this year, live WSB coverage is headquartered in the Information Booth, in the middle of the Walk-All-Ways intersection at California and Alaska. It’s a bigger booth this year – we have company! The West Seattle Junction Association – which presents Summer Fest – is selling festival T-shirts on the east side, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is on the west side – with their jar-full-of-Lincoln-logs guessing game, and more!

And as in years past, we’re on the north side – with festival programs as well as free info-cards and buttons for West Seattle Outdoor Movies, which start their six-Saturday run in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard on July 18th. Meantime, before we get to some more festival info, here are our quick infolinks:

SUMMER FEST MUSIC (first band, Gibraltar, at 3 pm; stage is on California between Genesee and Oregon)
SUMMER FEST VENDOR LIST
SUMMER FEST VENDOR MAP (cross-reference the numbers from the list)
SUMMER FEST KIDS’ ACTIVITIES
SUMMER FEST GREENLIFE SCHEDULE
SUMMER FEST COMMUNITY TENT SCHEDULE (scroll down)
SUMMER FEST BUS REROUTES

11:42 AM: Some of what you’ll see:

12:21 PM: Don’t breeze by the booths too quickly – you might miss something like this:

In the meantime, it’s lunchtime. The food court is on the east side of Alaska, with traditional fair food like corn dogs, elephant ears, and curly fries – so tempting, this family stopped for a photo op with theirs:

Bang Bar is in the food zone again this year too, in addition to their year-round Thai restaurant on the east side of California north of Edmunds.

1 PM: Two hours until the music starts at the north end of the festival zone, with Gibraltar onstage at 3 pm, on California north of Oregon. Just south of the stage area, it’s Pet Junction, including not only the pet pools …

… but also some vendors and even organizations like the Coalition for Off-Leash Areas (a frequently hot topic in West Seattle, which has just one off-leash area, at Westcrest Park in southeastern WS). Speaking of animal advocacy … all the way from Whidbey Island, Howard Garrett of the Orca Network is at Summer Fest today:

It’s the first time the Orca Network is at the festival – booth #26, which is on the east side of California, between Alaska and Edmunds.

1:44 PM: Local merchants are a huge part of the festival – it started as the annual “sidewalk sale” many years ago. You’ll find lots of deals outside and inside stores. And you might even spot a few local businessfolk sneaking in a quick break:

In case you don’t yet recognize them on sight – from left, Jack Miller of Husky Deli, Dave Montoure of West 5, and Matt Vaughan of Easy Street Records.

2:02 PM: We have a longstanding offer to photograph any candidate or elected official who stops by the Info Booth – so far today, one visit, from District 1 City Council candidate Chas Redmond:

He and other D-1 candidates will be featured in a forum Saturday afternoon, 2 pm, in the GreenLife zone toward the south end of the festival. (Follow that link for the GreenLife schedule – at 3 pm, there’s a talk about e-bikes; at 4 pm, find out about going solar.)