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.

Prince Hang and Princess Kallie from @wshiyu stopped by, selling buttons & water pic.twitter.com/B5jsWhiOPk

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 13, 2014

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.

(NEED FESTIVAL INFO QUICKLINKS? They’re in our daily West Seattle highlights list)

Haven’t been to West Seattle Summer Fest yet? This is the third and final day, but you still have lots of time to c’mon down. Never know who you will meet:

Skaters from the new Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby are in the Summer Fest Community Tent until 1:30 pm.

Find them and the following groups under the two white canopies along the south-facing side of Easy Street Records (SW Alaska west of California SW – top left in our photo, above):

10 am-1:30 pm
Environmental Science Center
Southside Revolution Roller Derby
Morgan Community Association
Furry Faces Foundation

(Deb Barker from MoCA)
1:30 pm-5 pm
Twelfth Night Productions
34th District Democrats
Furry Faces Foundation

Another area you’ll want to visit while you’re here is the sustainability/environment-focused GreenLife, with a slate of demonstrations/performances today – canning/preservation is on right now, and here’s what’s ahead:

Noon – Bikes & Greenways
1 pm – Invasive Seeds Prevention
2 pm – City Herb & Medicinal Gardens
3 pm – Solar Energy Systems
4 pm -Illuminatio Dance

GreenLife also has exhibitors and displays to see. And there’s more music at the festival today, too, starting at 2 pm with Carrie Akre – rest of the schedule is here. More festival coverage to come!

12:29 PM: Not EVERYTHING is on a schedule – so if you come to the festival, you’re likely to find something unexpected. Just learned there’s a Zumba demonstration that’s about to start on the main stage. (added – video snippet; Jennifer Cepeda is the instructor)

Photo too!

And if you’ve been worried about the heat, today’s your day – some thin cloud cover is moving in and it’s definitely cooler, especially with the breeze through the intersection here at California and Alaska, where you’ll find us in the Info Booth along with volunteers from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and, on the west side of the booth, the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network with tote bags and other items courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.

It’s lunch/snack time and we have some notes – there’s cotton candy in the Kids’ Zone just to the west of California on Alaska – and an eclectic array of fair food (with some local vendors’ satellite spots – such as Pizzeria 22 from Admiral) to the east on Alaska.

1:30 PM: If you’re looking for a community group that’s not in the Community Tent, you might find its reps at GreenLife – Seal Sitters and The Whale Trail are both there today. And your furry friends are welcome at Pet Junction, north of Oregon:

(WSB photo by Katie Meyer)
Violet is one of the dogs we’ve spotted here at Summer Fest.

3:01 PM: Common question this afternoon – how much longer does the festival run? Answer: Vendors can start closing at 6 pm if they want to, but vehicles won’t be allowed onto the street to start breakdown until 8 pm. So you have at least three hours to come down – or to come back down! If you haven’t been, we’ll mention it again – it’s not all visiting vendors – local businesses are in many of the booths, like Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) between Alaska and Oregon, where Tracy Corey and staff have offered a quiet place for parents of babies/toddlers to nurse and change:

There’s also a parents’ rest stop at City Mouse Studio, 4218 SW Alaska. Meantime, for the first time during the festival, a lost child turned up here at the Information Booth – quickly reunited with her parents. Moving on to our final as-it-happens festival report next!