(QUICK INFOLINKS: Farmers’ Market here, food here, vendors here, kids zone here, bus reroutes here)

11:11 AM: If you haven’t been to West Seattle Summer Fest yet, you have six more hours – or, even if you have, come back and see what you might have missed the first time, browse the year-round merchants’ sidewalk sales. Some FAQ here in the Info Booth:

*Where’s the Farmers’ Market? One block north.
*What bands are playing today? None – this year, music was scheduled just for Friday and Saturday.
*Where’s the face painting? Mid-block raised crosswalk on California between Oregon and Alaska.
*Where’s the cotton candy? Food zone, south side, toward the east end.
*Where are the Whale Trail scavenger-hunt maps? Here in the Info Booth.

We’re on the north side of the Info Booth today; on the east side until 2 pm, Seattle Police Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner (just a little over two weeks until Night Out!).

Lots of free swag, too – coloring books, pencils, tote bags. … An SDOT12:06 PM: The free “big games” got a late start but they’re now up and running on the east end of the Kids Zone (SW Alaska between California and 44th):

The Seattle Kraken have free games right next to that:

12:35 PM: Without bands today, the only schedule note we have for you is the 3 pm Whale Trail presentation about Springer the orca’s rescue – just go to the Senior Center (California/Oregon). … Breaking news: It’s National Ice Cream Day! You can celebrate with a West Seattle vendor in the Food Zone (Alaska west of California) – the Shug’s Soda Fountain cart!

They’re on the north side of the food zone, by Junction Plaza Park.

1:30 PM: The sun has returned! Just half an hour to get to the Farmers’ Market (one block north of its usual spot). That’s one more place you can get lunch and snacks – as we reported earlier, almost all the regular vendors are there, including those that are preparing food for you to enjoy on the spot.

2:01 PM: Surprise guest here at Summer Fest – Seattle Fire Ladder 11. It’s currently parked on Alaska close to 42nd, and since we took the photo above, a firefighter has climbed up to the end of the ladder.

(Reader photo)

You can also stop by and say hi to the firefighters on the ground. …. Farmers’ Market has closed, but the festival has three more hours. We’ve heard there’s an afterparty at Shadowland with live bands; first report said 5 pm, but the Shadowland staff told us, when we went up to ask who’s playing, 7 pm. We’ll be checking back.

2:55 PM: The sun is coming and going.

And time is going fast, with two more hours left in the festival. Thanks again to all the people who have stopped by to say hi! Also your final hours to get a Summer Fest T-shirt:

See the Junction Association volunteers on the southwest side of the Info Booth. The T-shirt design is something of a souvenir marking a historic moment in time, too, with this year’s logo incorporating the orange traffic cone and the almost-fixed bridge – the only (here’s hoping) Summer Fest to be held with a closed bridge. (Although if you look back 40 years to the roots of Summer Fest, that would take you to 1982 – two years before the current bridge fully opened.)

3:20 PM: Another FAQ: “Where’s the beer garden?” None today since there’s no music because of the Farmers’ Market moving into that space for the day. But certainly you have options for beer – like Elliott Bay Brewing (east side of California between Alaska and Edmunds, celebrating 25 years), and The Beer Junction (west side of California, not far south of Oregon) among them.

3:40 PM: Most attention-grabbing vendor name at
the festival:

In festival-food names, we’d give the award to the sushi burrito and light-bulb boba tea.

4 PM: The final-hour rush is on! Lines for fair/festival food – and the elephant-ears booth just announced they’re sold out.

4:25 PM: Still a lot of wandering going on. We’ll be here until the close at 5; festival staff starts breaking down immediately, but it’ll likely be some hours before the streets reopen. One more note about the Shadowland afterparty – it starts at 5, and the bands are playing indoors, not outdoors. … Update, just found out more. Five bands, 5 pm until close. Shadowland is on the northeast corner of California/Oregon – 21+.

4:53 PM: The Info Booth is being folded up around us – so that’s a wrap. Thanks to everyone who came down to celebrate the return of West Seattle’s biggest party of the year – from WSJA organizers to volunteers to production crew to sponsors to vendors to performers to festivalgoers! More summer fun to come.