The annual Duwamish River Festival is a chance to get up close and personal (free kayaking!) with the waterway that many West Seattleites know mostly as the waterway over which they ride or drive to connect to/from the rest of the city. It’s so much more, and that’s why the Duwamish River Community Coalition presents the festival every year. It’s also a chance for glimpses into the many cultures who share its shore:

That video is from the Seattle Classical Thai Dance performance this afternoon – in the first hour, festivalgoers also saw the Aztec group Tlalokan:

The stage slate for the festival, which continues until 5 pm today, is in our calendar listing. The stage is at the north end of the festival zone at Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat (8700 Dallas Avenue S.; map)

Those dozens of booths feature community groups, environmental organizations, and government agencies offering information and activities. Seattle Parks has a booth featuring naturalists ready to talk with you about wildlife:

(L-R, Miranda, Lizzy, Marielle, Nicolasa)

DRCC, the hosting organization, can talk with you about many community projects, including an effort to learn more about the Duwamish Valley’s air-quality problems by reaching South Park and Georgetown families with children who have asthma (email joseph@drcc.org):

(DRCC’s Thuy and Van)

The Environmental Protection Agency has huge cleanup projects to discuss – and simple ways to see what’s at the heart of it all, like this little fish pond:

There’s personal action you can take – with recycling and composting items that don’t belong in the trash – look for the Seattle Public Utilities “Where Does It Go?” team:

Other city departments there include City Light, SDOT, Sustainability and Environment, Emergency Management, and the Office of Police Accountability. Got light rail questions? Sound Transit is there too:

You can also learn about community projects including Reconnect South Park and the next round of Duwamish River sewer-overflow-prevention work. The Duwamish Tribe is participating as well – Ken Workman was there to welcome everyone in Lushootseed:

At their booth, you can get stickers, buy T-shirts, and learn about the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, just across West Marginal Way from Duwamish River shores:

(Kate and Lucas)

From West Seattle, Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association is represented too:

(Ranny, Louisa, April)

This is all a fairly easy walk from the heart of the South Park business district (we parked near the southwest end of the South Park Bridge), or there are shuttle locations (see our calendar listing).