(Photos by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)

6:32 PM: The biggest night of West Seattle Summer Fest is happening now. It’s dinner time from the food court (alongside and behind KeyBank, with reusable serviceware) to the year-round restaurants (many of which have special-for-the-festival sidewalk cafés). If you’re wandering the booth rows on California, we have another nonprofit on the east side of the Info Booth until 8 pm, RainWise. And speaking of water, bring your own container (or buy the Summer Fest edition) to use the free filtered water available this year:

West Side Stage music is wrapping up this hour, but the Main Stage (California between Oregon and Genesee) continues with this lineup for the rest of the night:

7:00 The Alain Johannes Band
8:00 New Constellations
9:00 Monsterwatch
10:00 Reignwolf

7:42 PM: We’re back from checking out Alain Johannes and band, introduced by Matt Vaughan of Easy Street Records:

Johannes started off playing music mostly from his time with the band Eleven:

Though the Main Stage is the only stage that’s active right now, there’s more music – the Trombone King is playing near Walk-All-Ways.

Meantime, AnUngulate was on the Main Stage before Alain Johannes:

More photos to add in a bit – first we’re going to take another spin around the festival grounds – looks like many booths are still open though it’s post-8 pm – somebody asked about this earlier – and that includes food, like the $14 elephant ear:

ADDED: And as we always note, many year-round businesses offer festival-food options too. Every year, Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller is grilling outside:

And whether or not the music brings you to Summer Fest, the music shopping might:

Not only the longtime Junction businesses, but also the newer ones like Rush Hour jump into the Summer Fest spirit too:

One more day to get in on the deals.

10:50 AM: The Junction is jumping! The second, and biggest, day of West Seattle Summer Fest is in its first hour and we’re back with more as-it-happens coverage. First thing we noticed: The ticket booth for the giant inflatables drew a crowd as the day began, with the line at one point stretching across the street:

There’s free fun in the Kids Zone too, but the inflatables are irresistible:

(Friday WSB photo by Dave Gershgorn)

Music starts at 11 am on both stages today – the Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) showcase on the main stage, and Country Dave Harmonson on the West Side Stage (by the Wells Fargo drive-thru off the west side of SW Alaska). We’re off to catch at least one if not both!

11:45 AM: The Mode show was quite an extravaganza.

Mode’s founder/leader Erin Rubin took the mic to talk a bit about her business, which has a booth here this weekend, and then introduced 9-year-old keyboardist/singer Ashton, whose set included a Kooks cover.

Erin also explained that two members of THEM – the West Seattle-rooted band that performed last night -had been coaching the summer rock-band camp that would also perform.

Hudson and Thompson talked about what fun they’d been having at camp, forming a band they said they called McSalmon, “an acronym of all their names.”

And it’s almost noon, so the Comerford School of Irish Dance is performing in the intersection south of us – c’mon over if you’re in The Junction!

12:20 PM: Here’s a bit of the dancers:

We’re heading out again shortly to see what else is up. Stop by the Info Booth if you’re at the festival – nonprofits tabling on the east side of the booth today include Ridge 2 River until early afternoon, and then Seal Sitters and The Whale Trail will be here. … And where the dancers have just wrapped up, The Bubbleman will be doing his bubbly thing (last seen at the Morgan Junction Community Festival last month) starting around 1 pm!

12:50 PM: But first… you have until 2 pm to detour into ArtsWest (west side of California just south of California) and visit the “instrument petting zoo” presented by the West Seattle Community Orchestras:

Musicians are performing just outside the ArtsWest doors, too.

1 PM: Seal Sitters and The Whale Trail have arrived so you can come chat with them until 4-ish. We also have some help on the north end of the Info Booth -two volunteers, Mike and Scott from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, which has lent a hand in the booth for many years, and WSB’s ad coordinator Annette.

Up on the main stage, Princess Pulpit is playing now, with afternoon highlights including the Dusty 45s at 4 pm. And the Bubbleman is starting to get bubbly in Walk-All-Ways.

1:58 PM: Busy and breezy day! Lots of innovative sun protection too – we’ve seen several parasols, including an elegant black lace one. … Meantime, shoutout to some of the WSB sponsors who are here:

Canna (right on the south side of California/Alaska)
STS Construction Services (on the west side of the block between Oregon and Alaska)
Fitness Together (on the east side of the same block, short ways up from the Info Booth)
Rotary Club of West Seattle (featured yesterday – further up the east side of this block)
Mode Music Studios (as mentioned previously and as showcased on the main stage earlier)
CAPERS (year-round Junction shop, west side of block between Oregon and Alaska)

Since we’re on the subject … remember that the main stage wlll be broken down after tonight’s last show and the Farmers’ Market will be on that block, Oregon to Genesee, on Sunday, same hours as usual, 10 am-2 pm (while the festival continues 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, south of Oregon, and the West Side Stage will have a Sunday music slate).

2:33 PM: Here’s a full song from Princess Pulpit‘s main-stage set last hour:

3:29 PM: The Everlovers are on the West Side Stage right now, and people are dancing:

(added) Here’s our video of the band:

Steps away, Shug’s Mini is visiting from South Admiral with an ice-cream cart:

(Photo by Dixon Hamby)

And The Missing Piece has a beverage popup in front of their future new location (former Pharmaca, next to the back of KeyBank) –

Proprietor Eric tells us they’re hoping to be open by September 1st, and they will be open even later than their current 35th/Roxbury location – until 11 pm. Meantime, the festival popup is selling lemonade with lavender and “campfire” cold brew – which he tells us has a toasted marshmallow!

4:41 PM: We’re back from the main-stage zone, where the Dusty 45s – led by West Seattle’s own Billy Joe Huels – are rocking a nice-sized crowd:

Evening is arriving and we’re going to start a separate story after at least one non-festival items. Thanks again to everyone who’s stopped by to say hi!

We wrapped up our first day/night at West Seattle Summer Fest with the second-to-last concert of the night, THEM, who reminded the crowd that they’re “West Seattle born and raised.” We elbowed our way to within a couple rows of the foot of the stage, where devoted fans sang along even when the band members themselves weren’t singing.

The band’s moving to L.A. soon, according to an interview with WSB, so this was a so-long-for-now show too.

THEM’s previous Summer Fest gig was three years ago, in the middle of the afternoon.

Saturday’s main-stage music starts at 11 am with a showcase of talent from the place where THEM got their start, West Seattle’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor).