West Seattle, Washington
20 Tuesday
(WSB photos)
1:26 PM: If you’ve been to the Fauntleroy Fall Festival in past years, you’ll notice the Fauntleroy Church lot looks different from past years. It’s a new layout because this year it’s all on the church/Y side – and some of what you’ll remember from inside The Hall at Fauntleroy is happening in the church’s Fellowship Hall – right now, participants in the Cake Trot get a chance to win decorated donated cakes:
Back out in the lot, look for the Fauntleroy Community Association’s Great Pumpkin Search booth – this year it’s part of the festival:
Lots more happening and we have more photos to add – see the schedule on the festival website – it’s on until 4 pm at 9140 California SW.
2:09 PM: The festival classics are going full force, like birdhouse-building and pumpkin-painting:
Volunteers like Deb are on hand to joyfully assist you:
And you can again this year get up-close views of birds and bunnies:
Performances are both outdoors and indoors (here again are the schedule and map) – the West Seattle Big Band is playing inside the Fellowship Hall. More coverage to come!
3:27 PM: The Big Band is playing all the way until the festival ends at 4 pm, so if yu’re here, don’t miss them.
Outside, another sizable band – the West Seattle Ukulele Players (video later).
And if someone in your family is still in the mood for pumpkin searching, the FCA says there’s still time – get to their table and get the info! They hid more than 400 and don’t know how many have been found yet, but certainly not all of them. We went to see some of the painted pumpkins, too:
This is all free thanks to donations and volunteering – if you didn’t donate while festival-going, you can find the link on the festival website.
Can you help? The Fauntleroy Fall Festival is happening 1-4 pm tomorrow (Sunday, October 18) and we just got word they need a few more volunteers to help make it happen! If you can spare a few hours Sunday afternoon, go here, see the roles that are available, and sign up! Organizers – and festivalgoers – will thank you!
Sunday brings the annual Fauntleroy Fall Festival, and as we’ve been reporting, there are some major changes this year, so we’re publishing the map and schedule early to help you plan. One change: It’s earlier this year, 1-4 pm. Here’s what you’ll find and when:
And festival activities are happening almost entirely on the east side of the 9100 block of California SW – the church/Y side – rather than both sides:
But the most important things haven’t changed – free fun for the community, by the community. See you there this Sunday (October 18)!
Thanks to Aly for the photos! Big fall fun today at Alki UCC, where the Autumn Festival and Art Market is under way until 4 pm. Aly notes: “Artists, baked goods, children’s crafts, and more. Please stop by for visit and take advantage of the fun Autumn photo opportunity.”
Alki UCC is at 6115 SW Hinds.
(WSB photo – birdhouse-building at 2025 Fauntleroy Fall Festival)
As mentioned here a few months back, the Fauntleroy Fall Festival will be earlier in the afternoon this year – 1 pm to 4 pm. It’s now just two weeks away, Sunday, October 18, and organizers asked us to share this with you:
The Fauntleroy Fall Festival will be on October 18th this year, with a little bit of a different twist. This year the festival’s primary space will be at the Fauntleroy Church and YMCA. The Fauntleroy Children’s Center will be open for a quiet space for festival goers to move away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and will also serve as a diaper-changing room.
All 3 levels of the parking lot will be open and all the fun attractions you have come to love will be on one side of the street. Pumpkin-painting, birdhouse-building, live music, and so much more!
This decision was made for several reasons. One of them was safety- With less going on across the street, we hope there will be less bodies crossing, but our crossing guards will still be there! There is a private event going on at The Hall at Fauntleroy in the afternoon, so the back parking lot will not be available for parking. We highly encourage attendees of the festival to walk or use public transit.
We are looking forward to another wonderful Festival. See you on October 18th!
The festival site is at 9140 California SW.
West Seattle’s next festival is Friday and Saturday (September 18-19) – Holy Rosary School‘s WestFest! Entertainment, games, rides, food … and today, we have the stage lineup:
Festival hours are 6-10 pm Friday, 10 am-10 pm Saturday; the campus is along 42nd SW between SW Genesee and SW Dakota.
This year’s “carnival of community” at Holy Rosary School, WestFest, is just a few weeks away, but it’s not too late to become a sponsor:
WestFest is Coming – Friday, Sept 18 & Saturday, Sept 19!
WestFest is just around the corner! Each year, WestFest brings together our community for two days of fun—complete with a packed beer garden, delicious food booths, thrilling rides, lively bingo, and entertainment in the gym. It’s a wonderful tradition that draws families and neighbors from across the area.
We’d love for you to consider sponsoring WestFest 2026. Sponsorship not only supports Holy Rosary School but also provides your business with excellent visibility through event signage, recognition, and community connection.
For details on sponsorship opportunities, please reach out to Ava Roozbehani at avaroozbeh@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support!
-The WestFest Committee
(Our first as-it-happened report on today’s festival is here)
3:36 PM: Still a lot of music left at the 2026 Admiral Block Party – above is our clip from Troy Aylesworth‘s powerful set last hour, and after Admiral Neighborhood Association president Joanie Jacobs delivered another round of announcements, Billy Rosewarne is on the main stage now, and while vendors will fold up around 6 pm, the music is set to go three hours beyond that, so lots of time to come down and enjoy it while dining outdoors in expanded spaces like Arthur’s and Mission Cantina:
Though they’re outside the festival zone, other Admiral venues will welcome you too – Circa (2605 California SW; WSB sponsor), The Benbow Room, Otter on the Rocks … Here’s the list from the festival website:
Meantime, for kids who love face-painting, an artist is set up in front of the Admiral Theater!
4:52 PM: On stage right now, for a few more minutes, The Royal Oui:
Shortly after 5 pm, before the music continues, a special event on stage – the ANA will honor this year’s recipient of a special community-spirit award they launched last year in the spirit of the late WSB co-founder Patrick Sand. We’ll be there for that and will update here afterward!
5:44 PM: Congratulations to Lori McConnell of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor)! Full report with video later.
Onstage after the presentation, it’s the local band Not Dead Yet:
P.S. Still time to get to the ANA booth by West Wings and buy a $10 prize-drawing ticket to help them raise money for future events – besides the Admiral Block Party, the ANA also presents Admiral District trick-or-treating, Winter Wonderland, the West Seattle Fourth o July Kids’ Parade, and the concert series Admiral Music in the Parks.
8:35 PM: Thanks to Ian for the photo from DAD’s set:
10:59 AM: The West Seattle Ukulele Players – who meet to jam every week – are the first musicians on the main stage at the 2026 Admiral Block Party, just wrapping up its first hour!
We’re on site to cover the street festival all day, right next to the booth for the Admiral Neighborhood Association, which coordinates and presents the ABP.
Bigger than ever! It’s free to attend but you can support the ANA via $10 prize-drawing tickets on sale at their both (right by West Wings).
On the other side of us is the PCC West Seattle booth, with free samples. Lots of coverage to come.
And remember that if you’re riding your bike here, there’s a special secure bike corral outside Alki Bike and Board on California just across Admiral Way from the south end of the festival zone.
11:35 AM: One of this year’s new ABP features is the health/wellness zone -it’s over in the festival’s north end, by Anytime Fitness. And along the way, there’s fun stuff for Block Party-goers of all ages:
This is your chance to meet local businesspeople, too – here are two whose new digs are just south of the festival zone:
That’s Chad from The Bass Shop and Frank from Thunder Road Guitars, both now headquartered at 2611 California SW (both are also WSB sponsors).Their table is right by the festival stage, fittingly enough. They have merch, swag, and an invitation:
While we’re talking about music, the second band of the day is coming up at noon,Sad Dad Autumn.
12:34 PM: After unrelated breaking news, we’re back on festival patrol.
The Mariner Moose is here, posing for photos with fans.
And the music continues!
1:12 PM: Above is a sample of Sad Dad Autumn‘s set. On stage now are other young local musicians, from School of Rock.
2:09 PM: It’s turned into a sunny, mildly breezy day – come on down if you haven’t been already! Two more of the businesspeople you can meet, also WSB sponsors – Paula with Timeless Kitchen Design, whose canopy is in front of Hoste:
And Ross from West Seattle Coworking (which has locations in Westwood and north of The Junction as well as a new addition in Columbia City:
Ross is down near the north end of today’s festival zone, at California/College, and is next to a vendor selling plants – you’ll also find, art, apparel, and jewelry in that area! Meantime, the School of Rock has wrapped up its main-stage set, and Troy Aylesworth is up next.
P.S. Our coverage continues withe report #2 – see it here.
3:56 PM: Admiral Block Party Eve is on! California SW is closed between Admiral and College, and College is closed between California and 42nd, with music until 8 pm – see the lineup here – and a chance to dine outdoors at some of your favorite local hangouts. We’ll be going over a bit later for a closer look. And even if you can’t get there today, don’t miss the festival – presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association – all day tomorrow (10 am-6 pm vendors and activities, 11 am-9 pm main-stage music).
6:31 PM: Finally made it back! MoonGirl is onstage now – the video above is from their cover of a classic- and Acoustic Crisis is up at 7 pm. The restaurant patios are filling up, and kids are chalking/playing in the street.
The west side of California – with Arthur’s, Mission Cantina, West Wings, etc.- is the busiest; but there’s space for you outside Admiral Pub and Taste of Mumbai on the east side:
And if you head down to College east of California, closed for the first time, you’ll find a fun dining spot at Pizzeria 22 (within earshot of the stage, too).
This is just the pre-func night – lots more happening tomorrow, so be here then too!
7:42 PM: We hung around to catch the start of Acoustic Crisis’s set and to watch the crowd grow:
At 8 pm, it’s dance party time!
Before the weekend ends, we also wanted to remind you again about the biggest event in the coming week – the Admiral Block Party, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, spans two days this year, starting with afternoon and evening live music on Friday, August 21, once the streets close for setup. Here’s the ANA’s summary of what to expect:
The 2026 Admiral Block Party is a celebration of the Admiral neighborhood and West Seattle. The 2300 block of California Ave will close at 10 am on Friday morning (August 21). At 3 pm Friday, we begin a full evening of acoustic musical acts from the main stage, with many of our stage-side restaurants offering extended seating to eat, drink, and enjoy some great local music until 8 pm. The party continues with a DJ from 8-10 pm, topped off by karaoke at Taste of Mumbai from 10 pm-2 am.
The Admiral Block Party continues Saturday morning (August 22), when more than three dozen vendors will open from 10 am-6 pm; our main-stage music begins at 11 am, featuring 10 local acts until 9pm.
There are some great additions this year. This year the block party extends north to SW College, featuring a Wellness Garden hosted by Anytime Fitness, Spacebar Wellness, Fitbar Café, and HIDEF Physical Therapy. Along the path to the Wellness Garden you will find other local wellness businesses and practitioners. The south end of our California Ave festival street features a concentration of kids activities and family-friendly vendors. Also added this year is the Alki Bike and Board bike valet located in front of their shop just south of the festival street.
You can see the music and vendor lineups on the official Admiral Block Party webpage. (WSB is the festival’s media sponsor.)
The mainstage entertainment gets going soon, but even before then, there are many things to do and see at this year’s Alki Beach Pride festival, at the beach and on the street (no traffic on Alki SW between 57th and 61st) until 8 pm. Here’s the schedule:
Rainbow City did some twirling; emcees D Dynasty and Deaunte Damper gave a welcome:
DJs are spinning:
And signs are everywhere:
Many local vendors, from merch to food:
There’s a beverage garden for those of age:
Local businesses and nonprofits are there too:
Even Cascadia Pigeon Rescue!
There’s also a health zone and a family zone, and it’s all happening until 8 pm.
By this afternoon, the street-closure signs were standing by, ready for the street-party component of tomorrow’s Alki Beach Pride festival. Official hours are noon to 8 pm, but Alki Avenue SW will close to traffic between 57th SW and 61st SW sooner for setup. The festival founded and coordinated by Alki residents Stacy and Jolie Bass-Walden will include main-stage entertainment starting at 2:45 pm (see the performers and times here), five “community socials” starting with meditation in the Health and Wellness Zone at 11 am, two parties at Do Si KBBQ (including an afterparty starting at 7 pm), and more.
The last major West Seattle street party of summer is now just 12 days away – the Admiral Block Party, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, spans two days this year, starting with afternoon and evening live music on Friday, August 21, once the streets close for setup. And “streets” is a reference to the other way in which the Admiral Block Party has expanded – not only will the party be on California between Admiral Way and SW College, it’ll also be on College between California and 42nd. Music and outdoor dining starts at 3 pm August 21, when the focus is on acoustic sound as well as DJs; vendors and nonprofits will be in their booths starting at 10 am August 22, and the main-stage music starts that day at 11 am. You can see the latest lists of all of the above on the official Admiral Block Party webpage. WSB is the festival’s media sponsor – we’ll see you there!
(WSB photo: Last Saturday’s flag event in advanceof Alki Beach Pride)
One week from today – on Saturday, August 15 – Alki Beach Pride returns, with a street party and more! Alki residents Stacy and Jolie Bass-Walden created Alki Beach Pride more than a decade ago to boost LGBTQIA+ visibility beyond June, and it’s been a smashing success, bigger every year, collaborating with local businesses. Even if you’re not attending, you should be aware that Alki Beach Pride is in part a street party again this year, with Alki Avenue SW closed from 7 am to 10 pm between 57th and 61st. The official festival hours are noon to 8 pm, with:
Live entertainment
Health and wellness zone
Local LGBTQ vendors
Food trucks
Social group gatherings at local participating businesses
Mew family-friendly kids’ zone
and more….
The entertainment lineup rolled out so far includes comedy, DJs, and drag – including the kings.
The Duwamish River Festival is back this year, and it’s joined forces with SOPASUPA – the South Park Summer Party – to give you a multitude of reasons to visit South Park this Saturday (August 8) afternoon and evening. We asked organizers of both for specifics so you can plan. The festival is presented by the Duwamish River Community Coalition, noon-6 pm at Duwamish River People’s Park (8700 Dallas Ave. S.) – here are festival highlights:
For SOPASUPA, at multiple venues, noon-9 pm, here are highlights – first, the main stage at 14th Avenue South and South Cloverdale:
And at River City Skatepark (736 S. Cloverdale):
There’s even more info – including a map, Kids Zone details, and transportation info (where to catch a shuttle to People’s Park, for example) – on the South Park Business District website. All of what you see above is free!
3:40 PM: West Seattle has great art events all year long – from the monthly Art Walks to the annual Art Tour – but this is the most scenic setting in which to view and buy it: The three-day Alki Art Fair began this afternoon, with dozens of artists and crafters in booths by the bay, each one a mini-world set up and tended by the artists themselves:
You can come to the Alki promenade (60th/Alki westward) to explore until 8 pm (stay for the sunset an hour later!). The Alki Art Fair is also a music festival, with a live lineup you can peruse here. More first-day coverage to come!
5 PM: Above is this year’s official Alki Art Fair T-shirt – you’ll find merch at the booth right by the Bathhouse, where a silent auction is happening this weekend too. And we took a closer look at some of the art:
The miniatures above are by Sachisunny Creation. Looking for candles? That’s part of what The Remontant is offering:
Angela Liu is selling her surrealist pencil art:
They’re just a few of the 100 artists lining the promenade. Tomorrow’s the Alki Art Fair’s biggest day – 10 am to 8 pm (with music starting at noon)!
(WSB photo, first day of 2025 Alki Art Fair)
Summery weather is expected to be back tomorrow, just in time for the weekend’s first big event, the first of three days for this year’s Alki Art Fair. It happens mostly on the promenade, from the Bathhouse westward, with the main music stage on the green just east of it. Organizers provided this overview:
When / Where:
Alki Beach Park
Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19FRIDAY 2-8 pm
SATURDAY 10 am-6 pm
SUNDAY 10 am-6 pmNow in its 29th year, this FREE, family-friendly, annual arts and music festival brings Alki to life with more than 100 professional artists, craftspeople, and emerging artists. There will be live music, children’s activities, live demonstrations and local artisan food vendors for everyone to enjoy.
Visitors can take in the colorful views while strolling the promenade, as they eat and shop among the expansive lineup of artists, makers, and performers. It’s a great opportunity to engage with the local creative community and celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of our local arts and culture.
Event Highlights:
100+ local artists & crafters selling works in a variety of media including painting, pottery, glass, textiles, metal, jewelry & more.
Live music and performances throughout the weekend on the Bathhouse Stage sponsored by Canna West Culture Shop and Live Oak Audio Visual. This year we’re featuring a variety of genres including Latin, Soul, Funk, Pop, Rock, and more. See the full lineup and schedule at alkiartfair.org.
Interactive Kid Zone with creative activities for all ages.
Silent auction in the historic Alki Bathhouse featuring unique items from local artists and businesses.
Local food lineup features a range of sweet, savory, spicy and delicious options including Little Jamie’s Mini Donuts, Alpenglow Cocktail Company, Theory Cambodian Foods, The Snack Shop, Oh Dang in a Cup, Road Dawg, and Caribbean Cuisine.
And while you’re at the beach, there are more than a dozen year-round food and beverage places to enjoy too.
(Part of the Saturday night crowd – aerial photo by Paul Weatherman)
West Seattle’s biggest party of the year is over – and it won’t be long until the planning for next year’s Summer Fest begins. First, the West Seattle Junction Association – which presents the festival (and so many other events!) – wants your feedback on this year’s festival, so it’s launched a survey – you can answer it here
One more look at our as-it-happened coverage, with video and photos, from our 24 total hours (and then some):
Day 1, first report (Friday afternoon)
Day 1, second report (Friday evening)
Day 2, first report (Saturday morning/afternoon)
Day 2, second report (Saturday afternoon/evening)
Day 3 (Sunday morning/afternoon)
P.S. The Junction Association also is offering Summer Fest 2026 merch at a discount, so if you regret not buying some, you have another chance!
10:44 AM: The Theo McGaughey Trio is opening West Seattle Summer Fest‘s third and final day with instrumental jazz at The Big Dark Corner (aka KeyBank Plaza), today’s one and only festival music stage, because the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on the block north of Oregon where the main stage was. The corner has an eclectic lineup of performers all day:
11:00 Allwaye
11:45 Malty & The Rain (Acoustic)
12:45 J Skip
1:30 Tobi Kunkel
2:30 Melina’s Birthday Set
3:30 Better As Brass
4:00 Trombone King
We’re also told “the balloon guy” will be back at California/Alaska in the early afternoon. More sights and sounds of Summer Fest as the day goes on – get here by 5 pm, because that’s when West Seattle’s biggest party wraps till next year! Missed our as-it-happens coverage the past two days with lots of photos and video? Scroll through this archive!
11:38 AM: The Farmers’ Market, on California NORTH of Oregon this week only, has a full lineup of summer produce today – including cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, stone fruits – fresh flowers too:
End time is the usual 2 pm. While we were on the way up for a look, this T-shirt caught our eye:
That’s one of the local-themed T-shirts at Sweet Pea and Boy, a vendor whose booth is across from Camp West’s outdoor café. (And if you’re interested in an official Summer Fest T-shirt, head down to the Mobile Apparel booth just north of our Info Booth spot, across from Easy Street Café – they have other West Seattle-themed shirt designs too.
We’ve been talking all weeken about the year-round local businesses and their Summer Fest specials … if you have room in your life for a house plant, stop by the Discovery Shop, where the proceeds fun the fight against cancer:
12:12 PM: On the corner stage right now, an acoustic set by Malty and The Rain:
12:42 PM: If you’re playing the Fourth Emerald Games “Safari Junction” Pokémon scavenger hunt, it’s all wrapping up in less than an hour – redemption deadline is 1:30.
Josh from Fourth Emerald just told us they’ve given out more than 2,400 cards – and more than 100 complete applications so far – way more than they expected. Players have been looking for 40 different Pokémon, and for every 10 they find, they get a card pack.
1:36 PM: Another year-round Junction business that’s had something special all weekend – Jet City Labs/Revelry Room has had a long lineup of DJs. We went over for a pic just now when proprietor Derek Moon himself – DJ Mr. Moon – was delivering the beats:
Bubbles are back at Walk-All-Ways:
And if that’s not enough bubbles for the youngest festivalgoers, the foam party is back in action in the Kids Zone again today (there’s an admission charge).
You’ve got a little more than three hours left to get here – and/or get back for another look.
2:08 PM: Easy Street Records, legendary for its signage, has been displaying that one at the corner. Next Saturday, we should note, will be another happy time in The Junction (and beyond) – the West Seattle Grand Parade, on California from Lander southbound to Edmunds, starting at 11 am Saturday (July 18) – we’ll have another preview starting tonight. (And for a fun time before the parade, run/walk in the Float Dodger 5K on the parade route!). The parade is presented by the foundation arm of the Rotary Club of West Seattle (WSB sponsor), which has a booth at the south end of the festival.
2:56 PM: Just wrapped up at The Big Dark Corner stage, Melina’s Birthday Party, which drew an enthusiastic singalong crowd:
At 3:30 pm, local brass band Better As Brass is scheduled to get brassy and sassy at the corner … We’ve had fun again today meeting all the people who’ve stopped by to say hi – thank you!
3:46 PM: The band actually got going a bit early, opening with the decidedly brassy “Crazy in Love” (Beyoncé) and continuing through a set list currently on Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” Here’s what we recorded – a Wham! classic:
One more hour to try something new – maybe the non-alcoholic coladas in whole pineapples, or New Zealand style ice cream all the way from Highland Park …or something from Natalie’s, up rom Alki Beach …and if you’ve brought a furry friend, now that it’s the warmest time of the afternoon, remember they can take a break outside Next to Nature.
4:07 PM: Just in, WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen‘s video of singer-songwriter Tobi Kunkel:
And from a galaxy far, far away …
The final musical act of the day, who goes by The Trombone King, is now providing the soundtrack to the last hour of Summer Fest 2026:
We remember him from his busking at the festival in years past.
And here’s our reminder that West Seattle Summer Fest is brought to you by the West Seattle Junction Association, the nonprofit merchants’ association, and some of the year’s other events raise money to help cover the costs – other WSJA-presented events yet to come this year include the Glass Float Hunt (August 7-14), Wine Walk (next one September 18), Harvest Festival (October 25), and Hometown Holidays (this year’s tree-lighting festival will be on December 5).
5 PM: Thanks for another fun Summer Fest! The breakdown has begun …
(QUICK LINKS: Music lineups … vendor list … food and drink … Kids Zone info)
4:57 PM: The Black Whales played at mid-afternoon on the West Seattle Summer Fest main stage (on California between Oregon and Genesee), one of two festival venues where you’ll find music right now. The north end of the festival zone is where SW Oregon is closed for the first time, and besides enabling a better flow of festivalgoers, it’s also created a bonus zone for food and beverages:
That’swhere you will find the non-alcoholic coladas in whole pineapples, as well as burgers and the New Zealand-style ice cream from Highland Park Corner Store that we mentioned Friday, Tip Top Ice Cream (look for the bike). Traveling southbound along the west side of the Oregon-to-Alaska block, you’ll also see the mobile romance bookstore Beguiled:
And for a second day, the Fourth Emerald Games Pokémon scavenger hunt seems to be hugely popular. More to come as we move into late afternoon and early evening!
5:23 PM: Thanks to Paul Weatherman for the aerial views – above is “The Porch,” the all-ages zone in the lot at the southeast corner of 44th and Alaska, with food, beverages (including alcohol), and places to sit and enjoy them. He also sent this view of Walk-All-Ways and northward (where we’re in the Info Booth throughout the festival):
Further north, Massy Ferguson was on the main stage last hour – WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen recorded video:
5:40 PM: Though the idea of an outdoor watch party during Summer Fest didn’t take flight, some local venues are full of enthusiastic fans watching today’s matches – this was the scene during Norway vs. England:
Jason got that pic of soccer fans watching at The Beer Junction. Meantime, we just got a question about tomorrow – yes, the Farmers’ Market IS on – it’ll be on California north of Oregon as it’s been for the past few festivals, as the Main Stage will be decommissioned after tonight’s bands.
7:06 PM: Thanks to Jerry Simmons for this bubbly festival photo:
We’ve arrived at the final official festival hour of the day, though music will continue until 11-ish. One of the most fun things about the festival has little to do with vendors, food, or music … it’s seeing friends and neighbors as what seems like everyone on the peninsula converges on The Junction for the weekend. We get to see a lot of people we mostly know from email the rest of the year. Like someone who just stopped by the booth, Perla X. Caballero of the Morbidly Curious Book Club, one of several book clubs whose monthly meetings are listed on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (always free – send West Seattle event info to westseattleblog@gmail.com).
8:32 PM: We’ve left but expect to have more music clips to post later. Tomorrow instead of a stage, the area north of SW Oregon will hold the Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm as usual. Festival hours will be 10 am-5 pm. See you there!
10:10 PM: Thanks again to Paul Weatherman for more aerials – this time, evening views of the stage/beverage garden area tonight!
11:23 PM: And here’s what it was like on the ground:
That’s from WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen, who also recorded clips of most of tonight’s bands, starting with Chewing Gum (recently showcased in an Easy Street show) at The Big Dark Corner:
On the main stage, Bog Ogre:
Bexley:
Dark Chisme:
And True Loves:
No main stage music on Summer Fest Sundays, but The Big Dark Corner starts up at 10 am.
(QUICK LINKS: Music lineups … vendor list … food and drink … Kids Zone info)
10:55 AM: Good morning! The second, and biggest, day of West Seattle Summer Fest has just begun. Things are semi-quiet in the first hour, but it’ll rev up soon enough. Today in the heart of Walk-All-Ways, you’ll see some dancing – Jennifer Cepeda and DancePowered are scheduled to be back around noon with the medley they performed Thursday night, for one. Noon is also when the Main Stage – by the Post Office on California south of Genesee – gets going, with a showcase by Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) students. In front of KeyBank, The Big Dark Corner – named for the local record label programming it for the first time – starts up at 1:45 pm. (See the music lineups here.)
The main stage actually has had one event so far today – Maari Falsetto from Inner Alchemy brought her free Saturday morning “Heavily Meditated” free group meditation to the mainstage – WSB contributor Macey Wurm tells us about it:
Inner Alchemy and friends rose early this morning to start off Summer Fest with what they call “Heavily Meditated.” About 50 people gathered beneath the main stage, assembling chairs and mats in oval formation. The meditation session led by Maari Falsetto included practicing a 30-minute Kirtan Kriya Meditation and gong bath.
Folks gathered today were here to “anchor the intention of community, connection, truth, and harmony, according to Maari. The group began the guided Kirtan Kriya meditation, repeating the mantra “Sat Nam” or “truth is my identity. It was broken down into four sections– “Sa” meaning “life,” “Ta” meaning “death,” “Na” meaning “transformation”, and “Ma” meaning “rebirth”. The mantra was chanted outloud, at a whisper, and internally throughout the session.
Maari brought the group back and invited everyone to open their eyes after a gong bath and wind chimes. They gathered for a post-meditation picture, and Maari reminded the group of Inner Alchemy’s free Saturday meditation sessions– done in the forest over the summer! Registration is required.
“We are blessing West Seattle this morning, aren’t we!”, one participant mused.
Inner Alchemy is a year-round Junction-based business. If you haven’t already seen it, here’s our list of what some other year-round busnesses are doing on Summer Fest weekend. Much more festival coverage to come!
12:02 PM: As previewed, future Junction business Anchorhead Coffee has a pop-up in front of their future location at the ex-Starbucks on the southeast California/Alaska corner:
Speaking of food and beverage, the Junction Association wants to remind you about the sustainability that’s part of it all again this year:
That photo from The Porch – the name for the food/beverage zone in the lot behind KeyBank and The Missing Piece – shows two major ways: Free water-bottle refills (several locations, including The Porch and near the beverage arden by the main stage. And it shows some of the MANY bins for depositing your reusable dishes and cutlery after you buy food/drink from a visiting vendor – PLEASE be sure to return yours when done – not just to help with the “zero waste” goal, but also to keep WSJA – a nonprofit that shells out plenty to make this festival happen – from having to cover the cost.
12:30 PM: DancePowered’s California/Alaska performance, a Summer Fest tradition most years, is wrapping up – video soon here:
We’re also at the Mode students’ main stage performance – video below, Ashton Wecker – you may have seen Ashton busking at the Farmers’ Market:
And student band Honey All Right performed during the Mode spotlight, too:
12:42 PM: Irish dancing right now in Walk-All-Ways! And just east of there, on SW Alaska, the Kids Zone offers a combination of free and ticketed fun – this year, the West Seattle Arcade games are back:
1:30 PM: All weekend here in the Info Booth, you’ll find not just us but Junction Association volunteers with merch and swag info, plus community organizations including, right now, Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
And the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:
Both have brought interesting items to see – like this at the SWSHS table:
1:52 PM: We sent Macey out to look for unique vendors we haven’t featured yet – here’s one she found:
Simple Modern Living
The Simple Modern living booth, run by outdoor-fanatics Sara and Sawyer, features topography maps on bottle openers, coasters, keychains, magnets, and pillows! The coaster sets are made of poplar and eco-felt with a matte wood finish.
Lots and lots of handmade items! And here’s the collision of dumplings and keychains:
Fin and Feather
Build your own dim sum keychains. You can pick three miniature “buns” coming in different animals and characters. Then, choose the color of your steamer basket for the buns to create the keychain! All supplies are locally 3-D printed in Kirkland.
Also happening now, The Big Dark Corner has launched its lineup of music – video shortly.
2:38 PM: That’s a bit of Bonita Fishwife‘s set.
3:28 PM: As we’ve noted many a time, Summer Fest began as a sidewalk sale for Junction merchants – that part of the tradition continues for many of those here now – Paper Boat Booksellers (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor) is having a sale all weekend, as mentioned in our local-all-year-biz roundup:
In the same block, look for the West Seattle Food Bank booth – and buy a fundraising raffle ticket:
That’s Whit with the tickets – just $10 each … One more nonprofit note, Hope School is running the Kids Zone today – you can say hi to Sally and crew:
We’re going to launch the day’s second SummerFest report shortly, after a break for some other news.
(QUICK LINKS: Music lineups … vendor list … food and drink … Kids Zone info)
6:04 PM: At West Seattle Summer Fest, the crowd has grown steadily, especially now that the workday is over. Main-stage music continues – here’s the second band of the day, Chico Detour:
That’s their song “Crying at My Party.” As main-stage music continues, The Big Dark Corner is just getting going at California/Alaska by KeyBank, a new space this year – programmed by West Seattle’s The Big Dark Records. And you have a wide variety of choices for dinner and drinks – The Porch in the lot behind KeyBank, stands on that side of SW Alaska, some vendors on newly pedestrian-only SW Oregon, the beverage garden by the main stage ..
… and of course all the year-round local venues, many with outdoor cafés. Coordinators say it’s gone smoothly so far. Updates to come!
6:25 PM: That’s Leonard Jarvey and The Sock Monkeys, opening the night at The Big Dark Corner. Still to come there tonight – Sad Dad Autumn at 7, Across 35th at 7:30. Meantime, over in the Kids Zone, the foam party’s back this year:
7:39 PM: A bit of Zookraught and their dance-punk sound on the main stage:
And Across 35th has a throng at The Big Dark Corner – video:
8:20 PM: Vendors are wrapping up for the day, since the festival’s official end time – not counting music – was 8 pm. Here at the Info Booth, most everything’s rolled up too, except our table, and we’re packing up shortly (after one more band – added, here’s that video of Blackie:)
The night wraps up with Alien Crime Syndicate at 10 pm.
ADDED 11:45 PM: Thanks to WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen for clips from the night’s last two main-stage bands – Caitlin & Brent with the Passenger String Quartet:
And Alien Crime Syndicate:
P.S. Thanks to the many kind people who stopped by our table to say hi – we’ll be back tomorrow, starting at 10 am.
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