(October 2018 photo by Leda Costa for WSB)

The West Seattle Junction’s fall celebration, the Harvest Festival, will return for its eighth year on Sunday, October 27th, 10 am-2 pm. Even though that’s more than two months away, The Junction is signing up sponsors/activity providers now, if you’d like to be part of the festival. If you’re new, here’s how it works: The West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on California SW between Oregon and Alaska that day as usual, but the block to the south is closed too as well as part of SW Alaska (just like Summer Fest!) for free kids’ activities and other highlights – a costume parade, chili cookoff, and root-beer garden are usually part of the celebration. If you’re interested in sponsorship, go here!

(Photo by Yvonne Chan)

Even with August almost here, a whole lot of summer fun is still to come. The West Seattle Beer and Music Festival is back for a second year, August 23-24 at the Alki Masonic Center, and you can still buy tickets at earlybird prices. Highlights as announced by organizers:

More than 20 breweries from the Northwest and beyond will be pouring 40+ beers.

The musical lineup features an eclectic mix of funk and soul acts, including New York-based Mega Ran and last year’s fan favorites Marmalade. DJ Indica Jones will be DJ-ing a nightly after-party for those who aren’t ready for the party to end.

New this year is a .5k Run4Food (no, that is not a typo, it really is only .5k!) that benefits the West Seattle Food Bank, taking place on August 24th. Tickets for the costumed and comically short fun run can be purchased for $40 for individuals and $230 for groups of six. Run tickets include admission to the festival on Saturday, tasting tokens, and a glass. Better yet, $10 of every individual ticket for the run and $50 of every group ticket goes back to the West Seattle Food Bank.

The festival hours will be 5-10 pm Friday, 3-10 pm Saturday (with an early-entry option for VIP ticket purchasers). You can find more info and/or buy tickets by going here – earlybird prices through August 11th. P.S. This is a 21+ event.

In perfect counterpoint to the gray-ish sky, brightness is everywhere at the Alki Art Fair – from boardwalk chalk art (above) to ~120 artist/vendor booths:

You can listen to live music (here’s the schedule):

(Angela Soffe Band)

Or if you’re of a certain age, you can play in the kid zone set up by soon-to-open Alki playspace Outer Space Seattle:

Go into the Bathhouse to bid on silent-auctions donated to raise money to help keep the festival free for attendees:

Booths are open until 6 tonight (and again 10-6 Sunday) with music continuing until 9 on the main stage (when you visit, also check out the busker stage at the west end of the boardwalk, which we’re sponsoring again this year). Even if you’re not biking, walking, or busing to the beach, you can still go without worrying about parking – a free shuttle is running between Alki and the Admiral District (California/Admiral by the Chevron station) and the park-and-ride under the bridge.

(2018 WSB photo)

West Seattle’s big summer events continue next weekend with the two-day Alki Art Fair! To help you get there, a shuttle is planned again this year:

As for what you’ll find at the AAF (with WSB among the community sponsors), here’s the announcement with the toplines:

When: Saturday, July 27 and Sunday, July 28 (10 am – 6 pm with music until 9 pm on Saturday)
Where: Alki Beach Park

Take in the colorful views while strolling the promenade, as you sip, eat and shop among the expansive lineup of artists, makers, and performers to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of our local arts and culture.

Event Highlights:

120+ 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 Main Stage (adjacent to the beach) and busker stage along the promenade. We’ll feature rock, blues, jazz, kids’ music, theatrical performances and more including the award-winning musical collective, Tobias the Owl.

Beer & wine garden near the beach and main stage.

Interactive kid zone & mural cube hosted by Outer Space Seattle (the galactic indoor play space for kids of all abilities).

Live art & demonstrations by internationally recognized chalk artist Naomi Haverland and more.

Silent auction in the historic Alki Bathhouse featuring unique items from local artists and businesses.

Local food line-up features a range of sweet, savory, spicy, and delicious options.

Sunday morning yoga on the beach hosted by Limber Yoga from 9-10 am.

FREE shuttle bus from the West Seattle Park n’ Ride Lot and Admiral Junction to make getting there stress-free.

We”ll continue the countdown through the week.

(FESTIVAL INFO LINKS HERE * METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE * 1ST FRIDAY REPORT HERE, 2ND HERE, 3RD HERE * 1ST SATURDAY REPORT HERE * 2ND HERE * 3RD HERE * 1ST SUNDAY REPORT HERE)

2:56 PM: What’s more summery than a bright floral backdrop? Victoria is modeling the selfie backdrop outside VAIN (WSB sponsor) on the west side of California south of Oregon – which awaits you before West Seattle Summer Fest wraps up at 5 pm. Also in the floral vein, a fleeting sighting:

It was on the corner of California/Alaska by the Fitness Together (WSB sponsor) booth … and then suddenly it was gone. Meantime, Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor) has had visiting goats since about 1, scheduled to depart shortly:

But some festival features continue until the festival ends at 5 … like mural painting, either in Junction Plaza Park with West Seattle Art Nest or in the game zone north of Oregon with Stacey Sterling:

The finished creations will eventually be on display in The Junction.

3:28 PM: Three stages AND the open space here at Walk All Ways, if you’re looking for festival happenings:

The Community Stage just hosted the kids’ pie-eating contest – here are the contenders beforehand:

Speaking of kids and food – simplifying family mealtime is the mission of Dream Dinners (WSB sponsor):

They’re here at Summer Fest to talk with you – but year-round you’ll find them on the lower east side of Jefferson Square. As we’ve been spotlighting, the Summer Fest shopping scene is a massive mix of year-round businesses with special sales, West Seattle businesses from elsewhere on the peninsula visiting (like Dream Dinners), and visiting vendors like this one:

Up at the California (main) Stage, we dropped in during the Fix performance a bit earlier:

The Boss Martians at 4 pm wrap up the main-stage schedule. More to come.

4:17 PM: Final hour. So we wandered up to the main stage:

Here at California/Alaska, we have a balloon artist on the Easy Street Records corner and buskers playing at two other corners. The QFC booth across from us is selling everything for $2 (except the $1 water). Starting to fold up their orange umbrellas, too.

4:45 PM: That reminded us of Oranj, the company that declares it has the coolest T-shirts – local themes like these:

If you haven’t been there yet, they’re midblock on the east side of California between Alaska and Edmunds. Not far from the Wooden Instrument Stage, where Joe Ross was closing things out for an audience enjoying the shade:

Overall, the weather has been outstanding all weekend – not hot, not cold. A little overcast here and there, but ultimately sunshine all three days. … Though breakdown is starting now, it’ll be hours before the Junction streets are fully cleared, so detours and reroutes (linked above) will continue until then.

(FESTIVAL INFO LINKS HERE * METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE * 1ST FRIDAY REPORT HERE, 2ND HERE, 3RD HERE * 1ST SATURDAY REPORT HERE * 2ND HERE * 3RD HERE)

10:57 AM: That’s the Community Stage in Junction Plaza Park, where our District 1 City Council candidates’ forum kicks off the programming for this final day of West Seattle Summer Fest, at noon, about an hour from now. We’re already almost an hour into the festival finale, and the big question here at the Information Booth (California/Alaska) is “where’s the Farmers’ Market?” Answer:

Right behind the KeyBank building, directly south of the kids’ area. Meantime, if you’ve wondered, no major incidents of note reported so far this weekend – SPD always has a sizable presence; this photo shows two groups of patrol officers gathered just before the festival opened at 10:

As we type, officers are looking for a lost child; we have dealt with about half a dozen lost/found children so far, usually resolved quickly, but if you need help with a situation and don’t find an officer fast, come to the Info Booth. It’s also where you’ll find community groups, festival T-shirts ($27 cash, while they last). And these free neighborhood-pride buttons (east side of the booth):

More coverage to come!

11:43 AM: Also in Junction Plaza Park starting at noon, the third and final day of mural-making with West Seattle Art Nest:

The other community mural in progress is up at the giant-games (free to play!) area north of Oregon on California. And just east of the festival-food zone on SW Alaska, there’s a Seattle Fire crew with an amazing festival view:

We’re headed that way to get ready for the candidate forum, which will go until at least 1 pm. See you after that! (Lots of other cool folks holding down the Info Booth in the meantime.)

1:12 PM: Back in the booth! Thanks to everyone who came to see and hear the candidates – our forum lasted about an hour and included many of the questions asked by readers. We took this pic just before starting:

We’ll have coverage with video on WSB tonight or tomorrow. Meanwhile, just under four more hours to enjoy Summer Fest! The Community Stage will feature:
2:30 pm – Lavender Lucy
3 pm – Kids’ Pie-Eating Contest
3:15 pm – Sue Quigley
4;15 pm – Big Tooth

On the California Stage:

now – Projections on a Wall
2 pm – Fix
3 pm – Frond
4 pm – Boss Martians

And the Wooden Instrument Stage has acoustic music going until at least 4:30, too.

A spectacular Saturday at West Seattle Summer Fest closed out with the Blondie tribute band Blackie on the main stage, introduced by Troy Nelson and Brent Amaker:

Lead singer is Dejha Colantuono:

On keyboards, Erin Rubin, proprietor of West Seattle’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor), part of a big Mode representation/influence at this year’s festival:

One more big day of music-and-more at Summer Fest on Sunday – see the schedule for all three stages here.

(FESTIVAL INFO LINKS HERE * METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE * 1ST FRIDAY REPORT HERE, 2ND HERE, 3RD HERE * 1ST SATURDAY REPORT HERE)

6:06 PM: Art is part of this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest, more than ever. Above, Blue Geisha Tattoo is working on a Hedy Lamarr mural up by the California (main) Stage. That’s where Jeremy Enigk is playing right now:

Back in the booth zone, we found Phoebe from Spa Phoebe (new at Fauntleroy/Edmunds) with her pal Franklin:

We’ve even seen a cat at the festival:

6:25 PM: It’s not too soon to start reminding you that the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS happening tomorrow – but it’ll be in the KeyBank lot (its old home) since the festival’s at the street. And since the market starts at 10 am, the festival does too (in past years, the official start time on Sunday has been 11 am, but we’ve noticed the wandering starts earlier, so this year the festival does too). Back to the entertainment – Balorico is leading salsa lessons on the Community Stage in Junction Plaza Park right now:

The Community Stage has one more scheduled act tonight – 7 pm, The Spider Ferns. Then tomorrow at noon, we are moderating a Summer Fest candidates’ forum with the City Council District 1 trio, Lisa Herbold, Brendan Kolding, and Phil Tavel. Ballots will be mailed next Wednesday so it’s almost time to start voting! Join us in the park on Sunday. Also tomorrow, note that the pie-eating contest has moved to 3 pm.

7:16 PM: We’re folding up the Info Booth for the night. Here’s a pan from inside earlier today:

Things are a little quieter now, but not by much! #1 question is “where’s the California Stage?” Answer: Up by the post office. It’s where you’ll find Night Beats (7:30), Jenn Champion (8:30), and Blackie (10 pm).

P.S. Thanks to the many people who have stopped to say hi. We’ve heard Summer Fest called the “West Seattle Reunion,” with so many people seeing neighbors and friends old and new, and that happens for us every year too.

(FESTIVAL INFO QUICK LINKS HERE … METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE … 1ST FRIDAY REPORT HERE, 2ND HERE, 3RD HERE)

11:02 AM: More to explore as day 2 of West Seattle Summer Fest gets going in the heart of The Junction! Above, Rob Duisberg of the West Seattle Community Orchestras is inside ArtsWest (west side of California, south of Alaska) with the WSCO Instrument Petting Zoo until 2 pm – thanks to Gina for the tip! Here at the Info Booth, you’ll find various organizations and community groups all day, too (as well as us on the north side and Junction Association volunteers on the east side). Right now on the west side of the booth, lots of crime-prevention and safety info from Seattle Police:

Side note: They have candy. Tons of families here already. On our way in just before 10, we spotted State Sen. Joe Nguyen and his family:

Three stages of entertainment, starting up soon – 11:30 am Rockaroke on the main stage on California at Oregon, noon on the community stage (in Junction Plaza Park at 42nd/Alaska and the wooden-instrument stage on the west side of California just before Edmunds). And here in Walk-All-Ways, a martial-arts demo is drawing a crowd.

Get here and see what’s up! Also lots of chances to support the people and places that make West Seattle great – here’s one:

That’s the West Seattle Quilters‘ annual fundraising quilt for the Senior Center – buy a ticket for the raffle at the table outside Stop ‘n’ Shop on the east side of California just south of Oregon. Meantime, Summer Fest is also a major freebie zone today – HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) is across from us at California/Alaska and they have free sunglasses, tote bags, pens.

Whole Foods is here today (by the Kids Zone on the west side of Alaska) with free popsicles. In recent years, the business mix here has gotten ever more local – both the year-round merchants with sidewalk sales and the businesses with booths (some “visiting” from other parts of West Seattle), so it’s an excellent place to find out more about the community all in a 2+-block area. Our coverage continues all day and into the night – official festival end time is 8 pm, music continues tonight until about 11.

12:32 PM: All three stages are going now:

Just south of the main stage, it’s the game zone – free to play, all ages! Caitlin from Outer Space Seattle (the playspace opening soon at 2820 Alki SW) sent this photo of astronauts playing Connect 4:

Also up at the game zone on California north of Oregon, Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor, based in North Delridge). On California south of Oregon, another of our sponsors, Verity Credit Union, has fun stuff in their open storefront all weekend long:

We just confirmed they’ll have GOATS there 1-3 pm Sunday. … Since it’s lunch time, we strolled through the festival food zone (remember that 20+ year-round restaurants have sidewalk cafés and/or outdoor stands to serve you too) and you’ll find more variety than ever, from elotes (roasted corn) to elephant ears, Pho Burritos, squash-blossom pupusas, cotton candy, potato “tornadoes,” barbecue (with the truck from WSB sponsor Pecos Pit) Afghan, Kenyan, Mexican, Salvadorean, Thai food. And if you want to sit down after buying something at a booth, check out the tables at Junction Plaza Park!

1:22 PM: If you need someplace to take refuge with your infant or toddler, wander a block west to Nurturing Expressions (4727 44th SW; WSB sponsor), as this handy sign reminds you:

Back along the rows of booths – GoodMed Direct Primary Care (WSB sponsor) is here for the weekend (they’re headquartered in Morgan Junction):

Dr. Ryan Campbell would love to talk with you about their unique, affordable flat-rate health care. … More coverage to come!

3 PM: Warmer than yesterday. If you bring your pup(s) and s/he/they need a break, the Pet Zone is on the west side of California just north of Alaska:

Gabe Cadwell sent that pic of Lilly enjoying the doggie pool. … Another Junction business (based in Jefferson Square) that’s here, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Real Estate Northwest (WSB sponsor):

In the BHHSBW booth when we stopped by, Debbie Kerns, Alice Kuder, and Nadine Bivins. … UPDATE: Whole Foods is out of free popsicles. Lots of treats here but those have run out. … Here in the Info Booth (heart of Walk All Ways, look for the big INFORMATION banner), new groups at the community tables on the west and south side, including Seal Sitters:

They’re on the south side; on the west side, YearUp and SR3:

As you might notice in our photos, both Seal Sitters and SR3 have show-and-tell items – all ages can touch and explore. The Whale Trail is here too, a few booths north of Walk All Ways. … We’re getting closer to the heart of the music lineup -here’s who’s on the main stage tonight:

4:30 – DYED
5:30 – Jeremy Enigk
6:30 – Spirit Award
7:30 – Night Beats
8:30 – Jenn Champion
9:30 – DJ Mister Moon
10 pm – Blackie (Blondie tribute)

The main stage is on California between Oregon and Genesee; the beer garden is immediately south of it. ….Our coverage continues right after 5 pm with the early-evening report, but first some other stories.

P.S. If you lost your wallet – we just had one turned in at the Info Booth.

(FESTIVAL INFO QUICK LINKS HERE … METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE … FIRST FRIDAY REPORT HERE)

You can kick back at West Seattle Summer Fest. That’s John Smersh, co-proprietor of Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor), demo’ing an air chair they’re featuring. Click! has a “garage-sale”-style sidewalk sale too, plus they’re selling cool local baby onesies (whose creator isn’t vending separately this year). So don’t miss your year-round merchants along the sidewalk. We’d have to say “discover and explore” is a big theme this year. Look around every corner – you might find something special, like this:

That’s the community mural that West Seattle Art Nest is leading in Junction Plaza Park– – by the wind sculpture, near the community stage – until 7. They explain that it – and the two they’ll be leading the next two days – are inspired by features in West Seattle parks. That’s the Schmitz Park crocodile; the next two will be the Whale Tail Park whale and the Lincoln Park griffin. Meanwhile, back on the main stage:

All three stages’ programming schedules are here. More coverage to come!

6:07 PM: Festival sights. From Tatooine to West Seattle:

And we’ve gotten enough questions about this poster, we have to say, according to festival organizers – IT’S NOT REAL:

We’ve heard from more than a few Gary Busey fans at the Info Booth who are disappointed to hear that. So who IS here? Still to come tonight on the main stage (California north of Oregon):

6:30 pm – West Seattle Soul
7:30 pm – The Grizzled Mighty
8:30 pm – Common Market
9:30 pm – DJ Kurt Bloch
10 pm – Polyrhythmics

The last community stage act of the day, Tekla Waterfield, is on now; on the Wooden Instrument Stage (west side of California just north of Edmunds), it’s Annie O’Neill now, Cami & Co. at 7.

6:33 PM: First lost/found child of the day, quickly reunited. That’s part of what happens at the Info Booth – if there’s a problem, we summon help. The Info Booth winds down around 7 pm – if you need help after that, look for a festival staffer. … Even more music happening now – Kyle Craft in-store at Easy Street Records (as featured in our daily preview today).

7:06 PM: Though shopping/vending time is winding down, music keeps heating up:

Dinnertime for many festivalgoers:

Common question at the Info Booth is whether the east side of SW Alaska is “all the food.” Remember that many of the year-round restaurants offer something special for Summer Fest too – outdoor cafes, and/or street food, like Husky Deli’s stand:

We’re heading out but will be back later tonight for more music!

(FESTIVAL INFO QUICK LINKS HERE … METRO REROUTE LINKS HERE)

11:44 AM: West Seattle Summer Fest got its start decades ago as the West Seattle Junction’s annual sidewalk sale – and that’s still part of the program, including (outside CAPERS, west side of California between Oregon and Alaska) the world-famous WEST SEATTLE T-shirts shown above. Lots of shopping – at year-round merchants and visiting vendors – and all-ages activities. That includes two types of axe-throwing!

The inflatable “axe-throwing” is in the kids’ zone on Alaska west of California; the actual axe-throwing is in the game zone on California north of Oregon. Now that we’re in hour two, everybody’s starting to settle in. And as lunchtime approaches, you’ll find festival food booths on Alaska east of California, plus lots of outdoor offerings from year-round restaurants – even Bakery Nouveau has a sidewalk café1

12:19 PM: Besides playing, shopping, drinking, noshing, Summer Fest is also a place to learn. Got a question about West Seattle’s light-rail plan? Stop at the Sound Transit booth:

They’re on the east side of California between Alaska and Edmunds. On the other side of the same block, you can talk with WSDOT about Highway 99 Tunnel tolling, which is expected to start this fall:

Speaking of transportation, we just got word that Canna West Seattle is offering a shuttle from Summer Fest to their shop about a half mile south. Canna Culture is here at the festival, too:

That’s Canna Culture shop manager Nina Perceful, just south of the Info Booth (our base during Summer Fest) at California/Alaska. You can stop there to find out about in-store sales happening during the festival. And as for the shuttle:

The rides will be offered every half hour, from 10am-8pm Friday and Saturday, and from 10am-5pm on Sunday. Summer Fest attendees can pick it up at SW Edmunds Street and California Avenue (near the 7-11 store).

Festival attendees should look out for this ride:

As for other transportation to/from the festival – note that we have the bus-stop revisions all linked atop this story. Main-stage music is now just three hours away, starting with Razor Clam at 3:30 pm; more coverage to come!

2:30 PM: Sun’s out and the crowd’s growing. A few things that have come up in comments:

-The kids’ area has a different provider this year. They specialize in inflatables, so there’s no mechanical rides.

-Art-making for all ages is spread throughout the festival, including participation in mural creation with West Seattle Art Nest in Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska), 3-7 pm today, noon-8 pm Saturday, noon-5 pm Sunday. If you’re looking for face painting, The Hill Team had a free face painter in front of Keller Williams on the east side of California north of Oregon.

-Also on California north of Oregon, giant games for all ages.

3:06 PM: Popular question – where to buy water? Answer:

That’s the QFC booth, just north of our side of the Info Booth at Walk-All-Ways. $1 water plus fruit kabobs and coconuts.

3:51 PM: Main-stage music has begun!

Next up:
4:30 pm – Sweet Jesus
5:30 pm – Stas Thee Boss
6:30 pm – West Seattle Soul
7:30 pm – The Grizzled Mighty
8:30 pm – Common Market
9:30 pm – DJ Kurt Bloch
10 pm – Polyrhythmics

Remember there’s two other stages, too – community stage in Junction Plaza Park, “wooden instrument stage” on the west side of California just north of Edmunds. The schedules for all three stages can be found in this WSB preview.

This year’s West Seattle Summer Fest is just two days away, Friday through Sunday in the heart of The Junction! And this year’s festival has three stages, as the map above shows – the big one at the north end (CA), the Community Stage at Junction Plaza Park (CS), and another stage at the south end (SS), focused on wooden-instrument music. Here’s the list of what performances/presentations are happening where/when:

Events include more than music – on Sunday at noon, for one, we’ll be moderating one of your last looks at the District 1 City Council candidates before primary voting begins next week. Meantime. our Summer Fest previews continue later today and you’ll find lots of info right now on the festival-presenting West Seattle Junction Association‘s website. Festival hours are 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 10 am-5 pm Sunday. Remember the streets close tomorrow (Thursday) night around 6 for setup – and that means it’s Summer Fest Eve, with lots of reasons to come down and wander, so watch for that preview this afternoon too!