Seattle’s Summer Festival By Moorea Klika Seafair.

Seattle’s Summer Festival

By Moorea Klika

Seafair

What is Seafair?

• Seafair is a Summer Celebration exclusive to the Seattle area

• It encompasses a lot of festival events and includes a Seafair Foundation

• Seafair has been bringing together the Seattle Community for 60 years!

History• Seafair began as a plan to

celebrate Seattle’s Centennial in 1951-1952

• Seattle was lacking a tourist industry at this time and business leaders thought a festival would be a good way to attract people.

• Prominent business leaders who called themselves “Seattle Salts” recruited St. Paul Minnesota’s water carnival director Walter Van Camp

• Seafair is modeled after the Minneapolis aquatennial and the Seattle Salts asked Van Camp to come to Seattle and help make a festival here

• Van Camp did not wait for the centennial to get to work. He created a 10 day event that was held at Green Lake’s Aqua Theater

• That first Seafair featured parades, boat races on Green Lake, amateur athletic events, royalty, community festivals like West Seattle Hi-Yu Days, Rainier District Pow-wow, Wallingford Pirate Days, the University District Kid’s Parade, and the Ballard Festival, and were highlighted by the nightly Aqua Follies performances.

• There were no hydroplanes yet! It was Stan Sayres and Ted Jones who brought the hydroplanes to Seafair

• Sayres & Jones won the Gold Cup in Detroit in 1950 and had to host the following years cup.

• They brought the hydro planes to Seattle in 1951 and won the Gold Cup again

• "Seventeen volunteer Board of Directors worked the first winter of 1949 to organize the first ten-day Seafair festival in the summer of 1950. They ran that festival on a budget of $40,000. It will take more than 5,000 volunteers to produce Seafair in 1999. The non-profit festival, which will include more than 40 events in four weeks, is now run on a budget exceeding $2,000,000." (Introduction letter in Seafair 50th Celebration Book)

• Today these numbers have increased!

Seafair’s 60th Birthday

• Seafair will be celebrating its’ 60th this summer

• There is a lot of history to describe over the years here are some highlights!

The Beginning of Seafair

• 1950s – Seafair begins at Green Lake’s Aqua Theater with Aqua Follies which included a swimsiqual and diving

• The first Seafair Parade was in 1950. The parade was and still is a way for the communities in the area to join in the celebration  and show off their heritage, diversity, and cultural uniqueness. 

1950s continued

• Seafair celebrated by crowning King Neptune and 20 Seafair princesses who would compete for Seafair Queen

• Seattle was deeply involved in boating, hosting the Gold Cup 1951 through 1955 and 1957 through 1959  during this decade. 

• SECRET HISTORY FACT - Tex Johnson, a Boeing Test pilot spun a 707 jet 360 degrees in the air! He got in trouble by his boss for this but it was a great show for those who caught it!

1960s• The World’s Fair came to

Seattle in 1962, the city was bursting with civic pride.

• The thundering boats on Lake Washington continued to be the backbone of the Seafair festival through the 1960s with its popularity peaking before the arrival of professional basketball (Seattle Super Sonics 1967) and Major League Baseball (Seattle Pilots 1969). 

1970s• The Seafair Milk Carton Derby

began in 1972 with empty milk cartons providing the primary flotation of these unique crafts.

• There were three day regattas around Green Lake with inboards, outboards, and runabouts.

• SECRET HISTORY or URBAN MYTH – These boat races had to be shut down because a snow leopard at the nearby Woodland Park Zoo had died due to noise stress.

1980s• Hydroplane racing begins!• Beer Gardens for spectators

began in 1987. (Which means more beer companies Sponsor Seafair)

• First Seafair Triathlon in 1982

• The focus of the Miss Seafair Pageant shifted from being a beauty pageant and became a scholarship program

1990s

• Torchlight Parade popularity continues to grow

• This spectacular show of lights and pageantry travels the 2.5 miles between the Seattle Center and the Kingdome (r.i.p.)

• Following the Parade is a Torchlight Run with participants in costumes!

Seafair & the Military

• The Navy celebrates Seafair by bringing ships to Seattle’s shores for free public tours

• The U.S. Navy Blue Angel’s are very popular for spectators

• You can go to Boeing and view the Blue Angels’ jets

Seafair & the Military Continued

• " In 1991 Seafair played a significant role in welcoming home the men and women who served in Operation Desert Storm. More than 1,300 military personnel representing every branch of the service participated in the emotional evening" (64)

• The Blue Angels are not the only military act to take part in the Seafair air show. The U.S. Coast Guard annually provides a search and rescue demonstration.

• The U.S. Army typically used Chinook helicopters to present the American flag high in the air during the event's opening ceremonies.

• The Air Force took part doing fly-bys with planes like the B-52 Bomber and C-141 Starlifter and the U.S. Marine Corps also got into the act with the Harrier demonstration in which a jet comes to a standstill while still in flight over Lake Washington (70)

Controversy with Military Involvement

• Some people don’t like the fleet arrival at Elliot Bay

• This consists of 6-8 ships that stay in Seattle for 3 days, usually 4 navy ships, 3 coast guard boats, and 2 Canadian navy ships.

• The ships move across Elliot Bay and wave to the crowds.

• Usually there are people in rafts protesting their arrival and participation in Seafair. Sometimes they carry signs that say “peace before war”

• In 2000 there was a Nuclear Submarine in Seattle for Fleet Week (when the ships come for Seafair). The Seattle City Council tried to pass a resolution to not let the submarine participate in Seafair. This didn’t pass and that summer there were a lot more protestors at Seafair events.

Seafair & the Community• “All people connect with

Seafair in different ways because of all the different events involved. For some people it’s the Scholarship Programs for some it’s the Milk Carton Derby and for others it’s the Blue Angels. It’s a festival day whether you are involved in it or not” – Eric Corning Seafair staff member for 12 years. He started at Seafair as an intern!

Seafair & the Community

• Community events such as West Seattle Hi-Yu Days, Rainier District Pow Wow, Wallingford Pirate Days, etc all came together in the early days of Seafair.

• Since then Sefair has agreed to help promote up to 30 community events such as these.

• Seafair does not fund these events but helps promote the dates of the events on their website under community events.

• Each of these community groups is invited to have a float in the Seafair Torchlight Parade

• http://www.seafair.com/events/community/

Seafair Festival Events

• Milk Carton Derby• Marathon & Triathlon• Torchlight Parade & Run• Scholarship Program –

to win Miss Seafair• Hydroplane Races• Air Show – Blue Angels• Ambassadors• Holiday Cruise

Milk Carton Derby• A entertaining event that

brings together family and friends

• Participants create a boat out of milk cartons

• Serves as the kick off for the Seafair festival

• There are even prizes!• Showboat awards are

based on creative use of milk cartons, originality and workmanship.

Torchlight Parade & Run• In the past there used to be a

Torchlight at the Parade because it was held later at night.

• Each year the Parade has a theme• There are awards for floats• Awards include: Seafair

Queen’s Award for Most Outstanding Civic Pride & Involvement, KIRO TV Award for Best Equestrian Unit, Seafair Spirit Award for Most Zany and Funky Design, etc.

• The Seafair Royalty is crowned• This Year’s Torchlight Parade

sponsor is Alaska Airlines

Sister City

• The Seafair Ambassador Program provides 6 High School students a $1,000 scholarship and a trip to Seattle’s Sister City Kobe, Japan

• High School students are invited to attend a Symposium with speakers and then writer a synthesis statement.

• Kobe Japan is Seattle’s Sister City. This was formed in 1957. During this time President Eisenhower created the people-to-people exchange program between Americans and citizens of other countries.

Scholarship Program

• Miss Seafair is crowned at the Torchlight Parade• Miss Seafair receives a scholarship for college tuition

(from the Seafair Foundation)• “Dating back to 1950, it was originally designed to

select articulate young women as Seafair representatives, greeting visiting dignitaries and sharing the Seafair message. Sixty years later, the Program has evolved into one that rewards academic ambitions, celebrates diversity, and showcases future leaders.”

Gender & Seafair• The Seafair Queen/Miss Seafair started at

the beginning of Seafair• In the 1950s, Miss Seafair was selected on

friendliness, poise, speaking ability, and wholesomeness.

• In the 1980s, The focus of the Miss Seafair Pageant shifted from being a beauty pageant and became a scholarship program.

• Their schedule includes a number of public appearances and speeches throughout the region. Often times during the 1990s Seafair Royalty would travel outside the country and visit sister city Kobe, Japan.

• UW student Emily Suen was crowned Miss Seafair in 2007

Demographics of Seafair Events

Torchlight Parade(300,000 Spectators)

• Gender • Male 35% Female 65%• Age • Under 16 25%• 16-24 5%• 25-34 25%• 35-44 30%• 45-54 9%• 55-64 4%• 65+ 2%• Marital Married 60%• Status Single 40%• Household < $80,000 45%• Income > $80,000 55%

Milk Carton Derby (30,000 Spectators)Gender Male 45% Female 55%Age Under 16 30%16-24 16%25-34 10%35-44 28%45-54 10%55-64 4%65+ 2%Marital Married 68%Status Single 32%Household < $80,000 50%Income > $80,000 50%

Fun History Facts

• "Bill Nye 'The Science Guy' served as Grand Marshal for the 1997 Torchlight Parade" (63)

"Ted Turner brought the Goodwill Games to Seattle in 1990 and served as Torchlight Parade Grand Marshal that year. Joining him for the festivities, his wife Jane Fonda." (63)

In the 1960s John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon attend Seafair events. (21)

Conclusion

• Seafair encompasses a lot of events that bring Seattle and surrounding communities together

• Seafair also does a lot in giving back to the community through Scholarships, Ambassador Programs, and Promoting other Community Events

• There is something for everyone when it comes to Seafair whether participating or watching

Sources• "Alaska Airlines sponsors Seafair's Torchlight Parade." 26 Feb. 2009. Lexis

Nexis. University of Washington, Seattle. 7 Mar. 2009.• McDermott, Jim. Local Legacies. Seafair. 2000.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/WA/200003634.html• Radovich, Eric. Seafair 50th Anniversary. 1999 (book)• Seafair.com• Seattle Sister City Association.

http://www.seattle.gov/oir/sistercities/about.htm• Wong, Brad. Torchlight Parade bring Thousand to City. Seattle PI. 2007, July

28. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/325565_parade29.html• Pictures are from Google Images and Seafair.com (links provided on each

slide)• I had 3 interviews and changed their names for privacy purposes.