Seafair Sunday

Every year the city of Seattle goes nuts in July & August as citywide neighborhood festivals, parades, and other random groups including clowns, pirates and other fun folks take over the city for three weeks. This festival - Seafair - is one of the top 10 civic festivals in the United States, and culminates on the first Sunday in August every year - with the running of the Chevrolet Cup unlimited hydroplane races, and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels airshow over Lake Washington. Over 300,000 people turn out on the shores of the Lake to take in this spectacle - and another 30,000 tie their boats to the anchored "logboom" out on the lake, to get a front row seat for all the action.

I watched this event on TV every year growing up. I had mad crushes on hydroplane drivers and dreams of driving the amazing boats across the sparkling blue water. Summer in Seattle IS Seafair. When I was 22, a part of my childhood dream came true when I was selected to do an unpaid summer internship as an event planner with the Seafair organization. A year later, after graduating college, I was asked back as a paid employee for another summer. Two amazing summers I will NEVER forget.

So today was my favorite day of the year in Seattle. Steve experienced his first Seafair Sunday and myself, my sister and our friend Rob all enjoyed a great day out at the Lake (thanks Rob for the great passes!) Here are some photos from our fun day (and yes, the "hats" my sister and I are wearing in one photo are actually mini inflatable hydroplane boats...) Good times!