Bellevue Art Festival - July 2011

Somehow, the way the month of July worked out on the calendar, we must have had an extra weekend in there because I had last weekend off. No shows, beautiful weather and a break from all the usual summer madness. It was so nice. Almost like a real summer.

But this week has been back to work in a big way. Tomorrow is the start of the Bellevue art show trifecta. The museum show is at Bellevue Square, in the parking garage. Then there's the other show across the street in the Cost Plus parking lot. And then there's us - the Sixth Street Fair - which sets up on 106th, a block over. I'll be in my same wonderful space in front of the California Pizza Kitchen, under the trees and next to Andrew the glass guy, who I neighbor with every year - he's a blast. This is a really huge event with hundreds and hundred of artists all over the place, drawing massive crowds.

Tee hee. I just checked back on what I wrote for this show last year and just to prove that nothing changes and it's groundhog day, year after year, I'm going to paste in the whole weather paragraph from exactly this same week last year. It's 100% true right now too:

"And so many years it's been hotter than Hades - we're all wilting in the heat and everyone is running for the indoor air conditioning. But not this time. Because this year we are having the summer that never showed up. I'm sure that if you are reading this from the East Coast or other parts of the country you probably don't want to hear us complain about our chilly summer. The heat waves everywhere else are insane. But we are not having any of it. Overnight it gets cloudy and cool, dropping into the low 50's. We wake up to early spring weather. And if we are really, really lucky (maybe a dozen days now) we can get into the 70's in the afternoon if the sun breaks through. It's stupid. Which proves to everyone that I'm not a true Northwesterner. Because a lot of people around here love that. Me? I'd be happier with more sun, warmer temperatures, and an actual summer-like day or two."

Isn't that crazy!?! Actually the past week has been a little better. And we're going to have a dry weekend in the mid-70s with a bit of sun. So it should be perfect and a great time to get out and do the summer stuff we've been waiting for.

Show deets:

Friday, July 29: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Saturday, July 30: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Sunday, July 31: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Here is the map which lists all the other vendors and their locations. There is food and music too. Hope you get a chance to come over.

Gig Harbor Art Festival

Just a quick note with details about this weekend's show. I'll be in Gig Harbor for their annual summer art festival, hosted by Peninsula Art League.

It's July 16 & 17. Hours are 10am-6pm on Sat and 10am-5pm on Sun. Location is Judson Street, in front of the QFC mall, downtown Gig Harbor. I'm smack dab in the middle of it all on the QFC side of the street.

I usually hope for shade because this July weekend can be one of the hottest. But it doesn't look like that's going to happen this year. Seems weird to have such cool, cloudy weather in July. But all the weather people keep telling us that we've got it so much better than any other parts of the country, so I guess we shouldn't gripe about it too much.

Anyway, this is a good show with a great turnout of local folks and a lot of fun. Looking forward to seeing you there!

West Seattle Summer Festival

West Seattle Summer Fest is happening this weekend, July 8 - 10, and I'm looking forward to being there with my little 'ol soap booth again this year!

West Seattle Summer Fest is a FREE 3-day street fair, hosted by an organization of local area merchants, the West Seattle Junction Association. Now in it’s 29th year, West Seattle Summer Fest is host to dozens of bands, hundreds of merchants and artists, and over 30,000 attendees.

FESTIVAL HOURS:

Friday: 10am – 10pm (Vendor sales until 6pm and food vendors until 8pm)

Saturday: 10am – Midnight (Vendor and food sales until 8pm)

Sunday 11am – 5pm (Vendor and sales until 5pm)

This year they are planning a GREENLIFE Garden and Sustainability Expo too. There will be vendors and non-profits to share their knowledge of Living in the Green Lane! A full roster of classes and demonstrations includes solar energy, back yard chickens, canning and preserving, and beer making at home. Yes – home brewing is considered a GREEN activity:) For a full list of classes and demonstrations, please visit the GreenLife Page. The Greenlife area is at the south end of the festival, near the corner of Edmunds St.

Check the website for maps. The list of vendors is HERE. There's a zoomable map on that page that will give you close-up directions to specific booths.

Soapworks Studio booth is space #133 - which is located on the north block, between Alaska and Oregon Streets. I'm on the west side of the street, with a beautiful corner, same spot as last year. I forgot which business I was in front of, but it's closer to Oregon, the Art Dive and the Beer Garden than it is to Alaska and the food booths.

This is a really fun neighborhood event, with all kinds of stuff to do for kids to adults. All the businesses roll stuff out into the street, the dozens of restaurants have outdoor seating. From the kiddie bouncie/jumpie blow up thingies to the evening music, it's all a good time. See you there.