Tag: festivals

Food Trucks: Making Festivals Better

Carl Setzer

​One thing I noticed about the Edmonds Arts Festival yesterday: food. Once upon a time portable food vendors were, well, mediocre at best. Often times they were dreadful, to the point of promising almost certain food poisoning. Quality was job two. 

We’ve shifted from food trucks to, um, foodie trucks. Better put, food trucks are evolving. They’re becoming exercises is culinary creative excellence. This change is a beautiful thing, which I welcome. They add a new, positive element to our region’s festivals. 

Does this upscaling come at a cost? Are they more expensive, making living in the region tougher for those earning less than the median! Or just uppity, gentrified fare challenging the more traditional palette? It seems we are able to have a blend of costs, foods and styles. So, I’m not concerned. I often wonder about such things, though. I desire the region to be accessible to all. 

Higher quality food enriches the whole experience. I’m pleased at this change, seeing it as progress. 

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It’s Labor Day Weekend: Time For Bumbershoot And Prepping For Autumn 

Carl Setzer

For many folks Labor Day weekend with temps in the mid to upper 80s is glorious. Week, not for me. This Seattleite find such temperatures abhorrent. 

Now, I like the sun. Though the brown grass saddens me. Seattle is the Emerald City, not the Kinda Brown City. Our famous misty rains are what keep our fair city laden with green. 

So, it’ll be a great weekend to either be outdoors, or right next to an AC. A decent weekend for our great music festival: Bumbershoot. For the uninitiated, the Seattle Center is taken over by musicians, comedians, and other artistic types. Along with hordes of humanity, in all its array of states and conditions. It’s quite the spectacle. 

If you aren’t familiar with Bumbershoot, it’s not a weird fringe thing (Seatttle had those, too, much to my delight) . This one is well regarded and brings in top-billed talent. Check out this year’s line up. For me, more importantly, you’ll also find many up-and-coming acts, so you’ll have great opportunities to find your next favorite artist. 

A very different vibe than Folklife. Not bad, but Folklife is much mite “hippie” where Bumbershoot is a polished, commercial event.

With any major event at the Seattle Center, expect traffic to horrible. When I lived in the Downtown Core, I’d bike down there. I delighted in riding all around the city, and working my way through crowds and heavy traffic was even better. If you’re not interested in cycling, here’s a pro-tip: drive to an outlying park and ride, bus down to Westlake Center, then grab the Monorail to the Seattle Center. During major events like this, they’ll be running until 11:30. Do plan ahead and make sure your bus/park-and-ride convo soul work for the time you’ll want to leave. Getting stranded in the City sucks worse than traffic or inflated parking prices. 

Enjoy Bembershoot if you’re going. It’s ironic that the best use of the event’s namesake will be to keep the sun off. Me? I’m gong to try to do some biking (nowhere near downtown). Probably just up here in Lynnwood and Edmonds. And otherwise just relax. Write and read, and look forward to autumn finally arriving. I guess I could get my wearer’s out and give them a good washing. Their time is coming. 

Everett Community College’s 2017 Anime & Manga Festival

With generous support from the City of Everett Cultural Arts Commission and the EvCC Foundation, Everett Community College’s Nippon Business Institute and Japanese Club invite you to join us at our third annual Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival (JAMAF 2017). Activities take place on the EvCC campus located in north Everett at 2000 Tower Street, with the main stage sited in the Jackson Conference Center.

 

Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival 2017
Everett Community College’s Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival 2017

Everett CC’s 2017 Anime & Manga Arts Festival in May

Carl Setzer
Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival 2017

The good folks at Everett Community College, along with the City of Everett’s Cultural Arts Commission are delighted to bring you their 2017 Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival.

Next month, May 19th & 20th…and this event is FREE! And open to everyone.

Their website has all the details.

Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival 2017
Everett Community College’s Japanese Anime and Manga Arts Festival 2017

The 2017 Skagit Tulip Festival Is In Full Bloom

Carl Setzer

For those of us who deal with life north of Puget Sound, the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is on. That means extra volumes of traffic around Mt. Vernon and the surrounding south Skagit County Communities (La Conner and Conway, I feel your pain…).

Here’s some guidance, straight from the experts at WA Department of Transportation, to help minimize the aggravations increased traffic causes.

 

Tulip Watch 2017 & we’ve got blooms!

We’re about halfway through this year’s Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, and the tulips are finally here. According to the Festival, more tulips are blooming each day! With the weather on tap to be decent this weekend, this might be as good a time as any to head up to Skagit County.

Now that color is popping, expect the roads to be busy:

  • Come early, before 10 a.m. on the weekends (especially sunny ones) to avoid backup.
  • Consider SR 20 instead of the exit direction into Mount Vernon city streets.
  • SR 9 is another northbound alternate into Skagit County.
  • Remember these tulip fields are along 2 lane county highways and when you’re out there:
    • keep moving
    • don’t stop in the road (including parking over the white line)
    • obey no parking signs
    • don’t block driveways
    • be cautious if walking/taking pictures along the road
  • Consider stopping at a WSDOT safety rest area to use the restroom before you hit the fields.

Northwest Chocolate Festival : This Weekend September 20-22

Carl Setzer1 Comment


I love the text above. Gorgeous font, IMHO. Anyway, what could be more awesome than a chocolate festival! I’m not sure I can fit this one in, but really, REALLY want to. And not just because my favorite chocolate company ever, Theo, is involved.

Anyway, go. Just. Go.

Catching You Folks Up : Closing Out May 2013

Carl Setzer

My past few weekends have been quite busy…full of the good living that makes me love this region. Memorial Day weekend I was able to spend with good friends on the beach a few miles north of my house, and then spent a day at Folklife, one of my favorite Seattle festivals. Though the weather was a bit drippy, I enjoyed the music and other artists while we wandered the Seattle Center Campus. Then we wandered over to the Pacific Science Center, always a favorite for us. Lunch in the Armory, my son enjoying Kabab and my wife and I grubbing on burgers from Skillet’s counter.

This past weekend we spent part of Saturday meandering the Edmonds Spring/Garden Market, ending the day with froyo at Revelations. Yesterday, spent most of my morning and early afternoon at Trinity Lutheran Church for our annual meeting, followed by a run down in Edmonds.

For me, at least, all recipes for perfect weekends.

You’ll find a few photos below for your enjoyment!

Cheers, all.

Scenes From Folklife 2013

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A Day At Mission Beach, On The Tulalip Reservation

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