by Susan Fried
A little drizzle didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of people who showed up for the annual Umoja Fest, Africatown Heritage Festival & Parade on Saturday, Aug. 5. The two-day festival has been a part of Seafair weekend for decades, and there has been an annual parade in the community for 70 years.
Continue reading PHOTO ESSAY | Umoja Fest 2023by Glen Milner
The Blue Angels’ F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are returning to Seattle for a second year in this weekend’s Seafair air show over Lake Washington. Air show promoters are touting the newer jets as “heart-stopping,” “adrenaline-pumping,” and “the ultimate thrill-seeker’s dream come true.”
Continue reading Blue Angels: ‘Adrenaline-Pumping’ for Some, Health Issues for Othersby Mark Van Streefkerk
If you live in the South End, you’ve most likely heard the roar of the Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornets by now, just in case you forgot that Seafair is upon us. The 74th annual multi-week event encompasses a variety of neighborhood celebrations — like the Torchlight Parade and the Seafair pirates landing at Alki Beach — culminating in Seafair weekend August 4–6, featuring a Blue Angels air show every evening and hydroplane races at Genesee Park and Lake Washington.
A couple of weeks ago we asked what you thought of Seafair, what you would change about it, and what you’d like its organizers to know. If you want to skip right to the (anonymous) responses, click here. Note that the Emerald has not fact-checked or edited any responses. For a summary, keep reading.
Continue reading We Asked, You Answered: Sound Off on Seafair Poll ResultsIt’s almost that time of year when the booming of fighter jets tears across the sky and hydroplanes rip across Lake Washington. It’s Seafair, and you’ll most likely hear it even if you’re not attending the festivities the first weekend in August.
Continue reading The South End Sounds Off on Seafair: We Want To Hear From You!by Jill Freidberg
As I write, we are exiting the longest heat wave in Pacific Northwest history. Last year, we watched freeways buckle from the heat. BIPOC elders died in South End homes with no air-conditioning. Millions of shellfish cooked to death at low tide. In four short years, we’ve added “Fire Season” to our calendars, witnessed historic and devastating floods across the state, and watched an endangered Southern Resident killer whale carry her dead calf for 17 days. With each occurrence, the City, County, and State have issued declarations about the urgency with which we must respond to climate change.
A tradition built around fossil-fuel-guzzling, exhaust-spewing jets and boats is not in line with those declarations.
Continue reading OPINION | In a Climate Emergency, Is Seafair Obsolete?by Susan Fried
Thousands of people attended the annual Umoja Fest at Judkins Park Aug. 2–4. This year’s event was better than ever featuring the annual AfricanTown Heritage Parade, a youth football scrimmage, the Heal the Hood Basketball Tournament, more than 100 vendors, live music, delicious food, culture, and fashion.
