We already told you about our neighbor to the north, White Center, and its “Jubilee Days” street party this coming weekend, and now we’d like to tell you about another neighbor’s festivities – that ‘hood to the south, Des Moines, is celebrating its 50th Birthday this weekend with a HUGE bash including wooden boats, strong man/woman competition, farmers market, parades, a sock hop and much more!

The series of family-friendly events begins Friday night, July 17th at 5pm, and continues all day Saturday, July 18th, and will include:

• A Farmers Market from 10am – 2pm (at the South Marina Park – drop by and see us at our sister site The Waterland Blog’s booth)
• A visit from the tall ships Merrie Ellen and W. N. Ragland
• A Wooden Boat exhibit
• Strong Man/Woman competition
• Classic Car show
• Children’s Fun Zone
• Sock Hop
• Children’s Parade (5:30pm)
  
• Seafair-Sanctioned Parade featuring the well-known Seafair Pirates and The Waterland Blog
  

Des Moines has been a regional destination for the Puget Sound region since 1904 when Redondo Beach was the Northwest’s premier resort, drawing thousands visitors annually. Today, that beach town feeling still exists. Visitors can smell the sea air, dip their toes in the water, stroll along the boardwalk and enjoy the area’s charming shops and restaurants. To celebrate its 50-year heritage (Des Moines officially became a city on June 17, 1959), the city is hosting a series of events throughout the summer, including the Seafair festivities, to capture the feeling of the nostalgic getaway.

Need more evidence of the city’s fun and quirky personality? Look no further than this year’s strongman competition in which feats of strength will be demonstrated by both men and women via a tire flip (100 feet total distance), axle clean and press, farmer’s walk (max weight carried for 200 feet) and keg loading (minimum 4-5 kegs loaded on to a 50 inch platform within 60 seconds). Last year, 40 competitors competed in five events and anticipation is high for this year’s competition.

Visitors will also be treated to sailboat races, a 50th birthday fun run, and performances from the Wenatchee Youth Circus – considered to be one of the top four non-professional groups in the country. Most events will be free, including the classic car and wooden boat show, Seafair parade, and the strongman competition. Minimal costs are associated with other events, such as tours of the Merrie Ellen and W. N. Ragland ($5) and tours of a new 68 foot Ocean Alexander yacht.

Festivities include:

FRIDAY, JULY 17th:

• Wenatchee Youth Circus (Des Moines Field House; adults: $7, kids: $5; 5 pm)
• Dinner & Tour of Tall Ship Merrie Ellen (Des Moines Marina; adults: $20; 7 pm)

SATURDAY, JULY 18th:

• Strongman Competition (South Marina; Free; 10 am-3 pm)
• Waterfront Farmers Market (South Marina; Free; 10 am-4 pm – look for The Waterland Blog’s booth!)
• Classic Car & Wooden Boat Show (North Marina; Free; 10 am-4 pm)
• Children’s Crafts & Activity Station (South Marina; Free; 10 am-4 pm)
• Clowns Unlimited Fun Zone (North Marina; $10 all day; 10 am-6 pm)
• Food, Community Vendors & Beer Garden (North Marina; 10 am-9 pm)
• Tours aboard the Tall Ships Merrie Ellen and W.N. Ragland (North Marina; $5 each; 10 am-4 pm)
• Wenatchee Youth Circus (Des Moines Elementary; adults: $7, kids: $5;10:30 am and 2 pm)
• Carfitti Teen Car Painting & Car Raffle (North Marina; 11 am-3 pm)
• Offshore Boat Races (North Marina; Free; Noon)
• Sailboat Races (North Marina; Free; 2 pm)
• 50th Birthday Fun Run & Walk (Run: Highline Community College, Walk: Marine View Dr. S; starts at 4:30 pm, participants check in at 2:30 pm)
• 50th Birthday Seafair Parade (Marine View Dr. S; Free; kid’s parade: 5:30 pm, main parade: 6 pm)
• Entertainment Stage featuring Pony-Boy All Star Band and Danny Vernon’s Illusion of Elvis (North Marina; performances at 11 am and 1 pm)
• Sock Hop Dance (North Marina; Free; 7:30-10:30 pm)
• 10th Annual Federal Way Symphony Garden Tour featuring speaker Carolyn Jones (Local Gardens and Des Moines Beach Park; tickets at www.federlwaysymphony.org; lectures at 11 am and 2:30 pm)

Many more community events are scheduled throughout the summer such as a Jazz & Blues Series (7/22-8/19), and the Jobies Community Carnival (8/15).

For more information, call (206) 870-6527 or visit www.desmoines50th.com.

The Des Moines Rotary Club will also be holding a very unique fundraiser on Saturday at 1pm at Des Moines Beach Park – “Pop and Drop” where 1,000 numbered ping pong balls will be dropped, with the ball landing closest to the target winning its sponsor $500!

Here are the details:

WHAT: Des Moines Rotary Club’s “Pop and Drop” fundraiser

WHEN: Saturday, July 18th at 1pm

WHERE: Des Moines Beach Park (look for the very high fire department ladder)

COST: Buy your $5.00 Raffle Ticket from any Rotarian or at CorkyCellars.

INFO: Win $500! 1,000 Balls will Drop from the Sky; The Ball that lands closest to the Target wins!

For more information call 206-824-9462 or go to www.dmrotary.org.

You do not need to be present to win.

All proceeds support Rotary Club of Des Moines education, parks & recreation, social services and international projects.

For more information on what’s happening in Des Moines, please visit our sister site The Waterland Blog.

Our diverse neighbor to the north, White Center, is holding its 21st Annual “Jubilee Days” Street Fair this  Saturday, July 18th and Sunday, July 19th, celebrating this year with the theme, “Living The Dream.”

Here are the details:

WHAT: White Center’s 21st Annual “Jubilee Days” 2-day Street Fair

WHEN: Saturday, July 18th from 10am – 11pm and Sunday, July 19th from 10am to 6pm

WHERE: 16th Avenue SouthWest between Southwest Roxbury Street and Southwest 100th Street White Center, WA. 98108

COST: It’s FREE! Lots of FREE PARKING!

SATURDAY, JULY 18th – 10am to 11pm & SUNDAY, JULY 19th 10am to 6pm:

• Sat. at 1:30pm: A 1K “Microthon” Fun Run
• Saturday at 2pm: Parade, starting at SW 112th St, Heading North to SW 100th St
  • Check In: Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 12:30 to 1:00
  • Assembly Staging: at McDonalds in White Center
  • Award Categories – Classic and antique Cars, Specialty, Novelty, Drill Teams, Marching Bands, and commercial groups.
  • Walking, Marching and Dancing units (carried by the forward left-sided person)
  • Distribution of objects, such as candy, flyers, etc.: Must be handed out curbside. Please do not drop objects in the street where children may be tempted to retrieve them. No silly string. Please use litter containers.
  • FOR ENTRY FORMS CONTACT: AMANDA AMEND (253) 592-2048 or email your entry at amend2@comcast.net
• An Art Show. Wonderful Arts and Great Crafts
• Information and Food booths
• Beer Garden
• Two Stages with Entertainment!
• A Kids Center with free hands-on activities
• FREE PARKING!

INFO:

• Cleanliness – Please keep the area clean. Local businesses have supported this fun activity and with everyone’s help we can leave it as good as, or better, than we found it.
• Manners – Rude or threatening behavior will not be tolerated. Please be courteous to one another and volunteer staff as well.
• Food – Food is available in the parade staging area at Mc Donalds and from the Street Fair Food Court at the end of the parade route.
• Parade Route – Starting at SW 112th St, Heading North, to SW 100th St. Leave the area via 15th for easiest departure. You can leave your car at the beginning or end of the parade route to avoid any unnecessary walking. Please do not leave valuables in your car and lock your doors. Jubilee days is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Announcer’s Stage – Hosted by First Choice Espresso.
• Awards – Amanda Amend will contact the winners and send out the awards accordingly
• Activities – The Street Fair offers food, crafts, the Kid’s Center, entertainment on two stages, and the carnival.
• HAVE FUN!

Also, our friends at White Center for the Arts will be heavily represented at Jubilee Days all weekend, including an Art Event Saturday night from 5pm to 10pm

For both days of the event, White Center for the Arts will have a booth in the community area where everyone can participate in a future public art project. This will be the first of many community art projects that they’ll host, and will consist of a clay mosaic.

“Do what you want with your piece of clay, sign your name or initials, and we will make sure that your piece is placed in the finished mosaic,” they say in a press release. “Fun for one and all. And you’ll be a famous artist!”

White Center for the Arts will also have a float in the parade, which starts at 1pm at the McDonalds on 16th Ave SW near 114th. They’ll be handing out candy and flyers as they float towards downtown White Center on 16th Ave SW with the rest of the crew.

“You’ve got to see what we are making this time!” adds the press release with more than just a hint of intrigue.

White Center for the Arts is hosting another Art Event this coming weekend in conjunction with Jubilee Days in the parking lot of the Skate Building on 17th Ave SW. They’ll be active for their regular hours of Saturday night from 5pm to 10pm, and encourage fairgoers to enjoy the nearby Beer Gardens, and the music flowing from the stage while you watch art in action!

For more information on WCFTA, visit their website here.

If you’d like to volunteer, click here: http://www.jubileedays.org/Volunteer.htm

If you’d like to become a sponsor, click here: http://www.jubileedays.org/2.htm

Maps/Directions: http://www.jubileedays.org/6.htm

More information available at www.jubileedays.org.

by Scott Schaefer

Have you ever been in a parade? How about Burien’s Annual 4th of July Parade?

Well, we were lucky enough to be accepted (how that happened we still don’t know…), and we thought we’d share our first-hand, exclusive, eyewitness account, which was actually written during the parade as we were pulled on a flatbed trailer by BTB Advertiser Airport/Burien Towing.

Here it is, beginning with a first-hand point-of-view slideshow by yours truly:

Click to View Photo Slideshow

11:10am: Dropped the Blogmobile (our branded, racing green Mini Cooper) off at Airport/Burien Towing. Joe, our driver, let me drive the car up onto the flatbed trailer myself. It was cool because I wasn’t sure I had gotten the tires on the ramps correctly, but I just went for it ‘cuz Joe gave me the thumbs up.

2:20pm: Returned to Airport/Burien Towing to prepare the car for the parade. It was all ready for us on the flatbed truck, and Joe and his son even put our banners up. Joe’s son will be riding shotgun in the air-conditioned truck cab. We’re all now very jealous of them both as it’s very hot out.

2:30pm: Put table, chairs etc. on board our flatbed truck. It’s really hot, gotta be at least 85 degrees. Oh, and the flatbed truck is black metal. Eees already super sweaty niiiice.

2:45pm: By now, we’re all aboard and sitting at our card table or foldable lawn chairs. Laptops are fired up and hot, we’re all too hot already, and I can’t find an open wi-fi signal. So much for “blogging live” from the actual parade route.

3pm: The parade starts, but we don’t move. It feels like we’re trapped at a mini reviewing stand/oven as parade participants start streaming past us. Soon, we’re judging them all. Mayor Joan McGilton practices her wave to us. The gals from the Hi-Liners‘ “Thoroughly Modern Millie” do a cute dance routine right in front of us.

3:15pm: We’re finally drawn into the parade, behind an Asian Dragon Drum Corps and in front of the Burien Bearcats.

3:23pm: Seems like there are people watching this parade who actually know about us! Someone gave us a thumbs up. Others yell “way to go!” No booing. Yet.

3:28pm: I just noticed that the group in front of us is relentlessly banging their drums. Same beat. Over. And over. Again. Must be one heckuva dragon.

3:30pm: We turn the corner down SW 153rd Street after passing by BTB Advertiser Wag the Dog. Suddenly the crowds thin, then we realize that everyone’s probably watching from inside The Hobnobber.

3:34pm: We turn left on 2nd Ave SW. There’s a bump in the road. Then a slight hill. Everyone holds on a bit tighter now.

3:34pm: We finally enter some shade as we turn west on SW 152nd into the core of downtown Burien. unfortunately, we’ve all consumed whatever little water we brought with us.

3:38pm: A guy in the crowd shows off his brand new B-Town Blog t-shirt, which isn’t faded like ours. He turns down my offer to trade shirts.

3:43pm: As we enter Dealy Plaza, it’s a thrill to see the landmark Burien School Book Depository building. There’s some guy in a window on the 6th floor. I wave to him and—

3:49pm: The drum corps is now going totally nuts, banging everything really hard as if they’re doing their big finish. Our collective heads are starting to hurt.

4:05pm: We’ve passed by some of our wonderful Advertisers, including Wag the Dog, Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub (where I suddenly wish I was downing an ice cold pint) Moss Chiropractic (suddenly my neck hurts) the City of Burien, Burien Trophy and probably a few others that I’ve missed but will soon hear from…

4:06pm: An adult male with Boy Scouts Troop #377 waves to us. I then realize why I never joined the Boy Scouts. That uniform must be hot!

4:08pm: At the reviewing stand, we’re surprised at how small it is…just 3 people, and the Announcer’s announcement about us is totally drowned out by the incredibly loud drum and dragon corps in front of us.

4:09pm: We turn right on 8th Ave SW in front of the fire station where it appears the parade is ending. Wait, no it’s not, the drum crops is drumming again.

4:15pm: We’re back at Airport/Burien Towing, where we peel ourselves off our nearly-melted plastic chairs and come back to reality. The parade is over, and we all realize that our “float” kinda sucks. We vow to do something better next year.

Have any ideas for our “float” for the 2010 parade? Please Comment below…

Burien Little Theatre took part in the 88th Annual 4th of July Parade last Saturday, and they sent us this photo slideshow of them preparing for the event, in costume promoting their upcoming play “Psycho Beach Party” which opens Oct. 2nd.

“Psycho Beach Party” (you can buy tickets online now) is “Gidget” meets “The Tree Faces of Eve” in a 1987 comic send-up of those 1960s beach party movies. Chicklet, a perky Malibu teenager, joins a group of beach bums to learn to surf. Unfortunately, she has multiple personalities, including that of a sinister vamp out to conquer the world:

Click to View Burien Little Theatre’s Photo Slideshow

Burien’s 88th annual 4th of July parade featured local businesses, organizations, schools, artists, bands, mascots on Segways, the Seafair Pirates, and more, as well as your very own B-Town Bloggers “blogging live” on back of a flatbed truck pulled by Advertiser Airport Towing, and here’s a photo slideshow of the event as seen through the eyes of Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

We’ll be posting our “live blog” transcript shortly, so be sure to check back soon…

Burien’s 88th annual 4th of July Parade is coming on, um…oh yeah, JULY 4th, starting at 3pm, beginning at Ambaum Blvd. SW and SW 149th Street, then winding its way through good ol’ B-Town’s downtown district, and get this – this year, your B-Town Blog staff will actually be IN the parade!

That’s right, be sure to look for your goofy blog staff in (on? around?) our little Mini Cooper Blogmobile on a flatbed trailer towed by BTB Advertiser Airport/Burien Towing, and if we can hop on a wi-fi signal, we’ll even blog live whilst in the ding-dang parade!

The parade is sponsored by both the City of Burien and the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce, and has gained a reputation as one of the most enjoyable and spirited community parades in the region. This year, parade spectators will rub shoulders with:

• The Seafair Pirates, the scurviest pack of rogues to ever stain the seven seas (including numerous B-Towners)!
• The Seattle HOG Chapter will rumble through town on their thundering Harley Davidson motorcycles!
• Santa on roller skates! We have no idea why either…
• Ronald McDonald on a Segway will either bring a smile to your face or make you feel extremely uneasy (like he does us, but then again, we’re afraid of clowns using new technology).
• And the usual marching bands, energetic dance teams, elaborate floats and vintage autos!

The brand new Town Square and City Hall will add an exciting change of scenery to downtown Burien. Everyone is invited to come and be a part of this FREE longstanding Burien tradition.

The route will head south on Ambaum, east on SW 153rd, north on 4th Ave. SW, then west on SW 152nd.

To download your own Parade Map, click here (PDF file).

The Burien Independence Day Parade is sponsored by Seahurst Dental Design/Jim Coleman, DDS and Puget Sound Energy.

Media partners include your most up-to-date local news source, The B-Town Blog and that other one, the Highline Times.

For questions about the parade, contact the Chamber at (206) 575-1633 or email staff@swkcc.org.

Some scenes from Saturday’s Highline Homecoming Parade and “Boo In Burien,” which goes until 5pm (we’ll post more pics & video later so check back):

We just got word that the Seattle Seafair Pirates will be raiding Highline High School’s Homecoming Parade in downtown Burien on Saturday, October 25th starting at 11am!

If all goes well, it may look something like this (only not a sunny summer day and in B-Town and not West Seattle):

During the off season, the Seafair Pirates attend numerous charity events each month in support of families and children as well as to aid local charitable organizations in their fundraising efforts. Unfortunately, as their popularity has grown, they have been required to make many difficult choices regarding the groups that they are able to assist due to the time constraints of being an all volunteer organization.

This was the situation when the organizer of Highline High School’s Homecoming Parade contacted the Seafair Pirates and requested an appearance.  The official mascot of Highline High School is a Pirate, so it seemed a natural fit to have the Pirates attend this event.  The Seafair Pirates attended this parade in 2007, but had five other events scheduled for the same weekend in 2008 so they regretfully declined to attend.

In a show of resourcefulness, the students of Highline High School logged on to the Seafair Pirates web site (www.seafairpirates.org) and expressed their disappointment and one senior student stated that “having you guys at our Homecoming Parade last year pretty much made the whole thing, seeing your pirate ship and exploding cannons was really an experience like no other! I couldn’t imagine another Homecoming parade being as much of a success without you guys.”

They once again petitioned the Seafair Pirates to attend this important event for the benefit of the school and the community of Burien. The Seafair Pirates were impressed by the initiative of the student body and they will show the students of Highline that determination is an important skill for their future and support the same by rearranging their schedule in order to attend their Parade and share in “PIRATE POWER”.

So come out and join the Seafair Pirates and show your support of the Highline Pirates – this years’ Homecoming parade will start at 11am on the corner of 4th and SW 153rd (near Vince’s Italian Restaurant) and head to 6th Ave SW (near Sal’s Deli), and then march west on SW 152nd, ending up around 12 Noon in the heart of Olde Burien:

View Larger Map

We won’t mention any names, but here’s a short animation of one of Burien’s Best appearing to do the “Robot” dance during the Three Tree Point block party on the 4th:

Happy Independence Day from the B-Town Blog!

Here’s a scene from today’s festivities in B-Town, this one of two independent children celebrating the 4th by leading the kid’s parade at Three Tree Point with this lovely banner:

Got patriotic spirit?

Looking for something fun to do until it’s time for fireworks?

Why not join other Burien residents and guests as they watch the 87th Annual Burien Independence Day Parade?

Rain or shine, the annual Parade will begin at 3pm on Friday the 4th, and will last approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

This year the route has been reversed, so the Parade will start at Ambaum and SW 150th, then will head south on Ambaum and then East onto 153rd, North on 2nd Ave., then West on 152nd:

 
(click on map to download larger version suitable for detailed viewing/printing)

Some featured acts include:

• Heroic Burien Firefighters
• Cub Scout Pack 377 will be collecting donations for Fire Victims as they march
  
• The Keystone Kops
• Chinese Dragon
• Bagpipers
• Drill teams
• Beauty queens
• Marching bands
• Antique cars
• Ronald McDonald
• And many others!

This is a longstanding Burien tradition that is fun for the entire family.

This year’s Parade is brought to you by: