Folklife-Launch into Seattle’s Summer Season
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Summer is all about free festivals, right? Well, more and more frequently the festivals are charging entrance fees. One of Seattle’s oldest festivals, Folklife, is still free.
Every year over Memorial Day Weekend, 250,000 people will flock to the Seattle Center, site of the 1962 World’s Fair. They will be treated to street performers, world music, dancing, singing, a short film festival, and more. World Vendors offer their crafts: sarongs, drums, baskets, masks, furniture and more.
Folklike is also one of the more interactive festivals. Street performers are encouraged to show their skills, impromptu drum circles are not uncommon, dance lessons abound, as do kids activities. This event is aimed at the whole family and runs 11:00 AM-11 PM Friday-Monday, Memorial Day weekend. Parking can be a nightmare, but Metro offers lots of buses to and from the festival. If you park at one of several Metro park and rides, you can avoid lots of the hassle. Cost is usually $2 each way.
A scenic journey, train cars, fine dining and wineries? European turn of the century luxury? Not if you take a trip on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train out of Renton, Washington. The train travels up the east side of Lake Washington ending it’s journey in Woodenville with a stop at the Columbia Winery. The excursion is 3.5 hours round trip and most of the year runs Tuesday-Sunday. May to September the train runs seven days/week, with a dinner excursion. Weekends run both lunch and a dinner time trains. They have a variety of menus with a couple of options that cater to vegetarians and vegans. Reservations are generally a good idea to get a seat in one of the dome cars.