Seafair

Today July 30th is the beginning of the final week of Seattle’s big summer celebration, Seafair.

The Torchlight Parade is the official kick off to the final week. It consist of Floats illuminated by Christmas lights, marching bands, mounted horse patrols, Seafair Pirates, Seafair Clowns and Unlimited Hydroplanes being pulled on trailers through the streets of Seattle.

All trough the final week, the Unlimited Hydroplanes test out and qualify on Lake Washington for next Sunday’s Seafair Gold Cup Race, which is the grand finale to Seafair. Also during the week the Navy’s Blue Angels acrobatic team of F-18 Hornets practices their routine for their Air Show on Saturday and Sunday. Many people who live along the shores of Lake Washington, hate the noise that the Blue Angels make as they fly over their houses.

There are many other community Parades, Carnival, music, arts and crafts shows that start out in early July, that lead up to the final week of Seafair.

Seafair began as a plan to celebrate Seattle’s centennial in 1951-52. The festival was designed to attract tourists and stress marine events in keeping with Seattle’s boast as the "boating capital of the world."

The Hydroplanes reach speeds of 160.32 mph (258.01 kph) and can flip when too much air gets under the boat, which has proven fatal on many occasions. Some famous winning Hydroplanes are: Slo-mo-shun IV,
Gale V, Miss Thriftway, Hawaii Kai III, Maverick, Miss Bardahl (The Green Dragon), Miss Century 21, Tahoe Miss, My Gypsy, Miss US, Atlas Van Line, Circus Circus, and Miss Budweiser to name a few.

As a kid, my friends and I would fashion crude Hydroplanes from wood. We would tie a string to them and drag them behind our bikes in a race. I don’t remember if I won any of the races. Some times we would run down to Stan Sayer’s pit on Lake Washington, and look at the Hydroplanes and collect souvenir pins, banners, photos and stickers.

History of Seafair
http://www.seafair.com/x566.asp

Hydroplane Museum
http://www.thunderboats.org/