Sea-Fare -- Seattle Is About To Embark On Its 42Nd Big Bash, With A Few Changes

Whether it's the roar of the hydroplanes (old) or the rhythms of salsa (new), Seafair, as it always has, has something for just about everyone this year.

The 42nd celebration of Seafair, which kicks off on Friday and lasts through the hydroplane races on Aug. 4, offers more than 50 events, including the Milk Carton Derby, Torchlight Parade, an expanded air show and numerous ethnic and community festivals.

Along with the traditional princesses, pirates and parades, there are a few changes to Seafair this year.

To help beat the traffic, the hydroplane races feature a free park-and-ride plan. Park at the Kingdome, where you can also buy tickets, and take the special Metro shuttle to the entry gate.

Round-trip buses will run every 10 minutes beginning at 7:30 a.m. until an hour after the race. Just show your race ticket for a free ride.

The Torchlight Parade also has changed, and will begin earlier this year and last only two hours. Seafair officials hope that the new format will prevent a repeat of the vandalism and fighting that plagued last year's parade.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will thrill spectators as they fly over Lake Washington in an expanded two-day air show Aug. 3 and 4.

A highlight of Seafair is the arrival of the U.S. Navy fleet, led by the USS Missouri, at the waterfront July 31. There will be free guided tours Aug. 1-4.

Seafair president Jim Donohue estimates 5,000 volunteers are helping with the festivities this year. In addition to events such as the Torchlight Parade and the Rainier Cup, volunteers are the backbone of the numerous community festivals.

While changes in the Torchlight Parade schedule and the recent restrictions on alcohol at the hydroplane races have made Seafair more conducive to family participation, Donohue said that Seafair is also an opportunity to help other families.

Last month was the first Seafair Texaco Walk in the Park, which raised $35,000 for homeless families. And during the Torchlight Parade Aug. 2, spectators are encouraged to donate a nonperishable food item to the collection bins at the parade; these will be distributed to local food banks.

FAITHFUL FAIR VOLUNTEERS TREASURE PAST EXPERIENCE

Seafair is a community-based festival that relies on 5,000 volunteers, some of whom have been coming back for more than 20 years. In the words of one volunteer: "It gets in your blood."

Here are some of their memories, both big and small, humorous and bittersweet, of this midsummer celebration.

Tad Degenhardt, chairman of the Milk Carton Derby, recalls one of the most amusing entries in the derby: "I remember the time the Boeing engineer used water-soluble glue . . . we ended up with lots of milk cartons floating around and a wet person."

Bengie Santos, chairwoman of the Pista sa Nayon Filipino Festival, says that watching different parts of the community come together during the festival makes it all worthwhile.

She said it's wonderful to "see old people - I'm talking 70 and 80 years old - dancing on the field to music, next to the 7- and 8-year-olds, while the teenagers perform on stage."

Mike Montgomery, chairman of the air show, met his future wife, Connie, at Seafair. "I first came to Seattle as a midshipman on a destroyer in 1963. A couple buddies and I met two attractive young ladies at the Torchlight Parade . . . I was the third wheel on that first Torchlight Parade, but Connie and I have become closer since."

Connie Montgomery's tale is similar: "I went to the parade with my sister, and we noticed three really attractive young guys in khaki, standing around saluting everything . . . We chatted during the parade, then went to the amusement park at Seattle Center. We weren't looking, it just happened." Connie and Mike were married in 1968 and now have three sons.

Nellie Fujii Anderson, former chairwoman of the International District Festival, said that planning an event could be a harrowing experience. "You have no control over the weather; one year the festival was in the middle of July, and that was the only day there was a downpour. Things like that age you 10 years. It's worse than planning a wedding, because there's no honeymoon.

"My other fond memory was wrangling my husband into garbage duty (for the festival); that was a true test of love and devotion."

Jim Fry, chairman of the Special People's Cruise in 1984, had a heart attack on the dock before the event. "The Seafair folks rallied around me and took care of every need. They picked me up, carried me up the dock, called the ambulance and took care of my wife and kids. I guess I could say I owe my life to Seafair."

Michael Taylor, chairman of the Pacific Northwest African-American Community Festival, remembers the time a young girl came up to him and said she'd seen him in the Mardi Gras parade the week before. "I was trying to play it off, and I just said, `Wasn't I cool?' The girl said, `No, you wasn't cool, you was happy.'

"I'll always remember that, because she kept it in perspective for me. I was trying to act like an adult, but out of the mouths of babes . . . I was happy because we pulled off the parade in the face of some adversity."

Kathy McLemore, commodore of the Boat Club, said that volunteers formed close ties to the hydroplane drivers. "Even though you only see (the race drivers) once a year, they don't forget you; it gets to be like a family."

Along with the good times come tragic moments, she said. "It was really sad when we had to put together a memorial for (hydroplane driver) Bill Muncey after he was killed at a race in Mexico . . . Safety is better now, but it's still hard to watch boats go around the lake."

Stacie Hearst, chairwoman of the Ballard Seafoodfest, recalls last year's lutefisk-eating contest. Lutefisk is a Scandinavian delicacy made from dried cod soaked in lye, which is then rinsed out before eating.

"The winner ate four pounds in about 50 seconds. This man had to have loved it and was still hungry. Within an hour, I saw him eating a Philly steak sandwich."

Rose Washington, chairwoman of the Mardi Gras parade, remembers watching that parade as a child. "I remember what made me excited - marching bands, the colors of the floats and the candy that was passed out . . . Even though you're not a kid anymore, you still have the kid in you, and you try to put in things that will turn on kids today."