A perfect day for a little fun

For those not content to just sit on the beach and enjoy the fabulous day, there were multiple opportunities yesterday (and each within walking distance) to share the spirit of the summer with other like-minded revelers.

Madison Valley staged a very successful second incarnation of its Bastille Bash, celebrating the French holiday with food, drink, song, and (at least for some) a certain esprit.

Organizers would certainly have preferred to have blocked off E. Madison Street for the afternoon, given the size of the crowds.

But no one seemed to be particularly constrained by this impossibility, and the drivers who may have been mildly inconvenienced by the event seemed to take things in stride.

In addition to the food and wine, there were cooking and gardening demonstrations, street performers, and, of course entertainment on the main stage.

Vin Voleur performs

Vive la France!

Further down the street, earlier in the afternoon, dad, mom and the kids (not to mention a few grandparents and dogs) enjoyed a sunny, slow stroll down Madison behind a fire truck. The occasion was, of course, the traditional and popular Children's Parade.

The destination is always the same for these parades, but no one ever complains about it.  The fire truck safely delivered everyone to the park...

where, after completing their not-too-challenging trek, parade-goers enjoyed a complementary chow-down.

All in all, it was a pretty great day.

The parade goes by

The day certainly began on a more joyous note, yesterday, than it ended. It was sunny and warm; and the mood was festive—though spectacularly informal—as the annual Kid’s Parade and Picnic got underway at noon. As usual, a Seattle Fire Department engine from the local firehouse led the parade, followed by a swarm of kids, parents, grandparents and other miscellaneous characters.

This is not the kind of parade where anyone worries much about marching in formation, staying in sync, or waving to spectators. Actually, the later were few and far between. This is one event where it’s all about participation.

Some were pushed, and some were pulled…

…and a worthy few had the honor of carrying the banner.

Amateur crowd estimator and parade participant Maurice Cooper said he thought there were between 250 and 300 participants this year. I couldn’t begin to guess. I was plenty busy just trying not to fall over while walking backwards to get these shots.

No goats or ponies made the procession this year. But there were several canine participants to liven things up, including this eager guy:

And, as always, when the eight-minute stroll down Madison Street culminated at the Park, everyone headed straight for the chow lines. So ended Madison Park Days for 2010, a much appreciated production of the Madison Park Business Association.

Madison Park Days are coming!

Madison Park Days are virtually upon us. The annual event, which culminates each year with the Children's Parade and the Picnic in the Park, is scheduled for July 8-10. The fun begins with the Sidewalk Sale, which runs for the three days beginning next Thursday. It ends with the parade and picnic on Saturday the 10th. Hopefully the weather will be decent by then, since this is the Park's premier annual event--and one that a lot of Madison Park families really look forward to.

The parade will start down E. Madison Street fairly promptly at 12:00 noon, with staging to begin in front of the Madison Park Wells Fargo branch at 11:45 am. If you want to be in this parade you better get there on time, since the short parade route down to the Park means the procession takes only five minutes to complete. The picnic follows. Come one, come all--and bring your goat!

Madison Park Days are sponsored, as always, by the Madison Park Business Association, which for some unaccountable reason fails to mention the fact on its website. (Thanks to those who wrote in to the blog asking about when it's all going to be happening this year).

We love a parade!

This was the scene at noon today as the annual Children's Parade got underway for the ten-minute march down E. Madison Street to the Park.

Perhaps because of the fantastic weather, the turnout this year was a lot higher than last, according to Terry Short, Madison Park Business Association (MPBA) President (and parade marshal).

The Seattle Police and Fire Departments were active participants, as usual, with a firetruck leading the parade and the police providing traffic control and security. Police Sgt. Jay Shin agreed that the parade drew more participants than in past years. He estimated the total crowd at about 300 people.

There were a lot of kids riding bikes or being pulled in wagons:

A few of us really dressed for the occasion:

And in addition to the numerous dogs who promenaded, there was a gentle pony and a very well behaved billy goat:

And of course, at the end of the route everyone got the opportunity to chow down. All in all, it was a picture-perfect day in the Park.

Thanks to the MPBA for its sponsorship of this excellent event. It is one of the things that helps differentiate Madison Park from many other Seattle neighborhoods, where public spiritedness and community connection have become little more than ideals of the past.