Larry's Festival & Hike Reviews

Here comes another fun year in the great Northwest!

See Larry's Festival and hike reviews below to help plan your fun activities for the Spring and Summer months.

April, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
The intense floral colors and surrounding magestic beauty at the Mount Vernon fields are beyond comprehension. We like to visit the fields early for daffodils and later for the tulips. Each experience is breathtaking! It will be crowded on weekends, so I recommend going during the week or early in the day. Always be prepared for rain and wind, and there are fees for entry to the gardens and parking.

May, Folklife Festival
Culturally diverse music, street performers, dancing, food, imports and people watching. All FREE. They depend upon volunteers and donations to keep it this way. It often rains at this time of year, but not always. It was originally created as a family event, but it has grown much larger. The event attracts a lot more people across the board. Bring a little tip money for the street performers.

June, Tastin N Racin
I had a booth at the Tastin N Racin a couple of years. The event is professionally run, and is mostly geared for the adult croud that is into beer gardens and watching hydros. It has a beautiful setting at the Sammamish State park near the beach. They had a very nice classic car show with proud owners standing by. It is early in the year, so sometimes the weather is wet, cold and windy. One year it was a hot one, and the park was packed with people.

June, Edmonds Arts Festival
A tip from an artist friend led me to this festival. I was highly impressed by the layout of the festival. Clearly there was a lot of planning and thought put into it. The quality of the artistry was some of the best I have seen. Walking was very nice on the grassy field. The food booths were at the top of the hill, with places to stand and eat or sit on the nearby grass slope. There were very visible wait stations with memorable artist names on them. The kid play area was in one corner and the performing bands were at the far end of the field in an outdoor theater setting. I highly recommend this festival.

June, Fremont Fair Parade & Nude Bicyclists
The Fremont fair parade is full of unique artistic and political expression. Don't miss this one. I have never seen a more creative and passionate group of participants. Fremont is of course "the center of the universe", or so they say. Plan to take the bus, ride a bike or arrive several hours before the parade, because traffic gets ugly!! There will be at least hundreds of nude, painted cyclists that lead the parade.
The Fremont fair has a nice variety of crafts, services and food. They make an attempt to honor the local talent and keep it green. There is an outstanding car show with very strange and unusual designs, plus some very good street performances. I have had a massage booth at Fremont for several years, but I don't any more, so that I can enjoy the parade and festivities without restraint.

June, Taste of Tacoma
For you south-end folks, this is the cats meow. I usually down-play my interest to friends that live in Tacoma (for fun), but really it is a pretty good event. Be sure to check out "The Man" hot sauce on beef or pork. One tooth pick worth is enough to burn your tongue out! They provide a nice display of local music that you can listen or dance to on the lawn. Think sunshine. There is wine tasting in the rose garden, even mechanical bull riding! There are not a huge amount of venders, but it is a nice setting, with a variety of activities. Bring walking shoes. Parking is on the streets, and can be far away.

July, Choochokam Arts festival, Langley (Whidbey island)
Our good friends Bruce and Melissa on Whidbey Island gave us the tip that Choochokam is a good one, so we will be checking it out! Langley is a quaint little town with artistic flare, music and beautiful marine views. Check out the Langley Star grocery while you are there. It is far more than a grocery store. See you there...

July, Sequim Lavender Festival
Do you like lavender? If you do, check this one out. It is a nice adventure to Sequim, located on the Olympic penninsula. Follow signs to park and shuttle to the festival. The festival booths are OK, with lots of hanging lavendar. Now are you ready to really indulge in lavendar? Buy a ticket worth several bus rides to the lavendar farms. Each one is a little different and they all have some charm and nice hospitality. While on your journey, splurge on lavendar ice cream, lavendar chocolate, lavendar lemonaide, lavandar martinis... Oops, did I mention that this will have a laxative affect? watch out! Listen to music, dance and play in the lavendar fields! We were worried that we might wake up in a lavendar field some day later, but fortunately this did not happen. It is a unique and enjoyable experience.

July, Mediterranean Fantasy festival, West Seattle
Come enjoy non-stop groups of belly dancers on stage, from intermediate to expert. Shop for mediterranean clothing or meet perspective teachers. Food always seems to be a bit meager for this event. Usually there is a massage booth. Parking is fairly available on the streets within a couple of blocks.

July, Bellevue Arts and Crafts fair
The Bellevue Arts and Crafts fair has numerous venders, all displaying very high quality work at a moderate to upper end price. Unfortunately, most of them are shoved undernieth the cover of the mall parking lot, which is cooler on a hot day, but dark on a cloudy day. My wallet stayed in my pocket, until it was time for hot, fresh raspberry scones. Yum yum.
FYI: Just across the other side of NE 8th Street, you will find another excellent artist display at slightly reduced prices and happier venders. Usually this event takes place under blue skies and hot weather. Take a free shuttle bus from a local park and ride lot. You will be glad you did.

July, Scottish Highland Games, Enumclaw
Find your clan name, dress the part, knaw on a turkey leg and watch Scottish Highlanders competing in the log toss or battling it out in other ways. It touched me deep in me heart and Spirit, since Scottish blood does run deep in me veins. Non Highlanders might look on and wonder what the heck is going on. Aye, join in the fun anyway! It's a bit of a drive to Enumclaw, but if you need to get out of the city for something different, what the heck.

August, Seafair Pirates landing
Those wild and crazy pirates will be landing at Alkai beach. Check out the web site for more information.

August, Seafair Races
Age old stories be told of pirates when they land ashore in a foreign land. I'm pretty sure that all the stories are true! This is a really great group of pirates who really do like to party, drink, dance and carry on. They are a fun, nasty group. I had the joy of partying with the Seafair pirates and the Seafair clowns back at the best party ever! See: Party with the Pirates, Clowns + Blue Angels

August, Anacortes Arts and Crafts festival
Another favorite, and always an impressive and HUGE display of art, the prices are reasonable and the air is always salty and cool.

Aug/Sept, Bremerton Blackberry Festival
There is just something special about this one. Could it be the scenic and cool, refreshing waterfront setting with a nearby battleship and Seattle ferries coming and going? Could it be the blackberry pies, scones and icecream sold by Kiwanis for fundraising? Could it be the cascading and intermittant fountain that invites kids to play and tempt getting wet? Could it be the local infusion of musicians, arts and crafts? How about that blackberry wine? Yes, yes, I think that was it! This is one of Janet's favorites. It is always a winner in my book.

August/Sept, Evergreen State Fair, Monroe
It's a full fair experience with animals, agricultural displays, rides, imports, food and music. However, my favorite activities at this one are the logger show (with log rolling) and pig races. A previous year's photos captured them very well. See: Evergreen State Fair loggers & pigs.

Same as in previous years, my favorite food booth was labeled "Chicken or Pork Sir Fry".

August, Long Beach Kite Festival
This is one of Larry's favorite festivals! Janet and I shared the delight of thousands of colorful kites on the longest beach in the world. The town was quite welcoming, there were demo kites to fly/crash and on-going kite competitions to enjoy. Get your reservations early for this one next year.

August, Taste of Edmonds
We had to go back a second day to this one. It really has a lot more going on then just food. But on that note, I must mention that we fully enjoyed the contest winners for best entree (jerk chicken on a stick, from eloi, a taste of the Caribbean) and dessert (apple pie, from Phillies steak sandwich, feast from the east). Beyond the food, there were imports, art, crafts, live entertainment (with or without beer gardens), kids rides and a whole lot of local flavor. Nice job Craig, and the Edmonds chamber for really making this a fun festival for the entire family.

August, Coupeville Arts and Crafts festival
This was a spontaneous, and unexpected delight! It wasn't even on my festival calendar, but I received the tip from a few vendors in Anacortes, then confirmed it with our friends on Whidbey Island. There were an amazingly large number of talented, local artists, offering very reasonable prices! My how this one has grown in the last ten years. Larry's surprise, and now one of our favorites.

August, Belfair Renaissance Fantasy Faire
We created a full day experience at this fun-filled, exciting and always entertaining fantasy event. My face hurt from smiling and laughing so much! Magicians, jugglers, sword fights, fire swallowing, jousting, dragons, nymphs, songs... Great for the entire family! Plan for a day or two to get the full experience. Dress up in Renaissance clothing and join in.

October, Issaquah Salmon Days
The final festival of the season is Issaquah Salmon days. Sometimes there is nice, warm weather during Salmon days. Other times, it rained so hard I was sure that fish were swimming up the street! Either way, it is a great festival, full of crafts, kiddy rides and local salmon flavor. Check out the parade on Saturday or run in the 10k race.

Mount Pilchuk Hike and Views
This is my #1 favorite hike in the northwest. Why? Because the entire hike is delightful. The trail starts in a lush forest with occasional views, then opens up to tremendous views of Mount Baker, the Three Fingers and numerous peaks to the north and northeast. Delicious blueberries in September are ripe and ready to be picked. Large nearby rocks and occasional streams add to the variety. Near the top is some of the best rock scrambling around, along a ridge to the lookout. From the lookout, there is a 360 degree view, including all the major cascade peaks, the San Juan islands, Seattle, Mount Rainier,... It is unbelievable!

Ingalls Lake Backpack
One year, this was our annual guys-only backpacking adventure into the mountains. Each year we meet up and head to the hills for a few days of moderately strenuous hikes with scenic appeal. There are always unexpected surprises, challenges and hours of laughs. Each year we get a little older too, which gives us more to laugh about. The forest fires in eastern Washington forced us to change locations with short notice, and I could smell the smoke from distant fires on occasion at the lower elevations. There was snow! We woke up to 3-4 inches of snow, and visibility was limited. For one brief instant, Mount Stuart opened up, then it was gone again. Ingalls lake was pretty, but over-rated in my opinion. However, I would do it again on a clear day for the views and exercise.

Tonga Ridge Blueberries
This is one of the area's best hikes for huckleberries and blueberries. I found it on-line in an artical titled: "huckleberry heaven". Due to the very dry summer season, or perhaps an increased number of berry pickers, there were less berries this year. I still put in my time, and came home with plenty. Last year I had a close encounter with a bear. This year, I also saw evidence of a bear. Aha, maybe that is where the berries have gone. It is an easy hike. Most hikers were families with children who had blue fingers from picking.

Anderson Island Adventures
There is nothing like a warm summer day on the water with friends. Kayaking, biking, croquet, bocce ball, painting and lot's of laughs. It is always a special treat to recreate on Anderson Island.

Is the gloomy weather and liquid sunshine getting to you? My massage offices in Everett and Kirkland are inviting and comfortable. Warmed by a blanket or hot stones, you can say goodby to stresses and tension! With over 15 years experience, I can do wonders for your recovery from weekend warrior activity and for the prevention of injuries.

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Plan your weekend fun with
Larry's Festival Calendar & links .

See: Larry's adventure photos .

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My Favorite Choir, The Jubilee Singers are available for hire year-round. They sing a unique blend of Spirituals, including many African-American songs that were passed only by word of mouth. For more, click on Jubilee Singers Choir

One of my favorite local organic farms is the South 47 farm in the Redmond valley. Throughout the year they provide seasonal festivities and quality organic produce that is delicious! See: The South 47 Farm

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