Vashon’s Strawberry Festival has been held yearly for more than a century, showcasing local skills, creativity, and island-centric celebration over the course of an unforgettable July weekend.
It’s time for neighbors to greet neighbors, shop at Vashon businesses and vendor booths, and also visit booths staffed by local nonprofits, which this year will include such worthy groups as Vashon HouseHold, the DOVE Project, Zero Waste Vashon, Vashon Food Band, and the Seattle Indian Health Board.
Strawberry Festival also means music in the streets — check out the wealth of talent gracing stages this weekend here.
Invite your friends — or head off-island
It’s easier to get on and off Vashon this weekend because the King County Water Taxi serving Vashon — typically only operated on weekdays — has added runs for the island on Saturday, July 15. The boat will leave Seattle every hour, on the hour, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Boats will leave Vashon every hour on the half-hour, from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Visit the website of King County Metro for bus schedules to and from the north-end dock and the King County Water Taxi website for additional information.
Taking it to the streets
Strawberry Festival, presented by the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce, starts on Friday afternoon when Vashon Highway will be closed between Gorsuch Rd and 178th. Bank Road, westbound, will be closed near 97th Pl SW, and eastbound at 100th Ave.
All closures start at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and will reopen at approximately 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The race is on
Festival-goers can also join in other historic traditions, such as the 41st annual Bill Burby Race — a fundraiser to provide support for island sports programs and scholarships for local youth to attend college.
This year’s run/walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, July 15 — both starting and ending at the VES Fields (Harbor School).
The run was originally organized in 1981 by Russ Brazill, Bill Burby, and Doug Kloke, joined by VHS students Bob McCormick and Neal Allen. The 5k and 10k events were first known as the K2 10K Strawberry Festival Run, and the name was changed after Bill Burby’s death in 1989 to honor the beloved VHS coach and teacher.
This year’s 5k run will award prizes to the top three men and women finishers. The event is organized this year by the VHS wrestling team and their coach, Per Lars Blomgren, along with running coaches Kevin Ross and Scott Healey.
Sign up for the race online, or in person on the morning of the race. Registration and other information can be found at billburbyrace.com.
Do you love parades?
The official Strawberry Festival Parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, led by representatives of this year’s Grand Marshals — the mail carriers and service staff of Vashon’s Post Office. The main parade will be preceded by a kid’s parade, with all kids and accompanying adults lining up no later than 10:30 a.m. at the Vashon United Methodist Church.
Will this year’s parade live up to your memories of past parades, filled with giant puppets, arrays of vintage tractors, ukulele bands, and tutu-wearing, kazoo-tooting seniors? You’ll have to show up to find out, but we’re betting many traditional favorites will be back — including the Vashon Thriftway Shopping Cart Drill Team, of course.
An impressive parade entry that made its debut in last year’s parade will also reappear — the Vashon Island Marine Band & Procession, celebrating all things from the Salish Sea, from algae to octopi.
Candidates in Vashon’s zany but community-minded Unofficial Mayor Race are also sure to wave to the crowd, asking for your votes. Can’t decide on the candidates? Find out more right here, or vote for them all!
Voice of Vashon radio personalities will emcee the whole shebang, from a booth outside the local radio station. Voice of Vashon will also live-stream the festival for those who can’t make it there in person.
Is one parade not enough for you? Come back to town at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 16, for the Classic Car Parade, with fossil-fueled finery winding through town and then parked for further viewing at the Vashon Town Square/Chamber parking lot, at 17159 Vashon Hwy SW, by 10:30 a.m. Staging for the parade will take place at Vashon Center for the Arts (at VCA) at 9 a.m.
Voice of Vashon will also live-stream the car parade.
And speaking of VCA, stop by over the festival weekend to check out Vashon Summer Arts Fest, a celebration of Vashon’s vibrant community of visual artists.
Kid Stuff
What does the festival offer for kids? Wonderment, yummy street food, a chance to dance in the streets to the sounds of the Vashon’s venerable Portage Fill Harmonic (see page 12), and of course, the spectacle of a parade that includes the thrill of catching candy passed out by marchers.
But this year, there will also be lots of Legos.
That’s because the members of Puget Sound Lego Train Club (PSLTC) will set up shop in Ober Park, displaying a large-scale, working Lego train model, a giant topographical map of Vashon, and have thousands of Legos on hand for kids to play with.
Hosted by the regionally active club and coordinated by Vashon members Derek Schin, Kevin Mitcham, and Tom Rafert, the space will be open on Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning, July 14-16.
Families can experience a talk and hands-on experiences by The Reptile Lady, at 1 p.m. Saturday, at Ober Park, and find games, events, and a kid-friendly vendor booth at Island Queen.
From there, they can head to Vashon Theatre’s new Backlot outdoor space, for more games and, on Saturday only, bouncy castle fun.
Is your family the competitive type? Enter a Strawberry Pie Eating Contest at 2 p.m. Saturday, on the festival’s Main Stage at Vashon Village.
Families shouldn’t miss a good, old-fashioned ice cream social at Vashon Heritage Museum, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, July 14. At the museum, kids can also ogle a vintage hydroplane on display as part of a new, mini-exhibit about the almost seven-decade-long annual tradition of hydroplane races on Vashon.
But perhaps the best place to be at Strawberry Festival — for grownups and teens — is in the thick of it, running from place to place and lending a helping hand to make the whole thing hum.
It’s not too late to volunteer and make yourself useful — helping to pull off a beloved, century-old tradition on Vashon. To sign up, or find out more about Strawberry Festival, visit thisisvashon.com.
Correction: This article originally included reporting that King County Water Taxi’s Vashon-Seattle route would run on both Saturday and Sunday, July 15 and 16. The information given to The Beachcomber was incorrect. The water taxi will run on Saturday, July 15 only. Additionally, the article also said that Metro bus service would correspond with the arrival times of the King County Water Taxi service. After going to press, we also learned this was not the case and buses will run at their usual schedules on these days. Find out more here.
The article also contains additional information, not published in our print edition, that Voice of Vashon will live-stream both the Strawberry Festival Parade, at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 15, as well as the Classic Car Parade at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 16. View both live-streams here.
