Aquafest: Soak it up

You can get in the spirit this weekend at Aquafest, Lake Stevens’ 51st annual water party. This year’s theme is “The Spirit of Lake Stevens.”

Aquafest kicks off Friday night with a children’s parade where you’ll see lots of families, pets, preschoolers and people on scooters and in wagons dre

ssed in purple and gold, based on the Lake Stevens High School colors.

“The group went with ‘The Spirit of Lake Stevens’ theme but when it came down to marketing it, we ended up with the airplane, sort of like the ‘Spirit of St. Louis,'” festival executive secretary Donna Foster said. “But I think people will dress in more purple and gold like our high school Viking colors.”

Aquafest runs through Sunday with dozens of events. If water, parades and carnival rides are not your thing, the entertainment roster for this year’s Aquafest includes a movie, a medley of musical acts and a major fireworks show.

The movie is “How to Train Your Dragon,” showing at dusk (about 9:30 p.m.) Friday at North Cove Park, 18th NE and Main streets.

The entertainment roster includes Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Second Hand Newz, juggler and comedian Greg Bennick and reptile man Don Riggs.

The horse-drawn wagon rides are back this year. Show up at the City Hall parking lot, 1812 Main St., and get in line for a 15-minute ride in a quaint red wagon on scenic Lakeshore Drive and back. The rides are free but remember, horses do like carrots. Also along Main street, you’ll spy lots of shopping options with vendors posted everywhere on that main drag.

Here are some other highlights:

Children’s parade: 6 p.m. Friday. The parade proceeds down Main Street to 18th Street, east on 18th to 125th, north on 125th ending on 20th Street NE. Popsicles will be handed out at the end.

Proud Pet Show: 7 p.m. Friday, immediately following the children’s parade at the gazebo near the City of Lake Stevens permit center, 1820 Main St. Contestants this year are children under age 16, who have been known to enter lizards and gerbils, llamas and ponies, turtles and everything else. They will compete in one of nine categories to win a prize.

Waterski and Wakeboard Tournaments: 10 a.m. Saturday in the Cove. The waterski competition classes range from child novice to expert. The wakeboard competition follows and also has classes ranging from child novice to outlaw, with some demonstrations by nationally ranked competitors.

Grand parade: 1 p.m. Saturday down Main Street.

Boat parade: 6:45 p.m. Saturday, off of the Wyatt Park/Davies Beach Public Dock. Boats are decorated in the Aquafest “Spirit” theme.

Classic Car Show: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday on the grass at the North Lake Middle School track field, 2202 123rd Ave. NE. Enjoy the nostalgia of old classics, new customs and motorcycles.

Family FunFest: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the North Cove Park behind City Hall. Kids can scramble to find pennies in the hay, bounce through the inflatables, decorate their own cupcake creation and make a bookmark to go with a free book. Kids Bingo all day. All events are free.

Chalk It Up: Check-in/Registration at noon; contest is from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at North Cove Park. Entrance fee is $10 adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Artists will be given chalk, a 6-by-6-foot sidewalk square, and two hours to create. The theme is “50 Years of Aquafest.”

The Pizza Eating contests: Registration is at 1 p.m. Sunday with the contests starting at 1:30 p.m. Limited contestants; first come, first served. This year’s contest is for kids only and the age groups are: 4 to 6; 7 to 9, and 10 to 12.

There are two important things to know about Aquafest this year: Pets are allowed but not in the food court area, and the shuttle van can be picked up in the student parking lot of the Lake Stevens High School, 2908 113th Ave. NE.

The 51st annual Aquafest goes from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, mostly in downtown Lake Stevens, along Main Street.

Festival admission is free. For more information call 425-397-2344 and for a complete schedule of events go to www.aquafest.org.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com