Edmonds festival filled with music, food, fun

The Edmonds Rotary Waterfront Festival is coming this weekend and organizers promise lots of music, food and fun.

The Port of Edmonds is hosting its 26th Annual Waterfront Fest at Edmonds Marina. The event starts at 3 p.m. Friday and runs through the weekend, closing at 7 p.m. Sunday.

“It’s a terrific reason for families to check out the Edmonds Rotary Waterfront Festival: the boats, the restaurants,” said Craig Cooke, one of the organizers.

About 20,000 people are expected to attend the three-day festival if the weather is nice, Cooke said.

The festival “is major fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Edmonds and showcases the Port of Edmonds,” he added.

In the past, the event has benefited college scholarships for local youth, supported the Young Women Christian Academy’s transitional housing for women and their children. YWCA partners with youth, Boy Scouts, literacy, housing and water projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and Rotary First Harvest service to local food banks.

“I am very much excited to emcee this festival as it is for some good causes and there will be some of the top entertainers in this festival from the West Coast,” said Mike Colvin, one of the festival emcees.

“You will find something for all ages at this festival,” he said.

A main attraction will be the Point Casino’s Magic Bus and lots of entertainers, including the bands Bullet Creek and The Hitmen.

Lots of family entertainers will also perform on the Main Stage, including local Irish dance and music sensations The Gothard Sisters and music and dance from the South Pacific by Hula O Lehualani.

The Willow Creek fish hatchery will offer free fishing for kids 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Auburn’s Reptile Isle will offer fun and educational lessons on our cold-blooded kin.

Admission is $3, and free for children 12 and younger. For more information on the Edmonds Rotary Waterfront Festival, go to www.edmonds waterfrontfestival.com.