EDMONDS — Some came for the festival, but Saturday there was clearly another reason for getting outside.
“Just the sun,” said Jennifer Postle, 17, of Mountlake Terrace, as she rode a shuttle bus to the Edmonds Waterfront Festival. “I don’t really know what’s there,” she said of the event.
Whatever their reasons, about 5,000 people had come to the festival by about 3 p.m., organizer Craig Cooke said, with that total expected to double by night’s end.
Cooke and other organizers weren’t sure how many people showed up on Saturday for last year’s event, but knew one thing: This year, there were more.
“This is beautiful,” said Matt Smith, chairman of the 24th annual festival, an Edmonds Rotary Club fundraiser.
Weather for the event has been a lot more wet than dry the past few years, organizers and festivalgoers said.
“Oh, we really lucked out this year,” volunteer Bill Moran said.
On Saturday, traffic was heavy and parking areas were jammed as people flocked to the waterfront for the food, cold drinks, live music, rides, vendors, boat tours and more — and, of course, the sun.
Several who attended said they live nearby and planned to attend the festival regardless of the weather.
“We try to support all the local activities,” said Karly Schell of Edmonds as her daughter, Ali, 3½, took a pony ride.
Still, on Saturday, there was no denying the sunlight.
Kalie Schlewitz, 25, of Sultan, attended the festival with her twin sisters, Kelsey and Taylor, 19.
“We were going to go the beach but then we heard about this,” she said. “We saw the signs.”
The festival continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Port of Edmonds Marina. Features include fish hatchery tours and trout fishing for kids 12 and under; tours of classic wooden boats and yachts; entertainment for kids and a beer garden for adults; rock wall climbing and inflatable rides, to name a few.
General admission is $3; children 10 and under are free. Schedules of events and directions, maps, free places to park and information on free shuttle buses can be found at http://www.edmondswaterfrontfestival.com/.
Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.
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