Seattle's Seafair: a tradition of hydros and beer

It's the final weekend of Seafair, Seattle's annual summer megafestival, which traditionally culminates in the Unlimited Hydroplane Race at Stan Sayres Memorial Park on Lake Washington, and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels show.

These days I think most people outside of Seattle tend to avoid the event, myself included, because the traffic is horrendous, parking is horrendous, and there are just too many people everywhere (i.e. even worse than usual).

But once upon a time, Seafair was really more a regional event, particularly the hydroplane races, which are said to have attracted 500,000 people in their heyday a half century ago. That's half a million people -- in 1960, Seattle's entire population, according to the U.S. Census, was 557,087.

I have few bits of ephemera from "the old days" of Seafair -- including the 1961 program you see above.

My favorite part of the Seafair program, however, are the advertisements, such as this classic one from "Light"  Olympia Beer, at left.

"A brisk and refreshing companion, light Olympia Beer is always 'welcome aboard.'"

And lest we forget, "It's the Water." (the ending tag "... And A Lot More" came later in the 1970s).

These days, you're more likely to find microbrews filling the coolers of hydro race fans. One can hope that there are a few bottles of Olympia being shared out there for old times sake, but sadly, Olympia Beer is no longer even brewed in Tumwater, WA, where the Olympia Brewing Company was founded in 1896.

The Seafair tradition continues for a new generation, as Beth Knox, Seafair's CEO, insists in a Seattle Times interview last month. For the rest of us, there are just memories... and a few cool souvenirs.