69 years of Seafair: How Seattle's summer festival got its start

After the 1962 World's Fair put Seattle on the map, celebrities doing shows here often took part in Seafair. In 1963, Bob Hope was bussed by Seafair Queen Arlene Hinderlie and served as Honorary Grand Marshal for the Torchlight Parade.P-I File

When Seafair first started, the biggest attraction was a theater.

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For 10 days, starting August 11, 1950, Seattle was host to the county's first Seafair. And though the summer festival has become synonymous with its newer events — your hydroplane races, community parades, and Blue Angel performances — the original Seafair was a simpler affair.

One of the main attractions of the first Seafair was the Green Lake Aqua Theater, constructed and opened to the public that summer.

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When were the Blue Angels started? 1946. Admiral Chester Nimitz, the chief of Naval Operations, wanted to raise Navy morale and showcase naval air power, while also generating public and political support for larger budget allocation for the Navy. Many of the same techniques and styles are still used. — **When were the Blue Angels started?**

1946. Admiral Chester Nimitz, the chief of Naval Operations, wanted to raise Navy morale and showcase naval air power, while also generating public and political support for larger budget allocation for the Navy. Many of the same techniques and styles are still used.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Just how close do they get to each other?During the Diamond 360 maneuver, they fly just 18 inches from each other. The Blue Angels make these formations work with (unsurprisingly) physics, thanks to the huge amount of air pressure that builds up around the planes. The "cushion" means that the plans can nudge each other with the air pressure, and not with the actual plane itself. — **Just how close do they get to each other?**

During the Diamond 360 maneuver, they fly just 18 inches from each other. The Blue Angels make these formations work with (unsurprisingly) physics, thanks to the huge amount of air pressure that builds up around the planes. The "cushion" means that the plans can nudge each other with the air pressure, and not with the actual plane itself.GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

Where did the name come from?When the original team was planning a show in New York back in 1946, one of them reportedly saw the name of the city's nightclub -- Blue Angel -- in the New Yorker magazine. According to the Seattle Museum of Flight: "In 1946, the Jax News (the local paper in Jacksonville, Florida) did some old-school crowdsourcing and ran a contest asking the community to help name this new air show team. Some of the submissions included: Com-bats; Death-Cheaters; Sky-Jackers; The Flying Buccaneers; The Sea Eagles; The Skyscrapers; Navy Cats: and, Strat-O-Cats (among others). None of the names seemed right, and the contest never produced a name that the team liked." — **Where did the name come from?**

When the original team was planning a show in New York back in 1946, one of them reportedly saw the name of the city's nightclub -- Blue Angel -- in the New Yorker magazine. According to the Seattle Museum of Flight: "In 1946, the Jax News (the local paper in Jacksonville, Florida) did some old-school crowdsourcing and ran a contest asking the community to help name this new air show team. Some of the submissions included: Com-bats; Death-Cheaters; Sky-Jackers; The Flying Buccaneers; The Sea Eagles; The Skyscrapers; Navy Cats: and, Strat-O-Cats (among others). None of the names seemed right, and the contest never produced a name that the team liked."Cliff DesPeaux

Do you have to go to "Top Gun" school to become a Blue Angel pilot? Nope! The crew of pilots are made up of Navy and Marine Corps aviators, and while some have attended Navy Fighter Weapons School they don't have to. They are required to have a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet hours and be carrier qualified. (Applicants do have to go through Blue Angels "rush," wherein they sit on team briefs and social events, and are graded on whether they can tell a joke prior to the briefs. Team members then vote in secret on the next year's selections, with no accountability to higher Navy authority.) — **Do you have to go to "Top Gun" school to become a Blue Angel pilot?**

Nope! The crew of pilots are made up of Navy and Marine Corps aviators, and while some have attended Navy Fighter Weapons School they don't have to. They are required to have a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet hours and be carrier qualified. (Applicants do have to go through Blue Angels "rush," wherein they sit on team briefs and social events, and are graded on whether they can tell a joke prior to the briefs. Team members then vote in secret on the next year's selections, with no accountability to higher Navy authority.)
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Who calls the shots during the flight? Not this kid, or any ground crew, actually. During the air show you'll hear the "Boss," or Blue Angel #1, who communicates vocally with the other members. According to one interview with 107.9, "voice inflection has a lot to do with how hard and sharp the maneuvers will be performed." They also rely on sight -- which, at hundreds of miles per hour, is mind-boggling. — **Who calls the shots during the flight?**

Not this kid, or any ground crew, actually. During the air show you'll hear the "Boss," or Blue Angel #1, who communicates vocally with the other members.

According to one interview with 107.9, "voice inflection has a lot to do with how hard and sharp the maneuvers will be performed." They also rely on sight -- which, at hundreds of miles per hour, is mind-boggling.
GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM

The theater would go on to have an active life — with everyone from Bob Hope to Led Zeppelin to the Grateful Dead (less than a week after Woodstock) stopping by — and Seafair 1950 was no exception. During the celebration, the theater was used most by the Aqua Follies, a group of women who performed synchronized stage and swimming shows.

The Follies would remain part of Seafair until 1965; the Aqua Theater would last until the '70s. In 1970 the diving towers would be removed, followed by the rest of the theater in 1979. (The portion of the concrete grandstand that still exists is now part of the lake's Small Craft Center.)

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But some Seafair celebrations, including boat races and royalty, have seen the fair through all these changes — with some minor alterations: A Seafair Queen was crowned from 1950 to 1971 before the title was changed to Miss Seafair, and this is the tradition continues today.

During the early years, Seafair organizers created a story in which King Neptune and his Royal Court battled pirates for control of the city and the festival. A local business leader would be chosen each year to play the role of King Neptune, and for years, pirates in Elliott Bay would burn boats said to belong to the king.

RELATED: Old timey summers in Seattle:

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"A group of nuns from the Order of Saint Benedict enjoyed their summer vacation at the beach in Grayland. Here Sisters Ruth (left) and Agnes play in the surf; partly hidden is Sister Rita. After a weeklong break they returned "refreshed and strengthened" to their routine duties of teaching school in the Seattle and Tacoma area." -MOHAI. Photo, dated Aug. 21, 1960, courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.6047.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Members and friends of the Campbell and Corliss families spent part of the summer of 1890 at Chautauqua (now Ellisport) on Vashon Island. They may have been members of the Puget Sound Chautauqua Assembly which met on the island at that time. Inspired by the year-around educational activities of the Chautauqua Assembly in New York State, a local group started the Puget Sound Chautauqua Assembly on Vashon Island in 1885. This 1890 cyanotype photo was taken during a Campbell and Corliss family camping trip to Chautauqua on Vashon Island. Such blue cyanotypes could be developed in strong sunlight and were cheaper and quicker to make than black and white photos. Many amateur and professional photographers used them as proof prints for images to be developed later in black and white. Others, following a fad of the time, preferred cyanotypes as the final print." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, image number 1980.7025.15.
Courtesy MOHAI

"In 1894, Seattle businessman Jacob Furth and his family built a summer home on Yarrow Point on the east shore of Lake Washington. They named the house "Barnabee" after a famous Shakespearian actor of the time. Barnabee was a working farm, complete with dairy cows, chickens, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. The house was torn down in 1973. This photo, probably taken between 1900 and 1910, shows Barnabee, the Furth summer home on Yarrow Point on Lake Washington." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle Historical Society Collection, image number shs17599.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Leschi Park, on the shore of Lake Washington, was a popular place for Seattle's city-dwellers to go for recreation. Many people caught a cable car at Pioneer Square and rode to the park along Yesler Way. In this photo, taken at Leschi Park around 1911, some people sit or stroll. Others relax in their rented canoes. The men and women may seem formally dressed by late 20th century standards, but this would have been typical clothing for a summer outing in 1911." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, PEMCO Webster and Stevens Collection, image number 1983.10.7531.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Seattleites looking for a place to swim could also go to West Seattle. In this 1911 photo, women and girls wade in the shallow water on a calm summer day, while others watch from the pier. Some of the girls are wearing their play clothes in the water. At this time, women wore bathing dresses which covered most of their bodies." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, PEMCO Webster and Stevens Collection, image number 1983.10.6719.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Juanita began as a sawmill town, called Hubbard, on the shores of Lake Washington's Juanita Bay. By 1905, the area had become a summer resort. In the 1930s, Juanita Beach was a popular recreation spot where people could swim, rent canoes, or go dancing. The area, officially named Juanita in 1921, is now a residential section of Kirkland. This photo, probably taken in the 1930s, shows the people wading and paddling in Lake Washington, near the Juanita Beach bathhouse." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle Historical Society Collection, image number shs18755.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Ballet dancer Sylvia Tell taught at Cornish School of the Arts in the 1920s. She and other Cornish faculty were involved in initiating a summer school program in 1925. Tell was serving as the head of the Ballet Department when she resigned in 1927 to return to the stage. In this photo of her dancing beside a pond, she is wearing dance garments quite typical of the mid-1920s." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5G.3045.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Some of the parks on Seattle's Lake Washington provided platforms for tent camping. City dwellers could escape to the woods and spend the warm summer days and nights by the lakeshore. This photo, taken by Anders Wilse for the Seattle Photo Company, shows a shady campsite by the shores of Lake Washington. A canoe and several other small boats are hauled up on the beach. Behind the canoe, a fringed hammock hangs in the shade between two trees (center). A man lounges on the steps of his tent platform (right)." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Anders B. Wilse Photographs, image number 1988.33.100.
Courtesy MOHAI

"The Seattle Rainiers played poorly in 1937, their first season, but they really took off in 1938. By the middle of the summer, the team was in fourth place in the Pacific Coast League and made it to the pennant finals. Excited fans watched their home team win 100 games during the 1938 season." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, PEMCO Webster and Stevens Collection, image number 1983.10.4848.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Seattle's Aqua Theatre, an open air stadium at the south end of Green Lake, began hosting performances during the summer of 1950. Sell out crowds enjoyed the premier act of that first season, The Aqua Follies, which included water ballet, musical groups and high-diving clowns. Due to its great success, in 1960 the seating area was expanded. However, in 1964 the Aqua Follies ended and over the next few years, the theatre saw less use and more vandalism. By the end of the decade the facility was condemned and the diving towers removed. This view looking west, shows the theatre, Green Lake shoreline and the Phinney Ridge neighborhood beyond." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.12603.1.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Seattle's Aqua Theatre, an open air stadium at the south end of Green Lake, opened during the summer of 1950. The Aqua Follies opened the first season, and sellout crowds watched water ballet, comedy and musical groups, and high-diving clowns. The Aqua Theatre was such a success in 1960 the seating area was expanded. Several elaborately costumed musicals were performed here during the 1960s." -MOHAI. Photo, dated 1961, courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.12622.1.
Courtesy MOHAI

"In 1927, the Pacific Northwest Championship hydroplane races were held on Lake Washington. The only Seattle entries were "Miss Wildfire", owned and driven by Gordon Stewart, and "Bagdad", built, owned and driven by William Schertzer. "Miss Wildfire" came in second and "Bagdad" came in third. This photo was taken on Lake Union looking towards Eastlake near where Ivar's Salmon House is today." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number PI26067.
Courtesy MOHAI

"One of the highlights of Seattle's annual summer festival, Seafair, is hydroplane racing. Hydroplanes are racing boats built to glide across the water instead of through it. One of the most popular is seen here, the Slo-Mo-Shun IV, which set speed records and brought enthusiasm for the sport to Seattle in the early 1950s. "Slo-Mo" is currently on display at the Museum of History & Industry. This photo (dated July 7, 1952) shows crew members, dressed in white, looking over the craft moored near shore after its record-breaking run. Piloted by Stan Sayres, the hydroplane reached 178 m.p.h., shattering the world speed record on water." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.14163.
MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.14163.

"This (August 1954) photo shows the Slo-Mo-Shun IV being lifted by a crane with two men on the bow at the Gold Cup race. The Gold Cup, the oldest national motorsport race, was held on Lake Washington from 1950 to 1954, with the Slo-Mo-Shun IV or its sister craft Slo-Mo-Shun V bringing home the trophy every year. In the 1954 race, Slo-Mo-Shun V, driven by Lou Fageol, won the race in three straight heats, with Slo-Mo-Shun IV coming in fourth." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Seattle P-I Collection, image number 1986.5.14174.
Courtesy MOHAI

"Among the myriad souvenirs marketed at the 1962 Seattle World?’s Fair were fair-related songs, sold in the form of souvenir sheet-music and as musical recordings. At least 200 fair-themed songs were composed by professional and amateur songwriters, with more than fifty of these released as vinyl discs. "Summer of '62 (in Seattle)" was written by Lou Bianchi and recorded by local musicians Ronnie Draper and the Four-Do-Matics. The disc was released by Northwest company Virgelle Records." -MOHAI. Photo courtesy MOHAI, Robert D. Ashley Century 21 Collection, image number 1987.59.107.
Courtesy MOHAI

Eventually faster fun would also join the festivities — your hydroplanes and your Blue Angels. Seafair has struggled over the years as the city matured and professional sports teams competed for the public's time and attention. Paid admission for seating at the hydros deterred crowds in the 1990s, and financial troubles at recent sponsor General Motors threatened the 2010 edition of the races.

When the hydro races were in jeopardy in 2010, Duke Moscrip of Duke's Chowder House donated $40,000 to save the hydro races. He also sent out an e-mail to tens of thousands of patrons asking for donations to the Seafair Pirates, and as of July 6 had raised more than $8,200.

And now that once 10-day festival stretches across the bulk of Seattle summers, with a big weekend at the beginning of August. To see this year's full line-up of festivities, check the 2019 Seafair schedule.