Those colorful posters for Queen Anne Days have popped up all over the hill.
They’re spreading the news: Saturday, July 14, won’t be just another day in the neighborhood. Instead, it’s the day for the Queen Anne Helpline’s Fun Run and Walk, a Kiddies’ Parade and community barbecue, live entertainment and a Queen Anne Merchants sidewalk sale — “all along Queen Anne Avenue from Galer to McGraw,” as the posters declare.
“We might even invite the mayor to sit in the dunk tank,” joked Craig Wilson, one of the day’s main organizers.
The parade and community picnic are back after a hiatus; both had followed the early morning Fun Run and Walk, which is in its 28th year.
Queen Anne Helpline Board member, Susan Belanich, chairs the Fun Run committee; last year’s event drew about 600 participants — a record number.
“If we do 600 again this year, I’d be thrilled,” she said.
This year’s event is dedicated to Pat Sobeck; after three decades, Sobeck is retiring as director of Queen Anne Helpline. (The July 11 issue of the News will feature a Pat Sobeck tribute).
Belanich said the traditional prizes are still in place: First adult male and female, and first boy and girl 12 and younger. There’s also a prize for the hat that best captures the spirit of Queen Anne. The post-race crowd votes on that honor.
Strollers are welcome, Belanich said, but not dogs.
The Fun Run and Walk is a family event, Belanich noted, with some serious runners mixed in. Walkers start at 8 a.m., and runners at 8:20 a.m. The starting line is at Fifth Avenue West and West Halladay Street ; the finish line is in front of Coe school.
A Fun Run sign-up table will set up at the Queen Anne Farmers Market on Wednesdays, from 3 to 7 p.m. for the next few weeks. Sign ups can also be done online at www.queenannehelpline.org or at the upper Queen Anne Metropolitan Market on July 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Day-of-Race registration at Queen Anne Lutheran Church, Eighth Avenue West and West McGraw Street, starts at 7 a.m. Pre-registration is $30; day-of-race is $40.
Once the post-Fun Run festivities conclude at Queen Anne Lutheran Church, the Upper Queen Anne Merchants sidewalk sale begins at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, Kiddies Parade participants will gather at 10:30 a.m. at the north side of McClure school in the parking lot on First Avenue West and West Crockett Street. “All comers are welcome to participate,” Wilson said. “There’s no paperwork. Just show up.”
This year the merchants are sponsoring floats, Wilson added, and noted Queen Anne resident and theater director Arne Zaslove is assembling a marching band. “I think this is going to be a hoot,” Wilson said, in possible understatement.
The parade will head south on First Avenue West and end at the Queen Anne Community Center in time for the community barbecue, scheduled to begin about noon.
On the playfield: two band stages, a classic car show, games for kids, nonprofit booth, and yes a dunk tank.
“The whole idea is to have a fair-like atmosphere for Queen Anne,” Wilson said. “The day will come: Saturday, July 14. It’s going to be what it will be.”
Queen Anne Days is sponsored by the Queen Anne Helpline, Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, Upper Queen Anne Merchants and the Seattle parks department. Information: www.qachamber.org
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