By Jean Godden
While it was no surprise, it's still a sorrow to learn that Bumbershoot, once called "the Mother of All Festivals," will not take place this year due to Corvid-19 concerns.
Bumbershoot, the city's beloved celebration of music and arts, is one thing that says Seattle like nothing else. The festival has enlivened late summer weekends for 48 years, ever since Mayor Wes Uhlman saw what Mayor John Lindsay had cooked up in New York City.
Although Uhlman took inspiration from Lindsay's arts festival, he immediately made it Seattle-centric. With a meager city budget, the event debuted August 13-15, 1971, as "Festival '71," three days of homegrown talent: stilt-walkers, bands, buskers, film screenings and free admission. Despite minimal publicity, the festival drew 120,000 to the Seattle Center.