SeafoodFest set off to a cool start last Saturday July 11 with temperatures hanging in the mid 70s under an overcast sky. Despite the lack of sun, crowds showed up in shoals to celebrate the bounty of the sea, music and lots of fun. Indeed, some festers said the cloud coverage was a much-needed reprieve from the heat amid a statewide drought experienced the last few weeks. Some festers even experienced a few drops of much needed rain.

Stuck in the middle of alder smoked salmon smokers, live music at the KEXP sponsored music stage, buskers, beer gardens and countless vendors, the Ballard News Tribune managed to snap a few shots of the fun. We our readers had as much fun as we did.

Snarky juggling performer bantered with the crowd on NW Market Street.

Warren Aakervik of Ballard Oil and the Occidental Mason Lodge No. 72, checking the temperature of the alder smoked salmon in the huge cookers placed on 20th Avenue NW. With the help of the Nathan Hale High School football team, Aakervik and his crew served thousands of people salmon dishes over the two-day festival

Buskers sang 60s rock songs in between vendor booths.

Escape artist from Mexico City amazed the crowd as he freed himself from ropes and shackles in under 60 seconds.