Ballard SeafoodFest 2010 kicked off July 10 with sun, crowds and not just a little lutefisk.

Stan Boreson, accordion player and humorist, opened the day with some Ballard-style jokes – "A Swede asks a Norwegian how many chickens he has in a bag. The Norwegian says if he guesses how many chickens he has in the bag, he'll give him both. The Swede guesses five. The Norwegian says, 'You missed it by two.'"

Elsewhere, children made boats with help from the Center for Wooden Boats, and salmon after salmon was slathered with butter and cooked to perfection.

As always, the annual Lutefisk Eating Contest was a major draw.

State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson said she remembers participating in the challenge 18 years ago.

"Well, I didn't throw up," she said when asked how she did.

After a moment of silence to remember fallen contestants of years past, it was time to meet the 10 souls brave enough to guzzle down 3.25 pounds of gelatinous, lye-soaked fish for the chance to win $250.

The contestants were split between those who had eaten the Scandinavian delicacy before and loved it and those who were lutefisk rookies.

The early crowd favorite was Hannah, who was dared to participate by her family and the was only woman in the competition.

Charles, in full Viking regalia, was the odds-on favorite to win. He said he had competed in 12 to 15 lutefisk eating competitions, and in his best win, ate 6.5 pounds of the stuff.

After three rounds, it was down to the final three. Steve, a lutefisk-veteran, couldn't keep up, sending last year's second-place finisher, Sam, to the final round, along with his father Ira.

In the final, Ira took his time savoring the lutefisk, graciously allowing Sam to take home the first-place prize.

The 36th annual Ballard SeafoodFest continues through 9 p.m. tonight and continues from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 11. Click here for for more information. Click the photo above for a slideshow from the event.