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FESTIVALHIGHLIGHTS
New at the festival in 2013! When we start planning Salmon Days each year, we begin with the boring stuff, such as analyzing questions like “What did we learn?” or “What are the things we could have done differently?” After we’ve exhausted discussing our “areas of opportunity,” we move on to the fun stuff, new activities to bring to the festival. Ideas usually start out pretty lofty until “someone” reminds us repeatedly that we’re on a budget. Over the course of several months, we continue to refine our ideas until we feel they align with the theme, budget, direction of the festival and current trends. We are proud to present to you the white board ideas that became a reality at this year’s Salmon Days. Cell Phone Charging Stations Presented by T-Mobile Now, you can take as many pictures of the event as you’d like without worrying about battery life. Another idea that seemed like a no-brainer, the execution was more difficult. Fortunately for us, T-Mobile became a spawnsor and generously supplied charging stations to the festival. They are located at the entrance of the library and are free to use. Soccer Experience We probably have the Sounders to thank for the explosion of popularity in soccer around the Puget Sound area. Whatever the reason, if our kids are going to play, they might as well get the best instruction possible. Arena Sports and Lil Kickers live, breathe and play soccer, and they’re bringing a soccer field to the Field of Fun. Kids can get tips, scrimmage or just shoot around. Kids’ Stage That’s right, kids, we didn’t stop with the Petting Zoo. Thanks to Fred Meyer and their vision of bringing the Kids’ Stage back to the festival, we have some amazing talent ready to entertain. Jugglers,
comedians, dancers, reptiles, singers, it’s kind of like “America’s Got Talent” without the cheesy commentary, though we can’t guarantee there won’t be any of that. The Extreme Air Show Presented by Umpqua Bank Some of you may recall that the Extreme Air Show was actually here a few years ago — it was such an extremely well-received event, this was an easy decision. Come be amazed at the truly awe-inspiring aerial tricks by some of the country’s best skiers and snowboarders, located on the Field of Fun. Seeing these athletes do this without snow adds to the thrill. They will perform in-between the DockDogs performances. Petting Zoo Presented by Fox Hollow Farm What kind of festival doesn’t have a petting zoo? Well, no longer Salmon Days, because we now have one and our kids are stoked. Located in the Greenbelt Gallery, Fox Hollow Farm is bringing out all their favorite, fluffy, furry, friendly, festival friends. Sorry,
we only have the “F” section left in our thesaurus. Pike Place Fish Mongers This is one of those ideas that seem obvious now that they’re here, but it took 44 years for us to come up with the idea and figure out how to bring them here. You know them from every trip you’ve taken with out-of-town guests to the Pike Place Market, but now see them in a rare opportunity away from the market. They’ll be doing their fish-throwing thing, near the Front Street stage in between performances.