2016 Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival

I have had a love affair with Mukilteo since 2008, that’s why I made this video.  I know, my name is spelled wrong in the lower thirds, that was my intention, which can be explained at another time. 

Mukilteo is a tiny coastal city with huge character.  Traffic here has picked up quite a bit over the last few years, which has worried me, but the city has been able to keep some of its original qualities during these times.  

Here you can find a tight knit community and thriving small businesses.  The small businesses I visit regularly are Red Cup Café, Cafe Soleil, Z's Burgers, Ambrosia, Mukilteo Thai Restaurant, Mukilteo Chocolate Company, Arnie’s and will blog about them at a later date.  I just love this place!

The 2016 Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival was a great event, there were a few issues, but overall pretty great. 

These festivals are cash cows, not only for vendors, but for local businesses.  These types of events are good for the city.  So, why would you have people pay for a shuttle ride to the event?  Vendor’s paid booth fees.  There are business and property taxes.  So why would you charge $1 each way, to shuttle visitors in a school bus?  It just seems to me that the city should value guests a little more.  Charging for a shuttle ride doesn’t show that much appreciation...just my opinion. 

Ok, that was my issue.  Just being familiar with the area, the whole thing felt too opportunistic for me.

The vendors provided the usual fun for kids.  There were a few bounce houses and rides, just enough, considering the size of the park.  One vendor that caught my attention was Rick Hartman.  Mr. Toymaker is what he’s known as and he makes toy making fun and easy for your kiddos.  If the kids area don’t satisfy your kid, there’s always the park.

I also enjoyed the merchant area.  Allan Carandang, who collects his used coffee grounds and applies it to his art, just brilliant.  I also loved the work of Normiehead, another unique perspective and art application that I found fascinating.  It’s digitally created on an iPad, and if you’ve ever tried doing art on a computer, it’s a constant challenge.  

I would like to point out, I appreciated these artists being open to conversation and allowing photos of their booths.  There’s nothing better than an artist being comfortable with their work and sharing that with other people.  I point this out, because there were a few vendors that requested photos not be taken.  It’s too bad other artists were not open to photos.  The world becomes smaller with the more that is shared. If an artist wants to survive they have to grant visitors the right to social expression.

Fair On 44th (Lynnwood, WA)

Reason #56 for why I love Snohomish county.  Cities here plan and organize public outreach initiatives between governmental departments, local businesses, and their communities.

Want a chance to learn a few things from law enforcement techniques to fire control?  Want to learn how robotics are used to fix a variety of public utility problems?  Free flu shots or blood sugar tests?   Well, how about discovering local businesses?  Free entertainment for kids?  Then a visit to the city fair might be a good reason for getting out of the house.

The only challenge is parking.  For the Fair on 44^th, visitors could find free parking close-by, to include Fred Meyer.  The thing about Fred Meyer is that there are signs that say “parking is for customers only, others will be towed”.  I parked there, went inside Fred Meyer, and made a small purchase.  Either way, if you go inside before or after, you are still considered a customer, right?  I love Fred Meyer, but they have to make an exception during this type of event. 

So, a new bottle of water and a 5-minute walk, we were on the first block of the fair.  The LPD gave an impressive police dog demonstration, which reminded me of why running from a police dog is such a bad idea.  I photograph it, move to the next attraction.   Here, a robotics officer instructs a kid handling a remote controlled robot.  Across from them, visitors board a SWAT vehicle.

On the second block of the fair, utility companies, transit, and youth organizations provided activities and gave away small items that you will probably have no way to carry around.

Third block attractions gave businesses and visitors an opportunity for interaction.  The cool thing about this section, visitors could get free flu shots, blood pressure tests, or blood sugar tests, which is convenient and helpful to those people like me who prefer convenience.  I never have had my blood sugar levels tested, to be honest, I eat a lot of snacks, I was a little worried.   My blood sugar turned out average and I probably have jogging to thank for that.

Block four, fire and rescue attraction, in front of the firehouse.  Visitors could snap a picture of their kids on a vintage fire truck.  If kids wanted something bigger, they could also get close to current models.

I appreciate events like this.   These things build relationships and trust between government and community.   It’s especially important now.  During a time in American history where relationships have been slightly damaged, community events improve perceptions, hopefully exposing the human side to all people.

Jake's Cafe On Second Street

           Looking for a place to fill you up a latte?  A few blocks from historic downtown, Jake’s Café on Second St. is that place. No lattes, just coffee.

Usually when I go out, it’s spontaneous.  Sometimes I look at yelp to see what category of food I’m interested in or what’s close by.  I don’t spend a lot of time trying to decide what I want, I don’t read reviews, I don’t pay attention to the rating.  I just go, without bias or prejudgment.

Don’t let the name of this place fool you, snacks and meals are anything but light.  The food and décor here are classic American, visitors can sense the nostalgia spilling in from the city itself.  Just walk around the city for a while and you will discover that the interior design was organized to accomplish this.

Inside, the process of the visit is pretty simple and stress-free.   Customers seat themselves, but servers are pretty quick to pick up on any hint of confusion.  They will kindly direct the uninformed.  It wasn’t a painful process, my guests and I felt welcomed.

Since they close at 3pm, they have two menus, breakfast and lunch.   The lunch menu has a nice variety of meals, of which you would expect from a place like this.  I ordered the deluxe cheeseburger and my guest ordered a club sandwich, two American icons.

The burger and veggies tasted fresh.  The meat was cooked medium-well, it dripped a lil’ grease, but not an intolerable amount.  I’ve had dry burgers and wet burgers, this one sat right above the middle of those, just know that your bread will become a wet sponge.

Most platters include a tonnage of fries dumped on top of everything, of which a pickle is buried.  It’s sort of a big dill.  The ranch is made in-house and tastes great with fries, burgers, or club sandwiches. 

I talked with the owners and they were really nice, affable people.  One can tell that they love what they do and work hard to give people a great meal everyday.  

9th Annual Vintage Aircraft Weekend

Flight line @ Aaron Everly

I’m going to wing this blog post, but I’ll try not to be a drag.

Colorful planes © Aaron Everly

Every year, vintage aircraft flock from all over to participate in the Vintage Aircraft Weekend.  Joining them, a congregation of vintage automobiles and visitors with a classical taste.  Musicians delight the crowds audile needs, culinary vendors provide fulfillment of instinctive ones.  Here you could find a celebration of nostalgia like nowhere else in Snohomish County.

Waiting to flay ©Aaron Everly

The Historic Flight Foundation (HFF) at Paine Field hosted this event.  I am not familiar with this show, since my visit here was completely spontaneous.  Their website isn’t clear on whether they do this at Paine Field every year or not.  Either way, I would say it’s a great occasion for attendance. 

Vintage airplane ©Aaron Everly

Fair warning.  On Sunday, about half of the participants fly or drive home.  If you don’t like crowds, come on Sunday.  If you want to get the entire experience and how it’s supposed to be, visit the first two days.

If you’re not familiar with the location or event, parking seems complicated at first.  There was a lower and upper parking lot.  I visited on a Sunday and cannot speak for Friday or Saturday, but parking was free in the upper parking lot. 

The HFF is spacious and clean, staff young or aged were both nice and helpful.  Displays were what a seasoned explorer might expect.  My 4y/o daughter didn’t care too much about the displays, she was attracted to the flight simulator.  The bathroom is clean.

Interior Historic Flight Foundation © Aaron Everly

Flight Simulator © Aaron Everly

The airfield is enormous. There were just two vintage automobiles and maybe 15 airplanes, one of which visitors could embark.  Photographers set up base camp to catch planes whizzing bye.  They had the best view on top of a flattened 20ft mound, which had an excellent 45° slope for rolling down.   

Airfield © Aaron Everly

The Hill © Aaron Everly

The airplanes here are gorgeous.  Just getting up and close, experiencing this energy is great for any bucket list or family.  Pilots offered prepaid rides aboard vintage aircraft.  The cost seemed high, but when will you get an opportunity to fly on a B-52 Bomber?

B-52 in flight © Aaron Everly

B-52 after flight © Aaron Everly