History

Seafair Through the Decades  |  Hydroplane Race Winners  |  Scholarship Program Winners  |  Video Archive

The Blue Angels began flying the F/A-18 Hornet at Seafair in 1987 and would thrill crowds through the 1990s with its speed and precision.

Due to the parade’s overwhelming popularity, Seafair relies heavily on its Parade Marshals and the Seattle Police Department to keep the more than 110 units moving along as well as to keep the dense crowds out of harms way.

The Seafair Clowns, Pirates and Royalty are still a major part of the excitement of parade night. The parade has many unique entries including horse units, bag pipes and cultural dancing.  These combine with the traditional floats, bands, convertibles and hydroplanes to bring smiles to the faces of both young and old.

The Torchlight Parade is preceded by the popular Torchlight Run.  This is a unique opportunity for runners and costumed participants to pass through the streets of downtown Seattle in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. The distance of the run has been shortened from its original 10k (6.2 miles) to an 8k (4.97 miles) and the route has been changed several times.  At the end of the 1990s, runners ran loop from the Seattle Center to the Kingdome and back.

The Seafair Milk Carton Derby and its wacky milk carton creations celebrate more than 25 years as a major event on the Seafair schedule. The festivities at Green Lake typically signify that the festival is under way with its mid-July date. This all-day extravaganza features craft made by families, corporations, divisions of the military and other creative individuals.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ string of appearances at Seafair was halted in 1994. Safety concerns of these high powered jets flying over thousands of spectators created a three-year hiatus of the Blue Angels appearing over Lake Washington. Seafair created an event specifically designed to bring the Blue Angles back to Seattle in 1996. The city celebrated their return over Eliott Bay for “Summerfest” but the event would prove to be a financial flop. In 1997, Seafair would move its hydroplane race course closer to the shoreline and hold boaters out of the flight zone until after the thrilling performance. This allowed for a triumphant return of the Blue Angels to Lake Washington.

The Blue Angels are not the only military act to take part in the air show at Seafair. The U.S. Coast Guard annually provides a search and rescue demonstration. The U.S. Army typically uses Chinook helicopters to present the American flag high in the air during the event’s opening ceremonies. The Air Force takes part doing fly-bys with planes like the B-52 Bomber and C-141 Starlifter. The U.S. Marine Corps also gets into the act with the Harrier demonstration in which the jet comes to a complete stop while still in flight.

Civilian acts entertain the thousands of spectators between hydroplane heats with their breathtaking aerobatic displays. These civilian acts and their talented pilots perform spectacular climbs, torque rolls, loops and hammer head stalls over Lake Washington. In addition, the air show has had wing-walkers, parachutists and even Soviet MIG flight demonstrations during the decade.

Hydroplane racing has made a host of technological advances since Seattle’s first glimpse at the roaring machines in the 1950s. Today’s glistening hydroplanes are powered by the whirring hum of turbine helicopter engines. Driver safety has also been enhanced with a fighter pilot like cockpit which is now standard equipment. There have been no accident related deaths in unlimited hydroplane racing in the 1990s.

The Miss Budweiser camp continues to be lead the way in technology for the sport. The decade began with one of the most spirited duels in history for the National High Point honors. The Miss Circus Circus with Chip Hanauer at the wheel was victorious in Seattle and would edge out Miss Budweiser and driver Tom D’Eath for the 1990 title. Hanauer would move to the Miss Budweiser camp in 1992 and dominate the circuit through 1995. Despite the Budweiser’s apparent edge, the race in Seattle was won by The Tide in 1992, the PICO American Dream in 1994, ‘96 and ‘97. Lake Washington continued to be the home of upsets and surprises. In 1997, the Miss Elam climbed on top of the Miss Budweiser and headed for the logboom full of boaters but coasted to a halt short of disaster.

Seafair has continued to build on many of the traditions that started in its formative years. Miss Seafair, King Neptune and his Prime Minister still play a significant part in the festival. Although the duties of the Seafair Royalty have changed some over the past 50 years, these community leaders and role models continue to spread the Seafair story at other festivals and community events beyond Seattle.

The Seafair Royalty serves as goodwill ambassadors not only during the festival but throughout the year. Their schedule includes a number of public appearances and speeches throughout the region. Often times during the 1990s Seafair Royalty would travel outside the country and visit sister cities Kobe, Japan and Mazatlan, Mexico. Over time the Miss Seafair program has become more focused on education and community involvement while the King and his Prime Minister are selected primarily for their leadership and community business ties.