Every year, the last Saturday of July is one of the big Seafair events – the Torchlight Parade. Various businesses, organizations, schools and sports teams from around Seattle and Washington State send marching teams and floats to parade down Fourth Avenue from Seattle Center to the International District. The ethnic costumes and dances of various cultural groups, the brass bands and cheerleader squads of sports teams, and the pirates riding a float resembling a pirate ship are particularly impressive. Over one hundred thousand people line Fourth Avenue to watch this annual spectacle.
Just before the parade, there is a race held on the parade route – the Torchlight Run. About ten thousand runners participate, choosing either the 8 km or 5 km course. They run down Fourth Avenue, spurred on by the cheers of all the parade spectators, and then head back north to Seattle Center along the waterfront viaduct, just as the sun sets beyond Elliot Bay – what luxury! This year five girls from Shoreline joined me in the race.
Neal Colodner
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