Discover Seattle at the Seattle Center Festival June 9th

One thing which is "very Seattle" is to have a festival at the Seattle Center to mark an occasion, or to provide information, or just for fun. The Discover Seattle festival uses that method to create a welcome wagon for all newcomers, or just residents who want to learn more about their city. Represented at the festival are local businesses, City of Seattle departments, community organizations, and even translators.

Discover Seattle is a free community fair provides an opportunity for all residents to discover what makes Seattle such a great place to live, work and play. The goal is to connect residents to a broad range of services, programs and information.

The festival is sponsored by the City of Seattle and Seattle Center in an effort to help new residents, especially the city's growing multicultural community, learn more about the city and encourage community building. Some examples of represented Seattle departments are public transportation, libraries, and the lessor known "Department of Neighborhoods". The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods states that their goal is to bring Seattle residents closer to their city government by empowering residents to make positive contributions to their communities through civic participation.

For fun, stop by the representatives for the Parks and Recreation Department, the Seattle Animal Shelter, and - for the kids and the kids in us all - the Northwest Puppet Theatre. Several local theater groups and recreational groups are represented. Naturally, Starbucks will be there (it is Seattle) but the focus of the festival is on the underserved, minority, and new residents of the city. Organizations for elders, children, and immigrants will be there.

The Discover Seattle festival will have live entertainment on three stages, children's activities, and prize drawings. As diverse as the people of Seattle, musical performances range from the Washington Chinese Youth Orchestra (http://uschinamusic.com) to the Filipino pop band Ihaw-ihaw, to the Mexican folk dance group Bailadores de Bronce (http://bailadoresdebronce.org).

Performers range from Soma Yoga (http://www.soma-yoga.com) to the martial arts of Vovinam-Vietvodao (http://www.vovinamusa.org) to the Northwest Tap Connection (http://nwtapconnection.com) and what can only be described as the eclectic music of "New Age Flamenco".

Since you couldn't possible remember everything, a useful pamphlet outlines key City of Seattle departments and free offerings for residents. Admission is free. The Discover Seattle festival takes place from 10AM to 5PM on Saturday June 9th. For directions to the Seattle Center, which is on 15 different bus routes, visit their website at http://www.seattlecenter.com/transportation/ or call 206-684-7340