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Ride the Historic Skyride at This Year’s Washington State Fair
The state fair ride that’s a link to the past
It may be less thrilling than the neon-lit midway rides like roller coasters, but the Washington State Fair’s Skyride is a classic.
The aerial tram, which today transports riders across the Puyallup fairgrounds, debuted more than 50 years ago at the Century 21 Exposition, aka the Seattle World’s Fair. Imported from a company in Bern, Switzerland, the Union 76 Skyride (sponsored by the gas-station chain now called simply “76”) was one of the biggest attractions at the 1962 fair.
Although some of the fair’s structures were razed or removed after the event ended in October of that year, the Skyride and many other amusements remained. Visitors continued to enjoy the views afforded by the Skyride’s 55-foot elevation until 1980, when it was sold to the Puyallup Fair, which extended its route from the original 1,400 feet to 1,600 feet. The million-plus visitors expected to attend this year’s fair (September 2–25; thefair.com) will have the opportunity to catch this historic ride.
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Rearview Mirror: Crocodile Guardians, Late-Summer Potato Salad, and a Halloween Costume Hunt
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
COOKING WITH ASTER PANTRY A few leaves turn, my inbox fills with fall festival pitches and cozy brunch menus, and suddenly I want to stay home with a glass of wine and cook. I love this nesting season, though I’m not ready to give up summer produce. Earlier this year, I wrote about Seattle chefs…
WALKDONTRUN Returns This Saturday, Turning Downtown Seattle Into a Sprawling Art Show
In its second year, the free festival brings 200-plus artists to a 20-block route September 19, with a secret garden and a former 7-Eleven stocked with art.
Most walks through downtown Seattle involve trying to get somewhere. On September 19, the crosswalk itself might be the reason to stop. Heap Troupe will turn a four-way crossing into a performance, one of dozens of encounters planned for this year’s WALKDONTRUN. The free, all-ages art walk stretches across more than 20 blocks. From 11…
At Two Dot Schoolhouse, Ruth Marie Tomlinson Builds an Artistic Community
For nearly 20 years, the Seattle artist and her husband have welcomed artists, writers, and musicians to a historic Montana schoolhouse. Now they’re searching for its next stewards.
At her solo exhibition last year at The Vestibule, Seattle artist Ruth Marie Tomlinson presented a new series of work inspired by her close readings of British nature writer J.A. Baker’s The Peregrine and Icelandic author Sjón’s The Blue Fox. As if on sheets torn from a sketchbook, her pages included excerpts and outtakes of…
Rearview Mirror: Seahawks Off the Field, Seattle on the Board, and Smoked Oysters
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
HOOKED ON KNOCKS Admittedly, I am late to this one. The Seahawks’ first season of Hard Knocks, the HBO series that follows NFL teams through training camp, premiered in August, but until last week, I had never heard of it. To be honest, my football knowledge starts with knowing what a touchdown is and doesn’t…