Favorite things:

Pink flamingos, low angle shot of Liam scribbling with chalk at Legion and Washington, and the pink flamingos.

Least fave:

Being tall so the poor folks around me had to shift their feet everytime I decided to move during procession and the jerk in the cape who decided to use 2/3s of the sidewalk while we pushed three strollers down the sidewalk. 

 First time I had a chance to see Artswalk (been working/busy other times)  It was interesting, nice weather, but too crowded for my tastes.  Looked like it would have been fun to take the day off and hang out though!

....but enjoyed it just the same. I haven't been in a couple of years and it seemed to me that the SambaOlyWa folks had a new gig. I've never seen them all embody a single species (pink flamingos). Bravo SambaOlyWa.

The gorillas riding people were great as was the whale with the waves.

My prize of the parade goes to the bees on bikes. Great costumes and the bike riding reminded me of the shriners from other parades.

The one thing that always stands out for me, is the need for more music in the procession. Specifically, marching bands. Don't get me wrong. I love drums and the samba folks are great but the procession needs melodious marching bands (one should play the Star Wars theme continuously, throughout the parade).

PS. The baby kicked like crazy as the samba drums went by. 

Saturday I wore a lime green vest with Park Staff emblazoned on the back as park of my employ of the City of Olympia. My compatriot and I strolled the streets of Olympia for nine hours picking up the random piece of trash but mostly acting as downtown ambassadors answering question about the neared bathroom, how can my kid get sidewalk chalk, and when does the Procession begin. It has been years since I’ve had the pleasure to interact with 1,000’s of people enjoying themselves.

I saw literally thousands of pieces of art created by all kinds of folk from all walks of life. Some of it awful, most of it interesting, and some of it sublime. My favorite stuff were the iron sculptures welded by an older man out of scrap metal.

Dogs: Hundreds of well behaved leashed dogs parading around doing sniffing things and each other and generally doing dog things (except leaving dog bombs) while getting pet by friends and strangers.

Children: Thousands of happy children smiling wide eyed at the sights and sound as the walked hand in hand with their parents or drawing in the streets with thick sticks of chalk doled out of a couple wheelbarrows.

Live Music: From a dozen street, corners, alleys, Sylvester park and sidewalks Music filled the air. Classical music, Jazz, rock, folk; you name it. Any other night a person would have to pay $50.00 or more in cover charges to sample what was performed for free.

Community: People from all walks of life from all over the county rubbed elbows, shared opinions, signed petitions and spent money on art, food and refreshments. Hundreds of businesses introduced themselves to thousands of new customers.

Artswalk is a uniquely egalitarian event in which a person can spend thousands of dollars or not a single red cent and still have a great time. In short, Artwalk and the Procession is a catalyst for all the best things about a city to shine.