As the 1960s rolled to a close, the University District was facing tense times.  Riots in the summer of 1969 and student protests in the spring of 1970 were sources of discontent for many in the neighborhood who worried that divisiveness was dangerously pervasive.

In the late spring of 1970, several members of the community, led by merchant and peace activist Andy Shiga, and business executive Ron Denchfield, formed a committee to plan a neighborhood street fair.  The street fair, thought Shiga, would help refocus people’s attention on the positive aspects of the University District, and would celebrate diversity, rather than condone people’s differences.

The first University District Street Fair occurred over the weekend of May 23 and 24, 1970. 50,000 people came and the event was so successful that it became an annual event.  Pictured here are vendors and attendees at the second annual Street Fair in 1971.

Interested in this year’s fair (it’s on May 18 and 19 and Museum Without Walls will be there, so mark your calendars)?  Visit the Chamber of Commerce’s website to learn more about how to reserve a booth, and which vendors will be attending.

-Julia


Photo Courtesy of the Museum of History and Industry, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection