After months of preparation, King County will host the groundbreaking for the new South Park Bridge at 1:30 p.m. with comments from Governor Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Dow Constantine, and Mayor Mike McGinn. Part of the ceremony will include a special 26-foot long South Park Bridge-shaped piñata made by local community members.
Following the groundbreaking, OED invites you to stay and join several City of Seattle and King County elected officials who will be available for a meet-and-greet City Business Casual themed event from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at several restaurants along 14th Ave South. Come chat with our local elected officials and stay for some of the great food that South Park has to offer.
We’ll have progressive snacking and mingling at three local restaurants along 14th Ave South: Muy Macho, Jaliscos and Napoli Pizzeria Ristorante. Elected officials will rotate among the three restaurants. Confirmed elected officials include: King County Executive Dow Constantine; Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn; Seattle City Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Richard Conlin and Nick Licata; and King County Councilmember Joe McDermott.
In addition, South Park Arts (SPARTS) and the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) will host the first South Park Cinco de Mayo Community Festival in the afternoon and early evening. Activities will include crafts for children, a piñata, music, art and a fire performance. Come down and enjoy the festivities and Catch the Culture!
Plan on attending the City Business Casual Business Event? Please let us know! RSVPs are not mandatory – you can just stop by, but we’d appreciate hearing from you if you’ll be able to attend. Please email OED@seattle.gov.
For the location of the groundbreaking and the nearby restaurants, click here.
For more information about the groundbreaking at 1:30 p.m., visit King County’s South Park Bridge project website at www.kingcounty.gov/transportation/southparkbridge.aspx.
For more information about the community-wide celebration events throughout the afternoon and early evening, visit www.allaboutsouthpark.com.
Any questions about the event? Please contact Andrés J. Mantilla at andres.mantilla@seattle.gov or 206.233.3868 or Kris Effertz at kris.effertz@seattle.gov or 206.684.7551.
May 5 schedule:
1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. — South Park Bridge Ground Breaking
The Devil Dancers kick-off the ceremony with our Governor and local politicians
Piñata Part I
Location: End of the red brick road, next to the river
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. —“City Business Casual”
Meet your local politicians at local restaurants, including members of Seattle City Council, King County Council and Port Commissioners
Locations: Muy Macho, Jaliscos, and Napoli
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. — Kids Activities
Kids can get crafty with fun projects and meet their local fire-fighters
Location: Parking lot of Ken’s South Park Grocery, 14th and Sullivan
3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Mariachi
A mariachi band brings music to our streets
Location: All along 14th Ave South
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. — Piñata Part II
Piñata filled with candy, gift certificates, seed packets, car fresheners, and more
Location: Old bridge deck (14th & Dallas)
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. — Live Painting and Auction
For one hour, five artists will paint in front of a crowd while a DJ spins the tunes. Watch as doors salvaged from the historic Witch Hat House are transformed into works of art
The doors will be auctioned off to the highest (silent) bidder
Location: Napoli’s parking lot (14th & Cloverdale)
8:30 p.m. — Performance Art (Fire!)
Music: Titanium Sporkestra
Fire Performance with Rusty Oliver
Location: South Bark Dog Park (Between Sullivan & Dallas on 14th)
9:00 p.m. — Party on…
See you in the Park! Stop in and support our local businesses on 14th Ave for food, drinks, party favors and more!
