Event

Annual Meeting

Our annual meeting takes place on May 22 at 2555 8th Ave W. at the Church of Christ (formerly Seventh Church of Christ Scientist) at 7:00. We'll begin with a brief business meeting. A quick look at the sanctuary which many of us have never toured is followed by the big treat, a talk by Dan Kerlee about Seattle's Golden Potlatch festival, which began on July 17, 1911. In the next five days, approximately 300,000 people visited Seattle to attend parades, concerts and demonstrations by "automobilists" and an aviator. The citywide celebration commemorated the 1897 arrival of the Portland from Alaska loaded with Klondike gold. The Golden Potlatch festival intended to maintain the national visibility of Seattle after the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909. An automobile race up Taylor Avenue N. brought Queen Anne into the 1911 festivities. In 1913, soldiers and sailors marred the festival, looting and burning the offices of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and the Socialist Party. Potlatch was started again in 1934. It was cancelled after 1941 following Pearl Harbor and the U.S. entry into World War II.
Dan Kerlee, a Magnolia resident, is an expert on the history of the Golden Potlatch. He is known throughout the community as a major collector of artifacts and images from the first half of 20th century. His collection focuses on the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 and the Golden Potlatch. His talk brings to life an important moment in our history which left us the marvelous legacy of the annual festival now known as Seafair.