KDW

The weekend before the Summer Solstice there’s a street fair, complete with citizen parade, in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Lots of food, art vendors, and craziness ensues. For example it’s become a tradition in the past few years for naked bicyclists to ride at the head of the parade (VERY speedily I’ll add) to start things off with a bang. Over the years they’ve progressed from being totally nude to being body-painted in creative ways. I went to Fremont for the completely wholesome activity of having my car washed by a local Boy Scout troop and ran into about 200 of them (nude bicyclists, not Boy Scouts) who were getting ready to ride in the parade; they were whooping and posing and doing last-minute paint touch-ups on themselves. I got pics, but they’re on my cell phone and I can’t figure out how to get them off. Bummer.

But on to the cars. In another nascent tradition, painted, decorated cars are displayed by their owners like mobile works of art.

This Toy Space Blaster/Ray Gun car was a favorite with the kids, who kept pressing the buttons on its exterior hoping they would do something. There was a bubble machine on its roof that expelled a steady stream of bubbles.

This car’s paint job was based on Australian aborigine art.

This ancient Mercedes was known as the Eartha Karr, after Eartha Kitt. It was touted as “running on biodiesel, a non-toxic, biodegradable, carbon neutral fuel made from recycled vegetable oil.”  It was painted in nature themes, with mosaics of shells, stones, and sea glass on the bumpers. The plastic chicken leg in the pic below plays homage to the biodiesel’s former incarnation in a deep fat fryer.

Buddhas, mountains, and earth goddesses cover the other parts of the car.

A car painted to look like butterfly wings.

The Bad Dental Hygiene car. Toothbrushes line the hubcaps and toothpaste the bumpers; the hood is covered with dentures. On the sides, precautionary news stories, pictures, and x-rays.

Eek! The You’re So Vain car aimed to be a commentary on women’s negative self-image. It was pepto bismol pink in color and covered with brassieres on the hood and plastic food, fringe, panties on the back.

It towed a brightly camper for the owner to stay in while on the fair circuit.