Edmonds Loves Summer
If you’ve spent time in Edmonds during the summer months, you’ve experienced the vibrant energy of our town under consistent sun rays: Lots of slow-rolling, topless vehicles; more bicycles whizzing by; walkers wearing shorts with happily panting pups (don’t worry—we have treat stops and water bowls all around town); and boats aplenty.
During a downtown Edmonds summer, orca whales are often spotted cruising through the Salish Sea, chatting in pods. Photographers space out along Sunset with their long lenses counting down until the horizon turns dark blue, pink, and orange. Fisherpeople pack the pier. We dine al fresco. Our kids squeal and sprint through shooting water at the Edmonds City Park while we watch with an iced coffee, sunscreen ready for the reapply. We even have a consistent ice cream truck now! It is quite idyllic, isn’t it?
Edmonds Lovin’ Summer
To celebrate the season we’ve all been aching for, Ed! has brought together downtown businesses for our annual Lovin’ Summer Edmonds campaign. Participants have clings in their windows with our bright graphic, free stickers to give to customers (and keep for themselves, too), and posters promoting summer events (more on those below). In July, you’ll also see “Discover Downtown” flags around town directing you to all the shops and service providers around town! Follow the sun to downtown Edmonds, indeed.
We talked to a few local business owners to gauge their excitement for summer. Spoiler: It’s high.
Lacey Wadhwani, owner of Sauna Hut, said, “We love being so close to the Edmonds waterfront and beach. Nothing is better than sweating it out and walking in the water after—especially in the summer.” Gina Drake, owner of Barre3 Edmonds, knows a lot about sweating, too. You may not know how impressive Barre3’s retail selection is, and that they have lots of colorful apparel for all of your summer activities, but Gina’s keen eye has kept shoppers looking—and feeling, in every sense—cool since 2020. “I love how active and lively the Edmonds community is, especially in the summer,” Gina said. “And we have retail to match. We have an amazing selection of active and athleisure wear from our favorite brands, including Beyond Yoga, Varley, and Vuori. We have you covered from leggings to biker shorts, tanks, and layering pieces.” Because when you live in the Pacific Northwest, even in the summer, layers are key.
Michael Chambers, owner of Calypso Edmonds, also appreciates our town in the warmer months. “With our festive Caribbean food and drink and ‘good vibes’ motto, there is no better vibe than Edmonds in the summer,” he told us.
Similarly, Inga and Rodney Seifert from Edward Jones Investments love how walkable Edmonds is, especially on balmier days. They often come downtown on the weekends to visit the Edmonds Summer Market, and when it’s a warm weekday, you’ll find them strolling all around the city center, visiting their neighbors. “Summer is the best time to see their smiling faces and patron their business,” Inga said. One of their neighbors is HouseWares. When we talked to the team there about what they’re looking forward to this summer, they said helping people entertain and get set up to host family and friends. “We can help them pick out glasses, plates, furniture—you name it!” they told us. “It’s just so great to see more people downtown.”
Lovin’ Summer Edmonds Events
We have a whole lot happening downtown this summer, and the list is so long that we’re sharing just the events through July. Many of these events are put on, or supported by, organizations around town, including The City of Edmonds, The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, Art Walk Edmonds and the Edmonds Historical Museum. It’s a lot of fun supporting their efforts!
Check back next month for the rest of the festivities, or look for the Lovin’ Summer Edmonds posters hanging in the windows of your favorite shops around downtown.
- Edmonds Summer Market: Saturdays through October 8 (9am – 2pm)
- Edmonds Summer Wine Walk: Saturday, June 25, 5pm – 8pm
- 2022 Summer Concert Series: Sundays, June 26 – August 21, 3pm – 4pm at City Park; Tuesdays & Thursdays, July 12 – August 25, 4:30 – 6pm at Hazel Miller Plaza
- An Edmonds Kind of 4th: Beat Brackett 5K & 1K, 8am; Children’s Parade, 11:30am; Main Parade, noon
- Art Walk Edmonds: Thursday, July 21st, 5pm – 8pm
- Find Waldo in Edmonds: Tuesday, July 5th–Monday, July 25th
- Outdoor Movie Nights: Fridays, July 15th, 22nd, & 29th and August 5th
- Edmonds in Bloom Garden Tour: Sunday, July 17th, 11am – 4pm
Check out our summer events page for more information and updates!
Your Summer Is Looking Sunny
Are you as excited about all there is to look forward to as we are? We certainly hope so! First thing’s first: Check out our article about prepping your skin for all that Vitamin D it’s not used to, and then point your face toward the sun. Beyond the fun events awaiting you, there are so many beautiful rays to soak up. We also live in a town full of avid gardeners—we are awash in rose bushes and sea smells. When the wind blows through downtown and brings that rare combination of scents, we can’t keep ourselves from stopping and inhaling deeply. And, if one of those small gusts blows through while you’re walking through one of our Lovin’ Summer events? Even better.
How is your summer shaping up? Put all these events on your calendar and share the good times you’re having by adding #lovinsummeredmonds or #edmondsdowntown to your posts on social media. We’ll share them to our stories on Instagram and Facebook. No pressure or anything, but with all the sunny days and exciting events ahead, we expect to see a lot of tags from you! Have fun, stay present, and share those posts with your feet up long after the sun has set.
By Whitney Popa, photos by Matt Hulbert