Link Excuse(s) of the Week: Rainier Valley Heritage Parade, Othello Music and Arts Festival

The Rainier Valley will be bustling this weekend with two fantastic and family-friendly events. The annual Rainier Valley Heritage Parade, on Saturday from 12:00-4:30pm, will offer food, live music, street sports, a beer garden, a pie eating contest, a police picnic, B!kecitement in front of Bike Works, an afterhours movie in Columbia Park, and more. Take Link to Columbia City and walk a 1/4 mile east to Rainier to join the festivities. In addition to an incredible diversity of food and artistic talent, the festivities offer a great opportunity to see a Rainier Avenue S that prioritizes people, even if just for a day, as Rainier will be closed to cars for the 3/4 of a mile between S Alaska St and S Brandon St.

On Sunday, go one stop further on Link for the Othello Park International Music and Arts Festival, from noon to 6pm (free). The festival will have live 11 music and dancing acts, a petting zoo featuring a camel, 6 food vendors, and much more.