History

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Seafair had hit its stride as Seattle’s summer tradition and when the World’s Fair came to Seattle in 1962, the city was bursting with civic pride.  The Century 21 Exposition truly put Seattle and Seafair on the map not just nationally, but world-wide.  Hydroplane racing was still the biggest draw of the Seafair festival and the Miss Thriftway would change its name to the Miss Century 21 in honor of the Expo.  Visitors from all over the world saw Bill Muncey drive the local favorite to victory in the 1962 Gold Cup.  In the early 1960s, Seafair blanketed the newspapers with coverage not only of the hydroplane racing but with coverage of the parades and daily reporting about the exploits of the Seafair Royalty. 

The Pacific Northwest was no longer the best kept secret after the World’s Fair in 1962.  Celebrities who arrived to do shows in Seattle often took part in the Seafair festivities as well.  There was very little competition for Seattle’s entertainment interests or dollars during Seafair’s annual ten-day celebration. 

During the 1960s, the Navy continued to play a vital role in the Seafair festival.  Many anticipated the arrival of these magnificent vessels on Seattle’s waterfront.  Young and old were impressed by the size of these great ships and by the uniformed personnel that manned them. The typical Navy armada at Seafair would include more than a dozen Navy vessels including destroyers, guided-missile cruisers, ocean minesweepers and even an occasional submarine.  The Canadian fleet would also occasionally send a ship to Seafair.  All of the ships would be available for free public tours during their stay.

Hydroplane racing was still the only game in town through much of the 1960s and the popularity of Bill Muncey built in the 1950s, continued to grow in the early 60s as Muncey would claim the national High Point Championship in 1960, 1961 and 1962 driving the Miss Thriftway and Miss Century 21.  Through the 1960s, Muncey had won more heats on Lake Washington than anyone else and set a 15-mile Lake Washington heat record of 112.5 mph in 1963 that stood until the end of the decade.  In the 1960s Muncey claimed two Gold Cup trophies and three victories at home on Lake Washington.

The thundering boats on Lake Washington continued to be the backbone of the Seafair festival through the 1960s with its popularity peaking before the arrival of professional basketball (Seattle Super Sonics 1967) and Major League Baseball (Seattle Pilots 1969).  Seattle’s race garnered national attention when sports broadcaster and former Seattlite Keith Jackson was on hand with the “Wide World of Sports” television crew to film the Gold Cup in 1967.

The Seafair parades continued to be a big draw to the streets of downtown Seattle through the 1960s as between 125,000 and 300,000 would crowd the streets for the day time Grande Parade and the spectacle of the Torchlight Parade that took place at dusk.  Honorary Grand Marshals in the 1960s included Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Seattle conqueror of Mt. Everest, Jim Whittaker.