The board of directors met in November 2021 to discuss the practicality of holding Aquafest 2022, and decided to start preparing the event in January 2022.

Aquafest 2022 will take place once again from July 29-31, and people are looking forward to making more memories.

“My favorite memory is going on the rides because it’s been a very long time since I’ve been on one. I enjoy going on the rides with my siblings like what I would do when I was young riding on the roller coasters with them, enjoying it together,” junior Anabel Elliott.

As we all know, many businesses and places closed down in March 2020 because of Covid-19. Many of those closing were fairs, including Aquafest.

“Since we were all kept inside for a lot of it, I wasn’t really allowed to leave my house when COVID first started. So it was just sad that I wouldn’t be able to see my friends or really go outside at all,” senior Addison Wolfe said.

It’s time to wipe away the sadness and bring the community back together.

“My favorite memory? probably just like running into all my friends like you can go with like a certain set of people but you also get to see people along the way…. My least favorite memory would be when I threw up after a ride. I think I was riding the spider or something like that and I hurled,” senior Addison Wolfe said.

There are many events and activities that people look forward to each year.

Miss Aquafest:
The Miss Aquafest Pageant is a community service-focused natural pageant centered in Lake Stevens, Washington that encourages individuality, self-confidence, and offers a variety of opportunities to give back to our communities.

Miss Aquafest 2022 will take place on Apr. 16, 2022.

The Aquafest Royalty takes part in parades and other community events such as National Night Out Against Crime, Halloween Bootacular, and Winterfest in Lake Stevens.

Activities:
There are activities that will suit most people.

The boat parade will take place at Davies Boat Launch on Saturday at 7 p.m.

A circus, carnival, horse-drawn wagon rides, movie night, teen dance, pet show, water sports, car show, and the Miss Aquafest Royalty Court are all part of the event.

Everything is free at the Family Fun Fest on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It all starts with a kids’ Pennies in the Hay scramble. Inflatables, face painting, cupcake decorating, bingo, and bookmark making will all be available during the event.

A pizza-eating contest will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Horse Drawn Wagon Rides are available from the City Hall parking lot to Mitchell Road on Lakeshore Drive and return on Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 9 p.m. and noon to 5 p.m., respectively.

Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., respectively, at the Friends of the Library Book Sale.

Firefighters Breakfast is held at the downtown fire station on Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to noon.

Mt. Pilchuck Elementary School will host a classic car show on Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Parking:
The event venue has a limited amount of parking. Additional parking is available at the administration office of the school system.

A free shuttle operates every 15 minutes between Ebenezer Lutheran Church and Highland Elementary and the junction of North Lakeshore Drive and 123rd Avenue NE.

There is handicapped parking available.

The year the inaugural Aquafest took place appears to be a point of contention.

The origins of Aquafest:

Aquafest was created by the Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce as a bold attempt to generate funds for Clubs Incorporated’s repair of the Community Hall, which was largely damaged by fire.

The Lake Stevens J.C.’s, Fire District 8, the Lion’s Club, the Legion, the Lake Stevens Water Club, and other organizations all contributed to the success of this first event.

Aquafest was initially scheduled to take place on the first Saturday and Sunday of August, coinciding with the Northwest Ski Tournament. This two-day event was held in North Cove by the Waterski Club.

Aquafest has been a three-day festival in Downtown Lake Stevens and North Cove Park since the 1960s. There is some confusion about the start date. The first Aquafest, according to both the “Lake Stevens News” and the “Lake Stevens Journal,” was held on Aug. 2 and 3, 1969, and was simply a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday. According to the 1989 Aquafest T-shirt, that year was the 25th anniversary, making 1964 the start date, whereas the Aquafest website claims that 2019 is the 59th year, making 1960 the start date.

Over the years, it tacked on another day and has included events such as a parade, pet show, movie in the park, entertainment, music, aquarun, waterski tournament, disc golf tournament, boat parade, classic car show, stand-up paddleboard races, family fun fest, pizza-eating contest, duck dash, arts and crafts vendors, commercial vendors, food vendors, fireworks, live music and much more are among the land and water activities.