Sammamish ready for the third Fourth
June 30, 2009
By Administrator
By Lauren McLaughlin
When 10-year-old Ashley Tsai wanted to help her Dad’s band, Experimental Reality, get into the Pine Lake summer concert series, she contacted the city to nominate them. They didn’t get the gig, but she ended up getting her father’s band a much larger one — Fourth on the Plateau.
“I was really surprised, I just wanted to get them into Pine Lake,” Ashley said. “This is better.”
Experimental Reality is a contemporary and classical rock band made up of locals, Phil Tsai, Robert Heitkamp, Mike Day, Mikki Ellingsen, and Jon Gorman.
Day had no idea that they had been nominated.
“We had been interested in doing the summer concert series. Hearing that we’re playing at the Fourth was a surprise,” Day said. “The Fourth is a great event to be doing.”
The Fourth on the Plateau is one of the city’s biggest events bringing in from 10,000 to 15,000 people to celebrate the holiday at the free event.
The Fourth on the Plateau activities begin at 6 p.m. July 4 at the Sammamish Commons.
In addition to the live music and fireworks, this year’s festivities will include food vendors and an expanded kids area.
According to volunteer coordinator Dawn Sanders this year the children’s area, sponsored by Mark Nelson Orthodontics and Rhonda Newton DDS, will include five bouncy toys.
“Last year we only had 3 and there were really long lines,” Sanders said. “We’re hoping to lessen the lines and accommodate more families in the Lower Commons.”
The Washington Native Plant Society will also be hosting a children’s event at the Fourth.
The construction of the new Sammamish Library will take away a lot of the fireworks viewing area in the Upper Commons this year.
“We’re trying to encourage more families to go to the Lower Commons to watch the fireworks,” Sanders said. “We’ve made the trail down to the Lower Commons ADA accessible, so now it is much easier for families with strollers.”
In both the Lower and Upper Commons there will be a wide variety of food offered.
New this year will be Domino’s Pizza, Big House BBQ, Hawaiian shaved ice, and cotton candy.
The members of Experimental Reality are excited to be playing at the Fourth. Most of their shows have been in bars, which limits the size and age of the audience.
“I’m looking forward to playing in a place my kids can actually see,” Heitkamp said. “Mine are still young enough to be impressed.”
They will be playing contemporary and classic rock songs by artists such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple, and Green Day from 6-8 p.m. at the Sammamish Commons.
“We’ve got a pretty diverse palette of music that allows everyone to be happy with what we play, and the fans enjoy it too,” Heitkamp said.
Ellingsen enjoys when the crowd gets involved with their music.
“The stuff we play are songs people have known their whole life,” Ellingsen said. “Sometimes they just start singing along.”
Experimental Reality will be the opening act on the Main Stage at the event.
Shelly and the Curves is the headliner this year. They will be playing from 8-10 p.m.
Bob Tomberg, a member of Shelly and the Curves, said the band is looking forward to playing the Fourth.
“We love to play right before the fireworks, it’s a great climax to our concert,” Tomberg said.
Shelly and the Curves is a cover band that plays songs by artists such as The B-52s, Dixie Chicks, and Madonna.
“If you hear three notes of the songs you will know it,” Tomberg said. “We want to play what the audience likes.”
Getting to the event will feature the standard procedures.
From 6 p.m. to midnight there will be no left turns allowed onto or off of 228th Avenue between Northeast Main Street, and Southeast 20th Street.
Also, Southeast Fourth Street will be closed to cars after the fireworks to allow viewers to exit.
Parking is available at Pine Lake Park, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, Sammamish Highlands Shopping Center, Mary, Queen of Peace Church (does not open until 5:30 p.m. and is only for cars carrying four or more people), Eastlake High School, Discovery Elementary, and Pine Lake Middle School.
There is limited parking available for people who need handicapped accessible spots and for vendors at City Hall.
Due to construction there will be no available parking at Skyline High School.
For a parking map and event map visit, www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/4thJuly.aspx. For more information on the bands visit, www.experimentalreality.com and www.curvesband.com.
Intern Lauren McLaughlin can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 244 or samrev@isspress.com. To comment on this story visit www.sammamishreview.com.
When 10-year-old Ashley Tsai wanted to help her Dad’s band, Experimental Reality, get into the Pine Lake summer concert series, she contacted the city to nominate them. They didn’t get the gig, but she ended up getting her father’s band a much larger one — Fourth on the Plateau.
“I was really surprised, I just wanted to get them into Pine Lake,” Ashley said. “This is better.”
Experimental Reality is a contemporary and classical rock band made up of locals, Phil Tsai, Robert Heitkamp, Mike Day, Mikki Ellingsen, and Jon Gorman.
Day had no idea that they had been nominated.
“We had been interested in doing the summer concert series. Hearing that we’re playing at the Fourth was a surprise,” Day said. “The Fourth is a great event to be doing.”
The Fourth on the Plateau is one of the city’s biggest events bringing in from 10,000 to 15,000 people to celebrate the holiday at the free event.
The Fourth on the Plateau activities begin at 6 p.m. July 4 at the Sammamish Commons.
In addition to the live music and fireworks, this year’s festivities will include food vendors and an expanded kids area.
According to volunteer coordinator Dawn Sanders this year the children’s area, sponsored by Mark Nelson Orthodontics and Rhonda Newton DDS, will include five bouncy toys.
“Last year we only had 3 and there were really long lines,” Sanders said. “We’re hoping to lessen the lines and accommodate more families in the Lower Commons.”
The Washington Native Plant Society will also be hosting a children’s event at the Fourth.
The construction of the new Sammamish Library will take away a lot of the fireworks viewing area in the Upper Commons this year.
“We’re trying to encourage more families to go to the Lower Commons to watch the fireworks,” Sanders said. “We’ve made the trail down to the Lower Commons ADA accessible, so now it is much easier for families with strollers.”
In both the Lower and Upper Commons there will be a wide variety of food offered.
New this year will be Domino’s Pizza, Big House BBQ, Hawaiian shaved ice, and cotton candy.
The members of Experimental Reality are excited to be playing at the Fourth. Most of their shows have been in bars, which limits the size and age of the audience.
“I’m looking forward to playing in a place my kids can actually see,” Heitkamp said. “Mine are still young enough to be impressed.”
They will be playing contemporary and classic rock songs by artists such as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Deep Purple, and Green Day from 6-8 p.m. at the Sammamish Commons.
“We’ve got a pretty diverse palette of music that allows everyone to be happy with what we play, and the fans enjoy it too,” Heitkamp said.
Ellingsen enjoys when the crowd gets involved with their music.
“The stuff we play are songs people have known their whole life,” Ellingsen said. “Sometimes they just start singing along.”
Experimental Reality will be the opening act on the Main Stage at the event.
Shelly and the Curves is the headliner this year. They will be playing from 8-10 p.m.
Bob Tomberg, a member of Shelly and the Curves, said the band is looking forward to playing the Fourth.
“We love to play right before the fireworks, it’s a great climax to our concert,” Tomberg said.
Shelly and the Curves is a cover band that plays songs by artists such as The B-52s, Dixie Chicks, and Madonna.
“If you hear three notes of the songs you will know it,” Tomberg said. “We want to play what the audience likes.”
Getting to the event will feature the standard procedures.
From 6 p.m. to midnight there will be no left turns allowed onto or off of 228th Avenue between Northeast Main Street, and Southeast 20th Street.
Also, Southeast Fourth Street will be closed to cars after the fireworks to allow viewers to exit.
Parking is available at Pine Lake Park, Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, Sammamish Highlands Shopping Center, Mary, Queen of Peace Church (does not open until 5:30 p.m. and is only for cars carrying four or more people), Eastlake High School, Discovery Elementary, and Pine Lake Middle School.
There is limited parking available for people who need handicapped accessible spots and for vendors at City Hall.
Due to construction there will be no available parking at Skyline High School.
For a parking map and event map visit, www.ci.sammamish.wa.us/4thJuly.aspx. For more information on the bands visit, www.experimentalreality.com and www.curvesband.com.
Intern Lauren McLaughlin can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 244 or samrev@isspress.com.
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