Burien’s annual Arts-A-Glow festival lit up the evening at Dottie Harper Park this past Saturday. Combining a variety of visual arts with musical performances, juggling, acrobatics, food trucks, a lantern-lit procession and more, this local festival has become a firm favorite to celebrate the end of summer. This year saw larger crowds than past years and featured a variety of illuminated artwork, both past favorites and pieces new to the festival. Here are just a few photos shot by local photographer Michael Brunk. For more information about Arts-A-Glow visit the city website or the unofficial community page on Facebook. [gallery link="file" columns="1" size="medium" ids="90329,90330,90331,90332,90333,90334,90335,90336,90337,90338,90339,90340,90341,90328,90342,90343,90344,90345,90346,90347,90348,90349"]]]>

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18 replies on “PHOTOS: Arts-A-Glow Illuminates Sultry Summer Evening in Dottie Harper Park”

  1. Wow! This looks like terrific fun! Just put it on my 2016 Calendar of things to do for next September. Thanks so much for all the pics. Love the way they transition from early evening to after dark!

    1. i wanted to go but this Park is just too dangerous for kids with the drug paraphenalia and drunk, high, vagrant youths that run this place…if you worry about safety in the Lakewood Park and Ride avoid this place…just too dangerous, only worse…its safer in Seattle…there is no one at the Burien Police Center on the weekend. it is closed, so you are on your own if something happens and 911 has no idea where this Park is located…i called to report drug activity and they had no idea where the Park was since i could not give them the cross streets? take it off your calendar and find safer places. very few people go because of its notorious out of control dangerous reputation for vagrant youth alcohol and drug use…yes 1/2 block from a police station!

      1. The more events that go on there and the more people who frequent the park the fewer “druggies” an ne’er do wells will want to stay there.
        I wasn’t able to attend this year but the pictures are so interesting, I hope to be able to attend next year. It looks like every body was having fun.

      2. Gee Bridgewatch. With the number of people attending this event, wouldn’t you feel ‘safety in numbers’? Safety is one thing, but teaching your kids fear rather than rational behavior is not necessary.
        Just so you know, there is police and 911 response on the week-ends.

        1. no, i won’t feel safe until things change. it is very easy to go nto the park and down the hill and stumble on something very bad. it happened to me with a 6 and 7 year old and we had to run. they were cooking meth i think with a propane torch! too many nooks and cranny’s and too dark on a bright day with the tree canopy. it is a lovely park but the vagrant younth are in control and running drugs and alcohol between here, the transit center and City Hall/library. talk about the wild wild West…its here in downtown Burien. in that area with drugs going back n forth via bike couriers i am always nervous about drive by shooters. we had one in the past year and two people were wounded on 152nd…it is safer in White Center…more police…Burien police say they do the best they can with the resources they have…

          1. Bridgewatch your comments are so wrong it makes me crazy. The arts-a-glow event is a HUGE event that is a step in the right direction to make places like Dottie Harper Park and Central Burien safer. The more community exists and use of the parks and thoroughfare use is increased, the less opportunity there is for wrongdoing.
            We must draw a line in the sand and take back our public spaces. Running away or avoidance is NOT any kind of solution.
            If you honestly thought that you were in danger in a crowd of hundreds marching in a joyful procession, you might want to consider some counseling or self-defense courses so that you can feel a realistic sense of confidence and personal safety.
            I can agree that the park gets sketchy for a single family, but in a huge group for a city event?… come on, get real!
            Oh, but actually I think your comment is not really about The Arts-A-Glow.. it’s just an opportunity for you to unload some negativity about our fair city without attempting to present any solutions…

          2. C, you need to calm down and think your comments through. We cannot all be vigilantes as you suggest. Nor can I limit my families outings to only events with large crowds to feel safe. Nonsense. We enjoy just going on the spur of the moment and enjoy what our taxes provide us in the form of outdoor recreation. I don’t want my kids tethered to an idiot box. But we do like our outings to Dottie Harper, and Burien Town Square Park fountain. I don’t want to be having to run from thugs and vagrant youth who indicate you are invading their staked out territory which is what we have now in Burien when major events are NOT going on. We were present at Burien Town Square Park during two flash mobs this year…it was frightening with a 7 and 8 year old. The one event lasted less then 4 minutes but blood was everywhere (they beat each other with sticks and clubs) and 20-30 disappeared within 2 minutes as the police showed up. The police had no idea but certainly knew it was gang related. This unmonitored park is a perfect location for this type of planned activity as is Dottie Harper for the drug alcohol activity. This is NOT a homeless encampment. The homeless in Burien and particularly the mentally ill need all our communities help and compassion…Thug, Youth, Vagrant behavior does not! But they to an extent are in control at times and they know it and take advantage of our vulnerability. I hope you understand why me learning martial arts etc is not the answer for me and my families safety and attending only large public events to protect me and my families safety is ridiculous…I live here with my family to enjoy my community. As I have said I have discussed this numerous times with our Police and as lovely as they are, the only response they can offer, with smiles” is we do the best we can with the resources we have and everyone has a right to be in our public spaces. So you go figure? Our city government has very limited resources and they are stretched too. We currently have a non functioning city council that just insults each other and the citizens of Burien as a result of their constant bickering. I am sorry if I stressed you. I am the messenger based on personal family experiences. I doubt if you would have put up with this nonsense and I hope you would not endanger yourself or your family based on you taking things into your own hands. The police do not recommend this. The ones causing this mayhem are very clever and know how to disperse in a matter of seconds and of course the Transit Center can get you outa here in minutes. When the drive by shooting happened on 152nd, a police officer was less then a block away. No one has been ever apprehended even though two individuals were shot.

          3. Do you have any links to a news story or police report number on this flash mob beating you explained. I can’t find anything on it. The shooting on 152nd was not the same group of people that hang around burien that was some people at a bar that got in to a fight and someone in that fight left and came back and try to settle their differences by shooting at the other people in the fight. It was also a case of to much booze being served and not enough security to maintain peace in the crowd. With now the bar owner’s and police have came up with planes to solve the issue witch was rather random for burien.
            See Bridgewatch as see your post’s their the same old nonsense trying to make everything in burien sound’s bad and dreadful even dangerous to keep new people out.To keep burien from expanding all so you can keep complaining about the same stuff over and over with out really coming up with a solution but to point the finger who ever you don’t like on the city council just like the other nonsense wack jobs on here. That think burien will go back to being a one stop light dirt road town with no one under the age of 50 or any ethnic background other than white allowed in The downtown area. That thinks it’s 1950 and not 2015!

  2. I agree with your statement C. Sheppard, the more the citizens are out in the community at the parks and elsewhere enjoying our great city it acts as a deterrent in preventing unlawful behavior. As I stated above a great event and one we don’t miss. By the way who is the negative Nelly giving the positive comments the thumbs down, REALLY???

  3. I go to that park with my grandkids on occasion and I have never had any problems. I have seen a few of what some might call undesirables but they have always minded their own business and I have mine.

  4. Wow how surprising so many people complain about all these bmx riding thugs and homeless around burien. Well going through burien today I have see no homeless people so far one girl on a bmx bike no backpack two people on mountain bikes and one guy on a segway .

    1. Well there’s five people in burien that can’t except the truth. Or want bmx riding thugs and homeless people every where.
      Oh no I posted the truth again oh crap we can’t have that in burien! Oops o well
      I was thinking of taking some pictures to prove what I seen but to take some pictures of strangers could cause a issue. But maybe next time I will take a chance at it and send some pictures to the editor.

        1. Dick ganzobean ok if you think I am wrong then I suggest you and and the other anonymous people that want to bicker about this go around burien take some pictures record some video. Then ether send them to the editor or post a link to your pictures and video on here to prove your point. Because hey guess what I went around burien right across the street from the library and city hall and posted what I seen next time I will take some pictures and send them to the editor.Also I went pass dottie park I did not see any one by the kids toys but I did not stop and go in the park also by the end of day I seen one person with a cardboard sign on 148th and 1st. So Mr. ganzobean if I am so wrong about this then prove me wrong! oh yeah I forgot to mention this is the first summer we gone through in a few years where are cars were not broken into. So with a good neighborhood watch and a good police force things seem to be getting better. Sorry Mr ganzobean for the bad news but sometimes the truth hurts.

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