By Jack Broom and Bill Kossen
Seattle Times staff reporters

Of course you know that Seafair is the Seattle area's summer celebration of parades, pirates, hydroplanes, community festivals, Navy ships and much more. But did you know it starts this weekend? And did you know that this is its 54th year? For that matter, just what DO you know about Seafair?

Whether you're a native or a newcomer, whether you think Stan Sayers Pits is a hydro haven or a skin condition, you may learn a little more as you work your way though our Northwest Life Seafair Quiz.

If some of the questions seem tough as a whale's hide, don't walk the plank. A good guess could keep you afloat.

And take a look at the lineup of Seafair activities.

	Question 1

1. In this 1978 photo, six objects
are zooming over Lake Washington. They are:

A. The Blue Angels
B. The Green Hornets
C. The Canadian Snowbirds
D. Hydroplanes that hit a floating log

2. Grand Marshal of the 1997 Torchlight Parade was:

A. Bill Boeing
B. Bill Clinton
C. Bill Speidel
D. Bill Nye

3. For decades, a different community leader annually has been designated King Neptune, Seafair’s honorary ruler. For the last four years, he’s had a female counterpart:

A. Princess of Tides
B. Queen Alcyone
C. Queen Latifah
D. Ursula the Sea Witch

4. On Sunday, in what's billed as Seafair's newest event, intrepid competitors in Bellevue will attempt a half:

A. Gainer
B. Nelson
C. Marathon
D. Gallon Milk Chug

5. Which of the following was NOT on the program of 1994 Seafair events:

A. West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival
B. Lynnwood Seafair Lynn-O-Rama
C. Kent Seafair Cornucopia Days
D. Duwamish Seafair Crawdad Races

	Question 6

6. These lovely ladies, photographed in 1951, added a graceful touch to the:

A. Aqua Follies
B. Seafair Precision Diving Team
C. Seattle-to-Mercer Island
     Swim-O-Rama
D. Original Sports Illustrated
     swimsuit issue

	Question 7

7. This little 1955 Seafair patron can’t stand the racket made by the boisterous:

A. Seattle Seahawks
B. Seafair Pirates
C. Boeing 747
D. New York Vinnie

8. An ad in a 1952 Seafair event program invited people to visit the Smith Tower, noting it was the tallest building west of:

A. New York
B. Philadelphia
C. The Mississippi River
D. Third Avenue

9. Beginning in 1977, this event was held immediately before the Seafair Torchlight Parade and drew thousands of participants:

A. Seafair Speed-Dating
B. The Great Seattle Salmon Smoke-off
C. The Torchlight Run
D. Ivar's Clam-Chowder Eating Contest

10. Which of the following was NOT a Seafair tradition in its wild and woolly early days?

A. Rum-soaked Pirates grabbing young women
B. The torching of a boat in Elliott Bay
C. The torching of a float at the end of a parade
D. One hydroplane starting races with "flying start" from under the western high-rise of the Mercer Island floating bridge while others circled the course

11. Seafair celebrates the region's ethnic and racial diversity. One of its popular attractions is the annual two-day festival of Japanese food, folk dances and artistic displays known as Bon:

A. Ami
B. Odori
C. Voyage
D. Marché

	Question 12

12. In one of Seafair's opening events and richest traditions, the Seafair Pirates at 11 a.m. Saturday will land:

A. At Boeing Field
B. At Alki Beach
C. At the hydro pits
D. In municipal court

13. The Seafair pirates, particularly in days gone by, sometimes frightened little children by:

A. Pretending to abduct them
B. Stowing them aboard the Emerald Queen Casino
C. Introducing them to City Council members
D. Wearing Old Spice

14. The legendary voice of the hydroplane races, who has called the action on radio and TV for more than three decades, is:

A. Chip Hanauer
B. Danny Kaye
C. Pat O'Day
D. Marv Albert

	Question 15

15. Seafair parades attract huge crowds, often up to 300,000 people, because:

A. Instead of tossing candy to the crowd, clowns hand out the latest Harry Potter book
B. Deranged clowns hijacked the floats and race them down the street, sometimes flipping them
C. Seafair holds one of the largest parades in the nation, with more than 2,000 participants and often lasting three hours
D. Budget cuts forced the closure of area parks, so there's nothing else to do

	Question 16

16. Drill teams, like the one pictured here in 1998, are a popular ingredient in Seafair parades because of their sharp performances, costumes and catchy names. Which of the following names is not a name of a drill team?

A. Drill-A-Rines
B. Electronetts
C. Babynetts
D. Marching Dentists

17. No boat has won more Seafair unlimited hydro races than:

A. Miss Budweiser
B. Miss Bardahl
C. Miss Wahoo
D. Miss Conception

18. Before Seafair was established in 1950, Seattle's big summer celebration was called:

A. Aquatennial
B. Potlatch Days
C. Pothead Days
D. Off because of rain

	Question 19

19. These contestants at a classic Seafair event struggle across a Green Lake course on pontoons held afloat by:

A. Swamp gasses
B. Milk cartons
C. A layer of milfoil
D. Railroad ties

	Question 20

20. Breakthroughs in hydroplane design:

A. Allow drivers to launch the boats into orbit if they're bored with the race
B. Allow drivers to launch the boat into orbit if the fans are bored with the race
C. Significantly reduce the chance of the driver being seriously hurt
D. Significantly increase the engines' ear-splitting roar