TeenFest rocks the Plateau | Photos

Published 11:09 am Saturday, June 16, 2012

Nick Spinelli edges friend Andrew Tabit in a bungee relay at Teenfest.

Food? Check.

Music? Check.

Inflatable bungee relay? Check.

The fifth annual Sammamish TeenFest had something for everybody — a big draw for those who came out June 15 to the Sammamish Commons.

“I like how there’s all the food and the bungees and different stuff,” said Eric Plummer, who lives in Sammamish and attends the Bear Creek School in Redmond. “It’s nice because there’s more than one thing going on at once, you aren’t forced to do something, you can do more than one thing.”

Friday’s event started mid afternoon with a skateboarding competition for different age groups, ranging from 10 to 18. There were also several sponsored professionals on hand to wow the crowd with acrobatic tricks.

The gates to the concert venue opened at 5 p.m., where the local group Stereotype Nation got things going with a variety of covers of popular rock songs. Food options included kettle corn, pizza, ice cream, hot dogs and smoothies.

Kids of all ages enjoyed the variety of inflatable toys, including a jump pit, obstacle course and the highly popular inflatable bungee relay — a device that allows people to see how far they can race to one end, before being jerked backwards by a bungee chord.

Others simply relaxed in the grass and soaked in the atmosphere.

“I just think it’s a fun environment to be in with all the people that you know from school,” said Inglewood student Ria Nagar, who was at her first TeenFest.

Classmate Marley Martinez, who was at her second TeenFest, noticed a big difference from last year when popular Seattle hip hop artist Macklemore headlined the event.

“I feel like this year there were lots of different bands that we really didn’t know, so we came here for our friends,” she said.

While attendance was down significantly from 1,200 to roughly 500, those who came out for the music were treated to some very talented original acts, including locally grown bands Jacob McCaslin and Roll the Credits, Max Wang Band, SCINITE and Smote.

Headliner, the Theoretics, also impressed the crowd with their unique blend of hip hop, rock and soul.

“The kids who are staying and listening, they’re like ‘These guys actually are pretty cool,'” said Meghan Jowdy, director of operations for the Sammamish EX3 Teen & Recreation Center. “I mean how often do you include a saxophone with rap?”