We had a laid-back, happy time at Dope Emporium on Saturday. It felt like a hiphop block party: a family affair with barbeque, a beer garden, and kids running around doing cute things like breakdancing. There even was a producers' battle from which MTK (of Himalayan Rickshaw Run fame) emerged triumphant. Check out some photos from the event, taken by Seattlest and Terry Creighton.......

Seattlest arrived on scene soon after the Capitol Hill Block Party had opened. We wandered, checked out the stage locations and thought about getting a beer, then spotted a booth touting free bottled water. It looked like the booth had something to do with praying to the Earth Spirits or some other new wave white hippy crap, but we decided to take our chances. We asked for a water and oddly enough their were no......

Yes, we're Folklife enthusiasts. Where else can you get a funnel cake, a hip-hop spitfest, a latin dance party, and a contest for liars, all in one place? We quoted Prince in the headline because we wouldn't be surprised if he showed up at Folklife this year. There is so much shit going on this weekend, and you don't have to drive all the way to the silly Gorge and pay through your nose......

Seattlest has learned that Folklife, our favorite of the Seattle Center festivals, has gained the reputation of being a four-day conclave of smelly, weed-smoking, WTO-hating, free-loving hippies. Are there hippies at Folklife? Of course! But there are also old-timey banjo players, Ukranian folk dancers, West African griots and, as always, Artis the Spoonman. Stay away from the drum circles and your weekend can be hippie free. The big question at Bumbershoot is always "who's playing?"......