For the most part, Seattle's neighborhood festivals are made of the same stuff. You'll find the same inflatable play equipment, paid signature-gatherers and stately rows of Honey Buckets at the West Seattle Summer Fest, as you'll find at any other neighborhood street fair. What makes West Seattle's street fair different from all the others is the street.

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, three blocks of California Avenue Southwest will represent the singular charm of West Seattle. The 26th annual Summer Fest features live music on two stages, a giant family play area, two beer gardens, a sprawling arts and crafts fair, sidewalk sales by neighborhood businesses, art activities for kids, great outdoor eatin', the celebrated Saturday Night Street Dance and a number of wild cards that I'll get to in a moment.

The music lineup is solid. You'll hear the affecting roots-rock of Kristin Ward, the Hammond organ-driven jazz-funk of McTuff, the addictive salsa of Picoso, the bootylicious bump of The Saturday Knights and the dirty, driving rock of Shim.

You'll get cozy with the warm indie rock of the Preons, unapologetically bang your head to the metal of Zero Down and stomp your feet to the banjo- and fiddle-fueled majesty of the Maldives. Tullycraft, Westerly, The Lonely Forest, Carrie Akre and many, many others will work hard to ensure that Summerfest never goes without a soundtrack.

And if live music, shopping and street-roasted gyros aren't your thing, there's a skateboarding demo hosted by the Skate Church, live kung fu performed by Belltown Martial Arts, arm-wrestling with the Rat City Rollergirls and children's karaoke hosted by Skylark's karaoke king Matthew Darling.

Plus, the West Seattle Farmers Market grows even bigger on Sunday morning, and Next To Nature is hosting a cat-and-dog adoption event. The days are just packed.

And through it all, you'll have the West Seattle Junction -- the corner of Southwest Alaska Street and California Avenue Southwest, home to those awkwardly worded "WALK ALL WAYS WITH WALK" signs. ("Ask your doctor if "WALK" is right for you.)

Nearly everything that makes West Seattle great can be found within walking distance of that happenin' corner. This weekend, you truly can Walk All Ways on one of the city's liveliest streets and see the best of West Seattle spilling onto it from the sidewalks.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company