Merchants were pleased with the 2006 edition of the Junction summer festival, which brought an estimated record-breaking 50,000 people to the business district during the three-day event.

The crowd size was estimated by examining bank transaction records at automatic teller machines in the Junction area and by tallying food sales at the July 14-16 festival, said Danielle Bennett, spokeswoman for The Workshop, a professional event management company hired to run this year's event. They also took occasional snapshots of the crowd at certain locations to gauge attendance.

The 24-year-old event also sported a new name this year, changing from the West Seattle Street Festival and Sidewalk Sale to West Seattle Summer Fest.

The day after the festival ended, Angela Rae, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association, resigned. Both she and Junction Association President Dave Montoure said Rae is leaving to pursue business interests of her own and that there is no animosity in her decision to go. The search for a new executive director is underway, Montoure said.

There were more outdoor cafes serving alcoholic beverages. Food concessionaires lined the south side of Alaska Street rather than both sides, which provided more space for people to sit and enjoy their meal.

There was a skateboarding area and the ban on dogs was lifted. Even complaints about parking were scarce.

The Workshop employees were numerous throughout the Junction and equipped with walkie-talkies. Roving trash collectors kept litter to a minimum.

This year, the West Seattle Junction Association used well-known musical performers to attract people in their mid-30s, said Montoure, association president and part owner of West 5. The aim was to draw single people as well as families, who were first-time homebuyers and interested in music and politics.

"We were trying to hit that demographic," Montoure said.

Matt Vaughn, owner of Easy Street CDs & Tapes, lined up much of the musical talent for Summer Fest. John Doe, a founding member of the punk band X, performed as did Carrie Akre, 50FootWave and Green Pajamas.

"We wanted that old sidewalk sale feel again," Montoure said. The Junction Association wanted to recapture some of the flavor of the festival in its early years, so more arts and crafts vendors were invited and fewer commercial booths.

The Workshop also advertised Summer Fest throughout the city, Bennett said. They hoped to draw people from Georgetown, Columbia City and Southeast Seattle, she said.

There were about 200 craft and food booths, Bennett said. That's on par with previous Junction festivals. Vendor fees increased slightly this year, she said.

One of the most popular changes was having the booths in the center of California Avenue rather than along its curbsides. That was a modification made last year by Sherri Fadely, the 2005 organizer. The Workshop adopted and fine-tuned Fadely's idea.

In the past, the booths blocked the view of Junction businesses from the pedestrian corridor in the middle of California Avenue. So Fadely put the booths in the center of California Avenue facing outward. That created two pedestrian walkways on the street and opened up the sidewalks. More Junction merchants made use of the sidewalks in front of their stores during the three-day event.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.