LAST SATURDAY EVENING was Moonlight Madness in Forks and packs of teens roamed downtown.
The music was loud and amply filled the space between the Almar Building and the Forks branch of the library.
Teen boys put their swagger on display for the teen girls in makeup who noticed the boys noticing them.
Meanwhile, parents and adults were everywhere, some not very subtly watching the teens like hawks.
It was the summer version of Moonlight Madness, the twice-yearly street party in Forks.
As usual, the main drag, Forks Avenue, was closed with barricades provided by the city for the three blocks from Calawah Way to B Street.
Set up in the library parking lot was the West End’s DJ Camello playing family-appropriate pop music.
In front of him, in what is usually a turn lane, were hula-hoopers doing a great deal of twisting and twirling to keep the bright rings aloft.
Most of those in this display of agility were boys and girls of elementary school age or younger.
Rick Seguin was grinning while navigating the crowded street as engineer of the West End Business and Professional Association kiddie train, filled to bursting with kids in the colorful cars specially decorated in red, white and blue for the 4th of July celebrations.
Lining the street were vendors selling the usual street fare: jewelry, coffee mugs and tie-dyed clothes.
There also was a booth selling an incredible variety of flavored cotton candy.
Also there were lots of home-baked sugary goods for sale to benefit various local events and programs. In a stroke of questionable genius, Phil Sifuentes was selling energy drinks and coffee to benefit the upcoming haunted house, a local favorite at Halloween.
At the southern end of town, Thriftway joined in the celebration with sales on clothing, shoes, hardware and household items.
This store also was in on the plan of offering deals on caffeinated drinks in the evening.
Between the barricaded section of street and Thriftway walked people in groups, some families, some groups of teen boys, some groups of teen girls.
Perhaps all jacked up on the cheap caffeine, the walk was a breeze in the warm Saturday evening at dusk.
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Zorina Barker has lived on the West End for most of her life.
She is married to a Forks native who works in the timber industry.
Both of her kids have been home-schooled in the wilds of the Sol Duc Valley. She can be reached at 360-461-7928 or zorinabarker81@gmail.com.
West End Neighbor appears in the PDN every other Tuesday.
Her next column will be July 23.
Hula hoops fluttered in downtown Forks as people shimmied and shook to the music of Midnight Madness last Saturday evening. (Zorina Barker/for Peninsula Daily News)