Popular KIRO-FM talk show host Dave Ross will be the master of ceremonies for the Seattle edition of “The Rally to Restore Sanity” on Saturday, October 30 at Westlake Park. The rally will coincide with the Jon Stewart-hosted rally of the same name, scheduled for the National Mall in Washington D.C. at the same time.
Stewart is the host of “The Daily Show” on the Comedy Central cable channel.
The local rally is scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m., coinciding with the kickoff of the Washington rally at noon eastern time. Visitors will be able to view the Washington event live on a 10-by-14-foot TV screen, according to Seattle event co-coordinator Jim Baum.
Stewart announced Tuesday that the Washington rally, scheduled for three hours, will be broadcast live on the Comedy Central cable channel, and streamed over the Internet at the Daily Show website. C-SPAN reportedly will also broadcast the rally.
Details of both the local and national events are still sketchy; however, roughly 3,700 people have signed up for the Seattle event, Baum said. The Facebook page for the Stewart rally has over 203,000 people indicating they will attend. The Facebook page for the companion “March to Keep Fear Alive” event, hosted by fellow Comedy Central pundit Stephen Colbert, lists 87,000 more.
Other local personalities are in discussion to appear, Baum said, but no names other than comedian David Crowe are being released at this time.
The Seattle event will incorporate the Washington telecast but will be seen on a slightly delayed basis—perhaps 10 minutes—allowing local event organizers to present their own speakers and presentations. Other portions of the telecast may be delayed as well to give more time for local event.
All city, police, Westlake park and neighborhood coordinator permits are on track for the event, Baum noted.
The event is non-political, he added, and is neither sponsored nor supported by the New York-based "Daily Show." The sponsors have raised nearly $4,500 of an estimated $20,000 required for the event, according to the rally's website.
What happens if it rains? The stage will be covered and the show will go on, Baum noted. “Other than that, it’s Seattle. If we’re going to let the weather keep us from the [event] we’re screwed.”
