The First Hill Streetcar was celebrated Saturday with lion dancing, firecrackers, and an important announcement for the International District community. The celebration was the first of a series of community parties planned to mark the start of service on the much-delayed line connecting the Pioneer Square, the ID, First Hill, and Capitol Hill.

On the day, Mayor Ed Murray announced the neighborhood’s International Children’s Park will be renamed to honor Donnie Chin, a community leader murdered last summer.

The celebration came after weeks of free promotional service on the 2.5-mile line that is hoped to carry around 3,000 riders a day. A timeline of CHS coverage of the project from inception to launch is below. CHS visited the 10 stations along the route last week. Tuesday, the line begins its first fare service with adults paying $2.25 as the streetcar’s honor system kicks in for the first time. Riders will need to buy tickets or tap their ORCA cards before boarding. Paid service will bring the true test of the line’s utility and whether it can overcome the handicap of sharing the street with vehicular traffic.

Capitol Hill’s First Hill Streetcar party, by the way, will come in May in conjunction with the neighborhood’s monthly art walk. There will also be more free ride days for special events including July’s Capitol Hill Block Party.

CHS First Hill Streetcar Timeline

• 11/18/2008: Broadway could have streetcar by 2012
• 3/16/2009: Capitol Hill streetcar on track for 2012 — whether on Broadway or 12th
• 11/12/2009: 12th Ave-Broadway streetcar loop route proposal gets important backing
• 11/17/2009: 2013: ‘Expedited’ streetcar schedule approved
• 12/13/2009: Will the streetcar make a Stranger stop? 11th Ave option reportedly enters mix
• 1/8/2010: More support — and continued opposition — for 12th-Broadway streetcar alignment
• 3/19/2010: SDOT recommends Broadway for streetcar
• 4/27/2010: Streetcar plan approved — next stop, full Council
• 10/29/2010: Sound Transit board agrees to sign $132.8 million check for Pioneer Square-Cap Hill streetcar route
• 4/13/2011: Streetcar update: Broadway Bikeway will help Capitol Hill ‘reclaim the street’
• 10/27/2011: Mayor says First Hill streetcar means Seattle jobs — Construction starts in January
• 11/23/2011: Paid for and routed, First Hill streetcar gets final design touches before construction
• 4/23/2012: After the ceremony, what to expect on Broadway during streetcar construction
• 5/12/2012: Capitol Hill’s streetcar changes make for a busy Broadway
• 7/28/2012: Broadway streetcar track work reveals Broadway streetcar track work
• 9/7/2012: Streetcar Update | Construction begins on Pike to Pine section — Plus, downtown connector
• 10/30/2012: $3M to plan streetcar extension to north Broadway — Now we just need $25M to build it
• 7/12/2013: Along with lane markings and infrastructure, streetcar ‘art poles’ rise along Broadway
• 9/27/2013: Expect Capitol Hill detours with more streetcar construction, AIDS Walk
• 2/11/2014: Fire testing failure hangs up First Hill streetcar
• 3/12/2014: First Hill streetcar cables join Capitol Hill’s complicated web of wiring
• 5/19/2014: The needle and thread story behind Broadway’s new bikeway bollards, streetcar poles
• 10/1/2014: First Hill Streetcar manufacturer will pay for delays
• 1/28/2015: First Hill Streetcar delays are prompting SDOT director to visit Czech manufacturer
• 3/2/2015: First Hill Streetcar contract now targets summer opening
• 3/27/2015: A colorful start to Seattle’s First Hill Streetcar testing
• 5/19/2015: Testing, testing: First Hill Streetcar makes surprise Broadway appearance
• 6/29/2015: First Hill Streetcar service to begin in August… hopefully
• 9/29/2015: What’s holding up the First Hill Streetcar
• 10/21/2015: First Hill Streetcar enters ‘new phase of testing’
• 12/3/2015: ‘Safety Day’ provides preview as riders await First Hill Streetcar start of service
• 1/25/2016: 75 years later, streetcars return to Capitol Hill