Mountain View
Maria Shimizu Christensen
A Huge Schedule of Festivals and Fairs in May
Festival season starts to get into swing in the month of May, with celebrations taking place all over the region. And while May weather is a wild card, most of the events are held rain or shine. You won’t have to go far to find something to do close to home. The hardest part will be choosing.
Lots of Free Samples From Interior Designers and Architects
Are you crafty? Do you like upcycling castoffs into new and beautiful things? Are you a woodworker looking for scraps? A quilter or sewer always on the lookout for pieces of quality fabrics? An artist working in multiple mediums?
The Evergreen Spring Home Show: Inspiration for Your Dream Home!
Have you started or finished spring cleaning this year? Dreaming of updating or renovating? Planning your garden beds? The Evergreen Spring Home Show can help and it’s running this weekend, April 26th through April 287th, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe.
The Victorian Heritage Festival Is in Port Townsend This Weekend
Roll back the clock well over a hundred years this weekend in Port Townsend. The Victorian Heritage Festival is a little piece of living history, with demonstrations, tours, and talks, but it goes even further, with costumed people walking the streets in Victorian garb.
Free Entrance Day Today for National Park Week
Three national parks cover a vast swath of Western Washington: Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park, and North Cascades National Park. In this region of outdoorsy people, chances are you’ve visited at least one of them.
Kenmore’s Earth Day Celebration Short but Sweet
Earth Day 2024 is on Monday, April 22nd, but it’s hard to hold public events on a workday. The City of Kenmore is getting around that by holding their Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 27th. After all, the actual day is less important than the thought put into it.
3 Days of Fun With the Tulip Festival Street Fair
The tulips are now in full bloom and the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is at its height. With good weather in the forecast, it’s the perfect time to take a break from touring the tulip fields and head to the Tulip Festival Street Fair in downtown Mount Vernon.
Seattle Restaurant Week Is Way More Than Just Seattle
It’s a good concept with a misleading name. Seattle Restaurant Week actually lasts for two weeks and covers 14 cities outside of Seattle. For set prices - $20, $35, $50, and $65 – you can enjoy a meal at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try, and in many cases, stretch your budget a little further. With the price of eating out these days considerably more than even a few years ago, it’s nice to find some good deals.
Kick Off Festival & Fair Season With the Puyallup Spring Fair
For two weekends in April you can enjoy all the fun a big fair has to offer without waiting for the big one in the fall. The Spring Fair in Puyallup has nearly as much going on and makes a great family outing. In fact, I enjoy it a little more because the crowds aren't quite as big.
91 Years, 4 Cities for the Daffodil Festival Grand Floral Parade
The Daffodil Parade is one of the longest running traditions in the Pacific Northwest and the only parade to march through four cities on the same day. And despite the fact that it’s a large 4-city event, it’s also very much a hometown, community-focused happening.
Tacos and Wrestling With the Taco Libre Truck Showdown
Taco trucks, a mariachi band, and lucha libre matches are coming to Seattle’s Magnuson Park for one delicious night on April 6th. The trucks will all be competing to see who has the best taco. Trucks include Tijuana Tacos, Off the Rez, Birrieria Pepe el Toro, and Tamale My Life. Come find your favorite. There will be 15 different food trucks and booths at the event, which also features a margarita bar, cantina photo booth, and the popular night market.
The Tulip Festival is Nearly In Bloom
Once a year over a million people visit the biggest tulip festival in the country, and the time is once again upon us. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival officially begins on April 1st and runs through the end of the month. It sometimes runs longer, depending on whether or not the flowers are still blooming.
Have Some Country Fun With Boots, Barrels & Brews
Enjoy a night of good food, country music and line dancing while supporting the Issaquah Kiwanis Club’s mission to help local youth and community groups. On Friday, March 22nd, the organization is hosting the 9th annual Boots, Barrels & Brews. $55 gets you entrance, food, 3 drink tickets, a dance floor and live country band, raffles and an auction. If you wait until the 22nd to get your tickets they’ll be $65.
The Alki Winter Beer & Food Truck Festival Supports Special Olympics
Several things are going on at the Alki Winter Beer & Food Truck Festival being held on Saturday February 24th. A beer garden, food trucks, DJs spinning tunes, and a Polar Plunge make it a full day of fun.
Bring Your Dog to the Seattle Home & Garden Show
The biggest home show in the Pacific Northwest starts on Thursday February 22nd and runs through Sunday February 25th. Covering every aspect of the home, indoors and outdoors, you’ll find an enormous variety of vendors, displays and topics covered.
Stellar Guest List at This Year’s Emerald City Comic Con
I don’t attend the Emerald City Comic Con every year, but sometimes the guest list convinces me that it’s a show not to miss. Such is the case this year. I discover writers new to me at ECCC, thoroughly enjoy a stroll through Artist Alley, admire the cosplayers, and take photographs galore. It’s always a little thrilling to see creators and entertainers who embrace their nerdy fandom in person.
Dozens of Free Seminars at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival
It’s fitting that the 5 dayNorthwest Flower & Garden Festival starts on Valentine’s Day. It is, after all, a huge love letter to all things gardening. The best gardeners, landscape designers and outdoor experts will be on hand to share their knowledge and help you turn your outdoor spaces into the spaces of your dreams.
Massive Free Healthcare Clinic Coming Up
Healthcare isn’t cheap and if you don’t have health insurance it’s often out of reach. Even if you do have health insurance, deductibles and co-pays can make you put off getting needed care when you have important bills to pay. If any of this applies to you, the largest free healthcare clinic in the state is coming up.
Kids Free at Northwest Trek on Weekends in February
Keeping kids entertained on weekends can be challenging and expensive. Northwest Trek in Eatonville has an answer for that. Every weekend in February two kids 12 and under can get in for free with one paid adult admission. Adult tickets cost $25 at the front gate. You can’t use the discounted online tickets for this promotion.
Admission Discount and Free Days for the Tacoma Home + Garden Show
4 days packed with free seminars and talks, showcase gardens, a local makers market and every kind of vendor imaginable. That’s the Tacoma Home + Garden Show being held in the Tacoma Dome from January 25th through the 28th.
Maria Shimizu Christensen
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Author of a Seattle handbook for newcomers, Maria provides news, guides, and tidbits for city dwellers, visitors, and day trippers
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