Halloween events kick off this weekend and the Queen Anne Fall Carnival is Friday! For spooky events beyond the weekend, check out our Halloween Roundup, and we’ll also post a reminder about the big Queen Anne Ave trick-or-treat event soon!
Heads-Up for Mid-Week – Halloween! Halloween on Queen Anne Ave, no car traffic, please! Wednesday, October 31, 3pm-6pm, FREE
Weekend Traffic Impacts: Aurora Bridge: Bridge reduced to one lane in each direction and the Fremont Way N southbound on-ramp to the Aurora Bridge will be closed, Sunday, Oct 28 – Thursday, Nov 1, 9pm-5am
Sunday, October 28 Nothing??? Well, at least nothing in our search! Spend the day prepping for Halloween! Carve those pumpkins, put up decorations, get the candy ready!
The Queen Anne Movie Guild will be hosting a free screening of documentary film “The People Speak” on Saturday, June 11 as part of its Second Saturdays film series. From the QAMG website:
The People Speak is a beautiful and moving film inspired by Howard Zinn’s books A People’s History of the United States–first published in 1980 and one of the bestselling history books in the United States–and Voices of a People’s History of the United States, the primary-source companion to A People’s History of the United States, edited with Anthony Arnove.
Using dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries and speeches of everyday Americans, the documentary feature film The People Speak gives voice to those who spoke up for social change throughout U.S. history, forging a nation from the bottom up with their insistence on equality and justice.
Narrated by acclaimed historian Howard Zinn, The People Speak illustrates the relevance of these passionate historical moments to our society today and reminds us never to take liberty for granted.
The screening will be held at 7 p.m. at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located at 1606 5th Ave W next to the Queen Anne library. Movie-goers should use the Fellowship Hall entrance on W Garfield Street. Refreshments will be provided by Peet’s Coffee & Tea and Top Pot Doughnuts. The screening is, as always, free and open to the public, though donations will be accepted.
The Queen Anne Movie Guild will be screening Brother Towns, a documentary about two towns in different countries linked by immigration, family, and work–the highland Maya town of Jacaltenango, in Guatemala, and the coastal resort town of Jupiter, Florida, where many Jacaltecos have settled, this weekend as part of its monthly Second Saturday film series.
From QAMG:
Brother Towns chronicles a story of how and why people migrate across borders, how people make and remake their communities when they travel thousands of miles from home, and how people maintain families despite their travel. Because we are all immigrants, this is a universal human story, and a quintessential American one. All of us understand family.
Brother Towns is also a story of local and international controversy. News of undocumented immigrants is familiar in nearly every community across the U.S., and citizens must choose how they respond to this issue.
Welcome to Brother Towns, a place where there are no easy answers, but where emotions of every sort abound. Families are like that.
The screening will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located at 1606 5th Ave W. Moviegoers should use the Fellowship Hall entrance on W Garfield Street.
As always, admission is free, though donations to keep the Second Saturdays film series alive are welcomed.
Refreshments will be provided by the Interbay Peet’s Coffee & Tea and the Queen Anne Top Pot Doughnuts.
The Queen Anne Movie Guild is screening Call+Response, a documentary film on human trafficking, this weekend, as part of its second Saturday film series.
From QAMG:
CALL+RESPONSE is a first of its kind feature documentary film that reveals the world’s 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history. CALL+RESPONSE goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India to reveal that in 2009, Slave Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.
Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand account of this 21st century trade. Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.
Music is part of the movement against human slavery. Dr. Cornel West connects the music of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing.
There is a sea of change happening in human rights activism. The world’s issues cannot be solved alone by governments and non-profits, but require community-based participation. As a feature film, CALL+RESPONSE has the unique position of being not only a ground-breaking genre-bending film, but also serves as a deft tool in the hands of 21st Century Abolitionists. We provide activists with tactile strategic online and mobile tools to fight slavery everyday. We believe this is a fight that must that is won with passion, innovation, and commitment.
As always the screening will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located at 1606 5th Ave W (right next to the Queen Anne library). Moviegoers should use the Fellowship Hall entrance on W Garfield St. Coffee will be provided by Peet’s Coffee & Tea and doughnuts provided by Top Pot Doughnuts. Admission is free.
The Cave Singers will be performing a free, live, all ages show at their record release party at Easy Street Records tonight. The Seattle-based band’s third and latest album on Jagjaguwar, No Witch! came out today.
Curious about their tunes? Check out the video below of The Cave Singers performing on KEXP last August, or just swing by Easy Street at 20 Mercer Street to partake in the festivities.
After a little holiday hiatus last month, the Queen Anne Movie Guild is back in action, hosting a screening of the documentary film “At the River I Stand” as part of its Second Saturdays Series this Saturday, February 12. From the QAMG:
At the River I Stand chronicles the tumultuous events that unfolded over two fateful months in 1968. It began as a local strike by African American sanitation workers for human dignity and a living wage. The story eventually captured national attention and drew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, along with the assassin who would kill him. The results marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and the national struggle for racial and economic justice.
This film recounts the two months leading to Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, coinciding with the 65-day strike of 1300 Memphis sanitation workers. In 1994 it won the Organization of American Historians Erik Barnouw Award, and has been widely heralded as one of the most poignant documentaries about the civil rights movement.
As always, the screening will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, February 12 at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located at 1606 5th Ave W (the pink building next to the Queen Anne library branch). Moviegoers should use the Fellowship Hall entrance on W Garfield Street. Admission is free (though donations are welcome), and there will be coffee and doughnuts provided by the Queen Anne Top Pot Doughnuts.
If you were planning to head up the hill this weekend to see what documentary the Queen Anne Movie Guild is screening this month, you’re out of luck. The QAMG is taking a mid-winter hiatus from its Second Saturdays series this month. Usually the organization hosts a free screening of a different documentary monthly at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, inviting the neighborhood to enjoy good films, snacks and community. The Second Saturdays series will resume next month (February 12).
PI blogger Mary Cropp has discovered some potentially wonderful information: admission to the Space Needle will be free all day long tomorrow, Friday, August 13! Apparently Bausch + Lomb is celebrating the release of its new contact lens solution by making free access to the Needle for all (i.e. the first 10,500 visitors) for a day.
The Needle’s Observation Deck is open from 9 a.m. to midnight tomorrow. Check out the restaurants hours here. Admission is normally $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, and $11 for kids 13 and under (children under the age of three are always free).
Happy birthday Chocolopolis! On Sunday, July 11 the Upper Queen Anne artisan chocolate shop kicked off a week-long second anniversary celebration, filled with free tastings and fun special events for community members and patrons.
And there are still plenty of chances to partake in the chocolaty fun at Chocolopolis this week. Check out the schedule here:
Tuesday, July 13
1-2 p.m. – Tasting for Moms: Calling all moms! Chocolopolis would like to thank you for all you do. If you have 15 free minutes, stop by today for a complimentary guided tasting of 3 chocolates, offered at 1:00, 1:15, 1:30, and 1:45.
6-8 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Claudio Corallo Chocolate Tasting: From his base on the island of Sao Tome off the west coast of Africa, Claudio Corallo grows heirloom cacao and crafts it into a range of outstanding products. Enjoy samples of Corallo’s unconched chocolate as Claudio’s representative, Marie-Françoise, shares the story of this fascinating artisan.
Wednesday, July 14 – Bastille Day
1-2 p.m. – Book Reading for Kids: Our mouth-watering story hour will feature a dramatic reading of Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory. Curious George introduces kids ages 4-8 to the joys of monkeying around with chocolate. Kid-friendly chocolate samples will be provided during the reading.
2-5 p.m. – French Chocolate Tasting: Celebrate Bastille Day in an appropriately delicious way. Throughout the day we’ll be screening a video on lauded French chocolate maker Michel Cluizel (in both French and English). While watching, enjoy samples of rich, creamy chocolate from a variety of French makers. Feel free to BYOB (bring your own baguette) and improvise a celebratory pain au chocolat.
6-8 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Pralus Chocolate Tasting: Later in the evening we’ll narrow our focus to master chocolate maker François Pralus. A company representative will share the story of the venerable François Pralus and his ongoing quest for perfection. Put the story into context with samples from Pralus’ vast range of smooth, intense chocolate bars.
Thursday, July 15
6-9 p.m. – Customer Appreciation Party: Enjoy cheese, crackers and chocolate, and enter a drawing to win a visit to our “Chocolate Surplus Room”. As a special treat, sample our mysterious, luxurious Egg Cream soda –a delicious chocolate drink that contains neither eggs nor cream — expertly made by a genuine soda jerk from Brooklyn.
Friday, July 16
6-9 p.m. – Chocolate That’s Good for the Cacao Farmer: Taste chocolate by chocolate makers who purchase cacao directly from the farmer. A delicious way to learn a bit about Fair Trade certified, direct trade and profit-sharing programs that benefit the farmers and result in better-quality cacao (and tastier chocolate!).
Saturday, July 17
11 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Frozen Chocolate Tasting: Beat the heat (fingers crossed!) with samples of our frozen drinking chocolate. And if you’re feeling lucky, join the search for any Golden Tickets that remain.
6-9 p.m. – Guess-the-Ganache Challenge: Take the truffle challenge and put your taste buds to the test! Step up and see if you can distinguish the origin of the chocolates used in three of our single-origin truffles in a blind tasting. Enter your answers on a ballot to be eligible to win a box of truffles.
Sunday, July 18
3-6 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Theo Chocolate Tasting: Learn more about Seattle’s very own bean-to-bar artisan chocolate maker as a representative from Theo Chocolate shares the lowdown on their production process. Sample Theo chocolate and ask any questions about Theo’s products and progressive trade policies.
The film follows a Canadian town that was able to successfully ban the use of pesticides, inciting a province-wide movement:
Dr. Irwin’s persuasive arguments and data to back her findings eventually led the town of Hudson to enact a by-law that banned the use of all chemical pesticides and herbicides. The most mighty chemical companies in North America put their full legal weight on the tiny town and eventually the case made it to the Supreme Court.
The town’s right to protect its citizens was upheld, and — like a row of dominos — other municipalities followed suit. The movement spread so far and wide that the entire province of Quebec enacted a ban and Home Depot stopped putting the dangerous pesticide products on their shelves.
Paul Tukey, one of the nation’s leading experts on organic lawn care has been following this story for years. After becoming seriously ill with acute pesticide sensitivity from applying chemical lawn products in his own lawn care business, he became an outspoken advocate for alternatives to chemical lawn care. He travels across the country lecturing on the subject and has written the nation’s leading book on organic lawn care titled, The Organic Lawn Care Manual.
This documentary follows his journey that leads to the doorstep of Hudson, Quebec. It’s an inspiring story of overcoming great odds and demonstrates the power of people coming together to effect great change in our society.
Seattle Center and the KeyArena are inviting the public to come skate around the ice at the Key for free until 8 p.m. today, Friday, June 4.
Free admission, free skate use and 17,000 square feet of ice offer a cool way for families and friends to slide into summer!
There are no tickets required. Skating session begin at the top of each hour and lest 40 minutes. Some concessions stands will be open and selling snacks.
The Free Skate is part of ongoing efforts by Seattle Center Productions, the public programming arm of Seattle Center, to open Seattle Center campus venues for free public activities. The ice is in place on the KeyArena floor for Smucker’s Stars on Ice, May 29, featuring Winter Olympic ice skating champions.
For the next few weeks Starbucks will be showing its gratitude to Seattle for being home to and helping create its global coffee culture, by giving away free tickets to special events at participating Starbucks around town after 2 p.m. every Friday from today, May 21 to June 18.
Both the Upper and Lower Queen Anne Starbucks locations are participating in the event. Though there is no purchase necessary, according to Starbucks, there will only be about 100 vouchers at every story per promotion, so get there quick!
Today they will be handing out vouchers for a free ticket to a Mariners game (valued at $20) redeemable at any of the following games: June 1 (vs Minnesota), July 6 (vs Kansas City), July 20 (vs Chicago), August 5 (vs Texas), August 10 (vs Oakland) or August 31 (vs LA).
On May 28, they’ll have vouchers to see one film at the Seattle International Film Festival (must be used by June 13). On June 4 its a voucher for a free weekday admission at the Seattle Art Museum. On June 11, you’ll get free weekday admission for one child at the Seattle Aquarium. And on June 18, you’ll get free admission to selects shows of the new Broadway production of “Burn the Floor” at The Paramount. Details here.
See ratings and reviews of
The Cave Singers
At the River I Stand chronicles the tumultuous events that unfolded over two fateful months in 1968. It began as a local strike by African American sanitation workers for human dignity and a living wage. The story eventually captured national attention and drew Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, along with the assassin who would kill him. The results marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and the national struggle for racial and economic justice.
If you were planning to head up the hill this weekend to see what documentary the 
