It’s that time of year again – the Academy Awards are just over a week away. And in anticipation Skookum Clothing and Video Isle are hosting a Pre-Oscars Celebration tonight, Friday, February 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Skookum, located at 1629 Queen Anne Ave N.

The theme is “Fashion in Film.” Attendees are invited to dress up as their favorite movie character, and walk to red carpet, for a truly glamorous evening, at the party tonight.

And of course there will be prizes involved, though they won’t be in the form of a little gold statue. Instead there will be two chances to win $50 gift certificates. Fill out an Oscar ballot with your guesses at who will win, and compete in your very own best dressed competition with other party goers for a chance to win.

Champagne and snacks will be provided.

The Seattle Storm will be celebrating their WNBA Championship victory with a parade and celebration in Lower Queen Anne tonight. The Storm beat out Atlanta in a gripping 85 to 82 win yesterday.

The team will be arriving back in Seattle this afternoon. (Diehard fans who want to congratulate the team upon landing, can greet them at the airport: Delta flight 2129, arriving at SeaTac at 1:20 p.m.).

The parade will begin at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to line the streets from the KeyArena’s West Plaza, along the parade route. The parade will be followed by a championship celebration inside the KeyArena at 7:30 p.m. (fans should enter through the west doors).

The celebration is free and open to the public. No concessions will be open, however fans are allowed to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. Top Pot Doughnuts will also be representing at the party, selling snacks out of the Storm Team Shop and on 1st Ave after the parade.

The Fremont Fair & Parade won’t be the only place to celebrate the summer solstice around town this weekend–the Interbay P-Patch, located at 2451 15th Ave W, will be welcoming summer with a delicious salmon BBQ and solstice party this Saturday, June 19 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Dinner will include grilled salmon, a number of various side dishes and dessert. The cost is $25 per person, and children 12 and under get in for free.

This is Interbay’s major fundraising event of the year. Proceeds support Interbay’s gardening activities, including our porta-potty, used by gardeners, volunteers and visitors, and our huge food bank garden, which each year donates tons of fresh organic produce to the Ballard Food Bank and several other Queen Anne area community food and shelter programs.

Seating is limited, so if you’d like to attend, contact Becky Blackstock at becky.blackstock@comcast.net or 206-283-6250 to make a reservation.

The Interbay P-Patch is a 132-plot, 43,000-square-foot urban garden in the valley between Queen Anne and Magnolia, which not only provides residents with space to grow organic produce, but also puts on a number of community and charitable events throughout the year.

Enjoy shipping and shopping at the same time? The folks at Queen Anne Dispatch do! And to show their appreciation to their customers and the Queen Anne community, they’re inviting the neighborhood to a little party tonight, Friday, May 7 from 6 to 9 p.m.

They’ll be snacks and drinks, a live DJ, and a little sale. Queen Anne Dispatch is located at 2212 Queen Anne Ave. N. Keep up on QA Dispatch news on their blog.

Today, Wednesday, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, and a few businesses around Queen Anne will be celebrating with in house parties and special deals. Interested in getting in on the fun? Here’s where to go:

Blue Water Taco Grill – 515 Queen Anne Ave N.

• $5 food and drink specials all day at all locations: Choose any burrito and chips and salsa or a fountain drink for $5, or any two tacos and chips and salsa or a fountain drink for $5 (seafood not included)
• All day “happy hour” special on beer and margaritas at Queen Anne and Union St. locations for all of their Facebook fans and Twitter followers

El Diablo Coffee – 1811 Queen Anne Ave N. #101

• Daily drawings for $5 gift cards all month long
• Dessert giveaways (we heard they’ll be key lime and coconut cream mini tarts!)
• Door prizes (El Diablo logo items we hear)
• Live music from 2 to 10 p.m.
• 2000 prices on the famous “Cubano” drink–$1.65
• Fun Fact: Cinco de Mayo also happens to be El Diablo’s 10th Anniversary, so there are double the reasons to party!
• It’s also barista Maggie’s last day (she’s moving back to Greece), so don’t forget to wish her well!

Queen Anne Books – 1811 Queen Anne Ave N.

• They’ll be celebrating El Diablo’s 10th Anniversary too with a big sale through Sunday, May 9!
• 15% off of everything in the store
• 50% off special items
• “Galley Giveaway” with every purchase

The Spectator Sports Bar & Grill – 529 Queen Anne Ave N

• They’ll be celebrating with giveaways and “swag” all night long (the bar’s open until 1:30 a.m.)
• $2 Tacos
• $2 Tecate Beer
• $3 Amigo Tequila

Know another Cinco de Mayo celebration on the hill today? Share the details in the comments below or email us at tips@queenanneview.com.

El Diablo Coffee, a Queen Anne Ave N staple for almost ten years on the dot, is celebrating its anniversary all month long, with daily drawings for $5 gift cards and a new limited edition drink called the “Diablito” (two shots of espresso sweetened with condensed milk).

But the party’s only getting started! On Wednesday, May 5 (aptly Cinco de Mayo), El Diablo will host the main celebrations, an all day party in honor of the actual 10th anniversary of the devilish coffee spot’s home on the hill.

The El Diablo crew is planning fun and games all day long, including dessert giveaways (yum!), door prizes (yay!) and live music from 2 to 10 p.m. Want to make sure you remember to swing by? Add the event on Facebook.

El Diablo Coffee will be celebrating ten years on the hill next month, and to commemorate, they’ve decided to party all through May!

Beginning May 1, El Diablo will be introducing daily, weekly and monthly specials, including the “Diablito,” a new, limited edition concoction made from espresso and sweetened condensed milk.

For the actual anniversary, fittingly May 5th, i.e. Cinco de Mayo, El Diablo will be hosting an all day party!

Queen Anne Books will also be joining in the May celebrations for a few days, having a sale from May 5th to 9th, and the 1st annual “Galley Giveaway” with purchase. (Galley’s are free copies of books put together before final publication and handed out to reviewers–for some famous authors, these can be considered rare).

All the more reason to follow their devilish advice and consume lots and lots of coffee and cake in May! Happy ten years El Diablo!

(Thanks to Bruce for the tip!)

The Streamline is a friendly, dare we say divey, community bar that that has always kept a loyal neighborhood following. And after close to 30 years in Lower Queen Anne, it’s a place many regulars have grown to call home–especially during the holidays.

On Christmas Eve the bar was set to open at 2 p.m. When I arrived at 1:20, two of the owners opened up early and let me in. In twenty minutes half the bar stools were taken.

“Streamline is a product of blue collar Lower Queen Anne,” said one of the owners, former PI columnist and dive bar connoisseur Mike Lewis in an interview back in September. “It still sort of maintained it’s blue collar ethos when the neighborhood didn’t.”

Back in September Lewis bought the neighborhood staple with girlfriend Mary McIntyre, Gary Kelfner, the former owner of the College in Pub in the University District, and Ballard’s Locke and Keel owner John Herrmann. And despite giving the place a little face lift – restoring the sign and obtaining a liquor license to sever cocktails, which they’ve only had since Friday, December 18 – their aim is keep the almost Cheers-esque bar exactly as it is. Truly a place where everyone knows everyone else’s names.

(Pictured above from left to right: Bartenders Cathy and Greg, and co-owner Gary Kelfner getting ready for the Christmas Eve rush).

And unlike most business on and around the hill, Streamline will be open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to celebrate its own holiday tradition.

“We’re having our annual potluck for regulars and locals who don’t have a place to go on the holiday,” Lewis said. The buffet will start at 7 p.m., and a few regulars have already volunteered to bring in two ovens and roasts. “We’re asking those who can to bring a side dish or something. But those who can’t bring something also are very welcome,” Lewis said.

And to keep up with even more traditions, tonight the group of locals who organize the tricycle race from Targy’s on W Crockett St., down the hill and to the Streamline twice a year, will be holding a wind-up toy race at the bar. Check out the Streamline’s Facebook page for more information.

Whether or not you’re a Streamline regular, or a newbie looking for some good holiday fun, you’re in for a party. Earlier this afternoon the place was already full of laughing, hugging and singing of holiday songs – though not always in unison – between patrons getting ready for the Christmas Eve bash.

One set of friends howled while they tore up a few coasters and threw them at each other from across the bar. “The joy of the horseshoe bar!” one laughed, smiling at the others.

The Swedish Cultural Center is having a Scandinavian New Year’s Eve bash on Thursday, December 31. There will be Swedish meatball and yellow pea soup for dinner, and pancakes and champagne after midnight to celebrate 2010. The event starts at 8 p.m. at the Center, located at 1920 Dexter Ave N. More information here.

Whole Foods is having a pre-opening “house warming party” for their new Interbay location on Monday, October 12 from 4-8 p.m. and they’ve invited the surrounding communities to enjoy snacks and live music.

The store will open for shopping on Tuesday, October 13th.