There’s a ton going on in the music scene this Labor Day weekend, that’s never real news (Bumbershoot and Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge). But another event which highlights cool blues music, charity and sharing quality, organically grown food. Seattle’s Blues for Food Fest takes place on Saturday, September 1 at Magnuson Park.

The all-day, all-ages event celebrates food, music and community!

Enjoy live music by some of the finest blues bands in the Northwest, fresh tasty food from local vendors, a fabulous auction of luscious, homemade pies, children’s gardening activities..and free parking, too!

Blues for Food Fest raises money and awareness for the people and organizations in Seattle that grow food for the hungry. Proceeds from the festival go to P-Patch Giving Gardens, the P-Patch Trust and the Washington Blues Society’s Musicians Relief Fund. We welcome your donations of non-perishable food and fresh produce at the festival.

A little history…

• In 2007, Deb Rock, a local woman who has been running the Food Bank Garden at Interbay P-Patch since 1999, decided to remedy the lack of a blues festival in Seattle by creating one of her own. What made this festival unique was that it combined her lifelong passion for the blues with her other passion, growing organic food for the hungry. Local blues musicians were eager to perform for the cause and help raise money for the P-Patch Giving Gardens Deb cares about so deeply. With help from P-Patch Trust, she secured a venue, spread the word, printed posters, got people to bake pies to auction off, found friends willing to contribute time and energy, and pretty much pulled the whole thing together herself. She called it Blues for Food Fest and it was an instant success.
• Since then, Blues for Food Fest has grown into an all-day Labor Day weekend event that attracts hundreds of people and raises thousands of dollars. The money goes directly to support P-Patch Food Bank and Giving Gardens and blues musicians.

This year’s line up…

12:00   Little Bill Trio

1:30     Stacy Jones Band

3:00     Ben Rice

4:30     Lady A and The Baby Blues Funk Band

6:00    Teresa James and The Rhythm Tramps

7:30     Junkyard Jane’s 15-year Anniversary Party with Sue Orfield

I am so philanthropic it hurts. Literally. Two weeks ago my legs hurt from snowboarding for the American Cancer Society. Last weekend I hurt my liver drinking for multiple sclerosis. And this weekend, and I am going to hurt my legs, liver and lungs running for the children. Yes, Saturday is the annual St. Patty’s Day Dash benefiting a variety of Northwest children’s charities. In 2011, the event contributed over $200,000 to its non-profit partners. This year, funds will be directed to Camp Fire USA Puget Sound Council, Seattle Children’s Autism Center, Rise n’ Shine, and the Healing Center.

Here is my favorite description of the event from its website:

“The F5 St. Patrick’s Day Dash is a family event with something for everyone. There are young athletes racing to be the first across the Finish Line, and the middle-age, former jocks racing to be the first in the beer garden… You’ll see a diverse group of participants. Don’t be surprised if you’re passed by a human pot of gold, a 6ft 3in leprechaun, a 4-pack of Guinness cans or a grown man in a tutu. With all of the costumes, it’s like a spring version of Halloween.”

Um, fun! I know I’ll be there trotting along in all green. Join the fun! I’ll see you in the beer garden.

Click here to register. And go running, drinking, tutu-ing with this guy:

Okay. I’ll admit it. I’m addicted to shoes. I have two closets packed with shoes, and that’s AFTER I got rid of a bunch of them during my move last year. I can’t help it, I see a cute wedge or a sexy little peep-toe and I fall in love! So I got super excited when I heard that Cole Haan is giving away a pair of shoes every month for a year to a lucky winner at Fashion’s Night Out at UVillage next Thursday!

On Thursday, September 8, University Village is hosting Fashion’s Night Out as part of the global initiative to celebrate and support the fashion and retail industry. Cole Haan isn’t the only store that will have a giveaway that night, merchants will offer fashion demonstrations, giveaways, gifts with purchases, discounts and other in-store events. Events, giveaways and deals will run from 3-9pm. You can find the whole list of events and store promotions on the Fashion’s Night Out website. U Village is even giving away 200 swag bags to the first 200 shoppers!

It’s a perfect night to grab your girlfriends for a night out of shopping! This is a fantastic event for every fashionista out there, however there will be events for everyone. There will even be a “Man Cave Destination” at Sony with sports and PlayStation for the guys who need a shopping break.

Not only can you score some great deals for yourself, but you can also give back to a child in need. U Village will be hosting a children’s coat drive for Wellspring Family Services. Wellspring helps homeless families in King County get back on their feet. If you donate a new or slightly used coat, you will be entered to win a $500 U Village Shopping Spree.

You can RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook and on Twtvite. You can also follow U Village on Facebook and Twitter. U Village is making Fashion’s Night Out social by using the #UVFNO hashtag.

I can’t wait to go and check out the shoes and the other deals! Hope to see you there!

Leave me a comment and tell me which promotion or deal is most interesting to you.

Today is the  day to Give BIG to Seattle area non profits. And it’s really simple to do.

Make a donation to any of your favorite King County non profits through The Seattle Foundation’s own Giving Center and The Foundation will stretch  your contribution, and everyone elses by $500,000. I don’t know about you but I’m aware of some fantastic non-profits that could use this extra cash.

If you can’t make up your mind – or aren’t familiar with the non-profits on the list, you can direct your donation to a special fund that will allow The Foundation President & CEO, Norman B. Rice, and our Grants Committee make the decision for you.

Also, throughout  Give BIG, donors will be chosen at random to have additional funds given to the charity that received their donation. We will be giving away one Golden Ticket every hour worth $1,000, and one extra special Golden Ticket worth $5,000!

You have just over 12 hours left in the day to get out there and Give BIG!

So this morning right before I wrote this post I made my annual donation to KEXP.  They just finished their Spring membership drive which means my radio will go back to playing more music and spend less time talking about how I need to give it money.  Now I can be one of those people who smugly walk around in my KEXP t-shirt with my KEXP sticker on my KEXP water bottle and even more smugly expound on the virtues of local, non-profit radio while looking down on those without my superior taste in music.  Or, maybe I could just be someone who wants to contribute to something she really likes. (Though I did get a couple t-shirts out of it) (more…)

I’ll be there with bells on!

Photo credit: Seattle Jingle Bell Run website

Usually a figure of speech but literally, this Sunday, December 12, I will be there with bells on. Bells on my tennis shoes that is! At the Seattle Jingle Bell Run/Walk 2010.

Starting at Westlake Center and winding through downtown, this 5K run benefits the Arthritis Foundation makes it’s 26th annual appearance to get runners, walkers, adults, kids and elves in the holiday spirit and raise money for one of the nation’s leading causes of disability. Indiviual and team enteries were encouraged to drum up donations and sponsors for the event. So far $502,803 (as of this morning)  has been raised toward a goal of $750,000! Every single runner counts, in this case.

And it’s not too late to register. While online registration is now closed, you can register on Saturday, December 11 between 10am – 4pm at North Seattle Community College in the College Center building at the Baxter Events Center, or on Sunday starting at 6:45am inside Westlake Center on the third floor.  Registration fee for adults is $30 on Saturday and increases to $40 on Sunday.

The morning is chalk full of fun pre-race events for kids and adults including a photo booth and costume contest. And, of course, for the adults the event concludes at the Widmer Brothers Holiday Cheer (beer) Garden!

Here’s the full schedule:

• 6:45 a.m. – Last Minute Registration & Will Call open
• 7:00 a.m. – On the Edge Images Photo Booth opens
• 8–8:30am – Warm 106.9 Costume Contest judging (Warm 106.9 booth)
• 8:20 a.m. – Children’s 1k Run with the Elves
• 8:30 a.m. – Meet the 2010 Honorees (stage)
• 8:45 a.m. – Last Minute Registration & Will Call close
• 8:50 a.m. – Rudolph Runners race wave (red bibs)
• 9:00 a.m. – Dasher Dashers race wave (green bibs)
• 9:10 a.m. – Santa Striders race wave (white bibs)
• 9:15 a.m. – Widmer Brothers Holiday Cheer Garden opens

For more answers to your questions see the event FAQ here.

Hands-down one of the most awesome races/relays/family activities in Seattle is creeping up on us. And just in the nick of time to help us detox from this crazy warm weather we’re having in November- if this is La Nina, then I’ll take it.

Gather your friends, co-workers, family, and any one else looking to have a great time (and perhaps burn some calories too) and participate in the Winter Pineapple Classic 2010. Strap on your grass skirt, secure your coconuts and hang on to your pineapples (literally) because this is no ordinary jog around the park.

The hawaiian themed team event is on Saturday, November 13, 2010, first wave of participants starts at 9:00 A.M. The race is at new venue this year to accommodate additional parking and adequate space to set up the 3-mile-long obstacle course (Mountain Meadows Farm: 10106 422nd Lane SE, North Bend, WA 98045 Map). Your team, carrying a pineapple, is timed as you complete a 5k run with obstacles dispersed throughout the course. You will need your teammates to help complete some obstacles.

Have a little fun with this one, dress up, get dirty, laugh and celebrate the island life without even getting on a plane.

Fees are $60/individual, $105/2-person team, and $185/4-person team.  Please categorize your team as either Honu (Hawaiian for turtle — teams that plan to walk), Wiki (Hawaiian for fast — teams that plan to run), or Kekoa (Hawaiian for warrior — teams that plan to win this race).

Register teams as:

• Teams of two or four in single gender or co-ed teams.
• King Kamehameha teams are 2-person teams over 400 lbs or 4-person teams over 800 lbs.

Awards will be given to the fastest teams in all categories and prizes will be given for Best Aloha Spirit (costume).

The Winter Pineapple Classic happens rain or shine, so while we’re being spoiled now with gorgeous fall weather, be like a Washingtonian and bring a change of warm clothes, just in case.

The Winter Pineapple Classic benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society whose mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

This ain’t your Grandma’s bingo!

Once a month, Lifelong AIDS Alliance takes over Fremont Studios for a night of outrageous and over-the-top fun.

Each month has a different theme (May 22nd is “Blue Hair Gay Bingo,” and June 19 is “Beach Blanket Gay Bingo.”), and if you dress appropriately, you are entered in a contest run by the always-entertaining Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The Sisters also fill the role of BINGO wardens to keep things moving along.

Your host for the evening is the delightfully naughty Aleska, who loves to call out a certain number, and prefers to use a soft ‘G.’ Make sure you get your tickets early, because they frequently sell out, and you don’t want to have to wait until next season to check it out. $25 gets you into the event, and cards for 10 games. Special games are held throughout the evening, and are $2 apiece. One blackout game is held each evening, costs $4 to play, and could potentially net you $1,000 cash.

Want to get even more involved? Sign up to volunteer at the event. They are always looking for people to help with set-up, tear-down, ushering, working merchandise tables, or serving Queen for a Day tables. Would you rather be treated like a queen for a day instead? Tables for eight are available for $35/person, and include 10 games, a free dauber per person, a complimentary drink per guest, and a free item from the food court. Side note: I really hate the word “dauber” – let’s call it a “dabber” instead, people.

A little tip – bring plenty of actual cash. The ATMs ran out when I went, and it was a while before they were restocked. Cards are no good there (except to withdraw more cash), and there’s plenty to enjoy outside of the games.

Now in it’s 17th season, Gay Bingo runs from January to June. So, come out and join 750 of your closest friends in supporting the Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

I know what you’re thinking.  (Oh, I really do.)  Seven games into the baseball season and our beloved Mariners are at 2 wins, 5 losses.

Wow, that looks way tragic when you type it out.

^_^2 wins!^_^

5 losses.

Eh, I know.  It’s only seven games into the season.  There are 155 games left and eons of time to knock the heads off the rest of the League.  Truly, all we need are something like 92 awesomesauce victories and we’ll be in the good.  Just 90 left, at this rate.

from seatownsports.net

But maybe you’re not a baseball fan.  Maybe you think it’s slow, or boring, or you have a deep, ingrained fear of maple wood baseball bats.  Or moose.  You couldn’t care less if we win or lose or turn the Mariners out to sea to compete in a Trans-Pacific rowing contest, because baseball really just doesn’t make any sense.

Two things:  First, knowledge of baseball trivia could be the difference between being greeted as an American comrade or being detained as a filthy Nazi spy (True story.  Also, try to remember what the capitol of Illinois is).  Second, the Mariners baseball team in particular has always been, and continues to be, a vital contributor to our community.  Last year, the Mariners helped raise over $800,000 for local charities and programs.  And guess what?  For the extremely reasonable price of a Mariners baseball ticket, you can help them raise funds this year!

I’m just crazy about helping.  Also about the Mariners.  You can’t imagine how exciting this is for me.

For example, if you read my post last week and still feel like doing something for our soldiers, how about attending a baseball game?  This Saturday, April 17th, Tigers v. Mariners and, oh yeah, Salute to Armed Forces Night? Honor our men and women in uniform, drink some beer, and watch the Mariners clean up.

Or maybe you like to be more vindictive about your good causes.  Well, who here hates that vicious, pernicious bitch, cancer?  Everybody, Mariners included.  So – and I’m serious about this – purchase a ticket for May 4th, Rays v. Mariners, and part of the ticket sales for that night will go to benefit the American Cancer Society.

And if you’re truly not a sports person, you can always donate to the ACS directly here.

An important note for soccer fans:  The Sounders may have only been here a year,

from www.soundersfc.com

but, let’s face it, they are also immensely awesome – both on the field, and in their dedication to the betterment of their community.  Next Sunday (the day after the Sounders send the Kansas City Wizards back to their yellow brick road looking sour-faced and loser-sore) coaches, players, and fans will descend on Franklin High School to make it just a little better for the students who attend.  You can sign up to join in here.

Let’s face it.  Here in Seattle, sometimes our teams win and sometimes they lose.  Okay, they lose fairly often-ish (but not this year).  I’ll always cheer for them and part of that ridiculous, irrational fanaticism comes from things like this.  They care about Seattle, and so do I and, sometimes, that’s enough.

I don’t know if it’s something in the air, or hops, as it were, but there are three festivals in the next two weeks that celebrate the similarities and differences in that brew known as beer.

Next Saturday, head down to Leavenworth for “an-ale-of-a-party” at 2010′s Ale Fest. Thrown yearly to benefit the Leavenworth Nutcracker Musuem, Ale-Fest will feature beer tastings from 20 different micro breweries, “delicious foods and popular Northwest bands.” Tickets are already on sale here, and are $20 in advance, but $25 at the door. The festivities begin at noon and you must be 21 to attend.

One week from Friday marks the beginning of the two-day Hop Scotch Festival. While this event isn’t strictly about the hops, it does feature more than 80 different beers, wines and spirits. Proceeds from Hop Scotch go to support the Seattle International Film Festival (not surprisingly, an event that is near and dear to my heart). I’ll be volunteering, so stop by Fremont Studios on Saturday the 24th and say hi.

I’d recommend getting tickets in advance – especially if you want to attend any of the scotch seminars. One day entrance with a souvenir glass is $20 in advance, and the price goes up to $25 on the day of the event. Grand admission is $25 in advance, and $30 day-off and that gets you five extra tasting tokens. Hop Scotch starts at 5pm on Friday and goes until midnight, then starts at 1pm on Saturday. You might want to get in there early – once a beer runs out, you miss out.

Last, but certainly not least, the 8th Annual Hops and Props will take over the Museum of Flight from 7-10pm on the 24th. Unfortunately, member and general admission tickets are sold out, but there are a limited number of VIP tickets available. Tickets are $100, but aside from admission, VIPs are treated to an exclusive food and beer pairing event, the VIP Hops and Props Gourmet Soiree. If you do make it to the festival, you can look forward to catering by McCormick and Schmick’s, live music from the Dudley Manlove Quartet, a commemorative glass, an informational tasting guide and access to the Museum’s galleries.

Whatever your preference, spring certainly seems to be off to a hopping good start.