Seattle Twist

Zombies Invade Seattle (~again) for ZomBcon the world’s premier Zombie Culture Convention returns to Seattle October 21 – 23 at the Seatac Hilton.

A few bites about of how the infection will spread:

• Thom Carnell ensures that No Flesh Shall Be Spared
• Carnell vs Popham Round 2: Who will survive and what will be left of them??
• The Makings of Super Hero Panel Featuring Phoenix Jones and Vampy Bitme

• Zombie Tools: Blade Runners for the Apocalypse
• The Last Stand: Party at Survivor City
• Getting to the heart of the infection with Zombie Autopsies
• Zombies are People too!

Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse?

Even Playboy is talking about it:

The Northwest Chocolate Festival features the work of twenty bean to the bar craft chocolate makers. The NWCF is the largest gathering of true craft chocolate makers in North America, October 22-34 at Seattle  Center Northwest rooms.

A taste of what you will experience

• Learn about chocolate with presentations by award winning chocolate makers
• Crush cacao beans by hand using traditional tools
• Meet cacao farmers from Ecuador and Peru
• Learn to taste and distinguish fine chocolate from different origins around the world
• Taste and experience fresh cacao fruit direct from South America, a rare experience in the United States
• Discover the health benefits of chocolate
• Learn how to temper chocolate, make truffles and ganaches, and fine desserts
• Seduce your senses in the Aphrodisiac Room
• Expand your palate with chocolate and drink pairings

The amount of artisan chocolate makers gathering for this summit on fine craft chocolate is unprecedented and certainly exciting!

You will have the chance to taste chocolate as well as attend educational workshops and presentations in five of the Northwest Rooms at the Seattle Center. The festival features 16 hours of chocolate culinary demonstrations at the culinary kitchen in the Chocolate Dessert and Confection Room, two full days of talks on culture, trade equity and cocoa agriculture in the World of Chocolate Room.

They also offer the opportunity to enjoy wine, coffee, tea, and beer paired with chocolate in the Beer and Wine Garden.

Don’t miss out on the Aphrodisiac room to experience the sensual nature of chocolate and foods.

And don your mask and fancy ball gown for the Chocolate Masquerade Ball on Saturday night 8-12pm (21+)

http://www.nwchocolate.com/index.php/masquerade-ball

Northwest Flower and Garden Show

There’s still a month left of winter, but I know Spring’s just around the corner when the Northwest Flower and Garden show comes to the Seattle Convention Center.

Here are some of my favorites:

Container Show – Staged on the Convention Center’s Skybridge spanning Pike Street, 16 container gardens offer lots of practical ideas and inspiration, especially for apartment and condo dwellers.

Floral Competition – A display of artfully arranged blooms will delight anyone who partakes in the visual splendor. Located in the South Lobby, showcasing the area’s best and most innovative designers and florists.

The Playgarden – Inspired by Charlotte’s Web.

Gate Show – 20 unique garden gates. These gates showcase the talent of local artists.

It almost closed down a few years ago when the past owner decided he was too tired to keep it going, but under new ownership, the flower and garden show has just got better with age.

I’m excited to about exhibit based on the children’s book “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle. The focal point of this award-winning creation is a breathtaking
“crystal ball” that appears to float in the center of a reflecting pond.

The NW Garden Show runs Feb. 23-27th at the Washington State Convention Center. Quit whining about the snow and get down there!

Northwest Puppet Center is honored to become the home to this internationally acclaimed collection.

“The World of Puppetry: Treasures from the Cook/Marks Collection” will be the first opportunity for a portion of this massive collection to be displayed in Seattle.  Don’t miss your chance to see the world through wooden eyes with puppets from Bucharesti, Palermo, Bali, Athens, Osaka, Rio de Janeiro, Bamako, Bursa, and many more points on the globe.

Included on display are stunning examples of Sicilian opera dei pupi, Indonesian wayang and Japanese bunraku (some of the puppet traditions recognized by UNESCO as “Intangible Cultural Assets to Humanity”).  You will even see vaudeville marionettes returning to the limelight after making their original appearances on Seattle stages a century ago!

Northwest Puppet Center presents

The World of Puppetry: Treasures from the Cook/Marks Collection

Location:
Seattle Center Pavilion B (next to the skate park)

On View July 23-Aug. 1, 2010
6pm-9pm on Fri. July 23
11am-4pm on weekends
11am-3pm on weekdays

Admission is FREE but donations to Northwest Puppet Center are welcomed to help continue NWPC’s expanding museum efforts.

Exhibit sponsored by The Jacqueline S. Marks Fund at the California
Community Foundation and Seattle Center.  General support provided by ArtsFund and Washington State Arts Commission.

To learn more about the Cooks/Marks Collection:
http://nwpuppet.org/worldofpuppetry.html

Get a double-dose of puppets by combining your visit with the regional festival, Puppet-O-Rama,
organized by members of Puppeteers of Puget Sound, to be held at Seattle University July 30-Aug. 1.  International Puppetry Museum and Northwest Puppet Center will be hosting a reception at the regional festival on July 30 to celebrate this new collection and would like you to join in their celebration.   Come learn more about puppetry at the festival:  http://www.puppet-o-rama.org

Not a puppeteer and want to see puppet shows all around the area?

Find out where the Northwest Puppet Center will be performing this summer  http://www.nwpuppet.org/summer.html

After this exhibit at Seattle Center, more of the collection will be on display when the 2010-2011 season opens in November. Northwest Puppet Center will feature two exhibits each year and The Cook/Marks Collection will be a major portion of the Puppet Museum at the Northwest Puppet Center for generations to come.

To find out more about the Northwest Puppet Center’s 2010-2011 season performances: http://nwpuppet.org/weekend.html

From a common Leopard Gecko to a rare Boa morph, you will find a great selection of high quality, captive-bred reptiles and amphibians for sale at the Northwest Reptile Expo. Arachnids, feeders, supplies, cages, books and educational tables will be setup to allow one-on-one interaction with these “misunderstood” creatures.

Seattle Metro Reptile Expo
La Quinta
1425 E. 27th St. Tacoma, WA 98421
Saturday – March 13, 2010

LEONARD NIMOY, best known for his role as Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek series, will be visiting Seattle for Comicon on March 13th and 14th and he’ll be speaking and signing autographs both days.

Nimoy also directed the films Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (for which he also co-wrote the story)

He recently returned to television with his role as Dr. William Bell on Fox’s sci-fi series Fringe.

Comicon Schedule