MacBeth is back & has some things to set straight …

Trolloween is the Birthday celebration for Seattle’s famous Fremont Troll.

October 31st is the Trolls 21st Birthday!

It is held on his Birthday October 31st at 7pm ~sharpish.
The celebration  starts in front of the Troll under the Aurora Bridge (Troll Ave & N 36th St), as he loves a good laugh and a great story.

Then revelers will be off for the annual Haunt of Fremont (a procession of costumed dancers & performers (& you) taking over the streets of Fremont.)

This 21st anniversary of the birth of the Fremont Troll, you’ll be learning about MacBeth: a wronged man, back to set things straight. Many seasoned artists and performers will present their twisted and whacky version of Shakesspeares famous tales.

Rain or dry, revelers will sing, dance, marvel, and laugh their way through the dark underbelly of  Shakespeare and Fremont.   This is an unsweetened and piquant family event with plenty of fun to scare the laughs out of any stoic kid or stogy adult.

Vamola

Costumes are always highly encouraged!

If you can lend a hand to help pull off this fabulous piece of street theater, meet by the Troll at 6:30pm.

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:

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

The Aki Matsuri festival will be on Bellevue College’s main campus this weekend

Saturday, September 10th (10:00am-6:00pm) and

Sunday September 11 (10:00am-4:30pm.)

Admission & parking are FREE!

The festival features several special events such as a leather artist, Kimono presentation, Mikoshi Gishiki (full scale Omikoshi from Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America) and Taiko drum presentations.  Bonsai, Taiko, and Japanese garden presentations as well as puppet shows.

Be sure to catch the West Cascade Puppet Brigade’s ‘The Inch-High Samurai’ a tale of a tiny young man who sets off in the world to find his fortune.  He proves to be braver and more clever than the largest and scariest of foes.

See ‘The Inch-High Samurai’ on

Saturday September 10th in the Carlson Theater at 12:30pm & 2:45pm

& Sunday September 11th in Room E129 at 1:45pm & 4:00pm.

Please note that the times and venues are not the same for each day.

ENMA (Eastside Nihon Matsuri Association) is a non-profit organization of volunteers who want to preserve and further the arts and crafts of Japan for the enjoyment of the greater Seattle community.

Now in the 41st year,  Bumbershoot is world renowned for showcasing musical talent.  And while there are a myriad of music choices, Bumbershoot by it’s very name is an umbrella of the arts (from the slang: bum•ber•shoot —n. informal An umbrella.)

So be sure not to miss:

The Magic Show at the Center Pavilion everyday from 11am-8pm, a multimedia exhibit that explores illusion, conjuring, levitation, and transformation.

Get your guns up with 2010 Stranger Genius Award winner Marya Sea Kaminski’s Bonnie and the Robberi, a collection of rock covers, original songs, and monologues that explore societal themes of women with firearms, love, and violence and is backed by the musical talents of Landlords Daughter.

Bumber by Number a fully interactive color by number show featuring some of Seattle’s favorite visual art talents and is curated by the beloved Marlow Harris & Jo David.  Pick up a veggie and join in the communal art creation.

Movies at SIFF Cinema and McCaw Hall feature projects: Films4Families, 48 Hour Film Project, Nerds Unite, and Animation for Adults, just to name a few.

Just in case you spend all your Bumbershoot days watching movies, seeing visual art shows, eating and shopping the vendor booths.  You can still catch a fabulous line up of musicians at Bumbershoot After Dark, a collaboration with Decibel, One Reel,  Seattle Center, & Kaos Theory.  This late night (10pm-4am) celebration at Exhibition Hall, features some of the most acclaimed electronic music performers and deejays.  Saturday brings the musical stylings of Craze, Claude Van Stroke, Jokers of the Scene, and The Dowlz. Sunday’s line-up is Z-Trip, Four Tet, and Dam Funk. Bumbershoot After Dark is boasting this collaboration “to be the most adventurous stage configuration that any of the organizations have ever produced throughout their 100+ years of collective experience.”

Be warned if you go to Bumbershoot expecting to get a glimpse of John Oates fabulous mustache, you will be disappointed.  It has only been seen once in the last 25 years: last year’s National Moustache Convention where he was a special guest.  

For a breakdown of all the Bumbershoot events & happenings check the official SCHEDULE. Hall & Oates take the Bumbershoot main stage on Monday.

 April 29 – May 8, 2011

Esterhazy, Franz Josef Haydn created this opera especially for The Royal Marionette Theater at Esterhaza Palace. This opera features splendid live baroque music lead by the internationally acclaimed Margriet Tindemans.

Exquisite cast and sets by Carter Family Marionettes. The Carter Family presented this opera to sold-out crowds at the Sanssouci Palace Theatre of Frederick the Great.

“The Burning House” makes a triumphant return from Europe with a limited engagement of only two-weekends in Seattle.

Don’t miss your chance to see this masterpiece of music and marionettes!

SHOWTIMES:
Fridays at 8pm / Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm / Sundays at 2pm

Tickets available at:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/131198

or call: (800)838-3006

Review of Carter Family Marionettes’ production of “The Burning House” from Berlin’s newspaper: http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/wen-die-liebe-je-entzuendet/722300.html

All proceeds benefit Friends of the Cedar River Watershed.

Suggested donation is $20 per person.

Egan’s Ballard Jam House, 1707 NW Market St

Join us for the entire evening or drop in to catch an act or two.

All ages are welcome!

Featuring:

Host – Susan Harper, vocalist and songwriter www.susanharper.com
Steffan Soule ~ Magic that Moves www.steffansoule.com
Seattle Boys Tree-Oh ~ Delicious Harmonies
Hugh Sutten ~ Modern Troubadour
Lee Robinson ~ Folk/Country
Emilia Sosa ~ Jazz www.myspace.com/emiliamusic
Kylie Koyote ~ Devious Desert Nymph
www.facebook.com/people/Kylie-Koyote/100001889370789
Michael Murdock ~ Thespian

Friends of the Cedar River Watershed engages citizens to enhance and sustain watersheds through restoration, education, and stewardship.   www.cedarriver.org

SONG OF TENT CITY | Gallery Show
Opens Thursday 6 January 2011 (6-8PM)
Tether Design Gallery
323 Occidental Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98104

The show opening will include installation, artifact, audio and live interaction. Get an idea of what ’its like to live at Tent City. Meet some of the residents. Sit inside the mini-yurt the poet has been living in. Read poetry and handwritten journal entries written by homeless people in Seattle. Listen to audio clips from artist collaborations between Seattle artists and Tent City artists.

Participating Seattle artists include Lyn Coffin, Josie Elizabeth Davis, Vanessa DeWolf, Ann Sloper and Sam Trout. Audio was graciously recorded and edited by the amazing, Christopher Wilson. Artists, on both sides of the fence, have donated their time and efforts to make this happen.

The greatest expenses for TC3 are transportation, honey buckets and trash removal. 100 people live at Tent City 3. When available, two bus tickets per day help campers get to appointments and seek employment. Donations can be made during the First Thursday opening at Tether Gallery to help Tent City residents.

A K Mimi Allin’ Blog
Song of Tent City   http://songoftentcity.blogspot.com/

Tether Design Gallery   http://www.tetherdesigngallery.com/

City Arts Article about Song of Tent City   http://www.cityartsonline.com/issues/seattle/2011/01/home-sweet-tent

SPROUT   http://sproutseattle.org/

Fremont Abbey Arts Center, an arts center where everyone can discover something new, is a nonprofit, non-religious, arts & community organization.  It is a vibrant community venue where people of all ages & incomes are supported in their artistic and social development through  collaborative arts experiences.

Located in the artistic Republic of Fremont at 4272 Fremont Ave N the Fremont Abbey is home to The Round, soon to have its 70th monthly collaboration of poets, painters and musicians, that has moved on to cities all across the country.

Come celebrate this enriching organization’s 5th year with family hour face painting, happy hour in the Abbey Cafe, photo booth, music, a raffle, mini auction, door prizes, pin-your-heart-on-the-Abbey & more.

RSVP: www.fremontabbey.org/5greatyears

TICKETS: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producerevent/134732?prod_id=4401

DONATE NOW: www.fremontabbey.org/sustain

See artists in their native environment not just caged up in a gallery!

Art in the Woods is a self guided tour of Kitsap County artist studios.  The artists laire is one rarely understood and you have the chance to visit with these rare specimens, ask them questions, maybe even see a demonstration of their amazing talents.

You can view a full color brochure of the ARTISTS with open studios and a MAP of their native surroundings.

This is an annual event, scheduled the second week of November.

If your unable to make it this weekend, put it on your calendar for next year.

Art in the Woods is is created with the help of  Cultural Arts Foundation NW.