Seattle Entertainment, Activities, Events : Seattle on the Fringe by Stacey Merrick : Music, Dancing, Burlesque, Dining, Bicycle, Comedy, Offbeat, Unusual

I spent much of last weekend watching the Olympics, and the event that I spent the most time watching was curling.  It was not the most exciting sport to me, but it was like a logic problem that I felt I needed to solve but I just couldn't figure out.  Every time I thought I knew what was happening, I was wrong.  I even went so far as to look up curling rules online, but I still just didn't get it.  Today, Seattlest posted an informative post about curling, but I think if I'm going to attempt to learn this mysterious sport I need to actually do it.  I need to put on one slippery shoe and one shoe that is not slippery, grab a hunk of granite and a funky broom and get out on the ice and go for it.

There is a place here in Seattle that offers an introduction to curling for a mere $15 ($40 max per family).  The Granite Curling Club has several open houses throughout the year when an instructor will give us curling novices an introduction to curling. There will be open houses coming up this weekend:

• Saturday, Feb 27  11am - 5pm
• Sunday, Feb 28  9am -12pm

More details about the open houses from the Granite Curling Club website:

The Open House process goes something like this:

• You arrive, sign a waiver and pay $15 ($40 family max).

• Depending on how busy we are, you may have to go upstairs and wait for your group to be called.

• We clean your shoes and fit rubber grippers on them to protect our ice surface.

• Your instructors lead you through some stretches, safety guidelines, and information about the game.

• A group of 8 - 20 people goes out on the ice for some curling instruction and play.

• Once your lesson is done, you can visit us upstairs for snacks and to learn more about curling and our club.

We have 5 sheets of ice, so we can optimally accommodate around 40 people at any given time. If we are very busy, we may have larger groups and/or less time on the ice.

Generally you will be on the ice for 1-2 hours which includes instruction and a small game. If we are very busy, you may have to wait up to 2 hours to get on the ice.

The Granite Curling Club is located east of Aurora Ave. N on 130th St in Seattle.

And now, curling and heavy metal:

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NW Double Dutch and Fringe Fitness have joined forces to bring a fun day of jump rope, double dutch, and hula hoop for adults.  Saturday at the Century Ball Room on Capitol Hill will be a morning of mini workshops for only $5!  These are one time workshops that will give you the opportunity to try classes in a quick, fun and pressure free environment. No experience required. 

10:00-10:30am  Beginning Jump Rope
10:30-11:00am  Beginning Hula Hoop
11:00-11:30am  Beginning Double Dutch
11:30-12:00om  Beg/int Hula Hoop

Register online and get all 4 workshops for $5, come on the day of and they are $5 each.

Also, the new 5 week series of Fringe Fitness and NW Double Dutch classes start on February 6th.  Register online (see below for links) or in person on Saturday.

Feb 6 - Mar 6, Saturdays 10am  Hula Hoop Fitness (info and  online registration)

Feb 6 - Mar 6, Saturdays 9am  Beginning Double Dutch (info and online registration)

Feb 6 - Mar 6, Saturdays 11am  Intermediate Double Dutch (info and online registration)

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Now that the weather is crap, and will continue be crap until June, I feel a need to find a replacement for fun outdoor activities so I won't be sitting around all winter in a haze of seasonal depression.  That's why I have started going to Salsa night at Century Ballroom.

From what I can tell, there is a pretty big Salsa scene in Seattle.  I am a complete ignoramus about the whole scene, but I can tell you that the few times I have gone Salsa dancing I have had a blast.  I have danced with many very patient dance partners who have been kind enough to help me learn to dance.  Patient and friendly dance partners are key to having a good time dancing, and Salsa night at the Century has plenty of those kind souls.

Salsa night at the Century Ballroom is every Thursday night for $7.  There is a 30 minute beginner lesson at 9pm, and then they have open dance from 9:30pm - 1:15am.  I have also been to Bachata night at Halo on Wednesday nights, which is pretty low key, and it's a good place to practice Bachata. 

I found a great website for Salsa in Seattle that lists many many different places to go dancing and learn how to dance. I have discovered that it doesn't really matter if you have a partner, there is always someone who will dance with you.  I definitely recommend checking it out.

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One of my all-time favorite albums is Ferociously Stoned by the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.  I bought the cassette tape when the album first came out, and then I bought the CD, and that CD wore out, so I bought another copy of the CD, then that CD disappeared so I bought another copy.  Then, one summer day while I was driving with the top down on my jeep, I decided to listen to the CD, but it flew out of my hand and of my car.  So, I immediately went to a record store and bought another copy.  Thank goodness for technology because now I have the album stored on my hard drive.  My point is the album is so good that, over the years, I have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure that album stays in my music library. 

I am thrilled to announce that the Cherry Poppin' Daddies have TWO new albums out and they are playing at the Tractor Tavern on Nov 21. The two albums are called Susquehanna (a genre-hopper similar to their other full length albums, touching on Latin, punk, swing, ska, new wave, rockabilly, and more) and Ska-boy JFK: The Skankin’ Hits of the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies (a showcase of their Ska material, similar to how their successful album Zoot Suit Riot was a showcase of their swing material).  Both are in stores now!  Here are a couple songs from the albums for you to listen to now:

• Mongoose and The Snake - a rockabilly tune From Susquehanna
• Hi and Lo – a Ska/Punk tune from Ska-boy JFK and Susquehanna

Even better news is I have some Cherry Poppin' Daddies swag to giveaway.    The first reader to comment on this blog post and name their favorite Cherry Poppin' Daddies song gets one copy of each new CD mentioned above, 1 signed poster AND some stickers, pins, and buttons. 

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Whenever a friend of family member visits me in Seattle, I always take them to see the Fremont Troll. To me, the Fremont Troll represents the quirky undertone of Seattle which makes it a really fun place to live.  This Saturday (Halloween), the Fremont Troll is turning 20 and there is going to be a celebration like nobody's business.

Trolloween, Oct 31st at 7 PM sharp, is the birthday party for the Fremont Troll. We will start the celebration with him under the Aurora Bridge, as he loves a good laugh and a great story. We will soon be off on the annual Haunt of Fremont.

This 20th anniversary of the birth of the Fremont Troll, we'll be experiencing the tale of Dante’s Inferno. Many artists and performers will present their twisted & whacky version of this dark tale, known to us as: ‘Just a little lover’s spat, honey’.

Rain or dry, we will sing, dance, marvel, and laugh our way through the dark underbelly of Dante and Fremont. An unsweetened and piquant family event with plenty of fun to scare the laughs out of any stoic kid or stogy adult.

Come dress as your favorite dead celebrity and take part in our costume walk across the final stage, under the Fremont Bridge, for the appreciation of your community.

If you have been to the Fremont Solstice Parade, you know the Fremont Arts Council goes all out for their festivals, so I expect Trolloween to be amazing this year with lots and lots of performers and artists.  

This is a free event but donations are welcome.   

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