Things To Do In Union Hill-Novelty Hill

It’s a lovely idea, the thought of making homemade gifts for the holidays. Rather than fighting for parking and scrambling for bargains, one can be cozy at home, basking in the smell of cookies baking or soaps curing. The reality can sometimes be a little less lovely, when projects don’t go as planned. But there are some steps one can take to help make the process go as smoothly as possible. One: rely on the experts. An investment in a class might save money in the long run by helping keep pricey ingredients out of failed projects. Two: know where to go. Stock up on all the best ingredients and packaging to ensure the best possible results. Cookies and Confections A tin of cookies, cellophane bag of caramels, or box of homemade truffles can all be big hits during the holiday season. If anyone on the gift list is obsessed with macarons, the popular French sandwich cookie, Sur la Table schedules fairly regular classes on the topic. PCC Natural Market has a perennial favorite in its seasonal biscotti class, which comes complete with tips on packaging up the crisp dunkable cookies for gifts. Nuculinary has teamed up with Laurie Pfalzer of Pastry Craft to offer pastry classes that include holiday cookies.  All of their schedules are regularly updated with new classes that might spark other gift ideas (like granola or preserves) so are worth checking out on a periodic basis. For gifts for the most serious of sweet teeth, one must turn to confections. Oh Chocolate! and Dawn’s Candy and Cake regularly schedule truffle classes. The “Chocolate Man” Bill Fredericks has been teaching classes around Seattle for years, and now has his own eponymous store in Lake Forest Park. In addition to truffle classes, he has classes on “Dipping with Intensity” (adults-only boozy treats), or pâte de fruits (fruit and/or wine gels). Theo Chocolate has added salted butter toffee and truffle-making to its line-up of classes, and Hot Cakes Molten Cakery offers instruction in creating caramel sauce and chews. As to baking and confection supplies, the bulk section of PCC Natural Markets is a great place to stock up on flours, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and spices. The Chocolate Man’s array of chocolate is dazzling. Pacific Food Importers (aka PFI)is also a good source for chocolate, selling big blocks of quality chocolate at respectable prices. Canning and Preserving Jars of jewel-like apple jelly or richly spiced pear butter also make beautiful homemade gifts. The cooking schools mentioned above – PCC Natural Markets and Sur la Table –also offer periodic canning classes. Seattle Can Can, aka Vic Phelps, schedules regular small classes in basic and intermediate canning at the HUB. The local farmers market is a top choice for the freshest and most flavorful fruit, but for those on a budget, the discerning and patient shopper can often find good quality at bargain prices at MacPherson’s Fruit Stand on Beacon Hill. World Spice Market near Pike Place Market is a solid choice for the freshest spices to flavor your fruit. Candles, Soaps and Other Herbal Creations Those options are all delicious, but as the holiday season is already full of food-based indulgence, one might want to steer clear of adding even more calories to the mix. Some other homemade options in that case would include candles, soap and herbal toiletries. Dandelion Botanicals schedules periodic classes in making herbal salves, lotions and lip balms, and also sells the herbal components and essential oils to help make them. Herban Wellness in Kirkland has fairly regular classes in creating those items, too, as well as bath scrubs & salts, facial masks and more, and owner Katya Difani will help you track down all the right ingredients to get started at home. Zenith Supplies on Roosevelt does not currently offer classes, but does have soap- and candle-making books and the supplies needed to get started. Package It All Up Making homemade gifts is a labor of love, so one shouldn’t undercut the effort with ho-hum packaging. Just the right jar, box, or bag can take that labor to the next level. For bags, ribbons, treat boxes and more, head to Packaging Specialties in south Seattle or Redmond. Zenith Supplies and Specialty Bottles have bottles, lip balm tins, salve jars and other toiletry containers. Hardwicks in the University District carries a fairly wide selection of canning jars year-round, including the elegant Weck jars.

This week: Cheer on Cher impersonators, chow down on free barbecue, and watch a parade led by Mr. Sulu. And, of course, if you run out of activities, you can also always check Groupon for things to do in Seattle. Veruca Salt Ballard | Monday, June 23, 8 p.m. First the '90s alt-rock band reunited last year with all four original members. Then, they released two new songs on a limited-edition album in honor of Record Store Day and performed a biting rendition of “Seether” on Conan a few weeks later. Now, they’re testing the limits of their reconciliation with a summer-long tour, which will kick off in Portland and land here just 24 hours later. Let’s hope the hatchet isn’t unburied by then. (Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. NW; $25; buy tickets here) Dave Coulier featuring Brett Hamil Kirkland | Thursday, June 26, 8:30 p.m.; Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Beacon Hill’s own Brett Hamil opens for the Coulier, who will be bringing his famous impressions and (we hope) harmonica skills to the 18+ show. And, yeah, it’s probably safe to expect some references to everybody’s favorite '90s TV show. We’re talking about America’s Funniest People, of course. (Laughs Comedy Spot, 12099 124th Ave., Kirkland; $25; buy tickets here) Field Roast BBQ Industrial District | Friday, June 27, 2 p.m.–8 p.m. Field Roast Grain Meat Co., the vegan “meat” company, recently moved to new digs and rewrote the book on veggie burgers—its edition is made from barley, fresh carrots, and celery—so, needless to say, a party is in order. Guests can swing by for free burgers, vegan ice cream, and tours of the new barbecue building, and they can also enter prize raffles or attempt to win a year’s supply of Field Roast burgers by dreaming up the most delicious combination of condiments. (3901 Seventh Ave. S; free) PrideFest Cyndi/Cher Welcome Party featuring Heklina Lower Queen Anne | Saturday, June 28, 3 p.m.–8 p.m. If you didn’t score tickets to see Cher and Cyndi Lauper perform Saturday, don’t worry—you can see the next best thing at this drag competition and PrideFest kickoff party. Performers will do their best Cher- or Cyndi-themed acts, competing to win tickets to the concert and the chance to perform on the PrideFest main stage on Sunday. Hosted by San Francisco–based drag artist and Trannyshack founder Heklina, the event is all ages but will feature an adults-only beer garden for those who need to forget that Burlesque ever happened. (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St.; free) 40th Annual Seattle Pride Parade Central Business District | Sunday, June 29, 11 a.m. There are a lot of good reasons to make sure you don’t miss this year’s pride parade, and the fact that it’s the event’s 40th birthday may be the least of them. This year’s theme, Generations of Pride, will pay homage to some of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community’s earliest advocates, and it will feature special guests like state Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu and the band Lavender Country, who performed at the very first Seattle Pride Parade in 1974. Other highlights: costume contests, drag performers, and motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes. Oh, and did we mention George Takei is the grand marshal? It’s never too early to stake out your spot of sidewalk. (Kickoff begins at Fourth Avenue and Union Street, see the full route here; free)

Fireworks! Parties! Parades! No, it’s not a belated Fourth of July celebration, it’s how the French celebrate Bastille Day every July 14. Show support of our amis across the sea by attending a Bastille Day Party at Le Pichet, or save up all your energy for belting out “Vacation” when The Go-Go’s take the stage at Chateau Ste. Michelle in the middle of the week. And if all that singing and celebrating saps your energy, Skillet has a Golden Girls–themed happy hour to help you recover. As always, check Groupon for more things to do in Seattle. Bastille Day Party Downtown | Monday, July 14, 6 p.m. Raise a glass of champagne and toast French National Day at the French café Le Pichet, where the celebration will include live music from Bric a Brac and The Post Alley Ramblers. We’re thinking the food and drink specials will offer up plenty of opportunities to practice your French food pronunciations. (1933 First Ave.; free) Brian Herbert University District | Wednesday, July 16, 7 p.m. George R.R. Martin may be having a moment, but when it comes to the sci-fi fantasy realm, we hope he remembers one thing: "He who controls the spice, controls the universe.” Brian Herbert—best known for penning the New York Times best-selling prequels to his father’s Dune series—arrives at the U District store to discuss and sign copies of his new sci-fi novel, The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma. The book centers around a radical environmental-activism group that seizes control of the government to put an end to climate change. No word yet on whether sandworms play any role. (University Book Store, 4326 University Way; free) The Go-Go’s Woodinville | Thursday, July 17, 7 p.m. It’s been 33 years since The Go-Go’s debuted their triple-platinum album Beauty and the Beat, but three decades have done nothing to lessen the popularity, energy, or, dare we say it, sex appeal of the '80s favorite all-female pop-punk band. For their Replay America tour, the band has paired up with Cutting Crew, Naked Eyes, Martha Davis of The Motels, and Patty Smyth of Scandal. (Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, 14111 NE 145th St., Woodinville; $61+; buy tickets here) Golden Girls Happy Hour Central District | Friday, July 18, 3 p.m.–6 p.m. and 10 p.m.–11 p.m. Dorothy, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia would probably be shocked to discover there’s no cheesecake on the happy-hour menu inspired by their friendship, but after throwing back a couple of $6 Betty Whites (vodka, apricot liqueur, Cocchi Americano Bianco, and prosecco), they’d likely be too drunk to care. The food specials—smoked-lamb corn dogs, egg-topped poutine—don’t seem to logically relate to anything on the show, but then again, none of those St. Olaf stories ever made any sense either. (Skillet Street Food, 1400 E. Union St.) Seattle Pinball Rally Ballard | Saturday, July 19, noon to 8 p.m. Pinball enthusiasts and machine collectors will descend upon the Hilliard’s taproom for the all-ages event, which will also include classic arcade games. Skillet Street Food will provide grub for the event, while the melodic bumps and chimes of the machines will be accompanied by live music from The Crow Quill Night Owls. (1550 NW 49th St.; free)