Puget Sound Croquet Club

Seattle is an active town, but during the gray wet days of winter, it can be difficult to get motivated to head outside for a walk or jog. But for the outdoorsy type, fun in the fresh air can be crucial to counteract the winter blahs. This is where snowshoeing comes in. It’s a less risky winter sport than downhill skiing, and a more accessible one, too. And fortunately, here in Seattle, we have many resources to help the novice get started. Free lectures Outdoor emporium REI is the spot to pick up gear and clothing, but they also offer a ton of free public programs as well. Each winter, their calendar is full of free talks on winter sports, including snowshoeing, and these are a great way to learn more about the sport before committing to heading out to the cold. These are usually offered weekday evenings, and rotated through their various Seattle-area locations (downtown, Alderwood, Issaquah, Southcenter, Redmond, even farther afield to Tacoma, Silverdale and Olympia). The programs usually require registration and do fill up, but often they can accommodate walk-ins, so it’s worth giving the local store a call even if an event does appear to be full. Organized outings After learning the basics indoors, it’s time to head out! But as a novice, one might not want to invest in pricey equipment or venture out on the trail without a little onsite guidance from experts. Puget Sound parks and recreation departments can help with both of those. The parks departments of several Puget Sound-area cities – including Everett, Edmonds, Bellevue, and Bainbridge Island – offer a wide array of snowshoe expeditions throughout the winter. They can range from beginner outings to more strenuous intermediate trips.  Snowshoes and transportation to the site are usually included in the overall cost, and most event listings include the acceptable age range for participants to help target family-friendly events. Event info and registration can be found on each parks department’s program registration site or in seasonal program brochures. REI, in addition to their free lectures, also offers outings, although theirs can be a little pricier than the parks events. Like the park events, equipment and transportation are usually provided. On one’s own Once up to speed on the process, and after getting some real-time instruction from the experts, now it’s time to plan one’s own trips. The Washington Trails Association website is the best place to check first. Their Winter Recreation Info page tracks weather conditions and has safety tips.  They also have listings of great snowshoe trails, and fellow users leave trail reports to keep others up to date on conditions and considerations.

Seattle’s symbol is the Space Needle, an optimistic testament to future possibilities and progress, but that doesn’t mean it’s a town that forgets its past. From a wide range of historically focused museums to walking tours and costumed lectures, history buffs can find many resources to stay connected to the past. Museums – not surprisingly – are an excellent place to start. Almost all museums function as keepers of some kind of historical record, if only of the kind of art they focus on, but Seattle has some that are especially great resources for learning more about the region. The Museum of History and Industry (commonly referred to as MOHAI) is focused on the history of Seattle in particular and the Puget Sound region more generally. It features permanent exhibits on maritime Seattle, Seattle-based innovations, and Seattle’s “long and bumpy journey from wilderness to world city.” MOHAI also offers frequent history workshops on subjects like caring for personal photographs, historical research, and oral history. MOHAI partners with public television KCTS 9 and the Seattle Public Library for free monthly History Cafes on topics like Seattle baseball, the library’s historic restaurant menu collection, Pike Place Market and others. The Burke Museum is a natural history museum, offering a look into the artifacts and handicrafts of the native people of the region. The Wing Luke Museum is focused on the Asian Pacific American experience, and the Northwest African American Museum “serves to present and preserve the connections between the Pacific Northwest and people of African descent.” The Nordic Heritage Museum offers a look into the culture of Seattle’s Nordic immigrants. All of these museums offer periodic public workshops and programs, but the Wing Luke and Nordic Heritage’s calendars are probably the best spots to find regular family craft or cooking workshops for those who want a hands-on cultural experience. Going from man to machine, to learn more about Seattle’s connection to the aviation industry, there’s the Museum of Flight in the south end. In November 2012, the Museum of Flight received the NASA Shuttle Trainer. At the time, this came on the heels of the disappointment that Seattle lost out to Los Angeles in receiving the actual Space Shuttle Endeavor for display. However, the Endeavor is a hands-off exhibit, whereas tickets to the Trainer give one access to the Crew Compartment (good for ages 11 and up), so Seattleites might be justified in feeling like everything worked out just fine for the city. The national park system is typically thought of as a protector of wild spaces, but there are also historical parks within the system, and one is in Seattle itself. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is located right in the heart of Seattle’s Pioneer Square and preserves the history of Seattle’s role in the nineteenth century gold rush. Year-round, the park features videos about the rush, and rotating exhibits on historical topics, even those not specifically related to the Gold Rush, like a look at the Japanese-American community on Bainbridge Island. From May to September, there are daily free programs, including gold panning demonstrations, and guided walks around the Pioneer Square area. While in Pioneer Square, consider taking the Underground Tour. “Underground’ is no figure of speech: the tour takes you through the actual subterranean halls that used to be the roads and first floors of downtown Seattle, and offers lighthearted but detailed insight into the sometimes questionable origins of the Emerald City. For another interactive tour experience, the website HistoryLink.org (an online encyclopedia of Washington State history) has a collection of printable walking tours covering historic neighborhoods like Pioneer Square, Ballard, and Columbia City. Not every cybertour on their site has a printable walking tour associated with it, but one can save the virtual ones for inclement weather days. Of special note with the walking tours: when taking the International District tour, make a stop at the café in the Panama Hotel. The café has Plexiglas panels in the floor where one can see a basement full of items Seattle’s Japanese and Japanese-American population had to abandon during the internment period of World War II.  Consider accompanying the visit with reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Author Jamie Ford has lived in Seattle, and set this historic novel here during the time of Japanese internment. For subjects beyond Seattle’s own history, local lecturer Tames Alan brings a unique perspective. Tames has a range of historical topics, like a costumed program on the suffragette movement, a look at the history of spices and New World food, and talks on the world represented in the wildly popular Downton Abbey series.  For her Downton-inspired “Trial by Fork” talk, Tames breaks out the good china, providing the audience with a live view of exactly what kind of serious silverware one might face at a Downton dinner. Tames speaks often at local libraries around the Sound and her website lists upcoming dates and locations. If one’s interest in history is personal, the Seattle Public Library offers regular free classes in genealogical research, periodic tours of the Central Library’s Genealogy Collection, and is staffed by two full-time genealogy librarians. The collection “houses more than 40,000 items dealing primarily with records and families of North America - including those from the original 13 colonies, the Old Northwest Territory and from states referred to as ‘Gateways to the West.’"

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)