Free Friday for July!

It's the first Friday of July! Which means it's time for guest-poster Justus to give us her take on the free offerings Seattle has coming up in July and the rest of the summer.

On a side note: Q&A Thursday was postponed yesterday due to a firework related injury to A on Wednesday night. Next Thursday will include this week's questions and any questions that come up next week. Sorry, y'all, but when his face has grown another mouth above his eye, the website takes a backseat!

On to Justus's great finds!

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Fun for Free? You bet!

July is a particularly good time to find a number of free events in Seattle. Not only does the US celebrate Independence Day with fireworks displays, but the summer sun brings out a few of the best free activities.

The Near and Dear

My first suggestion may strike you as a little quirky, but hear me out on this one: donate blood at the Puget Sound Blood Center. What?! Is this supposed to be a fun activity? Yes! Absolutely! Not only are you adding good to the world, donating blood is it a great social outing (or perfect first date) and gets you free cookies…and juice! Also, you can have your blood pressure, temperature, etc. checked by a medical specialist for free! I speak from experience when I say this is a great activity to do with others. Grab a friend (or your special someone) and book yourself an appointment. http://www.psbc.org/programs/centers.htm

Needles not really your idea of free fun? Why not take a few days to explore culinary delights at Seattle Centre and participate in the Comcast Bite of Seattle? http://www.comcastbiteofseattle.com/ I think I’m more excited about the free viewing of “It Happened at the World’s Fair” (a film from 1963 starring Elvis Presley) on Friday night than I am about the promise of delectable delicacies!

Actually, I may just be excited about outdoor summer movies in general. Have you ever been to a Freemont Outdoor Movies event? http://fremontoutdoormovies.com/ If not, it’s about time to add it to your list of activities to do this summer. The first movie of the 2012 season is free (this year it’s “Singles”—iconic Seattle movie!), but regular admission is $5. You may want to check out other outdoor movie venues around town, including the Wall (http://westseattlemovies.blogspot.com/) and Magnuson Park (http://www.epiceap.com/seattle-outdoor-movies/ . (V here, there's also a summer long outdoor viewing of all the Harry Potter movies at the Mural in the Seattle Center, more info http://seattlecenter.com/moviesatthemural/) 

One last Near and Dear before I launch into Arts: Seattle’s City Hall has an incredible selection of free, outdoor lunchtime concerts (of the musical variety) every Thursday at noon. http://www.seattle.gov/arts/events/seattle_presents.asp#schedule If you have time over lunch, it’s well worth checking out!

In Pursuit of Art

First, let’s talk about another Art Walk, because I love these events and think more people ought spend their time wandering neighbourhoods in search of beauty. Freemont First Friday Art Walk is certainly one such opportunity. http://www.fremontfirstfriday.com

Need a bit of Shakespeare with your sunshine? Have you heard of Green Stage? Over the course of two days, a number of a theatre companies put together and perform free Shakespeare at Volunteer Park: http://www.greenstage.org/sotf I’m excited! There’s just soooo much to do in Seattle! (V again, I managed this even last year and it was super fun. GreenStage is the best in producing great outdoor theatre and if you bring a bottle of wine and some chocolate it can be a super sexy, easy, cheap date!)

In case you need more affordable (or free!) theatre, check out Seattle Performs where they have a whole section devoted to pay-what-you-can theatre: http://www.seattleperforms.com/categories/index/35/0

While we’re on the topic of theatres, have you ever taken a tour of one of Seattle’s oldest venues? The Paramount Theatre offers free behind-the-scenes theatre tours. Summer and history really go hand-in-hand here: http://stgpresents.org/paramount/tours.asp

Getting Physical

Feel like dancing? I’m thrilled to present to you the concept of Dance Walking:

Addicted to the idea (because I am!)? You can join a free Dance Walking group in Seattle that meets once a month at various locations: http://www.facebook.com/DanceWalkingSeattle Yes, life is this amazing.

If dancing isn’t quite your thing but you have time and a bit of space to free gardening lessons: City People’s Garden Store http://citypeoples.com/gardenstore/workshop.html

One last physical activity that requires only a computer and motivation (and mostly motivation). Check out this blog for fun and free fitness ideas: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/

The Great Outdoors

Okay, so a few of the options so far have involved the outdoors, but that’s what summers are for, really: getting us outside and active again. One of my favourite ways to do this is the go for a walk around Green Lake.

This really is the month to go hiking, well, this one and the next; however, as I gave you the link to my favourite hiking site last month, this month I’m going to direct you to the Seattle Parks page. http://www.seattle.gov/parks/parkspaces/index.htm Grab a few friends and start a game of freeze tag. You remember that game, right? It’s even better than you remember. Try playing 80’s movie freeze tag or a similarly challenging twist for fun.

Did you know Seattle is home to Hardcourt Bike Polo? If you’re even the least bit curious about the sport, you should contact Seattle Bike Polo, grab a bike, and make a few new friends: http://seattlebikepolo.com/?page_id=2

To continue in the spirit of free outdoor activities, check out Seattle’s PI blog: http://events.seattlepi.com/seattle-wa/events/free+outdoor+seattle

If All Else Fails

I’m of the opinion that this month all you need to do is wander around the city a while in order to stumble across the event you’re craving. With so much happening, I think you’ll have more trouble narrowing down your choices than finding activities to do. Oh, Seattle, I’m gobsmacked! This much awesome shouldn’t exist in a single city, but seeing as it does, I think it’s only fair you know I love you THIS MUCH.