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If the constant deluge makes you want to stay home this Friday night, please reconsider.  Just remember, into each life some rain must fall.   More importantly, the annual Ballard Jazz Festival takes place tomorrow night (11/20).

Started in 2003, the nationally recognized Ballard Jazz Festival highlights jazz musicians from the Seattle area.  There will be 12 venues hosting 18 groups–some are all ages, some are 21+.  Shows start as early as 6pm and end as late as 12:30am.

Today is the last day to buy advance tickets ($20 online or $21 with service fee at Sonic Boom Records).  Tomorrow, tickets will be $25 online, or available for purchase at Sonic Boom all day,  New York Fashion Academy starting at 5pm, and Egan’s Ballard Jam House starting at 6pm.

And, according to the festival website, “there is no better deal in jazz!”

And you think this is cold? Imagine traveling from Seattle to the Aleutian Islands–by your own power.  Tomorrow night (11/5) local author Erin McKittrick will discuss exactly that: the year-long journey she took with her husband, Hig, in June 2007, 4,000 miles from here to the tip of Alaska.  She will read from her book, “A Long Trek Home: 4000 Miles by Boot, Raft and Ski” from 6:30 to 7:45 at the Ballard Library.  There will be a slideshow and discussion.

The aim of the trip was to raise awareness about environmental degradation, the effects of climate change, and about conservation issues.

The event is free.  Books will be available for purchase and for signing.

It’s truly fall: bare trees and leaves underfoot, the threat of rain, cleverly carved pumpkins gracing every stoop, chimney smoke in the crisp air. And that smell, what is it, again? It’s Halloween!  Kids, finish gluing that costume together (or make your mother do it) and come trick or treat in downtown Ballard!  Participating businesses in Ballard along Market Street, Ballard Ave, and side streets will be handing out candy from 4-6 pm, this Saturday (Halloween).

Just look for the orange sign displaying a witch and other Halloween-y graphics identifying participating businesses.  Please, only costumed kids ages 12 and under.  And parents, please accompany small children.  Even if you’re too old to ask for candy, come down and enjoy the creative and hilarious pirates, Wild Things monsters, and ham-and-cheese sandwiches running around Ballard!

Passport: not necessary to enjoy the crafts and cuisine of Scandinavia!

The Sons of Norway will host their 103rd bazaar this weekend, 10am-7pm Saturday (10/24) and 11am-5pm Sunday (10/25) at the Leif Erikson Lodge in Ballard.  The bazaar will include arts and crafts vendors, traditional Norwegian food and pastries (like lefse and krumkake!), a rummage sale, raffles, bingo, and a variety of kid-friendly games.

The Trolls’ Den and Nordic entertainment (Beer Garden) with dinner options will be open from 3pm-7pm on Saturday in the auditorium at the Lodge.

Come, eat, spend, support a local organization, in the Nordic tradition!

Leif Erikson Lodge 200-1
2245 57th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

Don’t miss one of the last festivals of the season right here in Ballard!  The REVERB Music Festival celebrates local artists with a full night of local music at ten different venues in downtown Ballard on Saturday, October 3rd.  There are four all ages venues, with the rest 21+.  Wristbands are $8 in advance, and $10 on the day of the festival (tickets available here).

Venues include staples like the Sunset and the Tractor Tavern, as well as more unexpected spots like Volterra and the New York Fashion Academy.  Shows start as early as 3pm, depending on the venue, with some acts beginning as late as midnight.  There is enough variety for almost any musical taste, from hip hop to jazz to roots to rock and everything in between.  Each location will showcase one genre throughout the night, so you can stick around and listen to hours of your favorite music, or hop around to hear a mix of local artists.  The wristband allows entrance to all venues.  See a complete line-up here.

In addition to the music, there will be a debate between mayoral candidates Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan at the Conor Byrne at 8:30pm.

Come to downtown Ballard, buy a pretty wristband, and support your local artists!

The 6th annual Sustainable Ballard Festival will take place this weekend in the Ballard Commons Park at NW 57th and NW 22nd from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday (9/26) and Sunday (9/27). The festival will highlight local businesses, individuals, and groups that have worked toward sustainability through a variety of different avenues. There will be a music stage, Food and Garden Learning Stage, discussion forum, workshops, and booths from local businesses and organizations.

Everyone is welcome and invited, and this is an event for the whole family! There will be an eclectic mix of live music, with acoustic guitar, African drumming, string bands, folk, and jazz throughout both afternoons.

There will be various workshops providing instruction and information about sustainable practices made easy at home.

At the Food and Garden Learning Stage, there will be demonstrations pertaining to local foods, eating seasonally, and gardening in the Northwest.

The fair is put on by Sustainable Ballard, a non-profit organization started in 2003 to promote and develop sustainability within the Ballard community.

The 22nd annual Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball will be held at the Tractor Tavern for three consecutive nights: Thursday (9/24), Friday (9/25) and Saturday (9/26). Doors open at 8pm with shows starting at 9. Each night features several groups, with Leon Berman, who has been hosting the festival for the past twenty years, as host again this year.

This festival is the longest running rockabilly festival in the country. Tickets are $16 for each night or $45 for a 3-day pass (available here). Some rockabilly highlights include Slim Sandy, the Stillcreek Brothers, and Billy Dwayne and the Creepers.  Click here for a complete rockabilly line-up and come shake the shack, err, tavern!

For those of you who are looking to take advantage of the last days of summer (and who can’t afford Bumbershoot or can’t handle the crowds), look no further than the Summer Concerts at the Locks series. This is the last weekend for this free concert series, which takes place at the Ballard Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Cascadia Jazz Band plays at 2pm today. The Dissonance, a jazz group, at 2pm on Sunday. The last concert will be Michael Clune and Sleep till Noon Band, 2pm on Monday. This group is self-described as “Funky, groovin’, soulful rock.”

Bring the family, pack a picnic, blanket and lawn chairs (and umbrella just in case), watch the boats passing through, watch the salmon navigate the fish ladder, and enjoy a free outdoor concert on the lawn in the Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Gardens at the Locks. Located at 3015 NW 54th Street.

The Tractor Tavern will be celebrating its 15th anniversary with three consecutive nights of shows by the Maldives, who are celebrating the release of their newest album, “Listen to the Thunder” (Mt. Fuji, 2009). The shows are on Thursday the 27th, Friday the 28th, Saturday the 29th. Each show is at 9pm, and tickets are $10, available at Sonic Boom Records or online.

The Maldives, a Seattle-based country rock group deep in the roots music scene, is composed of nine members playing a variety of instruments, including fiddle, lap steel guitar, banjo, accordion, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and drums. Each night, they will be performing with other local bands, including North Twin, 17th Chapter, The Moondoggies, Zoe Muth & the Lost High-Rollers, Shim, Thee Emergency, and Pickwick.

The Maldives will also be at Sonic Boom Records for a free, all-ages event on Saturday the 29th at 4pm.

Tractor Tavern
5213 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
206.789.3599

Starting next Monday, August 31, 2009, all Seattle public libraries will be closed for a week due to city-wide budget cuts and Labor Day. They will reopen on Tuesday, September 8. During that time, there will be no access to the library website, catalog, Wi-Fi, or book-drops, and scheduled events will not take place. The Ballard Neighborhood Service Center will remain open.

Information specific to the Ballard branch:

Last day to check out items: 5pm Sunday, 8/30/09
Book drops close: Noon Sunday, 8/30/09
Return books inside branch: Noon-5pm Sunday, 8/30/09
Book drops reopen: 9:30am Tuesday, 9/8/09
Branch reopens: 1pm Tuesday, 9/8/09

The Ballard library is an indispensable public resource, but don’t worry, it’s just a week! Due to the closure, the loan period for items borrowed before the closure are extended, so instead of the standard 21 days, some items may be due up to six weeks later–not too shabby if you’re trying to read too many books at once.

This week, there are several regular events that will take place as scheduled. On Wednesday, August 26, from 10:30-11am, is Preschool Story Time. This includes stories, songs, and fingerplays for children ages 3-5. Directly following is Toddler Story Time from 11:30-11:50am, for a slightly younger crowd, ages 1-3. On Friday, August 28, from 10:30-11:15am, the morning book group will meet to discuss “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer, a thoughtful and thought-provoking study of Mormonism and the complexities of human behavior. These events are free and open to the public, and no registration is required.

Ballard Branch
5614 22nd Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
(206) 684-4089