In the gear-up for the five day weekend, a few reminders for your Friday night:

• the Found crew shows their stuff at the University Bookstore [mb]
• Suicide Squeeze enters night 2 of 3 in their massive celebrations at Neumo’s, this time with Black Heart Procession, Magic Magicians, and Crystal Skulls [neumos]
• All that drinking you did for the the Vera kids [mb]? The payoff is tonight at the Showbox with and Tinkle-hosted Iron Composer showdown.
• These options are all well and good, but my money’s on the outdoor cinema [mb]. In Party Girl, Parker Posey plays a Manhattanite who parties so hard she’s forced to become a librarian by her godmother! Classic 1995 indie film It-girl material. I’ve been assured that it’s amazing. Plus, there’s a beer garden and pizza, which both have the magical power of making good things even better, on site. [cinemaonthelawn]

Beginning July 7, your Friday nights are booked! The annual Music in the Park concert series kicks off with Miles from Chicago, an energetic blues dance band!

I’ve actually had the pleasure of seeing Miles from Chicago live on several occasions, and they are just great fun. You’ll dance, you’ll sing, you’ll laugh….

These concerts are free, fun and located in the City of Bothell. This eight-concert series takes place at the Park at Bothell Landing Amphitheater (9919 NE 180th Street). All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m.

In its 21st year, the Music in the Park program is a fun, safe and free event for individuals and families. Bring chairs and blankets – shows are rain or shine. The City of Bothell’s Parks & Recreation Division produces the annual concert series. It is sponsored by the City of Bothell Hotel/Motel Tax.

This all-Friday night concert lineup includes:

July 7: Miles from Chicago (Energetic Blues Dance Band)

July 14: Circuit Riders (Country Gospel)

July 21: Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra

July 28: Reilly and Maloney (Folk Tunes & Ballads)

August 4: Chris Stuart & Backcountry (Bluegrass & Americana)

August 11: Crème Tangerine (Beatles Hits)

August 18: Banda Vagos (Sounds from South of the Border)

August 25: Magic Bus (Psychedelic Rock from the 60’s & 70’s)

For more information about City of Bothell Parks & Recreation events, visit www.ci.bothell.wa.us or call 425.486.7430 ext. 4422. Schedule is subject to change and events are free unless otherwise noted.

Does anyone know if we still have any drive-ins around Seattle that are still in business? I remember there being one up near Everett, but I’ve never been there and have no idea where it is.

Seattle is currently playing host to a bevy of new media technology enthusiasts with [one-time metroblogger] Chris Pirillo’s Gnomedex extravaganza. While the website reports that a few tickets are still available for late-attendees, you can satisfy your curiousity about what all of the webloggers, former vice presidential candidates, and internet entrepreneurs are chatting about down at the Bell Harbor Conference center by snooping on the action via the internet (natch). The proceedings are being streamed live [#]; so you can catch the action between checks of the Italy-Ukraine score.

(Edit: keynote speaker John Edwards is wrapping up his talk now and is taking questions about American Idol, poverty, and electronic voting machines.)

(via the always interesting media weblog, Lost Remote [#])

Stuck in Seattle over the holiday? Not into watching people celebrate our Constitutional right to blow stuff up? Looking for something French to do? Might I suggest catching “Banlieue 13” (“District B 13″)” at Uptown?

At first glance this film, set in 2010 Paris, seems like nothing more than a vehicle for showcasing parkour. And, well, yes, there is a lot of jumping and climbing and general flinging about but the movie is somehow more than the sum of its parts. Perhaps this is because director Pierre Morel manages to breathe new life into the “outlaw cop and his renegade buddy” genre. But I think the real reason is that David Belle (Leito) is smokin’ H.O.T.! PREE to the OW!

*ahem*

“Banlieue 13” continues its run at Uptown this week. Go for the hotness. Stay for the fun.

It seems that everyone’s leaving town for a real long weekend, by plane, train, and automobile. Oh, and ferries too.

Surprisingly, you can take fireworks on a ferry: “Ferry authorities remind passengers to carry only legal fireworks on the boats: sparklers, ground spinners, multiaerials, Roman candles, parachutes and cone-and-fountains. Legal fireworks should be packaged so they can be quickly checked by State Patrol troopers” [P-I]. All of the passes are supposed to be open, and Sea Tac is supposed to be a madhouse–around 110,000 people, when usually there are only around 80,000 [P-I].

I’ve always had this ridiculous fantasy of flying across the country on the Fourth of July and seeing fireworks displays from up above. Oh hush, you think it sounds nice too.

Anyway, everyone and their brother is suggesting that you leave for wherever you’re going way ahead of time and be prepared to wait at whatever spot you end up. Please be careful, and do not light yourselves on fire with your legally carried fireworks.

Oh, the Friday LOLZ. This post on seattle_art’s livejournal (“… we could lend suppoRt to this impoRtant cause: ending oppRession to those who go to conventions to dRess up like Yogi Bear befoRe gang-banging in a great big fur pile. [lj]) is hilarious on a number of levels.

The Seattle Beer Fest comes once again to the Seattle Center this weekend. Your $20 gets you a glass & 10 beer tickets. (Get additional tickets for $1 each). Beers from all over the world make an appearance here, beers of all varieties: stouts, ales, lagers, et cetera. If you like beer at all, you are bound to find at least one or seven or twenty beer(s) you will like; even non-beer driinkers might be inspired to pick up the habit after having a chance to try out different varieties of the brew.At 4oz per serving, beer tastes are generous enough to give you the full experience without knocking you out. (It’s probably still a good idea to take Metro to the Center and back home again, though.) The SBF also features food, live music and free darts, chess, checkers and backgammon.

photo Seattle Beer Fest

Seattle Beer Festival:Friday, June 30 4pm-10pm
Saturday,July 1 12pm-10pm
Sunday, July 2 12pm-7pm

Reminders and remainders for your Thursday night:

• Tonight is the first in a series of three anniversary parties for Suicide Squeeze records. Sacramento’s time signature destroyers, Hella headline with support from local quartet, These Arms Are Snakes and emcee action from Eugene Mirman. Whenever I’ve seen Hella perform, I’ve been blown away by how loud they are and how Spencer and Zach often seem to be playing entirely different pieces of music that amazing fit together into something that challenges even the most talented head-nodder to keep up with. I haven’t been to one of their shows since they expanded their lineup beyond its original two-piece incarnation, and the short experiment with vocals seemed misguided at best. Still, when they’re on, it’s something to behold. [neumos]

Note that all of the parties take place at Neumo’s, which can get awfully warm in the dead of winter; so plan accordingly for shows scheduled for heatwave temperatures and do your best to maintain optimal hydration levels.

(image, fremont outdoor movies [#])

People unfamiliar with Seattle’s summer climate might suspect that our city’s habit of planning to watch movies outside on weekends represents a twisted sense of optimism mixed with masochism. After all, in the public imagination, hardly a day passes in the city without a need our trustiest GoreTex clothing. In fact (TOP SECRET INFORMATION FOLLOWS), only the most well watered lawns survive the summer drought and rainy evenings are few and far between.

HeatWave2006 made its first appearance last weekend, and with it came the first batch of outdoor film presentations in Fremont, the classic destination for parking lot cinema. Every Saturday through 2 September Fremont Outdoor Movies brings a mix of old and new favorites to the screen for a suggested donation of $5 per person. Bring your most portable couch or low-slung lawn chair, a blanket, and a picnic (you’ll need to be sneaky about the alcohol): this season includes showings of:

Shrek 2, Black Scorpion*, Labyrinth, Shaun of the Dead, Grease, The Manster*, March of the Penguins, Bend it like Beckham, It! The Terror from OuterSpace*, King Kong.

“Twisted Flicks” (starred, above) are presented with a new soundtrack and a live show from Jet City Improv. Most other shows are preceded by contests and comedy from Wing Nut productions. The major downsides to the events are that it’s held (1) in a parking lot where (2) unfortunate prevailing winds can easily carry the smells of ill-placed portable toilets and a nearby canal to the audience.

Starting Friday, SIFF and KEXP present a summer series of “film favorites under the stars” on South Lake Union with Cinema on the Lawn. Like the Fremont Outdoor Movies, a $5 donation suggested. The program is shorter, with five films:

Party Girl, Xanadu, Napolean Dynamite, a SIFF exclusive, and a viewer’s choice (Almost Famous vs. American Beauty vs. Office Space)

playing between 30 June and 25 August. With a “luscious lawn”, beer garden, and onsite pizza, the site sounds awfully appealing. While you’re watching the movie, you’ll have plenty of time buying a condo.

On Fridays and Saturdays in August, the Seattle Center Mural Amphitheatre serves up a collection of classics:

Casablanca, Shane, To Kill A Mockingbird, Singin’ In The Rain, To Sir, With Love, Lawrence Of Arabia [seattlecenter]

Like Fremont, you’ll need to employ stealthy skills if you hope to bring a beer or two along for the ride, but the price here is right. All movies are screened for free, and the Mural lawn features both grass and an attractive slope for setting up camp.

Other outdoor movie venues you’d like to suggest? Tips and tricks for optimal enjoyment? Go wild in the comments section!