Since we’re already counting down for things this week [mb ^[1]], don’t forget put this year’s Bug Blast ^[2] on your calendars: Sunday, September 28. It’s no secret that the Burke’s annual bug festival is near the top of my list of events for the year–my first two posts for this here Metblog, way back in 2005, were about the Bug Blast. Bugs are neat, friends, and the Bug Blast is the greatest concentration of bug-related enthusiasm in the Seattle metro area.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the shindig, and to celebrate, “The Bug Chef” David George Gordon will be cooking up delicious critter-based treats. (The last time they had a bug chef he cooked up some crickets with orzo and peppers, but the problem with eating crickets is that their spiny little legs get caught in your throat.) Along with the snacks, there will be the usual attractions, all of the bees and ants to watch, the collections of Scarabs members, and things under microscopes. The Bug Blast is free with admission to the museum, so it’s also a nice chance to check out all of the dinosaur bones and the polar bear exhibit.