Having too many fun things to do is a nice problem to have; such is the case for this coming weekend. Fireworks, festivals…there’s a lot going on and as an added bonus it’s a three-day weekend for many of us.

I recommend spending at least part of your free time this weekend at the Seattle Center.

Friday, July 3, marks the kick off of the Seattle International Beer Fest. From noon to 10 pm on Friday, noon to 10 pm on Saturday and noon to 7 pm on Sunday, sample beers from all over the world, some well-known, some completely obscure. A mere $20 gets you in the gate with a wristband, a souvenir glass, and 10 drink tickets. Generous samples are served at a cost of 1 – 4 tickets each and should you run out of tickets, you can purchase more at $1 each. (Or you can be like me and the woman I hung out with last festival and just ask departing festgoers if they’ll give you their leftovers. I got to try so many different beers this way, it was a lot of fun.)

Friday night brings the Firecracker 5000, a 5K Run/Walk celebrating Independence weekend with “Seattle’s only Midnight Run”. The run starts and finishes at Memorial Stadium on a course that takes runners and walkers from the Center to downtown and back again; included in the swag, entrants get a t-shirt that partially glows in the dark.

Saturday, July 4, at the Fisher Pavillion more than 500 people who came from over 70 countries will pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America as brand new citizens. The event starts with a concert at 11:00, followed by the noon time ceremony. I go to this ceremony most years and have now witnessed it many, many times and I still find myself moved by it – okay, sure, the speeches are mostly boring recitations of the same old political superficiality by whomever happens to be in the offices of Mayor and Governor and King County Executive at the time but it is always fun and inspiring to see just how happy people are about becoming American citizens. I highly recommend talking to people who are becoming citizens this day and their families because so many of them have such excellent stories to share.