Author of a Seattle handbook for newcomers, Maria provides news, guides, and tidbits for city dwellers, visitors, and day trippers
Forging metal into useful objects has been a part of human history for at least 6,000 years, and while the techniques and tools might have evolved a little, the basic concept has not. It’s also an art that is accessible to nearly anyone and you don’t need to take a week’s worth of classes to learn and make your own useful or beautiful object.
Lawless Forge, located in South Seattle, offers public and private classes, and team building events for businesses. Most public classes are around 3 hours long, and you walk away with something that you made with your own hands – with the help of hot fire and strong hammers, among other things.
You might think that you need to be fairly strong in order to forge things out of metal, but Lawless Forge promises that isn’t the case. In fact, some of their classes are child-friendly (within limits). You don’t need any kind of prior experience to take a class.
There are four classes offered to the public. The Damascus steel ring class is for adults only, runs 3.5 hours long, and costs $175. Learn to make a bottle opener from a steel rod for $95. Kids are welcome in this class at a cost of $40. For $80 per adult and $40 per child, you can make a knife out of a horseshoe. If you really want to go all-in, there’s an 8-hour class of blacksmithing fundamentals that covers a lot of techniques and tools. You do need to complete one of the 3-hour classes first before you can take the Blacksmith Master: Fundamentals class.
The studio is located at 3600 E. Marginal Way South, and the FAQs page should cover all your questions. If not, there’s a live chatbot on the site.
Author of a Seattle handbook for newcomers, Maria provides news, guides, and tidbits for city dwellers, visitors, and day trippers
More from Maria Shimizu Christensen
Many book lovers are familiar with the Half Price Books warehouse sales, held two or three times a year. The upcoming sale comes with a twist. Most of the events offer up a tote bag that can be filled for $25. It’s a good deal and it’s fun for dedicated bibliophiles to see just how much weight they can carry. This Saturday, everything in the warehouse is $1.
We know many of our parks, lakes, and beaches in the Puget Sound region are free and a great place to spend a day. You can spend hours wandering around the Pike Place Market, the Seattle Center, the Olympic Sculpture Park, or the Bellevue Botanical Garden, but what if you want to do something a little different? A little more unique? The following list has things that are family-friendly and things that are interesting for grownups.
At 5:30 am on Saturday, June 25th, cars will begin to line up along Greenwood Avenue North in Seattle. And not just any cars, but the coolest and oldest cars around. The iconic Greenwood Car Show doesn’t officially start until 8 am, but it takes a while to get hundreds of cars in place. All of the vehicles, from hot rods to ancient trucks, enter the street on 70th and start driving north. Eventually the parking fills up and then people get to work polishing their vehicles and setting up displays.
The Seattle Pride Parade route map from the website. It’s the largest parade in Washington State and it takes place on Sunday, June 26. The Seattle Pride Parade is celebrating its 48th year and around half a million people are expected to attend.
The Center for Wooden Boats is an iconic organization in Seattle, with a history spanning nearly 50 years. With rampant growth in South Lake Union, it was important to save some space for old Seattle, and the recent designation of the CWB as a Landmark does just that.
This weekend, June 18 to June 19, is kind of a big deal. Father’s Day, Juneteenth, and the approach of the summer solstice means big events, all up and down the Puget Sound region.
Image from the Burien Strawberry Festival website. Strawberry growing has a long history in the Puget Sound region. Berry farms have dotted the area from Whatcom County to counties around the south end of the sound for nearly 200 years. While there are fewer berry farms now and the industry looks a little different these days, and kids don’t usually earn their pocket money picking berries by the flat in the summer like I did, we still love our strawberries.
What happens when you roll a food festival, high-end craft fair, a dance party, and a cocktail party into one event? You get the 4th annual Summer Solstice Night Market. This highly popular event is 21+ only and fills the very large Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park in Northeast Seattle. The party spills outside the building, too, and promises to overflow with fun.
The season is open for one of the most unique activities in the Pacific Northwest, and there’s a good chance that you’ve never done anything like it. It’s a physical activity that isn’t too strenuous, it’s outdoorsy, peaceful, and it’s more fun than walking.
Prom is a big deal in high school and a lot of people have fond memories of theirs. Parents take photos of their kids and dates, capturing some of the moments that make up those memories. Beautiful dresses, dinners, sparkly lights, music, dancing, and friends combine for a magical night. But, not for everyone.
We may have just experienced the wettest and coldest May since 1948, but eventually summer will get here, and as the days get hotter we’ll want to head to the beaches to cool off. Living in Western Washington we have plenty to choose from.
Former Seahawk Doug Baldwin, Jr. has been busy since he retired in 2019. Founder of an investment firm, board member and advisor, and the Executive Director of the Family First Community Center Foundation, among other things. And now he’s co-sponsoring a community BBQ in Renton.
For over 20 years the Furry 5K Fun Run and Walk has raised funds to help support the Seattle Animal Shelter. Thousands of animals enter the shelter doors every year, and they need everything from veterinary care to new homes. It takes a lot to help these abandoned and surrendered pets.
Lists like this are usually headlined as “the best” of something, but pizza might just be the most subjective and debated food around. Styles, regions, and toppings all have their fans and haters, so it’s nearly impossible to say what’s best.
For over 20 years the Olympic Air Show has taken place in Olympia and this year is no exception. The show is happening during Father’s Day weekend, making it the perfect outing for families, or anyone who enjoys airplanes, history, and a festival atmosphere.
While scrapbooking isn’t the industry giant it once was – generating 2.5 billion in revenue yearly in the early 2000s – it isn’t dead, as some like to claim. The business side of things has changed, but it is still a substantial hobby and passion project for legions of people, even if some of the tools, techniques and technologies have evolved.
Reservations for camping at Washington State Parks and other campgrounds are filling up fast as people anticipate a summer of few or no pandemic restrictions. A lot of people want to do the traveling that they didn’t do for a couple of years, and that includes visiting the great outdoors.
Dozer Day may be one of the most unique, hands-on, family-friendly events around. It’s no secret that kids love big trucks and construction zones, and this is the only place where they can spend a whole day both watching and operating them.
Other towns and cities claim to have the oldest festival in Washington state, but Sequim’s claim is very specific. They say that next year, after 127 years of annual festivities, the Sequim Irrigation Festival will be “Washington state's oldest, longest continuing running festival.” After all this time, they know what they’re doing.