On Friday, September 16, join thousands of your friends, neighbors and colleagues to do more during an all-county day of volunteering brought to you by the Untied Way of King County called the Day of Caring.

Here in Fremont, the Fremont Arts Council will be celebrating the Day of Caring by hosting a “revitalization & cleaning day in Fremont.”

Those interested in participating should meet at the Power House (3940 Fremont Ave N) at 10:00am. All are welcome, so long as you wear your “get dirty” clothes.

The United Way will be hosting a Day of Caring After Party at CenturyLink Field (formerly Qwest Field) in the afternoon to celebrate.

To more on the Fremont Arts Council, visit their site. For more on the United Way of King County, visit their site.

The Fremont Arts Council and the Fremont Neighborhood Council have partnered to keep ahead of the taggers and keep the Bridge Way Mural clean. But they need your help. They will be out on Saturdays, August 27, September 10 & September 24.

There will also be a special paint-out on Friday September 16, for the United Way’s Day of Caring, The Fremont Arts Council will have groups working at the Troll, the Mural and the Powerhouse.

To get involved with the painting party, contact FAC Board President, Michael Clark, at clark27mw@gmail.com.

You know, you can mess with Fremont’s streets and its buildings and even its people. We can take it and give it right back. But you don’t mess with our Troll. Unfortunately, a bunch of taggers decided it would be a good idea to do so recently.

A black smile stretches across the face of the Fremont Troll under the Aurora Bridge. Its eye is circled in black and an X is marked on its head.

Fortunately, the Fremont Arts Council is organizing a cleanup party tonight (Tuesday) to take care of the mess. The Council is asking for volunteers to help clean up the tagging at 7 p.m. The more the merrier.

No word on how these types of things will be prevented in the future, though the Troll was quoted as saying he was going to use “troll-justice” next time.

(The photo is actually from a similar incident in 2009)

Fremont’s Solstice Parade is approaching and there’s lots of things still to do, plan for and, of course, paint.

The Fremont Art Council is still on the lookout or donated materials to help them build their floats, artwork and other items for the parade.

While cash donations help us buy supplies and materials for the studio, we rely on other “scrounged” or donated materials to create fantastical art for the Fremont Solstice Parade (We can’t make all this great art without stuff!)

The place to make your donations is the The Powerhouse Solstice Studio (3940 Fremont Ave. N.) and they’re accepting through June 18th. Swing by between 6-9pm Monday through Friday or 12-5pm Saturday and Sunday. For a list of what you can donate and what they do not want (both lists are very large so read them carefully), check out their site.

What if you’re thinking about cycling in the parade but have never done it before and don’t know what to do day-of? FAC is here to help. The Solstice Cyclists will be hosting a body-painting party at corner of 3rd Ave NW and NW 36th St at 11:45 a.m. for the start of the parade on the 18th. To join the painting party, email SolCycles-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

And if you need more info on best practices for riding in the parade, check out the official rules. Well, they’re more like guidelines, but you’ll see why they’re in place:

Don’t be creepy. Seriously. Don’t stare at people. Don’t take photographs without permission. If you’re not getting painted or helping someone get painted, don’t come.

May Day! May Day! May Day!

The Fremont Arts Council wants you to join them for a celebration this Sunday, May 1st between 3-10pm for May Day. FAC is taking over the field to play games, dance, sing, and weave the May-pole!

You can join the fun at the park entrance near Aurora and 60th, next to the horseshoe courts (see PDF of the park here).

Feel free to bring a dish, beverages or tableware to share and bring flowers and natural materials for creating head wreaths. Wearing white is also encouraged.

Volunteers are needed, so if you’re interested contact Rodman at rodman (at) rodmanstudio (dot) com.

Join the Fremont Arts Council on Thursday, April 21st at 7 p.m. at Egan’s Ballard Jam House for the Variety for Charity benefit show.

All you need to do is a provide a donation (suggested $10, but you can always give more). Then, sit back, relax and enjoy a night of great music, poetry, comedy and more.

All proceeds benefit the Fremont Solstice Parade. Here’s some info on who will be performing.

Hosts:

Susan Harper ~ vocalist and songwriter

Larry Crist ~ silver tongued poet

Hugh Sutton ~ keyboard chameleon

Line-Up:

7:15 Susan & Larry kick off the night with a Bossa Nova tune and a poem or two

7:30 Pacific NW Blues Diva Lady “A” www.ladyababyblues.com

7:50 Ricky Gene Powell ~ a musical trend setter www.boysofgreenwoodglen.com

8:15 Michael Murdock ~ endearing thespian

8:25 Susan & Hugh ~ duet www.susanharper.com

8:40 Seastar ~ folky, passionate and celtic-y www.reverbnation.com/seastar

9:00 Larry & Michael Murdock ~ a comedy sketch

9:10 KlezterBalm ~ hypnotic chaos www.klezterbalm.blogspot.com

9:30 Kylie Koyote ~ devious desert nymph burlesque

9:40 EQ lateral ~ ambient electronic violin and ethereal vocals
http://www.eqlateral.com

When discussing the Fremont Solstice Parade with a group of people, the conversation will eventually veer towards a specific question.

Would you?

Would you get naked, slather yourself in paint, hop on a bike and ride publicly through town as thousands of onlookers cheered you on?

There’s a new documentary in the works right now that follows four intrepid individuals who answered “Yes.”

Beyond Naked Trailer from Dan McComb on Vimeo.

Beyond Naked explores what happens when four first-time participants accept a challenge to ride naked in the 2011 Fremont Solstice Parade, Seattle’s annual celebration of summer and self-expression. The film will also explore our deep-rooted fear (and awkward fascination with) nakedness and what we can learn about ourselves when we dare to drop trou.

I chatted with the film’s director, Dan McComb, about the project, how it’s being filmed and what he’s hoping to get out of the experience.

FremU: What is Beyond Naked about and where did the idea come from?

DM: If you ask someone on the street whether they’ve heard of the Fremont Solstice Parade, the frequent reply is: “You mean the naked bikers?” How is it that a rogue group of loosely organized, unpaid individuals have managed to become synonymous with the parade? And why here, when cities like San Diego have blocked rides from starting by threatening participants with arrest?

As the title implies, we hope this film (in addition to being a lighthearted adventure) can shift the conversation about artistic nudity from one focused on whether people should be allowed to be naked in public, to a deeper exploration of self-expression, artistic license and personal freedom.

I became fascinated with the Fremont Solstice Cyclists in 2003, when, after much arm-twisting from my friends, I accepted a challenge to ride naked in the parade with a group of about 60 other cyclists. It was a scary, exhilarating and transformative experience that made a lasting impression on me. Last year, an estimated 650 cyclists rode, and if the weather’s good this year, some organizers predict as many as 1,000 cyclists.

I attended Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School last year, where the legendary director told me: “if something fascinates you, you must do it.” I gave myself two additional requirements for finding an idea for my first feature-length film: It had to be about something I have a personal connection to. And it had to be reachable within walking distance of my house in Fremont. As I watched last year’s Solstice Parade with Herzog’s words ringing in my ears, I realized this was my story.

Jeff Hedgepeth is one of the brave souls featured in Beyond Naked.

[Read more →]

Clean out your closets and garages, lighten your load & feel great while helping your favorite community organization…The Fremont Arts Council.

The Arts Council’s Monster Rummage Sale is April 2-3 and April 9-10 at the PowerHouse (3940 Fremont Ave N) between the hours of 9am and 4pm.

This annual rummage sale is always a fun event to kick off the parade season by raising money for glue, scissors & supplies. Prior rummage events have raised nearly $3000 and this year the council is looking to double that. That’s where you come in.

How can you help?

1. Donate - Household items, gently used or unusual items are gladly accepted…furniture, clothing, books, household items, linens, lamps, sports equipment and other goods. Particularly rare or valuable items are needed for the silent auction department.

2. Volunteer - Help receive donations, set-up parties or act as sales staff.

3. Communicate - Email Sonia to let her know you are interested in helping: soniatelesco (at) gmail.com or call 206/384-2717.

Join the Fremont Arts Council, the group that produces the annual Fremont Solstice Parade. “All are welcome to come and find out more about this eclectic, artistic collective of artists.”

Meet at 7:10 p.m. at the Powerhouse (3940 Fremont Ave. N.) for this Committee of the Whole meeting.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s 7 p.m. Fremont Arts Council’s Committee of the Whole Meeting at the Powerhouse (3940 Fremont Ave. N.), there will be discussion of a proposal to make a change to the organization’s bylaws that will attempt to deal with the logistical problems of a simple majority of the voting members being the only way to change the bylaws. The suggestion, coming from FAC board member Maque daVis, also a member of FAC Board subcommittee on bylaw changes, is to add that a whole consensus of the FAC Board could enact bylaw changes too.

At the last FAC Board meeting, a proposal was made to make one change out of many proposed changes to the FAC bylaws. Out of that, a FAC Board subcommittee was formed to look at the FAC Bylaws, which found that the FAC bylaws need to be updated and made more clear as to how the FAC is actually run.

Some proposed changes involve tax requirements, clarity on procedure, Board elections, the COW (Committee of the Whole) process, and function of the committees. But before anything is enacted, these proposed bylaw changes will be discussed over several months, by the members, the COW and the FAC Board.

The first change proposed involves the process of updating the bylaws, by incorporating a consensus vote of the FAC Board as another way to make bylaw changes. Currently the only way to update the bylaws is by a majority vote of all paying members. The FAC has not been able to get a majority of members to vote on any proposal yet - which may have something to do with the fact that at one point, there were 300 members in the FAC. Currently there are about 67 members.

Tonight at the Fremont Arts Council’s Power House, 3940 Fremont Ave N. (where all the Solstice Parade floats are parked): a BBQ / Potluck at 5:30 p.m., just prior to another Parade Planning Meeting at 7 p.m.

The parade is just a few weeks away - June 19 - so if you want to be involved in the parade, now is the time to engage!

Bring food to share, something for the grill if you like, & your own plates, bowls, cups, utensils. There are some at the Power House, but its better to bring what you’ll need.

No alcohol is allowed on school grounds, where the Power House resides.

Here’s another way to help out the Fremont Arts Council in their efforts to put on another remarkable Solstice Parade:

Tonight’s Variety for Charity International Scope with Local Talent at Egan’s Balllard Jam House (1707 NW Market St.), beginning at 9 p.m.
Hosts –Susan Harper & Larry Crist will emcee an evening with performances by… Steffan Soule - Magic that Moves , Julia Massey (album cover pictured), Adrian Libertini, Seastar and Mr. Innocent.

While this is an all-ages venue, “There could be some inappropriate moments, so parents use discretion,” Harper said. Reserve your seat at reservations@ballardjamhouse.com or call (206) 789-1621.

Suggested donation is $20 - 25.

Some more details about Egan’s if you’re planning on attending tonight:

• Reservations are taken for specific shows. Our main room seats 46 people, plus another 12 on the side deck, weather permitting. Customers in these seats are charged the band’s cover charge on entry. We usually reserve approximately 40 seats in the room prior to the show, with the remaining seats available on a “first come, first served” basis at show time. We attempt to seat walk-in parties together whenever possible.
• Reserved seats are held until the show starts, unless we are notified of a delay.
• In addition to seating in the room and on the deck, during nice weather we also have sidewalk seating available for full service without a cover charge.

Now that the floats have been moved to the Fremont Arts Council’s Power House and after Saturday’s clean-up and re-organization, the countdown to the Solstice Parade is on.

Those who want to help build an experience that has become not only a Fremont highlight, but a high point for the city, can attend parade planning meetings, which will occur tonight and every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. leading up to Solstice on June 19.

On the agenda tonight:

7 p.m. Parade Stages. Each year we have stages set up along the parade route where ensembles are announced to the crowds. Please attend this hour of the meting if you are interested discussing what this looks like, how we can make ‘em better, and how to avoid the pitfalls of gaps.

8 p.m. Gasworks Park. Come and meet Stephanie Bishop, our Gasworks coordinator and share your ideas for our celebration in the park. Interested in hosting the hospitality booth? How about taking a shift at the FAC booth? or better yet, How about installing some crazy outdoor spectacle art?!

Next week, the discussion will focus on photographer passes policy at 7 p.m. and Art Studio functionality (Mom/Pop training; improvements; repairs; workshops) at 8.

If you have any questions, e-mail lesliez@fremontartscouncil.org.

The Fremont Arts Council is getting ready for the 2010 Solstice Parade.

Over the weekend, volunteers packed up the floats from their storage space under the Ballard Bridge and took them to get ready for the annual parade and celebration. This year’s 2010 Solstice Parade will be held on June 19th, the Saturday before the summer solstice (which falls on June 21 at 4:28 a.m.)

Never been to the Solstice Parade? Here’s coverage of last year’s parade.

Here’s another stop you can make if you’re partaking in tonight’s Fremont First Friday Art Walk: Create a “Dream Banner” under the Lenin statue’s shadow, taking free lessons from an artist.

From Solstice Parade Coordinator Mylinda Sneed:

Join others in creating this community art project; an assemblage of hand painted banners decorating the street for Solstice Parade! Artist Sonia Telesco will be there teaching & creating from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

There is no charge for this fantastic lesson in celebration arts (but you can always buy the parched artist an adult beverage). All ages welcome to participate (kid friendly with adult assist).

Sneed said Telesco can use a couple of volunteers to help set up at 4 p.m., to help make banners from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and to help her pack up from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The big float move from Ballard is also happening Saturday, but to get the place ready for building the street-level spectacle, the Power House space needs to be cleaned out to make room for all the activity.