It can’t be denied that there will be some memorable Valentine’s Day this year. Not only does February 14 fall on a Friday but it is 2-14-2014!  Whether a sassy single, hopeless romantic, or blissfully committed individual there is something for everyone during Valentine’s Day and the Center of the Universe is no exception. From every imaginable heart-shaped item to finding solace amongst other haters, just add some red and pink and call it a holiday!

Here are some of the festivities we’ve heard about:

Agrodolce
“Organic Sicilian Cuisine”
709 N 35th Street, Seattle
call 206.547.9707 for reservations

James Beard Award-winning chef Maria Hines has put together a four-course menu that will make your Valentine swoon! Start dinner with housemade focaccia and build your next four courses with options such as Celery Root Soup with vanilla, fig and red wine; Chestnut Mafaldine with pancetta, wild mushrooms and Treviso; Maple Leaf Farms Duck Breast with medjool date, orange confit and cous couse; and Steamed Chocolate Cake with Café Coretto syrup, chantilly and mint. The full menu can be viewed at agrodolcerestaurant.net/events. Price is $70 with options under each course. Optional wine pairing priced at $40.

— provided by Agrodolce Restaurant

 The Back Door at Roxy’s
” A Delicious Speakeasy”
462 N 36th St, Seattle
call 206.632.7322 for reservations or click here

Come celebrate Valentine’s Day in Fremont’s most romantic dining room with seven courses to delight and amuse by Chef Andrew Coker and Guest Chef Douglas Chiech. The Back Door promises:

• Music to enchant (Guitarist Eric Friedrich)
• Drinks to Intoxicate (Jayson Cottam’s delicious blends)
• and Gifts to Remember (featuring:  Jay’s Elixirs, Bellefleur Lingerie, St. Germaine, Martini & Rossi, and premium local chocolates)

For tickets for this feast taking place from 7-10PM take the plunge here.
— provided by Peter Glick Restaurants

Fremont Abbey Arts presents

Read more about live music this week in our Live Music Monday post.

The Pocket Theater presents

Ubiquitous They performs @ 8:30

7 Minutes in Heaven takes the stage @ 10:00PM

Read more about The Pocket Theater’s stint in Fremont in this recent Fremont Universe post.

Know about something else going down on February 14th? Send us the details! tips@fremontuniverse.com

Fremont Abbey is bringing tons of great music, dance, art and more to the neighborhood in July. But then again you already knew that, didn’t you? That’s what they do.  Check out their list of upcoming events below and keep an eye on Fremont Abbey’s website and Facebook page for more news, updates and how to buy tickets.

July 12 – The Round 74, featuring Laura Gibson, Tomo Nakayama, Bright Archer (Johanna Kunin) as well as poets and painters. Weather-permitting, the Abbey will also be doing a community BBQ from 6:30-8:00 outside on the Abbey patio (BYO grilling items, they’ll provide the rest), and then possibly some music outside in a secret/epic sunset location (9ish), then back to the Abbey for the main show. Sounds all kinds of awesome.

July 15 – Marian Call (Wildysworld.blogspot.com named her album “Vanilla” the number one indie release of 2008 out of 600 albums).

July 16 – Threads (Modern dance showcase featuring Sapience Dance, Katy Hagelin Dance, Victoria McConnell, and Kenaniah Bystrom)

July 29 – Shenandoah Davis CD Release Party w/ Led to Sea, and Paleo. (“…the simplistic arrangements clear away like a pair of heavy velvet curtains to expose the true playful mastery of Davis’s compositions.” – Seattle Sound Magazine)

Who doesn’t like the idea of a free neighborhood festival of arts, music, food & fun for ALL ages? The 3rd Annual Upper Fremont Festival kicks off at 1pm this Saturday at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center and doesn’t stop providing all that aforementioned good stuff until 10pm.

The Abbey will have various arts programs, singers, performers and kid-friendly activities in and outside the building between 1-5pm, including free food demos from Vegan Fusion chef Mark Reinfeld, Zootunes giveaways and the BF Day Elementary School’s “ART ROCKS” Benefit event, featuring local bands & BF Day students.

At 5pm, Emily Anne Peterson’s cello students perform their Spring Recital in the Great hall (a free event), followed by poetry by Elaina Ellis and dance by Karin Stevens.

Finally, the day comes to a close with a concert featuring great local bands Sea Fever, Kimo Muraki & band and Hooves & Beak.

Tickets for the concert are $5 for students, $7 general admission and doors open at 6:30pm. The Abbey Cafe will serve refreshments but feel free to grab some food from a neighborhood eatery and bring it with you.

Have you been feeling a little square lately? Tonight’s your chance to smooth out those corners and get rounded again.

The Round 71 takes place tonight, starting at 8pm (doors open at 7pm) and features the usual eclectic mix of artists, musicians, poets and more.

Musical Guests:

Seattle singer-songwriter Shelby Earl (watch a video here)

John Lennon Songwriting Award winners OK Sweetheart, who have a new album out. (watch video here).

Portland’s Kasey Anderson (watch video here).

Live Artists:

Eric Newman, who will be doing live pottery.

Malia Sleight, who will be doing live sculpture.

Poetry:

A collection of Youth Speaks poets.

Tickets are $8-10 at the door, or you can purchase on Brown Paper Tickets for as low as $7.

The Round is also raising money via Kickstarter for the very first Round Compilation Album.

We plan on taking some of the best live recordings from the always unique & collaborative ROUND performances over the years, and making them available to everyone!  Many songs are completely unique recordings with rare (and sometimes improvised) instrumentation.  Some even feature the Seattle Rock Orchestra as well.  You’ll probably even quite literally hear yourself singing along in one of the songs.  We can’t absolutely guarantee who will make the cut, but we do promise it’ll sound great!

Head on over there to find out more and donate if you can.

With its Trolls and giant Russian dudes and new restaurants and plentiful nightlife, “South” Fremont is usually what people point to when they want to show off our neighborhood. Seattle Magazine could have easily just named all of Fremont as one of Seattle’s Best Neighborhoods when it came up with its list. Instead, they specifically called out the unheralded “Upper Fremont Avenue North” aka Fremont Village section of the neighborhood as one the city’s best.

Seattle Mag calls the area between North 41st and North 45th streets as a “Seattle nouveau hippie haven.”They point out that while the neighborhood has lost some longtime businesses recently, it’s also gaining new blood.

The demise last fall of the much loved Buckaroo Tavern, serving suds since 1938, probably garnered Upper Fremont (also called Fremont Village) its most press ever, but this short sidewalk strip just up the hill from the main attractions of Fremont is more deserving of a visit than ever. Along with staples such as Hansen’s Florist, Brad’s Swingside Cafe and Marketime Foods are several other attractions—some new, some well established.

As a resident of the area myself, I think this section of Fremont is just beginning to go through a renaissance. As Fremont Abbey continues to establish itself, the restaurants around it grow and the few remaining empty spaces should get filled. Looking forward to seeing where this tiny section of Fremont goes from here.

The Round is back at Fremont Abbey tonight. The concert/poetry slam/art exhibit/hangout has a pretty cool line-up planned, including:

• Kyle Bradford – http://www.myspace.com/kylebradfordhawkins

• Ross of Yuni in Taxco – http://yuni.bandcamp.com/

• Talitha Bullock – http://www.myspace.com/talithaandemily

• Slam Poets: Rose McAleese + Youthspeaks poets – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qjng6t9ThE

• Live painter Craig van den Bosch – www.vandenboschart.com

• Live painter Cait Willis – www.caitwillis.com

• Live painter Julia Carpenter – www.juliacarpenterpaintings.com

• Improv band: Steve Norman (pedal steel), Kaz (drums), Bryce (bass)

Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door. They can be purchased at Brown Paper Tickets. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.

For more information check out the Round’s Facebook page.

Some news and items of interest for Fremonsters…

• The Seattle Times has a nice write-up of the Fremont Abbey and all their events.

• SeattlePI.com has an editorial on how the higher parking rates will impact small businesses in Fremont and other neighborhoods.

• Bernadette Matsuno, will serve as interim director of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods until Mayor Mike McGinn selects a permanent replacement.

• The “Mayor of Fremont” get a shout-out in this online comic.

• Fremont Abbey and Lighthouse Roasters win some awards from QuallyQue.

• Article on the owners of Fremont’s Flying Apron, who run a gluten-free bakery with a very tech-heavy background.

You could call The Round a concert but that would be selling the event just a wee bit short. While three musicians will take turns performing tonight at the Fremont Abbey, they’ll also be sharing the stage with a slam poet, live painters and an improv band.

Tonight’s musicians include Matt Bishop from Hey Marseilles, Portland’s Kelli Schaefer and Bryan John Appleby. The slam poet will be Dezmond from Youthspeaks and the live painters will be Laci McCrea, Karina Sprinkle and Rachel Smith.

Proceeds from tonight’s event are going to benefit Aurora Commons, a safe place and service center for those in the neighborhood who need some help, connection or healing.

Doors open at the Abbey at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door, $8 for students or $15 for a reserved seat in the front row.

Some news and notes of interest for Fremonsters…

• Fremont-based ski and snowboard apparel seller Evo just snatched up $6 million in financing as it looks to expand its line of products into other sports categories like surfing and add new gear that appeals to a younger audience.
• Fremont Brewery’s Abominable Ale gets some solid reviews from Seattlest. The Bourbon Abominable also picked up a lot of votes at the Winter Beer Festival.
• The Seattle Department of Transportation released a map showing the location of every vehicle-caused pedestrian fatality in the city from 2005 to 2010. One location was close to Fremont, on Aurora.
• Dance innovator and pioneer Molissa Fenley will be performing her own choreography and taking part in a discussion tonight at 7:30 pm at the Abbey.
• Real Estate company eXp Realty Seattle has opened the doors on its new office at 1000 Northlake Way.

If you’ve never taken in an evening of music, poetry, art and food that makes up The Round, tonight’s program might just be a good one to kick things off with.

For the uninitiated, The Round is an intimate event that combines multiple, acoustic musicians, beat poetry, live painting and sometimes sculpting all served up alongside some tasty food and booze.

Starting at 7pm, tonight’s program features many alumni from previous Rounds. Singers include Aaron Sprinkle, Goldfinch, Big Sur and more. There’s also an improv band, multiple live painters and three beat poets. How much more artsy can one evening get? None. None more artsy.

Throw on your most festive sweater and head on over to the Abbey tonight to check it out. Tickets are available at the door or at Brown Paper Tickets. For more information on The Round, check the official site. Doors open at 7pm, show begins around 8pm.