My Ballard

If you’re still venting from Saturday’s controversial game at Husky Stadium, you can head down to Anthony’s on Shilshole this Monday at 4:30 p.m. to participate in a live radio show with UW head coach Tyrone Willingham. So what happened? A ref called a bogus penalty on quarterback Jake Locker, which led to the Huskies loss, 28-27 against BYU. It didn’t take long for the controversial call to hit the national airwaves. “That was a sham,” said ESPN commentator Lou Holtz. Added ESPN’s Mark May, “This could be a job loser game for Ty Willingham,” referring to Tyrone’s need to pull out a winning season or likely lose his job. KJR will broadcasting the show, and they’ll be taking questions from the audience.

- Tonight (Friday) at 6:30 p.m. is the “Crayfish Celebration and Auction” at the Swedish Cultural Center, 1920 Dexter Ave N. Then on Sunday, the monthly Swedish Pancake breakfasts resume at 8 a.m.
- Saturday morning at the Majestic Bay Theater is a fundraiser for Morningsong Early Learning Center. There will be a screening of The Jungle Book at 9 a.m.
- Washington’s first Poet Laureate, Sam Green will be reading at the Fremont branch of the Seattle Library at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
- Get a self-guided tour of eight neighborhood gardens in the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s Garden Tour, Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- For live music, check out the concert calendars for the Tractor Tavern, Sunset Tavern, The Bit Saloon, High Dive, Conor Byrne and Nectar.

As always, check out our events calendar. And if you have an event to add, just email us at tips@myballard.com and we’ll post it in the calendar.

This Saturday morning you can jump out of bed and head straight to Majestic Bay in your pajamas for “Movies for Morningsong,” a special screening of The Jungle Book to benefit homeless children. The Morningsong Early Learning Center is the only child care center in Seattle serving homeless toddlers and pre-schoolers. A great cause. Tickets are $15 each and include popcorn and a drink — and you can only buy tickets in advance right here. The movie starts at 9 a.m.

Fremont Oktoberfest is quickly approaching (it’s in September, not October, you know), and advance tickets have gone on sale. This year, there are a few new twists to Fremont’s annual event including the Miss Buxom contest (”all contestants must be dressed up in funky, fun German attire”) and the BMX keg jump. Sounds like a party. As always, there’s a full line-up of bands, a comedy show, the Brew HA-HA 5K Run and Walk and lots and lots of microbrews. Mark your calendar for September 19-21st, and get tickets here.

Groundswell NW is holding an event this Sunday afternoon at Ballard’s newest park on 9th Ave. near 70th St. Called “Sundaes on Sunday,” neighbors in the area can enjoy an ice cream treat ($3 suggested donation) and hear about future plans for the park. The event runs from 2-4 p.m. with the update at 3 p.m.

A statue honoring Chris Wedes, better known as the clown who has entertained generations of Seattle-area kids, is being unveiled at a celebration from 1-3 p.m., Sunday, in Fremont.

Any kid living in Seattle from 1958-1981 grew up watching J.P. Patches and his sidekick Gertrude on TV. When J.P. and Gertrude make an appearance these days, it’s amazing to watch people 40+ years old act like giddy kids all over again.

In recognition of the pair’s impact on Seattle history, supporters have been working since 2005 to raise funds for a statue of J.P. and Gertrude. The statue sculpted by Kevin Pettelle, “Late for the Interurban,” will be unveiled next to Fremont’s “Waiting for the Interurban” near the north end of the Fremont Bridge. The event will no doubt be made all the more poignant by the fact Wedes is battling blood cancer.

- Friday night on Phinney Ridge, it’s the Outdoor Mystery Movie in the parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Association. Show starts at 8:30 p.m.
- The Army Reserve will celebrate 100 years of service with music, festivities and free cake at the Ballard Locks on Saturday. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m., with the cake cutting ceremony at 3 p.m.
- The Seattle Animal Shelter hosts a cat adoptathon on Saturday at Loyal Heights Community Center on 77th St. near 21st Ave. Noon to 3 p.m.
- Help Ballard’s Class of 2009 raise money for the prom with a car wash Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Bernie’s Automotive at 4420 Leary. There’s a suggested $10 donation.
- This Saturday evening is the monthly Ballard ArtWalk, beginning at 6 p.m.
- For live music, check out the concert calendars for the Tractor Tavern, Sunset Tavern, The Bit Saloon, High Dive, Conor Byrne and Nectar.

As always, check out our events calendar. And if you have an event to add, just email us at tips@myballard.com and we’ll post it in the calendar.

This weekend, the Army Reserve will celebrate 100 years of service with music, festivities and free cake at the Ballard Locks. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m., with the cake cutting ceremony at 3 p.m.

If you’re like us, you may have received an invitation to join your own block’s “Night Out” party this Tuesday night — an annual event to raise awareness for neighborhood crime prevention efforts. It’s also a great way to meet and mingle with your neighbors. The event runs from 6-9 p.m., and organizers are allowed to shut down their streets (as long as they’re not arterials and they don’t block the intersections.) You can also participate by turning on your porch light.

Update: The Ballard Community Center is hosting a big “Night Out” party.

Another update: Members of the Sunset Hill Community Association will be riding bikes around and handing out about 400 ice cream sandwiches. Yum!

“Ballard’s traditional costume is really a pair of old coveralls,” explains the SeafoodFest program, “not a Scandinavian folk costume, as many might imagine.” So in the spirit of honoring industrial Ballard, contestants in the “Seventh Annual Slotky Memorial Couture Coverall Contest” took the stage.

The goal is to show originality and Ballard fashion flair with a pair of coveralls. And today, Old and New Ballard alike were well represented.

That’s Esther from the Nordic Heritage Museum walking down the “catwalk” on the left. And, ahem, that’s Sonya from BalMar on the right.

Um, this is “Lily the Riveter” sporting coveralls.

But in the end, the winner is Dorte Brandsrub, who dressed and played the part of a woman from the Duwamish tribe in Ballard back in the 1800s.

While many Ballardites love their seafood, lutefisk is an acquired taste.

One of the most popular events at this weekend’s SeafoodFest is the lutefisk eating contest. Ten contestants with iron stomachs battled it for $150.

If you’re not familiar with lutefisk, well, it’s a gelatinous white fish that’s soaked in lye and reeks to high heaven. A Scandinavian staple. Here, contest organizers pour two pounds of liquid lutefisk into each bowl. Mmm, tasty.

More than a hundred people packed every square inch of Bergen place to watch.

The previous record was just 18 seconds. But amazingly, a man named Einer Johannsen smashed the record by slurping down two pounds in just 7 seconds!

Here’s the winner in the blue-checkered shirt. “I poured it down like a pitcher of Rainier Beer,” Johannsen told me after the contest. “It has a wonderful taste.” He said he grew up eating lutefisk as a kid: a clear advantage. We shot video of the contest below (it happened so fast, we missed the winning gulp.)

“I overheard him talking to a Ballard Market employee, and he just got his captain’s license and works on a fishing boat,” writes My Ballard reader Lakreitz. And did you notice the guy sitting next to him? “He hadn’t even drank but a few sips and he was shaking uncontrollably,” Lakreitz writes. “He was trying so hard to not vomit - fortunately for all in the crowd, he did not lose it.”

SeafoodFest began 34 years ago as a salmon feast to raise money for the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. Today, the popular salmon BBQ is still a chamber fundraiser and the heart and soul of this weekend’s event.

For most of the midday hours, a long line stretched down 22nd Ave. Seafood lovers waited in anticipation for an $8 serving of salmon.

Master griller Warren Aakervik holds court for his 33rd annual barbecue. Behind him are two big enclosed grills with burning alder inside.

Big fillets of salmon, donated by Trident Seafood, are placed onto the grill.

The finished product. Yum! Well worth the wait.