Here’s your weekly events roundup for Oct. 12 – 18 in Ballard.
It’s a big week in Ballard, with weekly trivia and bingo, book clubs, craft nights, Swoon City’s one-year anniversary, a free screening of the AI Doc, and a dog Halloween costume contest at Skål. Enjoy!
Monday, Oct. 12
- Bingo Night at Ballard Beer Box, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Free, all-ages bingo with prizes every round. Dogs are welcome inside and on the patio.
- Book Club – Emotional Damage, Swoon City. 7 – 8:30 p.m.
- “Want a sprinkle (or pour) of grief and trauma with your romance? You’ve come to the right place, join our Emotional Damage Book Club. Show your ticket at Swoon City and get 10% off the cost of this month’s title. The pick for October is The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn.” Free to attend.
Tuesday, Oct. 13
- Trivia Night at Ballard Beer Box, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- Free, all-ages trivia with prizes for the winning table.
Wednesday, Oct. 14
- Book Trivia at The Ink Drinker, 8 – 9:30 p.m.
- Free trivia with prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. Teams and solo players are welcome.
- Drinkers with Knitting Problems – Craft Night, Hazlewood, 8 – 11 p.m.
- Free craft night for knitting, crocheting, embroidering, and sewing. Happy hour and drink specials (NA options available) for anyone crafting.
Thursday, Oct. 15
- Movie Screening of The AI Doc, Sustainable Ballard Center for Spiritual Living, 6 – 8:30 p.m.
- Free screening with post-film discussion of “The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist.” From the organizers: “Rather than simply presenting AI as either good or bad, the documentary explores its possibilities as well as its risks. It brings together voices from across the AI conversation and asks what this technology could mean for our jobs, communities, relationships, democracy, creativity, and future. It’s designed to make a complicated subject approachable – and to get people talking about what role we want AI to play in our lives.”
- Felting Class: Ghostly Needle Felts, Swoon City, 6:30 – 8 p.m.
- In this ghoulish 90 minute workshop, you’ll learn how to needle felt and make a cutie ‘lil witch ghost (a ghost with a *customizable* witches hat & bubbling cauldron). $50. Beginners welcome.
- Silent Book Club Ballard, Ink Drinker and Salt and Sugar Cafe and Bakery, 7 – 9 p.m.
- A free, bookish event where readers meet at an assigned location to gather and read silently for an hour. No assigned reading, come as you are.
- Pinball Tournament, Looking Glass Arcade, 7 – 10 p.m.
- Round up your pinball pals and see what you’ve got.
- Dogs of Halloween Costume Contest, Skål Beer Hall, 7:30 – 9 p.m.
- “Calling all spooky pups, silly doggos, and four-legged fashion icons for our Dogs of Halloween Costume Contest hosted by our resident Drag Queen Miss Texas! Dress your pup in their best Halloween costume and enter our contest for a chance to win some seriously tasty treats and bragging rights.” Friendly, well-behaved dogs are welcome. Free.
Friday, Oct. 16
- Trick or Treat Mini Print Art Crawl — A Mini Halloween Art Adventure in Ballard! at Bon Voyage Vintage, Secret Garden Books, Thread Hunter, and Niche Gallery, Oct. 16-31
- “Trick-or-treating gets a creative twist this Halloween — collect tiny art instead of candy. Four local Ballard businesses are hosting mini vending machines filled with collectible Halloween-themed Mini Risograph Prints. Walk from stop to stop, drop in four quarters ($1) to collect different prints at each location. You’ll need to visit every stop to collect them all!”
- Intro to Machine Knitting, The Seattle Knitting Lab, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- “Learn everything you need to know to start using your knitting machine! In this class we will review the terminology, equipment, tools and techniques required to start creating and designing simple knitted fabrics. This is a hands on class. Each student will be provided with their own machine to learn and create several swatches illustrating the techniques demonstrated. These techniques will include how to cast on and bind off your knitting, designing a striped pattern and how to create simple shaping at the selvedges of your fabric.” $300.
- Paint ‘n’ Sip with Jana Peterson: “Whispering Woods,” Leif Erikson Lodge, 3 – 5:30 p.m.
- Join artist Jana Peterson to learn how to make your own “Whispering Woods” masterpiece, using the “Y” method and Impressionistic techniques. $35.
- Join artist Jana Peterson to learn how to make your own “Whispering Woods” masterpiece, using the “Y” method and Impressionistic techniques. $35.
Saturday, Oct. 17
- Swoon City 1 Year Anniversary Party, Swoon City, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Free celebration for Swoon City’s one-year anniversary including four authors, giveaways, and raffles. Authors include Mila Finch, Erin Connor, Isabel Cañas, and Lauren Blakely.
- Painting Class: Floral Painting with Acrylics, Swoon City, 11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- “Let your creativity flow with instruction from local artist Brooke Westlund to create your own 16×20″ art piece. This is a fun class whether or not you haven’t painted since you were a kid or if you are an experienced artist. Brooke will lead you through the steps to create a one of a kind painting and teach you tools and tricks along the way, you can pick your own colors and your piece will be unique to you! Class is about 2.5 hours.” $75.
- Halloween Costume Swap, Sustainable Ballard, 2 – 4 p.m.
- “That costume your kid wore once and outgrew? Someone else’s kid is dreaming of being exactly that this year. Our Halloween Costume Exchange is where costumes — for adults, kids, and babies — find their next wearer, for free. We’ll also have a mask-making station and spooky tunes going. Hosted by Sustainable Ballard and Pass It at the Center for Spiritual Living Ballard, bring your gently used costumes, accessories, and Halloween gear, and take home whatever fits your crew this year.”
- “That costume your kid wore once and outgrew? Someone else’s kid is dreaming of being exactly that this year. Our Halloween Costume Exchange is where costumes — for adults, kids, and babies — find their next wearer, for free. We’ll also have a mask-making station and spooky tunes going. Hosted by Sustainable Ballard and Pass It at the Center for Spiritual Living Ballard, bring your gently used costumes, accessories, and Halloween gear, and take home whatever fits your crew this year.”
Sunday, Oct. 18
- Ballard Farmers Market, Ballard Ave NW, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. (recurring)
- Open since 2000, the Ballard Farmers Market is Seattle’s first year-round neighborhood farmers market selling produce exclusively from Washington state farmers. The market runs along Ballard Avenue NW and 22nd Avenue NW.
- Intro to Machine Knitting, The Seattle Knitting Lab, Oct. 18 and 25, 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- “Learn everything you need to know to start using your knitting machine! In this class we will review the terminology, equipment, tools and techniques required to start creating and designing simple knitted fabrics. This is a hands on class. Each student will be provided with their own machine to learn and create several swatches illustrating the techniques demonstrated. These techniques will include how to cast on and bind off your knitting, designing a striped pattern and how to create simple shaping at the selvedges of your fabric. This is a two-part class held on consecutive Sundays.” $300
- Washington Fall Mead Festival, Skål Beer Hall, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
- “Celebrate the Nectar of the Gods with WA Mead Makers! Seven local meaderies will be on hand to pour their Fall favorites in our covered and heated outdoor street cafe. Come mead the makers, sample a variety of meads, and take home a bottle or two.” $40
- STAINED GLASS CLASS: Stained Glass Monstera Madness, Swoon City, 1 – 5 p.m.
- “In this 4 hour class, you will learn how to use the Tiffany method of foiling, gain guided experience with soldering technique, learn how to frame with lead came, and how to properly clean and polish stained glass. Each student will receive and work with a pre-cut and ground glass kit of the design pictured. All materials are included.” $135.
- Advanced Cactus Embroidery, Swoon City, 2:30 – 5:30 p.m.
- “Calling all cactus lovers! Learn beginner and advanced embroider in this cactus inspired workshop with fiber artist Melissa Galbraith of MCreativeJ. This three hour, hands-on workshop covers a variety of beginner-friendly embroidery stitches including the satin stitch, long and short satin stitch, back stitch, reverse chain stitch, leaf stitch, French knot, lazy daisy, couching, needle weaving, and more! Each attendee will receive a full kit. Kits include: a wooden embroidery hoop, cactus transfer designs, embroidery needle, full skeins of embroidery thread, a surprise pattern fabric, backing materials, and printed instructions.” $90
- Paint ‘n’ Sip with Jana Peterson: “Bryggen in Bergen”, Leif Erikson Lodge, 3 – 5:30 p.m.
- “Unleash your inner artist while sipping and painting the charming Bryggen waterfront in Bergen, Norway, with guest artist Jana Peterson.” $35 includes paint supplies, wine, and light snacks.
- Silent Reading at The Ink Drinker, 6 – 8 p.m.
- “Come close your weekend right with a relaxing drink and some quality quiet time with your latest read at The Ink Drinker Sunday from 6 pm to 8 pm. We have cocktails, non-alcoholic creations, wine, beer and cider on tap as well as appetizers, entrées, and desserts.” Free.
- OK Tiger w/ Fern Spores and Fox & Bones, Sunset Tavern, 8 – 11 p.m.
- Indie folk, femme-folk rock, and yacht rock at the Sunset. $12
Have an event to share? Add it to the Ballard event calendar!
Photo: Swoon City