Kermit the Frog tells us it's not easy being green, and while we see his point, this weekend we'll beg to differ. Get out your gear for St. Paddy's Day, ask for kisses, and head over to Seattle Center to celebrate with the Irish Week Festival. Shop your heart out at the gigantic Lakeside Rummage Sale all weekend -- you never know what you might find, and that's the fun of it. Anyone in your family like tutus? Head to Pacific Northwest Ballet for Hansel and Gretel. With all this excitement, remember to breathe!

Holiday Hoopla
Irish Week Festival
Everyone's Irish this weekend! St. Patrick's Day festivities kick off with the annual parade from 4th Avenue and Jefferson Street, to Westlake Park's Reviewing Stand, to The Seattle Center House. The Monorail is free from noon to 3:00 pm on Saturday, so why not follow the parade? The Irish Week Festival is part of Festal, and is an attempt to build cultural knowledge in our city (whose sister city, by the way, is Galway). The weekend includes artists, workshops, contests, lectures, films, singalongs, music, dance, and even genealogy research. The Children's Activity Center will be abuzz. Wear green or prepare to be pinched!
When: Saturday, March 17, and Sunday, March 18, from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Location: Seattle Center House, Fisher Pavillion, 305 Harrison Street
Cost: Free
Info.: 206.684.7200
Online: www.seattlecenter.com

Better Than TV
Hansel and Gretel at Pacific Northwest Ballet
Fact: Kids love ballet. Fact: Kids don't love sitting still. Solution: This weekend's one-hour production of Hansel and Gretel. The show is a world premiere performed by seventy students of Pacific Northwest Ballet School. The familiar story and one-act length make this the perfect opportunity to introduce Little Ones to the delights of professional ballet. PNB's Principal Ballerina, Ariana Lallone, will perform as the witch. Just be warned: your family's ballerina might start wearing her ballet slippers everywhere after she catches this performance. Scatter your breadcrumbs and step into the woods!
When: Sunday, March 18, at 1:00 pm and 5:30 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest Ballet, 301 Mercer Street
Cost: Adults, $20 - $60; Children, $15 - $50
Info: Main Office, 206.441.9411; Box Office, 206.441.2424
Online: www.pnb.org

Sweet Savings
Lakeside Rummage Sale
Lakeside Rummage has been going strong since 1950. The event supports Lakeside School and is absolutely gigantic -- enough goods to fill an airplane hangar. Choices include everything a kid could want, and lots for grownups too. Find books, DVDs, CDs, household goods, children's clothing and shoes, and much more. The staffers even keep a whole trailer full of some of the best items to put out on Saturday, so that early birds and latecomers alike will share in the booty. Thursday night offers a preview, with prices at a 30% increase to compensate for getting first choice. Cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard accepted. Let the treasure hunt begin!
When: Thursday, March 15, from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm; Friday, March 16, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Saturday, March 17, from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sunday, March 18, from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Warren G. Magnuson Park, Hangar 27, 7400 Sand Point Way NE
Cost: : Free
Info.: 206.368.3618
Online: www.lakesideschool.org

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