Get Out This Weekend! June 26 & 27

Image via Flickr GoingSloThis round-up is a little shorter than I'd originally planned. Several events I'd planned to list wound up being full. So that gives me the opportunity to deliver my first Stern Lecture on this site (I've done them on occasion on Fresh-Picked, but never here.)

The Stern Lecture is: if you have friends coming into town on an upcoming date, or a powerful hankering for a particular type of event, your best bet to ensure you get in to the kind of you event you want is to check the Event Calendar in advance and RSVPing early. Early bird, worm, etc.

Okay whew, we got through that. And all that said, there are still plenty of fun (and FREE!) events this weekend, so never fear!

And in case none of these float your boat, here are some other event listings to consider:

• Free event weekend round-up on Freeattle
• Food event weekend round-up on Fresh-Picked Seattle
• Bargain beer tastings, free films and free live music at local restaurants round-ups on Examiner.com

*Items marked with an asterisk are kid- and family-friendly.

Saturday, June 26

• *8-10am: FREE! Bird Walks at Carkeek Park.
• 9:30am: FREE! SEMINAR: Attract Butterflies & Hummingbirds into your Yard at Molbak's.
• 10am: FREE! Aquatic Weed Program at Mercer Slough Nature Park.
• "Want to learn how to identify aquatic plants? Become a Lake Weed Watcher volunteer or join us to learn how to identify both native and non-native aquatic plants. The goal of the project is to watch for populations of invasive aquatic weeds. Detecting these weeds early will allow us to stop them before they get too entrenched to remove."
• *11am: FREE! Save Our Amazing Raptors (Ages 5 & Up) at the West Seattle Library. "Educators from the Woodland Park Zoo will introduce you to live raptors (birds of prey) and explain their natural history and special adaptations. Ask questions and check out skulls, feathers and owl pellets."

Sunday, June 27

• 10:30am-2pm: FREE! Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists. "Explore the sculpture park's pocket beach at low tide with Seattle Aquarium Beach Naturalists—local citizens who care about Puget Sound and have volunteered to help others learn about and enjoy our local beaches. Drop by the pocket beach to meet a naturalist and ask your questions about Puget Sound wildlife. This program is free and open to the public."
• *1-3pm: *Snakes Alive! at Discovery Park. "Ages: 8 Yrs. to 108 Yrs. Fees: - Adult Fee $8.00 - Child Fee $6.00 Explore herps of the Pacific Northwest (reptiles and amphibians) in their natural habitat with Nick Sutton, local zookeeper and herp explorer extraordinaire. All children must be accompanied by an adult."
• *1-3pm: FREE! Discovering Discovery Park From Military Fort to City Park. "Join our naturalists as they dig into the history of Fort Lawton and how it became Discovery Park. What kinds of stories will they find beneath the military history? What was the importance of this land during that time? Please be prepared to leave the Discovery Park ELC promptly at 1:00 pm to tour the park and search for clues to the past. Dress for the weather."