An 80-Seat Music Room in Old Redmond? Beach Boys, Corgi Racing & Best Playground

Welcome to Best of Redmond! Redmond's twice-weekly newsletter and podcast about all the amazing things happening in Redmond for the next seven days!📰 Redmond Is Giving Away 750 TreesRedmond is putting 750 more trees into the community through its second annual tree giveaway. The program is aimed at getting trees into the hands of residents, schools, nonprofits, HOAs, faith organizations, groups and small businesses inside Redmond city limits. The city is also pairing the giveaway with information about choosing, planting and caring for trees. The application window has already closed for this round, so there's nothing to sign up for now. But if you missed it, keep an eye out for the next giveaway because 750 trees is a lot of shade coming to Redmond.🎵 FORMOSOUND Is Taking Over Downtown ParkHere's something different for your Saturday. FORMOSOUND, Seattle's first Taiwan music festival, takes over Redmond Downtown Park on August 29 from 2 to 9 PM. It's completely free and all ages, with Taiwanese musicians, DJs, food, makers and community groups spread throughout the park. The lineup includes artists from Taiwan along with local performers, so this isn't just background music while you grab lunch. It's a full afternoon and evening festival. Bring the family, bring a blanket, and plan to wander around for a while.🏖️ The Beach Boys Are Coming to MarymoorThe Beach Boys are playing Marymoor Live Sunday, August 30, with doors opening at 4:30 PM and the show starting at 6:30. The concert is at Marymoor Amphitheater, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Parkway NE. This is the "Sounds of Summer" tour, so yes, you're going to hear the songs you already know. The show is also tied to the 60th anniversary of Pet Sounds, which gives longtime fans another reason to go. If you're heading out, give yourself plenty of time for parking and getting through the gate.🚗 British Car Day at Redmond Town CenterSaturday morning is British Car Day at Redmond Town Center, part of the regular Exotics at RTC gathering. It runs August 29 from 9 to 11 AM at 7525 166th Ave NE. Expect Jaguars, Land Rovers, Minis and other British cars mixed into the lineup. You don't need to know anything about cars to enjoy this one. Just walk around, look at the cars and find the one that makes you want to start searching Craigslist afterward. It's free to wander around, so grab coffee and make a quick Saturday morning stop.💃 Try Line Dancing With EvamarieIf you've always wanted to try line dancing but didn't want to show up somewhere packed with people who already know every step, this one's for you. Line Dancing with Evamarie happens Tuesday, August 25, at the Redmond Senior & Community Center, 8703 160th Ave NE. Absolute beginners go from 5 to 5:45 PM, followed by the beyond-beginner class from 6 to 7. The music can range from country and jazz to R&B, pop and Latin. Start with the beginner class and see how it goes. You might actually have more fun than expected.👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Drop-In Indoor PlayIf you've got a little one who needs to burn off some energy, Drop-In Indoor Play is happening Thursday, August 27, from 10 AM to noon at the Redmond Community Center at Marymoor Village, 6505 176th Ave NE. It's designed for kids ages 0 to 6, with toys and space for kids to play while adults hang out nearby. An adult needs to stay with the child, so this isn't drop-off childcare. It's just an easy way to get out of the house for a couple hours. Bring the kid, let them play, and call it a morning.🧠 Trivia at Postdoc BrewingPostdoc Brewing has trivia Wednesday, August 26, from 8 to 9:45 PM at 17625 NE 65th St #100. This is your classic team trivia night, which means somebody knows every movie ever made, somebody knows sports, and somebody remembers useless facts that suddenly become extremely important for one question. Grab a few friends and make a night of it. The late start makes this more of an evening outing than a quick stop after work. Bring your smartest friends, and maybe the friend who is really good at educated guesses.🐾 Dog Days of Summer at the VelodromeGet this: the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome is putting a Corgi Race into its Friday night racing program on August 28. The racing runs from 7 to 8:30 PM at Marymoor Park in Redmond. There's also the free Kiddie Kilo for kids, so this is one of those events where the adults can watch racing while the kids get a chance to hit the track themselves. Spectator admission is a $5 donation, and kids get in free. Bring the family, and definitely bring your phone for the Corgis.🚲 Bicycle Bling: Wednesday Night RacingIf you've never watched track cycling, Wednesday night is a good time to see what the velodrome is all about. Wednesday Night Racing runs August 26 from 7 to 10 PM at the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome. The card includes chariot races, short scratch races and keirin heats and finals. Spectators get in free, and parking at Marymoor is $1 cash. This is real bike racing, not a leisurely ride around the park. Grab a seat, watch the riders fly around the track and see why Redmond has such a long cycling connection.🕰️ Redmond History MinuteOkay, it's time for the Redmond History Minute, where we share an interesting piece of history, trivia, or tidbit about life in and around Redmond.Here's the trivia: What kind of building did famous local sculptor Dudley Carter live and work in while creating his wood carvings?A) A Haida-style longhouseB) A converted schoolhouseC) A traditional log cabinD) A barn-style workshopAnswer revealed at the bottom of this newsletter.🔮 Redmond Rumor MillHere's one we've been hearing, but there's a big "unconfirmed" attached to it.Word is a small live music room, with about 80 seats, no dinner service, just drinks and real live sound, is being developed somewhere in the Old Redmond corridor. The person behind it apparently booked shows in Capitol Hill for years and wants to bring that kind of room to the Eastside.We haven't confirmed that the room is actually happening, who is behind it, or exactly where it would be.So here's the question: if this is real, where do you think they're putting it?If you've got a guess or have heard something, head to our Facebook page atfacebook.com/BestOfRedmond and drop it in the "Redmond Rumor Mill Guesses" post.🗳️ Your Picks: Best playground in RedmondAlright, that's it for this week.Head on over to facebook.com/BestOfRedmond, find the post called "Your Picks," and drop your vote in the comments. We want to know who you think is the best playground in Redmond.📻 Don't Miss the PodcastIf you enjoyed this newsletter, you're gonna love the companion podcast. Find it at bestofredmond.com.We'll see you in the next one... or maybe before then, walking around Redmond.🎯 History Minute AnswerThe answer is A – A Haida-style longhouseDudley Carter lived and worked in a Haida-style carving studio and longhouse. He used the space as both his home and his workshop, creating wood sculptures on land near Bellevue-Redmond Road. That property later became part of the Microsoft campus, which makes the story even more unusual. Before all those office buildings were there, a sculptor was living and carving in a longhouse on the land.