World Cup Watch Parties Are Coming + Claypool Gold & Best Happy Hour in Redmond

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 Going Big for the World CupOkay, so Redmond is officially leaning all the way into World Cup season this summer. The city just awarded more than $126,000 to 28 local businesses and organizations to help throw free public watch parties between June 11 and July 19. Places like Postdoc Brewing, Redmond Town Center, Tipsy Cow, Overlake Tea Station, and even the library are all involved. The idea is to spread events across the city instead of cramming everything into Seattle. This could end up being one of the busiest summers Redmond’s had in years, so it’s probably worth keeping an eye on Experience Redmond once the schedules start getting posted.🎵 Claypool Gold Hits Marymoor LiveLes Claypool is basically taking over Marymoor Park on Saturday, May 23, with a giant multi-project show called Claypool Gold. Gates open at 4pm and the music starts at 6pm, with sets tied to Primus, Les Claypool’s Frog Brigade, and The Claypool Lennon Delirium. If you’re into weird bass lines, psychedelic rock, or musicians who seem completely uninterested in doing things the normal way, this is probably your thing. Marymoor shows get packed once the weather turns nice, so showing up early for parking and food lines is probably the move.🎭 A Man of No Importance at SecondStory RepSecondStory Repertory just opened A Man of No Importance over at Redmond Town Center, and this one sounds way more heartfelt than the title makes it seem. The musical follows a Dublin bus driver obsessed with Oscar Wilde who secretly runs local theater productions through his church group back in the 1960s. It runs through June 7, with tickets around $35 depending on the night. If you like smaller theater productions where the cast is doing actual character work instead of giant spectacle stuff, this feels like one worth checking out. Plus, there’s really not a bad seat in the room.🎨 Adult Art Club at the Redmond LibraryThe Redmond Library is doing a super low-pressure Adult Art Club on Sunday, May 24 from 11am to 2pm, and this sounds kind of refreshing. There’s no class structure, no instructor standing over your shoulder, and no requirement to be “good” at art. You just bring whatever project you’re working on and hang out with other creative people for a few hours. Painting, knitting, sketching, or that random craft project you abandoned six months ago are all fair game. It’s free and you don’t even need to register ahead of time.🌮 Sponsor Spotlight: La Tia Angelina Food TruckIn a world full of chain restaurants and corporate food, La Tia Angelina is doing things a little differently. Brian and Amelia have been running this family food truck for five years using recipes from Brian’s parents, Angelina and Miguel, who brought them over from Jalisco. Angelina still makes the salsas and sauces by hand, and sometimes their older son helps at the truck, which means there are literally three generations involved in the food they serve. You’ll find them parked behind the bus stop near the QFC in Bellevue next to Tiki Masala. They also offer discounts for Bellevue College students and local nonprofit workers. This isn’t a family using a business to make money. It’s a family business in the truest sense of the phrase.🚲 Bicycle Bling: More Bikes Everywhere This SummerSo between the World Cup prep and the weather finally cooperating, Redmond’s bike scene is starting to wake back up again. The city’s been adding more bike lane connections around downtown, and there’s a pretty clear push to get people biking to events instead of fighting for parking all summer. Local bike shops are apparently slammed right now with tune-ups and commuter repairs, which makes sense after months of rain. If your bike’s been sitting in the garage since October, now’s probably the time to figure out whether the tires still hold air before everyone else gets the same idea.🕰️ 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.Redmond is home to the first university in the world to offer a bachelor's degree in video game development. Which school is it?A) University of Washington – Bothell B) DigiPen Institute of Technology C) Lake Washington Institute of Technology D) Nintendo UniversityAnswer revealed at the bottom of this newsletter.🔮 Redmond Rumor MillOkay, here’s the latest thing people have been whispering about around downtown Redmond. Rumor has it a new grab-and-go açaí bowl and smoothie place might be moving into the Cleveland Street corridor near the Microsoft lunch crowd. Supposedly the idea is faster than Jamba Juice and more permanent than the rotating food truck setups that keep popping up over there. We haven’t seen permits or an official announcement yet, so right now this is still fully rumor territory. The big question is... where exactly would they put it?If you've got a guess or have heard something, head to our Facebook page at facebook.com/BestOfRedmond and drop it in the "Redmond Rumor Mill Guesses" post.🗳️ Your Picks: Best Happy Hour 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 happy hour 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 B – DigiPen Institute of TechnologyDigiPen started in Vancouver, Canada in 1988 as a simulation company before moving to Redmond in 1998 after Nintendo of America invited them down here. The school ended up helping co-found Nintendo Software Technology, and DigiPen founder Claude Comair has been credited on 29 U.S. patents over the years. Redmond even declared August 27 "DigiPen Day" back in 2010.