People have been “doing the Puyallup” since 1900, and though this year the name has been changed to the more staid Washington State Fair (thefair.com), more than 1 million visitors are expected to attend the rural extravaganza of blue-ribbon food, breathtaking rides and rodeo broncs. But it’s not all fun and games at this treasured…

The construction crews will clear out just in time for kickoff on Saturday, August 31, when the University of Washington takes on rival Boise State for the home opener—the first game in the thoroughly renovated Husky Stadium. And while you may not be lucky enough to sit in the new luxury suites, remember, every seat…

Seattle Design Festival[DESIGN] This year’s 10-day festival of architecture and design boasts more than 60 events, including architecture walking tours, a design-focused film festival (see page 141) and the popular Design Block (which, for the first time, will take place in Pioneer Square), featuring an array of intriguing and interactive inventions, including human-powered machines. 9/13–9/22….

!–paging_filter–pstrongMust Picnicbra href=”http://bit.ly/170Uy1E” target=”_blank”Shelby Earl at Salish Lodge/a/strongbrThursday (8/22, 7:30 p.m.) — For the final installment of Music on the Green, sweet Seattlea href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/article/nancy-guppy-interviews-singer-shelby-earl” target=”_blank” singer/songwriter Shelby Earl/a performs on the intimate lawn at Salish Lodge, while Snoqualmie Falls roars majestically in the background./ppstrongMust Laughbra href=”http://bit.ly/16tXZz0” target=”_blank”The Half Brothers Brand Baking Products Old-Time Variety Show/a/strongbr(8/23-8/24,…

COFFEE DATE: Visual artist Diem Chau (diemchau.com), known for the tiny likenesses she carves into Crayola crayons, and whose show of new work at G. Gibson Gallery runs 8/30–10/5 (ggibsongallery.com) SCENE: Diem Chau’s home studio in Ballard on a warm Wednesday in JuneDIEM’S ORDER: Triple-shot iced Americano with milk Nancy Guppy: When did it first…

Seattle’s own Gala Bent paints and draws tiny, otherworldly, watercolor scenes in The Ether and the Mantle, a show of intriguing new work. 8/30–10/5. Times vary. Free. G. Gibson Gallery. ggibsongallery.com In Hometown Boy, contemporary Chinese artist Liu Xiaodong paints lush, hauntingly realistic portraits of a crowded, often naked homeland. And in Inked, fellow countryman…

Having nothing better to do on Mount Olympus, the Greek muse Clio descends to 1980s Venice Beach in the form of an Australian roller girl to help a struggling artist open a roller disco. (Like you do.) A surprise hit on Broadway, Xanadu skates into Issaquah’s Village Theatre, promising high camp and big laughs. 9/12–10/20….

A CAPPELLA  Experimental vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth earns automatic points for its excellent name. In addition, the group combines Tuvan throat singing with yodeling and pop-style belting, and one of the members is composer Caroline Shaw, who took home the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for music. We call that a win-win-win. 9/19. 7:30 p.m. Prices…

Choreographers always seem to see life from a different angle, and that’s nowhere more apparent than in this fall’s lineup of dance performances. In Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite’s “Emergence” (11/8–11/17. Pacific Northwest Ballet; pnb.org), black-clad dancers emerge from a dark tunnel to swarm and flit across the stage, moving alternately like leggy spiders and insects…

The best part about art—be it a painting, dance, play, book, film or rock show—is that it has the power to change your perspective, maybe on something small, such as earthworm mating rituals, or maybe something conceptually huge, such as what sort of bodies make for excellent dancers. Free your mind and let the season’s…

!–paging_filter–pstrongMust Picnica href=”http://bit.ly/18t4an5” target=”_blank”brAuction of Washington Wines Picnic Barrel Eventbr/a/strongThursday (8/15, 4 p.m.) — Behold, the Top 10 tips for making the most of your time at the Auction of Washington Wines Picnic event.strongbrbrMust Fete Fashiona href=”http://bit.ly/19iKS4X” target=”_blank”brW Hotel’s Wear Wednesdaysbr/a/strongWednesday (8/21, 5 to 7 p.m.) — Join the fun this week at the W…

This month, Gray Matters takes up the subject of gray areas. Seattle is a tidy city for the most part, without the huge slums and decay of some older cities. But for all our Scando-Asian embrace of neatness, it is not so much our sense of order that defines us but rather along our messy…