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Must List: Halloween Pet Parade, Kinofest, Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience

Your weekly guide to Seattle's hottest events

By Gavin Borchert & Kendall Upton October 17, 2019

PetParade

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MUST DRESS UP 

Halloween Pet Parade 
(10/20) Dress up with your favorite pet (species not specified!) and parade through Volunteer Park to celebrate Halloween. The event is sponsored by Mud Bay pet supply company and will have vendors selling their pet-related wares and services. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Free. Capitol Hill; volunteerparktrust.org 

MUST PROTECT 

Orca Recovery Day 
(10/19) Join your local conservation district for the second annual Orca Recovery Day. Hosted by Better Ground—a conservation district collective in Puget Sound—the day will be filled with statewide volunteer opportunities helping improve conditions for orcas. As of July, there were only 73 orca whales left according to the Center for Whale Research. From clearing creeks of invasive species to helping plant trees to improve the streamside habitats, there’s a multitude of ways you can help this Saturday. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Free; attendees must register online; betterground.org/ord 

MUST GET SPOOKED 

Booktoberfest’s ‘Ales from the Crypt 
(10/22) As part of the Seattle Public Library’s ongoing Booktoberfest, ‘Ales from the Crypt is bound to give you a little scare as the library’s David Wright reads you ghoulish tales at the Palace Theater & Art Bar in Georgetown, with more ‘ales taking place at other locations through the month. Order that Bloody Mary, sit back and let live storytelling transport you to a place of wonder (and horror). 8 p.m. Free. Georgetown; spl.org/booktoberfest 

MUST WATCH 

Kinofest 
(10/17-10/20) The old Saturday Night Live skit “Germany’s Most Disturbing Home Videos” exemplified the popular stereotype of German-language film—you know, creepy, artsy and humorless, with dour, inscrutable titles like The Ultimate Irony of Frieda. Northwest Film Forum’s Kinofest intends to counteract that notion with family films, comedies and documentaries featured during the four days of German film screenings. Times and prices vary. Capitol Hill; nwfilmforum.org 

MUST MELT 

Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience 
(10/17-10/20) It’s been close to 50 years since Pilchuck Glass School opened in Stanwood, in 1971, and made the Northwest a pioneering center of glass art in America. This lavish weekend of celebrations includes gallery shows, tours and talks, parties and open studios all over town, at venues that include Chihuly Garden and Glass at Seattle Center, Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass, and Pike Place Market. You can even get a taste of the experience yourself at hands-on glassblowing demos. Times, prices and venues vary. refractseattle.org 

MUST EAT 

Taste of Iceland—Icelandic Menu at Cuoco 
(10/17-10/20) The best way to learn about another country’s culture—other than going there—is through its cuisine. Get a taste of Iceland this weekend at Tom Douglas restaurant Cuoco where head chef Ron Anderson teams up with Icelandic chef Georg Arnar Halldorsson for an unforgettable meal. Don’t miss your chance to taste Arctic char, Icelandic lamb and more. Times vary, reservations required. $80. South Lake Union; icelandnaturally.com

MUST IMPRESS 

Monet, Renoir, Degas and Their Circle 
(Through 1/5/2020) Now that the Seattle Art Museum’s Victorian Radicals exhibit has closed, pop down to Tacoma to see what those artists’ French counterparts were doing at the same time. The exhibit Monet, Renoir, Degas and Their Circle: French Impressionism and the Northwest displays not only works by those masters but pieces by local artists who absorbed the Impressionists’ aesthetic freedom and innovative explorations of light and color. Times and prices vary. Tacoma; tacomaartmuseum.org 

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