🗓 What to do in March

Free Things To Check Out In March

Aside from more sunlight and longer days (daylight savings is March 12), there’s a lot to celebrate this month: Women’s History month (unless you’re Ashley – listen to the pod to find out why 🎧), Nowruz which is also Spring Equinox on March 20, March Madness, Mug Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, Pi Day AND National Potato Chip Day, and Trans Day of Visibility. All that celebrating doesn’t have to hurt your wallet either. [City Cast Seattle]

• Ashley: There are some great pop culture events happening around town. Ashley says, “On March 6, there's going to be a Harry Styles release party at Easy Street. On March 15, there are two free Oscars watch parties: one at Urban Family Brewing Co. in Ballard and one at Clock Out Lounge in Beacon Hill.”
• Jane: Ride the Crosslake Connection! Jane says, “I guess that's technically not free because you have to pay $3, but that's a pretty cheap thrill to be on the light rail going across Lake Washington. I never thought it'd be possible.” Also, Jane recommends March 5 for Free Museum Day in Seattle and March 9 and March 19 for Washington State Parks’ free entry days.
• Liam: I have a soft spot for Irish music, just growing up with my parents playing it at the house, so I wanna check out this Irish Music Jam at Couth Buzzard Books in Greenwood. They do it on the first and third Saturdays.
• Ben: There’s a smorgasbord of culture festivals at Seattle Center this month. March 14-15 is the Irish Festival. It's gonna be dancing, food, and culture. March 22 is Seattle's French Fest. Very similar vibes of food, dance, and culinary classics. March 28 is the Seattle Color Festival, which is a celebration of the Hindu Festival of Holi.
• Sam: Starting March 5, I wanted to recommend painter Jay Stoneking’s Cherry Blossom Bruises exhibit at Gallery 110 downtown. It features a combination of paintings and a community altar dedicated to the collective beauty of the trans community. Trans people are invited to contribute to the altar with offerings of flowers, incense, candles, and small works of art in the colors of the trans flag.

Hold Off On Eating Blueberry Products for Now 🫐

The FDA’s recall of Oregon Potato Company’s frozen blueberries — which operates in Salem as Willamette Valley Fruit Company — was bumped to a Class I recall last week. Class I is the highest danger level assigned to recalls by the FDA. Recalled items were distributed across Oregon, Washington, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They were not sold directly to consumers, but could be used in a variety of blueberry products. [Seattle Times]

House Majority Leader Regrets Drinking on the Job 🥴

Washington state House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon said he regretted and apologized "for the fact that I consumed alcohol before the work of the Appropriations Committee was completed on Wednesday." Video from the meeting showed him slurring during the discussion period. [KUOW]

WA Tribes Are Preparing for More ICE Crackdowns 🦺

Pacific Northwest tribal governments are strategizing on how to protect their members. They’ve begun issuing guidance for interacting with ICE and establishing more policies around their right to self-determination. Concerns especially increased when Indigenous actor Elaine Miles was stopped by an ICE officer in Redmond who said her tribal ID looked “fake.” Her son and uncle were detained by ICE agents before they were eventually let go. [Seattle Times]