FRIDAY 7/14

PAIN IN THE GRASS--Seattle probably has more traditional summer events per capita than anywhere else on earth, and this cleverly named series of free rock concerts at the Seattle Center is one of them. Bask in the twilight shadow of the Space Needle and the newly anointed landmark EMP while rocking to Left Hand Smoke, the Lloyds, and Kim Virant. Mural Amphitheater, Seattle Center, 6-8:30 pm. Free.

SUNDAY 7/16

BASTILLE DAY PICNIC--Bet you didn't know that Nantes, France is one of Seattle's sister cities, and that the mayor of Nantes, Jean-Marc Ayrault, will be in the Northwest to help us celebrate Bastille Day (which is actually on the 14th). Bastille Day, much like our own Independence Day, is a celebration of the victory of the ideals of proletarian democracy over the feudalist, decadent bourgeois ruling class, which famously culminated in the storming of the Bastille prison, and left a couple of the aforementioned bourgeois without heads. Enragé! Lake Sammamish, 3560 Lake Sammamish Pkwy SE, Bellevue, noon-2 pm, $25 (includes lunch and wine).

WEDNESDAY 7/19

COLUMBIA CITY FARMER'S MARKET--Why shop at soulless grocery behemoths like Safeway when you could, with scant effort, support local organic farmers, bakers, and florists? The C. C. farmer's market, like its cousin in the U-District, also serves the more important function of providing a weekly focal point for the community to come together for activities like sharing recipes, exchanging gardening tips, and listening to live music. Rainier Ave S and S Edmunds, 3-7 pm, Wednesdays through October. Free.

MONTLAKE NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING TOUR--The Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) is sponsoring this pedestrian excursion through one of Seattle's signature neighborhoods. Framed dramatically by the Montlake canal, Husky Stadium, and the Arboretum, Montlake quietly exudes its quintessential Seattleness daily to the thousands of folks who are stuck in the 520 gridlock, but you can experience its unique architecture from a more intimate perspective by showing up at MOHAI, 2700 24th Ave E, 6:30 pm. $10, $8 for members.