Another one didn't completely bite the dust, but earlier last week, as Eric Grandy reports on page 38, the SS Marie Antoinette suffered a big setback thanks to the irresponsibility of a few pyromaniacs visiting the venue.

Bad news indeed, but as luck would have it, as one local DIY venue fell under attack, the community around it was gearing up for a two-day DIY-culture celebration, the Carousel Festival, which has become even more noteworthy in light of recent events.

Taking place August 26 and 27, the Carousel Festival "is an all-ages event celebrating the Northwest DIY creative community," reads the event's mission statement. The festival is being organized by the SeattleDIY.com collective as a way to bring together the house-show community.

With a handful of all-ages show-hosting houses throughout Seattle—Camp Nowhere, the Plague House, Hanta House, SS Marie Antoinette, and the Greenhouse to name a few—the city's DIY scene continues to grow, thanks in part to SeattleDIY.com's presence, which is a website where people can share and find workshop/event/show information via message boards and a public calendar. But as Benji Rouse, a member of the collective says, there's still something lacking.

"There's a bit of a disconnection between a lot of the DIY spaces," explains Rouse. "Having a small festival with shared resources is a good way for us to bridge this gap, and could also help bring awareness to what great work is being done."

They don't only want to stress the importance of a healthy and thriving DIY scene, but they also want to shine some light on local talent that helps make the community what it is.

"We decided to have all Northwest bands and performers at the festival to highlight what great art and music is being created by local people who are totally 'down' with DIY and creating an awesome progressive/radical community," says Rouse. "The weekend will begin at Camp Nowhere, with bands and a workshop on Food Not Bombs. Then we're having a bike ride down to the SS Marie Antoinette (and we'll also bus 20 or so kids down in a borrowed old school bus) for what may be the venue's last show. During that show, we'll have a workshop on the state of DIY in Seattle—what the status is, how it needs help, et cetera."

Sunday is full of just as much, including more shows (with performances by Joules, Der Trasch, BlöödHag, Orcateers, and many more), a film presentation curated by Meghan Guthre, and a workshop with the Bikery. "So all in all," Rouse says, "it'll be 24 bands, two hours of film, three workshops, and lots of riding bicycles around."

Tickets for the Carousel Festival are available at Singles Going Steady, Electric Heavyland, 20/20 Cycle, and 2nd Time Around. Individual tickets are $5 per venue, or a festival pass is available for $12. A complete schedule and venue information can be found at www.seattlediy.com/carousel. And leave the fireworks at home, okay?