The panel charged with deciding the fate of the Seattle Center's Fun Forest area—whether we'll be staring at a Chihuly museum or enjoying something else entirely—is holding a public meeting next Wednesday, July 7, at 6:00 p.m. Panelists are calling for comments on the nine proposals vying for the space, including KEXP, a Chihuly museum, a Northwest Native Cultural Center, a Northwest Mysteries Museum, and several cool parks (among others). The meeting will be held in the Seattle Center food court.

It will be the only public meeting in the two-month process, so this is your chance to make your opinion known.

Don't have much of an opinion at this point? Before the public meeting—from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.—the Center House is also hosting an open house with all of the proposers, who will be on hand to pitch their projects and answer questions (much like a science fair, only for park and museum geeks).

The panelists have the grave task of filling the void where the Fun Forest arcade currently entertains millions thousands hundreds of children, once its lease ends in September.* They will be judging projects based on funding ability as well as perceived public benefit, among other criteria.

Now there are only two projects who have clear, demonstrated funding sources—the Chihuly museum and KEXP. This means that all those other great proposals need a lot of community support in order to be competitive. So if you like free stuff—like gardens, parks, and cultural museums—you need to attend this meeting. Mark your calendar now**.

*The Fun Forest Amusement Company has submitted its own proposal to stay in the Arcade Pavilion until hell freezes over, so if your children love the place, come to the meeting and let them lobby for it.

**If you absolutely can't make the meeting—if your legs are painted on—you can email your comments to neal.erickson@seattle.gov before July 7.