The Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC) is celebrating Independence Day and the arrival of summer with its 5th annual potluck picnic. NWFC group members, friends, and area freethinkers are invited to this all-day event on Sunday, July 4, 2010. Last year’s picnic drew about 200 people. The family-friendly picnic begins at 1 pm and runs into the evening. There will be a raffle and games, including bocce. Food served from 1 to 3 pm; cleanup starts at 5 pm. Bring your family, some frisbees, a blanket, sunscreen, and a picnic-friendly dish to share!

NWFC member groups include Humanists of Washington, Seattle Atheists, Tacoma Atheists, Humanists of North Puget Sound, University Unitarian Humanists, Ethical Culture Society of Puget Sound, Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound, Freethinkers’ United Network, Eastside Atheists/Agnostics Meetup, and various Atheist, Humanist and Brights Meetup groups.  Humanists of Washington is leading the event planning. Please contact HOW president Jerry Schiffelbein if you would like to volunteer.

All faithful Pastafarians are welcome to join Seattle Atheists in the parade! Keep an eye out for direction from Becky and Kyle.

DETAILS

9:00 a.m.
FSM moving assembly begins at the staging area on 4th Ave between Columbia and Cherry streets.  We will need help with assembly.

10:30 a.m.
Pirates should arrive at 4th and Cherry St. and be ready by 10:30. Leave lots of time for crowds. Come on foot via James or Columbia. If being dropped off from the north or west, approach via University; if from the south, approach via Cherry/6th Ave; if from the east, approach via Madison. If you can, take the bus. King Country Metro is giving out free all-day passes to downtown. Prepare for tough traffic, detours, and impossible parking. The KOMO4 News garage near the Seattle Center is reasonably cheap.

11:00 a.m.
Parade start at 4th and Union, to 4th and Denny. Pirates should be ready and present. Becky will tell you what to do!

2:00 p.m.
We need people to help break down the FSM at 4th & Denny.

Bring
Water, sunscreen, comfortable shoes. Wagons for supplies and baby pirates are welcome.

Pirate Escorts: Becky F., Kyle H., Matt B., Naomi C., Taylor H., Jennifer L., Susan R., Laurie B., Amanda B., Ranjan B., Michael L., Jordan W., Casey G., Michele G., Tyson J., Beth L., DebbieAnn A., etc.

DETAILED INFORMATION:

At 9 a.m., we will begin to unload and assemble the FSM at our position. You are welcome to come early and help. Parade line-up is at 3rd Ave. NW and NW 36th St. in Fremont. The registration table is located near Praxair. That is where you will go for lost children or emergency assistance.

Plan for crowds and poor/impossible parking. Allow enough time to get to the staging location and get into costume before the briefing and rehearsal. Make sure kids have snacks and water, and use the potty before the launch. It can get hot. The parade is 1.3 miles, but will seem much longer.

When you assemble at the start, at 10 a.m. sharp, look for the FSM, and gather near Him.

• 10 a.m.: SHARP! All pirates assemble and go over the routine
• 11 a.m.: Everyone should be in costume and ready to go.
• 11:30 a.m.: A single horn will sound signaling street closure
• 11:45 a.m.: A double horn will sound (“ready!”)
• Noon: Solstice Parade begins

Everyone listen to Case and Becky, who will instruct you on what to do during the parade. They are the parade leaders!! Be sure to gather up all your items, and don’t lose anything in the mad rush at the start! There will be volunteers with water and fruit at the halfway point at the Fremont Bridge.PARADE LOGISTICS

Please keep a two-car distance between us and the ensemble ahead of us. If the parade slows or stops, keep up the activity, but do not crowd or attempt to pass the ensemble ahead of us. If the parade speeds up, please do your best to keep up.

For help along the way, orange-vested parade monitors are available. If a monitor asks you to do something, please do it.

At the end of the parade, help move the FSM out of the way in the float parking area, marked by flags. Listen to parking directions. After securing the FSM, there will be a FAC hospitality booth with free snacks and water, as well as food booths and a beer garden (bring money for those).

General reminders about the parade (violators will walk the plank):

• No written words
• No live animals
• No motorized vehicles
• No real weapons or fire

Just remember, don’t bring any REAL swords or guns, leave your LIVE parrot at home, and be logo-free/word-free per Fremont Solistice Parade rules.  See you this weekend!

A word about costumes:

Some of you have asked about pirate costumes.  Party stores, dollar stores, and craft stores almost always have pirate-themed accessories like hats, eyepatches, or plastic hand-hooks.  A pirate costume can be as simple as a pair of black slacks, a solid button-down shirt/blouse, a solid sash tied around your waist, or a bandana around your head!  Ladies can go for a corset over a billowy blouse plus a skirt.

Red, black, and white are prominent easy colors to work with.  A striped shirt or stockings are always good.  Even if you arrive in something simple as jeans and a white T-shirt, once you join the pirates you’ll fit right in!

Here is an excerpt.

The Northwest Freethought Coalition (NWFC) is celebrating Independence Day and the arrival of summer with its 5th annual potluck picnic. NWFC group members, friends, and area freethinkers are invited to this all-day event on Sunday, July 4, 2010. Last year’s picnic drew about 200 people. The family-friendly picnic begins at 1 pm and runs into the evening. There will be a raffle and games, including bocce. Food served 1 to 3 pm; cleanup starts at 5 pm.  Bring your family, some frisbees, a blanket, sunscreen, and a picnic-friendly dish to share!

NWFC member groups include Humanists of Washington, Seattle Atheists, Tacoma Atheists, Humanists of North Puget Sound, University Unitarian Humanists, Ethical Culture Society of Puget Sound, Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound, Freethinkers’ United Network and various Atheist, Humanist and Brights Meetup groups.  Humanists of Washington is leading the event planning. Please contact HOW president Jerry Schiffelbein if you would like to volunteer.

Send an e-mail to seattleatheists@seattleatheists.org to sign up for a shift! Also, check out our volunteer page for other opportunities!

Thanks to the following Seattle Atheists who helped at The University District Street Fair in May: Jami, Randy, Bob S., Mike G., Michael S., Jerry, Tony, Constance, Clint, April, Tom, Becky, Sam, Chad, & Case!

The Fremont Fair, Saturday June 19 (10 a.m. – 8 p.m.):

• Set-up, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Amanda, Ranjan, Jerry S.)
• 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Amanda, Ranjan, Michael S., Bob S.)
• 4 to 8 p.m. and packing up (Mike G., Randy R., Jerry S.)

The Fremont Solstice Parade, Saturday June 19 (Noon):

• FSM set-up and take-down, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Case is lead, Operators: Becky F., Michele G., Tyson, Cassandra G.,)
• Pirate escorts in full pirate regalia to escort the FSM — as many as we can muster!  Kids are welcome!  (Tony F., Casey G., Beth L., Shabnam B., Andy P., Ed C., Libbie M., Dawn B., Deanna L., Rich L., Diana M., Valerie D. and Auggie the Parrot, J.C., Taylor H., Chad C., etc.)
  

The Fremont Fair, Sunday June 20 (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.):

• Set-up, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (DebbieAnn A. & Ed. C., )
• 2 to 6 p.m. and packing up (Tom M. and Becky F)

The Pride Parade, Sunday June 27 (4th Ave., downtown, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.):

• FSM set-up and take-down, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Becky is lead, Amanda, Ranjan, Tyson, Matt B., Michele G.)
• Pirate escorts in full pirate regalia to escort the FSM — as many as we can muster!  Kids are welcome! (Michael L., Jordan W., Casey G., Beth L., DebbieAnn A., etc.)

PrideFest, Sunday June 27 (Seattle Center, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.):

• Set-up, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Jerry S. and 1 more volunteer)
• 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Michael S. and 1 more volunteer)
• 4 to 8 p.m. and packing up (Hannah P., Britain, Becky F.)

American Atheists 2010 Affiliate of the Year Presented to Seattle Atheists

Seattle Atheists received this great honor at the American Atheists National Convention in Newark, NJ this April.  Congrats to our Board, our members, our participants, and everyone who has helped make Seattle Atheists great during 2009-2010!!  Below is the official notification from Blair Scott, American Atheists National Affiliate Director:

American Atheists is honored to present the Seattle Atheists with the 2010 Affiliate of the Year Award. Over the past year Seattle Atheists have shown outstanding dedication to activism, community support, and the advancement of a positive view of atheism.

The personal drive of the leadership and members of Seattle Atheists, their dedication to activism, community support, and a positive view of atheism, their unselfish application of time and talent, are a great credit to themselves, atheist groups across the United States, and atheists everywhere.  Bravo Zulu and Well Done!

Each year, American Atheists gives away the Affiliate of the Year award at the American Atheists Convention. Affiliate of the Year is not a random award: it actually means something. It means the Affiliate earned the award through hard work and dedication. The criteria looked at for consideration of Affiliate of the Year is:

• Activism for the separation of church and state and civil rights of non-theists (protests, demonstrations, letter-writing, action alerts, etc)
• Events, activism, or programs that promote a positive image of atheists and atheism (public events, parades, editorials, etc).
• Events, activism, or programs that advance science and reason (Darwin Day, etc.)
• Provides a social outlet for local atheists (in addition to regular monthly meetings – unless they are exclusively social)
• Charitable works, community outreach, or some other social programs or events (such as blood drives, feeding the homeless, donations, etc.).  Please note that as a policy, American Atheists does not participate in charitable works or social programs. While American Atheists certainly does not discourage affiliates group from participating in charitable works and engaging in social programs, such activities are by no means required or expected of Affiliates.

It is our hope that their activism and community outreach promotes the same in Affiliates across the nation and American Atheists encourage all Affiliates to increase activism and outreach! Blair Scott, the National Affiliate Director for American Atheists is available for questions or advice at bscott@atheists.org or by phone at (256) 701-6265.

Dr. David Barash, psychology professor at the University of Washington, will discuss the evolution of a drive for religion. He’s currently writing a book on mysteries of human behavior. The title of this talk is “Homo Religiosus: Can evolution help explain why so many people believe things that are so palpably untrue?” Prof. Barash was one of the early contributors to the field of sociobiology. He examines the underlying evolutionary factors influencing human behavior, called “evolutionary psychology,” and has been active in researching, promoting, and practicing the field of Peace Studies. He feels that the issues of animal behavior, evolutionary psychology and Peace Studies are fundamentally linked, because they involve questions of how biology affects behavior. He co-authored the book “Madame Bovary’s Ovaries: a Darwinian look at literature,” and was recently profiled in “The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America” by conservative commentator David Horowitz.

After short break,  we will welcome Paul Constant, who recently wrote the letter, “Dear Catholic Church: Excommunicate Me” for the Stranger.  He will be speaking about his life and the letter. His talk will take place after David Barash’s, instead of the Town Hall normally held.

This event is sponsored by the Seattle Atheists. If you have concerns about transportation to/from any of our events, please contact Becky, Member Relations Committee Chair.
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We also encourage you to bring canned food items for our year-round Seattle Atheists SeasonLESS Food Drive. Food goes to the non-sectarian distribution network of Northwest Harvest.  Please consider donating healthful non-perishable items (suggestions here).

Seattle Atheists will be donating over $800 to The Childrens Hospital Fund thanks to the efforts of gift wrappers and the generosity of all the bookstore patrons who donated!  Also this month Seattle Atheists collected 57 lb. of food for Northwest Harvest.  Thank you, and remember to bring non-perishable goods to SA meetings and events!