Best bets for the weekend

Hope you're all surviving the panic in the streets, the mayhem, the countless plagues, the locust, the frogs, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the return of The Mummy — better known around these parts as "HEAT WAVE 2007!"

Ain't it a hoot? It wouldn't be Seattle if someone didn't rend garments at the horrors of two or three hot days in a row. Such delicate creatures ...

Anyway, for the 17 of you natives who think this barely qualifies as something of a warming trend and go on with life such as it is, we have Gig Harbor.

Carol Pucci trotted off for the day and spent much of it lollygagging (which we often refer to as work) at water's edge, sightseeing, shopping, eating, drinking, chatting with the locals.

Sounds like a great way to beat the heat to us. See her story if you'd like to join the rest of us who, having read it in advance, you see, have hopped in our cars to join the Gig Harborians for the weekend! Bye!

There are gatherings for Chihuahuas and Great Danes this weekend. They are not in the same place, thank goodness. And, please, no mention of an all-you-can-eat activity at either — especially around the Danes.

Fairs galore — the Arlington Fly-in, Kent Cornucopia Days, Kirkland Uncorked, Pacific Days, Vashon Strawberry Festival, Olde Burien Block Party, Tukwila Days, Seattle's Chinatown International District Summer Festival, Mercer Island Summer Celebration, Skagit Valley Highland Games and Celtic Festival, Choochokam Arts Festival, Bastille Day Celebration ...

Hey — hey, wait a minute. Is there ANY community out there NOT having a festival this weekend? Raise your hands, please. That would be two of you. Thank you.

As for the rest of us, we're going to the northern reaches of Europe with boating columnist Eric Sorensen. Sounds much cooler than here, at the moment.

Vi snakkes!

Just like Brian Cantwell, editor of Northwest Weekend, his No. 1 sub when he's not here, Travel editor Terry Tazioli, is a Seattle native. He lives in Madrona and you can reach him at ttazioli@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2224.