Stacia Loo to Hold Free YouTube Marketing Event in Bellevue

Bellevue-based Social media professional Stacia Loo, who has successful clients near and far, is holding a free class on YouTube Marketing in Bellevue on June 2nd, 2015.  The event will be held at the Parkplace Boardroom on the 2nd floor at the Bellevue Hyatt from 6-8pm.  Complimentary parking is available courtesy of The Bellevue Collection.

Some of what you will learn from Ms. Loo:

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  How to brand and optimize your YouTube channel to attract leads

  
  


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  How to develop video topics that are most relevant to your audience

  
  


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  How to pick keywords and titles to attract targeted leads

  
  


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  Suggestions on the best and low cost tools to produce videos

  
  


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  Using cards, annotations, and playlists to increase engagement

  
  


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  Plus Creative ideas that will have even a novice doing videos like a pro!

  
  


• and my favorite:  Why it is important for your business to have a constant and fresh presence on YouTube (including the relationship between Google and YouTube and why your business cannot afford to ignore it.

To reserve your seat, make sure to register for YouTube Marketing For Business at Eventbrite.

 

Jonesing for Fresh POW? Winter Still Going Strong at Whistler Blackcomb with Lots of Fresh Snow

[caption id="attachment_10106" align="alignright" width="240"] Photographer: Paul Morrison, Location: Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Date: April 13, 2015.[/caption]

Spring Skiing And Riding On Whistler Mountain Until May 18

WHISTLER, BC April 14, 2015 – April showers bring May flowers in the valley, and at Whistler Blackcomb they also bring powder days to the alpine for skiers and snowboarders. With a snow base of 206cm and 35cm of new snow in the last four days, winter is far from over at Whistler Blackcomb*. March delivered a total of 123cm of fresh snow, and two weeks into April, Ullr shows no signs of slowing down. With flurries in the forecast later this week, April is shaping up to be a snow-filled month at Whistler Blackcomb. Blackcomb Mountain’s last day of winter operations is April 19 but Whistler Mountain will remain open for spring skiing and riding until May 18, 2015.

“Whistler Blackcomb is known for offering the longest terrain park season in Canada,” says Brian Finestone, Terrain Parks Manager at Whistler Blackcomb. “Despite a below average snow season, the snow in the high alpine has been consistent and on point all season long. Because the Nintendo Terrain Park on Blackcomb is west facing and sees a lot of sun, we have decided to move the Spring Nintendo Terrain Park over to a more protected zone on Whistler where we will be taking over the T-Bars for a full park offering until late spring.”

The new Whistler Spring Nintendo Terrain Park boasts a higher elevation and a north-facing slope, creating the best possible conditions for spring skiing and riding. The new location offers enough snow for a set of Small, Medium and Large jumps, a banked slalom, and some creative jib lines.

With less than one week left of skiing and riding on Blackcomb Mountain, this is the last week for the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola. The last day of the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola’s Winter Operations is April 19. The PEAK 2 PEAK will re-open for Summer Sightseeing on May 23, 2015.

*Snow base and snowfall measured at Pig Alley Weather Station, 1650m on Whistler Mountain

For the latest updates on the Nintendo Terrain Parks, guests can visit whistlerblackcomb.com/the-mountain/terrain-parks

Guests looking to plan a trip to the consistently rated No. 1 Mountain Resort in North America can visit whistlerblackcomb.com/deals_packages  or call 1-888-403-4727.

The 20^th annual World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is happening in Whistler, BC April 10-19, 2015. Visit www.wssf.com for more information.

About Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb, the official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is situated in the Resort Municipality of Whistler located in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia 125 kilometres (78 miles) from Vancouver, British Columbia. North America’s premier four season mountain resort, Whistler and Blackcomb are two side-by-side mountains which combined offer over 200 marked runs, 8,171 acres of terrain, 16 alpine bowls, three glaciers, receives on average over 1,164 centimetres (458 inches) of snow annually, and one of the longest ski seasons in North America. In the summer, Whistler Blackcomb offers a variety of activities, including hiking and biking trails, the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, and sightseeing on the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola.

For more information, visit http://ww1.whistlerblackcomb.com/media

Proud to be a venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Bacon and Beer Classic to Take Over Safeco Field, Home of the Seattle Mariners on May 2nd

Bacon and beer lovers the anticipation is over! The Bacon and Beer Classic is back in Seattle on Saturday, May 2^nd at Safeco Field!

Now in its second year, the Bacon and Beer Classic combines bacon, beer, and the ballpark for an event not soon forgotten!

Cannonball Productions brings the Bacon and Beer Classic (www.baconandbeerclassic.com) to the home of the Mariners, for a unique tasting experience on May 2.  Fans can attend the Brunch session from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., or the Evening session running 7p.m. until 10 p.m. VIP guests will have 1-hour early admission (11am and 6pm respectively), exclusive entrance to the VIP area on the warning track and dugouts, samples of craft beer on the field, and more! The option to attend both sessions is available, however separate entrance tickets are required.

The Bacon and Beer Classic is a one-of-a-kind event uniting bacon and beer enthusiasts nationwide.  Hosted in major league baseball stadiums on non-game day Saturdays across America, The Bacon and Beer Classic brings in the best local breweries and restaurants for a day full of mouth-watering beer and bacon samples, accompanied by DJs, interactive games, beer schools and cooking demos. From novice tasters to expert consumers, there is something for everyone at this event!

The tour visited New York City and Seattle last year and has grown exponentially to include more than eight destinations nationwide this year!  “Seattle was a great kickoff to the Bacon and Beer Classic series last year and we are so excited to be BACK at Safeco Field!” says Kate Levenstien, founder of Cannonball Productions and Bacon and Beer Classic.  “Seattle is a dream town for foodies with some of the best restaurants and breweries in the world! We have even more vendors onboard than last year and cannot wait for everyone to taste all of the BEST local flavors of Seattle!”

The all-star line up of breweries and restaurants participating grows each day.  Over 40 local brewers including Elysian Brewery, Georgetown Brewery, Snoqualmie Falls, Northwest Brewing Company, and Fish Brewing Company are all signed up to serve at least two of their most coveted craft selections.  Chefs from 40+ expected restaurants are challenged to bring their most inventive and delicious bacon-inspired dishes to the plate.  Local restaurants including Dumpling Tzar, Manhattan Seattle, Hard Rock Café, Rhein Haus, Boom Noodle and Duke’s Chowder House will be dishing out their best bacon bites. The combination of refreshing craft beer and delectable bacon is sure to please all palettes!

The Bacon and Beer Classic brings in an all-star lineup at each event to judge all the sips and tastes, and award winners in select categories.  Seattle’s judging panel includes; Ethan Stowell, Chef/Owner of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Charles Koh, Founder of EatSeattle, Ann Peavey, Chef Concierge and Blogger/Photographer, and Desiree and Chris Siegfried, of ABC's The Bachelorette.

The Bacon and Beer Classic is always an all-inclusive event! General Admission tickets are $59 and they are going fast!  Fans may choose to purchase the VIP Experience ticket for $99. All tickets include a souvenir Bacon and Beer Classic branded glass to take home. Designated driver tickets are available at a cost of $29.

Cannonball Productions works hard to make a national series event feel personal to each city.  They partner with neighborhood vendors and organizations to give this event that local hometown feel. This year they have partnered with One Brick, a charity that brings volunteers together to help share this experience with the community.

For up-to-date information on the event, please visit:http://www.baconandbeerclassic.com/

Direct link to tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/seattles-bacon-and-beer-classic-2015-tickets-14897399523?aff=website

Facebook: facebook.com/bandbclassic

Twitter: @bandbclassic

Instagram: bandbclassic

Hashtag: #bandbclassic

Chaplin’s Subaru and the City of Bellevue Present the Lake to Lake Bike Ride, June 13, 2015

Bring out the whole family for this enjoyable, non-competitive ride, as you explore the hidden treasures of Bellevue while emphasizing bicyclist awareness and rules of the road/trail.  Rain or shine.   Benefiting the City of Bellevue Youth camp scholarship fund.

Start/Finish:             Lake Hills Community Park, 1200-164th Avenue SE

(164th Avenue SE & SE 16th Street)

Day of event registration:

Opens at 8 a.m.; Start area open 9-10 a.m.

All participants must sign in/register and will be provided with a suggested route map.  The course will be marked and well-supported by staff and volunteers.

 

Registration and Entry fees:  $15 pre-registration, $20 day of event

 

Refreshments:        Pre and Post event beverages and snacks.

Aid station on longer “Lake” Loop.

Routes:                     Greenbelt Loop—mostly flat  9-mile route; Lake  Loop--more challenging 22-mile route with significant elevation gain.  The routes are approximately 80% on-road and 20% off-road gravel.

For more information:  425-452-4882,  bikeride@bellevuewa.gov

To register:              http://parksreg.bellevuewa.gov/     course #95182
Equipment:              A portion of the course is on unpaved surfaces, it is recommended to use a bike that can handle some dirt and gravel.  The event will have a bike mechanic from Gregg’s on site at the start to assist with safety checks and minor repairs. All riders must wear helmets.

Event Sponsors:    Chaplin’s Subaru, Escape Outdoors, Skout nutrition, John Duggan Cycling Attorney, Honest Tea, Whole Foods, Sports Authority  Gregg’s Cycles, Starbucks, Half Pops, Fitness, Pace Sportswear, KAVU sportswear, SOS socks , Golazo Sports Drink, Jamba Juice, Top Pot Doughnuts,  Starbucks Gregg’s Cycles

Prizes/Schwag:       Post event prize give-away.  All participants will receive a custom designed t-shirt and various freebies at the post event prize give-away.  Custom event socks to the first 150 people to register.

Event Partner:         Cycle the Wave, Bellevue Downtown Association

Requirements:       All participants must obey the rules of the road and trail.  Recommended for ages 8 and up. (Greenbelt loop). All riders under age 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult on all rides.

Bellevue's Outerwall and Redbox Now Offering "PetBox"

Bellevue-based Outerwall and their subsidiary Redbox is now offering "Petbox" where customer's pets can pick and rent their own movies and games.  Petbox are smaller kiosks that are located next to select Redbox outlets.  Petbox features movies and games that are favorites of pets everywhere.  Take your pet to Petbox today!

MSTRKRFT and Swollen Members Added to the World Ski & Snowboard Festival Music Lineup

Plus New Events: The Monster Energy In The Beginning Party At The Bearfoot Bistro, The Whistler Comedy Showdown and Girls Gettin’ It Done Movie Night 

WHISTLER, BC – March 27, 2015 – Even more music has been added to the Outdoor Concert Series and Kokanee Freeride Club Series lineup at the World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF) in Whistler, BC.

MSTRKRFT will play a free show in Skier’s Plaza at the base of Whistler Mountain on Sunday, April 19 to close out the WSSF Outdoor Concert Series. MSTRKRFT will turn the energy up and have the crowd dancing one last time before the 20^th annual WSSF begins to wind down for another year.

Swollen Members will play a free show in Skier’s Plaza on Saturday, April 11, following the Gibbon’s Big Air which will be held in the Nintendo Terrain Park on Blackcomb Mountain. Swollen Members has close ties with the Festival and have been a part of the WSSF Outdoor Concert Series lineup more times than any other band in WSSF’s 20 year history.

Longstride has joined the Outdoor Concert Series lineup on April 15 and will also play a Kokanee Freeride Club Series show at the Longhorn later that night.

Smalltown DJs, DJ Pump and Illo have all been confirmed to play Monster Energy’s In The Beginning party at the Bearfoot Bistro on Saturday, April 11. In The Beginning is a new event for 2015 and has been added to the WSSF schedule of events to kick things off in true Whistler style. Tickets are available for purchase at wssf.com/In-the-Beginning.

Also new for 2015, the Whistler Comedy Showdown is happening on Tuesday, April 14. The Whistler Comedy Showdown is a stand-up comedy competition featuring a lineup of both newbies and well-known comedians from the Sea to Sky Corridor. The competition will be held at Buffalo Bills with two preliminary rounds, the first on March 31 and the second on April 7. The top three comedians from each show (plus wildcards) will move on to the finale round on April 14 during WSSF. Details and ticket information available at wssf.com/Whistler-Comedy-Showdown.

Girls Gettin’ It Done: Monday Movie Night is another new event on the WSSF schedule for 2015. The event will celebrate women in sport and film and will leave viewers feeling empowered and inspired. The night will feature two films: The Little Things and Pretty Faces. The Little Things, by Darcy Turenne and Marie-France Roy is a snowboard movie project with a serious environmental message, while Pretty Faces from Unicorn Picnic Productions is an all-girl ski film that celebrates the women who are pushing the sport of skiing and living life to the fullest. More information about the event and the films is available at wssf.com/Girls-Gettin-It-Done.

For those who want to get involved with the World Ski & Snowboard Festival:

Registration is now open for the Monster Energy Shred Show Boarderstyle. Entry is free but interested athletes must register online in advance at wssf.com/The-Shred-Show. This year’s event will see a new women’s category and over $6,000 in total prize money. Online registration closes April 14 at 5pm PST.

Filmmakers can now register to compete in the OLYMPUS 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown. Participants have 72 hours to film, edit and deliver a three to five minute short film all shot within 100km of Whistler beginning April 10. Up to ten films will be selected by an esteemed review panel and screened at the Whistler Conference Centre in front of a live audience on Wednesday, April 15. There is over $10,000 in prizing on the line for the team that wins Best In Show and Olympus is offering a bonus prize of an additional $5,000 if the winning film is shot entirely using Olympus cameras and lenses. More information available at http://www.wssf.com/filmmaker-registration.

WSSF is always looking for volunteers to help out behind the scenes to help put on Whistler’s biggest party of the season. People interested in volunteering can register at wssf.com/Volunteer.

For those who want to make a difference:

The Sea to Sky Walk a Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser returns to WSSF on Sunday, April 12, where men from up and down the Sea to Sky Corridor will rally together to raise awareness in our community about the serious causes, effects and remediation of violence against women. Participants will don bright red high heels and march through Whistler Village at 4pm. Advanced registration is available at wssf.com/Walk-A-Mile-in-Her-Shoes or men can sign up on the day in front of Moguls Coffee House at 3pm. All proceeds from the event go to support the Whistler Women’s Centre.

Whistler Dog Fest returns to WSSF on Saturday, April 18. Dog Fest has been a part of the WSSF schedule since 1998 because Whistler knows canine companions like to party too. A fundraiser for the BC Humane Society, this year’s event will include a dog parade, exhibitions, agility demonstrations and competitions. More information will be posted to wssf.com/Whistler-DogFest as it becomes available.

WSSF’s annual Best of the Fest event will take place at the Garibaldi Lift Co. (GLC) on Sunday, April 19. Tickets are available at wssf.com/Best-of-the-Fest with all proceeds from the event going to Playground Builders, a charitable organization that builds safe play areas for children in underprivileged or war-torn regions. The winning shows from the Olympus 72 Hour Filmmaker Showdown, Olympus Pro Photographer Showdown and Intersection will be shown at the event.

For the kids and the young at heart:

Big Air Bear, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival’s official mascot, will celebrate his 13^th birthday with his cuddly companions at Mascot Mayhem on Sunday, April 19. Families are welcome to join Big Air Bear and his best friends for cake, games and good times in Whistler’s Village Square at 12:30pm. More information available at wssf.com/Mascot-Mayhem.

Tickets to the evening gala events are now available for purchase at www.wssf.com.

To connect with the World Ski & Snowboard Festival online, Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

The World Ski & Snowboard Festival has a brand new mobile app called WSSF Live. It is available for FREE in the App Store for Apple and Android phones.

The World Ski & Snowboard Festival (WSSF) is produced by Watermark Communications, a Whistler‐based event production & communications company, and presented in partnership with Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb. April 2015 will mark the 20^th annual World Ski & Snowboard Festival and will celebrate how the event has grown over the years into the largest annual winter sports and music festival in North America. WSSF is a 10 day and night showcase of the best of snow sports, music, arts and mountain culture. Featuring major professional ski and snowboarding competitions, the largest annual free outdoor concert series in Canada, photography and film showcases, and spring skiing at Whistler Blackcomb, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival is the poster child for the ultimate ski and snowboard festival experience. In blazing the way for the youth of tomorrow, the World Ski & Snowboard Festival embodies the mantra: ‘Party in April. Sleep in May.’

Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue to Hold Grand Opening Celebration for New Fieldhouse at Hidden Valley Sports Park

Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue will host a public ceremony celebrating the Grand Opening of their Foster Family Foundation Branch – the Fieldhouse at Hidden Valley Sports Park. The event will take place on Saturday, March 28^th from 10am-11am at Hidden Valley Fieldhouse, located at 1903 112^th Avenue NE, Bellevue, WA 98004. The public is invited to join as they celebrate this exciting milestone for our community!

The new Fieldhouse at Hidden Valley Park is a unique partnership with the City of Bellevue that will provide recreational facilities for thousands of youth and their families on the Eastside. This 27,000 sq. ft facility has three courts, classroom space and a concession stand that will serve both the indoor courts and outdoor sports fields. Hidden Valley Fieldhouse is now open for programming and will house BGCB’s Spring Sports programs for ages 5-18 starting in April. Spring programs include volleyball, soccer, basketball and Spring Break Sports camps. Registration is online at www.bgcbellevue.org.

In 2012, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue launched a community-wide campaign to open more doors for more kids – helping to meet the needs of a growing Bellevue and strengthen the fabric of our community. Through this campaign, the goal is to expand our capacity to serve over 70% more youth by increasing their programmable space by 80% throughout the city. The Hidden Valley Fieldhouse is the second capital project to open since then, the first being “The Club” Teen Center in East Bellevue. We hope to break ground on the third and final project – our Main Clubhouse in downtown Bellevue, this year.

Since 1952, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue (BGCB) has been in the forefront of youth development; targeting services to young people from disadvantaged economic, social and family circumstances. In 2014, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue served more than 14,000 members and their families, providing a safe, fun place that encourages kids to choose healthy lifestyles, get involved with their communities and achieve academic success. By inspiring our youth to make constructive life choices, they strive to help them realize their full potential. The Club upholds a policy that no child will be turned away because of an ability to pay, and in the past year the BGCB has awarded more than $700,000 in scholarships to families in need. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue, visit www.bgcbellevue.org.

Taste Washington on the Farm

Join Taste Washington on Friday, March 27 for a new experience where you will visit local farms and meet the people who grow and produce gourmet, artisanal products from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. At each unique excursion you will meet the farmers, get your boots dirty and enjoy a variety of delicious food and wine.

There are three distinctively different experiences to choose from, including an exploration of the artisanal cheese movement with Kurtwood Farms on Vashon Island, a farm-to-table lunch featuring ultra-fresh produce in the lush Snohomish Valley, and a deep dive into oyster growing at Taylor Shellfish on Samish Bay.

Purchase your tickets today to be a part of this new and unique culinary experience. Space is extremely limited.