Fremont Neighbor

08/12/2026

Mark your calendars, Fremont Oktoberfest is coming soon!

Fremont Oktoberfest returns to the streets of Seattle this September. A beer fest with a capital FEST, it is more relevant now than ever before. Seattle's longest-running beer festival.

08/12/2026

Ever suspect Fremont runs a little different from the rest of Seattle? The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development's new Neighborhood Snapshot has the receipts. Fremont rents more than the city overall, 62% of households versus 56%, yet fewer of those renters are stretched thin by housing costs. Nearly half of all Fremont households are a single person, just 9% of residents are under 18, and 84% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. We dug into what the numbers say about the neighborhood, and why the city's map of "Fremont" reaches farther east than you might think.

Read more at https://fremontneighbor.com/fremont-rents-more-than-seattle-but-sweats-the-rent-less-data-shows/

08/11/2026

Before Adobe filled offices along the canal, that stretch of Fremont ran on sawdust. The Bryant Lumber Company took over the old Fremont Mill in 1894, employed more than 100 people, and milled old-growth fir and cedar hauled in by rail from Snohomish County. Historian Valarie Bunn traces how it all came together, and what it left behind, including the altar the Verd family donated to the Doric Lodge still standing at 619 N. 36th St. Read more at https://fremontneighbor.com/the-bryant-lumber-company-in-fremont/

08/10/2026

The printed August Forum just dropped. The Fremont Library went dark today for a cooling-shelter retrofit, and we spent an afternoon at Handsome Jack, the N. 36th shop that's really a clubhouse in disguise. Read it here: fremontneighbor.com/forum

08/08/2026

Back-to-school season is here, and Fremont Baptist Church is collecting school supplies through the end of August for kids living in local shelters.

The church is gathering backpacks, notebooks, folders, pencils, glue and scissors, plus hygiene items and non-perishable snacks. The colorful character backpacks were a favorite last year. As FBC's Ralph Weathers put it, kids especially loved "the colorful backpacks with their favorite cartoon characters and superheroes."

Donations through Aug. 13 support Solid Ground's Pack It Forward drive, and from then through Aug. 30 they go to the Seattle's Union Gospel Mission Women and Children's Shelter.

Drop off supplies at the church, 717 N 36th St., on Sunday mornings, or call 206-632-7994 to set up another time.

08/07/2026

More details about the Fremont Branch remodel:

"Darth Nielsen, an assistant director at SPL, said the work at the Fremont Branch would be a "delightfully boring remodel," one that will preserve the character of the Mission Revival-style building. Ducts won't be added to the tall, rich wood beams of the ceiling, for example. Instead, vents built into the shelves that currently pump heat from the furnace will be repurposed to let cool air flow. The tall windows that let in tons of natural light will stay, too, though they will be sealed to keep air from leaking out."

Darcy Stone had a choice to make before she sat down with KUOW on Tuesday: Would she rather do an interview outside, masked against the smoke rolling in from fires to the east and north, or inside The Seattle Public Library's Fremont Branch, which can be stiflingly hot in the summer?

She chose inside, as temperatures weren't quite so bad that day. The high in Seattle was in the low 80s, and a hodgepodge of fans had been brought to the Fremont Branch to keep air moving through the space. The historic library's large windows were shuttered to keep the smoke out.

Photo Credit: KUOW Photo/Katie Campbell

Full Story in Comments

08/07/2026

"Affected roles include executives, engineers, designers and product managers at the 929 Office Tower in Bellevue and Salesforce's Data 1 building in Fremont."

Salesforce layoffs hit offices in Seattle and Bellevue >> See the full article below ⬇️

08/07/2026

There's a new spot on N. 36th that's as much a clubhouse as it is a store.

The Handsome Jack Supply Co. opened in early June, and carries vinyl, watches, handmade pocket knives and Fremont Local merch, but it doubles as a gathering place for live music, workshops and pop-ups. Gilson, a former TV and film creative who later worked at UW, wanted to build something small and neighborly. "Just come hang out," he says.

Two red deck chairs out front make the invitation official. Read our full profile here: https://fremontneighbor.com/a-shop-on-n-36th-thats-really-a-clubhouse/

08/04/2026

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency and local public health agencies warn that air quality could reach levels unhealthy for sensitive groups across the region, and conditions are expected to worsen through the week. Sensitive groups include children, adults older than 65, pregnant people, and those with asthma or heart and lung conditions.

Two Fremont notes for Tuesday, Aug. 4: Some block organizers are weighing whether to cancel Night Out gatherings, so check with your organizer before heading out. And if you plan to drop a ballot for today’s primary, plan around the smoke and heat.

Health officials recommend staying indoors when possible, keeping windows closed, running air conditioning on recirculate, and limiting outdoor exercise. Residents without cooling at home can find cooling center information through 2-1-1 King County (search for “cooling center”). N95 or N100 masks can reduce smoke exposure outdoors.

The Fremont library branch is open this week but closes Sunday, Aug. 9, for an HVAC upgrade project. The upgrade is expected to improve the branch’s ability to serve as a cooling refuge during future heat events.

Most of the smoke is coming from the Spokane Complex fire, a group of three fast-moving wildfires in Eastern Washington. Neighbors who want to help those affected by the fires can donate to the City of Spokane’s H.O.M.E. Starts Here fund, which the city has activated to support community members impacted by the wildfires as they begin recovery.

Cooler and cleaner air is expected this weekend and you can check current conditions anytime at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

08/04/2026

More than 200 neighbors turned out last Thursday for the second annual Fremont on the Rocks, the Fremont Chamber of Commerce's cocktail walk through the heart of the neighborhood. Ten local businesses hosted tasting stations, with drinks poured by Fremont Neighborhood Council and Chamber volunteers. That's a big jump from about 70 last year. It was also Pete Hanning's last event as the Chamber's executive director.