The Theatre at Meydenbauer Center will host the Grammy-nominated Clayton Brothers Quintet at 8pm on Thursday, May 31; four-time Grammy-award winner Booker T. Jones at 8pm on Friday, June 1; and the internationally-renowned Hubert Laws Quintet at 8pm on Saturday, June 2.

Tickets for these headline performances cost $34 general admission or $17 for students.

The festival’s full schedule has been announced and features more than 40 free shows throughout the community. The schedule includes:

Wednesday, May 30

-          4:30 PM          Murl Allen Sanders Duo – Pianist

Lincoln Square 1st Floor [ FREE ]

-          6:00 PM          June Tonkin – Pianist

El Gaucho Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Thomas Marriott – Trumpeter

Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge * [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Tom Grant – Pianist

Bake’s Place [ Make reservations ]

-          9:00 PM          Stephanie Porter Quartet – Vocalist

Lot No. 3 [ FREE ]

-          9:00 PM          Lamar Lofton’s Rhythm Quartet with special guest Assia Hamani

520 Bar & Grill [ FREE ]

Thursday, May 31

-          4:30 PM          Clayton Murray Duo – Pianist

Lincoln Square 1st Floor [ FREE ]

-          6:00 PM          June Tonkin – Pianist

El Gaucho Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Clayton Brothers Quintet

Theatre at Meydenbauer Center [ Buy tickets ]

-          8:00 PM          Tom Grant – Pianist

Bake’s Place [ Make reservations ]

-          9:00 PM          Heather Sullivan Jazz Piano Trio

520 Bar & Grill [ FREE ]

Friday, June 01

-          4:30 PM          Karin Kajita Duo – Pianist

Lincoln Square 1st Floor [ FREE ]

-          6:00 PM          June Tonkin – Pianist

El Gaucho Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Booker T. Jones

Theatre at Meydenbauer Center [ Buy tickets ]

-          8:00 PM          Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto – Pianist

Bake’s Place [ Make reservations ]

-          8:00 PM          Dawn Clement Duo – Keyboard & Vocalist + Jon Hamar on Bass

Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge * [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Isabella Du Graf – Vocalist

Cypress Lounge and Wine Bar at The Westin Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          9:00 PM          Heather Sullivan Jazz Piano Trio

520 Bar & Grill [ FREE ]

Saturday, June 02

-          12:00 PM        Bellevue High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          1:15 PM          Music Works NW Honor Jazz Ensemble

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          2:30 PM          Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          3:45 PM          Mountlake Terrace High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          5:00 PM          Newport High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          5:00 PM          June Tonkin Duo – Pianist & Vocalist

El Gaucho Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          6:15 PM          Ingraham High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          7:30 PM          Fusion – High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          8:00 PM          Hubert Laws Quintet

Theatre at Meydenbauer Center [ Buy tickets ]

-          8:00 PM          Lary Barilleau and the Latin Jazz Collective

Bake’s Place [ Make reservations ]

-          8:00 PM          Patti Summers – Vocalist

Cypress Lounge and Wine Bar at The Westin Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          9:00 PM          Lamar Lofton’s Rhythm Quartet with special guest Faith Beattie

520 Bar & Grill [ FREE ]

-          10:00 PM        Collaborative Works Jazz Trio – Traditional & Modern Jazz

Black Bottle Postern [ FREE ]

Sunday, June 03

-          11:00 AM        Jose Gonzales Trio – Funk, Swing & Pop

Z’Tejas Southwestern Grill Jazz Brunch [ FREE ]

-          11:00 AM        Red Shoes

520 Bar & Grill Patio [ FREE ]

-          11:00 AM        Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          12:15 PM        Mount Si High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          1:30 PM          Hamilton International Middle School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          2:30 PM          Jeff Johnson Duo – Bassist + Dave Peterson on Guitar

Ruth’s Chris Steak House [ FREE ]

-          4:00 PM          Hamilton International Middle School Vocal Jazz

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          5:00 PM          Primo Kim Duo – Pianist

El Gaucho Bellevue * [ FREE ]

-          5:15 PM          Sammamish High School Jazz Combo

Bellevue Square Center Court [ FREE ]

-          5:30 PM          Human Spirit – Thomas Marriott, Mark Taylor, George Colligan & Matt Jorgensen

Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant * [ FREE ]

-          7:00 PM          Rising Stars

Bake’s Place [ Make reservations ]

-          7:00 PM          Lamar Lofton’s Rhythm Quartet with special guest Eric Fridrich

520 Bar & Grill [ FREE ]

-          9:00 PM          4 on 6 – House Jazz Band

Black Bottle Postern [ FREE ]

*Please note: Venue is for ages 21 and up.

2 new cars have been added to the Downtown Bellevue Zipcar fleet.  The newest cars, ‘Atom’ and ‘Igor,’ are located at the 989 Elements apartment building.  Atom is an Audi A3 and Igor a Honda Insight Hybrid.

To celebrate the new cars, Zipcar will be hosting a launch event in the 989 Elements lobby May 22nd, 5 PM -8 PM.  The event promises to have food and beverages for visiting guests.

With the addition of these 2 cars, there are now a total  of 8 Zipcars in Downtown Bellevue. The cars are located in 3 locations: Skyline Tower parking garage, a surface lot across from The Bravern at NE 8th St. & 110th Ave., and now 989 Elements parking garage.

If you’re interested in finding out more about Zipcar and memberships, go to their website.

Get ready, it’s Farmers Market season again.  The Bellevue Farmers Market starts up on Thursday, May 10th.  It’s the same days of the week and at the same locations as last year.

You can view a list of this year’s vendors on the Bellevue Farmers Market website.

- Locations -

Thursdays
3 – 7 PM
May 10 – October 11
First Presbyterian Church
1717 Bellevue Way NE
(The only pets allowed are service dogs at this location)

Saturdays
10 AM – 3 PM
June 2 – November 17
First Congregational Church
752 108th Ave NE
(This is a dog-friendly location)

Munchbar and Piano Bash are changing things up.  The 2 spaces in their current form will be transforming into 3. Munchbar and Piano Bash will become Mirror Nightclub after 10PM, which will allow for the popular “nightclub” business to take full advantage of the maximum amount of space.

The wall that is currently between the 2 spaces will be taken out, making the nightclub a more cohesive element. In addition, both spaces will be fully redesigned. The new designs will remain a mystery until the grand opening, but according to the management team it will be very impressive and will “have people talking.”

Another change that is important to note is that Munchbar will change its name to “Munch Sports Grill” and will focus on its food, as well as continuing to be a premier location to watch sporting events.

The transformation will be complete on May 17th and will be celebrated by a grand opening weekend bash will Carmen Electra, Mya and more at Mirror.  Below are the events that will be taking place on opening weekend:

• May 17th Hosted by Carmen Electra
• May 18th Live Set by Vegas’ DJ Hollywood
• May 19th Live performance by Ryan Leslie
• May 20th Performance by May

UPDATE: According to a representative at Munchbar the re-grand opening party with Carmet Electra will now take place on Thursday, May 31st. It’s not clear if the other artists will also still be performing.

Giada De Laurentiis, the well known host of “Giada at Home” on the Food Network, will be participating in a book signing at the Williams-Sonoma at Bellevue Square store on Thursday, April 26th at 5:00 PM.  She will be signing copies of her newest cookbook, Weeknights with Giada: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner.

The event is limited to the first 400 ticketed customers. To reserve a space for the event, call or visit the Williams-Sonoma Bellevue Square store (425-454-7007).

The movies will be projected onto a 40-foot screen on Tuesday evenings from July 10 through Aug. 28 at the Bellevue Downtown Park. The public is invited to arrive at 7:30pm for pre-movie activities. The movies will start at dusk.

This family-friendly event, presented by the Bellevue Parks and Community Services and sponsored by Intelius Inc., is free and open to all ages. The event serves as a donation drive for local non-profit organizations. Cash and item donations will be accepted in lieu of admission.

The 2012 Summer Outdoor Movies in the Bellevue Downtown Park includes:

• Date                 Movie                                    Charity
• July 10              Puss in Boots                       The Sophia Way
• July 17              Happy Feet 2                        Highland Community Center
• July 24              Zookeeper                            Ashoka
• July 31              Adventures of TinTin          Kindering
• August 7           Soul Surfer                           iCareWeCare
• August 14         Big Miracle                           Bellevue LifeSpring
• August 21         Dolphin Tale                        Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue
• August 28         We Bought a Zoo                YouthCare

The event, hosted by the Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, raises funds to support the Seattle Children’s Autism Center and Kindering. The race will begin at 8am on Sunday, April 29, at the Bellevue Downtown Park.

Registration for the Overlake Hospital 10K Run costs $35, The Y Family 5K Run/Walk costs $30, and the 1K Kids’ Dash for children age 10 and under costs $10. Strollers and dogs are welcome at this family-friendly event.

A pre-race day packet, including race bibs and T-shirts, will be available at The Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square on Saturday, April 28, from 10am to 5pm.

More than 150 King County restaurants will offer 3-course dinners for $28 from April 8-12 and from April 15-19. In addition, some restaurants will feature 3-course lunches for $15. The prices do not include drinks, tax, or tips.

Smartphone users can also take part in an “Eat & Seek” contest by scanning QR codes – located in an inconspicuous spot in each restaurant – for a chance to win gift cards, hotel stays, and chef experiences.

Participating downtown restaurants include:

• Cantinetta Bellevue
• Lot No. 3
• Mariposa at Neiman Marcus
• McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant
• Monsoon East
• Nordstrom Grill
• Purple Café & Wine Bar
• Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar
• The Melting Pot
• Wild Ginger at The Bravern

The fifth annual Bellevue Jazz Festival will feature more than 40 free performances by local jazz musicians throughout downtown Bellevue. Headliners include the Clayton Brothers Quintet at 8pm on Thursday, May 31, Booker T. Jones at 8pm on Friday, June 1, and the Hubert Laws Quintet at 8pm on Saturday, June 2.

Individual show tickets cost $34 general admission or $17 for students. A theatre package offers preferred seating to all three shows for $78. The headline performances will take place at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center.

The full festival line-up will be announced in May.

• March 17-18 - International Ballet Theatre will present “Chipollino,” a family-friendly story of honor and friendship featuring a colorful cast of vegetable and fruit characters, at 7:30pm March 16-17 and at 2pm March 17-18. For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006.
• March 21 - ParentMap will host a lecture by local pediatrician Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, titled “Seattle Mama Doc: Healthy, Happiness, and Family Balance,” at 7-9pm on Wednesday, March 21. Swanson, a mother of 2 young boys, will discuss balancing family and a career, the role of smart decision-making in caring for children, and deciphering medical terminology as a parent. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
• March 24 - The public is invited to the “Sing-A-Long Sound of Music” at 7pm on Saturday, March 24, at 2pm on Sunday, March 25. The film, shown on the big screen, will include subtitles for the songs. Guests are encouraged to dress as their favorite characters from the movie. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes, courtesy of John Howie Steak and Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar. Tickets are available in advance.
• April 19-22 - The Bellevue Youth Theatre will offer 2 versions of the musical “Grease” at 7pm April 19-22 and at 2pm April 21-22. The student version of “Grease” stars children, ages 8 to 13, and is suitable for all ages. The PG-version of “Grease” will be presented by the Bellevue Youth Theatre community with age-appropriate roles. All tickets cost $12 at 425-452-7155.

Meydenbauer Center is located at 11100 NE 6^th St.