Pickering Barn gets loud, oolong tea on Front Street, and Duthie Hill needs your shovel

Pickering Barn is hosting a Friday night event that actually sounds worth leaving the house for — live music, local breweries, and barrel-aged pours, all under one roof. It runs 6-9 PM on March 13. This is the kind of thing Issaquah needs more of: a casual evening out that isn't just dinner at Gilman Village. Get there early if you want a good spot near the stage. Parking in the Pickering lot fills fast, so use the overflow on 10th Ave.

Experience Tea on Front Street is doing a deep dive into oolong teas on Saturday, March 14. If you've walked past that shop a hundred times and never gone in, this is a good excuse. 10-11:30 AM.

Thai Sip Zoom is the latest addition to the Thai lineup on Front Street — still getting set up, so keep an eye out for their opening date.

If you mountain bike — or know someone who does — Duthie Hill Mountain Bike Park needs trail builders this week. Dig Days run Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12, from 11 AM to 4 PM. Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance organizes it, tools are provided, and the work is genuinely satisfying. Even if you've never swung a McLeod, they'll teach you. The park is tucked off Issaquah-Fall City Road and it's one of the best riding spots in the state. Helping maintain it earns you some trail karma.

If you've got a kid who likes dirt (so, all of them), Squak Mountain Nursery is running a gardening workshop Saturday morning. It's hands-on, age-appropriate, and at one of the best nurseries in the valley. 10-11 AM, March 14.

Issaquah Alps Trail Club is leading a Friday afternoon hike starting at the West Fork Tibbets trailhead in Talus. It's framed around the history of conservation in Issaquah — part hike, part outdoor lecture. Kelly Jiang, the IATC president, is leading it. 4-6:30 PM, March 13.

High school spring sports kick-off with baseball, softball, tennis, and track & field games across the region.

Drop off the kids at Arena Sports from 4-8 PM on Saturday and go be an adult for a few hours. They handle the entertainment. You handle the quiet dinner somewhere nearby.

Crafts, teen-led activities, a mural project, and a scavenger hunt — all drop-in, no registration needed. Solid free option for a Sunday afternoon. 1-3 PM, March 15.