Little Red Hen Parties Onward

little red hen; seattle, WA

By Ty Hughes

Whoever said we have a slumping economy forgot to tell the scantily-clad college kids flooding the Little Red Hen every Wednesday night for DJ Forrest Gump’s karaoke exhibition. Downright mayhem could be used to describe the madness that sets in. DJ Forrest Gump, aka Robert, of KARR Productions (www.karrproductions.com) says they often squeeze upwards of 400 bodies into the bar on any given karaoke night, but Wednesdays are the busiest. By 10:30pm, the place was literally writhing with young students and a few more experienced, out for a party that reminded me of some of the raucous house parties from days gone by.

“This is nothing,” says Robert, “This place REALLY fills up later”. My jaw dropped. How could they possibly fit more people into the bar, when I’m embarrassed by all the physical contact just to maneuver around the room?

Everyone is gorgeous and tan, positive and bouncy. The 2-foot high karaoke stage, which runs the length of the packed out dance floor, is taken over not only by the singers themselves, but their friends as well. And their friends too! Shear madness. And DJ Forrest Gump would have it no other way. His gleaming smile can be seen from across the room as he manages the song slips, 30-40 deep, and the multitude of bizarre requests coming at him lightening speed. He does this twice a week at the Little Red Hen, Monday and Wednesday from 9pm to closing, and then a couple nights elsewhere, plus DJs on the weekends. The man is busy busy and can handle a crowd of hundreds with ease. He was great about announcing the nightly specials, giving props to the bartenders, and keeping the audience in check.

Amanda was managing a little makeshift bar in the back of the room to offer some relief to the main bar, due to all the people. Ten years ago or so, it was Amanda’s husband Nathan that began this tradition of karaoke at the Little Red Hen. She was unshakable while she fielded order after order.

Surprisingly, getting a cocktail in your hands was not hard to do. Sunny and McKenzie worked the main bar with efficiency and a happy-go-lucky attitude. It was more difficult to weave through the throng just to reach the bar.

Meanwhile, the karaoke continued to be the staple of entertainment, and the conversation level rivaled the volume of the karaoke. Jackie and Mike were getting married on Saturday. In her party veil, Jackie joined her husband-to-be on stage for a rousing song for the crowd of friends and family.

Katie, Lisa and Lindsay enjoyed the ambiance and each others company, as did hundreds of other party-people.

Little Red Hen karaoke is an amazing sight to behold. Probably not for everyone, but definitely a karaoke party that you will remember for a very long time… at least until next week! Come in and check it out Mondays and Wednesdays from 9pm to close. Log on to www.karrproductions.com for a complete list of karaoke shows going on in your neighborhood every night of the week.

The Little Red Hen features FREE Country dance lessons every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at 8pm, plus live Country music on Fridays and Saturdays. Happy Hour runs twice daily, Monday through Friday 9am-noon and 4pm-7pm and features both food and drink specials. They also serve an incredible breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday until 2pm.

So get out to Greenlake and visit the Little Red Hen, located at 7115 Woodlawn Ave NE, Seattle (206) 522-1168, www.littleredhen.com.