Feel the beat of history in the park and concert hall at two family-friendly events

To find out what life was like in Seattle thousands of years ago, just take a stroll through Discovery Park. Walk along the beach by the King County Waste Treatment Facility at West Point and you'll be stepping on hallowed ground.

The University of Washington's Burke Museum presents its annual Archaeology Day on Saturday at the park during which visitors can get a glimpse into the history of Native American tribes.

When the treatment facility was expanded in 1992, construction workers uncovered a thick layer of crushed mussel shells, leading to the discovery of a significant Native American site at least 4,000 years old.

Hearths, pits, ovens, beads, pendants and bone bracelet fragments helped archaeologists understand how tribes used the West Point site through the years.

"We are letting people know that archaeology happens right inside the city. It's right under your feet all the time," explains Stephanie Jolivette, the Burke's archaeology public outreach coordinator and a UW graduate student.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, archaeologists will lead 45-minute tours from the beach into the sewage treatment plant, where the archaeological site is housed.

Visitors can see ancient tools and ask scientists how they were used; understand how important shellfish were to native cultures, and learn how erosion is destroying such archaeological sites in Puget Sound (Jolivette says a portion of the historical site is now under water).

In celebration of Washington State Archaeology Month, visitors also can see and touch replicas of some of the West Point artifacts, make "stick dice" like those used in games thousands of years ago, make a salmon trolling hook, weave their own bracelet to wear home, and learn how to cut food with stone knives.

"We like to draw the link for people between how tribes lived in the past and that those tribes are still here today, and trying to continue some of their traditional life ways," Jolivette says.

An important aspect of Archaeology Day is to explain just what people are allowed to pick up off beaches in our state.

"The park itself is actually a marine preserve, so you're not supposed to pick up anything, except trash," Jolivette explains.

But if someone finds an artifact in their own yard, it's theirs.

"People call all the time when they find things," she says. "Most people call because they've found a stone point. But even an individual stone point on your property doesn't mean there was a historical site. A hunter may have dropped it walking through the forest."

Visitors on Saturday should check in at the Discovery Park Visitor Center, 3801 W. Government Way, for parking and directions to the event site. Free shuttles run from the visitor center to the site (disabled parking is available at the site). Wear good outdoor shoes and be prepared for rain.

WHEN ONE THINKS of children's music, one tends to think of barnyard animal sounds and happy lyrics about rainbows and gum drops. But, the second offering of Town Hall's Family Concert series is anything but.

"This is a dramatic departure from the family concert that preceded it and the one that will follow it," says Wier Harman, Town Hall executive director. "The purpose of the family concert series is to offer a wide range of musical styles in a setting that is appropriate for families and kids."

Saturday morning and afternoon, Helder Moutinho, a Portuguese fado musician, will sing about love and loss, nostalgia and fate. Fado itself means fate or destiny.

"It's a form of music that embraces the intrinsic sadness in life," Harman explains. "It feels like the sound of loss."

So why fado for a children's concert?

"It's sort of counterintuitive in a way," Harman admits. "The word that inevitably comes up with this type of music is 'mournful.' It's not necessarily what you think of for children's music. It's a little bit somber and a little bit sad, but obviously part of everyone's existence."

Harman explains that the whole purpose of Town Hall is to get people talking. And the purpose of the Family Concert series is to expose families to a broad range of music they might not have heard otherwise -- and then talk about the experience.

Moutinho himself likens fado to the American blues, "because the blues is talking about life," he says.

In fact, last year Moutinho performed at the annual Lincoln Center Out of Doors festival, which celebrated diverse musical styles such as fado and flamenco with its theme "The Spirit of the Blues."

"This is the other kind of blues," he says.

Fado is an urban folk music mixture from various regions including Africa, India and China, that came together in Portugal, especially in Lisbon, once a great port city.

"The fado is the music from the harbor, from Lisbon, because Lisbon in the past was one of the biggest harbors in the world before an earthquake and tsunami in 1755," he explains.

"Usually it's a sad music because of the way of living that we had after this tsunami. But also fado is about life, the way of life, the condition of life; it talks about love, nostalgia. It's a feeling when we miss something."

Moutinho, also a songwriter and producer, is known for his warm, powerful voice and depth of emotion. He performs with the traditional accompaniment of Portuguese guitar and classical guitar.

"We will finish the concerts with happiness," Moutinho says. "We'll invite the people to sing with us and to cooperate with us. Fado can be serious, it can be nostalgic, it can be sad, but it can be happy also."