Events

Tickets on sale for annual Picardo P-Patch fundraiser dinner

July 6, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Tickets for the Fourth Annual Feast in the Garden fundraiser dinner for the Picardo P-Patch are now on sale!

This year’s dinner takes place on Wednesday, August 14, from 6-9 PM, and is held in the p-patch’s Pavilion, rain or shine.

Tickets are $35 if purchased before July 31, and $40 after. Seating is limited, so reserving your seat(s) early is recommended. Contact Tracy for tickets (tracycookie@gmail.com or 525-2166). For more information on the event itself, email melaninagao@yahoo.com.

Via email:

It’s a not-to-be-missed, fun, delicious event, which includes:

– Delectable tapas and homemade wines and beer,
– Bountiful authentic paella by Chef Jim Kuhn, cooked al fresco,
– Sumptuous dessert buffet

Proceeds will be used for the construction of picnic tables and benches for the Pavilion and other common areas within Picardo.

Filed Under: Events, Food, Northeast Seattle, Picardo P-Patch

Summer Story Times and more at the Northeast Branch

July 2, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson Leave a Comment

Northeast Branch Children’s Services Librarian Erica Delavan will be taking a break in mid/late July for a summer vacation, but there are a few more Story Times before she’s gone (via email):

Preschool Story Time (Geared for ages 3-5)
Tuesdays, July 2, 9 at 10:30 AM

Toddler Story Time (Geared for ages 1-3)
Thursday, July 11 at 10:15 & 11:15 AM

Pajamas & Puppets (All Ages)
Wednesday, July 10 at 7 PM (a week earlier than normal!)
Wednesday, August 21 at 7 PM

There’s also the Seattle Public Library’s Summer Reading Program to participate in:

The Summer Reading Program is in full swing, and we have prizes for all kids from 0 – 12 years old! (Yes, I even have board book prizes for infants, so read to those babies this summer.) Just come to the library to pick up a reading log, keep track of the books your child reads or that you read to your child, and after 10 books, they win a free book! We also have lots of great programs going on this summer for kids, and you can find out about everything here.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

To help fill the gap between now and fall Story Times, there are an assortment of free events for families with kids of various ages to participate in, too:

Ponte el Ritmo – Afro-Latino Rhythms! (Ages 5 and up)
Monday, July 22 at 4 PM

Roots and Branches – Music with Harmonica Pocket! (Ages 1 – 6)
Thursday, July 25 at 11 AM

Can You Dig It? with Alex Zerbe (Ages 3 and up)
Friday, August 2 at 2 PM

Storybook Science: Incredible Insects! (Ages 4 – 8)
Saturday, August 17 at 11 AM
Registration required.

Center of the Earth Tour with the Brian Waite Band (Ages 5-11)
Friday, August 23 at 11 AM
At the Meadowbrook Community Center
10517 35th Avenue NE

Make a Pop-Up Book (Ages 3 and up)
Tuesday, August 17 at 3 PM

Filed Under: Families, Kids, Music, Northeast Branch, Northeast Seattle, Story Times

Start your future together among the (pre)history of the Burke Museum

June 30, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

Today, Sunday, June 30, from noon to 3 PM, the University of Washington is holding a
Campus Wedding and Special Events Fair. You can register for the event here, or learn more about Burke Museum rentals here.

The Center for Urban Horticulture and the University of Washington Club are among the event space possibilities the university offers…

…but, frankly, we think a reception at the Burke Museum would be the best choice.

Photo by Aaron Piazza

RAWR!

Staged by Cori Ready and photographed by Anne Fenton

Photo by Jenny GG Photography

All photos courtesy the Burke Museum.

Filed Under: Events, Families, Northeast Seattle, Photos, University of Washington

Outdoor movies at Magnuson Park return on July 11

June 25, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 2 Comments

Summer in Western Washington is said to officially start after July 4. And the same goes for the Outdoor movies at Magnuson Park series. (Nobody likes soggy popcorn!)

All showings are on Thursdays, starting July 11, at Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way NE). Seating opens at 7 PM, and the movies start at dusk. Cost is $5.

Also “showing” will be cirque performances (by The Cabiri), movie trivia, and food trucks. And the event is also billed as being dog friendly.

As for which movie you might want to attend, Ravenna Blog recommends ALL of them. Seriously. Look at this schedule:

July 11: Moonrise Kingdom (2012, PG-13, 94 minutes)
July 18: Singin’ in the Rain (1952, 103 minutes)
July 25: Finding Nemo (2003, G, 100 minutes)
August 1: Skyfall (2012, PG-13, 143 minutes)
August 8: The Sandlot (1993, PG, 101 minutes)
August 15: Raiders of the Last Ark (1981, PG, 115 minutes)
August 22: Singles (1992, PG-13, 99 minutes)
August 29: The Princess Bride (1987, PG, 98 minutes)

You can see information about event sponsors and which specific food trucks will be at each showing on the Movies at Magnuson homepage.

…

The Ravenna Blog’s 5th birthday is also scheduled for Thursday, August 15, but from 5-7 PM. Celebrate with us, *then* go fight Nazis with Indy.

RSVP to the party here. We’d love to see you!

Filed Under: Events, Families, Food, Kids, Magnuson Park, Northeast Seattle

Bicycle Master Plan Draft open house at Roosevelt High School (LIVE COVERAGE)

June 13, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 14 Comments

On Thursday, June 13, the city will hold its last Bicycle Master Plan Draft open house at Roosevelt High School (1410 NE 66th St, in the cafeteria) from 6-7:30 PM.

We will be covering the event LIVE, right here.

There are a plethora of Bicycle Master Plan Draft pieces, and you can see them all here, on the Project Library homepage. For for Northeast Sector Map specifically, you can find that here (4.5 MB PDF).

Filed Under: Live Coverage, Meeting, Northeast Seattle, Roosevelt High School, Seattle Department of Transportation

Cafe Racer Love: Concert at the cafe and walk to Cowen Park on May 30

May 28, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 1 Comment

Those lost during the shootings at Cafe Racer a year ago will be remembered and celebrated this Thursday, May 30 with music and friends and a great deal of Cafe Racer Love.

Cafe Racer’s Kurt Geissel told us that Orkestar Zirkonium will play a concert at the cafe (5828 Roosevelt Way NE) at 8 PM. An hour later, at 9 PM, Cafe Racer will close early, and everyone will walk over to Cowen Park.

Taken on May 31, 2012 at Cafe Racer.

Earlier in the month, the Seattle Weekly and the Seattle Times both published pieces about the shootings, now a year in the rearview mirror. Both, touching portraits of a gathered family hit by violence, but moving forward in love and community.

Seattle Weekly (May 7, 2013): Cafe Racer, Gun Violence, and the Power of Song

Following the shooting, [Racer Sessions] grappled with whether or not to hold the usual Sunday-night session. “Ultimately we decided that there’s no way in hell we’d cancel it,” says Icasiano. “On a Sunday night, there’s nothing we would rather be doing than hanging out and playing music at Racer. We just figured we do music, so we should do that to help.”

Seattle Times (May 11, 2013): A year later: Cafe Racer lives on.

“Knowing that so many people are there for you, it’s mind-boggling,” [Leonard Meuse] said. “Powerful.”

Moving forward? It’s simple, he said. But not easy. His advice:

“Love. Love more than you can. The more you love, the more you put out, the more it’s going to come in.”

Want to know more about Cafe Racer in general? HistoryLink.org’s Peter Bletcha published this essay on “Seattle’s Famously Quirky Dive” in October 2012.

…

Ravenna Blog posts about Cafe Racer from last year:

Shooting at Cafe Racer in Roosevelt (UPDATES) – May 30, 2012

Our post from the day of the shootings. Most recent updates were listed at the top of the post.

Cafe Racer community remembers, and celebrates (PHOTOS) – May 31, 2012

The night after the shootings, members of the Cafe Racer family met at the cafe to mourn together, and to remember their lost friends. And to make music together.

Video and impressions of Thursday night’s “Walk for Love” – June 1, 2012

Jens Wazel and Lucia Neare of Lucia Neare’s Theatrical Wonders organized a “Walk for Love” that started at Cowen Park and wound its way through the neighborhoods around Cafe Racer, before finally stopping at the cafe. Respects were paid at the houses of those killed who were locals as the walk proceeded. Participants carried bells that gently rang during the procession.

Filed Under: Cowen Park, Meeting, Memorials, Music, Roosevelt, University District

Common themes to residents’ NE 75th Street safety concerns revealed

May 18, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 4 Comments

SDOT Traffic Safety Coordinator Jim Curtin (in white) talks to a group of residents about NE 75th Street concerns at the April 25 meeting at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. Current Department of Neighborhoods Northeast District Coordinator Jenny Frankl also attended (in blue).

The Seattle Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Coordinator, Jim Curtin, sent an email to the NE 75th St email listserv this week, summarizing the input shared by neighbors about NE 75th St.

Those attending the community input meetings were directed to describe street safety issues on Post-It Notes and stick them directly to maps of the area around NE 75th Street. The red stickers also indicate residents’ trouble spots.

Curtin’s email said “[h]undreds of comments have been collected through three public meetings and we’ve received more than 100 emails, letters, and completed comment sheets.”

The common themes of these comments have been:

Channelization improvements were requested along segments of NE 65th Street, NE 75th Street, 25th Avenue NE, 35th Avenue NE and Banner Way NE and at several signalized intersections.
Speeding is a problem along the NE 75th Street corridor and along segments of nearby arterial streets.
The eight schools in the area increase pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle volumes twice a day. Speeding on non-arterial streets during drop-off/pick-up hours is a problem near schools. Many students walk and bike to school and student safety is a priority for residents. New construction at Thornton Creek Elementary will likely change traffic patterns.
There is a strong desire to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety throughout the area. Suggestions included adding more and improving existing marked crosswalks, constructing sidewalks, adding bicycle facilities to NE 65th Street and NE 75th Street, and improving signal performance for pedestrians and cyclists.
Improve access to parks throughout the area and reduce speeds on adjacent streets Improve existing traffic signals to reduce turning movement conflicts with pedestrians and bicyclists and improve traffic flow.
Encroachments in the right-of-way limit pedestrian mobility and reduce visibility for all.
Congestion is an issue along several corridors during peak hours. This often leads to cut through traffic on non-arterial streets.
Existing parking restrictions should be reviewed and existing parking laws should be more strictly enforced. New parking restrictions are needed in a couple of locations.
Increased enforcement efforts are needed area-wide to address speeding, distraction driving, impaired driving, and pedestrian and bicycle safety issues.
Educational efforts should focus on behavioral issues like impairment, speeding, and distraction with more information about student, pedestrian, and bicycle safety.

Next week, a map of geographically-specific concerns and suggestions will be sent out to the listserv, Curtin said. You can request to receive future NE 75th St Road Safety Project emails here.

Chief Traffic Engineer Dongho Chang (white, center) and Safe Routes to School Coordinator Brian Dougherty (navy, right) listen to residents concerns and take notes at the RECC community meeting held April 25.

After the map is complete, SDOT’s next steps in the NE 75th St Road Safety Project involve combining this public input with the already existing Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans and traffic data. Options for future improvements will then be developed and presented to the community in July.

Filed Under: Bryant, Meeting, Photos, Ravenna, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, Roosevelt, Seattle Department of Transportation, Wedgwood

Wedgwood Community Council meeting – Safer Streets for All (LIVE COVERAGE)

May 15, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 4 Comments

Filed Under: City Council, Live Coverage, Meeting, Traffic, Wedgwood, Wedgwood Community Council

Bike-to-School Day ride and rally at Bryant Elementary (UPDATES, VIDEO)

May 8, 2013 by Rebecca Nelson 3 Comments

Wednesday, May 8 was Bike-to-School Day, and Bryant Elementary School students and family turned out in force.

Participating cyclists started their ride to school at the Wedgwood Top Pot Doughnuts, who provided morning treats. About 40 minutes later, and under Seattle Police escort, the group headed south on 35th Avenue NE toward Bryant Elementary (on NE 60th Street).

Once at school, everyone gathered on the playground for a rally and press conference. Speakers included:

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda
Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw
Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum
Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé
Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox

And Ravenna Blog was there! Taking lots of pictures.

View from the Top Pot driveway off NE 70th Street as families gathered.

Lesile Loper (AKA The Bike Fairy) in blue, next to Seattle Schools Superintendent Dr. José Banda in bright green. On the left in red is Michele Solis with her son, Linus (who I think had just taken a bite of a powdered sugar doughnut).

Overflow bike parking at the Wedgwood Top Pot along 35th Avenue NE.

This pink beauty was the first bike here this morning, as you can see in the tweet below:

The calm before the storm. The forecast is for a joyous din of kid bikers, beginning around 8 a.m. twitter.com/Eckstein_Bikes…

— Eckstein Bikes (@Eckstein_Bikes) May 8, 2013

Clint Loper (Walk.Bike.Schools co-founder, Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board member, father of Bryant and Eckstein Middle School students, and husband to The Bike Fairy) was handing out these smiley bike pins. (The eyes are the wheels, get it?)

A gaggle of bikers walks their rides through the crosswalk at NE 70th St and 35th Ave NE.

KOMO TV morning photographer Fred Veinfurt let a few kids check out his camera gear while he was on scene with reporter Kelly Koopmans. Here’s Fred and his “students” from another angle:

@photogfredkomo showing the kiddos what it’s like to be a big time photographer #liveonkomo twitter.com/KellyKOMO4/sta…

— Kelly Koopmans (@KellyKOMO4) May 8, 2013

Many of the kid’s bikes were decorated. This one is even sporting a Seattle Children’s Bike to Work Month seat cover.

GIRLS RULE indeed.

Another view from the NE 70th Street side of Top Pot, as the crowd swelled (in numbers and with doughnuts consumed).

Here, Clint Loper (in black, with the bullhorn) thanks Bike to Bryant attendees for coming, and Top Pot Doughnuts for supporting the cause.

Seattle Bike Blog‘s Tom Fucoloro (center) interviews Car Free Days‘ Anne King (right) while Robyn Ellis (behind the camera) records the conversation.

Members of the Seattle Police Department line 35th Avenue NE and look for the start of the ride.

The front row of riders get a briefing just before heading out onto 35th Avenue NE. Cascade Bicycle Club Education Director Julie Salathé is in the yellow jacket at right.

A *lot* of riders, no?! For contrast, here is the first Bike to Bryant Donut ride:

Bike2Bryant 1st Donut Ride, 2008. bit.ly/16Yi1nk Today we will ride with Jose Banda & 100+ kids & parents. #SEAbikes @oninformation

— Anne K (@annesavvy) May 8, 2013

And they’re off! Banda and The Bike Fairy lead the way.

A number of Cascade Bicycle Club members were along for the ride, wearing red, white and black wool cycling shirts. The rider on the yellow bike here happens to be Kathy McCabe, Deputy Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club.

Cyclists of all ages and sizes, heading to school.

No worries: Her dad had the other wheel. (Two unicyclers in the family!)

Cyclists fill the streets while the media lines the sidewalks.

The Seattle Bike Blog people-powered news van on its way to the rally.

Back of the pack. Clint, armed with his cowbell, is on the far left.

And Michele Solis and her moving sculpture-style ride brought up the rear.

The Cascade Bicycle Club has a video of the start of the ride, as well as a sped-up version of the route to school:

One the primary school peloton arrived at Bryant Elementary, everyone cruised around to the playground behind the school for the Bike to School Day rally.

Ready to ring, or tweet, at a moment’s notice.

Bryant Elementary School Principal Kim Fox addresses her students.

Cascade Bicycle Club recorded Superintendent Banda’s speech, and you can view it below:

This is Brian Dougherty, the Safe Routes to School Coordinator with the Seattle Department of Transportation, dressed for the occasion.

Here, a KIRO TV photojournalist gets an exclusive with The Bike Fairy.

I took a picture of this balance bike, thinking it was an ancient family heirloom. Talking to the family that owns it revealed that the bike was only about two years old — it gets USED.

Councilmember Sally Bagshaw spoke to the crowd as well.

And here’s Seattle School Board President Kay Smith-Blum speaking to the kids from the podium, the younger ladies literally hanging on her every word.

Shots from the PACKED bike racks behind Bryant.

Who doesn’t love a miniature vanity license plate?

Tim King of Bike Free Days tallied the kid’s bikes at the end of the ride:

That’s a whole lotta kids’ bikes! #seabikes #bike2schoolday #bike2bryant twitter.com/oninformation/…

— Tim K / Carfreedays (@oninformation) May 8, 2013

UPDATE (Thursday, May 9): Here’s Q13FOX’s coverage of the event (not embedded here due to its autoplay feature).

And here is the video of the event that the Seattle Bike Blog put together. Includes an interview with Car Free Days’ Anne King:

And here’s KIRO TV’s coverage, including the video of the event once it reached Bryant Elementary:

Filed Under: Bryant, Bryant Elementary School, City Council, Civic Envolvement, Events, Families, Food, Kids, Photos, Ravenna, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Police Department, Updates, Video, Wedgwood