Easy Street Records reported today that Passion Pit’s in-store show schedule for tomorrow, Sunday, October 11 at 2 p.m. is canceled. The last minute cancellation is “due to illness,” the store said, adding that they were unsure if the band’s Showbox show later Sunday evening would also be called off.

Sorry to everyone who was looking forward to the free show!

A few hundred people gathered at the vacant parking lot at 1616 W Bertona between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. today, filling up on everything Seattle street food has to offer at the Mobile Chowdown.

Attendees had a choice of seven of the most popular mobile vendors in the city, including Skillet, Parfait Ice Cream, Marination Station, Maximus Minimus, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, Gert’s BBQ and El Camion.

Lines were 10 to 20 minutes long at every vendor.

But that didn’t deter crowds from waiting for barbecued chicken, hot dogs or Hawaiian fried rice (to name just a few).

The infamous pulled-pork steel pig, Maximus Minimus, had a high tech system to tackle the crowds – hand-held electronic order forms to expedite the lines.

Parfait Ice Cream was a favorite spot for dessert among attendees. I waited in line for 30 minutes to get a delicious scoop of butter toffee crunch. When we finally got to the front at around 1:30 p.m., owner and chef Adria Shimada commented on the day’s turnout. “I can’t believe how busy it is,” she said. “We might actually run out soon!”

@mobilechowdown was tweeting updates all throughout the event. Even they didn’t expect the large crowds that showed up. At around 2 p.m. they wrote, “Didn’t expect this many people. Live and learn. Getting dinged by fire dept too for crowds. Oy.”

This event, co-sponsored by Seattle magazine, was the first of its kind, and was clearly a big hit with the hundreds of Mobile Chowdown-ers who showed up during the four hour event. Many of the vendors ran out of food before 3 p.m., which only means that next time it will be bigger and better. “Outta food. Too many peeps. Sorry if u waited and didn’t get anything. Guess we need more more more,” @mobilechowdown said.

In the spirit of Halloween, there will be a zombie walk this afternoon at Seattle Center. So if you like tattered clothes and makeup, go join the minion of undead under the Space Needle at 3 p.m.

Don’t miss everything Queen Anne has to offer this weekend!

Tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 you can try all that Seattle street food has to offer at the Mobile Chowdown from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Interbay at 1616 W. Bertona.

When you’ve stuffed yourself with delicious eats, you can go costume mask shopping at Teatro Zinzanni’s masquerade sale from 12-4 p.m. at the Teatro Zinzanni Boutique.

On Sunday, October 11, catch Passion Pit’s live show at Easy Street Records at 2 p.m. (Update 11 p.m. 10/10: Passion Pit show at Easy Street canceled.)

And if you’re looking for other ways to fill the weekend hours, you could give the Fremont Bridge a call and see what it has to say. (1-800-761-9941)

Keep an eye out for added traffic due to two big games this weekend:

On Saturday from 7-10 p.m. the UW Huskies are playing the Arizona Wildcats at Husky Stadium. 65,000 are expected to attend, so expect pre and post-game congestion on I-5 through the University District, 520 and all surrounding surface streets.

On Sunday from1-4 p.m. the Seattle Seahawks are playing the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qwest Field. 70,000 are expected to attend, so expect added congestion around the stadium, on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, I-5 and I-90 before and after the game.

Happy weekend!

Last month Mayor Nickels announced his proposed 2010 capital budget plan for the City of Seattle. This budget would drop Seattle Public Libraries funding by 37 percent from the 2009 budget (from $1,646,000 to $1,031,000).

And like the week-long furlough the Libraries took in August to save money, the new budget will cut SPL resources, and hours, for branches all across the city. Jennifer Johnson-Fong, a Queen Anne resident and vice president of Friends of The Seattle Public Library, petitioned outside the Queen Anne branch today in an attempt to sway City Council from reducing the SPL budget even further. She wrote,

Queen Anne and 20 other branches are scheduled to be closed Friday and Sunday (the Sunday closure is new to many of the 20 branches) plus operate at reduced hours – all year.  The Queen Anne Library would be open just 35 hours a week if the proposed budget remains unchanged by Seattle City Council. The new Queen Anne hours of operation could be this:Monday, Tuesday:
1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Thursday:
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

CLOSED FRIDAY

Saturday:
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

CLOSED SUNDAY

The proposed budget will impact all of our communities and neighbors who are relying on our libraries for computer access, job search resources, educational support, gathering spaces, programs and librarian assistance. In 2008, more than 13 million customers visited the Library and so far this year, visits are up another 8 percent. Circulation of books and other items was up 20 percent in 2008; this year it is up an additional 11 percent.  According to The Seattle Public Library, “Early estimates show the reduced hours may result in the loss of approximately 27 positions, or the equivalent of 18.8 regular full-time employees. In recent months, the Library has temporarily filled open regular positions to try to mitigate the impact and avoid layoffs.  Expected earnings of each Library employee will be cut approximately 1.9 percent due to the one-week closure.”  http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=about_history_2010reductions

I’ll be handing out a flier that details how the community can help to keep neighborhood branch hours.  Sending emails to council members is the easiest and has a big impact.  The flier also lists the 21 branches slated for drastic reductions and the list of 5 other branches whose hours will increase in an attempt to compensate the 21 other neighborhoods affected.

The Friends also has a petition on our Facebook Cause Page.

Permanent signs have been put up on the Fremont Bridge, enticing passers-by to call it. The opening celebration of Kristen Ramirez’ public art project may be over, but “Bridge Talks Back” will ring on through April 2010.

Over the summer the artist set up a voice message line inviting residents to tell their favorite stories or memories about the bridge. She then created an audio composition made of portions of some of those messages, combined with various sounds from the bridge.  You can hear that recording 24/7 by calling 1-800-761-9941.

The fall season is here, which means rain is right around the corner.  The combination of wet weather and fallen leaves is the perfect recipe for flooding so Seattle Public Utilities is looking for volunteers to join their Fall Clean.  As part of their Adopt-a-Drain program, SPU will lend you all the cleaning supplies you need to help keep your neighborhood drains clear of debris.  That includes rakes, bags, gloves, shovels, brooms and dustpans.

You can pick them up during the following times and places:

• October 24 and 31 from 9am to 12pm at Seattle Public Utilities’ warehouse (3633 E. Marginal Way South)
• October 28-29 from 10am to 1pm at Seattle Municipal Tower in downtown Seattle (on 6th Ave between Columbia St and Cherry St)

To reserve your supplies, call 206-233-7187 or email adoptadrain@seattle.gov.

Yesterday afternoon detectives from the Seattle Police Department West Precinct located and arrested a man suspected of attacking a man with a pipe in Magnolia back in August when the victim refused to provide cigarettes or money to the stranger while in his car on the 2200 block of Thorndyke Avenue W.

As part of an ongoing investigation, the identity of a 35-year-old man was discovered, and at around 2 p.m. yesterday he was taken into custody and transported to the Robbery Office for questioning. He was later booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery.

At approximately 10 p.m. last night, Thursday, October 8, officers responded to a car accident on southbound Aurora Ave N. near Garfield St. According to a report released by the Seattle Police Department this morning, it appears the car lost control while they were driving southbound and spun around, colliding with a light pole behind the driver side door, finally coming to a stop facing northbound on the sidewalk, knocking the power lines down over both north and southbound Aurora.The Seattle Fire Department was able to pull the female driver from the vehicle. She was seriously injured and transported to Harborview Medical Center.

The report says the driver initially stated that there may have been up to three other passengers with her, who ran off after the accident. SPD conducted a search at the scene, but found no other passengers, and believes it is highly unlikely anyone else was riding in the car – a Saturn couple with two-doors, both of which were closed and damaged from the collision. No witnesses saw anyone get out of the car prior to SFD arrival.

Aurora Ave N. was closed down in both directions, while Seattle City Light responded and repaired the power lines. A DUI officer visited the driver at Harborview and conducted a sobriety screening. Signs of impairment were noted, but toxicology results have not come back yet. The report also stated that the female driver was nude from the waist down and that no pants or underwear were located at the scene.

This is the second car accident on Aurora in a month. In September a car hit a pedestrian who was running across the street late at night.

The 36th legislative delegation (hey, that’s us!) has announced today that Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Reps. Mary Lou Dickerson and Reuven Carlyle will be hosting a town hall at the end of the month with the chair of the Senate Health & Long-Term Care Committee, Sen. Karen Keiser, and the chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, Rep. Eileen Cody.

The meeting will address current issues surrounding the health care debate, and Keiser and Cody will discuss the potential impact of federal health reform efforts on Washington residents.

For more information, contact Anne Burkland at (360) 786-7078 or Burkland.Anne@leg.wa.gov.

Passion Pit will be playing a free, all-ages show at Easy Street Records on Sunday, October 11 at 2 p.m.

They’ll also be giving away ticked to their sold out show on Sunday evening at The Showbox. Click here for details.

Whole Foods is having a pre-opening “house warming party” for their new Interbay location on Monday, October 12 from 4-8 p.m. and they’ve invited the surrounding communities to enjoy snacks and live music.

The store will open for shopping on Tuesday, October 13th.

The city is looking to appoint twelve new volunteers for two-year terms on the Design Review Board, one of several citizen-led groups the Mayor and City Council have put in place to review major neighborhood development projects.

The boards are divided into divisions throughout the city. In our district, Queen Anne/Magnolia, two board members will be reaching the end of their terms in April 2010, and the city will need two new volunteers to replace them. The open position are community representative and development representative.

Each board is composed of five members who represent: design professions; development interests; general community interests; local business interests; and local residential interests. Board members volunteer about 12-14 hours a month, including twice-monthly meetings.

“We are looking for professionals in the design and development fields, who have proven skills and established careers. We also need community and business leaders with an interest in shaping new development in their neighborhoods, and a passion for keeping Seattle a great place to live, work and play,” said Mayor Nickels in a press release.

The deadline for submitting an application is December 10, 2009.

Applicants should have:

• knowledge of, or interest in, architecture, urban design and the development process;
• the ability to evaluate projects based on the city’s design guidelines;
• the ability to listen and communicate effectively at public meetings;
• a passion for design and community development; and
• the ability to work well with others under pressure. Prior experience with community or neighborhood groups is a plus.

Board members must live in the city. Following appointment, the local residential interests representative must act as an ambassador to at least one community group or association (e.g. community council) that operates within the board district. Similarly, following appointment the local business interests representative must act as an ambassador to at least one business group or association (e.g. chamber of commerce) that operates within the board district. Acting as an ambassador is often facilitated if the board member lives or works within the district he or she is serving, but residency in a district is not a requirement to serve as a local representative.

In a meeting held this morning the Seattle City Council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee voted to move Fire Station 20 to a new location at 15^th Avenue West and West Armour Street. Today’s meeting was one of the final steps in solving the question of what to do with the station currently located at 13th Avenue West and West Dravus Street that the community has been struggling with for years.

According to a report published by the Seattle PI today, there has been some controversy surrounding the potential new location. A development company owns two properties on the proposed site, and is planning to start building on the site in the spring. Other Queen Anne residents are concerned about the noise a fire station would bring, and say it should be moved.

The project has been put on the back burner several times over the last few years due to land acquisition difficulties and neighbor complaints. Still, officials say that Fire Station 20, built in 1949, needs to be rebuilt. According to the Mayor’s Office the current station does need meet current code requirements, and Mayor Nickels said it is in the worst shape of the 33 fire stations in the city. And at the new location the station would have access to Magnolia, Interbay, Ballard, South Lake Union and parts of downtown in addition to Queen Anne and Uptown.

After approving the plan through the committee today, the proposal will go to a final vote in front of the full council on Monday, October 12 at 2 p.m.

For more information, see the Seattle PI story. Or contact Councilmember Tim Burgess at tim.burgess@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8806.

Olivier Wevers, principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, has announced he is forming a new dance company on Queen Anne. It’s called Whim W’Him (the “him” standing for Wevers himself) according to company volunteer Rosie Gaynor, who emailed us about the organization this morning.

(Photo by Marc von Borstel, courtesy of Rosie Gaynor and Whim W’Him).

Three of the nine other “whimming” dancers in the company are also Queen Anne residents and dancers with the Pacific Northwest Ballet: Chalnessa Eames, Jonathan Porretta and Lucien Postlewaite. There are a total of five PNB dancers who will be working with the new company. All will continue to dance with PNB, performing with Whim W’Him on their vacations.

To raise money for Whim W’Him’s first season, which begins on January 15 at On the Boards in Lower Queen Anne, the company is hosting two events this month:

Dance Party, where guests are invited to drink, mingle, and yes, dance, with members of the company at the Sole Repair Shop in Capitol Hill on Friday, October 16 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $25.

There is also a Dinner/Silent Auction at the Steve Jensen Studios on Saturday, October 16 at 6 p.m. where original pieces by Mark Zappone, Casey Curran, Michael Liang, Mary Crane, Catherina Lepoutre, Jared Rue, D. Kleck and Margo Spellman will be auctioned off. Tickets are $125.

There’s been a lot of news surrounding the Pacific Northwest Ballet this week. Yesterday Monica Guzman at the PI reported that PNB’s music director and conductor, Stewart Kershaw, unexpectedly resigned.

Welcome to Queen Anne, Whim W’Him! For more information, check out their website.

Keep an eye out for students around town who will be taking the “walking school bus” to school tomorrow morning, as part of International Walk to School Day. Although no schools on Queen Anne have registered to participate, seven schools around town have signed up, including Lawton Elementary in Magnolia and West Woodland Elementary in the Ballard/Phinney Ridge area.

International Walk to School Day originated in the UK in the mid ’90s, and aims to bring children, adults and the surrounding neighborhoods together to create awareness around the need for walkable communities (and health and safety, of course!).

Administrators are encouraging students to participate. At West Woodland, students who take the “walking school bus” to school tomorrow morning will be greeted with a Great Harvest bread stick upon arrival. Students at Lawton will win stickers. So be on the look out for “walking school buses” in our neighboring communities tomorrow morning!

I don’t normally post sales events, but this was just so cool (and fitting with Halloween season) that I couldn’t resist. CRAVEcrush reported today that there is a masquerade sale at Queen Anne’s very own Teatro Zinzanni this weekend. On Saturday, October 10 from 12-4 p.m. the Teatro Zinzanni Boutique is hosting a preview shopping event where they will showcase an assortment of unique new and hand-crafted masquerade masks for discounted prices (just in time for costume party season!). Teatro Zinzanni is a non-profit arts organization, so boutique sales will be going to a good cause. Check CRAVEcrush for details.

The strange summer-to-fall weather we’ve been having brings back memories of the beautiful snow that fell on Seattle streets last year, and the weeks of immobility and difficulty navigating the roads that followed. In preparation for another out of character winter, the City of Seattle has gotten a head start on this years’ snow response plan. In a press release sent out yesterday, the city announced its new plans for this season’s potential winter storms and snowfall (including the use of more salt and the hiring of a new street maintenance director who has considerable snow removal experience).

Take a look at the full press release:

City Debuts New Snow Plan for Seattle

Applies national best practices, hires new Street Maintenance director

SEATTLE – The city of Seattle today announced the completion of a comprehensive effort to revamp and upgrade its winter storm readiness and response plan. In addition, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) welcomes aboard Monty Sedlak as the new director of Street Maintenance.

“Based on nationwide best practices, our new plan will ensure Seattle is ready for any kind of winter storm,” said SDOT Director Grace Crunican. “With an aggressive, high-tech oriented approach and new leadership, SDOT will keep people and goods moving in Seattle during challenging winter weather.”

Plan highlights include:

-A new approach to snow that includes an expanded use of salt brine and salt, and limited use of sand;

-Significant improvements to facilities and fleet to include GPS technology and weather awareness;

-An improved organizational structure and significant training for winter storms;

-A commitment to better communicate with the people of Seattle and agency partners; and

-Performance measures to objectively evaluate accomplishments.

Designed in consultation with King County Metro Transit, city agencies and other key partners, the plan will facilitate a coordinated response that keeps buses moving and critical institutions accessible, including hospitals. Businesses and residents are reminded of their obligation to shovel sidewalks near their properties.

Mr. Sedlak, formerly the Road and Bridge Division manager for Arapahoe County, Colo., possesses significant winter storm experience and will be a key leader in applying SDOT’s new snow response procedures as of October 26. To learn more about the plan and the new snow map, visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/winterweather.htm.

The Seattle Department of Transportation builds, maintains and operates Seattle’s $12 billion transportation infrastructure. To further Mayor Nickels’ goal to get Seattle moving, the department manages short- and long-term investments in streets, bridges, pavement and trees, that better connect the city with the region.

The Seattle Public Schools has just released the proposed attendance area boundary maps. Here’s a link to find all the attendance areas by school. Click the following names to be directed to that school’s boundary map: Ballard High School, The Center School, McClure Middle School, John Hay Elementary School and Coe Elementary School.

This is of particular interest to kids living in Queen Anne and Magnolia, as neither neighborhood has a high school and many students who were unable to get into Ballard in years past have been bussed as far as Garfield, Roosevelt and Nathan Hale. According to the map, Ballard High School’s attendance area includes the whole of both Queen Anne and Magnolia, the cutoff in Ballard being NW 85th St.

As part of the Student Assignment Plan (.pdf) which was approved in June, the district was given the green light to draw boundaries around each school so students will know where he or she will go to elementary, middle and high school based on their address. There will be no more district-wide open enrollment to apply for schools.

To accommodate the new boundary map, the district wants to reopen five schools throughout the city, two of which closed as recently as two years ago. Of these, Old Hay on Queen Anne is on the list as an “option school” for grades K through 5. See the Seattle Times story for more details.

The district will hold several informational meetings throughout the city this month to hear feedback on the attendance areas and new boundary maps. The meeting for our area will be held on Monday, October 12 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at McClure Middle School (located at 1915 1st Ave W on the top of the hill). For a full list of meeting times and locations, click here.

The School Board will vote on the map on November 18th. The entire plan will be implemented in phases starting in the 2010-2011 school year.