For the 82nd straight year, a gathering at Fishermen’s Terminal prayed for the safety of the men and women who harvest fish in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. This year, the captain and crew of Ariel received the blessing.

“Be with us now as we consecrate the vessel, Ariel and bless all the labors of those who work at sea,” said Pastor Erik Weiberg from Ballard First Lutheran Church. As is customary, he handed the captain a symbolic flag.

Brian Wartman accepted the flag and handed it to his son and co-captain, Adam, who raised it above the boat. A family operation, Ariel will head to Alaska in June to fish for salmon. Also at today’s ceremony, Mayor Mike McGinn, Rep. Reuven Carlyle, Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Council Chairperson Bob Ferguson and Port of Seattle Commissioner Bill Bryan.

This was the first time in 21 years that Rev. Malcolm Unseth, who passed away last April, did not conduct the blessing of the fleet. A tile has been placed in his honor at the Fishermen’s Memorial.

One of the names placed among flowers at the base of the memorial is Capt. Phil Harris, best known for his role in “Deadliest Catch.” He died in February after suffering a stroke off-loading crab in Alaska. Fishing is one of the nation’s most dangerous professions, especially here in the Northwest.

According to Seattle City Light, power went out at around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning for 156 buildings in Lower Queen Anne, including the entire Seattle Center campus as well as surrounding homes and businesses.

Power was returned to most affected within 30 minutes of the outage, and crews were able to restore service to all remaining buildings by 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. According to City Light,

The cause of the outage was a failed cable splice. Crews routed power around the bad section to restore power and will work on replacing the bad section of cable over the next several days.

Don’t forget to “spring forward” tonight, or if you’re up late, tomorrow morning. Daylight Saving Time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 14. To avoid being an hour late for everything tomorrow, I recommend you reset your clock before you go to bed tonight (I missed a flight because I forgot to reset my clock one year!).

Don’t be surprised if you notice a little something extra on your doorstep today. The Queen Anne Cub Scouts from Troops 70 and 72 will be walking through the neighborhood on assigned routes from 9 a.m. to noon placing door hangers on homes as part of their annual Scouting for Food drive.

The hangers will provide information on hunger in the community and ask for those who can to leave donations of food and toiletries on their porches by 10 a.m. next Saturday, March 20, when the scouts will come back to collect, weight and deliver them to the Queen Anne Helpline and Ballard Food Bank.

“In 2009 the food drive brought in over 600 pounds of donations. Our goal this year is to exceed 1,000 pounds of donations,” wrote scout parent and 2010 Scouting for Food campaign co-chair Mary Chapman. “The Queen Anne Helpline and Ballard Food Bank are especially in need this year to help hundreds of local households make ends meet as a result of the current economic situation.”

(Thanks to Mary for the tip and the picture!)

An avid Conan O’Brien fan, I have to admit I am one of the Team Coco fans who was ecstatic to hear that the ex-Tonight Show host will be doing two performances at Seattle Center’s McCaw Hall next month.

As part of a 30-city comedy extravaganza, “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour” is being described on Conan’s website as “a night of music, comedy, hugging and the occasional awkward silence.” Conan announced the tour on Thursday, March 11, after which his Seattle date (April 18) sold out almost immediately. He then announced a second Seattle date (April 19), and tickets are going fast.

If you manage to get tickets, lucky you! If not, maybe we’ll get a Coco sighting? Here’s hoping…

The 151-year-old shillelagh that was stolen from Society of Friends of St. Patrick President Mike McQuaid’s car in Queen Anne earlier this week has reportedly been found. I just spoke with Mike, who confirmed that an anonymous voicemail was left last night by someone who said they knew the whereabouts of the historic Irish artifact and would arrange for its return at 7 p.m. tonight, Friday, March 12 outside of the 4th Ave entrance to City Hall.

(Photo courtesy of Society of Friends of St. Patrick, via their Facebook page).

McQuaid can be seen holding the shillelagh, which is passed down to each society president every year, in the picture above. Although he says he didn’t speak to the anonymous tipster directly, he’s counting on them to show up.

“That’s where they’ve agreed to hand it off,” he said. “They said they would be there, so I’m just taking it on faith for now. Let’s see if they show up.”

The location was a strategic choice on the part of whoever will be returning the shillelagh, as it is the starting point for the Laying of the Green Stripe, the route for tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.

McQuaid, along with the other green stripe layers, will be there to receive the shillelagh. “I’m on watch. I need it back,” Mike said. “I just want it back so I can pass it along to my successor.”

The shillelagh went missing sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning when it was taken out of his SUV, which was parked outside his Queen Anne home overnight. McQuaid still isn’t sure if the disappearance was a prank or the result of a car prowl.

“That’s what’s odd about this. The car was unlocked Wednesday morning,” he said. “The car was unlocked and there weren’t any broken windows; the glove box wasn’t in disarray…normally I lock the car with the electronic lock on my keyring, and I was in a hurry which leads me to believe that maybe I didn’t hit the thing just right. Anyways, the next morning is was gone.”

McQuaid said he hasn’t filed a police report and doesn’t plan on doing so. “I was on the verge of filing a police report and then I got the message Thursday night,” he said. “All we care about it that we get it back.”

In fact, McQuaid is so concerned with getting the priceless shillelagh back, that he said he’s ready to offer a substantial reward for its return. “It’s a 5,000 reward and I’m prepared to offer it.”

But most importantly, he said, “The parade will go on.”

The Seattle Center has been debating what to do with 68,000 square feet of empty space left after half of the Fun Forest was cleared out back in January. Originally the space was meant to be used to showcase new vendors and temporary projects on a trial basis while the Center searched for more permanent ideas to implement into the Century 21 Master Plan, a $570 million, 20-year investment in the revitalization of Seattle Center and in homage of the 1962 World’s Fair that gave the Center its start.

(Image by Studio 216 for Owen Richards Architects, courtesy of both).

However, according to a report by our news partner, the Seattle Times, after receiving project ideas for the space that left the Center “disappointed,” they decided to consider a proposal to build a 44,000-square-foot “glass house” that would house artist Dale Chihuly‘s work. Many consider this proposed project an “extraordinary opportunity” for the Center. From the Times,

The Wright family, which built and owns the Space Needle, on Tuesday described a partnership with Chihuly and Seattle that could attract more than 1,000 visitors a day if the city will lease about an acre of land for what would be a $15 million tribute to the glass artist.

If built, a Chihuly spokeswoman said, the new “glass house” would be filled with at least $50 million worth of Chihuly art.

The 44,000 square feet of land directly below the Space Needle slotted for the project includes 3,800 square feet of indoor “glass house” exhibit space, outdoor public gardens and a plaza, as well as a café and bookstore/retail space.

Mayor Mike McGinn has voiced his support for the project’s consideration, noting that it could be a valuable revenue generator for the Center, which funds 67 percent of its own budget without assistance. However, others are concerned that the proposal takes away from the original plan for the space, which was intended to be a more open, multi-use, outdoor arena that would be open to the public free of charge. From the Times,

“There’s good intentions all around, but we need to decide, is this what we want to do with our public property?” said City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, who chairs the council’s Parks and Seattle Center Committee. “We’re taking green, open space and closing it off in a very walled fashion, and people can only enter into that if they can pay. My hope and dream would be to make the Seattle Center Seattle’s ‘Central Park,’ and the more green space we give away, the less we’re going to have a Central Park.”

If the Center goes through with the proposal, Space Needle CEO Ron Sevart told the Times he hopes that construction would begin on the Chihuly space when the lease for the Fun Forest expires in September.

The project could open in the spring of 2011, in time for the 50th anniversary of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair at the Center. Sevart said he didn’t know what admission would cost but said it might be in the $12 to $14 range.

This is not the only big change proposed at Seattle Center. Much discussion has circulated around a deal between the city and Seattle Public Schools concerning the ownership of Memorial Stadium.

The new deal would give ownership of the stadium over to the city, which would then rebuilt it into a “green, integrated, multi-functional space that provides for year-round community and school activities” to be shared between the School District and Seattle Center. In exchange, the city would give the school district preferential use of the new, smaller amphitheater and hand over ownership of an adjacent existing plot of land (currently being used as a parking garage). Read more on that deal here and here. Read background on the Fun Forest replacement project here. See the full Seattle Times story on the proposed Chihuly exhibit space here.

What do you think Queen Anne? Would you like to see a 44,000-square-foot “glass house”, equiped with gardens, a plaza and a 3,800-square-foot exhibit of masterful (some would say) glass creations, or would you prefer an admission-free open space? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

Local Christian metal band Demon Hunter will be doing a free, live show at Easy Street Records tonight, Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m.

The group will be playing songs from their new album, The World Is a Thorn, which is said to have a Gospel feel.

Storytellers of all kinds are being recruited for the first annual Seattle Stories event.  It is billed as ‘true stories told by adults for adults.’ And to ensure that story-goers have the best experience possible, auditions for storytellers will be held this weekend and the finalists will get to tell their tales on Saturday, March 27 in front of a crowd at Serendipity Cafe in Magnolia starting at 7:30pm.

The story theme for the inaugural year is “Once Upon a Time.” Stories can be about anything that happened in your past from the hilarious to the serious and suspenseful. The one caveat is that the story be true and that it be told without notes. Seattle Stories is sponsored by The Queen Anne/Magnolia News and the Seattle Milk Fund, a non-profit that has been working to bring access to education, childcare and temporary basic needs to Seattle families for over 100 years. Attendees will be able to hear ten great stories for a $10 donation, most of which will be going to the SMF.

Auditions will be held this Friday, March 12 starting at 8p.m. this Saturday, March 13 beginning at 7 p.m. at Serendipity. For more information contact Myke Folger at 206-461-1310 or qamagnews@nwlink.com.

Barracuda Taqueria, located at 159 Denny Way (#109), opened exactly two weeks ago today, bringing “real, south of the border, street food” to Lower Queen Anne.

The new Mexican food spot has a lengthy and inexpensive menu, that boasts “freshly prepared, locally sourced ingredients.”

Barracuda is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Has anyone tried them out yet? What did you think? (P.s. we’ll be adding Barracuda to the restaurant guide soon!)

A 151-year-old shillelagh brought to Seattle from Ireland in 1859 went missing sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning–only a few days before it is expected to make its annual appearance in the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Sunday, according to reports by KOMO4 News.

The president of the Society of the Friends of St. Patrick, Mike McQuaid, said he had the shillelagh at a St. Patrick’s day planning meeting on Tuesday evening, but left it in the back seat of his SUV outside his Queen Anne home overnight.

In the morning he discovered it was gone. “The car was unlocked and the shillelagh was missing,” he told KOMO4.

This isn’t the first time the shillelagh has gone missing. In August 2009 the 3-foot wooden club disappeared before a Irish heritage benefit, reappearing the morning of the event. However, this time McQuaid worries the irreplaceable artifact, thought to be the oldest shillelagh in the Pacific Northwest, might not make it back into the hands of its owners.

“I hope it’s a prank. If it’s a car prowl, we may never see this again,” he told KOMO4.

If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of the missing shillelagh, they’re asked to call the Irish Heritage Club at 206-223-3608.

John Hay Elementary is hosting a Sock Hop this Friday, March 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. to raise money for their all girls sister school in Afghanistan as part of the “Journey With an Afghan School” program.

The John Hay Citizenship Committee and Student Council are hosting an evening of great music, dancing, a cupcake walk, face painting and food.  All proceeds will continue to support our sister school in Afghanistan.

According to John Hay volunteer coordinator Lynn Baker, all proceeds from the Sock Hop will go toward helping the Afghan school build six more classrooms. Admission is $12 per family at the door. Once inside, tickets will be sold for 50 cents each that will be redeemable for concessions, face painting and the cupcake walk.

“Journey With an Afghan School” is the brainchild of Seattle woman Julie Bolz, who has been working to raise money for the construction of 19 schools and repairing of more than a dozen others in the Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. Read the Seattle Times piece on Bolz’s project here.

Starting today, Thursday, March 11, through Sunday, March 14 there are going to be lots of sporting and holiday related events drawing large green-clad crowds – and traffic – around Queen Anne and downtown. When traveling outside the neighborhood this weekend, keep on the lookout for the following events:

• Thursday, March 11, 6 to 8:00 p.m. – Seattle Sounders versus Portland Timbers, Qwest Field: 15,000 are expected to attend; congestion expected to delay car traffic and buses.
• Friday, March 12, 7 to 7:30 p.m. – 2010 Laying of the Green Stripe: 70 participants will be escorted by the Seattle Police as they mark the St. Patrick’s Day Parade route (along 4th Ave from Jefferson St to Pike St) with biodegradable green paint.
• Saturday, March 13, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. – St. Patrick’s Day Parade: 5,000 expected to attend. Parade route: from 4th Ave and James Street; heads north on 4th to Pine St. and Westlake Park. (The parade staging area on 4th Ave between S Washington and James streets, and on Dilling Way between 4th Ave and Yesler Way will be closed from 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.)
• Sunday, March 14, Staging: 7 a.m., Event: 8:30 to 11 a.m. – Henry Weinhard’s St. Patrick’s Day Dash: 14,600 participants expected. Staging on Mercer St between 1st Ave N and 4th Ave N; race starts in four waves at 8:30 a.m., 8:40 a.m., 8:50 a.m., and 9:00 a.m.  Dash route: beings at 3rd Ave N and Mercer St; moves east on Mercer to 8th Ave; south on 8th to Republican St; west on Republican to Aurora Ave N; north on Aurora to the south end of the Aurora Bridge; makes a u-turn, then goes south on Aurora to the Broad Street off-ramp; west on the off-ramp to Harrison Street; west on Harrison to the finish line on Fifth Avenue N. St. Leprechaun Kid’s Run: 8:10 a.m. Run route: starts at 3rd Ave N and Mercer; heads east on Mercer to 5th Ave N; south on 5th to Republican St; west on Republican to 4th Ave N; north on 4th to Mercer St; west on Mercer to finish at 3rd Ave N.

The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Aurora Ave between the Western Ave off-ramp and N. 39th will be closed on Sunday for the Dash beginning at 7:30 a.m. All streets are expected to be reopened by 11:00 a.m.

The Queen Anne Movie Guild will be showing Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE as part of their monthly second Saturday film screening this Saturday, March 13 at 7 p.m. at the Queen Anne United Methodist Church, located at 1616 5th Ave W., across from the QA branch of the Seattle Public Library.

In Sick Around the World, FRONTLINE, PBS and veteran Washington Post foreign correspondent T.R. Reid investigate health care in the United States by comparing how five other capitalist democracies – Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Taiwan – handle health care, tackling the question of what we might learn from their successes and failures.

Get a full synopsis of the film here.

As always, the QA Movie Guild’s second Saturday series is free and open to the public. Each month the volunteer group brings different independent documentary films to the Queen Anne community,  focusing on prevalent issues that provoke conversation.

The focus of the movies will be what makes communities work, community sustainability and environmental issues. Some of the questions we ask when previewing films are: “Does this film address solutions to the economic or environmental issues we have in Seattle? Does it give useful approaches to the economic changes we are facing? Does it realistically inform us about how to be wiser consumers? Is it interesting and does it have entertainment value?”

For more information see QueenAnneMovieGuild.org.

The Queen Anne Farmers Market‘s Art for the Market benefit last Sunday, March 7 raised $1,000 towards its $25,000 fundraising goal for the 2010 season, which will return to Queen Anne Ave N & Crockett St. bigger and better on Thursday, May 20.

Attendees of the benefit got the chance to schmooze with some of the local farmers represented at the market, enjoy tunes by Queen Anne resident and “neo-flamenco” guitarist Andre Feriante, and snack on appetizers by Chef Seth Caswell and the neighborhood’s newest restaurant emmer&rye, which shares the market’s seasonal/local fixation.

Supporters also got a sneak peak at artist Elizabeth Mullaly‘s 2010 season poster, which was unveiled at the benefit. The new poster matches her designs from previous years, but instead of the 2009 beets theme, showcases a bushel (in the figurative sense) of naked carrots.

Every year Mullaly’s posters have become something of a collectors’ item, so if you’d like your very own, it’s better to get one sooner rather than later, because they do run out. The posters will be available for a minimum donation of $15 at Queen Anne Frame or at the market once it opens in the spring.

Couldn’t make it to the benefit? Read up on QAFM Director Julia Whitehorn’s take on the evening of seasonal snacks and farmers market frenzy.

To make a donation to the Queen Anne Farmers Market, click here. Find more information about the upcoming season here.

Queen Anne’s own academic non-profit Successful Schools in Action and the Alliance for Education will be teaming up to host a community discussion on the topic of teacher quality for residents in the Queen Anne and Magnolia communities on Wednesday, March 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the McClure Middle School lunchroom, located at 1915 1st Ave W.

“This is a subject very much on the front lines of public education these days, both nationally and here in Seattle,” writes SSIA Executive Director Lisa Moore. “This is a great opportunity to participate, engage, and learn more about this subject.”

Moore encourages interested parties to pass along invitations to neighbors, preschool families, neighborhood businesses and other local organizations. “We are reaching out to schools and the larger community as well,” she said.

Dinner will be provided by The Alliance. To RSVP for the talk, email solynn@alliance4ed.org or call 206-205-0329.