In the past two months the FRIENDS of Gilman Urban Gardens have converted a regular old median into a community-run cooperative garden, garnering attention from urban gardening author Darrin Nordahl and King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, who both dropped by the garden this week.
Nordahl, Councilmember Phillips, and Gilman Urban Gardens founder Charlie Hoselton help plant a tree.(Photo courtesy of Charlie Hoselton).
Tomorrow Saturday, May 8, the garden will entertain another special guest, Seattle Tilth‘s Natural Soil Building Program Manager Laura Matter. Laura will be at the garden from 10 a.m. to noon to chat with gardeners and community members about the project, soil building, plant watering, pest and weed control and anything else related to the art of gardening, according to Hoselton.
The Gilman Urban Gardens is currently working to install a sprinkler and watering system, and is planning on applying for a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant in the coming year.
The Queen Anne Movie Guild‘s monthly Second Saturday screening series is coming up this Saturday, May 8. This week they’ll be showing “Burning the Future: Coal in America,” a documentary about the “the explosive conflict”that has sprung up between the coal industry and the residents of West Virginia.
Confronted by emerging “clean coal” energy policies, local activists watch a world blind to the devastation caused by coal’s extraction. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, our heroes demonstrate a strength of purpose and character in their improbable fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life.
As always, the event is free and open to the public. The screening will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday and the Queen Anne United Methodist Church , located at 1606 5th Ave W right next to the Queen Anne Library. Movie-goers should use the Fellowship Hall entrance on W. Garfield St.
You’re probably asked to take surveys all the time, but please consider taking a few minutes to respond to one of our community’s greatest assets – the public library. The Seattle Public Library wants to hear from you, so please share your thoughts and ideas about services and priorities and help inform strategic planning efforts to plan the Library’s future.
The Library’s survey is available through Sunday, May 16. Visit the Library’s website to access the survey online or visit your local branch to complete a paper copy. The survey will also be available in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Russian languages. Survey responses will help guide the Library’s future growth and services.
If you feel more comfortable talking out your thoughts, the Library will present a panel discussion titled “Technology and Its Impact on the Future of Libraries” at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 8, at the Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Level 4, Room 1.
The Library launched its strategic planning effort in early March with five Citywide Conversations designed to encourage people to “think big” about future Library services and the Library’s role in the community. The project, using the theme, “My Library: The Next Generation,” is made possible by a grant from The Seattle Public Library Foundation.
Visit the website and select “Strategic Planning” from the Quick Links section for more information. You can also send e-mail to strategicplan@spl.org or contact Eve Sternberg, project lead, at 206-386-1119.
Author Elinor Lipman will be doing a reading from her latest novel, The Family Man, a “humorous and heartfelt social satire,”at Queen Anne Books at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. Here’s how QA Books describes the read:
A hysterical phone call from Henry Archer’s ex-wife and a familiar face in a photograph upend his well-ordered life and bring him back into contact with the child he adored, a short-term stepdaughter from a misbegotten marriage long ago. Henry is a lawyer, an old-fashioned man, gay, successful, lonely. Thalia is now twenty-nine, an actress-hopeful, estranged from her newly widowed eccentric mother—Denise, Henry’s ex. Hoping it will lead to better things for her career, Thalia agrees to pose as the girlfriend of a horror-movie luminary who is down on his romantic luck. When Thalia and her complicated social life move into the basement of Henry’s Upper West Side townhouse, she finds a champion in her long-lost father, and he finds new life—and maybe even new love—in the commotion.
There will time for a reading, discussion, signing, and or course, a few snacks. Read up on Elinor’s other books here.
EtsyRAIN’s 2nd Annual Spring Craft Show is coming to Lower Queen Anne this weekend! From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 EtsyRAIN artists will pack into the Seattle Center’s Intiman Theatre, located at 201 Mercer St.
Admission to the show is a $1 suggested donation, which will go to the Lifelong Aids Alliance and canned or non-perishable food donations for the organization’s meal delivery program.
EtsyRAIN members like to help the community as much as they like to help each other. For each show, they choose a charity to support.
Lifelong Aids Alliance will be hosting a canned food drive at the event, as well as selling raffle tickets for gift baskets stuffed with full-sized, handmade craft donations from EtsyRAIN artists.
The first 50 customers at the show will also receive free ‘swag bags’ filled with treats by local artist. Check out the artists that will be at the show and get more information here.
L.A. singer-songwriter Greg Laswell is going to be performing live at Easy Street Records at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 8. Here’s what Easy Street has to say:
With bright, orchestral melodies, melancholy and soul-searching lyrics, he’s won legions of fans and has become a favorite of film and television music supervisors.
Greg will be playing songs off of his brand new album Take a Bow. Check it out here.
(As always, thanks to Easy Street Records for the picture!)
Enjoy shipping and shopping at the same time? The folks at Queen Anne Dispatch do! And to show their appreciation to their customers and the Queen Anne community, they’re inviting the neighborhood to a little party tonight, Friday, May 7 from 6 to 9 p.m.
They’ll be snacks and drinks, a live DJ, and a little sale. Queen Anne Dispatch is located at 2212 Queen Anne Ave. N. Keep up on QA Dispatch news on their blog.
Seattle Department of Transportation engineers will complete their inspection of the Ballard Bridge on Friday, May 7. The northbound, right-hand lane at the south end of the bridge will be closed from 10 a.m. to noon.
SDOT was called in after Wednesday’s large fire burned directly under the structure.
Pottery Northwest is hosting a double-header opening night reception this Friday, May 7, featuring Wally Bivins and Jamex and Einar de la Torre. Swing by at 6 p.m. to catch Wally Bivins Gallery Show: New Work – Old Friends from 6 to 8 p.m. (the exhibit will continue until May 21).
The de la Torre brothers, famous for their “border Baroque” glass/mixed media artistry, will be in residency at Pottery Northwest from May 6-10. Stop by at 7 p.m. on Friday for their opening reception – “They Speak for Themselves.” PNW says “Their work is an amalgam of politic, beauty, social commentary, the sacred and the profane.”
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 6 there will be free admission and live music at EMP|SFM, part of first Thursdays program. Attendees can also swing by the CD release party of Live From Sound Off! Volume Three, a compilation featuring 12 tracks from the semifinalist of Sound Off!, the largest underage battle of the bands in the Pacific Northwest held annually by EMP|SFM, and four bonus tracks by the winners.
Seattle Fire investigators have determined that Wednesday’s late-night fire under the south end of the Ballard Bridge was caused by a transient cooking fire.
Firefighters were called out just before 11:30 p.m. after a report of smoke coming from underneath the bridge. When crews arrived on scene, they found a fire underneath the bridge in a storage yard. Four small boats, a truck and wooden pallets were destroyed before the fire was extinguished about 20 minutes later. Because of the location of the fire, the bridge sustained soot and fire damage. According to Seattle Fire, Seattle Department of Transportation inspectors have inspected the integrity of the structure.
Investigators have ruled the fire as accidental and damage is estimated at $100,000.
On Monday evening Mayor Mike McGinn and El Centro de la Raza Executive Director Estela Ortega met with community members to discuss issues pertaining to today’s youth at the Youth & Families Initiative community caucus at Ballard High School.
More than 40 people attended, covering topics including violence prevention, minority empowerment, and improving education both in school and at home. One of 75 Youth & Families Initiative caucuses citywide, all remaining meetings will be held before May 14. Those who weren’t able to make it to the caucus can read about it at our sister site, MyBallard. There’s still time to attend another caucus or host your own. Read the full story here.
Back in August Lorig Associates, the developer behind the 200 West Highland condo project, slashed prices on the remaining million dollar units located across from Queen Anne’s famed Kerry Park. At the time only two units had sold. Now, nine months later, Bank of America is moving forward with foreclosure on the remaining units, according to reports by our news partner, The Seattle Times.
From the Times:
In a notice filed Tuesday with King County, the bank said it intends to sell the 18 unsold units at 200 West Highland Drive at auction Aug. 6 unless developer Lorig Associates repays a $26 million loan.
The loan came due Jan. 1, according to the notice. The other seven units in the 25-unit, five-story condo have been sold, according to county records.
The two and three bedroom condos vary between 1,500 and 2,800 square feet in size and currently range in price from $895,000 to $2.25 million, according to the 200 West Highland website. Back in August, prices went as high as $3.15 million. Units have views of either Elliott Bay, downtown or both.
The 200 West Highlight units first went on the market in March 2009. Lorig Associates have been behind other prominent Seattle developments, including the International District’s Uwajimaya Village, Wallingford Center and Marketplace North near Pike Place Market.
Updated 1:55 a.m. The Ballard Bridge reopened just before 2 a.m., two hours after a major fire burned underneath the south end of the structure.
The Ballard Bridge closed as a major fire burned underneath the south end of the structure late Wednesday night.
Our sister site, MyBallard.com is updating information here.
It’s Sweden Week in Seattle, which means, among a number of Swedish cultural activities to choose from, there will also be three days of panel discussions and workshops on topics including business, technology, global health and “making connections and sharing visions” at the Swedish Cultural Center, located at 1920 Dexter Avenue N.
Sweden and Seattle are world leaders in information technology, global health, and sustainable cities. Sweden Week includes two full days of conferences, workshops and lectures focusing on sharing information and envisioning the future of Clean Technology, Medical Technology, Sustainability and Mobility and Information Technology. Some topics of discussion: invisible computing, natural user interfaces, green roofs, waste-to-energy trends, electric vehicles.
The first day of the panels and workshops was today, but don’t worry, there are still plenty more chances to sit in on a conversation or two over the next couple of days. Check out the schedule:
Thursday, May 6: This day offers a selection of panels on clean energy and green design, venture capital and start-ups, and global health. As the U.S. becomes more interested in sustainable practices, more opportunities are available for an exchange of ideas and business with Sweden.
1:30-2:30 p.m. Concurrent Sessions for Mobility & IT and Clean Tech/Sustainability
Mobility & IT, Key Note Speech: Internet Freedom – Matthew Barzun, US Ambassador to Sweden
Clean Tech/Sustainability: Lessons from Sweden; Action in Seattle – Panel Participants: Stan Gent, President & CEO, Seattle Steam Company; Jim Mueller, Managing Partner of JC Mueller, Real Estate Development; Mike O’Brien, Council member, Seattle City Council; Rich Franko, Principal, Mithun. Moderator: Patricia Chase, I-SUSTAIN
4:00-4:20 p.m. Ultrasound Demonstration by Great Connection
4:00-4:30 p.m. Closing Remarks with Petra Hilleberg, Chairperson, Business Focus – Edays Special Edition
4:30-6:00 p.m. Happy Hour with Networking and Business Matchmaking
6:30 p.m. Raoul Wallenberg Dinner with Speaker – Keynote Speaker: Michael Wernstedt, Wallenberg’s grandnephew, Hosted by the Nordic Heritage Museum, Location: Seattle Marriott Waterfront, 2100 Alaskan Way
Friday, May 7
7:30-9:00 a.m. Europe Day Celebration Breakfast hosted by the Council of European Chambers of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest
Mattias Sundholm, Deputy Spokesman for the European Union Delegation in Washington, DC – Location: Columbia Tower; 701 5th Avenue #7600, Seattle, WA 98104
8:30-1:00 p.m. Optional Industry Specific Visits #1
Microsoft Includes lunch buffet. Host: Dan Hendricks, Boeing Global Technology – Bus leaves the Swedish Cultural Center at 8:30am, picks up at the EU breakfast 8:50am, and returns at approx.1:00
12:00-5:00 p.m. Business Matchmaking
12:00-5:00 p.m. Venture Capital and International Investment
12:30-4:15 p.m. Optional Industry Specific Visits #2
Boeing Includes box lunch. Host: David Okrent, Director for Environment, Boeing – Bus leaves at 1:30 from the Swedish Cultural Center and returns at 4:15pm
8:30-4:15 p.m. Optional Combined Industry Visit
Combined Boeing and Microsoft visits. Includes lunch buffet – Bus leaves the Swedish Cultural Center at 8:30am, picks up at the EU breakfast 8:50am, and returns at approximately 4:15pm
Queen Anne residents turned out in force during last night’s city budget hearing at North Seattle Community College. They voiced their concerns about budget cuts that could impact the Queen Anne Community Center and Pool.
A loud crowd full of different organizations packed the cafeteria to plead their cases to Mayor Mike McGinn and the Seattle City Council. City officials are calling for a 3 percent cut across the Parks system, but insist there is no list detailing which parks, community centers, or pools might actually be impacted. But Queen Anne residents clearly feel programs at the community center and pool could be in jeopardy and wanted to make sure their voices were heard early in the process.
“I’m here for the community center because it’s so important,” said Queen Anne resident Rebecca Fink. “These kids are doing homework together, playing together, bonding. It gives the kids a place to go.”
The mayor and City Council were clearly moved by some of the stories they heard last night.
“We don’t have a specific proposal from Parks, but this discussion is very helpful to let us know what is important to you,” Mayor McGinn told the crowd.
The Parks department will come up with its suggested budget changes over the next several weeks before presenting them to the mayor. Three more public hearings are set for September and October.
Frequent Parks & Recreation furlough days are not uncommon to Seattleites these days–in 2010 city employees will be taking ten days off, many of which fall on Fridays and Mondays, without pay to help fill the budget gap. The next round of furloughs are coming up this Friday, May 7 and Monday, May 10, when many Parks & Recreation facilities will be closed.
These facilities and services will be closed on Friday, May 7:
Grounds maintenance
Community centers (except child care and late night programs, which will still operate).
Swimming pools
Environmental Learning Centers
Lifelong Recreation (except Food and Fitness programs, which will still operate)
Business Service Center
These facilities and services will be closed on Monday, May 10:
Administrative offices (communications, correspondence, Park Board support, web management, public outreach, human resources, finance and administration)
Planning and Development Division
Magnuson Park office
Other furloughs you should know about: Citywide Youth Violence Prevention Initiative sites, also known as Extended Hours Program sites, are closed today, Wednesday, May 5.
Other sites/facilities, including golf courses, special events, the Amy Yee Tennis Center and the Seattle Aquarium will be assigning furlough dates individually to ensure that they stay open to the public and that any 24-hour animal care needs are met.
After Seattle Metropolitan magazine named Queen Anne one of the best neighborhoods to live in Seattle in 2010 last week, the neighborhood has caught the attention of many around town, including the folk at Q13, who made a little video on the city’s top ‘hoods.
Q13 swung by neighborhood spot Muse Coffee, located at 1907 10th Ave W, on Monday to do some filming and chat with owner Brent Martin about what makes Queen Anne so great. Check it out!
Today, Wednesday, May 5 is Cinco de Mayo, and a few businesses around Queen Anne will be celebrating with in house parties and special deals. Interested in getting in on the fun? Here’s where to go:
$5 food and drink specials all day at all locations: Choose any burrito and chips and salsa or a fountain drink for $5, or any two tacos and chips and salsa or a fountain drink for $5 (seafood not included)
All day “happy hour” special on beer and margaritas at Queen Anne and Union St. locations for all of their Facebook fans and Twitter followers
See ratings and reviews of
Author 
EtsyRAIN’s 2nd Annual Spring Craft Show is coming to Lower Queen Anne this weekend! From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 EtsyRAIN artists will pack into the Seattle Center’s 
L.A. singer-songwriter 
From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 6 there will be free admission and live music at 
