If you’re looking for summer time classes for yourself or activities for your kids, Seattle Parks and Recreation has released its Summer Guide online and at community centers and pools.

Some highlights from Seattle Parks’ press release:

• Enjoy Bicycle Sundays along Lake Washington Boulevard, when cyclists can pedal happily with no cars present.
• Take part in tons of fun activities in downtown parks, from movies to crafts markets, buskers to concerts, Dancing ‘Til Dusk, Family Fun Days, festivals and celebrations, farmers markets, and more.
• Swim and play at our nine lifeguarded beaches, where lifeguards also offer free swim lessons. Parks strongly recommends swimming only where lifeguards are present.
• Make like a fish at Colman Pool, Seattle’s only heated saltwater pool, and Mounger Pool, with its two pools and 50-foot corkscrew slide.
• Splish and splash in one of 16 wading pools and 10 sprayparks.
• Learn to row, sail, canoe, or kayak at one of our two small craft centers at Green Lake Park and Mt. Baker.
• Take your kids aged 5 to 9 or 10 to 14 to one of our Summer Arts in the Parks program sites, which also provide free sack lunches every day.
• Take a tranquil nature walk at Camp Long, Discovery Park, Carkeek Park, or Camp Long.
• Learn to lawn bowl!
• Visit the Woodland Park Zoo, or go to a ZooTunes concert on a weekday evening.
• Visit the Seattle Aquarium and hang out at Waterfront Park.
• See Antony and Cleopatra or The Tempest in a park.
• Visit one of our gorgeous, glorious gardens, always at their beautiful best in summer.
• Join us at Magnuson Park from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, August 27 for Parks’ Big Day of Play, a day packed with activities that help families be active together, including a Fun run, 3 on 3 basketball, samples of activities from our facilities and programs, paddling and boating activities at the beach, a Mainstage celebration of cultural diversity, and a showcase of our youths’ newly developed skills in gardening and healthy food preparation. It’s part of our Healthy Parks, Healthy You initiative, our effort to help people get fit while having fun.

The victim of a hit and run yesterday is looking for witnesses in the neighborhood who may be able to help him track down the person responsible. Stephan Schier’s motorcycle was parked at the NE corner of Boston St and 1st Ave N, on Wednesday, June 15 between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. when it was hit and seriously damaged, he says. Schier, who works at Black Pixel on Queen Anne Ave N, was in his office at the time and did not witness the event himself, returning to find his damaged bike and a note with a fake phone number on it.

“My motorcycle was knocked over, extensively damaged and picked up by someone who left a note with a bogus phone number (253-985-0494, “disconnected”),” he wrote.

“The car that hit the bike left white chalky marks on my bike at the bumper’s point of impact with the muffler,” he added. “Likely there were witnesses, otherwise why even bother leaving a note with a number?” And in fact there were witnesses. Soon after the incident, Schier posted notices around the neighborhood searching for anyone who had information about the hit and run, and quickly connected with another man who works in the neighborhood, and had not only witnessed the event, but had helped the driver pick up Schier’s bike.

“A witness (thank you Ray) who works at Chinoise gave me a call. He actually helped the driver pick up the motorcycle. She asked if she should leave a note. He replied, “yes, of course.”  Out of fear or ignorance, she just left a bogus number,” Schier wrote. Ray did, however, get a good look at the car – a gold Oldsmobile Alero – and the driver, described as a 5’2″ to 5’3″ Caucasian woman dressed in all black.

Schier is hoping that this information may help lead him to the woman driving the car. “Maybe this is someone who lives, works and or does yoga in the neighborhood,” he wrote. He’s asking anyone with information to contact him at 206-229-8812, or the Seattle Police (reference case number 11-192229).

Both the Queen Anne Farmers Market and the Interbay Farmers Market have a full docket of foodie events happening this afternoon. Check out the lineup for each below.

At the Queen Anne Farmers Market today:

• 4 p.m. – Chef Demo with Siri Erickson-Brown & Jason Salvo of Local Roots Farm
• 4 to 4:30 p.m. – Local kids from the Queen Anne Performing Arts Market Singers will perform summertime favorites
• 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. – Returning to the market, Vince Martinez & The Great Blue Yonder
• 5:30 p.m. – Kid’s Cooking Class: It’s sushi making with Patrick Rico of Rico’s Sushi Party!
• 5:45 to 7 p.m. – Blvd Park Americana and Folk

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be closing down the I-5 on and off ramps at Mercer Street again this weekend, as part of ongoing work needed as part of the Mercer Corridor Project.

The closure will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, June 17, and go until 5 a.m. on Monday, June 20. Detour route maps are available here. From SDOT:

Detour routes shown will be signed on roadways and may be heavily used, particularly Denny Way both eastbound and westbound. Travelers are advised to consider alternate routes to their destinations such as SR 99 or alternate I-5 exits and entrances.

After this weekend’s closure, the Mercer Street access to and from I-5 will not be closed again until the weekend of July 8-11, and is scheduled to take place during the same hours. From SDOT:

During these closures, the I-5 on-ramp at University Street will be concurrently closed to provide more efficient traffic flow around the closed Mercer Street exit lane. Fairview Avenue N will also be closed between Mercer Street and Valley Street and Mercer Street will be closed to through traffic between Westlake Avenue N and Fairview Avenue N. All detour routes will be clearly marked to support traffic flow around the closures.

SDOT is advising travelers heading to the Fremont Solstice Parade and Fair to use SR 99 or to the alternate I-5 off-ramps at Olive Way (northbound) or Stewart St. (southbound) and Denny Way to Westlake Ave. N. More information on routes to the Fremont Fair can be found at the fair website.

Travelers are encouraged to carpool and use alternate modes of transportation. Transit information can be found at:

• King County Metro at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or by calling 206-553-3000
• Sound Transit at www.soundtransit.org
• Community Transit at www.commtrans.org

This Friday is the 27th annual Windermere’s Community Service Day. Our local Queen Anne associates will be taking the day off from their normal duties to roll up their sleeves and get dirty doing extensive landscaping and painting projects at McClure Middle School and the Queen Anne Community Center.

Other local projects in other neighborhoods include:

Green Lake – Daniel Bagley Elementary: development of the outdoor classroom including construction of a shed and benches.

Fremont – BF Day Elementary: grounds maintenance and the creation of paper “birthday crowns” for the student body.

Wedgwood – Theodora (HUD 202) Housing: projects as assigned.

Sand Point – Magnuson Park YMCA: projects as assigned.

Lake Forest Park – Ballinger (Low income) Homes: maintenance and beautification projects as directed.

Northgate – Olympic View Elementary: flower and shrub planting.

Oak Tree – Greenwood Elementary: maintenance and beautification as directed.

After 16 years in Lower Queen Anne, Monkey Love Rubber Stamps owner Sandy Ono says she has decided to close the store’s physical location and transfer her business over to its online store full-time.

Monkey Love will most likely close on or around next Friday, June 24, according to Ono, though she has not set a definite close date yet. When it does shut, it will make the third closure this month within one block of Uptown’s retail district–following the closures of Nucleus hair salon just down the street last week, and Wanna Noodle on Mercer the week before that.

Ono says it will be hard to close the store after 16 years on Queen Anne Avenue (11 of those just five doors down from Monkey Love’s current location), but she is ready to move to online-only.

“I decided to just go with my eBay store,” she said, adding that the hardest part about closing will be letting go of the community. “It’s going to be hard not seeing the customers I’ve known for years now, not seeing them as often.”

In the remaining time Ono is clearing out Monkey Love’s stock with a closing sale. The store’s wood mounted stamps are 35 percent off, scrapbook paper and ribbon by the yard are 50 percent off, and almost everything else is at a 25 percent discount, she says.

While Ono will be continuing to sell Monkey Love stock through its eBay store, she says that not everything will be making the transition from the physical storefront to the online one–most of the online store will be made up of wood mounted rubber stamps, with select other items. So if you’re a fan of Monkey Love in need of some of its more obscure items, better stock up now.

Two Queen Anne Little League softball teams were victorious in their respective divisions at the city D8 Fastpitch Softball Championship at Husky Stadium on Monday, June 13.

The Minor division game, between AAA Sound Seismic Earthquakes and NE Kumon U-Village Midnight Runners, ended with a final score of 2-0. Miss the game? Here are some of the highlights from the QALL website:

Kumon — who throughout the course of the season had scored no fewer than ten runs per game — were completely stymied by the Earthquake hurler Bella “Ice” Jackson.  Jackson, who pitched the entire six innings, schooled the opponents by throwing a no-hitter with a total of 14 strikeouts.  On the other side, NE’s pitcher Hanna Lanfear gave up only two hits and two runs throughout the course of the matchup, setting a pitcher’s duel in motion.  At the top of the third however, Seismic slugger Victoria McSmith got a hold of a fastball to drive a 2 RBI single.  McSmith’s inning-buster sealed the deal; the best chance for Kumon scoring came in the bottom of the 4^th but an alert Grace Munday manning first base made a routine tag, then quickly relayed the ball back to Seismic catcher Kaia Simpson to turn a double-play and stomp on Kumon hopes for a comeback.

The Major division matchup between Buckley’s on Queen Anne and the North Central League’s 5 Spot Falcons was a closer game, but in the end the Queen Anne team came out on top with a final score of 5-3. Here are the QALL highlights:

Buckley’s clean-up batter Morgan Cameron drew first blood at the bottom of the 1st, swatting a two run triple-bagger to left,  and then stealing home to end the frame with a three run lead.  The Falcons rebounded in the top of the second though, knotting up the score by pressing the advantage on fielding jitters and an earned run.  Buckley’s pitcher Sophie Young found her stride however; with the go-ahead run on third, Young caught a batter swinging to close down the trouble.  The Falcons again threatened to go ahead in the top of the fourth, but Cameron tagged an over-confident runner at home, thwarting the visitor’s would-be rally.  The stalemate was broken at the bottom of the 4^th with a Vlasta Schutzenhofer chop to third that drove in two Buckley’s teammates.  Unfortunately, the lead looked tenuous by the top of the fifth; Megan Quigley-McAllister on the mound for Buckley’s found herself in a jam with no outs, and bases loaded.   While the fans popped antacids, Quigley-McAllister (working in tandem with Cameron, who didn’t let a single ball get past her), coolly struck out three successive batters to preserve the lead.  Then again in the 6^th, Quigley-McAllister threw a 1-2-3 frame to clinch the title.

For more details, photos, and play-by-play overviews of the two championship games, check out Mary Cropp’s story in the SeattlePI blogs.

* Photo via the QALL Facebook page

Starting next week the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will begin lengthening the left-turn lanes on Elliott Ave W at W Mercer Place, as part of Phase II of the Mercer Corridor Project.

In preparation for the project, SDOT will be working on adjusting the rim of a utility access hole along Elliot Ave W this week. All construction will take place on weekdays only, during non-peak travel times. Crews will complete the work over the next three to six weeks. From SDOT:

Starting next week, SDOT crews will first remove the current asphalt island, traffic post, overhead sign and concrete curb. Next, they will pave and restripe the roadway which requires fair weather. Finally, they will adjust the traffic signal timing and install a new overhead sign.

The left-turn from Elliott Ave W onto W Mercer Place will remain open during construction, and signage will guide through traffic, according to SDOT. Drivers should expect congestion and added traffic due to the work and lane restrictions. The work will not interfere with access to nearby businesses, and all closed lanes will be re-opened to traffic during the morning and evening peak commuting periods. For more information, visit the project website.

The Space Needle at Seattle Center made history last year when, for the first time in the iconic building’s 50 year history, it flew the rainbow Pride flag during Seattle Pride weekend. The flying of the flag for the first time in Seattle history was viewed as act of both corporate and community support of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.

But the Needle caught some flack this month after rumors circulated that the organization did not plan to raise the flag again this year, catching the attention of national progressive organization Change.org, as well as a number of local and national media outlets. With Seattle Pride fast approaching at the end of the month, many in the community spoke out, urging the Needle to again raise the flag.

After an outpouring of support for the flag over the last two weeks, the Space Needle changed its stance this week, announcing that it would raise the flag again, if the greater Seattle community agreed to take on a fundraising challenge: “If the community can raise $50,000 for 4 local charities, the Space Needle will raise the Rainbow Flag on Sunday of Seattle Pride weekend in Seattle,” the Needle wrote in a press release Monday (.pdf).

“We want to harness the enthusiasm that has built up to raise the flag for the encore performance. Our entire community gets involved in whatever issue is at hand and we think that is what makes us so strong. This challenge can reap great benefits for these worthwhile organizations,” said Space Needle LLC Chairman Jeff Wright in the statement.

The $50,000 raised, assuming the challenge is met, will be divided equally between four local charities: The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) Scholarship Program, Lambda Legal, It Gets Better for the Trevor Project and Mary’s Place, a homeless shelter for women and children. The Space Needle has kicked off the challenge by offering an inaugural donation of $5,000. From the press release:

The Rainbow Flag, flown last year on the Space Needle, will lead the Seattle Pride Parade this year and, if the community challenge is met, it will be raised on the Space Needle when the Parade ends at Seattle Center on Sunday, June 26th. The Seattle Parade has grown in stature for several years now and holds a prominent position on the national scene.

Seattle Out and Proud, the organization behind Seattle Pride weekend, has already responded to the Space Needle’s challenge, partnering with the organization to help raise the funds. [Read more →]

The national Night Out block party extravaganza is set for August 2, and neighborhoods all across the country will participate by blocking off their streets to cars, hauling out the barbecues and getting to know their neighbors a little better. The Seattle Police Department’s Crime Prevention unit is the local sponsor of the event, which is designed to bring neighbors together to help prevent crime.

Register your block party with SPD, and then, on August 2, put up some kind of barricades (those large green recycling bins work pretty well). You can even print off block party invitations or Night Out logos to create your own.

In addition to registering your block, you can also add your event to a city-wide calendar, so everyone can see where their nearest block party is.

SPD is providing updated information on Night Out on a Facebook page. It’s also a good place to ask questions and get answers about the event.

Night Out is always the first Tuesday of August.

Our sister-site MyBallard spoke with Ballard High alumni-turned principal Kevin Wynkoop last week, who had no idea when he graduated 17 years ago that he’d be running BHS one day.

Wynkoop earned his teaching degree after graduating and returned to BHS in 1999, where he taught U.S. History, World History and A.P. Government for several years (including when I was a student there from 2001 to 2005). After earning his Masters in Education, Wynkoop came back to BHS once again, serving as interim principal over this past school year, an ultimately becoming the high school’s official new principal.

MyBallard has a great interview with Wynkoop about his last year and what he sees for the future of Ballard High School. Read the full story here.

Back in April we reported that the community built and run Gilman Gardens would be expanding to include a second 20-plot garden adjacent to the original along Gilman Drive W and 13th Ave W. Over two dozen volunteers from Queen Anne’s local scouts, Troop 72, spent all day transforming the abandoned media into the second garden site on Saturday, June 11,  completing the project ahead of schedule. The volunteer-based event was organized by Lucien Wulsin as his Eagle Scout project. Take a look at the before and after pics.

In addition to doubling the number of plots available at the community garden, the second branch of the Gilman Gardens will also include a native plant restoration area (with existing blackberry bushes and Apple trees), a grape arbor, compost and wood chip bins, rain collection and/or flower and vine areas, and five parking stalls.

For more information about the Gilman Gardens, to get involved or get a plot, contact founder Charlie Hoselton at friendsofgilman.urbangardens@hotmail.com.

* Photos courtesy of William Wulsin

The Center School was one of ten schools in the Seattle School District to receive mobile carts packed with either 15 iPads or 30 iPods for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year through a grant that supports technology in the classroom. The winning schools were announced last week, after the District’s Instructional Technology team wadded through more than 50 applications from teachers and administrators, including proposals explaining how they would best use the new technology in the classroom.

The grant recipients are:

iPod:
Denny Middle School
Sand Point Elementary
Alki Elementary

iPad:
North Beach Elementary
Pathfinder K-8
Orca K-8
Lowell Elementary
Center School
Kimball Elementary
Eckstein Middle School

In addition to the iPads/iPods, schools will receive professional development over four days during the summer, three follow-up sessions during the year, and Instructional Technology support for their curriculum projects during the course of the school year.

For more information on the winning proposals, and how these iPad/iPod grants will be implemented in the classroom, check out the Seattle Public Schools’ Instructional Technology Blog.

You may have seen fliers for Phil Irwin, who disappeared from his Queen Anne home on June 1st, all over Queen Anne over the last couple of weeks. Sad news via our sister-site MyBallard as Irwin’s family reports that his body has been found in Lake Union.

Phil’s daughter Emily, a Ballard resident, writes, “I just wanted to let you know that my father’s body was found in Lake Union yesterday by divers from the Wooden Boat Center who were working a regular dive for ship wreckages. It appears that he took his own life by jumping off the Aurora Bridge. Again, thank you for the help in trying to find him. My family is grateful to know where he is and, at the same time, deeply saddened by the reality of the situation.”

Condolences to the Irwin family.