Just a reminder that today is the Free Car Wash Day at Brown Bear Car Wash.

Photo from the 2009 Free Car Wash Day
To celebrate their 53rd anniversary, the company is giving away free “Bear Essential” car washes at all of their “tunnel” locations in the area. This includes the one at 1800 15th Ave West in Interbay. The car wash will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. While the line may look daunting, we’re told that it takes 15 to 20 minutes to get through the line in the above photo.

The two alignment options for 6th Ave N on Lower Queen Anne will be the main topic of discussion at the next meeting of the Queen Anne Community Council.  The meeting takes place September 1 at 7pm at the Queen Anne Community Center.  Representatives from SDOT and the Gates Foundation will be on hand to talk about the options that SDOT hopes to decide on later in September.  Below, you’ll see the two options on the table from SDOT’s website (click here for larger view).

The work to install four light poles on the Ballard Bridge is taking longer than expected. Seattle Department of Transportation crews will once again close northbound curb lane from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Expect delays coming into Ballard during the closure.

If you happen to walk by Counterbalance Park around lunchtime this week, you may notice an addition to the concrete and umbrella-filled scenery—a little live music.

Part of the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s Busker Program, the city has hired local musicians to bring live tunes to parks in downtown and surrounding areas during the summer.

Lunchtime concerts will be at our own Counterbalance Park (at Queen Anne Ave N and Roy, across from the Uptown Caffe Ladro) from noon to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for the rest of the summer.

Last week 19-year-old Reilly Hutchins brought his own equipment to the park, where he sang classic covers, including a handful of Beatles songs.

The buskers change from day to day, so keep an eye out, and if the weather permits, find a nice place to stop off for lunch or a quick break to enjoy the music. Wondering well else buskers are playing this summer? Follow the SeattleBuskers Twitter feed.

The Seattle City Council has approved a bill that could soon have a lot more chicken coops and urban farms popping up in Queen Anne and across the city. The ordinance updates the land use code on urban agriculture uses, including allowing “urban farms” and “community gardens” in all zones. Residents will now be able to sell food grown on their property. The legislation also changes the number of chickens allowed per lot from 3 to 8. You can read more about raising chickens in the city here.

This Thursday (8/26)  is the annual Free Car Wash Day at Brown Bear Car Wash.

Photo from the 2009 Free Car Wash Day

To celebrate their 53rd anniversary, the company is giving away free “Bear Essential” car washes at all of their “tunnel” locations in the area. This includes the one at 1800 15th Ave West in Interbay. The car wash will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.  Over the last four years, Brown Bear has washed 78,760 vehicles during its annual free car wash day.

There have been rumors spreading over what would take that place of The Play Space, which vacated the house at 1805 Queen Anne Ave N back in May (and moved into a home a few block away), after transitioning from a the Urban Kids Play store to drop-in childcare center/playspace for kids back in January.

We’re happy to announce, clues have finally surfaced revealing the new Queen Anne Ave tenant’s business. Welcome Le Reve Bakery!

Although there’s no word yet on when Le Reve—which advertises itself as an “upscale Parisian style bakery”—will be opening, they must be getting close, because they’ve already posted a Craigslist ad looking for staff to “join the Parisian Dream Team.”

The bakery, which will be located next door to El Diablo Coffee and Queen Anne Books, has also applied for a liquor license with the city. Would you like a little wine with that croissant? We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.

(Thanks to reader Aaron Averbuch for the tip!)

A new residential/retail complex at the old QFC site at 100 Republican in Lower Queen Anne is moving forward.  The owners of the property, Burkheimer Family LLC, have just filed an “alley vacation” request with the city.  This would allow them to use the alley bounded by Mercer Street, Republican Street, 1st Avenue N and Warren Avenue N as part of the project.

The six-story building will house 275 units–studios, 1-2 bedrooms, 10 town homes, and 17,725 square feet of street level retail space.  It is expected to be finished in 2012.  A hearing on the alley vacation request is set for September 14 at 9:30am during a meeting of the City Council’s transportation committee.

This is the last week to get things done at the library before budget cuts force the entire library system to shut down until after Labor Day. The Queen Anne Branch and all other branches of the Seattle Public Libraries will close on Monday, August 30th and reopen Tuesday, September 7th.

During the closure most library services will be unavailable:

• No materials will be due and no fines will be accrued.
• The last day to check out Library items before the closure is 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28.
• No book drops will be open. Do not leave books and materials outside Library locations during the closure. The book drop at the Queen Anne Branch will close at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28th and reopen at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7th.
• Limited access to the online catalog. Patrons will be able to search the catalog and check their Library record but will not be able to place holds on items. No staff will be working to process the thousands of books and materials that customers normally put on hold.
• Limited access to the website (www.spl.org). The online calendar, databases, downloadable books and media, digital special collections, podcasts, SPL Mobile app and blogs will be available, but other online information and features will not be available. No staff members will be working to maintain the site or troubleshoot problems.
• No Library computers will be available. You will not be able to reserve a computer for the week the Library system is closed.
• No access to Wi-Fi.
• No book group kits will be sent, received or returned during the one-week closure. Kits will be sent to libraries as usual on the last Wednesday of the month, Aug. 25. Kits not available then will be sent as soon as possible after Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6.
• No programs or events in Library meeting rooms.
• No TeleCirc, the Library’s telephone circulation service.
• No Quick Information telephone service.
• No Text a Librarian, e-mail a librarian or chat with a librarian.
• No Mobile Services.
• No parking in Library garages. The Central Library, Capitol Hill Branch and Ballard Branch garages will be closed.

Around 2:30 this morning, Seattle Police officers heard several gunshots coming from the general area of Taylor Ave N and Denny.  As they were searching for the source, a 911 call came in from the 200 block of Taylor where a bullet had just come through a lobby window.

When officers arrived, a large crowd had gathered in the parking lot across the street from that location.  In the crowd were two men, ages 18 and 19, who were the victims of gunshot wounds.   They were attempting to leave the area, but officers stopped them and detained several witnesses.  The shooting victims were taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Officers now believe the disturbance originally began when a private party was ending and the crowd was leaving a venue on Taylor. Police found shell casings at the scene.  Witnesses say the shooter fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers.

For the second Sunday in a row, the Washington State Department of Transportation crews will be closing lanes on the Aurora Bridge this weekend while crews work on the ‘rivet buster’ suicide fence. Commuters planning a trip downtown on Sunday should plan for delays or take an alternate route.

Photo from WSDOT’s Flickr page.

Crews will be working on the east side of the bridge, closing down two northbound lanes.

Access to northbound SR 99 from Halladay near Canlis will be open. Lane closures will be from 6 a.m. to midnight again, with the noisy work beginning as early as 7 p.m. and continuing until 11 p.m. Since they will be on the east side of the bridge, the sound will likely travel further into Lake Union this time.

WSDOT has been posting some pretty incredible photos of the work, which will continue through September 5, on its Flickr page. Check those out here.

The call is still going out to Queen Anne residents to help paint the new mural on the Dexter Way underpass (below Aurora on the east side of Queen Anne). The community paint event is set for this Saturday (8/21) and Sunday (8/22) from 11am to 5pm.   The new mural will replace the 15-year-old painting that has long been covered with graffiti.

Old mural (top), new mural (bottom)

Directions: Heading south on Aurora after the bridge, take the second exit on the right (Dexter Way N). This exit is adjacent to the Hillside Motel. Call 206-285-4883 for information.

About 40,000 people are expected to visit Myrtle Edwards Park this Saturday and Sunday for Hempfest. The annual event runs from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. each day and that means lots of congestion along 15th Ave West.

Bicycle traffic will be diverted to the west path through the park (normally bike traffic is on the east path). It’s impacted by vehicles and equipment, but remains open to bicycles through Friday night and re-opens Monday morning. Hempfest tear-down lasts through Wednesday, so it will be impacted through next week.

Hempfest organizers had asked to extend the festival to include Friday this year but the city of Seattle denied the request. Now Hempfest may be on its last legs. According to the Seattle PI, organizers are making a do-or-die push to keep the 19-year-old event alive. They say money is running out, and unless something changes, this could be the last year. The event is free to visitors and is funded by donations. Hempfest lost $50,000 in 2009.

The lane closure on the Ballard Bridge, which has been impacting traffic this week, will continue  into next week.

Photo courtesy the Seattle Department of Transportation

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) crews have been installing brackets for light poles on the bridge. Marybeth Turner with SDOT tells us the work will continue on Friday and Monday. The curb lane in the northbound direction has closed each morning until 2 p.m.

“Four light poles are being replaced as a temporary measure until next year when all of the lighting on the bridge will be replaced,” Turner writes in a press release. “When SDOT has completed this preparatory work, Seattle City Light crews will install the four replacement poles.”

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is holding its second open house tonight for a major project along Dexter Ave N. Starting next year, SDOT plans to implement a “Complete Streets” approach for the stretch of road from the Fremont Bridge to Roy Street.

Photo courtesy the Seattle Department of Transportation.

The goal of the “Complete Street” is to improve the conditions for all users of the street according to the meeting notice, which states:

We expect the new configuration to result in motor vehicle speeds that are more in line with the speed limit (30mph), improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists, faster and more reliable transit operations, and wider travel lanes to provide adequate space for motor vehicles. The proposal will also reduce conflicts between bikes and buses by installing the bike lane between the curb and the transit island at most locations where there is a bus stop.

After hearing from about 100 people at the June 29th meeting, SDOT has revised some of its original plans. New plans include:

* Repaving Dexter from Roy Street to the Fremont Bridge.
* Removing the two-way left turn lane in areas where it’s infrequently used.
* Providing a left turn lane at intersections with high turn movements.
* Retaining one travel lane in each direction. Travel lanes will be wider than they are currently.
* Constructing raised bus islands at in-lane transit stops.
* Providing a six-foot bike lane in each direction between the travel lane and the parking lane.
* Painting a two to three foot buffer zone between the bike lane and the travel lane.

The open house will be held tonight at the Swedish Cultural Center (1920 Dexter Avenue N) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Drop in anytime to learn more, view project plans, provide feedback and chat with the project team. You may also send your comments to walkandbike@seattle.gov.

It’s tomato day at the Queen Anne Farmers Market this week! Check out the lineup:

• 3 to 5 p.m.—Music by James O’Keefe
• 4 p.m.—Chef Demo with Kathleen Andersen Ramm of Senor Moose
• 5 to 7 p.m.—Music by Vince Mtz. & The Great Blue Yonder (at the west end of the market)
• 5 p.m.—Cooking Demo with Leslie Kelly of Whining & Dining
• 6 p.m.—Book Signing with Dining in Seattle: Past & Present authors Andrea Lott and Andrea Umbach
• 6:30 p.m.—Holy Tomato! Contest: Judges will be handing out prizes for Best Overall, Best Savory, Best Sweet, and Most Creative (winners announced at 7 p.m.)

The featured nonprofit this week is the Alaskan Way Viaduct Project. As always, the Queen Anne Farmers Market is taking place from 3 to 7 p.m. on W Crockett Street at Queen Anne Ave N.

Last night PI photographer Josh Trujillo, a former colleague of our Fremont Universe site editor Athima Chansanchai, saw a woman hop a rail on the Aurora Bridge in an attempt to jump. Josh called 911, and then began tweeting live about it, confronting the question of whether or not the media should cover suicides and attempts. Athima wrote,

Reading his tweets this morning, the story ends without tragedy at about 9:30 p.m.: “Good news. Young girl on Aurora Bridge is over the rail, back on the safe side. Police boats leaving from under bridge. Amen.”

His tweets about her began about 13 hours ago, about 7:30 p.m.: “No. A girl is on the Aurora Bridge about to jump. My heart is sinking. Police not here yet.”

I know Josh, so I know how sincere he is, so I don’t question how hard this must have been for him. This is a guy who was in the Army and deployed overseas before he was a photographer. He’s a consummate professional and he’s also a family man.

The irony is, the state is installing an anti-suicide fence on the bridge, and have been for a while.

While Josh was watching—and tweeting—as events unraveled, he witnessed another onlooker, a woman on the Fremont Bridge who said she’d been waiting in traffic for an hour, say loudly that the girl should “jump already.”

He also wrote that he felt “uncomfortable tweeting this one. This is awful.”

Another tweet: “FYI, I used to live under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge. A jumper once landed in my yard. That was a terrible day. Hope today is better.”

Read Athima’s full story here. And tell us what you think about it.