Hello all you hard working teachers!! Half Moon Bouldering understands that it’s been a challenging year for everyone, but ESPECIALLY so for teachers. That is why we would like to say a big thank you by trying to help soften the financial burden of climbing and signing your children up for summer camps this year.
During KEXP’s Teacher Appreciation Week (Fri 6/18-Fri 6/25), HMB is offering 50% day passes for all teachers at their new facility at 124 N 85th St. They are also offering 50 dollars off the registration of any teacher’s children or extended family members for their weekly summer camps for the duration of the summer. Camps are on a weekly basis, age dependent, and run half days from 9am-1pm with an optional childcare add-on from 1-3pm.
Thank you for taking your job into unthinkable territories this year and for ensuring as bright a future as possible for our community through that work.
By Cindy Lewen, Associate Director, Phinney Neighborhood Association
Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, gorgeous at the end.
In 2010, Lori Engdahl joined the PNA family. She started as the Registrar for PNA Kids! Since then, she took on the role of Whittier Kids’ Assistant Director of Administration where she has continued to warmly welcome new families into the program and neighborhood to help them become more connected to their school and community. In addition to being an incredible asset to the Whitter Kids program, she also helped grow her family business, Lantern Brewing.
The time has come for her to turn her attention fully to her family and the brewery and trust the magic of new beginnings. We couldn’t let this happen under the radar as she has been an immense support to so many families and staff members over the last almost 11 years – that’s right – 11 years! While we will miss her dearly at Whittier Kids, I encourage everyone to head over to Lantern Brewing during the PNA’s Summer Beer Taste Passport event, get a tasty beverage, say hello, share a laugh, and get your passport stickered.
Filling Lori’s shoes, will not be easy, but we hope we can find someone just as fabulous. Can you help us find a new Assistant Director of Whitter Kids? If you are, or know someone who has a background working in licensed child care, strong organization skills and is dedicated to providing high quality programing for children and families, check out the PNA’s Employment Page.
In spite of some showers that washed away some gorgeous chalk messaging, Rainbow Hop 2021 was a huge success for the community. A record 46 businesses participated by decorating their windows and storefronts to show that the neighborhood is emblematic of Pride, equality, and empowerment of our LGBTQ+ communities. 28 sponsors also pitched in to help decorate 14 local businesses and organizations.
In a new facet of this event, the PNA created a pay-what-you-will sponsorship package for businesses that promised to donate half of all event income to support the QSA Club at Robert Eagle Staff and Whitman Pride Club. Because of 19 generous sponsoring businesses and organizations, each club will receive $1300 for club activities, in addition to logo development and ongoing mentoring and partnership from the PNA. Please take a moment to review the list of sponsors and support these businesses!
Per Scott Halliwell, an educator who volunteers to help manage the Robert Eaglestaff QSA Club:
I just wanted to reach out to thank the Phinney Neighborhood Association for including the Robert Eagle Staff Middle School QSA in this year’s Rainbow Hop. Our week started with the QSA kids developing and teaching a lesson about Pride Month, LGBTQ+ history and preferred pronouns. The kids were so proud of themselves. I could not think of a better way to end the week but with Rainbow Hop. Many of the students were able to attend, as well as my own family. It was so nice to see the kids out together in all their rainbow colors, being their authentic selves. This event also sparked many powerful conversations at home with parents, guardians, and families. It made me wish that I had something like this 30 years ago.
Also, congratulations to the first winners of the Hooyman Family Chiropractic Rainbow Hop Coloring Contest. The Hooymans drew their first winners at the end of last week and will continue to draw winners for the remainder of the month.
If you haven’t completed a coloring page yet, no worries there is still time to get your entries in. You can pick up a coloring page outside of our office at 8013 Greenwood Ave N across from the library or you can print your own coloring page by clicking this link.
Prizes to be awarded include gift cards to Bluebird Ice Cream, Chocolati, Celine Patisserie, Nutty Squirrel Gelato, Phinney Books and the grand prize is a $25 gift card to Ridge Pizza. Follow them on Facebook to see more information and to vote for the finalists the final week of June.
Per a post from Jenny Pereira: “Live music! We’ve had so much fun putting on these neighborhood shows we decided to fit one more in before our baby arrives. Mark your calendars for Saturday, June 19th at 5pm for live music with Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints.”
The free concert will be at 97th and 1st Ave NW at the #ShrubInScrubs. Tips for the band are greatly appreciated: Venmo or PayPal @Birchp.
Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints are a popular Northwest band who perform extensively on the West Coasts of the US and Canada with recurring gigs in New York City, New Orleans and Los Angeles as well. In 2016 their first album, Dream Man, won Earshot Jazz Society’s “Northwest Jazz Recording of the Year” and in 2017 & 2018 Birch was nominated as “Vocalist of the Year”.
Center for Spiritual Living (CSL) Seattle, part of the international spiritual organization, “Centers for Spiritual Living,” is celebrating 100 years of offering dogma-free teaching in Seattle. Founded in 1921 as the “Seattle Center for Constructive Thinking” by Rev. Netta Holmes, who served as its pastor for 40 years, the community eventually affiliated with the national organization, Centers for Spiritual Living, 1961.
With a woman as its spiritual director and a teaching that integrated spiritual principles of East and West, the Center was ahead of its time. This legacy continues today by bringing together religion and science, especially the discoveries of quantum physics, and offering practical spiritual tools to transform personal lives and help make the world a better place. CSL Seattle provides a welcoming inclusive community for people from all walks of life, faiths, and spiritual traditions with a teaching that is free of dogma, judgment, sin, and shame.
CSL Seattle’s current Spiritual Director and Senior Minister, Rev. Dr. Kathianne Lewis, has been leading CSL Seattle for nearly 33 of these past 100 years. Per CSL:
“Having been a spiritual seeker for most of her life, Rev. Kathianne offers practical spiritual tools for use in an often-complex world. As a leading scholar in New Thought philosophy and Spiritual Director and Senior Minister at the Center for Spiritual Living Seattle, she has inspired and served countless numbers of people—whose lives, she hopes, have been changed for the better by practicing spiritual principles.”
On July 11, a time capsule, to be unearthed in 2121 containing artifacts and letters “to the future” from community members, will be blessed and buried on the Center’s current property at 6318 Linden Ave N, Seattle, WA. A picnic with celebratory intergenerational activities begins at 12:15pm; a ceremony to bless the time capsule follows at 1:00pm.
All are welcome to join this celebration of a “unique and empowering spiritual community to bless our collective future.” All attendees will need to comply with current COVID protocols. The specific link to time capsule ceremony and picnic event is here.
For the first time ever, Woodland Park Zoo is holding a Summer Fecal Fest for the opportunity to purchase the highly sought-after Zoo Doo. Each spring and fall, gardening enthusiasts apply online in hopes of being randomly selected to purchase Woodland Park Zoo’s exotic, highly coveted Zoo Doo. For the first time ever, the zoo is holding a Fecal Fest in the summer!
Starting Monday, June 14 through Friday, July 9, enter online for the chance to purchase Zoo Doo starting at 10 gallons to a maximum of 100 gallons or by the truck load. To enter, fill out the online form at zoo.org/fecalfest. Only one entry per person is eligible for each drawing.
Due to a facilities makeover to the Zoo Doo compost system two years ago, Dr. Doo – aka the Princess of Poo, the GM of BM, or the Captain of Caca – can create Zoo Doo faster than ever before, making it possible to offer the Summer Fecal Fest.
Perfect for growing veggies and annuals, the sweet, aromatic Zoo Doo is composed of species feces contributed by a variety of the zoo’s non-primate herbivores including tapirs, pudus, mountain goats, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras and more.
As a conservation organization, Woodland Park Zoo is committed to reducing its own ecological footprint and educating the community in doing the same. The Zoo Doo program is central to the zoo’s goal of increasing waste diversion from landfill and demonstrating closed loop approach to integrated resource management.
Entries will be randomly selected according to supply and demand. Dr. Doo will contact the lucky drawn entries only. Phone and mail orders can’t be accepted.
At least 6 feet of social distancing will be maintained between staff and customers at all times during pick-ups. Winner emails will include details on these practices to keep customers and staff safe. Visit zoo.org/fecalfest for information or call 206.625.POOP (7667).
Online entries accepted: June 14–July 9 Pick-up dates will take place: July 24 and July 25
When we could gather together with reckless abandon, we were able to gather in the summer sun and have a festive taste from 30 of the best local microbreweries. In the lower PNA parking lot, we all chatted with brewers, friends, and fellow enthusiasts at our fun, laid-back themed events. Our beer tastes have gained a reputation as a favorite among brewers and tasters alike (if we do say so ourselves).
At more than 30 years old, our Winter Beer Taste is one of the oldest tastes in Seattle, filling our cozy historic schoolhouse. The Summer Taste compliments it with a sunny afternoon of refreshing ales. The best part? All proceeds go to PNA’s programs for seniors, kids, people in need, and the entire community.
However, we’re not quite back to normal times. In 2021, there won’t be a PNA Summer Beer Taste — exactly. For now, we have the PNA Beer Taste Passport to scratch the itch in July & August. Purchase a PNA Beer Passport for $10, go to the participating breweries during July and August, and have a pint. Breweries will stamp your passport and donate $1 to the PNA for each beer purchased.
Fill up your passport, return to the PNA (mail, email, or in-person), and be entered in a drawing for a ticket to the 34th Annual PNA Winter Beer Taste, next summer’s PNA Summer Beer Taste, or a gift certificate to the 74th Street Ale House. The 2021 Winter Beer Taste will be November 13, 2021, and format will depend on COVID-19 protocol.
Everyone who completes their passport will get an extra drink ticket to the next in-person PNA Beer Taste.
In spite of everything 2020 threw at us, the team at FamilyWorks is proud that they were not only able to operate continuously in 2020 but also adapted and grew their services to meet the changing needs of our community. This included scaling up emergency food and family support services – by June 2020 the Food Bank saw an increase of 600 new households as compared to the same time in 2019 – and making a number of crucial and innovative program adaptations to serve participants in more relevant ways.
Marcie Wright-Soika, who joined FamilyWorks as their new Executive Director just as the pandemic was starting to take hold, wrote “We are grateful for many things. We are grateful that none of our staff got sick from the virus and that we never had to close the food banks for a single day. We are grateful for the resilience of our participants, and the ways they collaborated with us and gave us input as we changed operations. We are especially grateful that the FamilyWorks staff and board embraced creativity, innovation, and growth of our services.”
FamilyWorks was able to face the difficulties of 2020 and respond when our community needed them most. Highlights from the year include: the Resource Center increasing virtual programs to include cooking series with Solid Ground; opening the Community Closet, a free store in which participants can access clothing, diapers, toys, books, and other essential items; and purchasing a food truck that was converted into a Mobile Food Pantry that has increased capacity for grocery delivery and food and resource distribution at remote locations.
Joey Ashenbrenner, Director of Development & Communications at FamilyWorks, commented “we are so grateful for the partnership and generosity of our community. Together, we ensured access to nourishing food, vital resources, and a caring community for our participants during a truly difficult year. We are excited for our community to look through our interactive annual report, and discover the incredible things we were able to accomplish collectively in 2020.”
This article first appeared in the most recent edition of The Review quarterly newspaper
I’ve had the culinary pleasure of touring the neighborhood for the most delicious sweets and treats on the block. PhinneyWood is lucky to be home to so many incredible dessert-, cafe-, and bakeshops. Looking for a delectable taste adventure? Take a stroll down ‘candy land’ Greenwood Ave and fill up on this sweet goodness inside and out! Scavenger for the latest and greatest goodies: like Willy Wonka, you’ll find your golden ticket to flavor heaven on nearly every corner at every savory shop.
These neighborhood favorites have long-standing roots on PhinneyWood though new menu items rotate in regularly. You may have your familiar spot, but take a gander for something new. The Challenge: scavenger for every item on the list and let us know your tip-top treats. It doesn’t get any more delicious or tempting than this, but can you try them all? After the feast, take 1st Ave back for beautiful views, and to get those walking steps in! Trust us, you’ll need them after braving this gastronomical quest.
My first stop: Fresh Flours Bakery & Cafe offers fresh pastries and macarons baked from scratch daily in West Seattle and delivered to four Seattle locations. They’ve been on Phinney for 14 years. The owners are Japanese, and while many neighborhood residents stop in for a classic latte and croissant, there are several unique flavors on the menu. Fresh Flours is currently taking orders online and in-person, also serving Stumptown Coffee and rotating seasonal, local, single-origin roasters. The team at Fresh Flours is friendly and speedy, sometimes hosting the same loyal customer three times a day! They have a fun, casual, and bustling community vibe with pastry happy hour everyday at 4pm. But hurry, they tend to run out! Not to fret, there are plenty of other delectibles to enjoy.
Most Unique Flavors: Green Tea & Azuki Red Bean Muffin and Azuki Red Bean Croissant; Matcha Green Tea Latte and ChagaccinoMushroom Mocha
Scavenger Hunt: ‘Tokara’ Japanese Confectionary hand-delivers seasonal Wagashi sweets Thursday-Sunday in varying numbers and flavors; one of the only spots in Seattle to offer these traditional Japanese treats. Consider yourself lucky if you get your hands on one to sample!
My second stop is at the delicious European-influenced Celine Patisserie. The owners have roots and influences from Moldova, Italy, and even Dubai, where they lived prior to landing in Seattle ten years ago. They happened upon this Phinney location and loved the quintessential Seattle neighborhood. Celine honors the most artisan way to bake viennoiseries: no industrial products, never too sweet, and always with the best ingredients available. They serve Caffe Umbria and a huge variety of pastries and cakes. They source the finest Tourage butter from France, combining European tradition with experimental fills and flavors. Try the incredibly scrumptious Raspberry Mascarpone Cruffin with imported Italian Mascarpone and sweet raspberry jam, the Bacon Gillette, plus specialty items with feta cheese, goat cheese, dill, and chives, oh my.
Scavenger Hunt: What could be better paired with the season than chef Daniela’s original Honey Cake? Yum! Grab a slice for yourself before it’s all gone.
Third stop: Bluebird Ice Cream. This will be Bluebird’s 13th summer serving delicious small-batch ice cream and its tenth year on Phinney. They’ve recently moved across the street from their previous location on the same great block. They love being a part of ‘main street’ Phinney and like to say: ‘Their average customer is eight years old and keeps coming back at least until they graduate high school.’ One of these loyal connoisseurs will be scooping at Bluebird this summer! When Bluebird opened in 2008, they were one of the first local, homemade ice cream shops in town. A lot has changed since then though not the exceptional flavors and fanfare. Bluebird nails the classics, also offering one-of-a-kind, seasonal options. Snickerdoodle is one of their beloved flavors that delights both kids and adults year round.
Most Unique Flavors: Stout Beer, Maple Sugar with hints of wood smoke
Scavenger Hunt: Bluebird has been perfecting its Chocolate Pudding flavor: ‘It’s like a fudgesicle you scoop.’ Their original chocolate provider changed their ingredient profile, so after years of testing, Bluebird has reformulated their own recipe. They packed dozens of the original in a deep freeze and have successfully cloned that magical taste. Searching the world over, they’ve sourced a single U.S. distributor from Europe (most Bluebird ingredients are local), so it’s soon back on the menu! Their last batch sold out pints by the truckload within two hours. The scarcity and hype is real. Stay tuned, the HUNT IS ON!
The fourth stop on this delicious sweet tour is Coyle’s Bakeshop led by renowned pastry chef Rachael Coyle. After completing pastry school and working for eight years in Seattle and as the Culinary Director of Fremont’s Book Larder, Rachael started Coyle’s pop-up in 2013 which moved into its Phinney-Greenwood home in 2015. Rachael bakes all of the eclectic desserts she loves though much is influenced by her French training and study in Paris. Patrons love the British influence too: Victoria Sponge Cake, Scones, Shortbread, Layer Cakes, plus whole-sized Cakes and Galettes for order. Everything is housemade using French baking techniques with specialty ingredients like Italian chocolate buttercream. The menu is seasonal: fruit is the summer star and tour de force. Early summer, look for the Victoria Sponge Cake with housemade jam, fresh strawberries, and mascarpone cream. Pair that with Camber Coffee, fresh OJ, or a full menu of loose leaf tea. Other popular items include the currant cream scone, rotating croissants, bake-at-home scones, and homemade fruit jams for the summer and holidays.
Most Unique Flavors: Victoria Sponge Cake with seasonal fruit, Millionaire’s Shortbread with caramel, Chocolate layer cake, Cretzel (croissant-pretzel) with rosemary and flakey salt
Scavenger Hunt: Cream Puffs with rotating fillings are available on weekend mornings. The Twice Baked Hazelnut Croissants are limited to only some afternoons! Take your chances; every menu item is a slam dunk!
Diagonally across from the Woodlawn Park Zoo is A la Mode Pies. They do pies; and they do pies impeccably well. They started as the first online-ordering pie shop in Seattle in 2009 and opened their corner Phinney spot in 2011, taking over Dolly’s Dollhouse which had supplied neighborhood dollhouse items for 40 years. They have seen the traffic dramatically increase over the years along with demand for their incredible specialty pies. Now, it’s a rare day when they don’t sell out. Year after year, they are rated “Best Pie Shop” in town, serving 10-14 varieties daily, all made that morning and often served hot. The Strawberry Rhubarb pie is always a hit along with their signature Blue Hawaiian pie. You can still order pies online, and even months in advance for your celebration or holiday. They also sell a ‘bake-at-home’ savory Chicken Pot Pie that is a true labor of love – a three-day creation process with roasted chicken, broth made from the chicken scraps, and the mouth-watering taste of yesteryear’s home-cooked meals.
Most Unique Flavors: Blue Hawaiian pie with blueberry, crushed pineapple, and toasted coconut
Scavenger Hunt: The Bourbon Butterscotch is back! This beloved pie combines homemade pudding with rich caramel gently spiked with bourbon in a crust of vanilla wafers and toasted pecans. After a brief hiatus, try your luck at sampling a slice or the whole pie. What better way to celebrate summer than with A la Mode Pies! And be on the lookout for A la Mode’s third location opening this summer in Ballard. More pie for all!
Nutty Squirrel opened a decade ago and on Phinney in 2015, where the owners also live. They now have two spots: Phinney and Magnolia, where they make everything from scratch daily. They rotate a whopping 400 seasonal flavors, using their travel to Italy and beyond to inform and inspire new flavors. They use local and fresh ingredients without chemicals or preservatives – including Smith Brothers Milk, NW berries, and Oregon hazelnuts – plus specialty ingredients from Europe. Their ever popular chocolate fountain made with Valrhona Fair Trade Chocolate adds a layer of decadence to any order. You can order single-serving, or party size desserts and gelato cakes online for pick up. With a full espresso bar, the affogato (2 gelato scoops, 2 shots) is an adult favorite. Perfect for summer, try the dairy-free fruit sorbetto, vegan dark chocolate gelato, gelato milkshakes, and gelato pops … yum! The shop also currently hosts weekend pastry pop-ups with Bells Pastries on Saturdays and Sweet Nothings and More on Sundays.
Most Unique Flavors: Look for seasonal Banana Split, Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea, Minty Road, and summer gelato pops. Douse your scoop in the chocolate fountain to create a hard-chocolate shell outside and creamy inside.
Scavenger Hunt: Passionate about community building and advocacy, Nutty Squirrel finds creative ways to raise money for local schools. Their latest ‘Community Cookie kit’ has been a big hit, and they are busy planning more for this summer. See if you can scout your own kit next time you order!
With room in your second stomach for more desserts of course, find equally scrumptious treats at these outstanding PhinneyWood shops: Chocolati, Pie Bar, TM Dessert Works, and Modern also on our block. They were busy chocolatiering and such, but we’ve tried them first hand and must insist you do as well! Thank you to all of our local businesses for educating us and keeping us so well fed at every age.
Walking Greenwood Ave North, starting at Woodlawn Park Zoo:
