Phinney Farmers Market – Friday June 14, 3:30 – 7:30 pm. Enjoy your Friday afternoons at the Market, through September 27 in the Phinney Center’s upper parking lot. Grab dinner or a snack, listen to live music 5-7 pm, and get your fresh produce and other goodies for the week.

Art Up and Chow Down Phinneywood Art Walk – Friday June 14, 6 – 9pm. Art Up PhinneyWood artwalk is a monthly artwalk that promotes over 40 participating venues in Greenwood-Phinney. Organized by the PhinneyWood Arts Council, the artwalk occurs every 2nd Friday of each month. Come out and cruise the neighborhood from 6-9 pm and check out the latest art and special offerings each month.

Around the World Family Fun Day – Saturday June 15, 11am – 2pm. Held at the Greenwood Christian Church (8018 Fremont Ave N), this is free to the children of the community with accompanying adult. Festivities will include pony rides, a bouncy house, games & prizes, popcorn and hot dogs.

Family Old Time Music & Dance Party – Sunday June 16, 12:30pm – 4:30pm. Come on out to hear live music from the Open Old Time Dance Band and Seattle Collaborative Contra Band. Learn a few easy folk dances – no experience needed, all dances taught on the spot – play some tunes, and enjoy some potluck chow. Event will be at the Phinney Center.

The Seattle Public Library is excited to celebrate the opening of Alice Ball Park, 8100 Greenwood Ave. N., across the street from the Greenwood Branch. Join the community celebration from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, June 14 for the ribbon cutting and the official opening of the new park.

Everyone is invited to help create the ribbon for the opening ceremony. Drop by the Greenwood Branch, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N., 206-684-4086, anytime during open hours to decorate strips of paper for the community ribbon.

At the celebration, Library staff will be in the park’s “Reading Nook” with coloring sheets, books and giveaway prizes. The event also includes music by the Kenny Mandell duo, food from Valhalla Sandwiches and crafts from Re-Creative.

Library events are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required.

For more information, Ask Us or call 206-386-4636.

Please join Ballard District Council tonight for their City Council District 6 Candidate Forum. Note the change of location from the originally announced Sunset Hill Community Club to the Nordic Museum (2655 NW Market Street). This will be moderated by former Seattle City Councilmember and longtime journalist Jean Godden.

Seattle City Council District 6 encompasses the greater Ballard area, as well as Green Lake, Phinney Ridge, Fremont, and part of Greenwood. This panel will cover at-large issues as well as providing focus on Ballard-specific topics.

There will be 7 candidates participating in this forum:

• Jay Fathi
• Sergio Garcia
• Jon Lisbin
• Kate Martin
• Terry Rice
• Dan Strauss
• Heidi Wills

Doors will open at 6:30pm. Forum starts at 7pm.

Come to the zoo for an evening mix and mingle with your neighbors. Chat with other community members, cool down with ice cream and get up close to the zoo’s awesome ambassador animals.

Hoot for the Hood is free to neighbors of Woodland Park Zoo. Evening parking for the event is free of charge. The event is free of charge, but your RSVP is most appreciated.

Wednesday, June 12, 2019
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Woodland Park Zoo’s West Plaza

Enter through the West Entrance on Phinney Ave. N. between N. 55th and N. 56th Streets

PhinneyWood is full of wonderful people and great places that we all wish we knew more about. Resident Kevin Kozel periodically digs deeper to let us know more in a column we like to call … Hi Neighbor!

When PhinneyWood’s neighborhood bookstore, Santoro’s, chose not to renew their lease after nine years, the opportunity presented itself for one if its long-time residents. Author and avid reader Tom Nissley never planned on owning a bookstore, but after a little research the timing seemed right. Five years later, Phinney Books now fills the need for local readers and continues to expand its reach beyond the PhinneyWood community.

Kevin Kozel (KK): What made you decide to open a book store in PhinneyWood?

Tom Nissley (TM): It’s the only place I could imagine having one. I got an email from a friend who’s a real estate agent in the neighborhood that Santoro’s was for sale. My first reaction was, “That’s a crazy business, I don’t want to own a book store.” But I decided to look into it because it was the right time in my life. The more I looked into it, the more feasible it sounded.

KK: Book stores haven’t had the most positive outlook over the past 10-15 years, but that’s not the case for Phinney Books, is it?

TM: Things did look pretty rough for bookstores 10-15 years ago, but the last five years we’ve seen things swing back our way a bit. I think people just really like books and book stores. I worked at Amazon when the Kindle came out and a lot of folks really thought that there would be no physical books in five to ten years. But there’s something about a book that’s different… it’s a different machine.

KK: How does Phinney Books differentiate itself from an Amazon?

TM: There’s kind of an irony that Seattle might be the best book store town in the country and it’s also the home of Amazon. We’ve adjusted to Amazon and eBooks. The people who come in here are already educated consumers and they know they want to support a book store and they’re willing to pay a little more for the convenience or to have a store in their neighborhood. We’ve seen it all over Seattle and I think we’re starting to see it more across the country too.

KK: And the big chains have struggled while the independent book stores have found some success…

TM: Yeah. Borders closed and everyone knows that Barnes and Noble is having a hard time. I don’t think they offer much that Amazon doesn’t. Shoppers want a place where people will know them and that isn’t overwhelming. I think people like a place like this, small where someone has chosen what is here.

KK: Sure, you offer specialized knowledge that you don’t get in the stores that are just trying to carry everything.

TM: And those large stores had book sellers that really knew their stuff too, and they eventually moved away from that expertise.

KK: What has surprised you about owning a book store?

TM: I’ve been able to sell books that I find interesting, more than I thought I would. The selection has gotten more idiosyncratic over time because I’ve become more confident that I can actually sell them.

KK: Do you think people’s reading habits have changed because of internet access, cell phones, and other technology?

TM: Yes, I think one reason people come to books is to get a break from screens. You can relax without things jumping out at you or alerts.

KK: You also send out a weekly email newsletter. How many people do you send it to?

MM: Close to 2,000 and half of them actually open it, which I think is pretty good. The newsletter is very similar to what I did at Amazon, so it was the one thing I knew I could do. I’d never operated a cash register before, but I knew I could write about books for people.

KK: Tell me about your great window displays, you always have some sort of theme. What was the inspiration behind that?

TM: That’s the thing I hear about the store the most. A lot of it is one of our employees, Kim Kopetz. She loves it. When we opened I wasn’t really as imaginative about it. Now it’s a way for us to talk to you through books. It’s not all about the “new stuff.”

KK: You recently opened a second store in Madison Park. What led you to that location?

TM: It’s a very similar neighborhood in some ways. I don’t think I would ever consider opening a store in a place that didn’t have that kind of pedestrian center to it. Like PhinneyWood, it’s the kind of neighborhood where people can walk down the street and get pretty much anything they need.

KK: What role has the PNA played in our community?

TM: I think the presence of the PNA helps make us think of ourselves as a neighborhood in a way that others don’t. No other neighborhood really has that strong   community association that does so many things.

KK: We can’t end this interview without mentioning one of your other claims to fame, your time on “Jeopardy.” How many times were you on?

TM: I won 8 times and I’ve been back for a couple of tournaments. I think 14 times.

KK: Do you still watch regularly?

TM: I record it every night. Now that I’m pretty sure they’re never going to ask me back I’ve been happy to not watch every night. I can relax a little.

KK: You and fellow PhinneyWood “Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings are doing Trivia Night again this year, right?

TM: Yeah, this is the fourth or fifth year we’ve done it. It gets bigger every year. It’s tough to win, but it’s fun!

Phinney Books can be found at 7405 Greenwood Avenue and Madison Books at 4118 East Madison Street. Stop in for all of your reading needs or check out their window displays at the very least.

Also, be sure to sign up for “Jeopardy” Winners Trivia Night on Saturday, June 22, at the PNA.

Any person, place, or thing you want to know more about in our neighborhood? Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and we’ll look into making it a future feature on Hi Neighbor!

A dedicated group of volunteers have been working over the last several months to create a “community wood shop”, housed in the small outbuilding at the north end of the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s brick building.

The community is invited to come see the shop space as work in progress on Saturday, June 8^th from 9 am to 2 pm and enjoy a cup of coffee and doughnut. 

The mission of the shop is to build and support a broad community of fabrication and woodworking members who are enthusiastic about learning, teaching, sharing, and inspiring one another with creativity, skill and community service.

In addition to the nearly 80 registered local garage sales, there are a number of interesting and useful parallel events happening on Saturday:

Shop: Peruse nearly 80 yard sales throughout the neighborhood, aided by an official printed or online interactive map. Check out the flea market in the Phinney Center’s lower parking lot and visit the tool sale at the PNA Tool Library.

Salvage: Donate to Goodwill and recycle electronics, household goods, textiles, and styrofoam at the Phinney Center.

Shred: Shred up to four boxes of paper with Seadrunar Recycling’s shredding truck from 9 am-1 pm.

Swap & adopt plants: Bring plants, pots, gardening books and tools to exchange, or pick up some new plants for free!

Sneak peek: PNA’s newest program- a Community Woodshop – is underway. Stop by for a free cup of coffee and a doughnut, see the space, and learn about all about it. (Located in the outbuilding at the north end of the Brick Building)

The popular Phinney Farmer’s Market opens for the season tomorrow at 3:30pm, in the upper parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Association. The market runs for just 15 weeks, June 7-September 27. Grab dinner or a snack, listen to live music from 5-7 pm, and get your fresh produce and other goodies for the week. This Friday there will also be a voter registration drive from 5-7pm by volunteers from the 36th District Democrats.

The PNA partners with the Seattle Neighborhood Farmers Markets, a community-based non-profit which brings Washington State farmers into the city to sell their farm-fresh produce.  Check out their Ripe ‘n’ Ready Report to see what you might expect to find each week. See current vendor list on the Phinney Market page.

The market accepts EBT (food stamps), WIC and Senior market coupons. Shoppers can also buy market gift certificates, Phinney Farmers Market t-shirts and sturdy, colorful canvas shopping bags at the Farmers Market info tent.

Date: Friday, June 7, 2019

Time: 3:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Phinney Center 6532 Phinney Ave N

Tonight’s meeting will focus on a near-term backyard cottage proposal that may be voted on as soon as June 18, and PRCC’s District 6 Council Election Candidate Questionnaire. There will also be policy updates that affect our neighborhood, as well as discussions of current development projects that are occurring or in the pipeline for Phinney-Greenwood. The evening’s agenda can be found here.

June Community Council Meeting

Tuesday, June 4, 7PM

Phinney Neighborhood Center – 6352 Phinney Ave N, Blue Building room 3

Don’t miss seeing the 2019 NWFAC art show, featuring 46 amazing pieces by 27 talented artists, including Juror’s Choice artists Kelly Johnston. Through June 14  upstairs in the Phinney Neighborhood Association Blue Building, open weekdays 9-9 and Saturdays 9-2.

The Phinney Center Gallery supports local emerging artists, with rotating shows throughout the year. The gallery shows are advertised to 20,000 local community members and thousands of people visit the Phinney Center each month.

Open hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am-9 pm
Saturday: 9 am-2 pm

This Sunday, the Greenwood Senior Center presents a special film and discussion event: The Caregivers’ Club – Sun, June 2, 2-4 pm.

“Love doesn’t make it easier, it just keeps you there.” These are words from a member of the “club” no one hopes to join: The Caregivers’ Club. Its members are the relatives of someone diagnosed with dementia. 
In this film, meet three members and get a candid, intimate glimpse into their daily lives, as they navigate their journey as caregivers with humor and frustration. 

We encourage the whole community–including those who are not caregivers– to join us to learn how we all can support these unseen and unsung heroes.

More info: http://bit.ly/carefilm

The Greenwood Senior Center, a program of the Phinney Neighborhood Association, is located at 525 N. 85^th Street in Seattle.

For questions or to RSVP please call or 206-297-0875, visit phinneycenter.org/caregivers-club or email cecily@phinneycenter.org.

As a part of the 17th Annual Ballard Jazz Festival, the Jazz Walk starts tonight at 6pm. Starting at The Cathedral (5449 Ballard Ave NW), there will be 16 groups in 10 venues all for a single ticket price.

The most recognizable event of the festival brings together all styles of jazz and a New Orleans atmosphere with listeners pouring from club-to-club making this a truly one-of-a-kind event. Advance tickets are available here.

On Sunday from 1-5pm, Lucky Envelope Brewing, Populuxe Brewing, Reuben’s Brews and Stoup Brewing are hosting the 3rd Annual Ballard Putt Putt & Brew Crawl for Bellwether Housing. Join the breweries for a fun afternoon of putt putt, craft beer, and a costume contest, all while helping Bellwether Housing create affordable homes.

Bellwether is operating in partnership with our North Seattle Boys & Girls Club to develop the site for future affordable housing, while still offering youth programming after the project is complete.

Saturday’s weather looks to be beautiful, so after breakfast pack the kids on cargo bikes and head down to the heart of Greenwood for family activities and fun.

Start with The 7th annual PhinneyWood Pride Rainbow Hop, a family-friendly LGTBQ celebration that stretches from 67th through 87th on Greenwood. There will be an abundance of activities for all ages, including cupcake and cookie decorating, tie-dying rainbow capes, face painting, and much more. You can find the activity map here.

The event kicks off with Drag Queen Story time at the library (10:30am and noon, with free tickets available at the library starting at 10am) and culminates with a free kid’s concert by the Harmonica Pocket at 1pm in Morrow Lane. Anyone with 6 activity stamps on their maps can redeem them at the concert for a free Woodland Park Zoo ticket.

“Seattle’s First Cargo Bike Festival“, put on by G&O Family Cyclery, will be in Morrow Lane from noon – 4pm. This event features family friendly activities and the chance to ride the best cargo bikes in the world. There will also be a bouncy castle and many informative vendors and speakers.

The seasonal Butterfly Garden is back at the zoo running through Monday, September 2.

The show has become a favorite of zoo guests, as patrons can take a walk among hundreds of free-flying butterflies and fresh flowers inside an enclosed space measuring nearly 3,000 square feet. The zoo has excellent signage about the life cycle of butterflies, and guests can watch new butterflies emerge from chrysalises before flying free in the garden. 

Take a few steps behind the Butterfly Garden to enjoy the year-round Pollinator Patio. This garden is full of ideas and actions to take on behalf of native pollinators such as hummingbirds, beetles, bees and flies – an engaging educational experience for all ages.

While other cities are canceling Drag Queen Story Time as “too controversial”, our neighborhood is embracing this Pride-centered tradition and celebrating diversity and family this Saturday from 10:30am – 1:30pm.

The 7th annual PhinneyWood Pride Rainbow Hop: a family-friendly LGTBQ celebration for everyone. Join the neighborhood to kick off Pride month with face painting, arts and crafts, and other exciting activities.

Participating businesses along the “Hop Route” will host activities that promote inclusiveness and fun. The event map with all the activities will be available in mid-May, both here and at participating locations.

Explore the neighborhood, have fun, and get your map stamped at each stop. Kids who collect 6 stamps or more on their map can exchange it for a ticket to the Woodland Park Zoo.

Drag Queen Story Time:

At: Seattle Public Library, Greenwood Branch, 8016 Greenwood Ave N.

Reading 1: 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Reading 2: 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Join drag queen Londyn Bradshaw and friends for free story time at The Seattle Public Library! Bring children 7 and under to enjoy stories, songs, and a photo opportunity.  This is a very popular, free, ticketed event. Tickets are available first come first served, starting at 10 a.m. at the library.

Londyn Bradshaw is a drag queen community activist, leader of a charity organization and a cheer/dance coach who believes in giving lots of her time to charity and volunteering to make the world a more positive place.

Free Kids’ Concert by The Harmonica Pocket:

Starting at 1 pm in Morrow Lane, next to Verity Credit Union, the world famous  The Harmonica Pocket will perform for our great Rainbow Hop participants.

The Harmonica Pocket begins with the swinging songs of songwriter Keeth Monta Apgar. He delivers thick jazz chord progressions with storytelling lyrics wrapped up into thoughtful, mature songs.

The Harmonica Pocket songs are brought to life by a rotating musical gang of players and are as diverse as the musicians who play on them.

The 4th annual Greenwood Couth Community Jazz Festival begins tonight at 7:30pm at the Greenwood institution known as the Couth Buzzard.

Aiming to promote great local jazz artists and encouraging gender, age, and ethnic diversity in the Seattle jazz community, this eclectic fest produced by 2018 Golden Ear Award recipient Kenny Mandell follows the genre from early days to present-day experimentation. You can see the entire schedule here.

Check out the excellent write-up of the festival in the May 2019 issue of Earshot Jazz magazine for more info and the history of this growing event!

Tickets are available at the Couth Buzzard.

Adia (uh-DEE-uh), Woodland Park Zoo’s sole female South African lion, passed away yesterday, May 21, at 9 years old from complications during surgery. The lion had been anesthetized for a procedure recheck exam at the zoo’s veterinary hospital due to slow healing after recent abdominal surgery.

“During yesterday’s procedure, we took radiographs of Adia and discovered complications that required emergency surgery. We were able to surgically resolve these problems but, unfortunately, she went into cardiac arrest just prior to anesthetic recovery. Despite exhaustive efforts to save her, we were unsuccessful,” said Dr. Tim Storms, associate veterinarian at Woodland Park Zoo.

“This is a very sad time for our zoo family. Adia had given birth to two litters of seven amazing cubs with two different companions,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “The keepers who provided excellent day-to-day care fondly remember Adia as being energetic, playful and always excited to see her keepers every morning. Breakfast was her favorite time of the day. She was queen of the felines building at the zoo.”

Woodland Park Zoo partners with and supports the Ruaha Carnivore Project, which is protecting as much as 10% of the remaining population of wild lions in their landscape. To help support the project, adopt a lion through the zoo’s ZooParent Adoption Program: www.zoo.org/zooparent.

Tonight from 3-10 PM, $1 from every pint sold at Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery will benefit Bike Works. Bike Works promotes the bicycle as a vehicle for change to empower youth and build resilient communities. Since 1996 they have worked to educate and empower youth, and make bicycling accessible and affordable to the Seattle community.

Bike Works will collecting bike donations on site, raffling off prizes, and enjoying member-driven beers. Dogs and kids are welcome, with supervision. Food is available for purchase on-site, and you are welcome to bring your own food with you.

When: Thursday May 23, 3:00 – 10:00 pm

Where: Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery
8570 Greenwood Ave N

This forum is sponsored by Transit Riders Union, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, 350 Seattle, Cascade Bicycle Club, Disability Rights Washington, Rooted in Rights, Housing Development Consortium, Lime, Seattle Subway, Sierra Club, and The Urbanist. It will be moderated by Heidi Groover (reporter for the Seattle Times and formerly for The Stranger).

Accessing the Event: The Phinney Neighborhood Association (lower building), can be reached via transit on Metro route 5. Bike parking is available on the west side of the building. This event is wheelchair accessible and CART services will be provided.

District 6 Candidate Forum
Tuesday, May 21, 5:30-7:30 pm (Doors open at 5:15, forum starts promptly at 5:30 pm)
Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave N – lower brick building, Community Hall

PhinneyWood is full of wonderful people and great places that we all wish we knew more about. Resident Kevin Kozel periodically digs deeper to let us know more in a column we like to call … Hi Neighbor!

The 74th Street Ale House is a long-time staple of the PhinneyWood community. Known for good food, good drink, and good service, it has provided a cozy atmosphere for 28 years. When longtime owner Jeff Eagan decided that operating three ale houses in Seattle was two too many, he didn’t have to look far for new owners at 74th Street. Let’s get to know long-time employees, and new owners, Kathy Christopher and Morgan McDowell.

Kevin Kozel (KK): So, how long have you two been here at the 74th Street Ale House?

Kathy Christopher (KC): I’ve been here 27 years, so a year after the Ale House opened. I didn’t think I would ever be here that long, but I liked their vision. They let me do what I wanted with the food, and then it just became family. I love the place.

Morgan McDowell (MM): I’ve been here 18 years. I moved up this way and started coming here because of the beer and the food. I was in the industry and always thought it would be a fun place to work, so I got a job as a part-time server. In about a year I became bar manager, and a year and a half later the general manager spot opened up. So I’ve been the GM for about 15 years.

KK: How did the opportunity for you two to own the Ale House come about?

KC: I’ve spent so much time here. I love the neighborhood and the employees. It’s where I’ve been for a long time. We have been running it for the “Jeffs” (former owners Jeff Eagan and Jeff Reich), so it just seemed like a natural transition.

KK: Did you decide that together you could take that next step?

KC: Well we’re married.

MM: We met working here and now we’ve been married about nine years. We’ve both invested quite a number of years in this place. You feel a bit of ownership and have a sense of family. We know people that come here on a regular basis since we both started, so there is definitely that sense of community. We couldn’t imagine finding another job, so we did everything we could to make it happen.

KK: And of course it has some sentimental value for you as a couple as well.

KC: Absolutely!

MM: Yes, there’s been a lot of blood, sweat, and tears put into it. It would be hard to walk away from this place.

KK: One thing I’ve noticed since living in this neighborhood is that you guys do an amazing lunch business. It’s not very common around here. What do you think the reason for that is?

KC: I would say it’s the food and the staff. Most importantly the staff.

MM: Both are very consistent. Our newest employees have been here at least three years… maybe five.

KC: We have some people that have been here 20 years.

KK: So you really have this family vibe on many levels.

MM: The people coming in here know who’s working and they know their stories. I think that has a lot to do with it.

KK: Right, it has a very British feeling in that it’s the neighborhood pub.

MM: Well when the Jeffs chose this concept it was inspired by their travels in Europe. It was also when the craft beer scene was just starting here. They were one of the first ones in on that scene. It made this a destination place when you combined it with the type of food they were doing. It wasn’t deep fryers, poppers, and chicken wings. It was a different take on what pub food could be paired with craft beer

KK: Now that it’s your place, is there anything you want to change about it or do you want to like it just the way it is?

KC: We want to keep the tradition and the feel of the place the same. I am going to change some of the stuff on the menu, but nothing drastic.

KK: You’re not going to get rid of the Reuben?

KC: No! Never, that’s my Reuben. It’s our number one seller.

MM: That’s sacred, it won’t be touched for sure. We’ve brought in a full bar. We’re still working on that, but we’ve got all of the basics so far. We’ll be adding some scotches and some higher end whiskeys. We’ve expanded our wine list and hopefully that will grow and become more dynamic. We’re not looking to be a sports bar or change the identity, we’re just trying to update it a little bit.

KC: And we’re doing flowers again.

MM: That was one of the things we wanted to bring back.We used to have fresh flowers every week and eventually it kind of went by the wayside. We both missed it, so it was one of the first things we brought back and the people at Terra Bella do a really awesome job.

KK: Any plans for a formal announcement for the transition?

MM: We hope to have a 28th Anniversary/Grand Re-Opening Party soon!

KK: That’s great, it can be a “We’re new, but still sticking with tradition” party.

Be sure to keep your eyes open for the latest info on the Anniversary/Re-Opening Party at the 74th Street Ale House’s website and Facebook page.

Any person, place, or thing you want to know more about in our neighborhood? Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and we’ll look into making it a future feature on Hi Neighbor!

Join over 100 other garage and yard sales throughout our community on Saturday June 8 for this busy annual event. Those who wish to be on the official printed or online interactive map must register by Monday, May 10.

You can learn more about the event, which also includes a plant swap, a flea market, free e-cycling and Styrofoam recycling, and free document shredding, here.

Saturday, June 8, 2019 @ 9:00 am – 2:00 pm

In spite of light showers predicted for this Friday, it’s time to dust off the velocipede and celebrate this much-loved two-wheel locomotion!

There are many stations throughout Seattle that will support this annual event, and you can check out the map here. Greenwood’s own G&O Family Cyclery will be outside the Green Lake Playground from 8 – 9:30am. They will have “really good” coffee and fun bikes for the community to test ride.  RSVP here.

Didn’t get enough of our massive District 6 City Council field last month at the jam-packed Speak Out Seattle event at the PNA? Travel down the hill to attend the Ballard Alliance Candidate Forum and meet with several candidates running for Seattle City Council in the upcoming 2019 election.

Come learn about what the candidates’ plans are for District 6 and the neighborhood so you can make the most informed choice at the ballot box this year. This forum will be moderated by Enrique Cerna.

This is a free event and all are welcome to attend. Please indicate that you are coming via Facebook.

Wednesday May 15, 6:30-8:30pm, Leif Erikson Hall – 2245 NW 57th St

The Greenwood Seafair Parade, the oldest neighborhood Seafair Parade in the region, is celebrating its 70^th year on Wednesday, July 24. Applications are now available to march in the parade.  The parade route starts at Greenwood Avenue and N. 95th, marches South to N. 85th, then west to 6th NW.

School groups, drill teams, organizations, businesses, community groups, churches, and others are invited to participate. Applications are due July 1. Download the application.   

Questions? Contact Vicki Hoyt, Parade Director at GreenwoodParade@comcast.net

If you’re familiar with pop-up restaurant Sazon Tacos from Bite of Seattle and other venues, then you will be thrilled to learn that Chef Aldo Góngora is opening up a new Mexican restaurant just down the hill.

Sazon Kitchen opens this weekend for breakfast and brunch and will bequeath the passionate brunch crowd with such items as chilaquiles, machaca (beef stew, served with eggs and beans), and grain casseroles. It will also have pastries from Macrina Bakery, coffee from Caffe Vita, and mimosas. 

7301 15th Ave NW, open every day except Wednesday from 7am – 3pm

Friday, May 10, 6-9 pm & Saturday, May 11, 12-5 pm

This weekend is the annual PhinneyWood Art Walk: The BIG One. Now in its 24th year, the BIG One will feature art in 60+ businesses in the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood. The BIG One typically includes photography, sculpture, collage, oils, watercolors, prints, glass, metal and fiber art, ceramics and mixed media.

Over the years, this hugely popular event has turned into a neighborhood party with musical performances in participating businesses and churches, street performers, chalk art and activities for children. In the spirit of the art walk theme of “Art Up, Chow Down,” restaurants and pubs are encouraged to participate as well by offering music or menu specials.  For additional information, check artupphinneywood.com or the art walk’s Facebook page.

Also, The Northwest Fine Arts Competition Opening Reception is this evening at the Phinney Center. Celebrate artists of the Pacific Northwest. View 46 pieces by 27 local artists, chosen by a jury. Meet the artists, enjoy refreshments and music by the Phinney Ridge Youth Orchestra, vote for your favorite piece for People’s Choice, and maybe even add to your collection. A must-stop on your BIG One Art Walk tour! The show will be on display from May 8 to June 14.

As part of Seattle Beer Week (May 9 – 19), all eleven breweries of the Ballard Brewery District have teamed up for a special promotion. Visit each brewery over the course of the ten-day celebration, get stamps in your specially marked passport and claim a limited-edition Ballard Brewery District commemorative patch.

Promotion Rules:

1.      You must visit each brewery between 5/9 and 5/19 and obtain a stamp on your Ballard Brewery Passport. Stamps obtained outside of these dates will not count towards your redemption of your patch. Sorry!

2.      You must obtain a specially marked passport bearing a Seattle Beer Week sticker on the cover. These are available at each brewery.

3.      You must visit all eleven breweries.

4.      Please drink responsibly. You have ten days to complete your passport. Pace yourself!

5.      Patches can be redeemed at your final brewery. Be advised that supplies are limited.

About:
Spearheaded by the Ballard Alliance, and made possible by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development’s Only in Seattle project, the Ballard Brewery Passport program showcases the walk-ability and quality of the Ballard Brewery district.

The Breweries:
Bad Jimmy’s Brewing
Hale’s Ales
Lagunita’s Brewing
Lucky Envelope Brewing
Maritime Pacific
NW Peaks Brewery
Obec Brewing
Peddler Brewing
Populuxe Brewing
Reuben’s Brews
Stoup Brewing

GiveBIG is a 24-hour day of online giving which takes place on May 8, 2019. GiveBIG2019.org provides an easy-to-use platform for donors to search, support, and donate to participating Washington state nonprofits. 

Tax-exempt organizations (approved by the IRS) with a headquarters or a service location in Washington State are invited to participate in GiveBIG2019. If your favorite nonprofit is not listed, contact the organization and give directly to them. Suggest they register for GiveBIG next year!

Come experience Greenwood’s only aerial studio! Acts by the “talented, daring, and always forward-thinking students of Versatile Arts” happen only 3-4 times per year, and this is a good way to come experience the space. VA has a robust and respected youth program, so bring your curious potential students.

Performances are Friday, May 10 at 8pm and Saturday, May 11 at  4pm & 8pm. Doors open 30 minutes before the performance. The studio is located at 7601 Greenwood Ave N, behind Bohemian Studios and CrossFit.

Tickets are $20 in Advance, $25 at the Door, $35 for VIP (reserved seats with a special treat). Children 12 and under are half price. Purchase your tickets here: https://my.versatilearts.net/rsvp/presale.php

The Ballard High School Playmakers will stage two, one-act plays about school gun violence in their annual spring production. The community is invited to attend. Please share with your followers.

Bang Bang You’re Dead! was first produced at Thurston High School in Springfield, Ore., where a fatal shooting took place the previous year. It opens in character Josh’s cell after he has killed his parents and five classmates. The ghosts of the classmates demand to know why he killed them.

Eric LaRue is the story of Janice LaRue, the mother of Eric, a 17-year-old boy who shot and killed three of his classmates in school. Three months after Eric is jailed, Janice has not yet gone to see him or found a way to show herself in her community.

The cast features 19 BHS students, and the play is directed by Joe Lambright.Performance Details

The performances will be on May 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th Street, Seattle, Washington, 98117. The performances begin at 7:30 pm.Tickets

***Parental advisory due to subject matter*** Reserved seating tickets are available for purchase at https://showtix4u.com. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors.

For their upcoming meeting, the PRCC will be engaging in two important agenda items.

First, there will be a Board nomination and election process. There are 15 board positions, half of which are elected each year for a 2-year term. The PRCC’s stated purpose is to inform residents and encourage participation in significant policies that affect the character of the Phinney Ridge neighborhood.  Board members must live, work, own property or a business between Aurora Ave North & 8th Ave. NW and North 46th St. & North 75th St. For more information contact Phinneyridge.ccouncil@gmail.com and visit http://www.phinneyridgecc.org.

Second, there will be an activity involving the development of the PRCC questionnaire for the District 6 City Council candidates. The primary election is scheduled for August 6, with the top two candidates going to the general election on November 5. You can learn more about who is running for the D6 position here.

Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N., 7pm

Nicole Brodeur of the Seattle Times recently featured Woodland Park Presbyterian Church in her article “Subversive saints show up in Phinney Ridge, just in time for Easter.”

The title comes from the church’s Art Walk collection depicting “Subversive Saints,” such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dolores Huerta, Fred Rogers, and Grace Lee Boggs.

Now in its 24th year, the BIG One will feature art in 70-80 businesses and churches in the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood next Friday and Saturday (5/10-5/11). The BIG One typically includes photography, sculpture, collage, oils, watercolors, prints, glass, metal and fiber art, ceramics and mixed media.

Art Walk maps and information on participating venues will be available online at ArtUpPhinneyWood.com and at participating businesses the week of the event.

Spring has sprung, and so have the weeds!  Your neighborhood elders need your help.  Please join the PNA Village on May 11 for their Community Gardening Day.  On this day, the Village will bring together members of our community to provide spring clean- up (i.e. weeding, trimming, planting).

Work will be done in small teams from 9am – 1pm, with each team gardening at two homes. This is a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and participate in the PNA Village’s mission to build community around our elders. Families are encouraged to participate together and community groups are welcome. No gardening experience is necessary.

Plan to arrive at the Greenwood Senior Center, 525 N 85^th Street, no later than 9am to be placed into a team.  So that we can plan appropriately, your RSVP is required at village@phinneycenter.org or 206-789-1217.

The Phinney Center’s annual auction is this Saturday, May 4 from 5-9pm. If you want to be able to choose your table and the people you sit with for the live auction, tickets must be purchased by this Friday. Tickets available here

Auction highlights this year include a vacation in San Miguel De Allende, Paella dinner for 25, and a week-long family on Orcas Island. You can view the catalog highlights here

Enjoy a magnificent buffet from That Brown Girl Cooks! during the silent auction and irresistible desserts at the live auction. Auctioneer extraordinaire Jerry Toner will be returning for his 20th and final year at this PNA event.

Join your friends and neighbors for this swinging annual bash, supporting neighborhood programs for children, seniors, low-income people, and the entire community through the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Celebrate el Día de la Niñez with Latin Grammy winners 123 Andrés! Andrés and Christina, both native Spanish speakers, bring a high-energy, interactive show with beats and rhythms from all over Latin America that will entice little ones to jump, dance & discover, and get the whole family moving, en Español y en Inglés. Check them out at: http://www.123andres.com/

PCPE is Seattle’s only Spanish-language Cooperative preschool. All proceeds go towards funding scholarships for families for whom preschool education might not otherwise be accessible.

The performance starts 6:30 p.m. Frelard Tamales will be selling food. Snacks for kids will also be available.

PhinneyWood is full of wonderful people and great places that we all wish we knew more about. Resident Kevin Kozel periodically digs deeper to let us know more in a column we like to call … Hi Neighbor!

If you live in PhinneyWood, you know Marty Spiegel. Even if you don’t “know” Marty Spiegel, you know him. It’s just one of the rites of passage that comes with becoming a resident. You move in, you need a light bulb or some duct tape and you head to Greenwood Hardware because it’s a few minutes away … and that’s when you learn that this is not just any local hardware store. One of the many polite and helpful employees helps you out, but if wasn’t Marty you probably still saw him helping another customer. He always seems to be there, helping everyone get to the bottom of their latest home need. It’s time we got to know more about the man that everyone in PhinneyWood knows.

Kevin Kozel (KK): Marty, how long have you been here at Greenwood Hardware?

Marty Spiegel (MS): I came back from New York in ’93. I’ve been working here since early ’94. This was my retirement.

KK: So 25 years then.

MS: Someone mentioned that to me the other day. I never count, but yes, nearly 25 years. People come in whose kids I saw when they were little babies and now they’re teenagers. Some of them even have their own kids! It makes me think a little bit about it.

KK: Being here that long, with people coming and going, you probably know some of these homes better than the people that live in them.

MS: That may be. I may not have actually seen what was done in a house, but I’ve talked to lots of people about what they were going to do; the bathrooms, the plumbing, some of the construction, backyards, decks, all that kind of stuff.

KK: I’m sure you’ve fielded all kinds of questions over the years.

MS: We solve a lot of things. We basically work as translators. Customers come in and they say, “I’ve got this thing and it looks like this.” We have to figure out what it is, what they need, or how best we can fix it. We act as a pep talk team and give them a little information on how you do this or that.

KK: What makes a neighborhood hardware store like Greenwood Hardware different than all of the giant chains out there?

MS: Because we’ve been here since 1948, almost everybody knows us. We’ve managed to hold our own because we really are a “green” store and have been for a long time. We focus on environmental issues and I think people appreciate that. It’s that kind of town. We also focus on the fact that the neighborhood is changing, and we try and listen to what people tell us and go after that.

KK: Sometimes I forget just how many different things you have here. The store is bigger than it seems, but if I ever need a light bulb or a battery, it’s easy for me to just pop right over and pick it up.

MS: I think people feel that way about us and that’s good. That’s what we want. We don’t expect people to spend thousands of dollars here. Some people do, but if you come in and need 49 cents of nuts and bolts that’s perfectly fine. That’s what we’re here to do.

KK: What about this winter? It’s seemed pretty demanding.

MS: This winter was a strange occurrence. In the space of those February storms we had trucks bringing us snow melt, sleds, shovels. Whatever they had in the warehouse we took. People were lined up in the store waiting for us to unload the truck and it would be gone in an hour. That happened five days in a row.

KK: I thought you all handled it very well. All of the stores around here were running out of things.

MS: The best policy for us was to communicate that we had more on order and when we thought it would be here. We put stuff online telling people to check our website. In fairness to everybody, we decided that we would limit how many things people could buy. If we ran out, we would make sure the next person in line was first tomorrow. We made sure the people who were patient about it got covered. It worked well and most people were cool about it.

KK: Last question, what is the best part of being the “Marty at Greenwood Hardware” that everybody knows?

MS: Meeting the people and the dogs (laughs). In my private life I’m very quiet, so this is my social time. I get to see people I know, that I’ve known for years, meet new people, and help them with a problem. I like that. Problem solving is what I do and it’s what I’ve done with all of the kinds of things that I’ve done. So I’m going to keep doing it until they carry me out of here.

If you’ve got a problem for Marty to solve, visit him at 7201 Greenwood Ave North.

Any person, place, or thing you want to know more about in our neighborhood? Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and we’ll look into making it a future feature on Hi Neighbor!

Today is notable for two reasons: it is Seattle Independent Bookstore Day, and the grand opening of Madison Books, which will be owned and managed by Tom Nissley and Laura Silverstein of Phinney Books.

The Greenwood store will be celebrating with slices of Coyle’s rhubarb bundt cake for the first arrivals, as well as custom letterpress bookmarks available only on Bookstore Day. There will be hands-on craft workshops: 11am handmade sparkly vinyl pencil cases, and 1pm hand-sewn journals. From 9am to 3pm there will be an artist available to draw your face (or the face of a favorite author) on a custom Phinney Books bookmark. Lastly, there will be exclusive Bookstore Day items, including local Seattle Bookstore Day temporary tattoos and an impressive array of one-time-only items from Miriam Toews, Tui T. Sutherland, Kelly Barnhill, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and many more.

Lucky Envelope Brewing Anniversary Celebration. Join Lucky Envelope for their Anniversary Celebration at the tasting room (907 NW 50th Street) this Saturday, April 27th from Noon-10pm. This year’s anniversary has cultural significance: The number four in Chinese tradition is unlucky because the Chinese word for the number sounds similar to the word death.

This year’s celebration brings a new Hazy IPA along with the return of some fan favorites. There will also be some red envelopes to give away and some new branded merchandise for sale. Beanfish food truck will be serving their delicious sweet & savory Taiyaki offerings from 3pm-8pm.

Ribbon-Cuting Celebration. Come join ALUV and artist Vicki Scuri as they cut the ribbon on “Aurora Bright Dawn”, the City of Seattle’s newest public art located at the pedestrian overpass at Oaktree Plaza. Aurora Bright Dawn was commissioned by the City of Seattle’s Arts & Culture as part of the Neighborhood Street Fund (NSF) program. The NSF program funds projects requested by the community and is helping achieve ALUV’s goal of building community together- A safe, pedestrian-friendly, inclusive urban village that works for everyone.      

This will be located at Oaktree Plaza Pedestrian Crossing Aurora Ave N at N 102nd St. on Saturday, April 27th at noon.

David Roth in concert at the Phinney Center. Our former Seattle neighbor David Roth (now living on Cape Cod) has written music that has traveled the world. He ranges from holistic to hilarious, poignant to improbable.

April 27, 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm
Doors open 30 minutes before the show.
Phinney Center Concert Hall, Brick Building
6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

Breaking White Silence project: White people for Racial Justice and Social Justice, a project of the PNA, is designed to educate white people on the structures and patterns of racism. One facet of this project is forming free, facilitated study groups to read and discuss Dr. Robin DiAngelo’s What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy (Revised Edition). Dr. DiAngelo is a race and social justice educator and author of the 2018 New York Times best-selling book White Fragility. Her work has been featured at the Seattle Public Library and in Salon, NPR, Slate, and The New Yorker.

Come to this training session if you are considering facilitating a study group of any size, in private or public settings. Please RSVP (see below) and read through the Facilitator’s Toolkit before the training session, which you can download here.

This session will be an interactive nuts-and-bolts training and assumes familiarity with the toolkit, as well as the project’s history and some core understandings about racism.

For more information or to RSVP for the training, please contact Cecily at cecily@phinneycenter.org.

Saturday, April 27, 2-4pm

Greenwood Branch, Seattle Public Library 8016 Greenwood Ave N

Our local, beloved gelato shop is now more accessible and diverse. In addition to award-winning frozen treats, they now have a full espresso bar, teas, and fresh baked pastries including croissants, pain au chocolat, and Tiramisu.

Additionally, Nutty Squirrel is now open at 7am to accommodate the morning commute. Don’t worry if Google says otherwise, as owners Alev and Tolga Seymen are doing their best to convince the internet their hours have changed.

Join your friends and neighbors for this swinging annual bash, supporting neighborhood programs for children, seniors, low-income people, and the entire community through the Phinney Neighborhood Association.

Win one-of-a-kind items and experiences at the silent and live auctions, from local artisan wares and theater tickets to gourmet dinners and vacation getaways. You can view the catalog highlights here.

Enjoy a magnificent buffet from That Brown Girl Cooks! during the silent auction and irresistible desserts at the live auction. Auctioneer extraordinaire Jerry Toner will be returning for his 20th year at this PNA event.

Saturday, May 4, 5pm – 9:30pm. Tickets available here

Based on the classic animated film, Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS is being performed tonight by the Greenwood Stars Musical Theater Club. Curtain is 7pm at Greenwood elementary, 144 NW 80th St.

Each show is approximately 30 minutes long. Front door donations ($5/family suggested) and proceeds from the pre-performance bake sale/concession stand support the Greenwood PTA and Musical Theater Club. 

Woodland Park Zoo’s annual Bunny Bounce, a day of egg hunts for kids and Easter treats for animals. The spring event offers fun egg hunts for children ages 1 to 8, crafts, animal encounters and engaging zoo programs throughout the day. Space for egg hunts might be limited and is open on a first-come, first-served basis. As part of the zoo’s conservation mission, families must bring their own egg hunt basket or reusable bag. Saturday, April 20, 9:30am – 3pm

Seattle Folklore Society Concert this Saturday at the Phinney Center.
Music fans know Chris Webster and Nina Gerber as two of the most skilled and artful musical talents. Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while Gerber’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they’re magic. With originals, tasteful covers-soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk, a great show. Saturday, April 20, 7:30pm – 10pm. Tickets available here.

Clean up the Burke with Washington Wild. Join the Washington Wild as they celebrate their first ever Earth Day Community Clean-Up! Bring your friends and family to give the Burke Gilman Trail and Ballard Bridge some badly needed TLC. Starting from Peddler Brewing Company’s outdoor beer garden in Ballard. Washington Wild representatives will be distributing cleaning materials provided by Seattle Public Utilities and directing groups of volunteers to the Ballard Bridge and Burke Gilman Trail. Cohort heads out promptly at 12. View the Facebook event here.

Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-Op’s Gently Used Kid’s Gear Sale. This popular event will offer fantastic good deals on gently used clothing, shoes, toys, books, strollers, bedding, safety equipment, sports gear, car seats, winter gear, maternity wear, and much more. Phinney Center Brick Building, Community Hall. Saturday, April 20, 9am – 1pm.

The Phinney Ridge Starbucks is closing, and their last day in operation will be July 9 according to manager Mattie Hogan. There is not currently any indication that Starbucks Corporate is looking at new locations in the Phinney or Greenwood neighborhoods.

Mattie says that there will be a big going away party for the store around late June or early July. Dates and details are still being finalized, but we’ll post here when we know the details and you can follow the store’s Instagram, phinneybux, for updates.

All employees at the Phinney Ridge location are guaranteed jobs with other Starbucks stores if they want them, says Mattie. She says she has been able to place everyone at their top choice store so far, so folks are not losing their sources of income as a result of the closure.

To find out where employees are going, look out for a Partner of The Week feature inside the store starting in late April. The feature will highlight one employee each week and say where they’re going, and includes a way to write messages to employees. Look out for these features and other fun activities in the store, and on the phinneybux Instagram.

One resource that we’re looking at adding to the PhinneyWood Blog is a community job board. We feel like it’s important to provide this to our business district in order to give them a direct connection to people looking for a short commute and wanting to work in their neighborhood. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, we know of a couple local businesses that are in the hunt for great people.

The Stage Door Cafe in the Taproot Theatre is seeking an Order Fulfillment Specialist.

This position requires a person who can work in a structured but mostly independent environment. Orders are retrieved via website & email, prepared, packed and shipped with great attention to detail. Customer service (questions, ordering help, order issues) will be handled via phone and email. Strong communication and organizational skills required.

Send your resume by email yourfriends@onecup.org or phone 425.361.0808 for more information.

Swanson’s Nursery is ramping up for their busy summer season and are hiring for the following positions:

Carryout (customer service support), FT. Seeking active, independent individuals who like working outdoors to support our customer service representatives out on the floor. Must enjoy physical work, problem solving, multitasking, and helping customers! This job is great for those who like to stay active and enjoy variety in their work!

Cashiers, PT, weekends, seasonal. Join their team of outstanding individuals who exemplify great customer service. Candidates must have excellent people skills and enjoy helping customers. Attention to detail and ability to multitask is essential.  Cashiering experience is preferred. Gardening experience a plus.

Customer Service, seasonal, FT & PT. Looking for enthusiastic people with a positive attitude who enjoy interacting and problem-solving with customers, and are able to keep plants stocked and looking good.  Plant identification skills and gardening knowledge is preferred but not required. Jobs are available for both the houseplant area and outdoor areas. Join our team and help customers find just what they need when they visit Swansons!

In-Home Container Installation Assistant, PT, seasonal/flexible hours/weekdays. Seeking active individual who enjoys team work and multi-tasking in both an indoor and outdoor environment. Must have an eye for detail, positive energy, enjoy physical work and the ability to work flexible hours. Gardening and plant care experience preferred.

You can find out more and apply at swansonsnursery.com/careers

April 23, 2019
7-8:30pm
Phinney Center Brick Building, 6532 Phinney Ave N
RSVP: speakoutseattle@gmail.com
Facebook event

On Tuesday April 23, Speak Out Seattle! (SOS) will host a District 6 Candidate Forum in the Phinney Center’s Brick Building Community Hall. According to SOS, the forum will focus on “issues relating to public safety, homelessness and other top issues.”

At least 9 of the 11 candidates will be present, with one having declined and another working out a conflict according to SOS. The moderator will be Mike Lewis, of the Candy, Mike & Todd Show on KIRO Radio. Information on forums hosted by SOS for other districts is available on the Speak Out Seattle! website.

This week is full of educational, community-building and fun events. Here are a few to check out:

Model Matzoh Bakery
Tuesday, April 16th
5:00-5:45 PM
Chabad NW Seattle, 8420 Dayton Ave N
RSVP: Chabadofballard@gmail.com

The Model Matzah Bakery is the ultimate hands-on, Passover educational experience!
The exhibit recreates a functional model of the hand-made Matzah factories used by Jews for thousands of years. The participants “relive” the exodus from Egypt as they pound out their very own Matzah. Beginning with a sheave of wheat, they experience the hustle and bustle as they hurry to beat the timer to ensure that crunchy finished product is completed within 18 minutes! The delightful presentation creates an exciting interactive environment where the everyone has a great time learning about their heritage and the tradition of Matzah.

Yoni Levitin, Chabad of Ballard

Passover Seder
Friday, April 19th
7:45pm
Chabad NW Seattle, 8420 Dayton Ave N
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/community-passover-seder-tickets-58880868262
Tickets $20-$54

“Relive the Passover Exodus”

Few Jewish holidays evoke the same warm sentiments as Passover. Memories of family and friends gathered as the four cups of wine are poured, the four questions asked and the Matzah served, all contribute to Passover’s popularity in the Jewish community. Bringing the warmth and tradition of this festival to the Community, Chabad is inviting all residents to participate in community Seders to be held on Friday night, April 19,

The Seder take participants through the wondrous liberation of our ancestors from Egyptian bondage, while sharing the relevance and beauty of the age old festival in our modern lives. Included in the Seder will be a delicious catered dinner

“Passover is not simply a celebration of the historic liberation of an ancient people,” said Rabbi Yoni Levitin “Passover is about our own personal liberation – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Passover inspires us to break free from the shackles restraining us from reaching new heights – in our lives, relationships and connection with G-d.”

All are welcome to join the community seder, regardless of Jewish affiliation or background.

Yoni Levitin, Chabad of Ballard

Seattle Folklore Society presents Chris Webster and Nina Gerber
Saturday, April 20th
7:30 – 10PM, Doors open at 7PM
Phinney Center Brick Building, 6532 Phinney Ave N
Tickets: ChrisNinaSeattleSFS.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006. Advance Tickets $20/$18 PNA & SFS members/$10 ( $2 more at the door

Music fans know Chris Webster and Nina Gerber as two of the most skilled and artful musical talents. Webster’s voice is uniquely compelling while Gerber’s guitar is beautiful and powerful. Together they’re magic. With originals, tasteful covers-soulful ballads, jazzy tunes and sweet folk, a great show.

Seattle Folklore Society

Today is the last day to nominate your favorite kid-friendly businesses for the 2019 ParentMap Golden Teddy Awards! Nominations close today, and the five businesses in each category who receive the most nominations will become finalists. You can vote on the finalists from April 24-30.

The categories are:

• Camps + Classes
• Family Resources
• Food + Dining
• Out + About
• Shopping + Services

ParentMap will announce winners on June 28 and in the July issue of the magazine.

Clement Place, located at 937 North 96th St, held its grand opening ceremony on April 9^th. The facility is owned and run by the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). Clement Place provides 100 units of permanent supportive housing to people experiencing homelessness in Seattle.

Residents of Clement Place will be single adults who have been experiencing chronic homelessness. This program will provide a permanent, stable home with staff and case management onsite 24 hours a day to provide support.

Folks enter Clement Place by referral from the King County Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) program, and can enter the residence from all parts of Seattle. Residents pay 30% of their income toward rent and can utilize on-site supportive services including case management that is tailored to each person. This person-centered model leads to virtually 100% of residents opting in to services. 

“For folks who are experiencing homelessness, the thing that helps create the most stability to then be able to address other challenges such as mental health or substance use is stable housing,” says Kelsey Beckmeyer, Coordinated Entry and Housing Placement Manager for DESC.

To learn more about Clement Place, visit the DESC’s page for the project at https://www.desc.org/what-we-do/housing/clement-place/

There’s lots of rain in the forecast for this weekend, but don’t let that stop you from having a good time! There are plenty of fun and educational (and indoor) events going on in the neighborhood from now through Sunday.

All Weekend:

• Taproot Theatre’s production of We Will Not Be Silent is running through April 27.
• Seattle Restaurant Week is going through April 18, and local restaurants Ada’s Restaurant & Bar and The Olive and Grape are both participating.

Friday:

• Art Up Chow Down PhinneyWood Art Walk, 6-9pm, at businesses all along Phinney and Greenwood.
• Jim Page and Jessica Lurie in Concert at the Couth Buzzard.

Saturday:

• The Northwest Mahler Festival: Songs by Woman Composers at the Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church.
• *Sold Out* Tannahill Weavers in Concert at the Phinney Center.
• CPR, First Aid & HIV Certification at the Phinney Center.
• Introduction to Breaking White Silence at the Greenwood Library.
• Sing with Stew Moon: Trouble at Home at the Couth Buzzard.

Sunday:

• Body Music Workshop at the Phinney Center.
• Performance and Screening of The Migration Dance Film Project with Sandy Silva at the Phinney Center.
• Seattle Song Circle at the Greenwood Senior Center.
• JAZZ JAM Hosted by Kenny Mandell & the Couth Allstars at the Couth Buzzard.

Did we miss an event? Submit your event to our calendar to let the neighborhood know about it and make it into future roundups!

The Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) Whittier Kids program is now hiring for a School Age Teacher.

To see the job description and learn more about the Whittier Kids program, please visit phinneycenter.org/jobs

If you need stuff for your kiddos, visit the Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-op (PNPC) Gently Used Kids’ Gear Sale on April 20th to get deals and stock up.

This year, Usborne is holding a Books & More Fair to benefit PNPC upstairs during the sale.

Bring shopping bags and friends, and plan to get there early to get the best stuff. Doors open at 9am, and folks who arrive after 12pm can get a voucher for 50 per cent off some items. Admission and parking are free. For full details and event updates, follow the Facebook event.

Event Details:
Saturday, April 20, 2019
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Free
Phinney Center Brick Building, 6532 Phinney Ave N

Two neighborhood fixtures are celebrating major anniversaries in 2020, and would love to hear neighbors’ stories of how each spot has affected your life.

Columbia Lutheran Home

Columbia Lutheran Home is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year, and is looking for stories of their home from the community. Have you visited Colombia Lutheran, or had a relative go into their care? You have a story that they would love to hear!

For details on how to submit your story, visit columbialutheranhome.org/news-events or contact Ellie at EllieBrown@ColumbiaLutheranHome.org.

The Park Public House

The Park Public House opened in 1980 (under the name Woodland Park Public House) and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2020. The folks at The Park Public House would love to see photos, hear fun stories, and learn more about their early days on Phinney Ridge. Maybe you knew the original owner, maybe you went there in the early days, maybe you have watched the pub grow over the years; they’d love to hear your story.

If you’ve got a story or photo you’d like to share, please email theparkpub@gmail.com.

Join FamilyWorks at the Lagunitas Taproom in Ballard, 5:30-7:30pm on April 16, for Games for Good. There will be games, live music, and complimentary sandwiches. All beer proceeds will go to FamilyWorks Family Resource Center & Food Banks.

For full event details, check out the Facebook Event.

We received notice from Ballard High School that they received the SupportMusic Merit Award this year. Congratulations to Ballard High School! Read on for an except from the press release shared by Ballard High School:

The Ballard High School Performing Arts program has been honored with the SupportMusic Merit Award from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. Ballard High was one of 98 schools selected nationwide and is the only school in Washington state to receive the award.

The SupportMusic Merit Award recognizes individual schools that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students.

To qualify for the SupportMusic Merit Award, the music department answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music and theatre programs. Responses were verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

“Participation in music prepares students for a successful trajectory outside the confines of the classroom walls,” says Elizabeth Fortune, Director of Orchestras at Ballard High School. “They not only hone the technical skills of playing an instrument or singing; but they also practice daily the dispositions of critical thinking, creative thinking, growth mindset, collaboration, and communication: the things one needs for successful adulting.”

This award recognizes that Ballard High is leading the way with learning opportunities as outlined in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The legislation guides policy implementation in the states and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was often criticized for an overemphasis on testing-while leaving behind subjects such as music. ESSA recommends music and the arts as important elements of a well-rounded education for all children.

Research into music education continues to demonstrate educational/cognitive and social skill benefits for children who make music. After two years of music education, research found that participants showed more substantial improvements in how the brain processes speech and reading scores that their less-involved peers and that students who are involved in music are not only more likely to graduate high school, but also to attend college as well. Everyday listening skills are stronger in musically-trained children that in those without music training. Significantly, listening skills are closely tied to the ability to: perceive speech in a noisy background, pay attention, and keep sounds in memory. Later in life, individuals who took music lessons as children show stronger neural processing of sound; young adults and even older adults who have not played an instrument for up to 50 years show enhanced neural processing compared to their peers. Not to mention, social benefits include conflict resolution, teamwork skills, and how to give and receive constructive criticism.

A 2015 study supported by The NAMM Foundation, “Striking A Chord,” also outlines the overwhelming desire by teachers and parents for music education opportunities for all children as part of the school curriculum.

Ballard High School. “Ballard High School Peforming Arts Receives National Recognition.” Press Release 1 April 2019

Windermere Greenwood (311 N 85th St) is holding a free document shredding and electronics recycling event on Saturday, April 13th from 11am-2pm.

Bring sensitive documents that you would like to safely shred, and obsolete electronics that you want to recycle. Windermere Greenwood will also provide lunch during the event.

The Windermere Greenwood office is located half a block east of Greenwood Ave N, on N 85th St

The Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) just posted two new job openings:

• Hot Meal Program Coordinator

• Bookkeeper Accountant

To learn more about these postings and see other openings at the PNA, visit www.phinneycenter.org/jobs.

Be prepared! Join Leif Jackson of Sound Seismic for the popular Earthquake Home Retrofit class. Learn about the City of Seattle’s Project Impact and how to evaluate your home for needed structural improvements. Learn to use the correct tools, materials and methods to accomplish an earthquake retrofit. Class size is limited, so be sure to register in advance.

A hands-on follow up is available at the PNA’s Tool Lending Library.

Co-Sponsored by the PNA Tool Library.

Cost: $20/PNA Member, $25/Public

Location: Phinney Center Blue Building, 6532 Phinney Ave N, Room 6 (3rd floor)

Time: 6-8pm

Register online or call (206) 783-2244

Enjoy artwork, creative performances, door prizes, and tasty refreshments at the Sixth Annual Momentia Talent Share this Saturday.

The Momentia Talent Share is a special event celebrating the talents and strengths of people living with memory loss. The event is free and open to people of all ages and walks of life who support a dementia-friendly community.

Event Details:
Saturday, April 6
2-4pm
Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE

Meet Greenwood Elementary School Principal Zac Stowell

PhinneyWood is full of wonderful people and great places that we all wish we knew more about. Resident Kevin Kozel periodically digs deeper to let us know more in a column we like to call … Hi Neighbor!

At the end of the 2018 school year, Greenwood Elementary School said goodbye to long time principal Dr. Walter Trotter. Changes are rarely easy, but bringing back a familiar face always helps. Enter Zachary Stowell, a previous mentor at Greenwood Elementary and now the new principal.

“Welcome to the best place on earth!” he said upon greeting us while sitting with some of his students during lunch in the cafeteria. Within minutes the whole room was dancing in their seats as music played throughout the room. Did I forget to mention they were also in pajamas as part of Spirit Week? I joined the pajama party for a bit to sit down with Stowell, as his students call him, to learn more about his new role, his instructional style, and what he loves most about the Greenwood community.

Kevin Kozel (KK): So Principal Stowell, how’s it going?

Principal Zachary Stowell (PS): It’s great. Organized chaos at times, but it’s Fun Friday. If it gets out of control we talk to them. We play music and recognize two kids from each class that are demonstrating the character traits of being a Greenwood Star. But when we think about big picture, we’re really focusing on teaching social emotional skills. How do kids know their emotions? If you can name your feelings, you can tame your feelings. But also intentionally teaching strategies. There are no good/bad feelings, they’re just real, so how do we navigate those? We find small times like these to do this work.

KK: Let’s take a step back and get to know more about you. Where does Principal Zac come from and how did he get here?

PS: Sure, I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My dad was in the Navy, born in Minnesota, and my mom was a kid from Brooklyn. We moved a lot; South Carolina, Chicago, Minneapolis, then here. I went to over 10 schools growing up. It wasn’t until middle school when I got into some trouble and one teacher recognized that my behaviors were indicative of need. So instead of suspending and pushing me out, he got me involved with the wrestling team. That really connected me with the school. Then going into high school there was one other teacher that got me interested in the Future Business Leaders of America and more involved in that school. Literally those two people put me on a different trajectory. They had this impact on me, now how can I have that impact on others? This launched me into wanting to get into education.

KK: Very good reason, so how did you go about it?

PS: So I went to Central Washington, got my B.A. and got a job right out of the gate at Northgate Elementary. We really helped to close gaps. My last year there we had a fundraiser and raised $30,000 to bring my class to the White House. Kids that have never left North Seattle.

KK: Wow!

PS: But, it wasn’t replicated in every classroom. It was very frustrating and I wanted to make greater changes than just this one classroom. That sparked my energy and made me realize that these teachers need more support and they’re not necessarily getting it. I wanted to shift and support teachers to help them do what they can for students.

KK: Right, the most important thing.

PS: Then I coached teachers. I worked at 40 different buildings all over the district as a STAR Mentor. I got to mentor, coach, and support all over the district. They thought I was coaching and mentoring them, but they were coaching and mentoring me too. I got so many good ideas. It was like going to every restaurant in Seattle and then opening your own. You got all these recipes and then you get to see which ones you want to put on the menu.

KK: And then the big transition…

PS: I went to Western (Washington University) to get my graduate degree. Then did my Principal Internship at Broadview Thomson, a K-8 school. After my internship I got a job at Catharine Blaine in Magnolia, another K-8. It’s a super, a wonderful community. Very, very hard to leave. But I only applied to one job-here.

KK: Why Greenwood Elementary?

PS: I only wanted to go someplace where I knew the school and I could be successful together. I had already mentored some of the teachers here. Then when I was interviewing I found I had all these little second-degree connections. It just felt like home. This school had some goals, I had some goals, and it’s a perfect marriage. The support of an active PTA, teachers that are hungry to learn and grow, and admin that are like the glue. This is a dream job for a first year.

KK: And what is about this neighborhood?

PS: I think the biggest thing is if you look at this neighborhood before and after school, it’s a community school, just look at the full playground. We’ve got parents filling potholes in the field. The kids are connected. There’s a rich history of events, the Jogathon, the dance, school happens here. It’s all hands-on-deck all the time! I feel so lucky to be a part of it. I couldn’t have asked for a better start, and I’m excited to continue to grow and learn more about this school community.

KK: So how can everyone, not just the parents, get involved and help you and the school?

PS: Well we have needs for volunteers at all times. We have over 150 volunteers and not all of them are part of the school community, but volunteering here and there helps. Supporting our auction is always great, and that’s coming up. I scooped at Nutty Squirrel Gelato after school and it rushes people over there and we get a percentage of the proceeds. I’d like to start a monthly Dine Out for Greenwood. Fundraising opportunities like that where we can pack the house and get a portion helps us fill the gaps we have. Events that offer mutual benefit where we can support your business and some proceeds come back to support our students. There’s not necessarily one clear answer, but the more I know about what’s in the community the more we can be creative and find solutions to support the challenges we have here.

If you’ve got some fundraising ideas you can email fundraising@greenwoodpta.org or call 206.252.1400. If you’d like to volunteer call 206-252-1410.

Any person, place, or thing you want to know more about in our neighborhood? Feel free to drop us a line or leave a comment and we’ll look into making it a future feature on Hi Neighbor!

The event will be at the Fremont Abbey Arts Center on April 2 starting at 6:30. From the organizer, Heidi Rogers:

“As a small business owner in Fremont, mother, and partner I know the importance of keeping our families and neighbors safe. As with many of you, I’ve experienced first hand some of the changes to our neighborhood, and found that I’m not as equipped with the tools to navigate and prevent crime as much as I would like. Many of us have had personal conversations and we share similar concerns. Luckily for all of us, we’ve got an extremely smart and involved candidate for City Council District Six, Sergio Garcia, who helped assist in organizing this awesome event. I decided to host an event with local safety, self-defense, and family safety consultant Donna Miles. It will be a dialogue and demonstration on just that.”

Come join the PRCC tomorrow night to discuss recent MHA and HALA legislation, backyard cottages, and historical landmarks in our neighborhood. The meeting is in the Phinney Center and you can see the complete agenda here.

The Phinney Ridge Community Council is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization that tracks issues such as public safety, transportation, transit, land use, zoning, city budget priorities, capital improvements, parks, open space use and other civic issues.

Got Tools?

The Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) and a dedicated group of volunteers are working to create a community wood shop space a the Phinney Center, and they are looking for community members who would like to donate woodworking tools to help move this project forward. If you have quality woodworking tools that are in good to like-new condition, we would love to hear from you.

Please email krissied@phinneycenter.org for more information or to donate.

Do you know a teen preparing for college?  Dr. Mark Hofer helps students find, get admitted to, and graduate from great colleges and universities that will best serve their academic, social, financial, and personal needs.  He guides students and their families through the application and admissions process to identify the best colleges while maintaining a focus on graduating with as little debt as possible. 

Join Dr. Hofer at this free introductory talk for college-bound high school students and their parents/guardians. Wednesday, March 27 from 7-8:30pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center Blue Building.

Are you ready for a deep dish, Chicago-style pizza made fresh on Phinney Ridge? Owner and Chicago native Dave Lichterman announced that on “Wednesday, March 27th, we’re excited to welcome our new neighbors in Phinney Ridge to the Windy City Pie soft opening from 5-10pm. Our grand opening announcement including regular hours of operation will follow shortly, but Wednesday’s soft open will give us the opportunity to meet the community we hope to serve and take the paper off the windows.”

Windy City Pie is located in the old Phinney Market space at
5918 Phinney Ave N after moving from their initial home in the Batch 206 Distillery. Come on by and support our new neighborhood business when time allows.

There are a number of great programs that have begun registration for their summer camps:

1. Whittier Kids Summer Camps. For kids entering K-5th grade during 2019-20. Learn new skills, explore new friendships and provide your child a chance to grow and learn in a safe, fun environment (note: it was previously reported this was at the PNA, when it is indeed at Whittier Elementary). July 1 – Aug 30.
2. YMCA Discovery Camp. Held at the Phinney Center, YMCA staff create hands-on, structured enrichment activities in art, science, storytelling, and outdoor play. Each week’s theme is woven into the day’s games, field trips, and fun. June 24 – Aug 30.
3. Young Engineers Summer Champ Camp. Held at the Phinney Center, campers learn the engineering behind the machines we use every day, and build lego models that reflect established STEM theories. Aug 5 – Aug 30.
4. PCPE’s Outdoor Spanish Summer Camp. Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Español will be offering a Spanish-language Summer camp for children ages 2 to 5 years old. The children will explore the outdoors in Woodland Park and Golden Gardens, participate in play-based activities, and reinforce their Spanish.  For more information and to sign up email inscripciones@pcpeseattle.org. July and August, Tuesdays-Thursdays.
5. Camp TechWise. Project-based program offers game design, video, digital, and music. Campers can jump into cutting-edge topics such as Unity and Unreal Game Dev., virtual reality, 3-D animation,app development, programming, Linux, and sports and games to balance the day with some outside fun. July 29 – Aug 2.
6. Girls on the Run Camp. During the week-long session at the PNA, 3^rd – 5^th grade girls will enjoy building friendships in a fun and inclusive setting that includes interactive games, being physically active, and expressing creativity through arts and crafts and storytelling. July 15 – 19.
7. Seattle ReCreative Summer Camps. Various art and maker-related camps at this Greenwood institution. Throughout summer.

All branches of The Seattle Public Library will be closed on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, for a staff in-service day. The Central Library book drop will be closed. All branch book drops will remain open. No Library material will be due on that day. All branch library parking garages will be closed, but the Central Library garage at 1000 Fourth Ave. will be open.

Regular operating hours will resume on Thursday, March 28. For more information, call the Library at 206-386-4636.

On Sunday, March 24, 36th District legislators will be hosting an informal town hall meeting at Lantern Brewing (938 N 95th St) in Greenwood.

Sen. Reuven Carlyle, Rep. Noel Frame, and Rep. Gael Tarleton will be at the brewery from 2pm to 4pm, where they’ll be available for casual and small-group conversations.

Kids and dogs are welcome at the brewery, and no RSVP is required.

Learn more on their event page.

Hello Neighbors! There are a ton of noteworthy events and shows occurring this weekend for you to plug into. Here are a few:

Holi Festival of Colors 2019

Saturday March 23, 1-3pm at the Phinney Center

Holi – “the festival of color” or “the festival of love” – celebrates spring, connection, and the triumph of good over evil. Come join in this raucous celebration, where people will chase each other around, throwing handfuls of colored powder.

Indian food by The Roll Pod and chai  from The Chai Lady will be available for purchase; bring cash! Shruti Balakrishnan will share her wonderful singing and Afsaana Dance will perform and teach a short dance lesson. Tickets are available here.

The PNA is looking for volunteers to help with cleanup from 3-4:30. The event will take place in the LOWER parking lot at the Phinney Center. Volunteers can attend the festival free! If you can help, email Polly Freeman at pollyf@phinneycenter.org and show up at 3 – or earlier if you want to enjoy the event first.

Seattle Folklore Society Concert: Low Lily

Saturday March 23, 7:30pm at the Phinney Center

The string and vocal trio Low Lily explores the roots and branches of American folk music with traditional influences and modern inspiration that weaves together a unique brand of acoustic music.

Liz Simmons (vocals and guitar), Flynn Cohen (vocals, guitar, and mandolin), and Lissa Schneckenburger (vocals and fiddle) are masterful players with deep relationships to traditional music styles ranging from bluegrass to Irish, Scottish, New England, and Old Time Appalachian sounds. Tickets can be purchased here.

Always… Patsy Cline at the Taproot Theatre

Friday, March 22 at 8pm, Saturday March 23 at 2pm and 8pm

This musical tribute features over 25 songs, including hits like “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy.”

From the Taproot’s press release: “Patsy Cline had a singular way of telling a story. Tune in as her songs and letters weave a big-hearted tale of love and loss told through her unlikely friendship with Texas housewife, Louise Seger.” Tickets are available here.

Mandolin Concert and Workshop with Tim Connell

Workshop: Saturday March 23, 1pm at the Phinney Center

Concert: Saturday March 23, 7:30pm at St. John United Lutheran Church

Portland, Oregon’s Tim Connell has created a sophisticated and original global style on the mandolin. Widely regarded as one of the top North American interpreters of the Brazilian choro style on the mandolin, Tim has his own unique voice on the instrument, described in a Mandolin Magazine cover story as “fiery and energetic, soulful and evocative.”

A Brazilian cousin of Dixieland and ragtime, choro has experienced a revival in the last few decades in Brazil and increased popularity here in America, thanks in particular to the fact that it features the mandolin quite prominently. Tickets for the concert can be found here.

Hello PhinneyWood Community!

Thank you for being such a great, interesting, and open community! Doree and Dale have trusted us to carry on a huge resource to the community and it is SO very important to us to get it right. We asked for your feedback and you delivered; thank YOU! With 225 responses from the community, you shared the top types of stories that you wanted covered. Here is the breakdown in order of popularity:

1. Neighborhood happenings and events (91%)
2. Business district updates (72%)
3. Crime and safety (32%)
4. Citywide issues that affect the Phinney-Greenwood neighborhood (29%)
5. Traffic and street issues (24%)
6. District 5 and local government issues (21%)
7. Human interest stories (19%)
8. Volunteer opportunities (15%)

As you can see, we are off and running with the Blog, and have been posting for the last couple weeks now. We have just closed our survey and wanted to share the results with you, as well as lay out what we are going to concentrate on bringing to you via the blog.

Here are some quotes that we found instructive on how to carry on Phinneywood.com:

“At its best, PhinneyWood.com was a place to learn about neighborhood events and opportunities to engage with community building happenings.”

“Let’s try to make sure that PhinneyWood.com doesn’t turn into a toxic website like so many forums do. Let’s keep PhinneyWood.com positive and open and beautiful.”

“I think PhinneyWood.com should be more of a moderated information source and a place for positive volunteerism and alliance that recognizes and embraces differences”

“I’d love to see this as an opportunity to provide direction on how to improve the businesses in the neighborhood. Making sure we get a great diversity of shops and restaurants that will help all the businesses succeed.”

In the last couple weeks, we’ve started posting and have focused on the top three content selections from the survey: neighborhood happenings and events, business district updates, and updates on significant crime and safety issues in the neighborhood.

In addition, we plan to have a story about a local person or business that takes a deeper dive every couple weeks. Though “human interest stories” didn’t rate highly in the poll, we felt that featuring businesses or people who have an impact on the PhinneyWood neighborhood was an important thing to produce. As one comment illustrated: “Getting a little deeper into what individual folks are going through or working on would be a nice extra – what challenges and successes businesses are having, who’s doing something special and unusual, what’s the trend in new buildings going in, and how city-wide policies and initiatives would play out locally would all be welcome.”

That is the general direction and content that we will be focusing on going forward and we still want to hear from you!  We’ll be conducting another poll in a few months to see how we’re doing and continue to inform the future of PhinneyWood.com.

You can always reach out with any questions, concerns, or (best of all) tips and story ideas to tips@phinneywood.com. We are also selling ad space – send questions to ads@phinneywood.com.

This month the Greenwood Community Council meeting will give you a chance to meet some of the people helping people in need in our neighborhood! The Greenwood Food Security & Social Services Open Forum will provide an opportunity to learn about what services are currently being offered to people in our community. Information tables will be set up and a panel discussion will take place so that Service Providers can talk with neighbors about their work and the challenges facing all of us in the areas of food security and social services.

If you come between 6:00 and 6:30 you will have a chance to observe the food bank in action. Then we’ll move to a different room for the open house and at 6:30. The Salvation Army is still adding more providers to the open house – here are the providers they have confirmed so far, and we know at least one city council candidate will attend as well:

• Salvation Army
• FamilyWorks
• Speak Out Seattle
• New Beginnings
• Molina Health Care
• North Helpline

Tuesday March 19th, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Salvation Army, 9501 Greenwood Avenue

The PNA is looking for donations to our annual fundraising auction, which will be held at the Phinney Center on May 4 (tickets here). If you value the multitude of programs and events at the PNA, donating an item to the auction is a great way to give back. Also, many of our 300 attendees make a point to patronize businesses that support the PNA, so we like to think that donating to the auction is a win for everyone.

Here are just SOME of our ideas to get your creative juices flowing…

• Gift certificates for restaurants, services and experiences
• Special bottles of wine for the wine grab
• Time at vacation homes (houseboat, cabin, hotel…)
• Transferable airline miles
• Behind-the-scenes tour of a special restaurant/brewery/winery
• Theater or sporting event tickets
• A customized portrait/picture from a local artist
• A cooking class with a special theme

Think about your family and friends. Do you have or know anyone who has access to a boat, a cabin, a hotel, a restaurant, a vacation home, to create an experience that stands out? If you are a business owner, would you be open to donating a class or sending tickets or vouchers for that special service you offer?

You can submit a donation and/or read more about our donation guidelines at phinneycenter.org/auction or contact us at auction@phinneycenter.org with questions or ideas.

Thank you for all of your generous support of this great community organization!

We are one week away from the second annual appearance of this new Phinney Ridge tradition.Holi – “the festival of color” or “the festival of love” – celebrates spring, connection, and the triumph of good over evil.

Come join in this raucous celebration from 1-3 pm at the Phinney Center (6532 Phinney Ave N). People will chase each other around, throwing handfuls of colored powders. Folks from all religions, cultures, backgrounds, and ages are welcome! More information on what to wear, what to bring, and so on can be found here.

Indian food by The Roll Pod and chai  from The Chai Lady will be available for purchase; bring cash!Shruti Balakrishnan will share her wonderful singing and Afsaana Dance will perform and teach a short dance lesson.

This event was spearheaded by a neighbor who wanted to share her culture with the community. Read the story about it here.

The Ballard High School Playmakers are preparing to stage the fun, sci-fi, comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors. The popular musical follows the tale of Seymour Krelbourn, a meek flower-shop assistant.

“Seymour discovers a strange plant that he affectionately names “Audrey II” after his crush at the shop. But this plant is like no other: it sings it swears, and it thirsts for human blood! As the carnivorous plant grows bigger and more aggressive, it promises Seymour fame and fortune if he continues to provide fresh supplies of blood. What will Seymour do with this unusual species?”

The cast features 32 Ballard High School students, and the play is directed by BHS Theatre Director Shawn M. Riley.

Performance Details:The performances will be on March 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23 at the Earl Kelly Center for Performing Arts at Ballard High School, 1418 NW 65th Street, Seattle, Washington, 98117. Shows start at 7:30 pm.

Tickets:Reserved seating tickets for Little Shop of Horrors are available for purchase at https://showtix4u.com. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/seniors.

***

Also opening soon is Curtains by the fabulous Woodland Park Players. Their mission is to create the opportunity for adult members of the Woodland Park community to get involved in the many aspects of theater while creating lasting friendships that build a stronger community and to support arts programs in neighborhood public schools.

“Curtains is a parody of 1950s “whodunnit” theatre mysteries featuring a hilarious company of characters including a very camp director, a bitter critic, clueless investors, ambitious actresses and a lone detective who moonlights as an aspiring musical theatre performer. The talentless leading lady of the cowboy musical, Robbin’ Hood of the Old West is murdered onstage during curtain call, and the whole cast are suspects. It is up to Lieutenant Frank Cioffi to save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love. “

Curtains shows March 22-24 and 29-30 at Shoreline Community College, and tickets can be purchased here

Come out for an evening of supporting an essential nonprofit in our community and enjoying excellent food from Tom Douglas Catering. On Thursday March 14, you are invited to a “celestial evening amongst the stars of the BFI galaxy” at Fremont Studios. Special guests include author Cat Rambo and musician Dude York.

The Greater Seattle Bureau of Fearless Ideas is a corps of youth and adults, staff and volunteers, families and local citizens who believe that the power of words can open doors to important opportunities. Proceeds from this event go to ensure that BFI’s creative writing and tutoring programs remain open to anyone between the ages of 6-18. All programs are free and open to families from any socio-economic background.

For tickets and more information about the evening, visit BFI’s imaginative ticket portal.

KIRO 7 reported on a rash of teen burglaries this week, and then PhinneyWood received a tip that it happened at 1pm today at a local Greenwood business near North 74th Street.

One teen distracted the employee with a product location inquiry while the other stole a purse and exited the premises.

From the tipster: “Within 10 minutes, they had debited my bank account for more than 700 bucks, and charged a bunch on my credit card at QFC on Holman and the Greenwood Fred Meyer. I did call 911 and the officer who responded said he’d try to pull surveillance video from those stores. When I called the North Precinct later to let them know I’d found my purse with everything else still in it (they’d dumped it in Fred Meyer’s parking lot), they told me it’s been happening a lot, and the kids use the stolen cards immediately to buy Visa gift cards, which they can then use whenever. And they’re going for the big bucks cards, since my accounts showed charges of $225 and $500.”

If you work in the district or manage a store, the takeaway is to designate a secure area to store purses and other valuables. Also be aware of distractions, especially if working alone. Stay safe, everyone!

Artist Hilary Bowker’s works are in the Cookie Counter

The PhinneyWood Art Walk is a monthly event that promotes over 40 participating venues in the Greenwood-Phinney neighborhood. Organized by the PhinneyWood Arts Council, the art walk occurs every 2nd Friday of each month and culminates with the “Big One” – a two-day event that occurs each year in May.

Come out and cruise the neighborhood from 6-9pm and check out the latest art and support your local businesses while you roam!

See this month’s line-up & get map

The Phinney Ridge Community Council (PRCC) is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization that tracks issues such as public safety, transportation, transit, land use, zoning, city budget priorities, capital improvements, parks, open space use and other civic issues.

Tomorrow’s meeting will run from 7 – 8:30pm at The Phinney Neighborhood Center, and will feature a Q&A with our District 6 City Council representative, Mike O’Brien.

Councilmember O’Brien will be present to answer questions on topics such as the City Council’s plan to upzone single-family neighborhoods and relax development regulations, the HALA inclusionary-housing program, homelessness, developer-impact fees, taxes, and other issues.  Audience members will have the opportunity to submit questions to Councilmember O’Brien.

You can find the night’s agenda here, and you may submit a question or topic in advance here.

It’s time to clean out and replenish your bookshelves: trade your gently used books for something new! Meet other readers, get recommendations, and enjoy tasty treats at this popular annual PNA event.

Five genres at one swap: Mysteries, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Kids’ books, and Cookbooks.

Bring in gently used books you don’t want anymore (only these five genres, please).  The PNA will give you one ticket for each paperback and two tickets for each hardback.  Use your tickets to “buy” more books: paperbacks cost one ticket, hardbacks cost two.

Don’t have books to exchange or want to buy more than you brought in? Purchase paperbacks for $1 and hardbacks for $2.

Now that we’re off and running with the blog, it’s time to rebuild our Events calendar.  If your organization or facility has an upcoming event that you would like to engage with our community, please submit it so folks know what’s happening in the neighborhood.  Submitted events will be checked by the editor before being published, and we only publish events in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood.

A good example would be The Seattle Folklore Society’s upcoming concert with Reid Jamieson at the Phinney Neighborhood Center on Saturday, March 2^nd: “Jamieson is a vocal powerhouse committed to making music that matters and moves us, with compelling originals and killer covers of everything from 50s era gold to the latest tribute to Leonard Cohen. Known for regular appearances on CBC’s Vinyl Café with Stuart McLean to recording with Cowboy Junkies.”

Reid Jamieson

Saturday, March 2nd at 7:30pm

Phinney Neighborhood Center Community Hall

6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle

Tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets

Advance Tickets: $20, $18 seniors & SFS/PNA members, $10 children Tickets $2 more at the door

Info: seafolklore.org

Yes, we are trying to keep PhinneyWood hyperlocal, but this is a transit option that will affect many of us in the neighborhood.

According to EnviroIssues, “The West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions will provide fast, reliable light rail connections to dense residential and job centers throughout the region and add a new downtown Seattle light rail tunnel to add more capacity for the entire regional system.”

As a part of scoping, you are invited to share your feedback at an open house at Ballard High School on Thursday (2/28) from 6-8pm. It’s an opportunity to:

• Learn about the project background, the process for identifying a preferred alternative and how community input has shaped project development to date
• Share your feedback on route and station locations, topics to study in the EIS and the project purpose and need
• Participate in small group discussions with your neighbors and share your insights with project staff

Comments must be received by March 18, 2019.  Other ways to comment:

• Comment online: wsblink.participate.online
• Email: wsbscopingcomments@soundtransit.org
• Leave a voicemail: 833-972-2666
• Mail: West Seattle and Ballard Link Extensions, c/o Lauren Swift, Sound Transit, 401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104

Following up on their comprehensive Business Health Survey, the Greenwood Community Council is engaging in an important Greenwood/Phinney Historic Preservation Survey.  This initial meeting will discuss the survey, how it will be conducted, answer any questions, and prepare for training. It is the hope this project will also capture all our many historic resources and treasures, still yet to be discovered.

Bring a note pad as well as some idea about how you would like to participate, if that is the case.  The GCC is looking for at least 10 survey volunteers, along with other roles/tasks, to be discussed at the meeting. Interest and some previous knowledge of historic preservation, architecture/design, or technical and visual data-collecting is encouraged, but not required. 

If you have any questions, please contact the G/P Historic Preservation Survey Coordinator – Alexa Berlow – alexa-wa@hotmail.com

Greenwood Public Library
Tuesday February 26th
6:30pm-8:00pm
(Main Meeting Room)