Seattle Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School is celebrating upgrades to pedestrian and bike safety near the new schools opening this fall just off Aurora Avenue North at North 90th Street (Robert Eagle Staff Middle School and Cascadia Elementary School).

From 1-5 p.m. on Aug. 26 at Greenwood Park, 602 NW 87th St., bring your bike for a bike rodeo, helmet giveaway to the first 50 people who don’t already have a helmet, free basic bike repair, music, food, story time with Seattle Public Library, raffle for bike gear, prizes and gift cards from local businesses, and a scavenger hunt. Learn more about bike safety and skills and the safest routes to school.

The following day, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 27, Licton-Haller Greenways and Greenwood-Phinney Greenways are hosting a Safe Routes to School Celebration and Ribbon Cutting at the corner of North 92nd Street and Ashworth Avenue North, behind the new schools.

After the ribbon cutting, a bike and walking parade will celebrate the new trail and improved Safe Routes to School.

King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles is having a meet-and-greet with constituents of County Council District 4 (most of Seattle north of Madison Avenue downtown and west of I-5) from 10-11:30 am. Saturday, Aug. 26, at Diva Espresso, 14419 Greenwood Ave. N.

Join Councilmember Kohl-Welles for an informal discussion on the issues the Council is working on, such as:

• Potential federal funding reductions to County health, housing, and human services
• The County’s efforts to battle the heroin and opioid epidemic
• The Regional Affordable Housing Task Force
• Best Start For Kids’ efforts to reduce structural inequality in our society
• Next steps on reforming and investing in West Point Treatment Plant
• Improving our Paratransit Access program,

or anything else related to county government that is important to you. You don’t need to make an appointment, but please RSVP to jeanne.kohl-welles@kingcounty.gov to help us better prepare for this event.

Our neighborhood’s annual Gumshoe 5K Walk fundraiser is in its final days (it was extended by one week because of air quality and heat concerns), and will end this Sunday, Aug. 20.

This Gumshoe group was out on Tuesday, bright yellow/green entry forms in hand. Photo courtesy of the Gumshoe.

The traditional “Procrastishoe” is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, starting at Ken’s Market. Join a group of other procrastinators to do the walk and solve the clues before the 6 p.m. deadline. Gumshoe Answer Man Mike Veitenhans will trail behind the group, muttering clues if the group gets stuck.

You can still do it on your own by purchasing your $20 entry form at Ken’s Market, Couth Buzzard Books or the Phinney Center, then following the 30 clues for a fun and interesting journey through Phinney Ridge and Greenwood. Turn in your completed entry form and be entered to win a gift card from local businesses.

All profits go to the Greenwood Senior Center, Greenwood Elementary School PTA and Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church Food Bank.

Seattle Public Library is now out of solar eclipse viewing glasses.

SPL will livestream NASA’s Live Eclipse Megacast at 14 branches, including Greenwood, Broadview, Ballard, beginning at 10 a.m. Monday.

Seattle Parks Department has revised the site plan for the park being built on Greenwood Avenue North between North 81st and 82nd streets, just north of the Greenwood Library.

The Reading Nook has been relocated to the north end of the park as it is a more contemplative space which was in the middle of a very active zone with the plaza and Nature Discovery Trail. The Nature Discovery Trail has been moved south to provide more space and opportunities for exploration. Design Development which includes these slight modifications has been approved by Seattle Design Commission.

An additional modification to Phase 1 includes lighting as a bid additive. Although lighting is not standard for Seattle Parks and Recreation, we understand the desire from the community for it in this park. We will include it as an additive and depending on how high bids come in, we are hopeful to accept this into Phase 1 of the park. More to come on that when we go out for bid in late 2017.

You can see the revised site plan here.

Neighbors also can give their feedback on proposed graphic design for the raised crosswalk between the library and the park, across North 81st Street. Take the survey by Aug. 31 to choose one of four options.

The construction fence will come down and the park will open around the end of this month so people can enjoy the grassy area until construction begins early next year. The park is scheduled to be finished sometime next summer.

Coindexter’s is planning to open at 8556 Greenwood Ave. N. on Sept. 1. The bar and pinball arcade will be open daily from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m., with 12 taps and plenty more bottled beers, most of it local.

The menu is still being developed, but we’re told some “unique grilled cheese sandwiches” will be on it.

They’re keeping the full lineup of pinball and other arcade machines a secret for now, but told me they will have Skee-Ball.

They’re also hoping to feature local artists, so if you’re interested, you can email your portfolio to manager@coindexters.com.

The Seattle Channel’s Roberto Romero hosted a recent episode of City Stream from the Greenwood Seafair Parade.

Seattle Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Street Fund Program has released a summary of the July 19 public meeting that centered on why it wanted to remove the pedestrian overpass from Holman Road NW and 13th Avenue NW as it installs new signalized crosswalks. Many neighbors said they wanted the overpass to remain. SDOT plans to discuss neighbors’ concern and come up with a plan by the end of August. You can still email your comments and questions to NSFHolman@seattle.gov.

Leslie says she lost her wedding ring sometime Friday night between 5-8:30 p.m., somewhere along Greenwood Avenue North between the Phinney Center and North 76th Street. It’s 14k white gold with small, inset diamonds; no engraving inside other than maker stamps “14k” and “US.” She’s offering a reward. If you find it, please call 206-730-6292.

The Phinney Center has a job opening for Preschool Co-op Twos Teacher. This position is responsible for teaching a two-hour class of 18 2- and 3-year-olds twice a week, with the help of nine parent volunteers every day. Salary is $800-$900 a month. See the full job description here.

AlertSeattle is reminding people that they can find their closest Community Emergency Hub by going to http://bit.ly/hubsnearme, then searching by address of clicking on the map of nearest hubs.

Northwest Chamber Chorus is holding auditions from 1-4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27, at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N., by appointment with Music Director Mark Kloepper. One prepared classical audition piece and sight-singing is required. To schedule an audition, contact Betsy Brockman, Executive Director at nwcc@frontier.com.

Ryan tells us he lost a pair of black Oakley sunglasses somewhere around 70th Street and Sycamore on Aug. 6. Please email him if you’ve seen them.

Seattle Public Utilities Water Conservation Program is partnering with Sound Generations Minor Home Repair program to remove old toilets and replace them with water-saving toilets at no cost to qualified homeowners. To be eligible, you must receive a Seattle Public Utilities water bill, live in the home you own, have toilets that were installed before 2004 and meet income guidelines. Call Sound Generations at 206-448-5751 or visit www.seattle.gov/util/FreeToilets.

Town Hall, located downtown, is under renovation for the next 14 months, so the speakers and music venue is taking its programs on the road to several neighborhoods, including ours.

All of Town Hall’s lectures, concerts, and arts programs are just $5 per person.

The “Inside/Out” season will stop at the Phinney Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., on Saturday, Sept. 30, for two concerts by perennial favorite Caspar Babypants (Chris Ballew of the famous ‘90s band The Presidents of the United States of America), to celebrate the release of his 13th children’s album, “Jump for Joy!” Concerts are at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. $5 for adults, free for kids.

Nearby:

• “Sam Kean: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us” is at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at the Bathhouse Theatre, 7312 West Green Lake Dr. N. “What’s invisible, ubiquitous, and has an epic story to tell? New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean provides us with a curious history of the air we breathe, placing it at the center of Earth’s and humanity’s existence.”
• “Jonathan White: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean” is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, at University Lutheran Church, 1604 NE 50th St. “Seattle-based author Jonathan White uses his surfing and sailing adventures across the globe to take us on a journey of scientific inquiry exploring the elemental, mysterious paradox that keeps our planet’s waters in constant motion.”
• “Vanessa Grigoriadis: Sex, Power, and Consent on Campus” is at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, at University Lutheran Church, 1604 NE 50th St. “National Magazine Award winner Vanessa Grigoriadis will be joined on stage by local author Claire Dederer for a candid and in-depth discussion on sexual consent on college campuses. Grigoriadis offers convincing, if controversial, advice on how schools, students, and parents can make college a safer, richer experience.”
• “Max Tegmark: Being Human in the Age of A.I.” is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at University Lutheran Church, 1604 NE 50th St. “Artificial intelligence is transforming war, crime, justice, jobs, and even our very sense of what it means to be human. MIT Professor Max Tegmark takes us to the edges of A.I. and the human condition with his new book, Life 3.0.”

Beyond introducing new audiences to Town Hall, they expect Inside/Out to introduce Town Hall to new community leaders. With a season founded on grassroots collaborations, the organization has a unique opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and create new ones. Each community, including Phinney Ridge/ Greenwood, has a neighborhood steering committee that will inform, and even curate, some of the programming offered in their neighborhood. Further, Town Hall will commission an artist- and scholar-in-community for each neighborhood, awarding a competitive stipend (and the stage) to local creatives with a distinct point-of-view and strong community ties. To the point: Town Hall wants to bring the story of Seattle to Seattleites.

You can see all Phinney Ridge area Town Hall events here.

U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal’s office is hosting a neighborhood meetup from 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the Broadview Branch Library, 12755 Greenwood Ave. N.

“Outreach staff will be available to answer questions, offer constituent services, provide an overview of the office’s work and functions, and update attendees on Jayapal’s legislative activities,” according to the press release.

Congresswoman Jayapal represents Washington’s 7th District, which encompasses most of Seattle and the surrounding areas, including Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, Edmonds and parts of Burien and Normandy Park.