The city's Office of Emergency Management offers free training to help prepare Seattle citizens for emergency situations through the Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare (SNAP) program.

As part of the SNAP program, the Office of Emergency Management offers the following skills classes: Light Urban Search and Rescue for Community Members, Basic and Disaster First Aid Response, and Fire Extinguisher and Utility Control.  All the classes are free and are held at the Brig in Magnuson Park.

I've had the opportunity to take the first aid and fire extinguisher classes.  Both were informative, fun, and comprehensive.  I highly recommend them - its a great way to spend a Saturday with neighbors, friends, or family.

The Seattle Animal Shelter is hosting an adoptathon at the Meadowbrook Community Center next Saturday, September 11th from noon to 3pm.

“By holding monthly adoptathons in neighborhoods throughout Seattle, we are able to spread the word about the joys and value of adopting shelter pets and saving lives. If you have room in your home and your heart for an orphaned animal, this is a great opportunity to come and see some of the wonderful pets available from our foster-care parents,” says Don Jordan, Seattle Animal Shelter director.

Check out the full story at the shelter's blog, The Scoop.

The cat pictured here, Sunflower, is currently available for adoption.  To meet Sunflower, call the Foster Care Hotline at 206-684-0685.

While I was working like mad last week (and missed the market!) Vanessa Ho wrote "Does Seattle have too many Farmers Markets?" for the Seattle PI.  The article discusses the strain on farmers trying to spend time cultivating and still make it to all the neighborhoods clammoring for a market.  Nearby markets also compete against one another, lowering overall profits and sustainability for the farmers and market organizers.  Here in Lake City there are several markets to choose from - our Thursday night market by the library, the University District on Saturdays, and the Meadowbrook and Lake Forest Park markets on Sundays.

Chatting with market staffers in mid August, I was disappointed to learn that Mt. Townsend Creamery has pulled out of our Thursday market.  They weren't generating enough business to justify the expense of coming.  Lake City wasn't the only market to lose them, they pulled out of several other markets as well.  Wade Bennett with Rockridge Orchards is a new vendor... (more)

Not everyone in Seattle is lucky enough to have a Dick's Drive-In in their neighborhood. Dick's recently announced that they would be opening a new restaurant and they are letting the people decide where to put it. Here's the full press release. Click here to vote. Here's the full press release.

Seattle – Where to build the next Dick’s Drive-In Restaurant? That is the question. After 36 years and millions of burgers and fries, Seattle’s famed Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants today announced plans to build a new drive-in somewhere in the Seattle metro area by calling on customers and fans to help select the next location. The expansion is the first new Dick’s Drive-In for the company since the Queen Anne Dick’s opened in 1974. “We are very excited to make this historic expansion after 36 years,” says Jim Spady, vice president of Dick’s Drive-Ins and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “And we want to involve our customers and the community, asking... (more)

While make in a routine domestic violence arrest police stumbled upon a gold mine of stolen goods. They believe a man renting a house near 13700 block of 15th Ave NE was running a "fencing" operation (buying and selling stolen goods).

Police found their warrant suspect—who was apparently staying at the home, but does not live there—but also discovered hundreds of thousands" of dollars worth of laptops, GPS, computers, tools, stolen checks, and other items commonly taken in burglaries and car prowls, according to sources,.

Police arrested two men: the warrant suspect, and another 31-year-old man who has ties to the , an animal-rights activist group, which has been connected to vandalism at research labs at , a in Skagit County, and a

For the full story check out Jonah's report at Seattle Crime.com

I have a confession. I'm a Zillow addict. I'm always curious about real estate trends in Seattle and its neighborhoods. Here are a few charts indicating real estate trends in Lake City over the past few months. Thanks to Redfin for the data!

Houses For Sale

Median List Price

Median Sale Price

Today at the Beer Authority

Join Pete and Marika fight MS by raising a pint and some $ for Bike MS. They are riding their bikes for 2 days around Skagit County to fight this terrible disease so come support them by having a pint of our feature beer, Boulder Brewings Never Summer Ale.

All proceeds from the $5 featured pints go to bike MS!

The Beer Authority LLC | 12716 Lake City Way NE | Seattle | WA | 98125

Just in case you hadn't already noticed, the Sugar Shack is gone. But, have no fear, their replacement Cafe Kopi has the same baker. For more info on the new place and their menu check out Maple Leaf Life.

Cafe Kopi - 8056 Lake City Way

Over 4000 pounds of food were collected by thirty eight different organizations and businesses in the North End of Seattle as part of "Round Up Hunger", a campaign to help raise awareness and increase food donations for the North Helpline Food Bank

Response from the community was overwhelming as ordinary plastic collection barrels were transformed into a can devouring Venus Flytrap courtesy of the Wedgwood Alehouse, a model sized pick-up truck from Bill Pierre Auto Group, and a burlap sack bedazzled with hundreds of individual coffee beans from Diva Espresso.  All barrels were creatively decorated and filled for display at the Pioneer Days Seafair Festival in Lake City.

Other winners include the Lake City Emblem Club/Elks who collected 616 pounds of food in their All American Barrel. Crowd favorite went to the Breakfast Club, whose barrel boasted food related trinkets.  Best representation of the theme went to McNamara Signs, with the façade of an old wooden barrel whose slats spread out as it was filled... (more)

Join Seattle Parks and Recreation for our Healthy Parks, Healthy You “Big Day of Play” at Magnuson Park, 7400 Sand Point Way NE, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28. Here’s the web page with information about the event: http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/healthyparks/big_day.htm. The event will feature: •Great activities and programs that help families to be active together, including a Fun Run, 3-on-3 basketball, and samples of activities from Parks’ facilities and programs •Paddling and boating activities at the beach •Celebrations of cultural diversity, including music, activities, and healthy food •Creative, unstructured play opportunities •Youth participation in demonstrating their newly developed skills in gardening and food preparation Big Day of Play celebrates Parks’ Healthy Parks, Healthy You initiative, which is designed to promote physical activity and wellness programs that reflect our community in an effort to fight rising obesity rates. For more information, please see http://www.... (more)

In case you missed it this weekend, the Seattle Times featured a story about the proposed NE 125th Street road diet.  The Times' piece is sympathetic to residents and businesses in Lake City that oppose the proposed project and primarily frames the issue as cars vs. bikes.  Publicola's Bike Nerd posted a blog in reply today, pointing out SDOT's other stated goals: increased pedestrian, car, and bike safety, forcing everyone to slow down and obey the speed limit, and reducing accidents.  According to SDOT's blog, the estimated cost to re-stripe NE 125th is about $60,000.

As a pedestrian in Lake City, I welcome efforts to calm traffic on NE 125th Street.  At the same time, I can see the potential problems the proposed road diet might create, especially during rush hour.  On my way home from volunteering tonight, I made sure to drive home via Nickerson Street and the Fremont Bridge to check out another controversial road diet.

To be honest, I hardly noticed a difference.  I had to... (more)

Today the Seattle City Council approved Council Bill 116907 in an 8-0 vote as part of the 2010 Year of Urban Agriculture.  The legislation allows farmers markets in more areas of Seattle and allows for rooftop greenhouses dedicated to food production.  Additionally “urban farms” and “community gardens” will be allowed in all land use zones, and residents will be able to sell food grown on their property.

The legislation also increases the number of domestic fowl that may be kept from three to eight, prohibits new roosters, and sets boundaries for coops – ten feet away from primary residential structures.  Existing chicken coops built prior to the code changes and roosters already residing in the city are grandfathered in.

The complete press release can be found here.

Any thoughts on how this might change Lake City?  I've already noticed many residents gardening in yards and from apartment balconies.  If we had parking strips, we'd garden there too!

Ever have one of those moments where something takes you straight back to your childhood?  Thursday evening my partner had one of those moments.  We were on our way to the farmers market, thinking of fruit, bread, and cheese when she stopped on the sidewalk along Lake City Way.  The sweet aroma of fresh pastry drifted by and her eyes lit up, “We have to go to Minoo!  They just took a batch of Zulbia out of the oven!”  When we moved to Lake City we were blessed to move next to Seattle’s only Persian bakery – which happens to make treats my partner’s grandfather used to make for her as a kid.

One thing led to another and we ended up with a small pink box of goodies for home and another for me to share with co-workers, plus a batch of fresh baked pocket bread.  Minoo is a fantastic bakery, with subtly sweet treats for all occasions.  Pick up a few cookies for dessert on a weeknight or a more elaborate cake for any special occasion. ... (more)

The Friends of the Seattle Public Library will be at the Lake City Farmers Market this Thursday. Stop by to pick up a free bookmark and tote bag, and to show support for your neighborhood library.

Join your neighbors every second Saturday of the month for food, fun, and games!

Where: Little Brook Park
14043 ~ 32nd Avenue NE
Date: August 14, 2010
Time: Noon - 3 p.m.

Bring your picnic lunch! Hot dogs and beverages provided!
[No chicken or pork or other meats, please - only hot dogs and hamburgers.]

For more information, please contact: Randy Wiger at 206-684-0775 or randy.wiger@seattle.gov

With the drizzle and cooler temperatures today, I planned a trip to the Lake Forest Park farmers market this morning to pick up some beets.  If you miss the Lake City farmers market on Thursday, or simply eat up all your goodies by the middle of the weekend, head north on Lake City Way to the Lake Forest Park market on Sunday from 11am to 4pm.  The market is staged in the lower parking lot of the Lake Forest Park Town Centre.

The goal for today was to get my most requested canned good, Grandma’s pickled beets, put up before the warm weather returned.  My family would be happy for the rest of the year, and I wouldn’t be sweltering away in the kitchen.  While at the market, I also picked up some giant bunches of basil.  Basil and pesto are also big favorites in my family and are very simple and inexpensive to preserve in season.  While the beets were simmering, I made the following to freeze:

Whirled Basil
1 bunch basil
Pinch of salt
Drizzle of olive oil
1/2 to 1 tablespoon... (more)

The 68th Annual Pioneer Days is here and there looks to be something for everyone. As a new Lake City resident, I'm excited to experience the festival for the very first time. I've lived in quite a few different neighborhoods in Seattle and I can't think of any others that have such a strong, and old, tradition as this one; it's pretty unique!

The celebration kicks off on Friday with the traditional Salmon Bake at the Lake City Community Center; from noon to 7pm. If you can't make it today, don't worry, it will running the same hours on Saturday as well.

Saturday is packed full of activities starting at 10am with the street fair, vintage car show, and continuing throughout the day with a gymnastic obstacle course for kids, pizza eating contest, and live entertainment. Another event, new to Pioneer Days this year, is a 5K fun run and a kids dash. You can sign up for the run at the starting line or pre-register online at: http://www.mc-care.org/.

Of course we can't forget the big finale to the festival, the Rotary... (more)

Come enjoy an Outdoor Movie with us on Friday, August 13th at Virgil Flaim Park. We will be showing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs". Show begins at 8:30 PM. Bring your Family, a cozy Blanket and get ready to enjoy the show. This event is sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation. For more information on this event please call Meadowbrook Community Center (206.684.7522) or Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (206.684.7534). Virgil Flaim Park was previously Lake City Playground and is located at NE 123rd and 26th Avenue NE.

By now you've probably heard about the plan to add bike lanes to 125th. When it comes to roads, traffic, and bikes, everyone has something to say. Here are some thoughts from the Cascade Bike Club about the proposed lane changes for  125th.

The truth is, traffic engineers have discovered that many of our roads are “overdesigned,” that is, they have a lot more vehicle capacity than necessary. This benefits no one — unless you count people who are determined to speed, despite the cost to everyone around them.

While the number of lanes is reduced in a ‘road diet,’ they are approved by traffic engineers who still maintain capacity to carry the cars they need to. A center turn lane allows people who are turning left not to back up other vehicles behind them. Engineers also can often find extra space for cars to queue at intersections in right-turn only lanes, for example. And yes, the reconfiguration often opens up ample space for bike lanes.

Check out the entire... (more)

Join the Lake City Community Council at our first ever Night Out!  It will be at 33rd Ave from 6 to 9 p.m (between 123rd and 125th).  The community council group is donating hot dogs, chips, soda and cookies and we would love to see a great turnout for our first event.  Please plan on stopping by to say hi and to support the community council.  Bring your own chairs and the family for a nice evening out in the neighborhood!

According to Casey over at the PI, the city received an application to reopen Rick's. Rick's recently closed after the owners pleaded guilty to money laundering and other federal charges. Businessman Robert Davis applied for a buisiness and entertainment license at Rick's former location 11332 Lake City Way N.E.

Former owner Frank Colacucio died July 2, 2010 at the age of 93 a few months after he and his son pleaded guilty to federal charges and Rick's closed

See the PI article for more details.

Seattle Musical Theatre presents Broadway in Concert, a gala fundraiser featuring your favorite local talent singing your favorite musical theatre songs, on Saturday, August 14th, 2010 at 3:00pm and 7:30pm.

Facing a slumping economy and stiff competition for grants, Seattle Musical Theatre is raising money towards production costs, replace aging equipment and make improvements to the space. Installing a bathroom and running water in the dressing room would improve working conditions for actors, crew and musicians who currently have to use a single portable toilet during the run of a show and is high up on Seattle Musical Theatre’s wish list. However, it is often a challenge to cover staff and production costs and extra money is not readily available for this and other such projects.

A fantastic group of actors, who have all been involved with Seattle Musical Theatre (or Civic Light Opera, as they were known up until 5 years ago) at one time, are donating their time, energy and talents to sing a wide selection... (more)

Lake City Community Center holds its annual fundraiser next week, August 6 & 7 (inconjunction with Pioneer Days).  The famous Salmon Bake offers a wonderful alder-smoked, grilled salmon dinner with typical picnic fare.  Details of the 61st Salmon Bake are below:  

Friday August 6, and Saturday August 7; noon to 7 p.m. each day

Grilled salmon dinner with potato salad, baked beans, and garlic bread 

Salmon dinner includes beverage and ice cream -- 

Adults $9, seniors and children 12 yrs. and under $8.50

Hot Dog Plate:  $3

Fish only and to-go plates available

Free Interactive Train Exhibit with hand-on running of trains for children 3-12 yrs.

Location:  12531 28th Ave. NE, just north of Lake City Library

 Bring the family!!

 ENJOY NEARBY LAKE CITY PIONEER DAYS AND PARADE ON SATURDAY

Vicki Stiles is full of valuable historical information about the area. Recently she posted about the origin of the name Lake City. She recently posted a follow up to that post. Check it out to read more about the founders of Lake City

The Lake City Chamber of Commerce is looking for more parade entries.  Got a business you want to promote?  Sign up and march with your employees or drive a company vehicle with some balloons.  Got a youth organization?  Register and be part of the parade.  Wear your Little League uniforms and show some community spirit. Help make this year's Pioneer Days parade the biggest one in years.   The registration deadline has been extended to Tuesday, August 3rd.  Fill out the Parade Application and fax it to 206-363-6456 or drop it off at the Chamber office - 12345 30th Ave NE, Suites F & G (next to Dick's).

The Parade kicks off at 7pm next Saturday, August 7th.  See you in the heart of the LC.