We have reports from our friends over at Pets Energy, next to Central, that something is up over in that plaza. Apparently earlier today, an alarm of some sort rang for around 30 minutes at the Market, and possibly the sprinkler too. The Market was closed, and neighboring Big Lots was also closed. As of around 7 pm there was no power in the entire plaza.
A Central Market employee let us know that there were power issues at one of the nearby banks which affected the entire mall. As of 8 pm, Central is still trying to bring up all their systems and expects to re-open shortly. However, because of the power outage, they won't be selling any perishables such as meats or cold deli items.
Photo by SaCaSeA
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Power outage at Central Market plaza
Monday, June 29, 2009
Local business given awards
The Puget Sound Business Journal and the Seattle Foundation have named Shoreline's James Alan Salon as its Healthy Community Corporate Champion for Neighborhoods and Communities. Currently located at N 185th and Aurora, the Salon is known for its corporate and individual community service and giving. Employees and owner Matthew Fairfax support United Way, the Dale Turner YMCA, Shoreline Public Schools Foundation, Ryther Child Center, and Banchero Friends Services, as well as providing free haircuts to residents of Tent City, and to school children at the Back To School Consortium event.
In April, the James Alan Salon was also honored by the Shoreline PTA Council, with their Outstanding Business Award.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday nights at Central Market - Dinner & Music
Central Market is located on the upper level of the Sears Plaza, which is between 155th & 160th on Aurora. During the summer, they serve reasonably prices meals and provide free entertainment. Check their web site for more details: http://shoreline.central-market.com/
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Princess and The Pea
What do Glacierdom and Riverdom have in common? The Leprechauns know! Get a new look at a classic story when the Missoula Children’s Theatre and more than 50 local students present THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA as part of the 2009 Shoreline Arts Festival. Two performances of this musical adaptation will be held on Saturday, June 27th and will be presented in the Shoreline Center Auditorium at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
For more information, call the Arts Council at 206-417-4645. This residency is sponsored by the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council.
19th Annual Shoreline Arts Festival: Weaving a Cultural Tapestry
Sat, June 27, 10-7 pm & Sun, June 28, 10-5 pm
Shoreline Center
Shoreline Center
With two stages of music and dance, Juried Art, Sculpture, Photography and Poetry Hall, hands-on art activities, artisan marketplace and food there is something for the whole family.
One of the goals of the Festival is to provide participatory experiences in all the arts. In addition to dance lessons and hand-on art activities, some exciting new music projects are being planned. Once again this very successful event will be a great opportunity for the community to celebrate summer through the arts.
For more information, check the web site of the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council: http://www.shorelinearts.net/
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Breakfast at the Senior Center
The Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center is serving breakfast on Saturday and Sunday of the Shoreline Arts Festival, June 27 and 28, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in their building at the south end of the Shoreline Center at 18560 1st Ave NE, Shoreline 98155.
The cost for adults is $5.00 and the cost for children under 12 is $4.00. The meals choices are: Scrambled eggs, pancakes or French toast, and ham, or sausage link. Also there is a choice of biscuits and gravy. You can have seconds of the pancakes or French toast.
The Thrift Shop will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. People might like to take an opportunity to see what treasures there are in the shop.
Amazon Fresh review
Since we covered the arrival of Amazon Fresh delivery in Shoreline here on the blog, I thought I'd try it out and let you know how it works. That, and the idea of having food delivered to your doorstep is magical in the way it only can be to someone who grew up after the era of glass-bottled milk and before Kozmo.com and Webvan.com had their brief moments of glory.
It's easy enough to shop on Amazon Fresh; like the main site, it anticipates, for example, that when you type "ground" you may well be looking for "ground beef." I decided to order about half our normal amount of groceries for this test, and included a variety of products, like toothpaste, half-and-half, strawberries, broccoli, lettuce, onions, avocados, yogurt and of course, ground beef. The minimum order is $30, and delivery costs $5, though after you've added $75 worth of products to your cart, delivery is free.
I didn't include any beer or wine, because you must be home to show ID, naturally; I wanted to try the "pre-dawn delivery" option because I was a bit enchanted by the idea of grocery elves visiting in the middle of the night.
And they did. Here's what was on our porch in the morning:
I had wondered if the delivery would be truly silent, or whether our very keen-eared dog would wake up and bark. Apparently the elves wear padded slippers, because none of us heard them arrive.
The containers are very large, which might not be apparent in the photos. There were three, and items were separated between them by the amount of coldness needed; one was insulated and included packs of dry ice, one was just packed with frozen ice packs, and one was simply empty except for a few items. It seemed like a lot of packaging, but of course these things are re-used over and over. The items inside came in thin plastic baggies within their containers.
Everything we received was as expected; the broccoli was fresh and firm, the strawberries, blueberries and blackberries were as good as what I'd have chosen myself at the store (and getting a package of strawberries with no bad ones is actually sort of rare, so that was a nice surprise).
Bridget the cat personally approved the tomatoes.
I should note that I placed this grocery order at 8:00 the evening before, and it came sometime before 6:00 this morning.
Overall, we're pretty pleased with this new shopping option; it's not always easy to get to the store after work, but you could certainly place an order during the day and have it arrive that evening or over night. Another plus was that I found myself much less tempted to impulse-buy. I knew what I needed, and wasn't tempted by the goodies you find while wandering around a store. Prices were about the same for most products, lower for some, higher for others; one negative feature is that by not wandering around a store, you don't see items on sale that you might want to stock up on. There is a sale section, but I didn't see much of interest there.
Another not-so-great thing is the size of the delivery containers. I had to stack ours on the back porch for now. You can request that Amazon come to pick them up right away, though, or just swap them out the next time you order.
Have you tried Amazon's delivery service now that they're available here? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Councilmember Janet Way running for re-election
From Janet's webpage:
Ever since December 2005, I’ve been working hard to make our Shoreline City government work for the people. We took the town by storm that winter, and have helped reshape the direction of Shoreline. Now the City is holding events and reaching out to the public to help determine our direction.
As you may know, I’ve championed environmental issues in our city and region, such as parks and open space, protecting streams and habitat, trees, healthy and livable community values and renewable energy. But I’ve worked on many other issues as well including, standing up for small business, quality development standards, saving Fircrest School, and good governance.
I pledge to continue working on many issues important to Shoreline residents and our region such as:
* More effective government, responsive to our citizens needs
* Policies that respect our diverse small business community
* Protect single family neighborhoods with sensible growth, family-safe streets, walkways and parks
* Smarter Aurora Corridor project and a practical and affordable City Hall
* Sound environmental stewardship
Link to Janet Way's website
"Shoreline Councilmember Janet Way wins case, gets name on ballot" (link to read the Seattle Times article)
Shoreline Councilman Ron Hansen running for re-election
Shoreline Councilman Ron Hansen is running for re-election.
Here is some info we were sent about Ron:
City of Shoreline Council Member 1995-Present; Past Mayor, Deputy Mayor, committee chair and member.
Ron serves on the Executive Board of Puget Sound Regional Council This board has representatives for the counties of King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap.
Ron provides financial leadership on the City council. He has been an advocate for the development of the city parks, North City sub-area plan, and the plan to improve the Aurora Corridor and is committed to carry out the plans for these projects
He is active in the Suburban Cities Association of King County. This organization brings together the cities other than Seattle and Bellevue. SCA than represents more King County citizens than Seattle and is given representation in county and regional planning. He is a Past President and Past Treasurer for Suburban Cities Association of King County
He is a member of NEEC Jail Advisory Committee, King County Flood Zone Committee, King County Local Household Hazardous Waste Committee, King County Regional Water Quality Committee
Ron says: “ My goals as a council member and citizen of Shoreline are to have a fiscally sound government, a city responsive to the community, and to improve the quality of life for all who live here. I am not concerned about how the credit for accomplishing these goals is distributed; my objective is to see them happen. A council is a team.”
Link to "Meet Your City Council" at Shoreline website
Summer Meals program helps kids get good meals when school's out
This info comes from the ParentHelp123.org program, which helps Washington State families apply for health and food programs online, and locate resources in their local communities. They are part of the federal school nutrition program that provides free meals and snacks to kids and teens during the summer months, and also provides free money to buy food at grocery stores.
Their Summer Meals program is serving kids in the Shoreline area, and you can easily find Summer Meals sites in your zip code with this search tool. Sites in the area include the Bitter Lake Community Center, North Acres playground, and the North Seattle Family Center.
Photo by Pingu1963
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Music and food Friday nights at Shoreline Central Market
This Friday at Central Market: Music by "Quarter Past 8" and a "Southwest Burger" dinner for $6 + tax. Dinner is 5:30-7:00 pm and music is from 6-8:30 pm.
Link to this information at Central Market's webpage
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Want Amazon to bring groceries to your doorstep?
Right now, 98125 is in the lead, with 98101 tied with 98133 for second place. 98177, 98104, and 98155 are trailing considerably.
Curious about the Amazon Fresh service? Here's a review from a Capitol Hill blog describing their experiences. And if you'd like you can follow Amazon Fresh on Twitter; they sometimes offer coupons and specials.
A few things to be aware of, though; Amazon Fresh doesn't accept Amazon.com gift certificates, and you may not be able to get everything that you can pick up at, say, Central Market.
Link to vote for your zipcode.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
King County Library wants you to read to your dog!
Celebrate The Big Read and the featured book,
The Call of the Wild!
Submit a photo of you reading to your dog.
Take a digital photo of you (or family member) reading to your dog (s). While we love all dogs, we are specifically looking for images of people reading to dogs.
Submit photos to readtoyourdog@kcls.org as a .jpg photo between now and June 30th, and your photo will be displayed on the KCLS website with other readers and their dogs.
Check the KCLS website after July 15 for a printable poster featuring KCLS readers and their dogs.
Link to KCLS Read to Your Dog webpage
(info and photo from KCLS website)
Monday, June 15, 2009
Annual All City Block Watch Meeting on June 17th
Thanks to Highland Terrace Neighborhood News for this information:
All City Block Watch Informational Meeting
The Annual Block Watch Meeting is open to any Shoreline resident interested in learning more about how to protect themselves, their family and their neighborhood against crime.
Join Shoreline Police at this interesting and educational meeting to learn how to make your neighborhood safer through Block Watch plus so much more.
Hear about the latest types of frauds and how to protect yourself, find out how to locate sex offenders in Shoreline through the City's website, discover how to prepare your neighborhood for disasters and learn about burglary trends and how to make it more likely for your property to be returned to you.
Although this meeting is free, please register by calling the Westside Police Neighborhood Center at (206) 546-3636 or the Eastside Police Neighborhood Center at (206) 363-8424
Date: 6/17/2009 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Cost: Free
Location: Spartan Recreation Center, 18560 1st Avenue NW, Shoreline, Washington 98133
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Local volunteers from "One Brick" working at Food Lifeline this Thursday evening
Leah, with One Brick Seattle wants to share this information:
For only two hours, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm on Thursday, June 18, One Brick Seattle volunteers will be spending some time at Shoreline's Food Lifeline to repack the bulk donations the organization receives and help provide food to more than 300 food banks and shelters in the Seattle area. At One Brick’s last Food Lifeline event, volunteers sorted, boxed and loaded up food for delivery. One Brick volunteers repacked more than 7,800 pounds of cabbage to provide more than 6,100 meals in the local community.
One Brick is a national non-profit volunteer organization chapter that just launched a Seattle chapter. One Brick does the work of connecting volunteers with local non-profit organizations and providing structured volunteer opportunities.
To date, One Brick has recruited more than 15,000 volunteers in six cities, including Seattle. Together, these volunteers have contributed more than 200,000 hours of service to their local communities. In 2008 alone, One Brick brought 54,000 hours to the communities it serves. And Lake City locals interested in helping out with the Food Lifeline event is encouraged to check out the One Brick web site and RSVP to attend the event or another upcoming informational meeting.
In addition to the upcoming clean up party, One Brick is a great organization and a good opportunity for locals to network, enjoy some social time and make a positive impact on their community.
It’s the emphasis on volunteering made easy that has made One Brick successful nationwide and we hope to continue that success in Seattle.
Link to One Brick Seattle
Link to Food Lifeline
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Fuji Sushi & Steakhouse
Remember the Old Country Buffet on Aurora, just north of 165th? Think about that place for a moment, and then try to imagine a restaurant that is its exact, diametric opposite. Now drive over there and see the Fuji Steakhouse, which replaced the Old Country Buffet, and be amazed.
Some of us visited the Fuji last night; we were dubious but we know that often hidden gems are missed by those who don't take risks. Well, we also know that when it comes to restaurants, sometimes serious food poisoning comes to those who do take risks. But fortunately, this was not one of those occasions.
The restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived, a little past 7:30 on a Friday evening. A friendly owner/manager type greeted us at the door and asked if we'd like to try the hibachi, indicating a large room with four big hibachi grills surrounded by seating. The decor was very nice—a monumental improvement over the high-school cafeteria feeling of the previous resident.
We were seated at one of the hibachi stations, and a server took our drink and appetizer orders—we had decided on sushi rolls and sashimi to start—and we each ordered a different hibachi combo as our main event.
We all agreed that our appetizers were good quality sushi; my salmon sashimi was fresh and tasty, and the others' rolls were equally good. I enjoyed a house cabernet, and my cohorts had the Kirin beer. The wine selection was so-so, with only three reds by the glass, but the beer list was more varied, if leaned mainly towards Asian brews.
After our small soups, salads and appetizers were done, the main event began. A young man rolled out a cart full of various containers and positioned himself in the middle of the round grill area. By this time we had another couple seated at our station, and the five of us were ready for a show. A show is exactly what we got!
The chef (if that's the right name for this guy's performance art/cooking gig) started with a display of knife and spatula flipping, playing with utensils and bottles and eggs, and with us. I don't want to detail the whole cooking extravaganza, because there are plenty of fun surprises that I don't want to give away, but it was a showy, sometimes silly, but overall very entertaining affair. If you've ever been to Benihana, you'll have some idea of what I mean.
And the best part wasn't the spectacle, it was that the food was actually very good. I had the lobster and chicken, which was surprisingly fairly priced; others had shrimp, salmon, and filet mignon in their combos. All agreed that it was tasty and enjoyable.
Fuji's prices are a little higher than other venues in the area, but of course you pay a bit more for what's essentially a performance along with your food. It was a great evening out for all of us, and I'm sure we'll go there again.
If you've enjoyed (or hated) meals here or anywhere else around Shoreline, let us know in the comments below!
Celebrate Brugger's Bog Park today from 10am-noon
The Ballinger Neighborhood is having a celebration this Saturday from 10 - noon to see, appreciate, learn about and celebrate! the restoration work that was done alongside Lyon Creek in Brugger's Bog Park. They've cleared about 130 ft of streambank and planted lots of natives to improve the quality and diversity of habitat for all park users. Please join the celebration!
They will also have a drawing for a couple of out"door" prizes
Brugger's Bog
19553 25th Ave NE
Shoreline, WA 98155
Link to see Brugger's Bog Park on a map
Link to Ballinger Neighborhood Assn
Friday, June 12, 2009
Gardening supplies needed for Ballinger Homes in Shoreline
Morgan Moore says:
I am an AmeriCorps member creating a community garden for the Ballinger Homes Community. We have had many great donations and our project is well on its way, however there are still things we are missing.
We are looking for rain barrels, gardening tools, fluorescent fixture lights, seedling propagation mats, landscape fabric, rain barrels, burlap sacks,old screens, tools, wheelbarrows, lumber and seed flats or anything else garden related that you can spare.
The garden will consist of 20 raised beds for families, a children's garden, trellised beds and a worm compost.
Contact Morgan Moore: morgan.grace.moore@gmail.com
Link to more info about Ballinger Homes
Beach Blossoms Garden Tour in Richmond Beach on June 13, 2009
From the Richmond Beach Community Assn. website:
The Richmond Beach Community Association welcomes you to the 17th annual Beach Blossoms Garden Tour. We'd like to thank all the gardeners from
There are 11 gardens listed on this tour, including "Never Enough Thyme," Eclectic Solitude," and a garden that will "pique your Seussical curiosity"
Link to more information about Beach Blossoms Garden Tour (with descriptions of each garden)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Councilmember Janet Way filing suit to get on August's Primary ballot
Press Release from Janet Way:
JANET WAY TO FILE SUIT
Way filing suit to secure her rightful place on the
August Primary ballot
SHORELINE – This morning, Shoreline City Councilmember Janet Way filed Suit in King County Superior Court. The suit comes as the result of a technical glitch in King County Election’s online filing website that prevented Councilmember Way from paying her filing fee after concluding all other steps necessary to file for re-election.
“We have all experienced technical errors on the internet,” commented Way this morning. “However, I feel very strongly that a website glitch should not prevent me from seeking re-election.”
Way filed for re-election on the internet before the 4:00 p.m. deadline, but her payment of $84 was not accepted. After attempting to pay using numerous bank accounts, all of which contained sufficient funds, a supporter offered to make the payment in person on Way’s behalf. This final attempt to rectify the problem was not accepted by King County Elections.
RCW 29A.24.031 states that the submission of a declaration of candidacy electronically, “constitutes … that he or she agrees to electronic payment of the filing fee established in RCW 29A.24.091.” Having completed all other required steps to file as a candidate for office, King County Elections should acknowledge Way’s candidacy and place her name on the August 18th Primary ballot.
“There is a legal process in place that I intend to respect,” continued Way. “However, I believe the law clearly shows that I am an officially filed candidate for re-election to the Shoreline City Council, and that the King County Superior Court will recognize this fact and ensure that my name is placed on the August 18th ballot.”
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Have you seen Korky the dog? He's missing!
We met a man handing out these flyers on our walk this evening; looks like Korky the dog is missing. Another flyer on a post we passed said that he may be "scared and shy," so if you see him, maybe you can call the number before trying to catch the little fella.
He lives on 1st Avenue N.E. in Shoreline, and you can call any of the other numbers on the flyer shown here if you see him.
Keep an eye out for Korky!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Helicopter this morning over Shoreline
Sarah saw an inquiry we posted to Twitter and wrote with this information:
The Shoreline Police department visited Briarcrest Elementary this morning as a 'thank you and congratulations' to the students for raising over $1000 during their Hopelink End Summer Hunger coin drive. The entire student body was present to watch the King County Guardian One helicopter land on the playground. The classes took turns getting an up close look at the helicopter and talk to the pilots. It is an exciting event for the school.
So there you go - the mystery of this morning's helicopter solved!
Were you there? What was it like? Get any photos? If so, please send us some! :)
Do you think this is a good thing for the Police to do, because it encourages and excites the students? Or is it an improper use of tax money and government resources? If you have any thoughts about this sort of thing, feel free to share them in the comments section.
Kayu Kayu Ac Park Dedication June 9th
Shoreline’s Pump Station Park is getting a new name on June 9 along with a new play area, picnic tables and other improvements. The 2-acre park, located at 19911 Richmond Beach Drive NW, has been known as Richmond Beach Pump Station Park for many years. On Tuesday, June 9 at 6:00 p.m., it will be dedicated and renamed Kayu Kayu Ac Park.
The City went through a very specific process to name the new park. After asking the community for name suggestions, the City Council and the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PRCS) Board selected Kayu Kayu Ac, a common Native American term that was used to describe the Richmond Beach area as well as the native plant kinnickinick. The City enlisted the help of an elder of the Duwamish Tribe to honor the significant contributions to this area from the Native American community. The phonetic pronunciation of Kayu Kayu Ac is “Ki-U, Ki-U, Atch.”
Improvements to the park will soon be complete. They include a play area with swings, a viewing platform with interpretive panels describing railroad and boating activity in Puget Sound, picnic tables and a restroom.
For more information about the dedication ceremony or the park, visit the park's project page or contact Construction Manager Paul Laine at (206) 801-2461, plaine@shorelinewa.gov.(info and photo from City of Shoreline's website)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Meeting tonight regarding future design of Shorewood High School (and old Ronald School)
If you've been following or are interested in the future of Shorewood High School, the future of the old Ronald School and the future of the Shoreline Historical Museum, you might like to attend the community meeting tonight. Here is information from the Shorewood Design Team webpage:
Help us plan a new Shorewood High School at our next Community Outreach Meeting Thursday, June 4, 2009 7 to 9 p.m. Shorewood High School Library 17300 Fremont Ave. North
Planning is under way for replacement of Shorewood High School, and the SW design team would welcome your participation in the process. Please join your neighbors in helping us hear your priorities for a new Shorewood.
Response from the March 19 community meeting, along with further design team feedback, will be used to refine the alternatives so that a preferred approach may be presented in a third community meeting on June 4.
To contact the Shorewood Design Team to give comments, please use this e-mail address: sw.design@shorelineschools.org
To send your comments by mail, please use this address:
Shoreline School District
Attn: Di Mikesell
18560 First Avenue NE
Shoreline, WA 98155
See all posts about this issue (and click where it says 'comments' to see what your neighbors have been saying.
Monday, June 1, 2009
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We've been posting about an unfolding story concerning the future of the "old Ronald School" - an historic brick schoolhouse in Shoreline that currently houses The Shoreline Historical Museum. There are conflicting (or at least unresolved) reports about what the future holds for the old Ronald School. Shoreline Historical Museum seems to think it is going to have to move out of its location at Ronald School (which is owned by Shoreline Schools), while Shoreline Schools maintains that no decision has been made yet.
Here are parts of a couple of comments posted to the blog concerning this issue:
Janet Way wrote:
I urge all citizens and history enthusiasts to jump into action to Save the Museum! Send letters to Shoreline School Board. Send letters to Shoreline Enterprise and Seattle Times.
This place matters to Shoreline and the North Seattle area!
Anonymous wrote (excerpt):
In talking to dozens of parents of Shoreline elementary school children, only one could actually name where the museum was. Not one had ever visited it.
Meanwhile, every single parent knew where Shorewood was and at almost all had attended at least one event there (sporting, drama, or community).
I don't think the museum has done a good job reaching out to the community. As a future Shorewood parent, I don't care about the museum at all. I do care that my child goes to school in an up-to-date facility.