26th Annual Green Lake Elementary Christmas Tree Sale!

Green Lake Elementary School PTA’s Annual Christmas Tree Sale starts again this year on the first Friday after Thanksgiving (11/25) and continues until December 18.

The lot (located at 2400 N. 65^th St.) is generally open Mon. – Fri. from 4 pm – 8 pm, Saturdays and opening day from 9 am – 8 pm, and Sundays from 10 am – 7 pm.

All proceeds support education programs at Green Lake Elementary School.

Green Lake Elementary School PTA is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, Tax ID #91-1442923.

The concert will include:

Puccini’s Humming Chorus (from the opera Madama Butterfly),
Aria by J.S. Bach (from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major), Voix Celestes by Gilbert Alcock, and To be sung of a summer night on the water by Frederick Delius.

Songs sung on nonsense syllables: El Hambo by Finnish composer Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, Ta Tikee Tei by Sid Robinovitch, Rondes by Folke Rabe, and Mosquitoes by Stephen Chatman.

Dravidian Dithyramb by Victor Paranjoti, with East Indian melodic motifs, and Past Life Melodies by Sarah Hopkins, based on Australian aboriginal music.

Verano Porteño by Argentina’s master of tango, Astor Piazzolla and arranged by Oscar Escalada, Tangueando by Escalada and Chindia by Alexandru Pascanu, based on traditional Romanian folk dance.

Tickets are $16-$20 and kids ages 6-12 are admitted free with an accompanying adult. Tickets available here. Please consider using public transportation or sharing a Seattle towncar with friends to join the concert.

Hello Phinney Ridge and Greenwood communities!

I am a parent at the Phinney Spanish Immersion Co-op Preschool at the Phinney Neighborhood Association (Phinney Cooperativa Preescolar en Espanol – PCPE). We’d love for more people to learn about our program and join us for the 2011-2012 school year.

WHO WE ARE:
We are a dynamic Spanish-speaking cooperative school: our children enjoy play-based learning as they create and explore while immersed in a Spanish-speaking environment.

We are a community: PCPE offers a nurturing environment for children to develop self-confidence and learn to share, cooperate and interact with other Spanish-speaking children and caring adults. This is a unique opportunity for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers to participate in the social, emotional and physical growth of their children in the classroom.

WHAT WE DO:
We learn while we play and share: our children enjoy a fun, activity-rich environment that includes: circle time for introducing concepts through songs, stories, poetry, and movement; free choice activities for creative expression and exploring through sensory materials; outdoor time; and shared meals.

We offer resources for families: PCPE offers resources and ongoing support for a community of Spanish-speaking families who wish to educate their children in a language-rich multi-cultural environment.

PLEASE JOIN US:
PCPE welcomes children from ages 1 to 5 who speak Spanish either full or part time at home with at least one parent who is fluent in Spanish. Priority is given to children whose parent(s) are native speakers. Scholarships are available for families who need assistance.

Registration for new families for the 2011-12 school year, will begin April 1st.
Please contact PCPE at (206)859-5082 or pcpe@phinneycenter.org for more information.

Sidewalkless in Seattle // Sep 15, 2010 at 2:49 am

SDOT should immediately begin to update traffic counts for Greenwood-Phinney using automatic counters. This will serve as baseline data. Then after Rapid Ride starts the counts are taken again, and then we’ll see.

Cut-through traffic might matter a little less if the city committed to making all Greenwood streets safe for pedestrians. Which at present they are not. The rest of the city is full of best practices which for some reason are all judged inappropriate for Greenwood. This. Must. Change.

Ducki3x // Sep 18, 2010 at 3:07 pm

Can you expand on the reasoning cited for the BAT lanes pushing traffic onto Greenwood-Phinney streets? For that matter, a link to the actual proposal would be nice – I went looking for it on the SDOT site, but didn’t find anything that seemed to align with this.

admin // Sep 18, 2010 at 8:25 pm

Great questions. In general, the more that traffic is restricted on Aurora (via car lane reductions versus current capacity), the more cars who will seek to avoid the backup by using neighborhood streets. We’ve requested a copy of the grant application from the City of Seattle. There are many positive impacts, but want to ensure all results are carefully considered.

admin // Sep 18, 2010 at 8:25 pm

A copy of the King County Transit RapidRide E Line link has also been added to the article, which has many related facts.

Quincy // Sep 19, 2010 at 2:24 am

First of all, almost no one ever uses the far right lanes of Aurora, especially northbound in the Winona to 115th segment. Everyone lines up in the middle lane. On the southbound side, even in the mornings when no parking is allowed in the curb lane, people just do not use it. Plus, take a look at what has happened on Aurora from 145th to 165th, where the exact same kind of upgrade has happened: there has been no increase in traffic on Meridian, Ashworth, Greenwood etc. that I can detect. I use Meridian no more or less than I did before the upgrade. No one misses the third lane. In fact, just like on 5oth between I-5 and Stone/Greenlake, which had a general purpose lane converted into a turning-only lane, it’s better. I am certain the planned changes will also be an upgrade.

Ducki3x // Sep 19, 2010 at 2:38 am

Awesome, thanks for the extra info!

Despite the loss of a lane, I’d think there might be some benefits to commuters with the BRT program, especially with the Transit Signal Priority technology. If implemented properly, this might help keep traffic moving quickly up and down the Aurora corridor during commute times, although it might make the experience crossing the highway worse for those trying to go east-west.

For my money, the most consistantly bad parts of the Aurora commute are the backup from the Zoo to the Bridge (southbound in the morning) and from the north-end of the lake through 85th (northbound in the afternoon), the latter being the only time I really take advantage of the third, right-hand lane. The problem here mainly seems to be left-turn traffic backing up at the lights and spilling into the main lanes of traffic & the timing of the 85th intersection. If the controlled left-turn lane could be re-engineered or re-timed, I doubt I would ever use the third lane…

I’d be curious to see where the AAMA is getting their info about the street closures – I don’t see anything in the (admittedly limited) documentation on the KC site you linked to. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they know something I don’t, but I’d love to know more before passing judgement on that aspect of the plan.

Curlove // Sep 19, 2010 at 1:48 pm

The Aurora Avenue Merchants Association opposes any attempt to improve Aurora because it is perceived as a threat to their automobile oriented businesses. Any improvements that might encourage people to walk along or near Aurora or take the bus rather than drive is a threat to their businesses. People might start wanting businesses that cater to pedestrians and bus commuters. Oh no!

This opposition has kept the communities along Aurora dangerous, blighted, disinvested, and crime ridden for too long. I would hope the community councils would organize around any effort to make Aurora safer and more attractive. Just go up to 145th and look over into Shoreline and you will see what is possible. It makes Aurora in Seattle look like some third world country.

Although the Seattle bus routes are certainly not Seattle limos, we believe that the city can find an amicable solution to keep traffic moving on Aurora – yet not pressure the neighborhood streets.

The annual “Pig Out” to fight hunger will happen across North Seattle on October 14th, 2010 including some of the top restaurants in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood. A portion of sales from designated restaurants listed below will be donated to soup kitchens that serve almost 200 meals per week to low income, disabled, and elderly neighborhood restaurants. The event is a “Pig Out” because a portion of meals from breakfast, lunch, and dinner all go to help the needy. Last year – the event raised over $4,000 for the Phinney soup kitchens and you can help out while having a great meal. PhinneyRidge.org is a huge advocate of this event and encourages you to participate in this worthy cause to help the hungry.

Participating Restaurants:
74th Street Ale House
Baranof Restaurant
Barking Dog Alehouse
Carmelita
Fatty’s Corner Pizzeria
Fresh Flours
In the Red Wine Bar
Kouzina
Mae’s Phinney Ridge CAfe
New Noodles
Oliver’s Twist
Picnic
Porst!
Red Mill Burgers
Romio’s Pizza
Santa Fe Cafe
Stumbling Goat
Wingdome
Yanni’s Greek Restaurant

You can also donate directly to help the hungry by sending a check to the Phinney Neighborhood Association at 6532 Phinney Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98103. Get more information or your questions answered by calling 206-783-2244.

“Up until this month, we have rented three separate spaces for our programs. Now we can co-locate our programs and better integrate our services,” says Lori Drabant, Vice President of Development & Communications. “This facility will allow us to increase our presence and our capacity to serve the north Seattle community.”

To kick off the grand opening, a celebration will be held at the Community Resource Center which will also be a stop on the Greenwood Community Art Walk. There will be live music, refreshments, and local art from community members and Volunteers of America clients.

“The Greenwood community has always been so supportive of our north Seattle programs,” says Drabant. “We are excited to welcome the community into our new facility to celebrate its grand opening.”

Guests are welcome to stop by anytime between 5:00pm and 8:00pm on June 11th at9041 Greenwood Ave North to hear stories of hope and take a tour of our new facility.

Volunteers of America Western Washington is one of the region’s most comprehensive human service organizations. With the help of our generous donors we are able to respond to 350,000 requests for assistance each year from families in crisis, children at risk, seniors, and adults with disabilities.
For more information, visit www.voaww.org.

Rescued Chimpanzee

All proceeds from the October 2nd event will benefit Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW), one of only nine sanctuaries in the country that cares for chimpanzees.

CSNW is home to the Cle Elum Seven chimpanzees. The primates range in age from 26 to 36, and include six females and one male. CSNW was founded in 2003 to provide sanctuary for chimpanzees discarded from the entertainment and biomedical testing industries. The Sanctuary is located on a 26-acre farm in the Cascade Mountains, due east of Seattle.

Diana Goodrich, the sanctuary’s Director of Outreach says, “I was nervous about holding our first big fundraiser in this economy, but businesses and individuals have been generous with their donations, and we have some really unique items to bid on”.

Celebrate the Seven will be held at Fremont Abbey Arts Center in Seattle on Friday, October 2nd, from 6-9 PM. Tickets are $50.00 and are available for purchase online.

Mae's Phinney Ridge Cafe

74th St. Ale House, 7401 Greenwood
Barking Dog Alehouse, 705 NW 70th St
Bleacher’s Pub, 8118 Greenwood
Carmelita, 7314 Greenwood
Fresh Flours, 6015 Phinney
Gaspare Ristorante, 6705 Greenwood
Kouzina, 8403 Greenwood
Mae’s Phinney Ridge Cafe, 6412 Phinney
Oliver’s Twist, 6820 Greenwood
Park Pub, 6114 Phinney
74th St. Ale House, 7401 Greenwood
Barking Dog Alehouse, 705 NW 70th St
Bleacher’s Pub, 8118 Greenwood
Carmelita, 7314 Greenwood
Fresh Flours, 6015 Phinney
Gaspare Ristorante, 6705 Greenwood
Kouzina, 8403 Greenwood
Mae’s Phinney Ridge Cafe, 6412 Phinney
Oliver’s Twist, 6820 Greenwood
Park Pub, 6114 Phinney
Pete’s Egg Nest, 7717 Greenwood
Picnic, 6801 Greenwood
Pig ‘N’ Whistle , 8412 Greenwood
Prost!, 7311 Greenwood
Red Mill Burgers, 312 N 67th
Santa Fe Cafe, 5910 Phinney
Stumbling Goat Bistro, 6722 Greenwood
The Dray, 708 NW 65th
Wingdome, 7818 Greenwood
Yanni’s Greek Restaurant, 7419 Greenwood

Thanks to community members and all diners from around Seattle in advance for their support of a great network of neighborhood restaurants.