They serve Chimay at the coffee shop a few blocks from my house in Greenwood.  Chimay.  At a coffee shop.  Across the street from the coffee shop is a Space Travel Supply Company.  The name of the coffee bar I’m at is Neptune.  I just finished staring at a black trash receptacle that is an exact clone of the one I purchased from Fred Meyer.  It’s black and durable and cheap and it’s now in my basement. So my basement is on planet Earth, even though I’m a couple hundred yards from my basement and I’m already in Neptune.  What a wild town.

Greenwood does have its wild sides.  When I began writing this article 3 months ago (did some research-based space travel in the interim thanks to the store across the street) the weather outside the coffee shop window looked to be in hot competition for the most fall-looking day ever.  Yellows and oranges swirled in battle from both ends of the street.  A white, indignant gloom of a sky hung as a backdrop.  The people inside the café were in deep post-pumpkin depression.  Eating treats at home.  No Breaking Bads to watch. It was tough.  And it’s still tough, even tougher now, in this biting, late-winter frost and dandruff sprays of snow stopping Seattle in her tracks for days at a time (as the people cry: “We shouldn’t go out there, there’s white stuff!” “My tires will turn into giant ice cylinders and eat my children at night!” “Snow is poison!”).  And yet, there’s a lot to explore in the Hiptropolis of 85^th and Greenwood, regardless of the weather.  Wild & phantasmagoric elements abound, past and present.

Welcome…to Greenwild.

Greenwood was first a bog and cemetery before the boutique life took hold.  For 17 years things were pretty dead around here until Governor Henry McBride interred the bodies (so much for rest in peace) out of Greenwood Cemetery and started building residential plots in 1908.  Where did those interred bodies go, you may be wondering?  The answer could be one of two possibilities: Either Governor McBride moved them to Ballard’s Crown Hill Cemetery, or he let them loose and they still mill about Greenwood to this day as half-functioning, latte-ordering, eco-conscious zombies (“Don’t waste the skull like that!” “That jawbone makes for excellent compost!”).

Kidding aside, there has been documented paranormal activity in the area, particularly on 85^th, where they started digging up bodies and building houses.  Fellow resident of Greenwood and Seattle author Emily Hill has written books about the haunting in her neighborhood on 85^th St.  She’s convinced that her 1907 house, as well as the house next door and the house across the street from hers, are the dwelling places of restless ghosts. (Can’t you just  imagine “this is not my beautiful home” playing incessantly in their poor, ghost heads?).

Here’s Emily Hill in her own words: “The residents of all three houses experienced hauntings [sic], paranormal activity, and the presence of ghosts.  I’ve included my own experience in ‘Ghost Stories and The Unexplained’ and ‘Ghost Stories From Beyond the Grave.’” She went on to describe watching door knobs turn when no one else was in the house, and the “ghost child” that played with the little girl in the house across the street.  Spooky wild.

So we got zombies (most likely), ghost testimonials, and, get this: no sidewalks! This town has been waiting for sidewalks since 1954!  Ever since they annexed the hinterlands that ran north to N 145^th St., the Greenwood we know now north of 85^th St. has been waiting for sidewalks ever since (as was promised in that annexation).  Greenwoodlin creatures have been risking their lives on these roads since they were plank and trammeled by horse, buggy, trolley, and confused, youthful zombies and ghosts lurking about in need of decent coffee.  Think of the smooth transit a sidewalk would provide for a Greenwood zombie.  Sure they represent unforgivable wrongs, but at the end of the day zombies have rights, too. They just have a hard time expressing them.

In my prying about cyberspace in search of olde tyme Greenwood tales, I found very little. Though there is hope in finding places where they reward you for how much you can read while feeding you “pizza and snacks” (though I think it’s actually a pizza-eating marathon disguised as a reading marathon…least that’s what I would do.)  Unfortunately, you have to be a teenager to be eligible for this event, says The Greenwood Library. The Reading Marathon for “teens” is at the Greenwood library on Saturday, January 28, from 11am-5pm. Bring You Own Fake Middle School ID.

If you’re too old, tried, and sophisticated for pizza and library books and in you’re in search of a more mellow wild,  check out Couth Buzzard Books – Espresso Buono Café. They’re vying hard for the Greenwood Community Hot Spot Award, as they trumpet all they provide on their website: “Open Mic Nights, Acoustic Music Jams, Local Arts and Crafts, Monthly Cabarets, Family Events like Game Night, Writer’s Groups, Meeting Space Groups…and…Spirited Conversation!” And they serve Fremont beer from the Fremont Brewery.  Nothing says “wild” like fresh beer brewed just 5 minutes away.

Also note that the Greenwood Animal Hospital will spade your babies, no problem, according to one of many rave reviews by customers, who also lauded there 7-days a week availability and free 1rst appointment.  Says one customer, “I just got my baby spayed here and they are giving Seattle humane society prices to all their clients.” Finally, you can spay your baby in a humane fashion. How wild!

To conclude, I’d like to end on a Greenwood legacy that is sadly coming to an end this Feb. 4^th.  The Greenwood Market. After 20 years of serving the community as a meeting place of food and ideas and beer, the bigger fish across the street, Fred Meyer, is gobbling up the property Greenwood Market currently sits on by adding 55,000 sq. ft. to Fredkenstein’s current 118,000 sq. ft.  How is Fred Meyer able to do this? They applied for a permit to expand back in July (what a wild permit).  In fact, the FM expansion still needs city approval.

Spooky side note: The Greenwood Ghost Collective has in fact shown up weekly at town meetings to protest this action, though no one ever responds to their concerns…since they’re ghosts and no one can see them.

One customer laments over the types of food she will miss discovering at the Market, saying, “It was a cornucopia of organic produce and odd, fancy things – pomegranate molasses and Swedish sugar pearls, to name a few – has made [the market] it a favorite for foodies.”

Greenwood sugar pearls? Heck, I remember picking wild sugar pearls out back with my zombie ghost grandfather behind Greenwood Elementary when I was just five years old.  Those were wild nights…

Whoa. A 10-year-old Bob Dylan just walked into Neptune wearing a dark poofy rain coat and plaid shorts.  He just ordered a jelly doughnut.  It’s 4 in the afternoon. Kid must be from Mars.

By:  Matt Caliri

• Neighborhood Greenways – Opportunities in Greenwood-PhinneyRidge.
• Metro Service Changes.
• Transportation System Design.
• Transportation System Design.
• 85th Street Rebuild.

• Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood Park Acquisition (8102 Greenwood Ave N – QuickStop-AlohaRamen-MannaTeriyaki).
• Central Greenwood Zoning Revision Proposal.
• Greenwood Shopping Center Inc. plans.

• Neighborhood Recycling Rewards Program Challenge.
• Emergency/Crime Preparedness Network.

Greenwood Community Council Board Openings.
– Open forum.   This is a great way to participate on a rainy Seattle day.

Join thousands of families, friends, and neighbors in this beloved Seattle tradition and travel the 2.8-mile path around the lake, taking in the warm glow of the luminaria. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own lights and candles to add to the ambiance.

Local musicians will perform at four sites around the lake:

• ·         The Green Lake Community Center on the east side
• ·         The Green Lake Small Craft Center (the Aqua Theater) on the south side
• ·         The Bathhouse Theater (Seattle Public Theatre) on the north side
• ·         The Arch on the east of side of the community center/pool.

Warm drinks and treats will be available at those locations, as will donation bins for nonperishable food items for Northwest Harvest.

Volunteers are needed to help place and light the thousands of luminaria, and to clean up after the event. Individuals, businesses, community organizations and school and scout groups are welcome to participate. Setup takes place from 2:30 – 5 p.m., and the lighting of the candles takes place at 5 p.m. Cleanup is from 8 – 9 p.m.

Become a fan of the Pathway: facebook.com/GreenLakePathwayofLights

Musicians and volunteers are still needed. For more information, please contact Carl Bergquist at  206-684-0780 or by e-mail at carl.bergquist@seattle.gov.  Please consider public transportation or Seattle taxis to reach this event, parking is limited at the festival site.

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 awards will be presented at the seventh annual recognition ceremony, which will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 29 2011 at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, 719 S King St.

The Denny Awards acknowledge and honor the crucial role volunteers play in neighborhood parks, community centers, and recreation programs throughout the city. In 2010, more than 43,000 volunteers donated over 360,000 hours of service to Seattle Parks and Recreation.

They do everything from pulling invasive ivy and planting native trees in our parks to coaching kids’ sports to working as docents at selected parks to serving on various advisory councils and boards.

“Volunteers are one of our most important resources,” said Acting Superintendent Christopher Williams. “Without the help of the community, we could not run the first rate park and recreation system that Seattle-ites depend on.”

The name of the awards reflects the early commitment by the Denny family to the preservation of parkland and open space for public use and enjoyment. David Denny donated land that became the first Seattle park, Denny Park, in 1864.

Denny Awards nominees should meet the following minimum qualifications. The nominee must have:

• ·         Demonstrated exceptional stewardship to parks and/or recreation;
• ·         Provided stellar leadership related to enhancing and preserving parks and/or recreation programs;
• ·         Demonstrated a significant personal commitment of time and effort to assist Seattle Parks and Recreation, and
• ·         Gained respect of community peers for efforts to help Seattle Parks and Recreation.

The nomination form for the award, specific criteria and related information (included with this news release) are available by contacting Adrienne Caver-Hall, Seattle Parks and Recreation, 206-684-7710, or Adrienne.caver-hall@seattle.gov. To download an electronic version of the nomination form, visit: http://www.seattle.gov/parks/denny_awards.

Where:  Phinney Neighborhood Association – Main Building – Downstairs in the Blue Room

7:30 – 7:50 p.m. – Dian Ferguson running for Position 9 on the Seattle City Council will give a brief overview of her candidacy and key positions then attendees will have time to ask questions and bring up issues.

7:50 – 8:00 p.m. Katie Wilson will update us on efforts by Phinney Apartments residents to assess and act on radiation levels from the many cell telephone antennae on the apartment’s roof.

Old Business:

Update on city plan to paint over neighborhood murals – Irene

Web page update

New Business:

Deborah Jensen’s report to Parks Board – Diane

Aurora Ave. Motel plan – Irene

Photo by Eric Stuhang.

In Oscar Wilde’s second most lauded play, Sir Robert Chiltern (Ryan Childers) faces a difficult personal and political decision: publicly promote a canal scam that would effectively end his career, or have it ended for him by the leaking of a scandal from his past. His problem is compounded when his virtuous wife Gertrude (Candace Vance) declares that were he to have any such blemish on his record (she, of course, has no knowledge of Robert’s little secret) that he would lose her love forever. A verbal battlefield unfolds, soon involving the conniving Mrs. Cheveley (Nikki Vesel) and surprisingly insightful dandy Lord Goring (Aaron Lamb). Also among the lively cast of characters are the shockingly modern ingénue Mabel Chiltern (Anne Kennedy Brady) and the overbearingly old-fashioned father Lord Caversham (Nolan Palmer). Like Wilde’s other famous societal satire, The Importance of Being Ernest, An Ideal Husband turns the mirror back on Victorian society to show the true absurdity in their behaviors and tendencies. And in true Wilde style no matter how trivial or far-fetched the situation, the humanity and flaw of each character shines through to make for compelling theater.

All of the beautiful repartee took place on a fittingly beautiful and slightly distorted version of an 18th century Romantic painting by Francois Boucher. The elegant fluidity of Mark Lund’s scenic design was well complimented by the creative direction of Karen Lund. The twists and turns of the blocking could have easily become distracting if the ensemble hadn’t fully committed to the mocking triviality so inherent in Wilde’s plays. Ryan Childers and Aaron Lamb are especially enjoyable as the torn Sir Chiltern and the ever-entertaining dandy Lord Goring. The rest of the cast struggled a little with their lines and British accents, but their dedication to the material in Act Two more than made up for any lacking in the first half.

Photo by Eric Stuhang.

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, this Victorian satire is more than applicable to our current culture of all-access TV and 24-hour news. In a time when celebrity and politician scandals are a dime a dozen, it behooves us all to learn a little forgiveness. With school back in session, Taproot’s production of An Ideal Husband is the perfect balance of light-hearted comedy and down-to-business moral lesson needed to get us through the changing fall weather. And if you prefer to take your theater with a side of romance, grab some 2-for-1 tickets to the show on October 7th (thereby killing two not-for-profit birds with one arts-supporting stone) as a part of Arts Crush 2011’s Date Night program.  Please consider Green public transportation  Seattle options for the show.   You will outwardly chuckle at the follies of Wilde’s world of old and inwardly sigh at the similarities between them and yourself. Besides, in all seriousness, this play is most worthy of love.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

The combination of increased public demand for programs and services and reduced funding requires a long-term, sustainable solution that will enable Seattle Parks and Recreation to pay for facilities in order to continue to contribute to the strength and vibrancy of our community.  Parks absorbed a $10 million budget reduction in 2011, and new revenue sources are severely limited due to legal caps.

The Seattle City Council tasked (“SLI”) the City Council and Seattle Parks and Recreation with engaging in a city-wide, in-depth dialogue about its community centers, and how to continue to deliver the programs and services citizens expect and cherish in the face of staggering budget cuts.

This SLI is aimed at reducing Parks’ dependence on the General Fund while supporting new funding strategies for the future.  The current recommendation will result in an immediate impact to the community in the form of a reduction and elimination of Parks services, as well the loss of Parks jobs.

Specifically, it was announced that Parks will:

• Create five geographical service areas, each with five community centers in it. Based on the condition of the building and the cost of maintaining it, past use of the building for drop-in use, paid use, and rentals, and the number of patrons served by scholarships, each will be assigned a service level: 1, 2a, or 2b.  This includes the heavily used downtown areas around Pike Place Market.
• Raise the number of hours for Service Level 1 centers and adjust them upward or downward for Service Level 2a and 2b centers.
• Eliminate approximately 13 full-time equivalent (“FTE”) jobs to save ~$1.25 million and will affect 75 employees with cuts in their working hours.
• Hold public meetings later this year to determine what programming the communities within each service area would like to see at their centers.

While budget cuts are inevitable in this economy, the impact to Parks and Recreation is especially critical because so many families who are already struggling rely on the Parks for a variety of social services at little to no cost.  These services range from childcare and youth programs (e.g. before and after school programs) to senior assistance programs.

Many of these programs will be cut, or operational hours will be reduced, creating additional burdens on the City’s social services (police, human services, etc.). Now that students are back to school and the winter months are approaching, the demand for these services will only grow.  The linked Parks fact sheet provides an overview of the Parks’ footprint in our city and its impact on Seattle’s jobs, income and quality of life.

The Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce celebrates Seattle’s summer-time with the 61st annual Greenwood Seafair Parade on Wednesday July 27th from 6pm to 8:30pm. “This year we will be having Dean Ridgway from Ridgeline Ranch with his darling Welsh ponies offering pony rides in the Greenwood Fred Meyer parking lot,” says Parade Director Ann Woodward. “The ponies will be set up by 10am so this will be a great opportunity for families to bring their children before the parade and have a ride!”

The Ridgeline Ranch is located in Sequim on 30 acres of pasture with 3 spring-fed ponds. “It is a pony paradise,” says Dean who has been providing pony rides for 22 years. “I enjoy working outside with my ponies and watching the parents smile and the children enjoy the ride.”

The Greenwood Seafair Parade takes place from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27. The parade—which is the oldest neighborhood Seafair sanctioned parade in the region—runs south along Greenwood Avenue from North 95th Street to North 85th Street, and then heads west to 6th Avenue Northwest. Thousands of people typically line the route. The parade features over 100 entrants including bands, drill teams, horses, dogs, floats, pirates and more. Detailed parade information after the jump.

This post sponsored by SeattleTravel, with great summer-time ideas for visitors around Seattle.

Photo by Eric Stuhang.

As pegged by director Scott Nolte, Something’s Afoot is a “mash-up” that marries the harmony of absurd murder plots with the absurdity of harmonic Broadway tunes.  Like other Broadway genre-benders such as The Drowsy Chaperone and City of Angels, Something’s Afoot makes fun of mystery novels while also revering them.  Ten strangers find themselves unceremoniously stranded on the island estate of Lord Rancour.  Ingénue Hope Langdon (Natalie Anne Moe) can’t stop ogling the handsome stranger Geoffrey (Ian Lindsay), young Nigel Rancour (Ryan Childers) is antsy to find his uncle’s will and meddlesome Miss Tweed (Jenny Cross) puts her hours of book reading to use when Lord Rancour is found dead.  They soon realize they are only moments away from their own ridiculous deaths—unless they can figure out who among them is behind the clever master plan.  Suspicions arise and accusations are thrown about as quickly as the witty remarks that fill them.  Complete with booby-traps, hidden identities and a twist ending, Something’s Afoot lovingly spoofs Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None, which is arguably the most well-known murder mystery ever written.

Every inch of the small thrust stage was put to use as the parlor of the Rancour estate.  The efficiency in the set was mirrored by the cooperation and teamwork of the cast.  Solid performances were given all around, with special nods to Pat Sibley as Lady Grace Manley-Prowe and her show-stopping number “The Man with the Ginger Mustache” and Dale Bowers as Col. Gillweather during his death scene.  The amount of special effects and choreography that was stuffed on the stage was astounding—kudos to director Scott Nolte and choreographer Christy McNeil for orchestrating it all to a “t”.  I spent intermission brainstorming about where the next trick would come from (hint: for some Act Two murder weapons, look up).

Photo by Eric Stuhang.

But possibly the best part of the evening was being a part of the hugely supportive crowd.  The laughter was abundant and the applause was generous; it was very apparent that the people at Taproot have built a very loyal patron base in their 35 years of operation.  Having never seen a show at Taproot before, I felt kind of like the awkward late-comer who arrives at the party after everyone else already knows each other and has silly nicknames and inside jokes.  So take my advice and spend one of the lovely summer evenings Seattle is providing us (or not so lovely—Mother Nature’s been finicky that way) at Taproot Theatre Company laughing away your cares like the rest of the cool people.  Don’t thank me—I owe it all to Agatha Christie.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.