July 2009

Representatives of Lafarge Cement Plant spoke to West Seattle Chamber of Commerce members and guests at an after hours event Thursday, July 23.

More than 80 people attended the after hours event for a tour of the Lafarge Cement plant. They discussed Lafarge's manufacturing process and environmental record.

One Lafarge representative noted that the second most used substance on earth, after water, is cement.

The purpose of the monthly after hours event is to provide greater interaction between chamber members.

Lafarge has plants in 90 countries more than 140 cement plants in operation, including one in Seattle at 5400 W. Marginal Way S.W.

No one, not even pets, are being left out of entertainment options at the 35th annual Ballard SeafoodFest.

Three entertainment stages will feature a wide variety of acts for all ages, including blues, sea chanties, puppetry, gospel, Nordic and Latin tunes, as well as cabaret and cowboy.

Saturday, July 25 stage line-up

Ballard Avenue Main Stage

Noon- Pickled Herring
1:30 p.m.- The Raggedy Anns
3:15 p.m.- El Vez
5:15 p.m.- The Squirrels (final SeafoodFest performance)
6:45 p.m.- Manooghi Hi

Bergen Place Community Stage

11 a.m.- Stan Boreson
12:15 p.m.- Miss Rose and Her Rhythm Percolators
1:15 p.m.- Lutefisk Eating Contest
1:45 p.m.- Dante's Inferno Hotdog Eating Contest
2:30 p.m.- Jon Pfaff
3:45 p.m.- The Not Its
4:45 p.m.- Mad Fuddlu

Ballard Commons Family Stage

11 a.m.- Deano the Clown
noon- Clay Martin's Puppets
1 p.m.- Alleyoop's Musical Games
2 p.m.- Roving Reptiles
3 p.m.- Nancy Stewart's Animal Crackers Music
4 p.m.- Clay Martin's Puppets
5 p.m.- Alleyoop's Musical Games

Sunday, July 26 stage line-up

Ballard Avenue Main Stage

This year's Ballard SeafoodFest, happening this weekend, July 25 (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and 26 (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), features a few firsts, as well as old traditions, in the festival's 35th year.

Hotdog Eating Contest

The first-ever SeafoodFest Hotdog Eating Contest will take place on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. at the Bergen Place Community Stage. It's sponsored by Ballard's Dante's Inferno Dogs.

For an entry fee of $20, get a Dante's Inferno Dog T-shirt and all the hotdogs you can stomach in 12 minutes. First, second and third place win a cut of the prize money, plus a Dante's gift certificate.

Raffle- Grand prize is a seven day cruise for two to Mexico or the Caribbean

The SeafoodFest will also have its first raffle, which features prizes ranging from a Holland America cruise, Teatro Zinzanni tickets, a stay at the world famous Coeur d'Alene Resort to a tour of Mt. Rainier, plus a variety of gift certificates donated by local businesses.

Winners will be announced on Sunday, July 26 at 4 p.m. at the Bergen Place Community Stage. Need not be present to win.

Vendors

This Saturday, Friends of the Cedar River Watershed are inviting Ballard residents to learn about fish and then to drink like one at the BalMar.

The BalMar will be hosting Drink Like a Fish Night July 25 to support Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. A $10 donation gets patrons a free pint and happy hour prices from 5 p.m. to close.

There will also be a raffle and cocktail mixing classes.

The Cedar River Watershed is the watershed that encompasses Ballard and the rest of Seattle. The water from the watershed powers the Ballard Locks and supplies most of Seattle's drinking water.

"Do you like having clean water to drink?" asked a Friends of the Cedar River Watershed representative. "That's why the watershed is important."

Rebecca Sayre, outreach coordinator for the Friends of the Cedar River Watershed, said the organization wanted to draw attention to the importance of the watershed with a fun, friendly and community-oriented event.

She said the people at the BalMar are civically minded, and Drink Like a Fish Night is one of hopefully several collaborations with the Ballard bar.

"It was a natural fit," she said.

UPDATE: July 23
The suspect is described as having “blotchy” skin.

The South Park neighborhood is reeling after a vicious attack early Sunday morning left one resident dead and another in the hospital with critical injuries.

Just after 3 a.m. on July 19, neighbors in the 700 block of South Rose Street heard screams for help. Running outside they found a 39-year-old woman lying in the street with what turned out to be fatal knife wounds (including one to the throat). She died at the scene.

Officers found the second victim standing in front of the home with severe lacerations. Before being transferred to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, she was able to provide details: A naked (or partially naked) stranger had entered the home--possibly through an open main-floor window--and attacked the women with a knife as she slept. Because the incident occurred right at a shift change, there was a huge response by officers and medics: At least 10 patrol cars and nine fire units responded to the incident. Unfortunately, though the area was contained and the K9 unit was brought in, the search for the suspect proved unsuccessful.

To celebrate the 59th Annual Greenwood Seafair Parade, crowds lined up along Greenwood Avenue to see more than 90 entrants of bands, drill teams, clowns, floats and more, wow the crowd.

The parade was on Wednesday evening, July 22 and began at North 95th to North 85th Streets along Greenwood where they then headed west to 6th Avenue Northwest.

This year’s theme for the parade was Greenwood Gets Active.

The parade is presented by the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce and is the oldest neighborhood Seafair parade in the region.

Among the participants on display were Seattle City Council members, POW veterans, Seafair pirates and royalty, along with entertainment from the Seattle Schools All City Band and Navy Band Northwest.

A King County female child died on July 18 from complications of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) and her underlying health conditions, according to King County.

This is the second reported H1N1 death in King County.

"Our hearts go out to this child's family," said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County. "This tragedy reminds us that the H1N1 virus is still here and children, particularly those with underlying health conditions, are at increased risk for more serious infections. As we expect the virus to become more widespread in the fall, children's health will be a primary concern for us."

Several countries in the Southern Hemisphere are currently experiencing widespread H1N1 outbreaks, and health officials are anticipating increased flu activity in the United States and locally as soon as September, when most schools open for the fall.

Public Health continues to monitor for new infections locally, including testing hospitalized patients suspected of H1N1 infection.

Ballard is a strong community because within it are individuals with the will to lend a hand to their neighbors. The Job Bank at the Ballard Senior Center started up two years ago with this concept in mind, to help people find work, which has become even more important during the recession.

The Job Bank acts as a network where those who need help and are willing to pay can get connected with those who are looking for work. This system has predominately been active within the neighborhood around the senior center, but it is actually open to anyone within Ballard and it’s neighboring communities.

This service started out by a suggestion from the director at the Center, Carlye Teele, at a small meeting. At the time, there was only one volunteer willing to head the Job Bank, Gail Nagy. She has been in charge of the service ever since.

First, an article was published about the Job Bank in the senior center's newsletter, Tidings, and since then it has appeared in other local newspapers, such as the Ballard News-Tribune.

"I think it's been a real help to the community and I try to help people the best I can," said Nagy.

Strategies for community organizing and information on the upcoming Seattle neighborhood status check were the main concerns at the Highland Park Action Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 22.

Tactics for crime watching and a brief update from the Green Seattle Partnership were the other major topics discussed.

Neighborhood Status Check

Talks of community involvement arose after speaker Sharon Meeks from the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee (NPAC) explained that there will be upcoming meetings from the Seattle Planning Commission and NPAC for a status check on Neighborhood Plans.

“This is one of the most important meetings you could attend anytime soon,” proclaimed Meeks, as the meeting only takes place every four years.

The meeting will address each neighborhood's plan, which projects have been successful and reasons other aspects of the plan have not progressed since it’s creation about a decade ago.

“It’s an evolving document and it needs your attention,” Meeks explained.

Topics of concern range from housing and transportation to neighborhood character and public services.

Discounts are spilling out of Ballard stores and onto the sidewalks starting today as the annual Ballard Sidewalk Sale gets underway.

The sale, which is Seattle's longest-running sidewalk sale of its kind, gives Ballard merchants more of a chance to interact with neighborhood residents, said Mary Hurley, one of the organizers of the sale.

"I think it gives our community a chance to come to downtown Ballard and get some great bargains," she said.

Caryn Truitt at Cookies on Market Street said she participates in the sale every year because it is fun and also because it allows her to clear out some of her merchandise before the big buy for the winter holidays.

Hurley said the economic recession, of which her store Best Regards was a recent victim, could help the sidewalk sale because people will make a point to come looking for bargains.

The Ballard Sidewalk Sale lasts from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. It is primarily located on Ballard Avenue and Market Street.