Trick-or-treaters crowded the sidewalks and stores of the Alaska Junction Saturday afternoon for candy givaways, and a bit of sunshine too.
Click on the image for a slideshow of the event
Halloween revelers of all ages took to the streets of downtown Ballard Oct. 31 for the annual trick-or-treating event.
Participating businesses handed out candy, a photo booth was set up outside the old Ballard Camera shop and buskers entertained the hundreds of people, many in costume, who packed the sidewalks.
Popular characters, such as Spiderman and Harry Potter, lurked around every corner, but there were also some nifty homemade robots, a giant Peep and a topical tribute to swine flu.
Click the image above for a slideshow from the event. If you would like to add your Ballard Halloween photos to the slideshow, please email them to michaelh@robinsonnews.com.
The Halloween Howl at the Hiawatha Community Center was a treat and not just for the dogs involved. A cadre of canines, most dressed in their best costumes showed up and got a chance to strut, scamper and do a whole lot of sniffing.
The event, held as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank featured a pet photographer, vendor booths, a raffle and most importantly for the dogs and their owners, a costume contest. There were dogs dressed as ladybugs, wizards, bikers, bears, skunks, and quite a few caped canines too.
The winners were:
1st Place "Buddy" as Mr. T
2nd Place "Sydney" as a Scarecrow
3rd Place "Jin Jing" as a Lady Bug
4th Place "Daisy" as an Angel
5th Place "Seamus Shovelpaws" as a pumpkin.
The fundraising goes to help the food bank which reports that demand is up close to 20% over last year. The food bank helps over 2000 families with meals.
Click on the image for a slideshow of some of the fun.
It was one of the best meetings I’ve attended in years. Eight fifth-graders at Adams Elementary School gave up their lunch period to meet with me in a circle of chairs in the main office to discuss the third year launch of the Penny Harvest Program. Their enthusiasm and sincerity was as bright as a new penny itself.
Adams Elementary is one of more than 50 local schools participating in the national Common Cents program, administered locally by community non-profit Solid Ground in Wallingford.
Through Thanksgiving, all grades will collect pennies with a goal of 25 sacks. The rationale is that all households, no matter what income level, have pennies. By getting them out of the pickle jars and into a bank, they become valuable again.
However, the pennies are just a means to the end – the first stage of a service-learning project that teaches children how to research and have an effect on issues facing their community.
The Ballard High School football team had its worst offensive performance since being shut out by Inglemoor Sept. 25, losing 21-3 to Garfield Oct. 29 in the final game of the season.
The Beavers were close at the half, trailing 7-3 after senior Matt Law-Phipps' second-quarter field goal, but couldn't get on the board in the second half.
The loss gave Ballard a final record of 1-4 in KingCo and 1-8 overall. The team's only win came Oct. 14 against Lake Washington.
This was the second year in a row the Beavers finished with a single victory.
After nearly two months of waiting, the East Ballard Community Association was awarded a Small and Simple grant totaling $14, 576 from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to install planters on 14th Avenue Northwest.
The 30 or so planters were removed from Third Avenue in downtown Seattle earlier this year and will be installed on the median ends on 14th Avenue to create a buffer between parked vehicles and vehicles crossing the intersection, said Dawn Hemminger, president of the East Ballard Community Association.
"Needless to say, we are very excited about this grant opportunity," Hemminger said. "It's more than just a planter project – it's a community project."
She said the planter project will not just beautify the street, it will bring together residents, businesses and nearby schools.
The association will be working with students at St. Alphonsus and Ballard High School to provide art and vegetation for the planters, Hemminger said.
She said the plan was to have the planters in place this winter, but the grant came through later than expected. Now, the association hopes to have the planters installed in the spring, she said.
Eleven members of the Ballard High School girls swim team made it out of the KingCo Championship preliminaries Oct. 29 and will compete in the KingCo Championship Finals this Saturday.
Freshman Anna Cechony, sophomores Kylie Brown, Katie Seibel and Victoria Shao, juniors Dylan Miller, Gailyn Portelance, Annemarie Thayer and Janine Warren, and seniors Kathleen Burkland, Kaelan Gilman and Nicole Martin will compete in the Oct. 31 meet.
Qualifying swimmers will move on to the District Championship Nov. 6 and Nov. 7. After that is the State Championship Nov. 13 and Nov. 14.
It was a Twitter about terrariums that started it all.
An avatar on Twitter that caught my eye, of a clay-made doll-of-a-girl with curly, purple hair and a yellow dress photographed at an angle. Very fun. It made me click for more.
A new connection north of the border was instantly made, as I was checking her Web site out, while she was checking mine.
“I love your work!”
“Me, too! - Er, I mean, I love your work, too!”
Thyrza Segal lives in Vancouver, B.C. and is an avid terrarium artist. Alright, she is a gardener, but her work is that of an artist, and, hey, why can’t there be terrarium artists anyway?
When I first saw her terrariums it was love at first sight. There were magical glass scenes full of plants and moss - and these wonderfully strange creatures popping out of the foliage.
“Organic dioramas from thrift store glassware and ceramics.” What a perfect blend of “green,” too! Reusing containers AND making them into terrariums. Succulent planters, coffee pot terrariums – what is there not to like?
By State Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Ed. Note: This was originally sent as an email by the Approve Referendum 71 campaign.
Last legislative session I proudly voted for Senate Bill 5688 – ensuring that all Washington families would be treated equally under state law, with the same protections and the same obligations as their neighbors.
The bill passed both houses with large majorities and the Governor proudly signed the bill.
Now, thousands of families in Washington state are at risk of losing these protections contained in the domestic partnership law unless voters APPROVE Referendum 71.
SB 5688 contained important protections for families, especially in times of crisis, including:
-The ability to take unpaid leave from work to take care of a seriously ill partner without fear of being fired.
-The ability to receive hard earned pension and death benefits when a partner dies.
-Protections for children when a parent dies.
The Seattle Police Department has issued the following tips to parents whose ghouls and goblins will be making the rounds on Halloween night Saturday, Oct. 31.
• Don't allow children go "Trick or treating" alone. An adult should accompany young children and make sure that all children carry a glow stick or flashlight and wear reflective clothing.
• Accompany young children to the door of every house they approach. Stay within sight of the door when opened. Children should be cautioned to never enter a home without prior permission from their parents.
• Stay in familiar neighborhoods and only visit well-lighted homes that have their outdoor lights on. Parents should be familiar with every house and with all people from which the children receive treats.
• Children should be cautioned never to approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent.
• All costumes and masks should be clearly marked as flame resistant. When using facemasks, make sure the child can see and breathe properly and easily.
