Blaine Carnival tonight!

Don?t forget the Blaine Carnival tonight from 5:30-8:30! This is a fun family event?for all ages- featuring popular classics like a cake walk, face painting, cotton candy?and much more.?Tickets are $1.00 each, with rides and food costing from 1?to 3 tickets.

Rain or shine at Catharine Blaine?s playground: 2550 34th Ave West.

Farmers Market opens Saturday

The Magnolia Farmers Market is finally here. Fresh veggies and fruit.? Live music and delicious street food.? Meeting up with friends and neighbors (and their dogs)?while you sample bites and sips?IN THE?MIDDLE OF THE STREET (we’re talking wine,?people)! And it all starts this weekend.

Here are some of the vendors you’ll see this Saturday and?most likely all?season (from the Seattle Farmers Market website):

Remember that crops are seasonal and dates may change depending on Mother Nature – for a weekly list of what’s ripe now, see the Ripe and Ready page.? Be sure to ask at the market info tent if you have questions or don’t see what (or who) you are looking for.

Farm name, county location, products, days at market:

Our local knife sharpener will be at the market each week this year! Bring your kitchen knives to Your Knife Sharpening Guy for convenient service while you shop the market.

Alvarez Organic Farms, Yakima, Peas, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, corn, etc, all season.

Caravan Crepes, King, Sweet and savory crepes, including gluten-free, all season with some exceptions.

Cascade Natural Honey, Honey, July – Sept.

Chao Garden, King, Puget Sound vegs and cut flowers, all season.

El Chito, King, Tamales, all season.

Got Soup, King, Seasonal soups-to-go, all season.

Hayton Farms, Skagit, Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, all season.

Ia’s Garden, Snohomish, Puget Sound vegs and cut flowers, all season.

Jacobs Creamery, Lewis, Cow?s milk cheeses, all season.

Jarvis Growers, Clallam, Garlic, July 20 ? Sept 28.

Keep It Real Food Co., King, Baked goods, all season.

Kittitas Valley Greenhouse, Kittitas, Tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, gr. beans, all season.

Little Prague, King, Eastern European pastries, all season.

Lyall Farms, Grant, Tree fruits, all season.

Mama K?s Cooking Gluten Free, King, Gluten-free baked goods, all season.

Mariposa Vineyard, local WA wines, June 8 & 22, July 6 & 20, Sept 14 & 28

Martin Family Orchards, Douglas, Cherries, peaches, apples, nectarines, all season.

Mondello Ristorante, King, Fresh pasta and sauces, all season.

Olsen Farms, Stevens, Beef, lamb, potatoes, all season.

Patty Pan Grill, King, Quesadillas and tamales, all season.

Present Tense Farm, Snohomish, Vegetables, all season.

Razey Orchard, Yakima, Organic melons, peppers, tomatoes, corn, cherries, peaches, apples, July – August.

River Farm, Kittitas, Organic plant starts, vegetables, melons, chicken, eggs, and roasted peppers, all season.

Snohomish Bakery, Snohomish, Breads and baked goods, all season.

Stoney Plains Organic Farm, Thurston, Organic vegetables, berries, eggs, all season.

Teya?s Pastries and Cakes, King, Eastern European-style baked goods, all season.

Tieton Farm & Creamery, Yakima, Goat milk cheeses, all season.

Tiny’s Organic, Douglas, Organic tree fruit, dried fruit, all season.

Trevani Truffles, King, Chocolates, all season.

Whidbey Island Ice Cream, Island, Ice cream, all season.

Whitehorse Meadows Farm, King, Blueberries, July 13 ? Sept 28.

Willie Greens Organic Farm, Snohomish, Organic veggies, berries, herbs, fruit, all season.

Youngquist Farm, Skagit, Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, jams, all season.

 

The Magnolia Farmers Market runs Saturdays, 10am-2pm, June 1 – Sept 28, 2013 in the?Village on 33rd Ave W & W McGraw Streets. See you there!

Smith Cove Park celebration tomorrow

 

Photo from Port of Seattle

 

The public is invited to join?Mayor Mike McGinn, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Port Commissioner Tom Albro, Seattle Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, King County Councilmember Larry Phillips, State Representative Gael Tarleton and community representatives tomorrow, (Friday, May 31st) for a celebration of Smith Cove Park at 1:30 p.m.

The announcement for the new park space and water quality improvements?came in April,?a result of negotiations between the City, County and Port to both expand park space at Smith Cove in response to neighborhood input and to support the County?s investments in controlling combined sewer overflow:

The new park will be more than five acres and is a long-desired waterfront space on Elliott Bay. ?This is a great day for parks and neighborhoods in Seattle,? said Mayor Mike McGinn. ?It took a lot of work over the years, but today we have put together a path forward for supporting more parks in Seattle and for helping support the County?s sewer infrastructure.? ?The cooperation between our agencies illustrates perfectly how government can and should work in serving the public interest, and our work together at Smith Cove will create tremendous community and environmental benefits,? said King County Executive Dow Constantine. King County led the effort for this agreement because of the need to site a new facility in the Magnolia area. Community members identified this as an opportunity for a new park and King County worked with its partners at the Port and the City to move the idea forward to protect Puget Sound from overflows of stormwater and sewage that occur near Smith Cove Park during heavy rains.

The ?$5,216,000?acquisition cost?will be funded by the 2000 Parks Levy, 2008 Parks Levy, Conservation Futures Funding and the sale of easements to King County for the Magnolia Combined Sewer Overflow project.? The deal is still pending legislative action from both City and County councils, and the Port commission. Still, it is a project that has been on the mind of many for a long time coming:

??After years of conversations, the dream of Smith Cove Park will be realized,? said Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw. ?I am grateful that all parties involved — the City of Seattle, King County, and the Port –found a path to ?yes?. I especially want to thank the Magnolia and Queen Anne community members who persisted in their vision. Together we will replace blackberry vines and chain link fencing with another green gem along our Waterfront. Kudos to all!?

The celebration is at 23rd Avenue West.? For more information: Jen Nance: jen.nance@seattle.gov or 206.684.4000.

Sprocketts Bikes is moving

Sprocketts Recycled Bicycles has a new home- 2823 Thorndyke Ave W. right off the Elliot Bay bike trail.?Look for their official grand opening June 1st. The new location will be catering to the commuters of Seattle by opening at 7:30 Tuesday – Friday.

Incident at or near the Magnolia Library- UPDATED 5/29/13

UPDATE-It seems?Monday’s excitement at the Magnolia library turned out to be an unattended plastic bag with questionable contents, according to this report from?SPD Detective Ren?e Witt:

We responded to 911 call of a suspicious package at the Seattle Public Library branch at this address.? I inspected a blue plastic ?shopping bag? that contained a suspicious electronic component labeled ?receiver? poking out of the plastic bag.? There were also some books and compact discs in the bag.? The bag lay on a metal shelf near the book deposit drawer on the south side of the building.? I called ABS.? We taped off the area.

ABS squad responded to the call and arrived at 1749.? ABS determined the wire to be odd but harmless and not connected to anything in the bag.? The scene was opened to traffic at approximately 1810 hrs.? ABS collected the wire and ?receiver.?

EARLIER-Reports have been coming in of an incident at or near the Magnolia Library earlier this evening:

Apparently they are investigating a suspicious item. The bomb squad truck is there too. There is a police road block barrier…Police cars, yellow taped off…very disturbing…

Thank you to Kym for the photo.? More information as we get it.

Local man takes on plumbing fraud

By reporter Steven Smalley
Imagine you have a leak under the sink. You search the Internet and find a reputable plumbing company, or so you think. A guy with ?Plumbing? on the truck, in the company name, and on his uniform comes to your door ? but he?s no plumber. There?s an 80% chance you?ve happened upon a widespread scam perpetrated on homeowners ? unlicensed plumbers.

Evan Conklin, for decades a licensed plumber and business owner in Magnolia, is on a lonely mission. Against the overwhelming tide of fraudulent operators and con artists, he is telling a story you probably haven?t heard. Magnolia Voice was listening.
Start with this, of the major trades, only two are required by law for the individual to be licensed: electricians and plumbers, according to Conklin. Why? Because shoddy work by any of these two trades can kill you. Think about an improperly vented hot water tank powered by natural gas. In no time you have a home filled with deadly fumes. This is just one example.
Other than inferior and sometimes dangerous practices, it?s usually the sales pitch by commissioned employees that causes the most damage ? to your wallet. Here is an example. ?We installed this pump in a basement for a customer for $500,? Conklin begins. ?Years later it needed repair, so she called another company because we weren’t immediately available. They wanted to charge her $3500 for an hour?s work. She said, ?no,? but ended up paying them $500 as they walked out the door. We returned to change the pump for $500, not $3500. They charged her $492 to give her a sales pitch. Turns out, this guy was not a plumber…obviously working on commission and trying to get $3500 an hour. That?s a real story.?
Oddly enough, this is also a story about advertising. Because search engines such as Google, charge by the ?click? for paid advertising, ?It takes as many as 19 clicks to get one contact,? according to Conklin.
?At $30 per click, it costs companies at least $300 to gain a customer,? he says.? ?Legitimate plumbers cannot afford this. Only the fraudsters who charge exorbitant rates can pay these kinds of fees.?
?So when you search for a plumber, chances are the first thing you?ll find is a scam artist who is lining up to rip you off,? says Conklin. Some of the biggest names who purchase the most advertising subscribe to this unscrupulous business model, he says.
When asked about some of the worst cases he?s heard of, Conklin describes an example of what can happen. ?If you call for a kitchen sink stoppage, they don?t want a 15-minute unplug-your-kitchen-sink. They want to sell you a $10,000 sewer job. So they?ll come out, poke around in you?re sink for a few minutes, ?Oh gee, we can?t clear it with this snake, we are going to have to get the camera out here. Sign here.? You agreed to pay them $300 for them to bring a camera out with another guy, and he pokes a camera in there. He has the opinion that they have to go out in your yard and dig up your sewer. They make this stuff up. It could be $7000 to dig a hole in your yard to fix your sewer. You either have to send them packing, or say ?yes? because you can?t flush your toilet.?
?If you say ?yes,? you sign a contract right there on the spot. Then within an hour there?s a backhoe in your yard. When they get to the pipe, it breaks. Then they say, ?Gee, it?s worse than we thought, we have to replace the whole line.? It will cost you 20 grand,? Conklin says. ?These are the guys who can pay Google thousands of dollars in advertising costs.?
There is more bad news. If you ask who enforces the law, that?s the missing part. There isn’t much in the way of enforcement.
?Unless someone gives (Labor & Industries) an address where the guy is with a wrench in his hand, they can?t do much about it,? Conklin explains. ?It?s a consumer issue. Where?s the consumer protection? There isn’t any.?
So, what can a homeowner do?
?Don?t let anybody in your house who doesn?t have a license,? Conklin suggests. ?Keep wheeling-dealing-hustling guys out of your house. Simply ask to see his plumber?s license that he?s supposed to have in his pocket.?
But don?t be fooled if they present a contractor?s registration. It?s not the same thing. According to Conklin, anyone can get a contractor?s license by applying for it and obtaining some insurance. Actual plumbers? licenses take 8000 hours of training and certification to legally acquire.
?Watch for the guy who comes into your house and starts talking big bucks without having a license in his pocket,? Conklin warns. ?Plumbers are expensive but not as expensive as a scam artist.?
To bring the message home, Conklin has produced an animated video out of his own pocket to tell the story. It can be seen here.
?

Support Blaine students and your community on Memorial Day

The American Legion Post 123, Magnolia is sponsoring two Memorial Day services in Magnolia on Monday. Many Blaine students have volunteered and will participate in the services:
  • 10am in front of the Post Office in the heart of Magnolia
  • 11am at Fort Lawton Cemetery in Discovery Park

Here is a rundown of the morning’s events:

The Blaine Glee Club/Girl Scouts/Campfire will sing the National Anthem at 10am, and the Boy/Cub Scouts will present the Colors at 10am & 11am.? Makenna Ertell will sing the National Anthem at 11am, and Schuyler Lubin will play Taps at 11am. Many students will help put flags in the village and make cards for veterans before the services.
Enter Discovery Park through the east entrance off West Government Way. The cemetery is located about 300 yards west of the park entrance. You are welcomed to park at the cemetery, and parking is also available at?the Visitors Center (on the left side of the road approximately 150 yards in the park). There is a short walk up the hill to the cemetery for those that park at the Visitors Center.

In the event of adverse weather the 11am service at Fort Lawton will start immediately following the 10am service in the village.

Come dressed in your scout, sports uniform or any patriotic outfit!

They?re ba-aack?the magazine sellers return

By reporter Steven Smalley
The magazine crews have landed on the shores of Magnolia once again. It?s 9pm, Monday night and a knock at the door leads this reporter to confront two young men soliciting to help the impoverished. Before they can speak their rehearsed spiel, a blunt question comes from the homeowner, ?Are you a magazine crew?? The answer was a proud, ?Yes.?
This reminds me of the revealing article from a few years ago in the New York Times about these very same magazine sellers. The article tells the story of bleak travels from state to state, sleeping three to a room in cheap motels, with the lowest seller crashed on the floor. Throw in drug use and abusive management and you get the grim picture.
Read the article here and (in this reporter’s opinion) show the poor unfortunates the door.

 

They’re ba-aack…the magazine sellers return

By reporter Steven Smalley
The magazine crews have landed on the shores of Magnolia once again. It’s 9pm, Monday night and a knock at the door leads this reporter to confront two young men soliciting to help the impoverished. Before they can speak their rehearsed spiel, a blunt question comes from the homeowner, “Are you a magazine crew?” The answer was a proud, “Yes.”
This reminds me of the revealing article from a few years ago in the New York Times about these very same magazine sellers. The article tells the story of bleak travels from state to state, sleeping three to a room in cheap motels, with the lowest seller crashed on the floor. Throw in drug use and abusive management and you get the grim picture.
Read the article here and (in this reporter’s opinion) show the poor unfortunates the door.

 

Interbay Eagles football and cheerleading registration open now

From Laura at our sister site Queen Anne View

Do you have future football players or cheerleaders in your home? Registration is open now for kids that want to play with or root for the Interbay Eagles.

Kids 6-14 can join one of five football teams, and kids 6-11 can join the cheer squad. The recruiting zone for the Interbay Eagles is broad, ranging from the Ship Canal south to Yesler and from Lake Washington to Puget Sound. All Queen Anne kids are welcome to join in!

Interbay FieldFootball practice begins in August, five days a week through the end of the month, then going to three days a week during the school year, prepping for Saturday game-days. Practices are held at Interbay Field, across from QFC and just off Dravus.

There are six regular season football games on Saturdays, with the first game set for September 7th, followed by the play-offs and ending the season with a championship game.

Program registration fees are $160 for Football and $150 for Cheer. You can register online or call 206.494.0268 for more information.