June Happenings

The Shore Run returns

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will be the beneficiary of the 34th Annual Shore Run 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run, and Half-Mile Kids’ Run events to be held on Sunday, June 12, with Madison Park again serving as the finish line.  This is always a fun event for participants and spectators alike, and it raises a lot of money for a very good cause.  The 5K Run/Walk begins at Leschi Park at 8:15 am, the 10K Run begins at Ferdinand Park at 9 am, and the Kids’ Run begins at 10:15 am at Madison Park.  Information on registering or donating is available here.

Remember that entering and exiting the neighborhood may be somewhat challenging for brief periods while the Shore Run races are underway.


Hear the latest on 520

You will get multiple opportunities during the month to hear about different aspects of the SR-520 project, beginning with an “informational drop-in session” presented by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) at the Madison Park Starbucks (4000 E. Madison Street) on Monday, June 6, from 5 to 7 pm.  It’s another chance for you to ask WSDOT staff about the floating bridge replacement project and what its impact on Madison Park may be.

We, for example, would like to ask why WSDOT has yet to produce a decent close-up side graphic showing what the proposed bridge will look like from the water (the view that many of us will have once the thing is completed).  It’s making us suspicious, frankly, that the new bridge may look a bit nasty.  Of course it appears positively lovely from the air, or at least it does in this WSDOT graphic:

But it’s the up close and personal that we’re wondering about.

The Coalition for a Sustainable 520, by the way, is hoping to be able to staff a competing table in or near Starbucks at the time of the official event.  If that happens, Madison Parkers will also have another chance to hear the other side of WSDOT’s story.  Official information on the SR-520 project is available here.


Celebrate the removal of the arboretum ramps

While many Madison Parkers are not looking upon the upcoming removal of the Arboretum ramps as a particularly good thing, other people seem to be positively gleeful about the prospect.  You may have received a post card in the mail recently from the City’s Department of Parks & Recreation emblazoned with these bold words: “Imagine No More 520 Ramps!”  At first glance, we thought it must be a new anti-520 coalition organized to fight the travesty of everyone having to go through Montlake to access the Eastside.  But no, the postcard is simply an invitation to a Wednesday, June 8 meeting to meet the design team that is going to renovate the Arboretum after both the “Ramps to Nowhere” and the ramps to somewhere (the existing floating bridge) are demolished.

The upcoming meeting is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts with the parks department, the UW Botanic Gardens, and the Arboretum Foundation about the future north-side entry to Washington Park Arboretum.  A multi-use trail is among the design elements being proposed for the newly cleared area of the Park.  The meeting will be held in the Graham Visitor Center (2300 Arboretum Drive E.) from 6:30 until 8 pm.


Upcoming floating bridge closure

It’s probably worth noting, for those planning to be over on the Eastside late at night next month, that the floating bridge will be closed both directions between 11 pm on Friday, June 17, and 5 am on Monday, June 20.  During this period crews will be constructing “fish passage culverts” under the bridge, removing the pedestrian overpass on the eastside (at Evergreen Point Road) and completing “other time-sensitive work.”  So be prepared, since otherwise it will be a long drive around.  Information on the weekend closure is available here.


“Race to Nowhere” screening to benefit McGilvra

The Great Hall of Epiphany Parish Church (1805 38th Avenue) will be the site of the screening of a movie about education in America, an event to raise funds for the McGilvra Elementary School PTA.   The event will occur on Tuesday, June 7, beginning at 6 pm.

Here’s the movie’s synopsis: “A concerned mother turned filmmaker aims her camera at the high-stakes, high-pressure culture that has invaded our schools and our children's lives. Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired. Race to Nowhere is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens.”

Following the movie, there will be a panel-led discussion of the issues raised by the film and potential solutions.  Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  Information is available here.


Free document-shredding event

On Saturday, June 11, from 9 am until 12 noon, Windermere Real Estate’s Madison Park office is sponsoring a charitable event to benefit Northwest Harvest.  Just bring a non-perishable food donation to the Grocery Outlet Parking Lot (1126 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way) during the times specified and Secure Shred will do even more than just shred your confidential documents—and do so without charge. According to Windermere’s Dave Hale, “They use a process called Hammermill, which pulverizes the material beyond recognition, making it impossible to reassemble (just in case anyone might ask).  The driver then takes the material to their plant in Renton where it is baled, and then its shipped off to a local recycling plant where it is turned into reusable material.”

The event, Hale notes, is good for Northwest Harvest, good for the environment, and good for your personal security as well. “Plus, you can’t beat the price!”


Glow Natural Health Center events

Glow (located at 2719 E. Madison Street, Suite 203) has three events upcoming in June.  On Monday, June 4 at 4 pm: “The Fourth Trimester: What Chinese Medicine Can Teach You About Postpartum Care,” facilitated by Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist Lindsey Lawson.  The session focuses on the crucial months following birth. On Wednesday, June 8 at 1 pm: “Postural Assessments: Your Gait and Spine,” facilitated by Dr. Heather Bergdors.  And on Tuesday, June 14 at 6 pm: “Anger Management,” facilitated by Tina Michalski. Each of the sessions is $10.  To reserve space, call (206) 568-7545.


Children’s Day at Japanese Garden

Finally, even though it is not a June event and the parks department did not get the event information to us in time for the May Happenings posting, we are still going to tell you about this Children’s Day event, which occurs on Monday, May 30, and could be fun.  There will be a Japanese-language puppet show, performances of traditional Japanese dances, and hands-on craft and cultural activities (including origami tutorials and the opportunity for children to try on a Japanese summer kimono, known as a yukata).  Children’s Day is a Japanese national holiday celebrated on May 5.  Why it is therefore being celebrated here on Memorial Day is not explained.  Possibly because Cinco de Mayo doesn’t quite work here as a Japanese holiday.

The Japanese Garden is located at 1075 Lake Washington Boulevard E., and the Children’s Day event begins there at 11 am, continuing until 3 pm.  Admission is $10 for adults, with up to two children (age 12 and younger) per paying adult (each additional child $4).  We would direct you to the site for the details, but it has apparently gone down. Information, however, is available by calling (206) 684-4725.

[Arboretum photo courtesy of Cloganese on Flickr.]