August happenings

Get ready for the Blue Angels

If it's Seafair, it's time for the Navy's "flight demonstration squadron" to do its thing--a lot of which takes place over and around Madison Park. It's always a great show, but it's also a brace-yourself moment for many in the neighborhood, since the low-level precision flying means a lot of noise---not just from the six F/A 18 Hornet aircraft putting on the display, but from howling pets and triggered car alarms as well.

Here's the official flying schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 2:  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. (Practice)
Friday, Aug. 3:  1:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Practice)
Saturday, Aug. 4:  1:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Show)
Sunday, Aug. 5:  1:00 p.m. - 2:40 p.m. (Show)

Note that the I-90 floating bridge will be closed to traffic each of these days, beginning fifteen minutes before the  Blue Angels are scheduled to be in the air and ending thereafter.

Music in the Park returns

Once again this year the popular Music in the Park program, sponsored by the Madison Park Business Association, will be bringing a diverse collection of musical entertainers to our city park the first four Thursday evenings in August.

Here's this year's lineup:

August 2:  The Side Project.  Vocalist/songwriter Suzie Bradford and her bassist/guitarist husband Ben enliven the park with "adult contemporary" sounds.

August 9: Jonathan Kingham.  Expect a little bit of everything---pop, jazz, folk and country---from this Seattle & Nashville-based musician (pictured above).

August 16: Gin Creek. This five-member group of  plays an original mix of blues, r&b, soul, and jazz.  Gin Creek is new to Music in the Park this year.

August 23: Two Scoops Combo. This musical duo, featuring Eric "Two Scoops" Moore on piano, produces "a unique blend of rollicking boogie-woogie humor and heart-felt blues."

Pet Trivia Nite and food donation drive 

The Attic will be the August 14 venue for an evening to benefit Homeward Pet, a Seattle-based, non-profit, no-kill animal shelter. The event, which begins at 8 pm, is sponsored by Fido-N-Scratch, a Mt. Baker pet food retailer that just opened a new store in Leschi.  Store owner Melanie Carroll, a Madison Park resident, tells us that pets are often overlooked when food donations are made to local food banks. This pet-food donation effort is designed to help address this need.

Swim for Life soon to hit the beach

Swim for Life, benefiting the Puget Sound Blood Center, will arrive on the shores Madison Park Beach early on the morning of August 15.  Swim for Life is an annual 2.5 mile, team-based swim across Lake Washington from Medina Beach Park to Madison Park.  A team is four or fewer swimmers and a kayaker. The money raised as a result of this competition supports the Be the Match bone-marow registry of the PSBC.  There are still multiple openings left for swimmers, so if you're interested in participating check out the website here. The deadline for registration is August 8.

Digital photography contest for kids

UW Botanic Gardens to sponsoring a photography contest next month for kids between the ages of 4 and 16.  It's easy to participate.  All that's required is that the pictures be taken in the Arboretum and that they be uploaded to the official Flickr site between August 1 and 31st. Winners will be announced by September 5. More information is available on the Flickr website or by emailing or calling UW Botanic Gardens at 206-543-880/uwbgeduc@uw.edu.

Volunteers need to help care for Azalea Way

The Arboretum Foundation, UW Botanic Gardens, and Seattle Parks (the co-operators of Washington Park) are looking for help in keeping the Arboretum's "historic" Azalea Way in top shape. To formalize and enhance that effort, an Azalea Way Garden Stewards Program was established earlier this month, and volunteers are being sought to be part of this team.

The work will consist primarily of weeding, mulching, and edging with hand tools, as well as some planting of native groundcovers. Stewards will receive special training from Arboretum staff and benefit from enrichment activities such as lectures and instructional tours hosted by plant experts within the Arboretum’s extended family. 

If you are interested in participating, check out the Stewards Program webpage here.

[Azalea Way photo by dizfunkshinal on Flickr].