Two nights ago, a friendly stray cat came around our house and hasn’t left. He’s small and looks like he’s been out for a very long time – covered in fleas, dirty, very skinny. He’s incredibly trusting and friendly with people, though, so I think he must have at one point been someone’s pet and is not feral.

We’re taking him to the animal shelter today to get cleaned up and may take him back to foster him until someone claims him or wants to adopt him. I just wanted to be sure he’s not someone’s missing, loved pet first.

We’re near the corner of 19th and Jefferson. If you live nearby and have lost your cat, please call and give us a description.206-356-8547

Kari

The second annual 12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival is Sunday, August 14 between Madison and Pike. Sponsored in part by Central District News and our sister site Capitol Hill Seattle, the festival closes one block of 12th Ave to motor vehicles and features area businesses.

Restaurants will offer small plates for $5 or less and retailers will be out showing what they do. The festival runs from noon to 6 p.m. More information:

Bring the family and experience Pike/Pine’s 12th Avenue in its second annual neighborhood street festival.  Taste small plates from Seattle’s most eclectic mix of local restaurants – priced at $5 and under!  Building on last year’s successful debut, the 12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival returns on Sunday, August 14th.  Closing 12th Avenue to vehicles between E. Pike and E. Madison Streets, the pedestrian-friendly celebration showcases the best of the neighborhood.

Stroll down restaurant row and discover favorite dishes from 12th Avenue and nearby eateries such as Café Presse, Osteria La Spiga, Caffe Vita, Barrio, Zobel Ethiopian Restaurant, High 5 Pie, Caffe Pettirosso, Bluebird Microcreamery, Poquitos, Ambassel Ethiopian Restaurant, and many more.

Shop local by visiting neighborhood retailers and info booths at the festival such as Sweatbox Yoga, Retail Therapy,Porchlight Records, Health First Chiropractic, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, Capitol Hill Community Council, Swedish Medical Center, Sound Mental Health, 14th Avenue Hair, Washington Bus, GLSEN Washington State, Seattle Out and Proud, Lifelong AIDS Alliance, and Capitol Hill Housing. 

“In the spirit of the Italian holiday Ferragosto, 12th Avenue restaurants and retailers will showcase their goods and services in a celebration of community, friendship and entertainment,” stated Sabrina Tinsley, co-owner of Osteria La Spiga.  

The festival is the signature event of the 12th Avenue Initiative, a neighborhood plan working with businesses, residents and local institutions to strengthen the 12th Avenue Community. 

For more information, or to get involved with the festival, contact Alex Brennan at (206) 204-3832 or [email protected].  The 12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival is produced by the Capitol Hill Housing Foundation.  

12th Avenue Neighborhood Festival Sponsors:  Seattle University, Swedish Medical Center, Capitol Hill Housing Foundation, Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce, DEI Creative, Cleanscapes, Dunn & Hobbes, The Douglas Building at Seattle University, Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences, CapitolHillSeattle.com, Central DistrictNews.com and  Seattle Gay News.

WHEN:            August 14, 2011 from Noon – 6:00 p.m. 

WHERE:           12th Avenue, between E. Madison and E. Pike on Seattle’s Capitol Hill

COST:              Free.  All food priced at $5.00 or less 

Our beloved homebody cat has been missing since the night of August 9th. We’re on 25th between Olive and Howell and we think he may have gotten trapped in a garage or basement. If you are in the area we would really appreciate it if you could keep an eye out for him and let us know if you have any information, day or night.

He’s a large orange tabby, usually wearing a purple collar, but sometimes he loses it. He’s shy but nice.

EDITED to add: Our cat was spotted at the corner of 22nd and E. Marion last night (8/13). We are so relieved that he’s alive and not trapped somewhere. He is wearing his purple collar. Please contact us ANYTIME if you see our kitty.

Another EDIT: The cat just walked in the door, slim, but fine. Thanks to all who helped us look for our cat.

Thanks.

Sara & Joel

[email protected]

(206)390-8713 or (206)601-3506

I’m thrilled that Twilight Exit recently opened up their weekend daytime hours to parents – but honestly, I’d love to go there with my husband and have a pint and play some shuffleboard sans child. Or see a show together! Last few times we’ve done that, the babysitter has doubled the price of our evening out, an unsustainable fiscal model. Anyone with kids in the CD interested in starting a babysitting co-op? We’ve done this with other couples/neighborhoods in the past and it’s fantastic – everyone wins. You trade off babysitting with other parents, and everybody gets what they put in to it.

We have a 3 1/2 year old, live on Cherry Street – let me know if anyone is interested…

The city will repave the curb lanes on 23rd Ave from E Cherry to E Spring Streets next week. Work will start August 16 and wrap up August 18, weather permitting.

The curb lanes on 23rd Ave are significantly more deteriorated than the two center lanes. So far, the city has paved in a similar fashion from Yesler to Jackson and from Union to Spring.

From SDOT:

SDOT crews will resurface three blocks of curb lanes on 23rd Avenue, between East Cherry Street and East Spring Street, on August 16 to 18, weather permitting. 

One traffic lane will remain open in each direction, and the sidewalks will remain open. A Police Officer will assist traffic at East Cherry Street.

Focusing on subtle fragrances you don’t smell a block away, Cameos and Crowns opened up shop on 34th Ave in Madrona one month ago. The shop’s owner brings deep experience with fragrances to a little space, situated just south of Union.

Lynette Vertoch

Lynette Vertoch’s southern California candle business went from home-scale to mass production seemingly overnight. In early 1990s, her Illume line of candles were all the rage, and even gift baskets for Tonight Show guests featured them, she told me while flipping through a big book of Illume clippings from various national magazines.

Since selling Illume in 1999, Vertoch has started another fragrance line and other endeavors. But the past few years have been difficult for Vertoch and her husband.

“We had a rough couple years, like everyone else,” she said.

The couple recently moved to Seattle, and on a trip to Madrona, Vertoch saw a space available on 34th Ave just south of Union. She decided to go for it and start Cameo and Crowns. The boutique features home fragrances, like candles and diffusers, soaps, perfumes, shaving products, fine paper and more, much of it handmade and from smaller brands.

For a list of brands and more info on the shop, check out their Facebook page.

The shop is at 1137 34th Ave, just south of Union

Notice a new business pop up in your neighborhood? Be sure to let us know! Email [email protected].

On Monday afternoon I was approached on 21st and Cherry by an elderly woman who introduced herself as Barbara. She seemed quite distraught, saying she had run out of gas and did I have some money so she could get back home in West Seattle. She looked moderately well put together but had pretty bad teeth. I offered to give her some bus money or help her call for help, because she seemed on the verge of tears. She asked if I would go withdraw $10 from a nearby ATM so she could fill up her gas can, and she offered to give me her bracelets as collateral for returning the money if I gave her my address so she could get in touch once she got home.

I’ve heard of similar scams like this in the area but I’m wondering if anyone has come across this particular individual before?

Activity returned to one more corner at 23rd and Union this week as Beehive Bakery had a “soft” opening in the old Philly’s Cheese Steak building. The bakery and coffee shop is functional, but the owners are still working to get things in order and make changes to the look of the space, both inside and out.

“The awning will disappear in time and will go for a more retro look,” said Ken Collins, who owns the business with his wife Jane. When CDN stopped by August 5, the signs planned for outside the building were being stored in the dining area, and tools were strewn about. But Ken and Jane wanted to get the doors open before the Umojafest Parade and start getting feedback from the neighborhood.

Jane Collins serves a baked good on Beehive’s first day in business

“Don’t be afraid to tell us the truth,” said Jane. “We want you to come back.”

The bakery is certified kosher by Va’ad HaRabinum of Greater Seattle. Even the Cafe D’Arte coffee is they serve is kosher.

“We thought it would be helpful to people with different dietary needs” to be kosher, said Jane.

The building has been vacant ever since the 2008 murder of Philly’s owner Dejene Berecha inside the shop. The shooter, Rey Alberto Davis-Bell, was found guilty in 2010, but the space had remained closed.

In fact, it was closed for so long that all the permits had expired, which delayed the opening of Beehive Bakery several months.

“Once an establishment is vacant for more than 12 months, it’s like ‘go back to go,'” said Ken. “We appreciate everyone’s patience.” However, some of the codes have changed, most notably regarding the drive-through. The bakery cannot reopen the drive-through window, but they hope to perhaps put some outdoor seating there or maybe make it a walk- or bike-up window.

By the end of September, phase two of the renovations should be complete and the shop will look much different. But until then, you can still stop in for coffee and fresh baked goods. The hours are still in flux, but they hope to open by 6 a.m. and stay open into the early evening, about 5:30 or so. Sunday will have shorter hours, they said.

The bakery menu:

After selecting Murase Associates to design the planned Jimi Hendrix Park at 24th and S Massachusetts, park planners organized a series of public meetings to gather public input. Now, the community will get its first peek at the final park design August 10 at the Northwest African American Museum which is adjacent to the future park.

From the city:

Butterflies and guitars, flowers and music, sun and water, and creative use of color will be reflected in the final design concept of Jimi Hendrix Park to pay tribute to the legendary Seattle rock star.

The community is invited to get a first peek at the final design concept at the Aug. 10 meeting, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts St.

Compiled from three initial concepts, the final design will be unveiled for the community and the public at the third and final public event on Wednesday, Aug. 10. The evening celebration of the collaborative design process will include a presentation and formal unveiling by consulting landscape architects from Murase Associates, and an opportunity for the public to make final comments.

The three-month design process solicited ideas from the community and generated at a brainstorming session in May, focusing on images and icons that define and articulate Hendrix’s legacy. Dozens of comments from community members have advocated intimate gathering spaces and performing opportunities, adequate connections to surrounding neighborhoods, functional walkways and seating, and colorful plantings. Scott Murase said the design concept incorporates a variety of landscape and structural elements inspired by Hendrix’s writings, music and art that will transform the Central District park into a living tribute to the Seattle native.

Before becoming a park, the property served as a parking lot next to the old Colman School, and now is a swath of turf adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum.

The non-profit Friends of Jimi Hendrix Park is leading the development process, which envisions a space that will motivate youth and others to achieve in music and art, and strengthen the cultural pulse of the Emerald City as a primary focal point for multi-cultural events, gatherings, and activities for the community.
Funding for the design work and construction of the park development comes from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, which awarded $500,000 to the project last December, and from  a $76,000 Neighborhood Matching Fund grant. Fund-raising activities by the Foundation, such as benefit concerts and online donations, will raise matching private money for park development.

The mission of the Jimi Hendrix Park Foundation is to create a community space inspired by the electrifying music and story of Jimi Hendrix – a gathering place for individuals of diverse backgrounds and ages – to celebrate cultural heritage, experience community pride, and enjoy innovative educational programming in partnership with the neighboring Northwest African American Museum.

In 2006, Seattle Parks and Recreation renamed the 2.5-acre neighborhood space Jimi Hendrix Park, with the goal of turning it into a community gathering space honoring the Seattle-born artist’s extraordinary life and musical legacy.

More information is available at www.jimihendrixparkfoundation.org and on Facebook.
Seattle Parks and Recreation http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/jimi_hendrix/

Below are the three design concepts presented at the last meeting. The final design will likely incorporate elements that were popular from each.

Not long ago, the garages on E Cherry St across from the Garfield Community Center were just plain old garages. Today, they are packed with artists doing everything from painting and printing (whether at Miss Cline Press or Tutta Lou) to industrial-scale pieces and mixed media. Some artists have private studios, while others share space (see our recent profile of ALTSpace). Work is featured in an art walk the second Saturday of each month.

With Coyote Central making its permanent home in the corner lot and 2522 E Cherry leasing out studio space, is this block quickly becoming the hottest arts strip in town? Is property owner Ron Rubin’s plan for a revitalized shopping district working? The Seattle Times recently profiled Rubin and several Central Space artists:

Back in 2008, property owner Ron Rubin wanted to turn the block on East Cherry into a shopping district with artists and street merchants that would thrive on pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Rubin said he hoped that creating more street activity would “get eyeballs on the street” and deter crime, he said.

“My real motivation was urban renewal, to make it safer, more walkable and more livable,” he said.

…

“It’s taken on a life of its own now,” Rubin said. “I don’t think we changed the Central Area. I think we changed a couple blocks. … The people who live there get all the credit. I just created the vision and stepped out of the way.”

The quickly growing art scene on the block will be showcased August 13 for the monthly Second Saturday Art Walk. This week’s art walk will feature live music at Twilight Exit and free paper making demos.