It’s been seven long years since Kitaro (1645 N. 45th St) went up in a roil of smoke and fire. Since then, it has stood a burned out husk, decorated occasionally with concert posters, interrupted only by the occasional rumor of change.

Well, change looks like it is finally on the horizon (although not the change everyone may have hoped for). Mike Ruby spotted this proposal on the City of Seattle’s website for the property:

SDR – Construct 10,200 sq. ft. residential building with 7 units and no parking proposed. REVISED FROM: Demolition of existing fire-damaged Mixed Use building. New …

Matt from the Pacific Northwest Shop (4411 Wallingford Ave. N) wrote that they’re having another pop-up this Saturday, featuring local artists:

I make a plea for this every year, but it’s been some time since Wallingford represented: PARK(ing) Day is a cool, city-wide affair in which anyone can take over a slice of street and turn it into a work of art.

I offer you here some random samplings of what other people have done around the country:

Sweet, right? And you can even apply for up to $5,000 in funding for your idea through the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund program (August 10th application deadline.)

PARK(ing) Day itself is September 21st, 2018, and applications are being accepted up through August 24th. …

If you’re looking to get out and hear some music locally tonight, you might meander over to the Keystone Church (5019 Keystone Pl), where Charlie King and Rebel Voices will be performing a benefit concert to raise money for the church’s Justice Leadership Program.

Fromt their promo material:

Charlie King has been at the heart of American folk music for over 50 years. His songs have been recorded and sung by other performers such as Pete & Peggy Seeger, Holly Near, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, and Chad Mitchell. He is this year’s Phil Ochs Award recipient.

and

Singing out for …

Beginning next year, SDOT will be undertaking a major repaving project in Wallingford and Green Lake, including repaving on 40th, 50th, Green Lake Way, 80th, over 500 upgraded accessible curb ramps and more.

For a full rundown on the project, see SDOT’s Green Lake and Wallingford Paving & Multi-Modal Improvements page and offer your feedback online through the paving project Online Open House. Better yet, get yourself to one of the in person, live, face-to-face (“retro”) open houses coming up at the Good Shepherd Center and

If you’d like to chat with the folks from SDOT about the many paving …

Here’s your reminder that this weekend is the Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade, and Mother Nature has blessed us with a gorgeous weekend to enjoy it with.

The Solstice Parade kicks off at NW 39th St and Leary Way NW at 1 pm on Saturday with the famous Naked Bicycle ride (captured in quirkiness by local filmmaker Dan McComb in Beyond Naked), and then tumbles, struts and thumps through Fremont to Gas Works Park. Watch for “Baby Z”, now in his seventh year stilting in the parade (and long past babyhood…that’s him at right, five years ago). Folks start …

These are desperate times for those fleeing their home countries for safety and freedom. In the face of the stunning injustices the president’s government has been inflicting on those in need, many of us are wondering what can one person do.

Despite the walls going up (literal or figurative), there are still organizations working to welcome newly arrived refugees into our community. World Relief Seattle is one such non-profit, and I’ve had the pleasure of providing temporary housing to a number of families they are re-settling from Afghanistan, Sudan and other countries here in Seattle. They’re fabulous people who provide …