Visit Santa at his house at the SW corner of South 3rd Street and Wells Avenue South on Fridays and Saturdays from December 7 to 22. Free downloadable pictures with Santa will be taken on Fridays from 4 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m.
Enjoy the sights and sounds of the Argosy Christmas Ship as it makes its annual visit to Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park on Monday, December 3. The ship will be just off the lake’s shore from 8:00 to 8:20 p.m.
Each night, from December 1st through 23rd, the Argosy Christmas Ship™ sails to different Puget Sound waterfront communities, over 45 in total. The purpose is to bring communities together to celebrate the holiday season. On shore, people can gather around a bonfire, and sing carols. On board, a local choir sings. The choir is broadcast over state-of-the-art speaker systems, letting those on shore join in the festivities.
If you don’t feel like being an on-shore caroler, you can either join on board the Christmas Ship™ or one of the Parade ships that follow, or join with friends and neighbors to gather together for your own caroling tradition. If you own your own boat, feel welcome to join in the festival and help form the largest holiday floating parade in the world.
In addition to good cheer, family, and friends, a portion of all ticket sales benefits The Seattle Times Fund For The Needy, an annual program that raises money for several charitable organizations in the Puget Sound area. Tickets are available through this link.
Ivar’s Clam Lights at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park begins Friday, November 30. Ivar’s Clam Lights holiday festival kicks off its 14th annual opening night with carolers and families singing around Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park bonfire. Take a ride on Santa’s Covered Wagon, enjoy holiday entertainment by the Wednesday Night Jam Band and watch the arrival of the Rainier Yacht Club’s Parade of Boats. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m., with the official lighting ceremony at 7:20 p.m. Clam Lights runs nightly through January 1.
The Nov. 30 opening night schedule will be as follows:
*
6:30 p.m. Live entertainment from Mach One Jazz Band
*
7:15 p.m. Welcome from City of Renton Mayor Kathy Keolker
*
7:20 p.m. Lights illuminate
*
7:30 p.m. Parade of Boats, presented by the Rainier Yacht Club
Two more free natural yard care workshops are being provided by the Master Gardeners. The Master Gardeners are a great local resource, despite the pompous title. Master Gardener volunteers are trained para-professionals who work in the community as horticulture advisors and resources for home gardeners. They are an organization which started right here in King County in 1972. The program now exists in all 50 states and many other countries.
You will often find them at local events, and in places such as your local library. For these workshops, they welcome beginners and provide “light refreshments” at each. Their programs focus on reducing yard waste and reducing maintenance.
Beautify Your Boulevard
Thursday, November 8th, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Highlands Neighborhood Center 800 Edmonds Avenue NE; Renton
Please join Master Gardener Mary Machala for an informative, creative and fun hands on presentation about inexpensive steps you can take to transform your parking strip or sidewalk area from a rough grassy patch to an attractive, colorful planting strip. Learn about improving soil and adding appropriate plants while reducing yard waste and maintenance to benefit your yard’s appeal and health.
Gardening with Native Plants
Thursday, November 15th, 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Highlands Neighborhood Center 800 Edmonds Avenue NE; Renton
Are you seeking plants that look great, require less maintenance, attract wildlife and can take care of themselves? Then please join Master Gardener and Native Plant Steward Ed LaCrosse, for a very informative and insightful presentation on incorporating native plants into your landscape. Improve your knowledge of building a healthier yard while reducing maintenance, yard debris, and reliance on pesticides and fertilizers.
For more information, please contact Spencer Orman at 425 430-7396.
This is not exactly local news, but it’s too good not to pass on:
By Associated Press
MANSON, Wash. (AP) - A Chelan County fire chief says a couple were lucky they weren’t killed by a cow that fell off a cliff and smashed their minivan.District 5 Chief Arnold Baker says they missed being killed by a matter of inches Sunday as they drove on Highway 150 near Manson.
The 600-pound cow fell about 200 feet and landed on the hood of the minivan carrying Charles Everson Jr. and his wife Linda of Westland, Mich., who were in the area celebrating their one-year wedding anniversary. They were checked at Lake Chelan Community Hospital as a precaution.
The van was heavily damaged, including a broken windshield.
Charles Everson says he kept repeating, “I don’t believe this. I don’t believe this.”
The year-old cow had been reported missing by a breeder. It was euthanized at the scene.
The sad part is that the cow was euthanized at the scene, meaning it did not die from the fall. Moooo
I’m not the type to give my cats vitamins. They are remind me to feed them, but I doubt they would remind me to give them vitamins, so it’s not happening. However, some people do stuff like that, and if you are one of them, take a closer look at the label on that bottle.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –Baconton, GA — November 2, ,2007 —The Hartz Mountain Corporation is voluntarily recalling one specific lot of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats due to concerns that one or more bottles within the lot may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.
The product involved is 3600 bottles of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats, lot code SZ- 1637 1, UPC number 32700-97701, which was manufactured by a third party manufacturer, UFAC (USA), Inc., in Baconton, Georgia. While normal testing conducted by Hartz and UFAC has not revealed the presence of Salmonella in any Hartz products, sampling conducted by the FDA did detect the presence of Salmonella. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source of the problem.
Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 with any questions they may have and to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.
It’s election day, have you voted yet? Head to your local polling place, or if you are like 90% of the area voters, to your mailbox. There are lots of important issues on the ballot today.
Next year, with presidential and governor’s positions up for grabs, we should see a far greater voter turn-out. This year, we are going to be lucky to get half. 51% was the estimate made by our Secretary of State Sam Reed. And now he is wondering if he over-estimated. Come on, people, you have no right to complain if you don’t vote. And I’d say that more than half of our population is complainers, so more than half of them should be voters!
In case there is any shortage of information, there is a MySpace page at www.myspace.com/secstatewa and a Facebook group called Washington State Elections for voters who want elections information via the social networking sites. If you are really desparate, you could refer to that voters pamphlet you received via snail mail.
On the ballot today …
-Tim Eyman’s Initiative 960, the only citizen initiative on the ballot, deals with how Olympia handles tax and fee voting. It would reassert the two-thirds supermajority requirement for passing taxes.
-A constitutional amendment generated by the Legislature, HJR4204, meanwhile, would do away with the supermajority for voters to approve local school levies. Instead of 60 percent to raise property taxes, a simple majority would suffice.
-Another constitutional change, SJR8206, would create a “rainy day” savings account, with the state required to sock away 1 percent of its revenue every year, primarily for use during a recession or disaster.
-The largest transportation tax package ever placed on a Washington ballot, Proposition 1, would boost sales and car-tab taxes in the congested tri-county area of King, Pierce and Snohomish. It would pay for more roads, light rail and other projects.
The most expensive battle, though, involves Referendum 67. The measure would make it illegal for insurers unreasonably deny claims or violate unfair practice rules, allowing up to triple damages. It does not apply to health benefits.
Polls in King County open at 7 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. A piece of identification is required. Mail ballots must be postmarked Tuesday or dropped off at a designated site. For details on where you should go to vote, visit www.vote.wa.gov
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Annex Mexican Food Co. is voluntarily recalling more than 4,000 pounds of cooked beef and chicken products distributed to restaurants and institutions in Oregon and Washington.The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Portland-based company recalled the food because it may be “adulterated” due to inadequate verification and documentation of processing activities.
There was no retail distribution of the products that were produced between Oct. 11 and Oct. 30. No illnesses have been linked to the food.
The Agriculture Department says the recall applies to seven products, including bags of taco beef, enchilada meat, Mexican meatballs, Chili Verde, Chili Colorado, and white chicken taco filling.
Bags of the affected food have the establishment number “EST. 5880″ inside the USDA inspection mark.
About-RentonWA tracks local events and announcements that are important to residents of Renton and southeast King County. This blog will be updated at least daily during the week, so stop by often. I have two young children, and will focus on free or inexpensive family activities, or sometimes just the random things I find interesting. I would love to hear from you, if you have any tips or suggestions for me.
Renton, WA Author(s)
» Lynn-Glessner
