Renton, WA

Just in time for spring break kids bouncing off the walls, comes the annual Seattle Center Whirligig! I’m normally not a fan of going “all the way downtown” (insert big sigh) but I may be desperate by this point. And the kids think going to the park ‘n ride and taking the bus downtown is a big adventure. (My real goal is to not have to drive and park downtown.)

The 2008 Seattle Center Whirligig is March 28 – April 13. There will be super-sized inflatable rides, roaming clowns, face painters and FREE entertainment, turning the Center House into a colorful house of bounce. A special Toddler Zone is also available.

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Renton Fire and Emergency Services is actively recruiting volunteers for the Spring 2008 CERT academy.  Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is a nationwide all-hazards program created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). CERT is part of a national effort to increase disaster preparedness and volunteerism in communities.

Graduates of the CERT program work with first responders to better prepare their neighborhoods and assist with local response efforts in the event of a disaster. CERT volunteers will be trained in fire suppression, light search and rescue, first aid, disaster psychology and neighborhood organization. Classes are taught by fire department personnel and local experts in disaster preparedness and response.

The Spring 2008 CERT academy begins March 19th. Classes are held on most Wednesday evenings through May 14th and conclude with a disaster simulation exercise on Saturday May 17th.

For more information about CERT, or to register for spring classes, call (425) 430-7041.

A flashlight egg hunt sounds like a blast; since my family won’t be able to attend I hope someone can leave me a comment and let me know how it goes. Sometimes an egg hunt just turns into a mad dash over in seconds, but the flashlights add a fun twist. The egghunt will be at Liberty Park. If you’re mapping it, that’s at 1101 Bronson Way North, at the intersection of Bronson Way N and Houser Way N.

There will be separate hunts for ages 7-10 and for ages 11-15. The event starts at 8pm March 7, and should last about an hour. Bring flashlight and bag.

For younger children, try the Hip Hop Egg Hunt and Carnival. The egg hunt for ages 6 & under (with parent), so they can have fun without being run over by older children. The egg hunt is free, and the carnival is $6. This will be at Renton Community Center on 3/15 from 10AM to 12:30.

For something you can do at home, try this Easter Egg Tree from Creative Mom Cafe.

I’ve heard of paid research studies, but Seattle Biomedical Research Institute is about to take it to the extreme. Finding a vaccine for malaria is very important for third-world countries, where millions die every year of this mosquito-borne illness. So why would any amount of money tempt you to expose yourself? Well, the good news is, we don’t live in a third world country. If the test vaccine is not effective, and you do develop the disease, it would probably be similar to the flu. In a similar project at Walter Reed, not one person has gotten “seriously ill”.

You may be motivated by the $2,000, or by a sense of helping the global community, or by a combination of both. But don’t get too excited. The first trial will be held more than a year from now, with six volunteers.

Additional trials would require about 26 volunteers each. All of this is being funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I could make a joke here, like “First they brought us Windows, now they bring us malaria” but this seriously is a great cause. Bill and Melinda Gates announced in October they would seek worldwide eradication of the disease rather than just control. Their foundation has committed $860 million to malaria programs and another $650 million to support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Seattle volunteers will be paid an estimated $2,000 or more to hold a paper cup containing infected mosquitoes against their arm, waiting for the insects to bite. Symptoms usually develop within nine to 11 days, and volunteers will be treated for malaria when the first parasites show up in their blood. The treatments last three days. At this time the SBRI website only has information on how to donate money, not your body, so stay tuned for more information.

Renton Technical College has partnered with the Small Business Development Center to provide a BIZSCHOOL. BIZSCHOOL is a nearly free day full of small business seminars. By nearly free, I mean the cost is $15 and lunch is provided.

Bizschool starts with registration for walk-ins and a general welcome at 8:30AM, followed by 60/90 minute time blocks staring at 9:00. Each time block has 3-5 classes to choose from, including during the lunch time block. Some, but not all, classes are repeated. The class format includes panel presentations, roundtable discussions, and lectures - all with handouts. You only need to attend those classes which interest you.
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Valley Medical Center offers several free seminars to the community. Call 425-262-INFO to register.

Headaches
March 20, 5:30pm in the Medical Arts Center Auditorium
Dr. Mark PIker from the Washington Neuroscience Institute discusses proven treatment plans for migraine, sinus, tension, and other types of headaches.

Joint Replacement Surgery
May 1, 5:30-7:30pm in the Medical Arts Center Auditorium
Seattle Magazine Top Doctor, Dr. William Barretts leads this discussion on joint replacement surgery. The Joint Center at VMC is ranked in the top 5% nationally, and is #1 in Seattle according to HealthGrades.

Diabetes, Insulin Resistance, and Weight Control
March 24, 6-7:30pm in the Medical Arts Center Auditorium

The Diabetic Eye: Protecting your Vision and
Understanding the Progression and Management of Type 2 Diabetes
June 30, 6-7:30pm in the Medical Arts Center Auditorium
Two seminars in one

On Wednesday, the owner of Armondo’s in Renton will donate a portion of his proceeds to the Way Back Inn and HOME/ARISE. Eat at Armondo’s, or even just get some take-out.

Renton’s Armondo Pavone, owner of Armondo’s Café Italiano, is a man known for his willingness to step up to the plate for worthy causes. He’s also done fundraisers for the Lymphoma Society, annual fundraisers for an autism group and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Renton’s Way Back Inn is a nonprofit based on the belief that elbow grease goes a long way toward helping homeless families. Since 1991, the Way Back Inn, which now has 10 housing units, has provided temporary transitional housing or rental assistance to more than 500 families.

To recap your orders: Eat at Armondo’s Café Italiano (or order food to go) at 310 Wells Ave. S. in Renton, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Then enjoy your food, and the knowledge that a portion of the proceeds from that day will benefit the Way Back Inn and HOME/ARISE.

In the ongoing discussion of the future of Fairwood - annex or incorporate? - the latest issue is the Fairwood Library. Currently, the Fairwood Library is part of the King County Library System rather than the Renton Library System. The last I heard, this was not likely to change no matter what happened. However, The Fairwood Municipal Initiative is hosting an upcoming meeting - held at the Fairwood Library itself - with representatives from both library systems.

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See all the 2008 Best Pictures Oscar Nominees at your local AMC Theatre. On Saturday February 23rd, you can pay $30 for admission to all five Best Picture nominees and unlimited popcorn. You also get a “collectible pass”, but that’s probably not very useful to most of you. That’s about the price of a movie date anyway, and this is a much cooler version.
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“Map Your Neighborhood” Facilitator Training

Map Your Neighborhood is a program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters. Register for training to lead a 2-hour discussion about emergency preparedness with your neighbors Jan. 30 6:30 -8:30 p.m. Pre-register through Renton Technical College for Course 452, Item 0918. See below for a listing of what you’ll learn.

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Did you know Renton had a sister city? We do, and it’s in Nishiwaki, Japan. An upcoming trip is planned for the week of April 7, 2008 (exact dates still to be confirmed), and is open to community leaders and residents interested in representing Renton to its sister city.  Past delegations have included members from the Renton School District, City of Renton, Mayor and Councilmembers, service clubs, and Renton citizens.

Delegates will meet Nishiwaki’s Mayor and Council, and tour local attractions and cities.  Delegates will be responsible for their own expenses, but home-stay accommodations will be available in Nishiwaki. However, there may be one additional expense. Miranda at World Traveler advises visitors to Japan to bring gifts, so as not to seem rude.

Renton’s sister city relationship with Nishiwaki began in 1969 when a sister city alliance with Nishiwaki was forged by the Renton Lions Club with support of other civic organizations to promote mutual understanding and goodwill between the United States and Japan, and to encourage the exchange of ideas and culture between the two cities.  In an effort to enhance a sister city relationship with Nishiwaki, the Renton City Council passed a resolution in 1994 establishing an official City of Renton Nishiwaki Sister City Advisory Committee.

This sister city relationship pairs two cities with strikingly similar characteristics.  Like Renton, Nishiwaki is located in a valley between two hills with a river running through the center of town. The climates are very similar and each city has three high schools.  Nishiwaki is located near the city of Kobe, which is one of Seattle’s sister cities.  The Washington - Hyogo, Japan, Sister State Association strengthens the relationship between Renton and Nishiwaki.

All delegate participation must be confirmed by January 31, 2008.  For questions, more information, or to become part of the delegation, please contact Sonja Mejlaender at the City of Renton at 425-430-6514 or by email at smejlaender@ci.renton.wa.us.

I’m sure you have a choice of cool private parties to attend on New Year’s Eve, but just to add a few more options, here are some local offerings for the Big Night, in and near Renton:

New Year’s Eve Concert
In Tukwila, ring in the New Year with the Seattle Wolves Football Club and The End 107.7. They are throwing a party featuring two local Seattle bands: The Blakes and The Saturday Knights. Festivities run from 9PM - 2AM on Monday December 31st (duh) at Starfire Sports and Entertainment Complex. They are located at 14800 Starfire Way, and will charge you $35.

New Year’s Eve Party
At the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, there will be live music and dancing until 6AM the following day. Free party favors, and the restaurants will have special menus. You can find them at 2402 Auburn Way S, or on the web at www.muckleshootcasino.com

New Year’s Eve Symphonic Pops Concert
Spend the last night of 2007 listening to the Federal Way Symphony perform a tribute to Ray Charles. 9PM to midnight at The Commons (formerly SeaTac Mall) in Federal Way.

The Grown and Sexy Bash at the Holiday Inn in Renton
I never thought I would put all those words together into a headline. This event features a dinner and comedy show from 6:30-8:30 p.m. (as well as VIP jazz lounge), followed by a party featuring music by Uncle Guy and DJ Hitmann at 9 p.m. Admission: $35 (party only), $75-$140 (VIP package), brownpapertickets.com. Information: 425-226-7700, 206-984-7751, thirdlevelevents.com.

For some downtown Seattle ideas, visit about-seattlewa to check out A New Year in the Emerald City and browse her other Seattle-centric events listings.

Holiday lights are fading fast. Here are three more local places you can still see them.

Auburn City Hall Lights
I couldn’t find on their web page how many lights there are this year. Last year, they had 52,000 lights and a “holiday tree”. Can we just call it a “Christmas tree”? Lights are on starting at 4pm daily, through March 10th. If Auburn is having budget problems, someone might suggest they can stop their “holiday” light display in early January and save a few thousand. They are at 25 W Main St, or on the web at www.auburnwa.gov.

Clam Lights
In Renton’s Coulon Park from 5-9PM, until Tuesday the 1st. Gene Coulon Memorial Park is at 1201 Lake Washington Blvd. It’s exit 5 off 405.

Fantasy Lights
This one is in Spanaway Park, which is at 14905 Bresemann Blvd S. And, this one is (gasp) not free. The cost is $13 per car or $45 bus. Which may imply a higher quality display. They claim 300 displays and thousands of lights. This runs 5:30-9PM until December 31st.

Have you been to any of these displays? Good, bad, or indifferent? Leave me a comment and let me know.

The following offerings are for children 6 and under at the Fairwood Library this month:

Preschools and daycares need to contact the library to schedule a story time. These are designed for children with a parent

Baby Fun Story Times
Tuesday January 8,15,22, and 29 Noon
Newborn to 12 months, with adult

Tiny Toddler Story Times
Monday January 7,14, and 28 10:45 AM
Ages 12-24 months with adult

Toddler Sharing Story Times
Monday January 7,14, and 28 10AM
Tuesday January 8,15,22, and 29 10AM
Ages 2-3 with adult

Preschool Story Times
Monday January 7,14,28 1PM
Tuesday January 8,15,22, and 29 10:45AM
Ages 3 to 6

Note that some of the Monday offerings skip a day, because the library is closed on Monday January 21st in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

IKEA is really teaming up with the Thunderbirds right now. In addition to the Thunderbirds birthday package, they are offering free kids’ tickets with the purchase of adult tickets.

Just go to IKEA and swipe your child(ren)’s Kids Club card at the kiosk at the entrance to the store. You will receive a coupon for one free Kid’s Ticket with the purchase of an adult ticket to any Sunday through Friday game. The game must be between January 1, 2008 and February 20, 2008. (Sunday through Friday means Saturday is excluded, get it?)

In case this still isn’t enough Thunderbirds for you, the actual team may or may not be at IKEA Seattle with a Puck Shoot Booth on Saturday January 19 and Sunday January 20, from 11am-3pm each of those days.