Columbia Citizens

Live locally.

Consult your community calendar.

• HCBA meeting (Wed),
• storytime for babies, and a book group for adults (Wed),
• a Brazilian dance class (Wed),
• storytime and a bilingual play group for kids (Fri),
• C-City runners (Sat),
• Cheasty Greenspace work party (Sat),
• paper collage at the Senior Center (Sat),
• last call for 100 dresses (Sun),
• a weaving class (Mon),
• and Citizens post more events all the time!

In the calendar, you can click through to each event's online information. If a local event is missing, please send a Citizen's alert.

We're still showing two of the best picture nominees, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and we'll have more before Oscar night. Benjamin Button ends Thursday, replaced by The Reader on Friday, Feb 6, probably for one week only.

Milk will open on Friday, Feb 13 after the departure of Taken, and if The Reader plays only one week, we'll show Doubt as well. We'll still try to fit in Frost-Nixon and Revolutionary Road just before the Oscars.

On Facebook? Join the Columbia City Cinema group. Just another great way to stay on top of all that’s happening at Seattle's Coolest Neighborhood Cinema.

See you at the movies.

Preschool storytime Friday Feb 6 from 10:30 to 11am. Bring your preschoolers to enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and fun with our children's librarian.

Play and Learn Friday Feb 6 from 11:30am to 1pm. Grupo Bilingüe de juegos para padres y cuidadores con niños entre las edades de nacimiento hasta 5 años. / Bilingual play group for ages birth to 5.

Homework Help Volunteers will assist students with homework on a drop in basis on Mon-Thu, 5-7:30pm.

Be our friend on MySpace.

• Wed — XIL Records presents Rock & Metal bands
• Thu — (Theater) Benefit for the Strong Kids Foundation: Trolls Cottage, Mesa & Ari, the Sunshine Junkies
  (Lounge) Women In Arts & Music Showcase, featuring Elle Scott, Sue Quigley & VerleeRose
• Fri — The Senate 4th Anniversary Party (2 shows!)
• Sat — Songs for a Winter's Eve: local jazz artists
• Tue Night Matinee w/ Invisible Giants, Roman Holiday, Snickerpuss, Revel Reins

full details here

New Dance/Fitness classes by Chris Daigre

Starting February 10, Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:30 - 10:30am

An integrated dance and fitness class that moves to infectious African, Latin, Caribbean and Hip-Hop rhythms. A complete workout — practical and fun. Learn dance moves in an aerobic format — isolate and undulate to the most popular smooth jazz, Latin and R&B music. Complete your workout with core strengthening and a full body stretch. Feel good all over, inside and out. All levels welcome.

Lakewood Seward Park Community Center, 4916 S Angeline St

Help Orca fund a Public Art Workshop

Silent Art Auction — Fri, Feb 13 @ Gather (10-7pm)

In Spring 2009, SEEDArts and Orca K-8 are partnering to offer an after-school workshop for students to create mosaics for their outdoor garden benches. In order to cover the projects costs, we need to raise $2500! Please join us for a one day only silent art auction at Gather in Columbia City on Fri, Feb 13th, starting at 10am, concluding with a reception from 5-7pm.

Contact Abbey Norris, Public Art Manager, 760-4289

Friends of Cheasty Greenspace/Mt. View

Participate in a special south-end story of urban forest restoration!

Cheasty Greenspace offers 43 acres of woodland habitat on the eastern slope of Beacon Hill. Neighbors and volunteers have joined together to restore the ten acre section of the greenspace just south of Columbian Way. We hope to create a safe and healthy park for all to enjoy! Please join us for one of our work parties to remove invasives and plant native trees and shrubs. Tools and gloves provided. Please wear weather appropriate clothing; bring drinking water and snacks if you wish.

Work parties are first Saturdays.
Hosted by Friends of Cheasty at Mountain View.
Contact Mary at ude.ups|gnojedm#ude.ups|gnojedm or Andrea at moc.liamg|yksvortsoda#moc.liamg|yksvortsoda with questions.

Rainier House Grand Opening!

Join us for the Grand Opening of the DESC Rainier House on Monday, Feb 23rd from 3-5pm. Located at 5270 Rainier Ave S, the Rainier House will be the home for 50 currently homeless, mentally ill adults. We will also be "warming the neighborhood" with handmade lanterns along Rainier Avenue, care of SEEDArts and the Gateway Project.

contact gro.csed|nacillimm#gro.csed|nacillimm, 515-1538

C-City Runners

Need some inspiration for your fitness New Year's resolutions? Come join the CCity Runners for a Saturday morning run!

We meet at the Columbia City Bakery every Saturday morning (rain or shine) at 8:30 AM. Look for the morning host and introduce yourself. Routes vary depending on the runner. We have everything from a short to a long route. Hope to see you there! Questions? Contact Heather Henricks at moc.liamg|skcirnehh#moc.liamg|skcirnehh. You can also check us out at www.ccityrunners.com.

New Gift Shop at the Columbia City Gallery!

The Columbia City Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of a Gallery Gift Shop on Feb 3rd, 2009! The new gift shop, located within the gallery, will be ongoing and will feature both art and contemporary crafts from local artisans. Learn more...

Gallery Hours: Weds-Sat 12 to 8pm, Sun 10am to 6pm
Contact: Kathy Fowells, Gallery Manager, 4864 Rainier Ave S, 760-9843

Bad hair day?

Traci Floyd, independent stylist is currently seeking neighborhood clientele. Traci is located at Pure Alchemy Salon, 3811 S. Ferdinand. Cuts start at $35/up. Call directly at 914-5397. Mention, "I'm having a bad hair day.", and receive $5 off your cut all through February!

Hillman City Heart Hunt

The Hillman Heart Hunt will take place from Feb 7-21st, leading up to HCBA's Third Annual Town Hall on Feb 21st from 12-3pm at the Rainier Avenue Church (5900 Rainier Ave S). Heart Hunt participants can download clues from SEED's website starting on Feb 7th, to seek out and collect paper hearts made by Orca students at participating Hillman City businesses. Collected hearts will be exchanged for prizes at the HCBA Town Hall!
Contact: Abbey Norris, Public Art Manager, (206)760-4289

Columbia City in the news

• Unstructured play in Seward Park
• A power-lifting great-granma at Bull & Flo's Columbia City Fitness
• The Times reviews "the same old tasty Island Soul".

Hillman City Posts

• Welcome Lemming and eye(rean).

• Site members can update their own posted comments, send private messages, upload small files, and have broader write-access across the wiki. It's easy to join.

This place has been busy!

• eye(rean) has taken Columbia Citizens by storm! She's created a dozen new pages, all about expanding gardening in our area:
  • Fruit Tree Pruning Workshop, Saturday Feb 14th, Saturday Feb 21st
  • Bucket Brigade, Saturday, March 21st
  • Rainier Valley Garden Day, Saturday, May 9th
  • Mapping local food resources in our community
  • Usable Land - vacant lots, traffic circles, etc.
  • Urban Land Army
  • Rainier Childcare program
  • Articles for the Rainier Valley Post
  • Fruit Tree Harvest Program
  • Neighborhood organizing - share meals, compost, tools, chores or whatever else inspires us.
  • meeting minutes, Jan 27th, 2008
  • meeting minutes, Inaugural meeting

• A Citizen updated the agenda for the South Seattle Crime Prevention Council. The agenda says November 5th, but we're pretty sure it's for their Feb 4th meeting.