Columbia Citizens

Live locally.

Consult your community calendar.

• farmers market (Wed),
• bilingual play group (Thu),
• a community dinner (Thu),
• acupuncture and food relief (Fri),
• story time (Fri),
• landmarks committee (Fri),
• a mosaic dedication (Fri),
• a running group (Sat),
• a rally for Mike McGinn (Mon)
• dine out for art (Tue),
• Community Choir (Tue),
• Healthy & Active Rainier Valley Coalition (Wed),
• 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.

Tomorrow is your last chance to get St. Jude's high quality sushi grade Tuna cans, jerky, and steaks. Also, sweet mini kiwis are perfect for salads, smoothies, and school lunchbox snacks. Apples and asian pears are at their peak — buy a surplus now to eat, can, sauce, freeze, and, of course, make into pie! Next week is the Annual Pumpkin Decorating Event and your last chance to support the market farmers this season.

This week: enter to win special market gift certificates redeemable next week only!

See you at Market!

Preschool storytime Friday October 16th from 10:30 to 11am. Bring your preschoolers to enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and fun with our children's librarian.

Giờ đọc truyện tiếng Việt! (Vietnamese Story Time) Saturday October 17th from 3:30 to 4 pm. Thư viện công cộng Seattle tổ chức giờ đọc truyện bằng tiếng việt cho trẻ em! (The Seattle Public Library is hosting Vietnamese Story Times for young children!)

Homework Help Volunteers will assist students with homework on a drop in basis on Mondays from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and Tuesdays through Thursdays from 5 to 7 pm.

Game On! Tuesday October 20th from 3 to 5 pm. Come by for open play on the Wii (including MarioKart!), sing to stardom on American Idol, rock out with Rock Band and practice your dance skills with Dance Dance Revolution. Free food and prizes!

Library programs are free and open to the public. We invite everyone to attend.

Wikli 100

This week's Wikli will mark a milestone. This is #100. That's one hundred weeks of Columbia Citizen news, alerts, commentary, and images — all shared by neighbors, for neighbors.

And in celebration of this momentous occasion… it feels like a good time to kick off a Wikli sabbatical.

It's time to focus with neighbors' help to make the site even more accessible, more engaging, more inclusive, and more compelling.

Can we aim to get this done by springtime? Your thoughts on all this are vital, as always.

read more...

Halloween Happenings

Saturday, October 31, 2009
Visit ColumbiaCitySeattle.com for complete info.

trick-or-treating
3:30 - 6pm, along & near Rainier Ave S between S Angeline & S Dawson.
More than 30 local businesses will have treats — just look for the orange and black balloons.

Halloween specials
The following businesses will have specials all day long: Andaluz, Baol International Gifts, Columbia City Bakery, El Sombrero, Island Soul, Lotus Yoga, KC’s Flowers, Salon Lorache, Retroactive Kids, Verve Wine Bar & Bistro

costume contests & parties
For Kids & Families: Geraldine's Counter
3:30 - 6pm (during trick-or-treating), categories include
Cutest • Most Creative • Best Group or Family
We'll announce winners the following Tues, Nov 3, 2009.

For "Kids" 21+

• Lottie's Lounge Judging: 10:30 – 11pm
• Royal Esquire Club Party with food & music, 8pm – 1:30am • $10
  Costume prizes: $100/$50

Arts Gumbo 2009

Asian Tales of Shadow & Light
Saturday, Oct 24 (6 - 9pm) @ Rainier Valley Cultural Center

Arts Gumbo partners with San Francisco's unique kinetic theatre group Eth Noh Tec, who perform ancient folktales, myths and legends from Asia in their unique style of movement, music and the spoken word.

From 6 - 7 pm, Eth Noh Tec will perform a series of stories from various Asian traditions, incorporating a brief audience-involved group story during the performance. A brief question and answer period will follow the production and at 7:30 a we'll serve a sampling of Pan Asian hors d'oeuvres from Kawali Grill. At 8pm artist Saya Moyiasu will teach a mask-making workshop for families.

Tickets: $10 for general, $7 for students and seniors, $5 for children (ages 8-18), children 7 and under are free, $25 for families of up to 4 people. Purchase tickets online or at the door. (Admission includes food and workshop)

Coming in November: Odunde Festival...

Arts Gumbo Film Discussion Group

Thursday, October 22 - 6:30pm @ Rainier Valley Cultural Center
Kwaidan, Ghost Stories from Japan. Discussion following movie. This event is free and we encourage the public to attend.

Rally in the Valley

I wanted to invite you all to an event to be held Monday October 19th 6-8 p.m. at Jumbo Resturant 4308 Rainier Ave S. This is a free event, but if you can… please bring a canned food item for our neighbors at the Rainbier Valley Food Bank.

This will be a great event with participation from the Vietnamese, East African, and Latino communities of Rainier Valley. Please come out, spend time with your neighbors, and hear from candidate Mike McGinn. Food, and refreshments served free of charge!

ps The link for the Rainier Valley Food Bank is rvfb.org.

Hope to see you on Monday night!

Community Dinner this Thursday

This Thursday there will be a community dinner at the Rainier Community Center from 6:30 to 8:30. We'll be cooking up potatoes, greens and squash fresh from the garden. Please RSVP to Diana at vog.ytnuocgnik|hniv.anaid#vog.ytnuocgnik|hniv.anaid if you are able to come and cook and eat!

Join the CCity Runners for a lovely fall run

The weather is changing and there's nothing better than getting in a fabulous run alongside friendly neighbors while taking in the fall foliage. We welcome runners of all levels and provide a variety of routes that will satisfy the seasoned or beginner runner. Come join us every Saturday at 8:30 AM for a morning run, then stay for a coffee and a pastry in Columbia City. We meet in front of KC Flowers every Saturday at 8:30 AM. Learn more at www.ccityrunners.com.

Columbia School Update

We had a great turnout last weekend to talk about a community visioning session in November for Columbia School. If you'd like to learn more, please contact moc.liamg|sdneirFloohcSaibmuloC#moc.liamg|sdneirFloohcSaibmuloC to be added to the e-mail list.

We've posted the report from the recent meeting.

Dine Out for Art at Tutta Bella

Support SEEDArts Annual Fund and local restaurants at the same time, simply by dining at Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Columbia City anytime between 6am-10pm on Tuesday, October 20th! Proceeds will benefit SEEDArts programs including the Columbia City Gallery, Rainier Valley Cultural Center and Public Art Program.

Mosaic Dedication at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club

Please join us on Fri, October 16 (4:30–5pm) for a dedication of Origin of the Red Line mosaic and a flag ceremony at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club (4520 MLK Jr Way S). Mary Coss designed the mosaic, and youth at the Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club fabricated it, in partnership with SEEDArts Public Art Program. For more information, contact Abbey Norris at 760-4289.

Sustainable South Seattle

A look back, then forward…

It's been a busy year, and thanks to you, S3 has accomplished a lot. We'll start the meeting by reviewing and commenting on recently completed and ongoing projects (an impressive list!). Then we'll discuss how to build on our successes in implementing new projects.

read more...

Renew Seattle's Housing Levy

Vote YES to protect our most vulnerable neighbors!
The Seattle Housing Levy creates and preserves housing for our most vulnerable neighbors: seniors, people with disabilities, domestic violence victims, veterans, and formerly homeless individuals and families.

Vote YES for working families!
The Seattle Housing Levy helps hard-working families afford housing and still have enough money for the basics like groceries, gas and child care.

Vote YES for proven success!
Your investment in the Seattle Housing Levy has helped local families for 28 years. Renewing the seven-year levy would replace the expiring levy and cost the typical Seattle homeowner $65 per year.

read more...

Fight hunger and receive free acupuncture

Join the Community Acupuncture Project of Columbia City and community acupuncture clinics across the greater Seattle area in honoring World Food Day on October 16th.

Our clinic is gathering food for the Rainier Valley Food Bank now through October 16th. To draw awareness to the food crisis in our country and to thank all of you who donate food, we are offering free acupuncture treatments all day on World Food Day - Friday, October 16th. To make an appointment, visit www.acupunctureforall.org or call 760-6064

You can drop off food at our clinic at any time on or before 10/16 at 3811 S Ferdinand @ Rainier

Leave Your Car Behind — In Motion

King County Metro Transit is launching an "In Motion" program in southeast Seattle to help residents try new options for getting around. We invite you to get involved! Just pledge to try new ways to get where you need to go — walk, bike, carpool, ride the bus or light rail.

When you make a pledge to drive less, you will receive some free bus and light rail tickets as well as a comprehensive travel map of southeast Seattle.

The more you bus, bike, walk and share rides instead of driving, the more rewards you can receive. The rewards include ORCA cards preloaded with $5 in fares and $10 gift certificates from local businesses.

read more...

Columbia City in the news

• Rainier Vista planted fruit trees.

Hillman City Posts