Sara sent us a note about a new mural by artist Ryan Henry Ward that replaced one of his old murals, and he did it under cover of darkness.

“Henry” painted a middle-of-the-night mural (three enormous walruses riding three tiny bicycles) last night on the west side of 8th NW, between 65th and 67th. It was formerly a different Henry mural (one with lots of eyeballs) that had been painted-over black about a week ago. Then last night, I saw him out there with spotlights, and this morning the new mural is done.

We took over 100 photos at last night’s 60th annual Greenwood Seafair Parade and we wish we could post most of them, but that would eat up all our bandwith. So here are just a few of the many parade entries.

The Seattle Police Department motorcycle drill team led off the main parade.

Followed by the presentation of colors by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 40.

Mayor Mike McGinn, a Greenwood resident, waves to the crowd.

Two of the many clowns throughout the parade.

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Thousands turned out to watch a continuous stream of dancers, marching bands, classic cars, clowns, pirates and more at the 60th annual Greenwood Seafair Parade today.

Here’s a clip of some of the action. We’ll post more photos and video tomorrow.

 

Here’s the stunningly coordinated (in dress and movement) Seattle Chinese Community Girl’s Drill Team performing in front of the review stand.

And the Seattle Schools All-City Band, which combined a dance number with a strong musical performance was a real crowd-pleaser too.

What did you like best about the parade?

We’ve noticed a bright yellow helicopter flying over the neighborhood pretty much every day, and usually several times a day. We’ve been meaning to find out just who it belongs to, but our sister site My Wallingford beat us to it. Turns out it’s from Seattle Helitours, which gives, what else, helicopter tours of major attractions around the area.

Our sister site My Ballard followed up and found out the company has been around since the 1980s and they operate both the yellow helicopter and the blue/white one that flies the same route. The reason we’ve seen the yellow helicopter so much lately is because of recent promotions on Groupon and Living Social, which sold more than 900 tours.

(Photo courtesy Seattle Helitours.)

Taproot Theatre’s current production of “Man of La Mancha” has been such a success that the run is being extended by two weeks, through Aug. 21. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday evenings (no Saturday matinees during the extension).

Don Quixote is mad… mad enough to dream an impossible dream while tilting after windmills with his trusty sidekick, Sancho Panza. Quixote’s romantic quest is as crazy as he is. But is his impossible dream madness or vision? The trial is about to begin. Taproot Theatre’s production—directed by producing artistic director Scott Nolte with musical direction by Edd Key—features fresh, acoustic arrangements and an intimate setting that transports the audience to the Spanish dungeon where Cervantes’ story unfolds. Man of La Mancha was written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion. The original production was staged by Albert Marre, and it was originally produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James.

Picnic is hosting another fundraiser wine tasting for ShelterBox from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday. Suggested donation is $20 per person.

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief organization that provides shelter and emergency supplies to areas hit by natural disasters. Contents of each box vary depending on the need, but generally include a tent for 10 people, thermal blankets, insulated grounds sheets, mosquito nets, water purification system, basic tool kit (hammer, axe, saw, shovel, pliers, wire cutters), wood-burning or multi-fuel stove, cooking supplies and eating utensils, and a children’s activity pack of coloring books and crayons.

We’ll be debuting five new Spanish wines brand new to market paired with some delicious treats to nibble on. All tasting fees will be donated to ShelterBoxUSA.org.

We last held an event for ShelterBox this past February after the massive earthquake in Haiti. Our event was a great success and, thanks to you, we raised enough money to send one whole box to Haiti ($1000, shipped). That’s shelter and the means to live for 10 people.

All too quickly we forget that ShelterBox is needed all over the world everyday. Their current deployments can be tracked on their website and include disasters you won’t hear much about on the evening news - flooding in Brazil and a landslide and flooding in Pakistan.

Thursday’s event is in collaboration with our good friends at BUILD. Next weekend they, along with other cycling enthusiasts, will be riding from Seattle to Vancouver, BC to raise money for this great cause. They started with the goal of raising $10,000 for ShelterBoxUSA.org - at $1000 per box that’s 10 boxes, or shelter for 100 people! (more info on their ride at the BUILDlls blog here). Please join us and help us blow them way past that $10,000 goal and help those who have just lost everything and truly need your help.

The Greenwood Seafair Parade takes over a good portion of Greenwood tonight. The parade route starts at North 95th Street and runs down Greenwood Avenue North to North 85th Street, then turns west, before ending at NW 85th Street and 6th Avenue Northwest.

The entire parade route will be closed from 5:30 p.m. until after 8:30 p.m.  Seattle Police will direct traffic. Also, Greenwood Avenue North between North 95th Street and North 105th Street will be closed at 4:15 p.m. for staging.

Metro Transit bus routes 5, 48 and 355 will be rerouted from about 4-8:30 p.m. Click here for more information on the routes, or call Metro’s Customer Information Office at 206-553-3000. In a nutshell:

• Route 5 Express: Use stops south of North 79th Street or the temporary stop eastbound on North 80th Street & Greenwood Avenue North, from 5:15-8:30 p.m.
• Route 5 Local: Use stops north of North 105th Street or south of North 80th Street, or use the temporary stops along the reroute, from 4-8:30 p.m.
• Route 48: Use stops east of Linden Avenue or west of 8th Avenue NW, or the temporary stops along the route, from 5:15-8:30 p.m.
• Route 355: Use stops west of Linden Avenue or north of 105th on Greenwood, or the temporary stops along the route, from 4-8:30 p.m.

The grandstand will be set up in front of Bartell Drugs and Blockbuster. The parade announcer is Randy Rowland, voice of the Seahawks at Qwest Field and pastor at Sanctuary Church (which meets at Taproot Theatre and runs the Green Bean Coffeehouse).

About 100 floats, marching bands, drill teams, community and school groups, and the Seafair Pirates are in the parade. Grand Marshals are Seattle a capella group The Coats. The parade starts at 6 p.m. with the kids’ parade.

We’ll be there taking pictures and video and we’ll have a full report later tonight.

Update: Cation has been found!

Alina just sent us this note about her missing kitty:

My baby cat, Cation, is missing. He is about five pounds, eleven months old…He’s been missing since last night (Mon July 27). He lives at 59th and Phinney. I know he’s very scared and probably hiding in some tiny space and making sad meows. He’s an indoor cat but escaped so the outdoors is very new to him. If you see him, please call at any time 206-465-1936. Thank you for your help.

The biggest neighborhood event of the year is coming up Wednesday night. The Greenwood Seafair Parade draws about 10,000 people to downtown Greenwood to watch 100 floats, drill teams, marching bands, groups of cute kids, and of course, the Seafair Pirates.

One of the many drill teams in last year’s parade.

Sponsored by the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce and a number of local businesses (including PhinneyWood), the 60th annual parade starts at 6 p.m. The parade route runs along Greenwood Avenue North from North 95th Street to North 85th Street, then turns west on 85th to 6th Avenue Northwest.

A float celebrating Leif Erikson at last year’s parade.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Greenwood’s Got Talent,” and features Grand Marshals The Coats, who starting singing on Seattle street corners and have shared the stage with The Beach Boys, Tricia Yearwood, and many other famous singers.

We’ll be at the parade taking plenty of pictures to post. If you’ve got some great shots you’d like to share, pleas email them to us. (Disclosure: PhinneyWood is a sponsor of the Seafair Parade.)

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is holding an open house on Aug. 3 to present proposed changes to Greenwood Avenue North, from 85th to 105th, that it hopes will reduce vehicle speeds and enhance safety.

The open house is from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 3, at the Greenwood Library.

The improvements are designed to reduce speeds, improve safety and benefit everyone who uses the street, including commuters, truck drivers, bus passengers, pedestrians and bicyclists. SDOT is proposing the following:

• A center left turn lane and one travel lane in each direction
• Improved pedestrian crossings
• Bicycle lanes on both sides of the street
• Existing on-street parking will remain

As average speeds are in excess of posted limits, this proposal will help address the speeding problem on Greenwood Ave N. It will also make the roadway more accommodating for vulnerable users like pedestrians and bicyclists.

SDOT is interested in hearing from the public about these recommended changes. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to walkandbike@seattle.gov or by calling 206-684-7583. The comment deadline is August 17.

This project is part of the voter-approved Bridging the Gap transportation initiative.

If you’ve always wanted to decorate a vegetable and race it down a track, now’s your chance. The Zucchini 500 comes to the Phinney Farmers Market on Friday.

Shoppers of all ages can build their own squash race car and compete with other veggie vehicles. A zucchini, wooden wheels, racing adornments and an official time trial track will be provided. The races take place from 3:00 – 6:00 pm under the market’s special events tent. The event is free and open to the public.

The moving van is parked in the bay where Engine 21 normally sits, as the movers from Atlas Van Lines prepare to move everything out of the old Fire Station 21 and into its new temporary location five blocks south.

The temporary station at 6802 Greenwood Ave. N. has two large trailers for firefighters and a large tent for Engine 21.

The old station will be demolished and replaced by a new two-story, 8,576-square-foot station with more space for the firefighters and their equipment.

(Rendering courtesy Miller Hull Partnership.)