Greenwood True Value’s truck has been recovered after it apparently was abandoned at about 16th Avenue NW and NW 67th Street, a store employee said tonight.

The employee said it had been parked there for a few days and someone who lived nearby called the store asking why their truck was parked there.

Thanks, Jakey, for alerting us via a comment on our last post about the stolen truck.

Our friends at the West Seattle blog wanted us to spread the word about a new time capsule being put together in time for the 157th anniversary of the landing of the Denny Party at Alki. The time capsule will be buried at the new Alki Beach Statue of Liberty Plaza on Nov. 13.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is coordinating the project, and they want the capsule to include items showing what life was like on Nov. 13, 2008, all over Seattle. Items could be something simple – a photo of you and your child walking to school, minutes from a neighborhood association meeting, or, perhaps, a printout of your favorite local news blog (hint, hint).

The time capsule will be opened on Nov. 13, 2058, the bicentennial of the Denny Party landing. Stay tuned for details on exactly how and when to submit items.

Also, the group is looking for volunteers to help make sure schools and other organizations know about their effort. Please e-mail Andrea Mercado of SWHS at amercado@loghousemuseum.org if you want to help.

KING 5′s Evening Magazine is showcasing local winners of the Best of Western Washington contest all this week, starting at 7 p.m. tonight. We know Gordito’s at 213 N. 85th St. won something, because a camera crew was filming there last week. A little bird tells us there are several other winners in our neighborhood as well.

We’ll post a list of neighborhood winners after the show airs. And you can click here to see the full list of all the winners after the show airs tonight.

King County is facing a whopper of a budget shortfall, so they’re cutting back everywhere, including the Greenwood Senior Center at 525 N. 85th St. In past years, the Center regularly received $5,100 from the county. For the past two years, council member Larry Phillips arranged to supplement that with another $5,000 to $10,000 for a social worker.

But, the county’s latest budget eliminates GSC’s funding completely. A number of other senior centers will continue to receive funding – often far more than Greenwood’s past amount – including Black Diamond ($32,338), Burien ($42,662), and Maple Valley and Mount Si (both $50,000).

The GSC recently became a program of the Phinney Neighborhood Association. PNA Executive Director Ed Medeiros is asking Greenwood/Phinney residents to email council members Larry Phillips, Bob Ferguson and Larry Gossett to ask them to put that modest amount back in the budget.

“Senior citizens are one of the most rapidly increasing populations in our community, yet funding for programs for seniors is being cut,” Medeiros says.

It’s been six days since the truck was stolen. What gives? We can understand a cookie-cutter Toyota Camry or Ford Explorer going missing for days, but a 1996 Aeromaster truck that’s covered with hardware store logos and this graphic on the back?

Greenwood True Value owner Mike Radice said today he’s totally surprised it hasn’t turned up. In the meantime, his insurance company says the truck has to be missing at least 21 days before they’ll follow through on a claim.

Somewhere north of 1,000 costumed kids and their parents paraded through the Greenwood and Phinney Ridge business districts today, picking up way more sugar than children should probably be allowed to eat.

The bubble machine outside the Rub a Dub Do-It-Yourself Dog Wash in Phinney Ridge was a total kid magnet, as usual.

There were some really great costumes, including this one of the anime figure, Kirby, spotted outside Berserk Games.

We even saw a couple decorated strollers, including these two:

Kids took in a bunch of games and activities at the Greenwood Harvest Fest in Greenwood, including tic-tac-toe…

… and pin the nose on the pumpkin.

Lots of parents suited up as well, including this ostrich rider we spotted on Greenwood Avenue just north of 85th. There’s a small fan on his butt (the ostrich’s), which keeps the costume inflated and the wearer well-ventilated.

A ghost dad accompanied a passel of kids, including one in a cool dragon costume.

Plenty of business owners and employees dressed up as well, including these two outside Taco Del Mar.

Frankenstein was back again this year outside the 74th Street Alehouse. Most kids wanted to give him a very high five, but this little girl tried to stay as far away as possible while she edged over toward the candy.

Rising Stars had a crowd of kids bottling up the sidewalk.

While most of the kids were pretty tiny, there were quite a few adult-sized teens on the prowl for treats as well.

One can only hope they didn’t melt down like some of the younger kids…

The Phinney Neighborhood Association’s 21st annual winter beer taste, aptly named “Finally Legal!” is coming up Nov. 8 from 7-10 p.m. You can choose ten tastes from 26 microbreweries, many featuring their new winter beers.

Tickets cost $25 for PNA members and $30 for the general public. Designated driver tickets are $10. The ticket price includes those 10 tastes, pub style snacks, a silent auction of all kinds of beer related items and live music. This thing almost always sells out, so if you’re thinking of going, get your tickets online (that’s how we got ours!), or at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. Thanks, Eric, for the reminder to post something!

Photo: Phinney Neighborhood Association

A Muse Art Stamps, which closed its old location at 8544 Greenwood Avenue last month, plans to reopen in its newly remodeled space at 7107 Greenwood Ave. N. on Wed., Oct. 29. They’ve been hard at work on the new place for months.

A Muse offers a huge selection of paper crafting products, rubber stamps, ribbons, scrapbook pages and stickers.

Don’t forget that the neighborhood will be crawling with little ghosts and goblins from 12-3 p.m. Saturday for the annual trick-or-treating. Dozens of businesses along Greenwood Avenue and throughout the neighborhood will pass out treats (not always candy!) to munchkins in costume. Just look for the orange signs in the window – or follow the hordes of little ones.

Send us your pictures from Saturday’s event so we can post them! Here’s a cute one from last year:

Fitch writes in the forum that event coordinator Jeanne Dodds at the Phinney Neighborhood Association needs volunteers for the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.

If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a traditional Mexican celebration of life and death. The PNA does a parade and festival on Friday, Nov. 7. You can find more info here about the event and volunteer needs.

Photo credit: PNA

One of Greenwood True Value’s trucks has been stolen according to the sign at the store at 7201 Greenwood Ave. N:

The truck license is 07980Y. If you have information, call the police. You can also call the store at (206) 783-2900 to let them know as well.

Update: Just spoke with True Value owner Mike Radice, who says the truck was stolen Sunday. “It’s got us totally buffaloed,” he said Friday morning, wondering why someone would steal a 1996 Aeromaster totally covered with True Value decals. They use the truck for water heater installs and it has big water heater graphics on it.

Whoever took the truck broke into their other truck as well and stole some tools.

“It hasn’t shown up, which has blown us away.”

Fire Station 21 at Greenwood Avenue North and NW 73rd St. is getting a major make-over (okay, it’s actually a complete do-over). The current station will be demolished next year and a new, two-story station will rise on the same spot.

The community is invited to an open house to view the architectural drawings, ask questions, meet the Defenders of Greenwood and tour their big red fire truck from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.

During construction, firefighters and all their equipment will move five blocks south to the empty lot across from the Fini condos on the corner of Greenwood and 68th. They’ll be housed in temporary buildings and industrial tent-like structures during construction.

Here’s what the station looks like now:

And here’s a model of the new station:

The architects say the steps along the side of the station in the model aren’t really steps but grade lines; a regular sidewalk will be there. Anyone with questions or special needs for the open house can contact Christina Faine at 206-386-1366 or email her.