Jean and John Bolivar, board members of House of Stone, a non-profit that raises funds for disadvantaged Zimbabwean children, are hosting a garden party fundraiser on Saturday. More than 90 African statues are scattered throughout their house, and a six-foot-tall stone statue of an African mother and child is currently in their driveway.

The free garden party from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday is open to the public, at 6706 Cleopatra Pl. NW. Sculptures are priced for a variety of budgets, and there will also be crafts and jewelry from several programs that House of Stone supports.

The statues represent over 30 artists, including many from the artist colony of Tengenenge, Zimbabwe. Some of the world-famous Zimbabwean artists whose work will be shown are: Fanizani Akuda, Davison Chakawa, Josiah Manzi, Conducto Kagore, Stanford Derere as well as many lesser known artists. The show will also feature the first US showing of Goodson Mlera’s stunning statues of African women, including several large pieces over 5 feet tall. Many of the featured artists are represented in the world’s finest galleries and museums.

House of Stone was founded in 2000 by two pediatricians, Susanne Martin Herz and Arnd Herz, formerly of Seattle. They saw an opportunity to strengthen Zimbabwean communities while supporting artists and raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS crisis in Southern Africa. House of Stone primarily raises funds through the sale of Zimbabwean “Shona” sculpture – African stone sculpture from Zimbabwe is often called Shona sculpture, named after the largest tribe engaged in sculpting. In 2010, HOS helped fund a preschool for the deaf, provided education and warm meals for 270 preschoolers, supported job-skills training for vulnerable girls, and maintained programs at preschools that were under threat of closure. Past events in San Francisco helped House of Stone raise over $100,000 for vulnerable Zimbabwean children, while supporting the livelihood of Zimbabwean artists. Over 95% of funds raised go back to help the children of Zimbabwe.

Lots of tidbits of news from neighborhood businesses.

Sandra Coan Photography, 310 NW 85th St., is hosting a Humane Society fundraiser from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1. Email sandra@sandracoan.com to make an appointment. Goody bags provided by Good Clean Dog.

Photo courtesy Sandra Coan Photography.

Naked City Brewery & Taphouse tells us they raised about $440 for non-profit writing and tutoring center 826 Seattle with its special brew “826 Luminosity” on Aug. 26.

Hazel Salon & Organics, 5817 Phinney Ave. N., is raising money for two special organizations in October. Pay $10 for pink hair extensions and 100 percent of that money goes to the Susan G. Komen Foundation; pay $10 for purple hair extensions, and all that money goes to the King County Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Strut shoe store at 7511 Greenwood Ave. N. recently welcomed Allusia into its store, with handbags, jewelry and home décor. The original Allusia store was next to the old Ken’s Market, but had to leave to make room for Ken’s expansion three years ago. Allusia then opened a store in Burien.

Greenwood residents Jeff and Jason Gordon just started a new business, Flash Gordon Pet ID Tags. The custom, designer pet name tags and charms are designed on 3D-engineering software, then created with sintered stainless steel with a bronze, antique bronze or gold-plated finish.

Tasty art gallery at 7513 Greenwood Ave. N. is having a special trunk sale with jewelry artist Anthony Angel from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday. Fly Girl Feathers will offer feather and tinsel hair extensions, feather earrings and other accessories, and Shelby from Stila Cosmetics will be applying makeup. Champagne and nibbles provided, plus 15 percent off everything else at Tasty that night. Check out the event’s Facebook page for more info.

Rings by Anthony Angel. Photo courtesy Tasty.

Sugarcomb Hair Salon at 780 N. 73rd St. is having a fashion and trunk show from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, featuring Seamless in Seattle winning fashion designer Kate Burt, designer Gwen of Lekkerlife, designer Susan from Una, and local jewelry designer Birna Sigurbjornsdottir; plus a DJ set by Levi Clark (Shameless) and emcee Rick Friel. All proceeds from a raffle will go to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Woodland Park Zoo will highlight its orangutans this weekend, with special keeper talks and enrichment activities for the apes from Borneo and Sumatra.

Activities take place on the boardwalk of the orangutan exhibit in Trail of Vines, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Keeper talks and animal enrichment takes place at 11:30 a.m. each day.

Photo by Ryan Hawk, Woodland Park Zoo.

The zoo’s expert orangutan keepers will give an inside look at the zoo’s orangutans and orangutans in the wild. Posters on display will highlight: how specialized training helps facilitate quality care for the orangutans; the complex palm oil crisis and its impact on orangutans, tigers, and countless species of other plants and animals; the direct involvement of the zoo’s orangutan keepers in the field; and how the zoo’s orangutans have helped advance reproductive studies on wild orangutans. The orangutans will be treated to tropical fruit favorites during a keeper talk about the zoo’s enrichment program. Docents will be on hand with orangutan biofacts, and coloring pages will be available for kids.

Orangutans, a highly endangered species, belong to the family Pongidae, which includes all three great apes: gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans. Distinct subspecies of orangutans live on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutans are losing ground to the unprecedented loss of habitat due to unsustainable palm oil plantations, illegal logging and mining, overpopulation and other human activities. According to the Orangutan Foundation, fewer than 54,000 individuals of the Bornean subspecies remain in the wild. The Sumatran subspecies is critically endangered with 6,600 individuals in the wild.

Orangutan activities are free with zoo admission.

Two murals in our neighborhood have a long history of being covered with graffiti or even accidentally painted over by city crews. State Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson’s legislative assistant, Kari Boiter, is organizing the effort to refurbish the murals on NW 63rd Street (the Aurora Avenue underpass between Green Lake and Phinney Ridge) and the NW 57th Street underpass near Woodland Park Zoo.

Graffiti on the NW 63rd Street underpass earlier this year.

Graffiti on the NW 63rd Street underpass mural two years ago.

Boiter is hosting an informational meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27 at the Phinney Neighborhood Center for anyone interested in helping out.

Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism is having a Neighborhood Tea from 2-4 p.m. Saturday at 108 NW 83rd St. The tea will be in the Tibetan Cultural Hall downstairs; enter through the side door on 1st Ave Northwest.

Photo courtesy of Sakya Monastery.

It is open to the public and free, but donations are accepted.

Join Sakya Monastery for an afternoon of complimentary tea and light refreshments served in the Tibetan Cultural Hall. Enjoy an opportunity to learn more about the monastery and Tibetan Buddhism and engage in friendly conversation in a relaxed informal environment. There will be a free tour of the monastery, including its beautiful, traditional Shrine Room with paintings, statues, Mandalas, and triple life sized golden Buddha statue.

(Sakya Monastery is a PhinneyWood sponsor.)

Update Sept. 26: Jed’s owner has been found!

Earlier: At the risk of becoming all-pets-all-the-time, we’ve got another lost-and-found pet to tell you about.

Jed found a puppy on North 95th Street and Aurora Avenue North about 10:30 p.m. Sunday night.

It looks like a pitbull or pitbull mix, a very young male tan dog in good health with white belly and white toes on front feet and black collar, no tags. We will bring him to the animal shelter tomorrow morning and post the location but if anyone knows where his home is, please call me at 206-354-5194.

Update Sunday: Suge’s owner reports that she has been found, thanks to a PhinneyWood reader tip, more than 30 blocks north of her home, near North 105th Street  and Aurora Avenue North, in a parking lot with an injured leg.

Earlier: Yet another lost pet to tell you about. A 12-year-old female Siamese cat named ”Suge” (short for Sugar) didn’t come home last night from her home near North 78th Street and Greenwood Avenue North.

 This photo was taken several years ago but she looks the same now as she did then– small/medium frame, white/gray coat, black paws, blue eyes, she is a very typical pure bred siamese, we hope she has not been stolen or injured.

We have been looking all day around the neighborhood and calling her and she still hasn’t shown up, which is not like her, because usually she’s a homebody and never goes far from home even when she’s outdoors…She has a bell with a collar that contains all of our information. She likes to be rubbed on her tummy.

You can reach us directly at 503-895-7225 or 541-603-1944.

Here is a roundup of fun events happening around the neighborhood this weekend. You can always check our Events calendar for more.

The Phinney Farmers Market is from 3-7 p.m. Friday at the Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in the upper parking lot. Get your fresh fruits and veggies, chocolates, cheese, bread, pasta, meat, flowers and lots more.

Tonight you can do the Hurdy-Gurdy Jam at 7 p.m. at Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N.  Tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m., Threshold Playback Theater presents “Your Stories About the Summer that Wasn’t.” Free; beer and wine available for purchase.

The Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-Op’s Gently Used Kids Gear Sale is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the PNA in the brick building.

Incredible deals on gently used clothing, toys, books, strollers, furniture, gear, maternity wear and more! Clothes are hung by size and gender for easy shopping! Grab a tote and line up early at the Community Hall in the brick building for the best selection! Enjoy 50% discounts on many items starting at 12 pm. Find ‘PNPC Kids Sale’ on Facebook to get the latest info on the sale!

Saturday is the final life jacket sale of the season at Evans Pool at the Green Lake Community Center. Seattle Parks and Recreation is selling low-cost life jackets in all sizes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost for infant sizes to youth large is $20, and for teens to adult size XXL is $30. Customers younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Fitters will be on site to help people choose the correct size.

The whole family can join in the fun at 3 p.m. Sunday for the Seattle Family Dance at the Phinney Center, in the brick building.

And Vision Greenwood Park volunteers are continuing to build the raised garden beds at the Greenwood Park’s new Community Garden. Come help out at a work party from 12-4 p.m. on Sunday. Bring a hand saw, screwdriver and knee pads if you have them.

Update: Heidi tells us that the dog ran away from her home late last night, near NW 56th Street, heading down 2nd Avenue NW. Has anyone else seen him or know if he made his way back home?

Earlier: Heidi tells us she found a dog in Phinney Ridge on Thursday, and she’s keeping him safe until she can find the owners. She said the dog is black with some brown on its feet, weighs about 50 pounds, male, and might be lab/rottweiler mix. He was very hungry and thirsty.

If you know who the dog’s owner is, please email us and we’ll get you in touch with Heidi.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., started out in 1981 as a small community organization and preschool co-op in a rented former school building. Today, the PNA owns its own building, and runs dozens of programs, from preschools and after-school care programs to a tool lending library, art gallery and farmers market. It also rents out its rooms to many other organizations for classes, meetings and events.

The PNA is honoring its 30th anniversary this year with a two-day celebration with activities for children and adults.

On Saturday, Oct. 1, the children’s entertainment series Ridge Romp presents local musician Johnny Bregar at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $3 per person at the door. Doors open at 10 a.m. Shows often sell out, so get there early.

That night, at 7 p.m. on the Phinney Center Stage, members of Taproot Theatre’s touring company present an evening of improv comedy.

Doors will open at 7 p.m. for a social hour, and they’ll even have designated “hospitality rooms” for both current and past members of the PNA Board and preschool co-op families to increase the odds of seeing former classmates and Board members.

At 8 p.m. people will move to a tent in the PNA’s upper parking lot, where Taproot’s improv team will take suggestions from the audience to create comedy. Desserts will be provided during intermission.

Tickets are $30 per person, and include dessert and drinks. Purchase tickets online at www.phinneycenter.org or in person at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave N.

On Sunday, Oct. 2, from 12-4 p.m., children are invited back to the PNA for Ridge Rumpus in the upper parking lot. This neighborhood carnival features bouncy toys, rides, games, carnival food and aerialists from neighborhood group Versatile Arts. Admission is $10 per child or $25 per family (adults are free) for unlimited access to games and rides.

For more information, check the website or call 206-783-2244.

Naked City Brewery & Taphouse is hosting the first “Think & Drink” event by Humanities Washington next Wednesday. The hosted conversation is called “The Politics Behind Your Pint,” and will explore the history of liquor laws.

Speakers include Steve Scher, event moderator and host of KUOW’s “Weekday”; William Rorabaugh, University of Washington professor and author of “The Alcoholic Republic”; and Charles Finkel, founder and president of Pike Brewing Co.

“Think & Drink” starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, at Naked City, 8564 Greenwood Ave. N. It’s free to attend. If you have any questions, you can email Zaki Abdelhamid at zaki@humanities.org, or call 206-682-1770.

Local climate change organization CoolMom will be collecting old child car seats for recycling from 4-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23 at the Phinney Farmers’ Market at the Phinney Neighborhood Center.

A $10 (cash only) recycling fee will cover recycling costs by Goods for the Planet, an earthy-friendly product store near the Space Needle. You’ll also receive a voucher for Childish Things, a children’s consignment store at 10002 Holman Rd. NW.

The plastic and metal parts will be processed and resold as raw materials, and the straps will be used by Alchemy Goods for production of their bags, wallets and accessories made from reclaimed materials. Unfortunately, the covers are not recyclable, so please remove these and put them in the garbage at your own home. Your car seat should be recycled if:

• it has been in an accident
• is 6 years old or more
• has had its straps washed or bleached

CoolMom folks also will be doing a canning demonstration at the farmers market that day.