The Phinney Neighborhood Association is collecting gifts for children at Broadview Emergency Shelter.The shelter provides a safe, nurturing home for women and children affected by domestic violence.

Please drop off a new, unwrapped gift for children from infant to age 18. Click here for a list of the most-needed items. Donation drive runs through April 13.

The gifts will be used to celebrate special occasions for these families year-round. Return gifts to the Phinney Center at 6532 Phinney Ave. N., or the Greenwood Senior Center at 525 N. 85th St. by Friday, April 13.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association has designed a survey to get input on its strategic planning process for the next three years. You don’t have to be a member of the PNA to take the survey. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Montessori Garden, 6615 Dayton Ave. N. (in the Phinney Center’s Brick Building) is accepting applications for next year’s preschool through next Wednesday, Feb. 29. Call 206-524-8307, or email info@montessorigarden.net to schedule an adult-only classroom visit.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is hosting its annual Wine Taste from 7:30-10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25. Cost is $25 for PNA members, $30 for non-members. Designated driver tickets are $10.

That gets you a bunch of hors d’oeuvres, 10 tastes of wine, and jazz music by Live Wire.

You can even purchase some of the wines that night from a special wine store.

You can purchase tickets online, or at the PNA, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

Storyteller Susy Irwin of Have Story Will Travel is bringing her band of “Wild Puppets!” to the Phinney Center at 10:30 a.m. Saturday for stories and songs.

This family program has something for everyone: Adventure, with tall and true bear stories; Humor, with original pourquoi {why} stories written about the how and why of Puget Sound and its inhabitants; and Action in an interactive program of stories, songs, and maybe even a little dancing. Program recommended for ages 3+ however we won’t be checking I. D.’s.

Have Story Will Travel, is dedicated to broadening our awareness of various cultures, wildlife and environments through the sharing of stories.

Admission is $4 at the door, at Community Hall inside the PNA’s Brick Building, 6615 Dayton Ave. N.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is celebrating its 30th anniversary on Saturday with a night of improv by Greenwood’s Taproot Theatre Touring Company. Tickets are $30 per person, and include wine and desserts.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for a social hour; the improv performance begins at 8 pm. The PNA is at 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

Watch as Taproot creates an evening of truly original impromptu comedy. By using suggestions from the audience, the quick witted actors create, on the spot, scene after comedic scene filled with fun and laughs.

When one audience suggested Woody Allen characters, Steven Spielberg’s dinosaurs and Verdi’s opera, the Improv Team gave an average trip to McDonald’s a hilarious new twist. Imagine what they could do with 30 years of neighborhood history. Get the picture? Guaranteed fun for one and all!

The anniversary celebrations also include a children’s concert by Ballard favorite Johnny Bregar. Tickets to Ridge Romp are $3 per person. Doors open at 10 a.m.; concert starts at 10:30 a.m. Shows often sell out, so get there early.

And there’s even more kids’ fun on Sunday with the Ridge Rumpus carnival, with bouncy toys, rides, games and carnival food. Ridge Rumpus is from 12-4 p.m. in the upper parking lot. Admission is $10 per child or $25 for the whole family of kids (adults are free) for unlimited access to games and rides.

The Phinney Neighborhood Center’s annual summer beer taste is back. Saturday from 4-7 pm. in the lower parking lot of the PNA at 6532 Phinney Ave. N., you can partake in “Beervana.”

Admission is $25 for PNA members, $30 for the general public, and $10 for designated drivers. You can buy tickets online, or in person at the PNA. Admission includes 10 tastes from local microbreweries, pub style snacks and “dogs” by Barking Dog Alehouse, and homemade pretzels from The Park Pub.

Participating breweries include:

• Confirmed Breweries And Beers To Date
• Diamond Knot Brewery
• Elysian Brewing Co
• Fish Brewing Co
• Fremont Brewing Co
• Georgetown Brewing Co
• Golden Hills Brewing Co
• Hale’s Ales Brewery
• Harmon Brewing Co
• Lantern Brewing
• Leavenworth
• Maritime Pacific Brewing Co
• Naked City Brewing Company
• North Sound Brewing Co
• NW Peaks Brewery
• Odin Brewing Company
• Pike Brewing Co
• Port Townsend Brewing
• Silver City Brewery
• Snoqualmie Falls Brewery
• Spire Mountain
• The Ram at Northgate
• Two Beers Brewing Co

Team USA takes on France in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup Wednesday morning, and you can watch it live on the big screen at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., in Community Hall in the Brick Building.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m., game starts at 9 a.m. Suggested donation is $3 for adults, $2 for children, or $10 for the whole family. Refreshments will be available.

Later, watch Sweden vs. Japan in the other semifinal matchup. Doors for that match open at 11:15 a.m., games starts at 11:45 a.m.

Artists have until July 31 to submit work for the 2011 Northwest Fine Arts Competition at the Phinney Neighborhood Center from Oct. 5-28.

Artists must reside or work in the Pacific Northwest, and submit 2-D or 3-D media completed in the last two years (and which has not already been shown in the Phinney Center’s Gallery).

To enter: submit up to four samples of work on a CD (JPEG format up to 300 dpi, with image size no more than 1,200 pixels per side). Each image should be labeled with the artist’s last name and a number, i.e., Smith01, Smith02, etc. The entry fee is $20. Artists will be notified on Aug. 31.

The juror’s pick will receive $300 and a six-week solo show in the Gallery in 2012.

For more information, and an entry form, contact Pamela Jaynes at arts@phinneycenter.org.

The USA women’s soccer team plays Sweden in the Women’s World Cup in Germany today. You can watch it live on a huge screen at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. (in the brick building).

Doors open at 11:15 a.m.; game starts at 11:45 a.m. Refreshments will be sold, and you can get your team colors on by face painter Alethea. Suggested donation is $3 for adults, $2 for children, or $10 for the whole family.

The Phinney Neighborhood Association’s soup kitchen is in need of a lot of kitchen ware. They’re asking neighbors to clean out their cupboards to help those in need.

We serve hundreds of meals each week and over time our dishes and flatware gradually get chipped, lost, or otherwise rendered unusable. We are running low on some items and need to restock. We can also use some additions to our kitchen supplies. Check your cupboards, pantry, or china hutch for any of the following wish list items:

• Metal flatware (primarily spoons and forks)
• Coffee cups (plastic, glass, or ceramic)
• Soup bowls (plastic, glass, or ceramic)
• Juice glasses (plastic or glass. Not larger water glasses)
• Salt and pepper shakers (prefer clear glass for easy refilling)
• Large mixing bowls (metal or glass)
• Large colanders (metal or plastic)
• Kitchen towels, hot pads or mitts, and long kitchen aprons in reasonably usable condition

We do not need picnic ware such as paper plates, plastic cups, or single-use forks and spoons.

Deliver these tax deductible donations to the main PNA office in the Blue Building any time from 9 am – 9 pm on weekdays and 9 am – 2 pm on Saturday.

Thanks for your support!

The PNA Soup Kitchen Brigade

The Phinney Neighborhood Association is holding a spring donation drive to benefit Childhaven and Broadview Emergency Shelter, Seattle-based agencies that provide services for children and teens affected by domestic abuse, child abuse, neglect, homelessness and poverty. The PNA’s gift drive will supply special treats to brighten these children’s day.

Help us bring comfort and joy to kids in need. Purchase a new item you think a child aged infant through 18 years would enjoy. Ideas include craft supplies, toys, books, puzzles, board games, video games, journals, sports, equipment, mp3 players, and gift cards to stores such as Fred Meyer, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, and Supercuts. More specific suggestions are on display at the Phinney Center.

Return unwrapped donations to the Phinney Center or Greenwood Senior Center by Thursday, April 14. The gift will be delivered to an appreciative young person on a special day in their lives.

Thank you for your generosity!