We had such a great time strolling Greenwood Avenue on Friday night during the 3rd annual PhinneyWood Summer Streets. And by the looks of it, a couple thousand other people did too. We posted a bunch of pictures right after the event, but here are several more.
As always, the Bubbleman was a huge draw on the street in front of Metropolis and Zak & Zoe.
The Greenwood Food Bank, with help from volunteers of Vision Greenwood Park, built a canned food pyramid with donations to the Food Bank. At the end of the night, they told us they believed that more than 3,000 cans of food had been donated (including 1,000 from Ken’s Market!) They promised to send us the exact number after volunteers had counted it all this weekend.
A-1 Piano at 70th and Greenwood had a giant flexible keyboard set up on the sidewalk for kids of all ages to make music.
These musicians were playing from inside Johnson & Johnson Antiques.
The Phinney Farmers Market stayed open an extra hour, until 8 p.m., to accommodate the Summer Streets crowds.
The intersection of 76th and Greenwood was probably the most crowded, with the Coffee Taste Off, a 20-vendor art fair organized by Tasty, plus a live band, circus performers and aerialists. (By the way, Tasty will be closed through Aug. 22 while the owners are on vacation.)
Kids and parents left their chalk marks on the street.
And kids watch from outside while a crowd inside Tasty watches “sensual chef” and Greenwood resident Tiberio Simone artfully place food on a bikini-clad model.
Summer Streets attendees take a blind taste test of seven drip coffees from local coffee shops/roasters.
Coffee Taste Off organizer Mike Veitenhans says that 280 votes were cast.
Diva Espresso received the most votes and receives the PhinneyWood’s Best Drip Coffee award. (Per the agreement of all the coffee brewers who participated, no vote totals or runner-ups will be disclosed. The taste off was a friendly collaboration designed to promote PhinneyWood as a great place to caffeinate — and to give one of the participants bragging rights until the next competition!)
All 15 of the local coffee shops/roasters were invited to participate; seven did. For those of you who remember which numbered coffee was your favorite in the blind taste test and want to know which one it was, here are the corresponding numbers:
1 – Makeda Coffee
2 – Green Bean Coffee House
3 – Mae’s Cafe Roasters
4 – Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Cafe
5 – Zoka Coffee Roaster (Ken’s Market)
6 – Diva Espresso
7 – Starbucks
Veitenhans also tells us that one voter decided to try to figure out which coffee was which, and correctly identified five of the seven; only mistaking Zoka for Green Bean, and vice versa. Now that’s a person who knows their neighborhood coffee shops!
From aerialists to games in the street backed by live bands, to nude food art, the monthly Artwalk and the annual Summer Streets program in Phinney Ridge – Greenwood had something for everyone Friday evening.
Here’s a sampling of some of the scenes:
People took turns plinking away at three pianos A-1 Piano placed in the middle of the street.
A number of aerialists from Versatile Arts kept the crowd entertained.
The Seattle Fire Pipes and Drums Band plays outside the temporary Station 21. They later put in an appearance at the Phinney Ridge Farmers Market.
Fire jugglers practiced spinning weighted scarves and convinced a young girl, at right, to join in.
In a symbolic marriage of Phinney Ridge and Greenwood, Zak from Phinney Ridge and Fiona from Greenwood, got "married" during Summer Streets.
...and as the officiant explained, not only was Seattle leading the way by marrying two dogs, but it turns out that Fiona is a boy as well, giving conservative wags something to froth about.
Greenwood's resident "sensual chef," Tiberio Simone, takes a break from his work in the foreground, to decorate the forehead of an amused onlooker.
Tiberio Simone drapes wafer-thin slices of watermelon on the arm of his model.
The weekend gets underway with a bang tonight with the monthly Artwalk and the annual Summer Streets happening simultaneously. Greenwood Avenue North will be closed to cars from North 67th to 87th streets so people can play in the streets. Check out the map of all the activities happening – including whiffle ball, hula hooping, live music, live painting, free electric bike rides, children’s obstacle course, coffee tasting contest, art fair, circus performers and aerial artists, dancing demonstrations, and a doggie wedding.
74th and Greenwood was packed at last year’s Summer Streets.
Plus, the Phinney Farmers Market at the Phinney Neighborhood Association will be open an extra hour, until 8 p.m., and bring a can of food and help the Greenwood Food Bank build Seattle’s largest can food pyramid, in front of Ken’s Market at 73rd and Greenwood.
Bring your old car seat to the Phinney Farmers Market at 6532 Phinney Ave. N. for recycling. It’s sponsored by CoolMom. Cost is $10 to cover the cost of recycling, but you’ll get a $10 coupon to use at Childish Things on Holman Road.
Author Erika Madden will sign her newly-released historical fiction novel “Year of the Angels” in front of Balderdash Books, 8536 Greenwood Ave. N. from 6-9 p.m. Friday.
Friday is open mic night at Woodland Park Presbyterian Church, 225 N. 70th st., starting at 6:15 p.m.
Seattle Public Theatre performs “Pirates of Penzance” Friday-Sunday at the Bathhouse Theater on Green Lake. Free, but donations accepted for the youth scholarship fund. Shows are 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Ginny Reilly of Reilly and Maloney performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and “Seattle’s Bard” Jim Page performs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N.
The 3rd annual Party in the Park is from 12-4 p.m. Sunday at Greenwood Park, North 87th Street between Evanston & Fremont avenues. Bring a picnic and enjoy three bands, and see the official opening of the new Community Garden.
Check out our Events calendar any time for what’s happening around the neighborhood.
We’re just about 24 hours away now from one of the biggest events of the year in Phinney Ridge and Greenwood. The third annual PhinneyWood Summer Streets (formerly called Greenwood Summer Streets) will close down Greenwood Avenue North from North 67th to North 87 streets to cars, and open it up for pedestrians, little kids on bikes, neighbors playing whiffleball, blowing bubbles and whatever else strikes your fancy.
A children’s obstacle course at last year’s Summer Streets.
There’s a lot going on, and we’ve highlighted lots of it in past posts here and here, but here are a few more highlights. (Feel free to promote any others you know of below in Comments, and check out the Seattle Department of Transportation’s map with a full list of activities.
Bring a can of food to help build Seattle’s largest canned food pyramid, in front of Ken’s Market at 73rd and Greenwood. All food will go to the Greenwood Food Bank.
The first-ever Coffee Taste Off for the best drip coffee in the neighborhood takes place in front of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church at 75th and Greenwood. All 15 of the neighborhood’s coffee roasters were invited; seven accepted the blind tasting challenge: Mae’s Cafe, Starbucks, Ken’s Market/Zoka, Makeda/Seven Roasters, Diva Espresso, Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café, and Green Bean Coffeehouse.
The winner will receive a certificate proclaiming them “PhinneyWood’s Best Drip Coffee.”
You can participate in a symbolic way to bring Phinney Ridge and Greenwood together: a Doggie Flashmob Wedding. One dog from each neighborhood – Zak from Phinney Ridge and Fiona from Greenwood – will get “married” at 7:30 p.m. at 85th and Greenwood. Bring your own dog and parade down Greenwood Avenue, starting at 74th and Greenwood (in front of Zak & Zoe dog boutique) at 7 p.m., with the happy couple.
Zak, left, and Fiona, right, will “wed” at 7:30 p.m. Friday during Summer Streets.
Several businesses are planning on having live music outside, including Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Café, 8310 Greenwood Ave. N. (Greg Spence Wolf will play guitar and mandolin from 6-7 p.m.) Then at 7:30 p.m. inside, Pacific Northwest Folklore Society presents traditional folk and blues with Ginny Reilly (of Reilly and Maloney).
The Phinney Farmers Market will stay open an hour later, until 8 p.m., in the upper parking lot of the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.
It’s also the monthly Art Up Artwalk night, so almost three-dozen businesses will feature artwork, including some live painting in the street.
Metro bus routes 5 and 355 will be rerouted while the street is closed. Route 5 will travel on 3rd Avenue NW in both directions between North 67th and North 87th streets, and Route 355 will travel on 3rd Ave NW between North 85th and North 90th streets.
Barricades will be set up at 65th, 80th and 85th streets, because those streets will remain open. So pay attention to Seattle Police, who will provide safe crossings.
This month’s Greenwood-Phinney Art Up Artwalk on Friday night is in conjunction with the annual PhinneyWood Summer Streets (formerly called Greenwood Summer Streets), when Greenwood Avenue North is closed to cars from North 67th to North 87th streets, from 6-9 p.m.
You can read more about Summer Streets here and here (and we’ll have another post on it later today).
Here are a few highlights of the Artwalk, which nearly three-dozen local businesses are participating in. Check out the Artwalk blog for full details.
Bherd Studios Gallery, inside the Greenwood Collective at 8537 Greenwood Ave. N., Suite 1, features the second month of its unique art installation called “Inc. – where wall meets canvas.” Seven artists — Carlos Aguilar, Ksera, Weirdo, Sensei 23, Zach Bohnenkamp, Solace and John Osgood — painted the installation over four days, blurring the line between canvas and the wall.
“Inc. – where wall meets canvas” continues through Aug. 26. Artists also will be out in the streets in front of the Greenwood Collective, painting live during the Artwalk.
Tasty art gallery at 7513 Greenwood Ave. N. is hosting an Art Fair with 20 artists in front of the gallery. Local band Gavin Guss will play two live sets during the event, circus fire performer Cypris of Exuro also will perform, and chef Tiberio Simone will do a live food art demonstration on bikini-clad models in Tasty’s front window.
Inside Tasty, the show TechnOrganic features paintings by Sean Wilkinson and David VonDerLinn, plus a group exhibit with 10 more Northwest artists. TechnOrganic runs through Sept. 4.
Strut shoe store right next door to Tasty, at 7511 Greenwood Ave. N., features the work of local mural artist Ryan Henry Ward, who will be painting live in front of the store.
Art on the Ridge, 8005 Greenwood Ave. N., hosts a rare collection of prints from 1940s Russian Director Sergei Eisenstein, who sketched 30 scenes from his movie, “Ivan The Terrible.” Plus they’ll have live painting in the streets.
Gainsbourg, 8550 Greenwood Ave. N., hosts artist Ethan Jack Harrington’s oil paintings (above). “As a plein-air oil painter, the artist captures scenes in-person, in real-time; when a subject earns his attention, Harrington sets up his easel on a sidewalk, rooftop or in an alley and quickly paints the area as he sees it at that moment.”
The Phinney Art Gallery at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., hosts local artist Dara Solliday’s encaustic mixed media works, “Weight, Water, Regrade.”
Rockwell Realty, 8315 Greenwood Ave. N., is hosting a fundraiser for The Rose International Fund for Children, which works to improve the lives of children and adults in Nepal, particularly those with a disability. “We will be showcasing beautiful hand-embroidered cards created by the Deaf Women’s Empowerment Group as well as beautiful photos and artwork from Nepal. All proceeds go back to supporting the deaf women in Nepal that are creating these cards and TRIFC.”
Just four days to go until the third annual PhinneyWood Summer Streets, where Greenwood Avenue North will be closed to cars from 67th to 87th streets from 6-9 p.m. Friday. It’s also monthly Artwalk night (more details on that in a later post). Dozens of local businesses will have special art shows, and others will have special events such as children’s activities, aerial acrobats, live music, and more.
A new event of Summer Streets this year is a blind coffee tasting of coffee from several coffee shops in the neighborhood. The Coffee Taste Off will be set up in front of Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church at North 75th Street and Greenwood Avenue North. Just look for the banner between the trees.
Starbucks is providing unmarked coffee dispensers and tasting cups. Coffee Taste Off coordinator Mike Veitenhans will tally up the results at the end of the night and presents an award certificate to the winner. Stay tuned to PhinneyWood for the announcement of the winner, and plenty of Summer Streets photos after the event.
The Phinney Farmers Market will run for an extra hour on Friday, until 8 p.m. to coincide with Summer Streets. You can bring a can of food to donate and help build Seattle’s largest canned food pyramid. And Bluebird Microcreamery, which is opening a new ice cream shop on the corner of Greenwood and 74th later this month, will have its ice cream cart out in front of the store.
Kids will have plenty to do during Summer Streets. Art on the Ridge at 80th and Greenwood Ave. N. is providing drop-in art activities, A-1 Piano at 70th and Greenwood will have a giant piano (ala the movie “Big”) to play music on, aerial acrobats from Versatile Arts will perform near the intersection 76th and Greenwood, lots of stores will have sidewalk chalk out, the Defenders of Greenwood will let children (and grownups) explore their fire truck in front of the temporary Fire Station 21 at 68th and Greenwood, and there will be two obstacle courses to help kids get the wiggles out.
It’s also the final weekend of the Gumshoe scavenger hunt. Buy your $20 entry form (at Ken’s Market, the Phinney Neighborhood Association, Starbucks or Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Cafe) and take an approximately 2-3 hour walk around the neighborhood, finding interesting yard art, funky signs and other little tidbits you’ve never noticed before.
Seattle Department of Transportation is still looking for volunteers to help with the event. You can sign up through United Way or through Flash Volunteer.
The annual Seattle Summer Streets is back for its third year, and organizers are looking for a few more sponsors for the Greenwood-Phinney event, set for Friday, Aug. 12, during the monthly Art Up Artwalk.
“Summer Streets is a community celebration. It’s really about the community and embracing it and making it happen,” Seattle Department of Transportation Senior Transportation Planner Dave Allen told the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce last Friday.
Greenwood-Phinney is one of four neighborhoods with a Summer Streets event this year. Ballard’s Summer Streets events is this Friday during annual Bike to Work Day. And Alki’s event is Sunday.
Each event is funded with a mix of city funds and donations from sponsors. Sponsorships start at $250. A $1,000 sponsorship gets your company name on all press releases and the Summer Streets website. Check out sponsor information here.
Summer Streets closes down Phinney/Greenwood Avenue from 65th to 87th streets from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 12, making it easier for people to walk and ride bikes, set up games or draw elaborate chalk art in the middle of the road. Buses that normally drive down Greenwood Avenue will be rerouted for those few hours.
Greenwood Avenue North at North 74th Street during last year’s Summer Streets.
“We’re taking our street for a few hours and saying ‘yes it does move motorized vehicles but it’s also a public place,’” Allen said.
Neighborhood businesses are encouraged to take their business and some kind of activity to the sidewalk and street, such as a children’s game, puppet show, yoga demonstration, chess tournament, book reading or doggie contest.
A children’s obstacle course at last year’s Summer Streets.
The City of Seattle is planning to continue its successful Summer Streets program again this year, but because of budget cuts, it needs sponsors to step up to host events in Greenwood-Phinney, Ballard, Rainier Valley, West Seattle, and along Lake Washington Boulevard.
The Greenwood-Phinney Summer Streets event is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 12. Greenwood/Phinney avenues will be closed to all vehicles from North 65th to North 87th streets. Hundreds or even thousands of neighbors will be out strolling and playing in the streets, the Bubbleman usually makes an appearance, and businesses sponsor various activities, from chalk drawing on the sidewalks to live music.
The Bubbleman entertains at last year’s Summer Streets at Greenwood Avenue and North 74th Street.
Charlie Cunniff, with the Seattle Climate Partnership, told a recent Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce meeting that each Summer Streets event costs about $15,000 for the manpower and infrastructure for closing the streets, providing security and marketing. Because of budget cuts, the city has no funding for that, but sees the program as a great way to bring neighborhoods together.
Depending on the sponsorship package, sponsors could be mentioned in every Summer Streets press release, have their title embedded in the Summer Streets logo, have their logo included on posters and ads and all electronic materials, set up a booth at the event, and have exclusivity in their product category. For more information on sponsoring Summer Streets, contact Jemae Hoffman by email or call 206-684-8674, or Dawn Schellenberg by email or call 206-684-5189.
The Chamber is asking Greenwood and Phinney Ridge businesses to participate. For example, restaurants could offer low-cost and easy to eat munchies for people to pick up and eat while they walk around, coffee shops could offer blind tastings of various blends, bars could host a pub crawl, or a business with a large blank wall outside could offer an outdoor movie or cartoons.
Neighbors packed portions of Greenwood Avenue at last year’s event.
Interested businesses should contact Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce President Prashanthi Reddy, owner of Makeda Coffee at 153 N. 78th St., at 206-782-1489 or by email.
In less than 3 minutes, you’ll see how people took over Greenwood Avenue for a few hours to do everything from high-speed skateboard slalom racing, to knitting, to blowing bubbles and seranading passers by with everything from Hip-Hop to Ravel’s Bolero.
And, of course, kids of all ages drawing with chalk on a canvas stretching from curb to curb.
Friday night’s annual Seattle Summer Streets, combined with the monthly Art Up Artwalk, brought thousands of people to the neighborhood for a stroll down Greenwood Avenue, which was closed to cars for 22 blocks.
For a suggested donation of $2, you could enter the Kitten Kissin’ Booth in front of PAWS Cat City and pet some kitties.
Artist Yvonne Palermo just opened her new studio inside the Greenwood Collective. Her art expresses her struggle with chronic pain and the healthcare system.
This month’s Art Up Artwalk features a record 38 participating businesses, in conjunction with the annual Seattle Summer Streets program. Greenwood Avenue will be closed to vehicles from North 65th Street to North 87th Street from 6-9 p.m. Friday (65th, 80th and 85th streets will remain open to traffic).
Businesses are sponsoring a variety of fun things for everyone of all ages to do, from the always popular Bubbleman to dancing in the streets.
(Photo of last year’s Summer Streets by Brian Hart.)
The idea behind Summer Streets is for pedestrians and cyclists to better connect with one another and shop at their neighborhood businesses. Last year’s inaugural Summer Streets in Greenwood-Phinney drew plenty of people who drew with chalk in the middle of the street, held a guerrilla knitting party, played a wiffleball game and browsed neighborhood shops. Summer Streets is sponsored by the City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation and the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.
(Novice and experienced knitters created a “river of yarn” at last year’s Summer Streets.)
Here’s a selection of fun happenings scheduled:
Metropolis & Rising Stars at 7321 Greenwood Ave. N. are hosting the Bubbleman from 6-7 p.m. and again from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Kids can get their face painted inside of Rising Stars from 6-8 p.m. And Greenwood resident Mayor Mike McGinn will be in front of the building at 7 p.m. to hand out prizes to those who participated in July’s Walk Bike Ride Challenge.
(The Bubbleman draws a crowd at last year’s event.)
The American Dance Institute at 8001 Greenwood Ave. N. is hosting Ballroom, Flamenco and Hip Hop Dance Classes in the street.
Tasty art gallery at 7513 Greenwood Ave. N. is hosting an outdoor tea party and live art.
The Defenders of Greenwood will let children (and excited parents) sit in their fire engine and learn more about fire safety at the temporary Fire Station 21 at 6801 Greenwood Ave. N.
Also, Maryhill Rats is sponsoring a skateboard slalom, and Seattle Children’s Hospital will have a kids’ obstacle course.
Friday is also the kick-off for the 5th annual Gumshoe 5K Walk, a fundraiser for the Greenwood Senior Center. Purchase an entry form for $20, then follow the clues on a three-mile walk around the neighborhood, discovering quirky garden art and interesting houses and businesses. Turn in your completed entry form and be eligible for a drawing for gift cards from Fred Meyer. (Stay tuned for a more detailed Gumshoe post in the next day or two.)
And stay tuned for a separate post on the Artwalk, with a list of participating businesses, artists, etc.
