Columbia Citizens

Live locally.

Consult your community calendar.

• Healthy & Active Rainier Valley Coalition (Wed),
• farmers market and a canning class (Wed),
• C-City runners (Sat, Tue),
• United Africa day (Sat),
• Bicycle Sunday,
• Dinner with Friends (Sun),
• gaming at the library (Mon),
• Drinking Liberally (Tue),
• Arts Gumbo kickoff (Wed),
• and Citizens post more events all the time!

In the calendar, you can click through to each event's online information. If a local event is missing, please send a Citizen's alert.

Citizens' anniversary

A year ago this week, we pulled together the first Citizens' Wikli, "Columbia City's collaborative community cyber circular". In honor of this prodigious milestone, the Wikli is taking an extended siesta.

So this is one is a tri-Wikli. See you again on September 10th. In the meantime, have a look around, pick up a fun wiki project, and stay in touch.

Friday, September 5th: 7-10pm Still only $5 and kids are free.

The venues just keep comin'! First it was Gather, and now Columbia City Theater is joining BeatWalk. We'll be utilizing their great dance floor by having one of the area's best dance bands, The Buckaroosters, who bill themselves as "All Buck Owens, All the Time."

The dancing continues with the percussive Latin grooves of Mambo Cadillac at Awash, and the soulful blues of The John Stephan Band at the Columbia City Fitness Center.

We've also got jazz at the Bookworm with Arthur Nelson & Friends, award-winning singer/songwriter Larry Murante at Columbia City Gallery, old-school jazz & blues with Del Rey & Craig Flory at Gather, and the incredible cello and bass of The Bottom Line Duo at Retroactive Kids/Columbia City Cuts.

read more...

This Wednesday, please join local canning and preserving expert, Jessica Dally of the Seattle Free School, as she shows shoppers easy and convenient ways to preserve, can, freeze and store fresh fruits and vegetables now available at the markets.

The market is bursting with summer's bounty: sweet corn, all kinds of peaches, nectarines, melons, snap beans, early apples — this is definitely the time to stock up and make jam, pickles and whatever else inspires you.

Teen Gaming! Monday August 25th from 2-4 pm. Enjoy the last days of summer with gaming! Play Mario Kart, sports and more on the Wii and practice your dance skills with Dance Dance Revolution. See if you're a star on American Idol Karaoke. We'll provide snacks, and you may win a prize just for coming!

Evening Book Group on Wednesday Sept 3rd from 6:45-7:45 pm. Join us for a book group discussion at the Columbia Branch. Everyone is welcome. This month’s title is The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster. Pick up your copy in advance at the Information Desk.

Preschool Storytime on Friday Sept. 5th from 10:30-11 am. It's story time at the Columbia Branch. Bring your preschoolers to enjoy stories, rhymes, songs and fun with our children's librarian.

All library programs are free and open to the public. No registration is required.

We offer a classic show stage, a multi-track recording studio, a video production facility, mezzanine, catwalk and an elegant cocktail lounge. It's all here! Come enjoy a show and a cocktail any day of the week, Monday through Sunday, and consider our venue the perfect place to host, enjoy or record your event. Happy hour now 3–9pm daily!

• Wed — Black Box Opera presents
  Sondheim, Newman & Weill – A Cabaret
  7pm, $17.50 adv, $20 door
• Wed — Lounge Grooves by Faith & Adam
  9pm, no cover
• Thu — Billet-Deux CD Release Party
  8pm, $15 door
• Thu — open mic every Thursday with prizes
  7:30pm sign up, Lounge, no cover
• Fri — The Comedy Shop with Tribute to Bernie Mac
  10:30pm, $10 adv or $15 door
• Fri — The Sol Lounge featuring The As One Band
  8:30pm Lounge, no cover
• Sat — live performances by Trina Hamlin & Chris O'Brien
  7:30pm, 21+ only, $25 adv fireflyconcertseries.com $27 door
• Mon — Karaoke every Monday!
  8pm to close, Lounge, no cover
• Tue — Columbia City Drinking Liberally: a place to talk politics
  6pm, no cover

adv = brownpapertickets.com

Arts Gumbo Kick-Off Festival

August 27th @ at Columbia Park (in front of the Rainier Valley Cultural Center)
6-9pm — free for all ages

This performance will feature Red Eagle Soaring, International Capoeira Angola Foundation, Abráce, Global Heat & Adefua Cultural Education Workshop. See all of the 2008 Arts Gumbo events at the SEEDArts website.

For more information, contact: Jerri Plumridge, SEEDArts Director, 760-9846

Car Free Days are here

On Sunday, August 31, from 3 until 6 p.m., a route leading from Genesee Park to Rainier Avenue S through Columbia and Hillman City neighborhoods is opening up to pedestrians and bicyclists. The event is a chance to see how livable the city is when people drive less.

Parking will be restricted from 1 to 6 p.m. along the route. From 3 to 6 p.m. Metro bus route 7 is being detoured at Alaska and Orcas to Martin Luther King. Access exceptions will be made for residents, emergency vehicles, and people with disabilities.

For a map, or more information visit: www.seattle.gov/transportation/carfree_cc.htm

Music for Everyone

You're invited to Music for Everyone, parent and child music classes in Seward Park! Classes are playful, interactive and educational. Using songs, storybooks, puppets, games, percussion instruments and folk dances, early childhood music teacher Jana Vitols disguises music theory in a costume of play. Fall session for 2-5 year olds and their parents/caregivers begins Sept. 17. Reserve your spot now! moc.liamg|1yreverofcisum#moc.liamg|1yreverofcisum

"Dinner With Friends" at Island Soul

Go out for dinner on Sunday, August 24, from 5 to 8pm, at Island Soul restaurant to support the Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. Join the Friends at Columbia City's best new restaurant, and a portion of your check will go to support programs to inform the public about the source of our drinking water.

For more information about the Friends of the Cedar River Watershed, see: www.cedarriver.org

read more...

EveryBlock Columbia City

Everyblock offers a new source for neighborhood news.

This site aggregates a good deal of publicly available information including building permits, 911 dispatches, real estate listings, restaurant inspections, business reviews from Yelp, photos from Flickr, blog articles, and general news.

You can limit the scope to a radius (as small as one block) around a particular address if you really want to get local. In addition, you can sign up for customizable RSS feeds to allow you to stay updated. Very cool stuff!

Columbia City in the news

• Columbia City Cinema will be a multiplex.
• Hillman City's block party rocked.
• The community turned out to mourn Pierre LaPoint.

Hillman City Posts

• abbeynorris has put together a page about PARK(ing) Day 2008, a September 19 neighborhood event.

• September's Sunday brunch is back to …Sunday.

• tqn69 is doing some tinkering. You're welcome to do the same.

New photos
in the Citizens' gallery. Thanks, LakewoodLady.

Share yours!

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