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Seattle’s most gangster all girl metal/punk band, The Valkyries, are hosting their CD release party, We Always Win, with Neon Nights, Space Cretins and the Blue Ribbon Boys at the Bit Saloon. Come get assaulted by the sounds!

The Bit Saloon

(4818 17th Ave. N.W., 782-1680)

 myspace.com/thebitseattle.

$7. 9 p.m. Sat., April 11.

It’s been all over the news and Internet – the popularity of vegetable gardens this year due to the poor economy.  There have been reports that seed companies are making record profits and have sold out of some of the more popular vegetable seeds already as citizens hunker down in the dirt and plant gardens similar to the Victory Gardens of WWII.    In my opinion, this can only be a good thing, reducing reliance on big corporate farms for our food and getting the freshness from food that has not been shipped thousands of miles.  Admittedly, I am a little biased as when we traced my family history, we come from a long line of farmers going back centuries.  How to explain then my lack of gardening skills?  I was a child of the suburbs who had lost that connection to how food is grown.   I do remember one year growing up we rented a p-patch, but all I did was fetch the water from the nearby creek to water the plants.  We didn’t continue the p-patch as we  discovered that people were taking our produce for themselves.

So, inspired by the news stories of gardening as the new hot trend, and friends’ gardens, I decided to take the plunge when I saw a free class advertised in the Seattle Parks and Recreation catalog.  March 14th was the first class about soil preparation and planting peas and potatoes.   If the instructor wasn’t so knowledgeable, I might have slunk away early as the class was outside on a bitterly cold and windy day.  Ingela, the instructor, is a member of Sustainable Ballard and is part of the Garden and Natural Environment Guild and a self described ‘plant geek.’    She walks the talk with her own urban farm in Ballard where she raises all types of plants and is the proud owner of some chickens to boot.    As a complete beginner, I was in good hands as we first learned a lot about what makes for good soil before getting to the part about planting.

This Saturday there is another free workshop entitled ‘Spring planting’ and I cannot wait to learn more.

Loyal Heights Community Center

2101 NW 77th St.

Call for registration information   206-684-4052

On May 16, 2009, the Puppeteers of Puget Sound will be hosting a Day of Puppetry for Puppeteers in Ballard.

 This is a day dedicated to showcasing the work of local puppeteers.

If you are a puppeteer, or a wanna-be puppeteer, developing a show or wish to share a piece of your work not yet seen by your peers, please submit a proposal to committee chair Jean Enticknap at on or before April 24, 2009.  Showcase performers will be announced on the website May 1, 2009.



The event itself will occur at the Sunset Hill Community Club on May 16 with daytime showcase performance times to be announced. There will be a social hour to show off your favorite puppet, a short meeting of the Puppeteers of Puget Sound and a special evening preview of Kyle Loven’s Dear Lewis, recipient of a 2009 Jim Henson Foundation Seed Grant.

Please register at the website for the event, which is free to Puppeteers of Puget Sound and prospective members. Puppeteers of Puget Sound members who attend the Day of Puppetry will receive a free ticket to Thistle Theatre’s 3:00pm performance of the Goblin and the Poet on the day of Puppetry.

Attend the Ballard District Council meeting on Wednesday evening to learn more about what is happening with Ballard parks and with funding for Ballard neighborhood projects.
AGENDA

1.  Short Announcements by Member Organization Representatives
Please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

2.  A Report Card on Seattle Industry, Brian Surratt, City of Seattle -
Office of Economic Development
Brian will present the preliminary results of two recent economic
studies which examined the health and well being of Seattle’s maritime
industry and other Seattle “basic” industries.

3.   Ballard Parks – Cherished Assets, Christopher Williams, Deputy
Superintendent, Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation
Christopher will provide an overview and status report on recent and
pending park development activity in the Ballard district.  He will also
discuss efforts being made by Seattle Parks and by the community to keep
our parks safe and free of criminal activity.

4.  Introducing New Ballard District Web Site, Andy MacDonald & Rob
Mattson

5.  Prioritizing Ballard Projects Proposed for Funding from the Annual
Neighborhood Projects Fund, Mary Hurley
Annually, the City of Seattle makes available approximately $1.3M to
fund small scale projects proposed by individuals and organizations.
Each of the 13 district councils is asked to identify the district’s
top five priority projects, which will be evaluated for cost and
feasibility by either the Parks Department or by Seattle Department of
Transportation.

This year, of the 190 proposals received city wide, 40 came from the
Ballard district.  Ballard DC appointed a three-member review committee
to study the proposals from Ballard and recommend an order of priority.

Discussion and Vote

BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM

If you’ve got kids, and haven’t experienced the organized mayhem of a community Easter egg hunt, let this be your year to try it! Several nearby locations are offering egg hunts this year, and most of them are free.

At Ballard Community Center, Loyal Heights Community Center, and farther away Bitter Lake Community Center annex, kids ages 2 to 10 can join in the Spring Candy & Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 11, 2009.  The kids are separated by age group, so you don’t have the problem of the older kids grabbing everything while the little ones get knocked into the grass. Rain or shine, just show up at Ballard Community Center at 9am sharp, or to Loyal Heights Community Center or Bitter Lake Community Center Annex at 10am sharp. Trust me, you need to get there on time, ‘cause all the eggs are found in less than five minutes.

In addition, Salmon Bay Eagles are hosting an egg hunt at Salmon Bay Park on Sunday, April 12, 2009 at 1pm. Some eggs will have candy, some will have prizes, and the Easter Bunny will be there!

Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Ave. N.W., Seattle, WA, 206-684-4093

Salmon Bay Park, 
2001 N.W. Canoe Place
, Seattle, WA

Loyal Heights Community Center, 2101 NW 77th St., Seattle, WA, 206-684-4052

Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Ave N, Seattle, WA, 206-684-7524