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On September 16th there was a groundbreaking ceremony for Swedish Ballard’s new 90,000 square-foot building which will be located on Tallman Ave NW near Market Street. The building will house a new, expanded emergency department; an expanded medical imaging center; a primary care clinic and offices; and office space for a variety of specialty physicians.  The five-story building is scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2010 and will be located next to the existing Medical Plaza Building.

Well, well, well… In case Ballard wasn’t cool enough, rest assured.  We now have Women’s Roller Derby.

These feisty females have made the old Seattle Times warehouse their new home- I mean, Rat’s Nest.  Meet the Rat City Rollergirls!!!!!

To meet the team and get highlights, updates, and even a Hall of Pain Injury Gallery, check out their website. Warning: Hall of Pain is quite graphic. Soooo rugged dude!!!

The old warehouse is their new practice space- right here in Ballard! At 5305 Shilshole Ave NW, to be precise.  This crew isn’t new however- this Northwest flat-track, all female derby league was founded in 2004 and they belong to 1 of about 4 teams.

So, what’s the scoop? Are they any good?

>The Rat City Rollergirls recently earned a spot on the 2009 WFTDA* Western Regional Tournament in Denver, Co!  Follow this tournament at http://www.derbyontherocks.com.

*WFTDA = Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

A little terminology for us:

Jammer-  a person who scores

Blockers- defense

Pivot- the last line of defense (last resort)

Jam formation- players move counter clockwise

Jam- a 2 minute countdown period in which both teams attempt to score

Passing the star- when a lead jammer passes it’s position to it’s pivot (optional)

Amazing.

Don’t miss one of the last festivals of the season right here in Ballard!  The REVERB Music Festival celebrates local artists with a full night of local music at ten different venues in downtown Ballard on Saturday, October 3rd.  There are four all ages venues, with the rest 21+.  Wristbands are $8 in advance, and $10 on the day of the festival (tickets available here).

Venues include staples like the Sunset and the Tractor Tavern, as well as more unexpected spots like Volterra and the New York Fashion Academy.  Shows start as early as 3pm, depending on the venue, with some acts beginning as late as midnight.  There is enough variety for almost any musical taste, from hip hop to jazz to roots to rock and everything in between.  Each location will showcase one genre throughout the night, so you can stick around and listen to hours of your favorite music, or hop around to hear a mix of local artists.  The wristband allows entrance to all venues.  See a complete line-up here.

In addition to the music, there will be a debate between mayoral candidates Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan at the Conor Byrne at 8:30pm.

Come to downtown Ballard, buy a pretty wristband, and support your local artists!

Take advantage of amazing prices on gently used, quality clothing, toys, books, strollers, bedding, safety equipment, car seats, general baby/kid gear and more! Organized by the Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-op, this huge sale is great for expecting families and those with children 0-10 years old. All clothes are hung by size and gender to make shopping easy, and there is even a maternity section for moms to be! There’s plenty of parking in the Phinney Neighborhood Center’s lower and upper parking lots, so grab a tote and line up early for the best selection. Starting at 12:00pm, shoppers will enjoy additional 50% discounts on many items. We hope to see you there!

Event details:

Phinney Neighborhood Preschool Co-op’s Kid’s Clothing and Gear Sale
Saturday, Sept. 26th / 9:00am-1:00pm
Phinney Neighborhood Center: 6532 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle 98103
Community Hall “Brick Building”

So, if you’re seeking answers to the great universe, how to heal your migraine with natural herbs, or to research the Dead Sea Scrolls for a research project, stop by the library and sign up for a membership!

To find the library:

2220 NW Market St, L-05

Seattle WA 98107

206-329-1794

www.seattlemetaphysicallibrary.org

Wed 2pm-5:30pm;

Thu 2:30pm-6pm;

Fri 3pm-7pm;

Sat 1pm-5pm;

Sun 1pm-6pm

Leah Adams is starting a series of wet felting classes at Space to Create in Ballard this fall on Monday evenings. Leah does amazing things with felted wool: felted pebbles, soaps and boxes are her mainstay, and you can learn those techniques and come away with some lovely gifts for the holiday season, or take one of her more advanced classes and learn to make one of a kind scarves, wrist warmers, table runners and more! Take a look at her gallery at http://kneek.wordpress.com/events/ sign up for a class at Space to Create 206.784.0401, spacetocreate@spacetocreate.net, and let your imagination run wild!

Flat felting basics is the next class on Monday September 28. Flat felting is your gateway to scarves, boxes, table runners, wall hangings etc.

Space to Create, located at 14th and 70th NW, is a place for people to come, both kids and adults, to take classes in arts and crafts.  It’s also a space where people can come to work on their own projects using the space, tools and tables. Space to Create offers a place for teachers from the community to find an outlet to teach their skills without opening their own business.

Have you noticed all the fishing boats roosting at the Fishermen’s Terminal docks lately? That means it is time to celebrate the return of our local fishing fleet that homeports at Fishermen’s Terminal.

The Fall Fishermen’s Festival will be this Saturday, September 26 from 11 am to 6 pm at the Fishermen’s Terminal in Ballard. It is a family event with a salmon barbecue, fun entertainment and it is free! Some of the activities for the day include:
* Fun for kids with miniature boat building, face painting, clowns, fish art and more
* Wild salmon fillet challenge   * Outdoor salmon barbecue  * Seafood Association exhibits
* Oyster “Shuck ‘n Shoot”   * Sea Explorer Scouts ships
* Barbecue competition    * Survival suit team races

Anna Dicklhuber, a fashion student at Ballard’s own New York Fashion Academy won 1st place in the  Seattle Art Museum’s Masquarade costume design competition, hosted at the Pacific Place mall last Saturday. Her winning pieces will be displayed on the 7th avenue window of Pacific Place mall for three months starting this Sunday.

Competitors were asked to design and produce costumes inspired by  works of art from the Seattle Art Museum. Dicklhuber’s inspirations were a Jipae Mask, Cai Guo-Qiang’s Inopportune car explosion installation and Roy Lichtenstein’s Red Painting.

First runner up, Jason Arrington, featured a piece based off of Joan of Arc. Arrington  is also a student at New York Fashion Academy.

The 6th annual Sustainable Ballard Festival will take place this weekend in the Ballard Commons Park at NW 57th and NW 22nd from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday (9/26) and Sunday (9/27). The festival will highlight local businesses, individuals, and groups that have worked toward sustainability through a variety of different avenues. There will be a music stage, Food and Garden Learning Stage, discussion forum, workshops, and booths from local businesses and organizations.

Everyone is welcome and invited, and this is an event for the whole family! There will be an eclectic mix of live music, with acoustic guitar, African drumming, string bands, folk, and jazz throughout both afternoons.

There will be various workshops providing instruction and information about sustainable practices made easy at home.

At the Food and Garden Learning Stage, there will be demonstrations pertaining to local foods, eating seasonally, and gardening in the Northwest.

The fair is put on by Sustainable Ballard, a non-profit organization started in 2003 to promote and develop sustainability within the Ballard community.

The 22nd annual Shake the Shack Rockabilly Ball will be held at the Tractor Tavern for three consecutive nights: Thursday (9/24), Friday (9/25) and Saturday (9/26). Doors open at 8pm with shows starting at 9. Each night features several groups, with Leon Berman, who has been hosting the festival for the past twenty years, as host again this year.

This festival is the longest running rockabilly festival in the country. Tickets are $16 for each night or $45 for a 3-day pass (available here). Some rockabilly highlights include Slim Sandy, the Stillcreek Brothers, and Billy Dwayne and the Creepers.  Click here for a complete rockabilly line-up and come shake the shack, err, tavern!