September 6, 2010

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Grape Stomp Sept. 15th

Annexation | City hosts meetings to define neighborhood boundaries

In recent months, the City of Kirkland and many annexation neighbors have been working together to define neighborhood boundary concepts for the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate areas. Seven preliminary concepts have been developed and the City is seeking further feedback from annexation residents and businesses. The concepts will be discussed at upcoming meetings [...]

Caffé Rococo Opens on Park Lane

Wednesday was opening day at Caffé Rococo, Kirkland’s newest coffee shop and onsite roaster located at 136 Park Lane. Adam Olsen, general manager of Rococo has over 7 years experience in the coffee business and is known around town from his work at Kahili Coffee.
The minimalist interior, concrete floor, square lines and soft furniture [...]

Vin d’ Elegance & Concours d’Elegance – Fine Wine and Classic Vintage Automobiles

The Kirkland Concours d’ Elegance and Woodinville Wine Country are joining hands.  They will be offering a taste of some of Woodinivlle’s finest wines AND an eyeful of classic, vintage automobiles from the Kirkland Concours. The highlight of this partnership is the new Vin d’ Elegance to be held on Saturday, September 11th [...]

The SmackDown in Downtown – Let the Grape Stomping Begin (funny video)

Jeff Heinz, first-round draft pick for the Kirkland Views Grape Stomping Team, has created this humorous video meant to both awe and intimidate our competition in the 2010 Kirkland Grape Stomp to be held September 15th at Marina Park. Jeff’s dedication to the so-called sport is commendable, or sad, depending on your perspective. We here at [...]

Park to Park Swim 2010 (photos)

On Sunday morning, over 200 swimmers entered the 2010 Park to Park Swim benefitting Children’s Hospital.
The 1.3 mile swim across Lake Washington began at Matthews Beach in Seattle and the finished at O.O. Denny Park in Kirkland’s annexation area. Volunteers in boats and kayaks lined the route to help swimmers stay on course. At the finish [...]

Norkirk and Highlands Neighborhood Picnic (photos)

On Saturday, the Norkirk and Highlands neighborhoods joined forces to produce a spectacular annual picnic at Crestwoods Park. This good old-fashioned, fun family event had hotdogs, carnival games, arts and crafts and Deano The Clown to entertain the kids. The Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band provided wonderful musical entertainment for the adults as kids played on the fields [...]

“It’s toast” – MV Kirkland catches fire early Saturday morning

UPDATED
A fire broke out at approximately 6:40 AM Saturday morning on the iconic MV Kirkland, also known around town as the Argosy cruise ship. Fire crews responded to the dock at Marina Park where the boat is moored. Crews from the Kirkland Fire Department and other local municipalities including Redmond, donned respirators and took shifts [...]

17th Annual Don James Golf Classic to Benefit Kirkland Boys & Girls Club

The beautiful and challenging Golf Club at Newcastle is the site for the 17th Annual Don James Golf Classic. One of the premier charity golf tournaments in the state, this tournament includes greens fees with cart, free driving range buckets, lunch, cocktail hour, and a Live Auction Dinner Banquet. On Friday, September 10, 2010 join [...]

Five Kirkland restaurants to participate in Seattle Restaurant Week, Oct. 17-28

UPDATED
The list is out! Seattle Restaurant Week has announced its list of participating restaurants, which has grown from 106 in the spring run to 124 this Oct 17-28. There are ten restaurants on the Eastside including five in Kirkland participating this year. Last year, the program offered 3 course dinners for $25.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/seattlerestaurantweek/

The participating restaurants in [...]

A look inside the 520 Bridge (photos)

This past weekend the 520 Bridge was closed to traffic and some friends of ours had an opportunity to tour the bridge on Saturday, August 21st. We are pleased to be able share some photos with you which were taken that day.
Thank you to Glenn Peterson and Ken Reppart.
All photos by Ken Reppart. Many more [...]

ESPN to premiere documentary of Kirkland’s 1982 Little League World Champs

Little League team that won the 1982 World Championship for the first time in more than decade of domination by Southeast Asia is featured in an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary debuting next Tuesday, August 31. Players to start a charity.
ESPN’s new 30 for 30 documentary, “Little Big Men” tells the story of how the [...]

BeachHouse Spike & Dig Volleyball Tournament (photos)

On Sunday, the BeachHouse hosted the First Annual Spike & Dig Volleyball Tournament at Houghton Beach. The tournament winners were as follows:
1st Place Winners – Team Volleyball USA Grand Prize of $500 Cash & $100 in gifts cards to the BeachHouse
2nd Place Winners – Team Block Party   $100 Cash & $100 in gifts cards [...]

Junior League Softball World Series (photos)

What do Florida, Washington, Ontario, Puerto Rico, Texas, Indiana, Italy, California, Pennsylvania and Guam all have in common?
They all had teams playing in the Junior League Softball World Series this last week at Everest Park, right here in Kirkland!
What do great young athletes, screaming teenage girls, ESPN, swearing parents (from Indiana), hotdogs, sunshine, Terri Fletcher [...]

The Cleanest Stretch of Interstate 405

Ford of Kirkland is a proud sponsor of the WSDOT Adopt-a-Highway Program. Company employees clean their section of Interstate 405 on a quarterly basis.
Adopt-a-Highway is a roadside clean-up program to promote pride and local ownership in Washington.
The Adopt-a-Highway program:

Keeps the state clean
Helps taxpayers save money
Reminds people not to litter

Did you know?

There are close to 1,400 [...]

Mansion Squatters claim 3 more Eastside homes

The Mansion Squatters have returned by claiming possession of 3 more homes in Kirkland and Bellevue. Several local news outlets have good coverage of this issue:
Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times has a column in today’s paper on this issue in which he goes into depth on the Mansion Squatters.
“It’s becoming exasperating,” said Capt. Mike Ursino, [...]

Defining Neighborhood Boundaries in the Annexation Area

Homeowners and businesses in the Annexation Area are encouraged to participate in the process of defining neighborhood boundaries by taking an online survey by September 30, 2010. Seven options for neighborhood boundaries are presented in the survey.
The following is from the City of Kirkland:
Defining Neighborhood Boundaries in the Annexation Area
Over the past few months, the [...]

Guest Commentary | No Soliciting signs being ignored in the Highlands

A solicitor from a company called EcoFirst Pest Control (http://www.ecofirstpestcontrol.com) has been bothering folks in the Highlands. He ignores “No Soliciting” signs, and has been acting very rudely.
EcoFirst Pest Control company does not have a City of Kirkland business license or solicitor license (they must have both). The police say to call 911 if a solicitor cannot provide proper company identification, [...]

KPD recruiting volunteers for Domestic Abuse Response Team

The Kirkland Police Department is recruiting volunteers to apply for their Domestic Abuse Response Team. The DART program is a partnership between local law enforcement and the community to address and prevent domestic violence.
Are you someone who enjoys helping others? Do other people tend to come to you with their problems? [...]

Guest Commentary | Keep Kirkland Family Friendly

Note: The following letter has been broadly distributed around town and was forwarded to us by several readers. It refers to a promotional activity involving bikini-clad women during the Kirkland Classic Car Show which took place last month. – Editor

August 10, 2010
Dear Neighbor,
Origins of Keep Kirkland Family Friendly Initiative
The initiative to Keep Kirkland Family [...]

“3rd Annual Grape Stomp” Wine Tasting & Food Pairing at Marina Park Sept. 15

The 3rd annual Grape Stomp competition will be held at Marina Park on September 15th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. The event will feature wine tasting, food pairing and the best seats in the house to watch the competition between grape stomping teams. This event is the primary fund raiser for the Kirkland Wednesday [...]

Letter | FABULOUS Chinese solution to transportation problems – Why not us??

The following letter was addressed to numerous elected officials throughout King County. The author shares this intriguing concept with our readers. – Admin

Dear  King County  Council and  Sound Transit Board members :
Please consider this!  China will test its first , ‘flying’ bus by the end of this year.  It is intended to reduce traffic jams in [...]

“Fire Fair” informs and strengthens community’s safety

Kirkland Fire Department teaches fire preparedness following house fire
EMERGENCY INCIDENT
On July 2nd, 2010, a townhome caught fire in Hamilton Square, a condominium community located in Kirkland’s Totem Lake Neighborhood. The accidental fire started in the motor/electrical wiring of a resident’s hot tub. The back of his home and roof were destroyed, displacing the [...]

2010 Street Preservation Program (Slurry Seal)

The City of Kirkland has sent out this letter describing the 2010 Street Preservation Program:
Thank you in advance for your patience and cooperation as we make improvements to Kirkland’s infrastructure.
Project: 2010 Street Preservation Program (Slurry Seal)
What: The City of Kirkland, along with its contractor, Blackline Inc., will be resurfacing several streets around Kirkland [...]

Kirkland’s Annexation Area Residents & Businesses Encouraged to Tap into City Information

Annexation takes effect June 1, 2011
As the annexation of the Finn Hill, North Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhood areas into the City of Kirkland approaches, annexation area residents and businesses are encouraged to tap into City information available online at www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/annexation, through email, and by participating in city meetings.  Email updates about annexation-related issues and public [...]

KFD Fill-The-Boot to fight MDA

On Saturday, August 7th, Kirkland Firefighters volunteered their time for their annual “Fill-The-Boot” to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association.