Thanks, Ed, for the tip!

Metro says service will be, “rerouted off of Leary Ave NW, NW Market St & 24th Av NW, and will travel instead via alternate nearby streets, depending on the route, destination and direction of travel.” They say to expect bus rerouting from about 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Rerouted buses include Routes 17, 18, 44, 46 and 75 (click on each route number to view rerouting).

For specific reroute details and times, visit the Metro Online Construction & Events page.

A group of women in the Quest Life Together Women’s Group from Interbay is hosting a free documentary screening this Friday at the Q Café (3233 15th Ave W., south of the Ballard Bridge) in hopes of sparking some dialogue and awareness around the issue of girl bullying. The documentary is called “Finding Kind” and it addresses girls bullying other girls. (View the trailer here)

It was produced by two filmmakers from Seattle, Lauren Parsekian and Molly Thompson, and has been viewed in schools, hosted screenings, and numerous film festivals. The film discusses how girl bullying is different than other kinds of harassment and this women’s group truly believes that the response needs to reflect those differences.

Christina Olson is a Ballard resident and a member of the Quest Church women’s group that raised the $500 licensing fee in order to put on this free screening. The group of about ten to fifteen women raised the money through a variety of means such as donations, babysitting, the Good Neighbor fund and spreading the word about the project at large.

“Every year our group takes on a project or a series of projects that we think will benefit the community,” said Olson. “Someone brought up this documentary, asked how we would feel about doing the screening and it quickly evolved into our project for this year.”

Olson thinks that people were extra generous with this project because it’s an issue that so many people can relate to. “Many women have been victims of bullying and this documentary focuses on how bullying within girls is very different than with boys,” said Olson. “It does not diminish what happens to boys but the actions definitely manifest differently in adulthood for girls.” Some of the women in the group are teachers and they discussed how they witness this bullying every day. While there are some things they can do, there is a lot that is out of their scope as well.

The group will be hosting a guided discussion after the film. The filmmakers have created a curriculum that can be used to help guide dialogue. Some of the women from the group will speak during this discussion, including Olson, and will be sharing their own experiences with bullying and how it can relate to later issues.

The goal is not to put people on the spot, but rather to open the dialogue and share thoughts on this issue. If people are interested in attending the screening and discussion after they need to RSVP ahead of time in order for the group to ensure they have room for all that wish to attend.

From Seattle Public Schools:

Ballard’s nominations span four categories, reflecting the diverse skills of the producers.  In the technical category of Photography/Editor, Ballard High School students garnered every nomination.  These are the nominations by category.

Photographer/Editor:

Crash Landing Pizza by Louis Weissman, Ariahna Ghormley & Mackenzie Wright

Safe at Last: The Story of Antwaan Dixon by Louis Weissman, Nate Sawtell & Dylan Spence

Senior Assassin by Alex Johnston, Tony Meyer & Elizabeth Turnell

Writing:

Safe at Last: The Story of Antwaan Dixon by Nate Sawtell, Dylan Spence & Louis Weissman

Long-Form, Fiction:

The Craft by Elise Neroutsos, Walker Evans, James Vitz-Wong & Sam Weller

Public Service Announcement:

Ballard Food Bank by Jacob Scott, Brittney Blokker & Sam Weller

Senior Assassin by Tony Meyer, Alex Johnston-Thomas & Elizabeth Turnell

The nominees were selected by industry professionals in the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  This makes the sixth year in a row that Ballard High School video producers have been nominated.  Last year they received 9 nominations and won the category of Long Form Non-Fiction.

Winners from each category will be announced on June 2 at the 49th Annual Regional Emmy Awards ceremony.

Photo from last year’s event

Bike to Work Day is sponsored by F5 and is a Cascade Bicycle Club event. The day starts with a rally downtown from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Seattle City Hall (600 4th Avenue). There will be plenty of giveaways and free samples from biking companies, and live music from KEXP’s live broadcast next door at Bergen Place Park.

The totem pole was restored last summer, and returned to the Totem House where it still stands

A picture of the totem pole in front what was then a souvenir shop in 1939.

Seattle Parks and Recreation says Skate Like A Girl will offer a skate clinic and Small Faces Child Development Center will offer activities including a tricycle race.

Photo from last year’s Syttende Mai

Thursday will be an all-day celebration, starting at 10 a.m. at the Nordic Heritage Museum.

Here’s a full list of activities:

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.: Kids games at Nordic Heritage Museum (3014 NW 68th St). Free admission to the NHM all day; Nordic Cafe will be selling Scandinavian treats, and fjord horses will be on site.

Noon – 2 p.m.: Luncheon at Leif Erikson Hall (2245 NW 57th St.) Tickets $30, call (206) 783-1274

2 – 5 p.m.: On-going live, free entertainment at Bergen Place Park

3 – 5 p.m.: Open House and Cafe at Leif Erickson Hall. Food, beverages, wine and beer available for purchase. Local Scandinavian organizations will have promotional material about their groups.

6 – 8 p.m: Parade – starts at NW 62nd and 24th Ave NW, goes south to Market Street, east to Bergen Place Park, turns down 22nd Ave NW and continues south on Ballard Ave NW to Dock Street.

For more information, visit the 17th of May website.

Metro buses have three spaces on their bike racks, so they encourage cyclists to wait for the next bus if the rack is full. Or, bike lockers are available at some Metro and Sound Transit facilities. (Note that the free rides do not apply to Link light rail, Sounder, the South Lake Union Streetcar, or the King County Water Taxi.)

From BHS:

Our boys are on a roll!…Senior Caleb Jaegar was on the mound for the Beavers – gave up 6 hits, 2 runs, 2 K’s and NO walks! Offensively the Beavers were on fire scoring 14 runs on 13 hits, hitting FIVE doubles and strung together a game ending 8 run inning in the 6^th! Offensive Highlights: Senior Steven Weber crushed another 3-run HOMERUN making this his second in 3 games; Senior Nelson Cooper had an RBI double; Junior Stuart MacGeorge was hot at the plate going 3-4, with a double and a triple and driving in 2 runs; Junior George Chrisafis was an RBI machine going 3-4 with a double and 3 RBI’s; Junior Ian Scott was also on fire going 2-3, with a double and an RBI; and Junior Frank Airey continued to contribute at the plate with a 2-run double.

Good luck, Beavers!

Here is a list of the day’s events:

Bergen Place Park, 10:00am – 6:00 p.m., with live DJ sets from Cheryl Waters and Kevin Cole

• 10:00am – Ramona Falls
• 12:00pm – Deep Sea Diver
• 2:00pm – My Goodness
• 4:00pm – The Maldives
• 5:30pm – Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

A Benefit for the Ballard Food Bank 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Live music hosted by KEXP DJ John Richards at Bergen Place Park. Featuring River Giant [Acoustic] (All-Ages) Cover: Suggested Donation of $5

The Sunset, 9:00pm – close. Live music hosted by KEXP DJ Shannon (21+) Cover: $8 Public/$6 for KEXP Donors. Featuring The Redwood Plan, Grayskul and Wow & Flutter

Tractor Tavern, 8:30 p.m. – close, Hosted by DJ El Toro (21+) Cover: $10 Public/ $8 for KEXP Donors. Featuring Lindsay Fuller, The Horde and the Harem, and Legendary Oaks

Conor Byrne, 9 p.m. – close, Hosted by Hans (21+) Cover: $8 Public/$6 KEXP Donors. Featuring Tiny Messengers, Ghosts I’ve Met, and Joy Mills

Hazlewood, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (21+) Free. Featuring Johnny Horn.

BalMar – Bike to Work Day After Party, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.  (21+) Free. Featuring Wo’ Pop & El Sonido with Darek Mazzone, DJ Rhythma and DJ Chilly.

The Sexton, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (21+) Free Featuring Larry Rose

Hattie’s Hat, 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. (21+) Free. Featuring Swingin’ Doors with DJ Don Slack

Ima Norwegian is a life-time Ballard resident who lives in a modest home with her husband Lars. Both are Ballard High School graduates (Go Beavers) but you’ll have to really dig to figure out which year they graduated. Ima won’t willingly offer her age, but will admit that it rhymes with ‘nifty-something’. Ima said she would only appear in the cartoon if we featured her in her traditional Norwegian bunad. And remember, she only needs her glasses for reading. Her two kids are out on their own, in the area and close enough that they occasionally stop by. Ima believes it’s because they miss their mother and they just happened to also need to do their laundry.

Benito’s, at 6201 15th Ave NW, has sandwiches, “authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza,” and signature hot dogs on their menu, offering everything from “the ‘Chicago,’” a quarter-pound all beef hot dog with yellow mustard, tomato, cucumber slices, raw onion, Chicago relish, sport peppers and celery salt to “the ‘New York,’” with just yellow mustard, raw onion and sauerkraut.

As we reported last year, the restaurant is the brainchild of classically-trained chef and former Chicagoan, Benjamin Kulikowski. He says his restaurant will serve the big three Chicago foods – Italian beef, deep-dish pizza & hot dogs. He will also have a chalkboard menu with rotating dishes. They’ll also have a couple brews on tap soon.

Benito’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday they’re open till 11 p.m., and they’re closed on Sundays.

Seattle Fire’s hazardous materials team responded, suited up and entering the bank to investigate. After about ten minutes, they deemed the material and facility to be safe. Employees were allowed back in the building, and Market St. was reopened to traffic a little over an hour after the call.

During the investigation, media choppers swirled overhead. Police had taped off Wells Fargo as well as the street, but the sidewalk and businesses across from the bank remained open.

We updated the event from the beginning on Twitter, as we happened to be right next to the bank when the call came in. You can see more photos there.

Tomorrow (Saturday, May 12), Mike’s Chili Parlor (1447 NW Ballard Way) will be featuring Hale’s Ales, and The Dray will be celebrating its 4th anniversary with soccer, beer and more from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They’ll have their annual parking lot party in the back with food trucks and rare beers, and will show the Sounders vs. RSL at 7 p.m.

The activities will continue on Mother’s Day on Sunday with Winesap Estate Cider Seasonal Peach Cider and Cherry Cider from The Noble Fir (5316 Ballard Ave. NW).  Or, try your hand at mini-golf with “Hoppy Drinks on the Tiny Links” at Interbay Golf Center, featuring Ninkasi Brewing, Diamond Knot, Elysian, Fremont Brewing, Firestone Walker and Skagit River Brewing. Teams of four will compete for best score, worst score, and best costume. A trophy ceremony will conclude the night at The Leary Traveler. Sign up by emailing joshua@ninkasibrewing.com.

The beer festivities will continue through next week. For a full list of events and participating bars, restaurants and breweries, click here.

If you want to sign up, visit here. Any questions can be directed to Chris LaPointe, Volunteer Program Manager at (206) 322-9296, ext. 217.

On Team Echo is Aidan Farr, Maggie Hargus, Theo Arden, Diana Chan, Alexander Hoppe, Hodan Mohammed, and Kirsten Westmoreland. Team Foxtrot is Akira Murphy, Lara Grevstad, Sara Buck, Phillip Quinn, Maeve Axtell, Calvin Korver, Samuel Wolfson, and Henry Hilt.

The challenge was for middle and high school students to design and build a rocket that can climb to 800 feet and stay aloft for between 43 and 47 seconds, using a parachute for a recovery device. And, it gets even harder: the teams must also find a way to transport a payload of two raw eggs in the rocket and return them unbroken. The payoff includes $60,000 worth of prizes and scholarships and a chance to compete in the International Air Show in London, England.

From Team Echo: Theo Arden, Aidan Farr, Diana Chan (left to right)

Ingraham principal Martin Floe said, “The culture of the Ingraham Rocket Club is enthusiastic and inclusive; that’s a big part of its success. Kids can really be themselves.” Not only did the students create the rockets from scratch, they also reached out to elementary and middle schools, giving presentations and helping younger kids to form their own teams.

Team Echo: Diana Chan, Aidan Farr, Theo Arden (left to right)

TARC is the largest rocketry challenge in the world, and is sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry. According to their website, about 7,000 students compete each year.

The students from Ingraham will compete on Saturday, May 12.

(Thanks to Wayne Buck for the photos!)

Jennifer Litowski from Ballard Greenways tells us that Critical Lass, a social ride for women, is on Sunday, May 13 at 2 p.m. at the Ballard Library. The ride, in conjunction with Cyclofemme, will last around an hour, with a stop for refreshments afterwards. All ages and abilities are welcome. Next Friday is the annual Bike to Work Day, and Ballard celebrates with a big block party next to Bergen Place Park.

Litowski also reminds that Ballard Greenways meets the third Thursday of every month.

This will be the 20th annual Stamp Out Hunger, and last year the Postal Service collected over 70 million pound of food across the country. The organizers ask that participants put out, “a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday.”

On Saturday, May 12, at 3p.m., he will be at Flying Apron Bakery in Fremont (3510 Fremont Ave N.). Sunday, he’ll be at the Farmer’s Market in Ballard starting at 10 a.m. Next week on Thursday, May 17, Cura will be selling it at Curves at 10033 Holman Rd NW. He will be selling and signing at each location.

To read more about Cura’s book, read past articles here and here.

From the studio:

Studio Fabulous is launching a new take on art walks by hosting hands on, free lessons for those who would like to re-claim their inner artist! “Making art is so much fun and I wanted to provide an interactive experience for art walkers”, says Patricia Ridenour, co-owner of Studio Fabulous. “I believe everyone is an artist…we all drew and painted as children…I want to see those grown children come by…making art is not about being good or bad – it’s about creating, playing, experimenting, processing, therapy and problem solving.” So, come by and join the fun.  The building is full of great art and artists and, who knows, you just may go home with your own little masterpiece!

The studio will offer watercolor classes from Ellen Hamm and will be featuring photography from Patricia Ridenour and Ben Brackin. The studio will provide all the art supplies for the lesson, including drinks and snacks.

The area will be turned into two buildings; one office space and one residential. There will be a four-story office building and a five-story, 18-unit residential building with a total of 32 parking spaces. There are also plans to create a P-Patch on the property, according to Ray Johnston of Johnston Architects.

From SDOT:

Bicyclists will be detoured during sidewalk closures. Bicyclists may use the Fremont Bridge or may cross the ship canal at the Ballard Locks.  (The sidewalks are too narrow to accommodate bicycle traffic in two directions on the same sidewalk.)

Last year, SDOT painted the Ballard Bridge approaches (the raised roadways at each end of the bridge). This year SDOT is painting the bascule part of the bridge, which is the portion of the bridge that opens and closes for marine traffic. SDOT’s annual bridge painting program provides for the periodic painting of each of the city’s 20 structural steel bridges. The painting helps protect the steel surfaces on the bridges from corrosion and other weather deterioration.

Here is the agenda:

7:00     Introductions & Short Announcements - please hold announcements to not more than one minute.

7:15     Assistant City Attorney Jana Jorgensen

Jana has recently been assigned as the City Attorney Liaison to the North Precinct.  She’ll be working on stubborn neighborhood public safety issues including:  graffiti, chronic public nuisance locations, as well as advising and supporting the work of the North Precinct Community Police Team.  She also plays a major role in developing the city’s response to liquor license applications in north Seattle.

7:35     Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program Update, Matt Preedy – WSDOT

Matt will provide an update on the two projects replacing the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct along Seattle’s waterfront: replacing the viaduct’s southern mile, near Seattle’s port and stadiums, with a new side-by-side roadway and replacing the viaduct’s central waterfront section with a bored tunnel beneath downtown Seattle. He will provide information on the upcoming construction milestones and measures planned to mitigate the impact to those who must travel to or through the construction zone.

8:00     Update – Central Waterfront/Seawall Project, Steve Pearce, SDOT Project Manager

With the completion of the Deep Bored Tunnel, what are current plans to replace the existing surface Alaska Way?  How will this roadway be configured to accommodate the needs of general traffic, freight, bikes, as well as those who must cross this roadway to access waterfront destinations?  What is envisioned for how ferry traffic to the Colman Dock will be accommodated?  What is the estimated cost of the entire project; and how will it be financed?    Will surface Alaska Way continue to provide an accessible and efficient means of travelling through this corridor; esp for those of us in northwest Seattle?

8:25     Report – Executive Committee, Catherine Weatbrook

8:30     Adjourn

Earlier: This Saturday, May 12, Our Redeemers Lutheran Church (2400 NW 85th St.) in Ballard will host an electronic recycling event.

The electronics collected at a Ballard Windermere recycling event.

Computers, TVs, Electronics, Appliances, Metals and More! Washington Association of Churches and Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church are partnering with 1 Green Planet to take your used electronics for FREE recycling. Printers, fax machines, cell phones, VCRs, speakers, game systems, radios, computer batteries, Christmas lights, medical equipment, record players, ink toner & cartridges. Appliances of any size — no limit! Anything with a plug … anything containing metal! Bicycles, BBQs, tools, furniture, exercise equipment, lawn mowers (please empty gas & oil). Free will, tax deductible donations to support the work of WAC will be accepted but are not required. Questions about what will be accepted? Call 206-625-9790.

From the King County Council:

“With this transit service change, King County will use existing resources to carry more riders to more destinations,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the Council’s Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee, whose district includes Ballard. “By delivering RapidRide and restructuring the system to become more efficient, county leaders are continuing to carry out our commitment to make Metro service better and more cost effective.”

For a full list of the transit changes to come in September, visit the County’s Have a Say website.

The sports offered include soccer, baseball, basketball and all-sports camp for boys and girls, ages kindergarten through 12 years old. There are both full and half day offerings, and extended care options are available.

• Bumblebee Soccer will be offered June 25 – 29  and August 27 – 30. Ages: K-2nd grade, coed, time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Basketball is offered for boys from August 13 – 17 and for girls from August 20 – 24 for ages 7 -12 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mini-hoops is co-ed and for K-2nd grade, offered July 9 – 13 or July 23 – 27 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Baseball offers a number of camps for kids ages 7 to 12: Fielding, from July 9 – 13; Hitting, from July 16 – 20; Total baseball from July 23 – 27 and July 30 – August 3; Advanced (only for those who have previously attended a Boys and Girls Club baseball camp) August 6 – 10; and Baseball 101 for K-2nd grade from August 13 – 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. All other baseball camps run 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and are coed.
• All-Sports Camps (soccer, basketball, flag-football, volleyball, relay races, etc) are from 9:30 to 2:30 and are offered June 25 – 29, July 2 – 3 and 5 – 6, August 20 – 24, and August 27 – 30. Ages 7 – 12.

To register, visit the Ballard Boys & Girls Club’s website.