Summer kickoff at Salmon Bay Park

It was a beautiful summer day for the 2nd annual Beginning of Summer Bash at Salmon Bay Park. The street was closed and neighbors brought out tables, chairs and a barbecue to celebrate the season. There were games for kids, music and of course it wouldn’t be a party without the giant inflatable castle for …

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Snow leopard cubs get six-week check up

This is a warm fuzzy story for the weekend. The snow leopard cubs that were born at the Woodland Park Zoo just got their six-week checkup. The zoo says the 7-pound boy and 6-pound girl (above) are playing, growing and starting to eat solid foods. Zookeepers say their favorite game right now is playing with …

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Barge briefly closes Ballard Bridge

Update 5:50 p.m.A barge headed to the I-90 work project briefly closed the Ballard Bridge just before 6 p.m. today. The closure was not as long as some were fearing — just six minutes before it passed through, headed on its way to Fremont and then Lake Washington. The barge is carrying two 65-ton steel …

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Help fill-the-boot for Muscular Dystrophy today

Mayor Greg Nickels proclaimed July as “Fill the Boot Month,” and the 55th annual “Fill the Boot” campaign kicked off this morning. Firefighters around the city, like this group at 15th & Market are working hard to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Last year, the Seattle Fire Department contributed $56,000 to Western …

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Protesters vandalize two more Ballard billboards

Last week this vandalized billboard was turning heads near the Ballard Bridge. Now two more billboards have been defaced with political messages. All three seem to be the work of the same person (or group of people.) Robby sent us these photos. This Starbucks sign is on Leary near 11th. And this McDonald’s sign was …

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The weekend events calendar

After a cooler start to the week, it’s going to be a beautiful Saturday to be outdoors. According to King5 there could be a raindrop or two on Sunday. The Nordic Heritage Museum’s annual Viking Days festival on Saturday and Sunday. The weekend is full of unique Scandinavian entertainment, food, arts & crafts merchants and …

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36th District Democrats hand out endorsements

Last night at Our Redeemer’s Church here in Ballard, the 36th District Democrats gathered to make their endorsements for the August 18th primary. The general membership meeting voted to endorse Larry Phillips for King County Executive, and they offered a dual endorsement of Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan for Seattle Mayor. For city council, they …

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Camper stuck under Golden Gardens bridge

A driver with a camper got a big surprise today when everything came to an abrupt halt under a train bridge at the entrance to Golden Gardens. It happened a little before 1:30 p.m., and a tow truck responded a short time later. My Ballard reader Susan saw the scene shortly after it happened. She …

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Portage Bay Cafe opens earlier than expected

After nine months of planning, designing, building and prepping, Portage Bay Cafe is officially open at 2821 NW Market. We talked with owner Amy Fair Gunnar who says that they were hoping to open on Friday but since they got all their permits lined up early, they decided to open today. The popular cafe prides …

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Garbage cans and mailboxes blown up overnight

Loud bangs woke neighbors up overnight when garbage cans and metal mailboxes were blown up. KIRO-TV is reporting that mailboxes on NW 95th and NW 97th were blown up between 1:30 and 2 a.m. According to Rob, this recycling bin was also blown up on NW 70th. Silver writes in the forum, “It sounds like …

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Undercover stings, WiFi planned for Ballard parks

From open-air drug deals to vandalism, Ballard’s central parks have become a growing concern for many Ballard residents and businesses. “The drug activity and tagging in Ballard and specifically Bergen Place is out of control. We need help,” wrote Victoria Sangrey Hunter from Friends of Bergen Place in an email to several Seattle city council …

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