Library closed next week

Stock up on your books, CDs and DVDs, the library will be closing for a week. In an effort to save money, the library will close a week from today through Labor Day. The last day to check out Library items before the closure is Sunday, Aug. 30 and operations resume on Tuesday, Sept. 8th. …

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Your photos and video from Wuff Da!

Thanks to everyone for emailing pictures and video of yesterday’s Wuff Da! event. It seemed that everyone, pups young and old, had a great time!

Silver took this video (and many others found here) of the pet tricks. Click through below to see all the pictures.

Free car wash day on Thursday

Get your car washed for free this Thursday at any “tunnel” Brown Bear Car Wash, like the one at 5111 15th Ave. NW. As part of their 52nd anniversary celebration, the company is once again saying thanks to their customers by cleaning cars at no charge. Over the last four years, the Seattle-based company has …

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Armed robbery at KFC on Market St.

Police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the KFC on Market St. near 14th Ave. just after 9 p.m. on Sunday. Officers searched the immediate area for the suspect, who reportedly displayed a black gun that a KFC employee said “looked fake.” According to the SPD Blotter, the suspect took all the …

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Wuff Da! Dogs take over Ballard park

Well over a hundred dogs packed Ballard Commons Park today for “Wuff Da,” a dog show that handed out prizes for dozens of categories.

“Well, we weren’t sure how many folks would show up today. They’re all here,” said Tim Hunter, who was emcee of the event. “The line stretches from here to Fremont,” he joked of the registration line (above).

It all began with this post by Julie Albright on My Ballard. “After seeing everyone’s adorable pics of their pooches online, I say we have a Cutest Dog in Ballard Contest,” she wrote. Others agreed, selecting dates and volunteering as judges. Three weeks later, a huge crowd packed Ballard Commons Park for the event. “I think this is fantastic,” said Joyce Golden, who entered her poodle mix into the contest. “My gosh, I can’t believe all the people that are here.”

Organizers split the competition into small, medium and large dogs — each had to be from Ballard — and owners paraded their pooches around the Ballard Commons fountain. (Watch video of the event by SeattleTimes.com).

Judges evaluated the dogs on a number of categories including oldest, youngest, cutest, prettiest smile, funniest looking and longest tail.

This dog, named Zeus, won the prize for the funniest-looking big dog.

These cute little Golden Retrievers won the “youngest puppy” award. Their names: Riley Cyrus and Reba McIntyre.

Some dogs didn’t waste their time digging into their prizes, which included bones, treats and tennis balls provided by a long list of Ballard sponsors. “Thanks also to all of the dog owners who brought down their adorable pooches; it was incredible to see a lot of Ballard’s amazing dogs in one place,” said organizer Julie Albright, who said she’s considering doing it again next year. “We’ve never had anything like this in Ballard,” said Ron Embree, who’s lived in Ballard for 40 years. “It’s excellent. We love it!” More photos below…

Pig mobile new addition to Old Ballard

Roaming food trucks are all the rage in Seattle these days (see our story on the Parfait truck below). And if you’ve been in Old Ballard on Friday or Saturday night over the last few weeks, you may have noticed this pig-meets-RV contraption parked in the grassy lot across from Bastille. It’s called Maximus/Minimus, a …

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Parfait ice cream to spend two days in Ballard

The cute little brown ice cream truck that serves up small batch organic ice cream will now be in Ballard on Saturdays and Sundays. Parfait announced on Twitter earlier today that they will be at the Caffè Fiorè at 5405 NW Leary on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. This is in addition to their …

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Pig & Pipes draws crowd at Old Pequliar

The Old Pequliar hosted its second annual “Pig & Pipes” Fundraiser today. My Ballard reader Rob shot this photo of a performance by the Seattle Firefighters Pipes & Drums Corps, complete with their kilts and bagpipes. And Craig sent us this photo. Two 120-pound pigs will be roasted on premise with side dishes provided by …

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Nearby: Mystery man, missing boy, Troll, arson

There have been lots of interesting news stories in our nearby neighborhoods over the past couple days. Here are a few headlines… – Mystery man who wondered out of Discovery Park may be identified – ‘Rambunctious’ 3 year-old found wandering around Queen Anne – Magnolia couple arrive home and surprise burglars inside – Mayor hears …

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The weekend events calendar

Expect clouds and low 70’s this weekend. Here’s what’s on tap around Ballard: Tonight is the “Goodbye to summer” BBQ at the Loyal Heights Community Center. Field games, food and a bouncy house for the kids starting at 6:30 p.m. Local band The Sea Navy is celebrating their record release at The Sunset Tavern. Here’s …

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Nickels concedes mayor’s race

Two-term Mayor Greg Nickels conceded this morning after trailing Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan since the primary election on Tuesday. Although King County still has around 30,000 ballots left to count, the mayor was in third place trailing leader McGinn by 1,170 votes after Thursday’s count. “I think the people of Seattle decided it was …

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Transformation begins at the future ‘Credo Square’

The interior demolition of Edith Macefield’s old house is almost complete. We talked with Greg Pinneo, the new owner, who says that they plan to renovate the house and bring all the systems up to code. The facade will remain the same but the interior and floor plan will be completely changed. Crews will do …

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