The snow is again upon us, and it’s going to continue this week. This means we all need to help each other. Whether you live in an apartment or a home, be a great neighbor – here’s how:

• Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is ok, especially those who may need assistance – elderly neighbors, those who are differently-abled, and families. Check on their pets as well.
• Help make it safer for your neighbors to get around. If you are able, treat or shovel the snow and ice from your sidewalks and paths. While you are at it, shovel your neighbor’s as well, especially those who need assistance. Then share your shovel so that others can pitch in.
• In fact, make it a neighborhood block party – reach out to your neighbors and invite them to help. Celebrate after with cookies and cocoa!
• And don’t forget those storm drains – please make sure they are clear of snow and ice.

Thank you, Seattle, for helping your neighbors!

Winter Weather Tips!

Because we want you to be safe, here are some winter weather tips:

• If you can possibly avoid it, do not drive. If you must drive, please take your time, slow down, leave lots of room, and stay safe. Prepare your car with emergency supplies and chains or other traction devices. Remember bridges and raised roadways are likely to be icy, even when the roads are not.
• Keep warm winter clothing at the ready: gloves/mittens; hats; heavy coats; sweaters; long underwear; heavy socks.
• Have nonperishable food on hand that does not need to be heated.
• Make sure you have adequate propane/charcoal briquettes for barbeques/camping stoves that can be used to heat food outdoors. To avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, keep electric generators and barbecue grills outdoors and away from your house or apartment.
• Keep water dripping from faucets so pipes don’t freeze.
• If you are concerned about an individual living unsheltered, or in need, call 2-1-1 a resource line that can help connect an individual to resources. When the 2-1-1 line isn’t open, the 24-hour Crisis Line 866-427-4747 can provide information that the City has on warming shelters. If it is an emergency, contact Seattle Police by calling 9-1-1. SPD has transport vans to take people to warming centers and shelters.
• If you see a downed power line, please keep a safe distance (at least 20 feet) and report it to (206) 684-3000. If it appears to be sparking or smoking, call 911. Thanks for your help in spreading the word. Learn more here: http://www.seattle.gov/light/sysstat/whenpowerout.asp.
• Never use a grill, charcoal, or generator indoors, in garages, or in carports. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be deadly.

Use SPU’s interactive map to drop a pin on any locations where you have seen flooding on sidewalks or in streets.

The information you share will help SPU understand where the City’s wastewater and stormwater systems may not be working like they should. A more complete list of problem areas means we can plan better future solutions.  Access the map here!

Is there a place in your neighborhood that looks like this? Let SPU know using the map available here!

Mark your calendars and join us in celebrating Seattle’s 25th Annual Neighbor Day on Saturday, May 4. Yes, it is a bit later this year. We decided to move it into Spring in hopes of taking advantage of nicer weather while also giving people more time to plan!

Neighbor Day is a special day set aside to reach out to neighbors, make new friends, and express thanks to those who help make your neighborhood and community a great place to live. We encourage all Seattle residents to celebrate this day by indulging in random acts of kindness. Residents, businesses, or community groups are all invited to participate however they like. The main goal is simply to reach out and connect with your neighbors through generosity.

We will make it as easy as possible for you to participate! Stay tuned for a list of ideas and resources that can help you plan your Neighbor Day event or activity.

In the meantime, save the date and start thinking about how you want to celebrate.

If you have any questions or want to bounce ideas off someone, contact Neighbor Day coordinator Sam Read at sam.read@seattle.gov.

For more information on Neighbor Day, please visit our website at seattle.gov/neighborday.

Explore the headquarters of this automotive empire and meet legendary race car driver Al Young.  Full details below courtesy, ATLAS OBSCURA.

Join Al Young and the team at Bardahl for this exciting, first-of-its-kind tour of the Seattle Bardahl headquarters.

Operating in the heart of old Ballard for over 80 years, the Bardahl Manufacturing Corporation has helped fuel the world. Founded by Norwegian immigrant Ole Bardahl, who came to Seattle in 1922 with just 26 dollars to his name, Bardahl blossomed into a motor oil company that led the industry by the 1950s and continues to this day. Known for engaging, mob-style advertising campaigns featuring menacing characters such as “Dirty Sludge” and “Sticky Valves”, and its iconic neon sign that has held court in the Ballard skyline for decades, Bardahl remains a family owned and operated company with deep roots in racing, including the NASCAR and Grand Prix Formula One circuits. In Seattle, Bardahl helped morph the Green Lake Aqua Follies into the Seafair spectacle on Lake Washington, where the Miss Bardahl boat dominated the hydroplane races for years.

One of our hosts for this event will be National Hot Rod Association Hall of Fame drag race driver Al Young. We’ll watch products being bottled on the line in the historical plant, see a vast collection of trophies, photos, and artifacts from Bardahl history, and observe the lab where company engineers continue to innovate. Then we’ll watch Race: The Al Young Story, a short documentary about Al’s career as the first Asian-American World Champion race car driver and the obstacles he overcame to get there. Finally, we’ll join Al as he shows us one of his race cars, his world famous ’73 Plymouth Roadrunner, which will be brought to Bardahl for the occasion.

Participants will be able to see and sit in the car, enjoy the opportunity to take photos, and take home a collectible GreenLight toy replica of Al’s championship Dodge Challenger, signed by Al himself.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

• There is free street parking in the area, but it is highly competitive. Plan accordingly and consider taking public transportation.
• With the exception of viewing the film, where we will be seated, this is a walking tour. The area is mostly flat but will include a few staircases. There is no elevator.

QUESTIONS?

Email Tamara Bunnell at tamara.bunnell@atlasobscura.com.

Stay connected! Subscribe to the Atlas Obscura Society Seattle newsletter and join  our Facebook group for a first glimpse at upcoming events.

Advance ticket sales only. All ticket sales are final. No refunds or exchanges.

Click Here To Purchase Tickets!

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) announces the 2019 funding opportunities for community-initiated projects. Its two funds – the Small Sparks Fund and the Community Partnership Fund – support grassroots projects that build stronger neighborhoods and communities such as park improvements, public art, cultural festivals, community organizing, and much more.

The Community Partnership Fund will change for 2019 and 2020. Grant awards will be up to $25,000 per project. With this change, NMF will continue to:

• Maintain NMF’s funding of community-driven projects
• Support a broader variety and number of community projects
• Allow phased project planning so that projects can be completed in a timely manner

In 2019, NMF expects that more groups will be able to receive funding. The 2019 deadlines for the Community Partnership Fund are March 4, June 3, and September 9 by 5:00 p.m.

The Small Sparks Fund provides funding up to $5,000 per project and accept applications through October 31, 2019 on a rolling basis. This fund is perfect for small community activities such as Neighbor Day, Night Out, neighborhood clean-ups, and others.

To learn more, the Neighborhood Matching Fund team is hosting workshops across the city about the program guidelines, requirements, and application process. The workshops occur on Saturdays from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. and the dates and locations are:

• January 26, 2019: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Avenue East
• February 2, 2019: 2100 Building, 2100 24th Avenue South
• February 16, 2019: Phinney Neighborhood Association, 6532 Phinney Avenue North

The NMF team is available to advise community groups on ways to develop successful applications and projects. Community members are strongly encouraged to contact a Neighborhood Matching Fund Project Manager before applying at 206-233-0093 or NMFund@seattle.gov.

More than 5,000 projects have occurred across the city since this program began in 1988. To learn more about the Neighborhood Matching Fund and its support to community-initiated projects, visit seattle.gov/neighborhoods/nmf. The website provides details on the criteria and requirements for both funds, along with instructions for the online application process.

Every year, students ages 14 to 16 come from all over the state to serve as legislative pages in the House of Representatives. The Page Program is a great opportunity for youth to learn how our state government works, and gain hands-on experience with the ins and outs of the legislative process – it can even inspire them to become more involved in our democracy!

While the Page Program is free, and students receive a small stipend for their work each day, requirements like transportation to the Capitol and the costs of living in Olympia for a week have kept students from the 36^th district from participating in previous years. Fortunately, the legislature created a scholarship program in 2016 to help offset those costs!

If this is something your teen might be interested in, go to the Page Program website to learn more, fill out an application, and get information on how to apply for the Gina Grant Bull Scholarship.

Originally published January 11, 2019 at 9:50 am. Updated January 19, 2019 at 4:09 pm.

Time for school tours!  If you are interested in learning more about your local school options, take note of the following open house events and tour dates listed below.

Please review individual school websites for more details. Most tours are for parents and guardians only, childcare is not generally provided.

West Woodland Elementary School (K through 5th grade):
Thursday, January 31 2019 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

St. Alphonsus School (PreK through 8th grade):
Sunday, January 27, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Hamilton International Middle School (6th through 8th grade):
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.

Lincoln High School (9th & 10th grade families):
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 at 6:30 p.m.
Please note: Because construction on the school is not complete, this meeting will be held at Hamilton Middle School.

StreetsBlog USA wants you to vote for the BEST Urban Street Design of 2018.  In the running you’ll find Ballard’s Gemenskap Park, located along 14th Ave NW in Ballard’s West Woodland neighborhood.  SDOT’s Dongho Chang submitted the nomination and Gemenskap Park has made the top five, competing against projects from as far away as Memphis, Tennessee.

Message from Dawn Hemminger, East Ballard Community Association:

“We need your help to spread the word quickly and to get people to vote for ‘Seattle’ by Jan 2. Can you help us do that? Vote and share with friends, family, coworkers, other organizations, etc.”

Now it’s your turn neighbors! Get busy sharing this blog post with your social media contacts and please vote by Wednesday, January 2nd.

Vote Here: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2018/12/28/vote-for-the-best-urban-street-redesign-of-2018/

Photo of Gemenskap Park, courtesy Dongho Chang, Seattle Department of Transportation.  

Please join your 36^th District legislators at the Seattle Opera Center (363 Mercer St., Seattle, WA, 98109) on Saturday, January 5^th from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

They’re hosting this town hall prior to the 2019 Legislative Session so that you can share your thoughts and ideas on the issues that matter most to you.

Light refreshments will be provided and children are welcome to attend.

Find your district online!

Not sure which legislative district you belong to?  We understand!

Ballard’s West Woodland neighborhood is split between TWO districts, 36th & 43rd Legislative districts.

To find which district you belong to please visit, Washington State District Finder.