Burien’s “old library” building’s renovation is nearly complete, and when it’s opened April 13th, it’ll serve as a temporary new home for the Community Center, as well as offices for Burien Parks & Recreation Department.

Total cost of the renovation was just under $1.5 million.

Our friends at Burien Parks released this video on Tuesday (Mar. 16th) showing the progress:

You know Spring is almost here when we post this annual notice – Burien Parks’ Eggstravaganza, Bunny Breakfast and Spring Egg Hunt is hopping into the Community Center on Saturday, April 3rd, with breakfast, Bunny Photos, various egg hunts for different ages and much more.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Burien Parks’ annual Eggstravaganza, Bunny Breakfast and Spring Egg Hunt.

WHEN: Saturday, April 3rd, with breakfast beginning at 9am.

• 9am-10:45am: Bunny Breakfast

Egg Hunt has staggered Start Times & two locations:

• Community Center Park: Ages Walkers – 7 years 425 SW 144 St
• Dottie Harper Park: Ages: 8-11 years 4th Ave SW & 146th SW

• 11am: Walkers-3 years at Peter Cotton Tails House
• 11:15am: 4-5 years
• 11:30am: 6-7 years
• 11:45am: 8-11 years

WHERE: Burien Community Center (located at 425 SW 144th Street) and Dottie Harper Park (across the street); see poster for details.

COST: Bunny Breakfast is $4/Person (children under 1 eat FREE); includes pancakes, ham, juice, & coffee; $4 FOR Bunny Photos

TICKETS: For info on how to purchase tickets in advance, call Burien Parks at (206) 988-3700, or visit their website here.

INFO: From a poster:

*NEW THIS YEAR! Save Your Spot… Get Your Tickets Now!

Limited Seating Available!

Event held at the Burien Community Center, Auditorium

BTB Contributor Gregory Rehmke tips us that if you like Burien’s parks, enjoy nature and dig geology (pun intended), you might enjoy visiting Eagle Landing Park over the next few days to see some “Geology In Action,” as two large trees have slid down the hill to the beach just north of the wooden stairs.

Eagle Landing Park is located at the west end of SW 149th Street, where it meets 25th Ave SW, in Burien. The walk from the parking lot to the beach is about a quarter of a mile down a long wooden staircase, dropping 275 feet in elevation.

According to Greg:

“Steady rain has saturated the soil around these trees, and high tides have significantly undermined the four or five large trees right next to the wood stairs.

When those trees go down they will probably take the stairs and perhaps the whole bottom platform with them (see pictures below).

Monday, Feb. 1st, and Tuesday, Feb. 2nd will have very high tides, which could impact these trees:

• Mon., Feb. 1st: 13.5 at around 6:40am
• Tues., Feb. 2nd: 13.6 at around 7:15am

Gregory Rehmke
www.LibertyFlix.org
grehmke@gmail.com

According to a poster at the park entitled “Geology In Action”:

Seeing slow motion
You may not feel the earth move here, but the evidence is all around you. This whole bluff is scoop shaped, the result of a catastrophic landslide sometime in the last century. Small piles of debris show where springs and heavy rains have washed gravel and dirt down from the hillside.

Wetlands at the base of the bluff are a sign that water seeping through the hilltop’s sandy soil has run into something it can’t ooze through. In this case, it’s a layer of hard clay left behind by glaciers during the last Ice Age.

Creeping topsoil tilting trees
Gravity is causing the park’s topsoil to creep toward the beach and it’s dragging the trees down, too. Where the soil is moving slowly, the tree trunks develop a curve that keeps their growing tips pointing toward the sky.

Where the soil is moving faster than the trees can grow, the trunks are still straight. They’re tiled though, in the same direction they – and the soil – are creeping.

Here are some photos Greg took on Sunday, Jan. 31st showing the creeping “Geology In Action”:

If you plan on going to witness nature at work, be sure to take some pics and send ‘em to us at editor@b-townblog.com if you capture anything interesting!

Burien Parks will be holding its annual “Daddy Daughter Valentine’s Ball” on Saturday, Feb. 6th at the Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street.

There will be two sessions:

1. 1. From 5:30pm to 7pm
2. 2. From 7:30pm to 9pm

Here are the details:

WHAT: Burien Parks’ annual “Daddy Daughter Valentines Ball”

WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 6th – two sessions: #1: 5:30pm – 7pm #2: 7:30pm – 9pm

WHERE: Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street

COST: $27 per couple & $5 per additional person; Tickets must be pre-purchased.

INFO: Admission includes:

• Flower for each daughter
• Picture in Cupid’s Corner
• Cookies & Punch
• Door Prizes

INFO: For more information, call the Burien Community Center at (206) 988-3700 or visit the Burien Parks website here.

B-Town Blog Advertiser and local Hypno-Coach Patricia Eslava Vessey is inviting all smoking Readers who want to be a ‘quitter’ to check out her newest class offered at Burien Parks and Recreation beginning Monday evening, Feb. 1st.

Patricia has successfully helped many Burienites stop smoking, and continues her good work starting next Monday evening. If your new year’s resolution including kicking the habit, this class will launch you on your goal. Patricia’s goal for her participants is “the first day of class you’ll quit smoking for good.”

Description:

Discover how hypno-coaching can help you with your life’s goals. The focus of this class is to help you stop smoking. You can become the kind of person you’ve always wanted to be. Feeling powerless over your smoking habit? Tired of all the failed attempts at quitting? Ready to try something that really works? This class will help you change your attitude, beliefs and habits. Learn to reprogram that successful smoking habit to freedom as a non-smoker today! Using innovative and proven methods from hypnosis, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), life coaching and personal fitness training, you will discover that giving up your smoking can be far easier than you ever imagined.

SCHEDULE:

• Monday Feb. 1st 6:00PM – 8:00PM Classroom 3-Burien Community Center
• Monday Feb. 8th 6:00PM – 8:00PM Classroom 3-Burien Community Center

INSTRUCTOR:

Patricia Eslava Vessey is the founder of Integrity Coaching & Training Systems, a multifaceted company with expertise in coaching, training, leadership, Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) and hypnotherapy. With over 30 years in social work, 29 years as a fitness trainer and over 6 years as a sought after speaker, trainer and certified international coach, Patricia inspires, motivates and supports people in transforming limiting beliefs and behaviors into heartfelt, meaningful and lasting changes.

Visit her website at: www.integritylifecoach.com

Call (206) 988-3700 to register today. Class starts Monday Feb. 1st! Dress comfortably and bring a mat.

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 50,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Burien’s Shoreline Master Program will not accomplish its goals without the active involvement of Burien residents.

The largest owner of shoreline property is the City of Burien, and city managers have chosen a hands-off approach to managing over 170 acres of shoreline parks.

One remedy for this would be a Park Ranger system—something that will never happen unless Burien citizens ask for it.

The first four goals of the Shoreline Master Program are:

1. The Shoreline Master Program shall result in no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes.
2. Regulation and management of Burien’s shorelines should be guided by ongoing and comprehensive science.
3. The City should be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.
4. Implement an adaptive management approach to respond to changes and to ensure continued effectiveness.

The requirement of “no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes” is the same requirement we have always had since the Shoreline Management Act was passed 38 years ago. During those years, I have walked along the beach at least several thousand times, and I have witnessed gradual and continuing degradation. While I have not seen new bulkheads, and few if any new houses have been built near the shore in the last few decades, I have seen an increase in off-leash dogs, graffiti, vandalism, and trash. These types of shoreline degradation come from public parks with no enforcement of laws or park rules. The City has not been “proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.” They have been entirely inactive.

Every day, I witness people walking their dogs to the park, usually on a leash, and when they get to the sign that says “Obey Leash and Scoop Laws,” that’s when they let their dogs off leash. They usually don’t grab any blue bags from the dispenser. At Seattle beaches, it is a $500 fine to have your dog at the beach at all, so people drive to Burien to let their dogs run free, where they know the rules will never be enforced. I have three dogs, I live next to a Burien park, and I drive to Grandview or Westcrest to let my dogs run free, legally and safely. Since Burien’s incorporation in 1993, I’ll bet that not one single citation or arrest has ever been made for off-leash dogs, vandalism, graffiti, littering, or fires in Burien’s shoreline parks. If anyone from the City can provide documentation that proves me wrong, I would like to see it. I know that on my several thousand visits to the beach I have witnessed tens of thousands of violations of the rules, and never once have I seen any sort of enforcement officer asking anyone to change their ways. It is a small minority of park visitors that disregard the rules, but these same people come back day after day, inflicting damage on shorelines owned by all of us.

What would it cost for Burien to have a Park Ranger system? It might cost about $300,000 a year, or it might cost as little as $40,000 a year if the City hired a volunteer coordinator and implemented a volunteer Park Ranger system like the City of Kirkland has. With either a volunteer system or paid professionals, the emphasis could be on education and encouragement rather than strict enforcement and punishment. If the regular park abusers knew that someone was watching, and that enforcement was even a possibility, most of them would change their ways. Whatever the cost of a Park Ranger system, it has to be measured against the cost of having no enforcement at all. This daily abuse of our public spaces by a handful of miscreants costs all of us real money. The environmental degradation they cause is not some abstract concept. I can’t give you an exact dollar amount of the damage because government has not amassed the “ongoing and comprehensive science” the Shoreline Management Act requires. I do know that Burien citizens have suffered millions of dollars of lost property value. Many studies have shown that property values decrease up to 15% in areas with graffiti and vandalism, such as is currently allowed in our parks. Burien homes and businesses are worth billions of dollars, collectively, and even a 1% loss of property value would total millions of dollars. Not having a Park Ranger costs all of us real money. If the citizens of Burien require their government to comply with the Shoreline Management Act and “be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction,” then the environment and the citizens will benefit.

As a member of the ad hoc Shoreline Advisory Committee, I have attended about a dozen meetings over the last two years. It is my impression that the process of developing the Shoreline Master Program is merely a formality, a process the City is required to go through. No one in government or on the Shoreline Advisory Committee believes that the final document will actually result in “No net loss” as required by law. All this document will do is to create a new set of rules that gather dust on a shelf somewhere, ignored like the old rules have been for decades. Only when the citizens of Burien take this seriously and demand environmental protection will real change happen on our beaches. Please attend one of the upcoming meetings and ask that the City begin to enforce environmental regulation, for the benefit of us all.

- Jim Branson

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]

Burien’s “old library” building is in the midst of a major renovation, and when it’s completed it’ll serve as a temporary new home for the Community Center, as well as offices for Burien Parks & Recreation Department.

Our friends at Burien Parks released this video Monday (Jan. 25th) showing the progress:

Story & Photos by Michael Brunk

Perched on the hillside overlooking the Shorewood area is the Salmon Creek Ravine Park. This unimproved wilderness area spreads across 88 acres of mature forest. A network of primitive trails leads you through a lush landscape dotted with sword ferns, broad leaf maples, red cedar, hemlocks and other native plant life.

Unfortunately, all is not well in the forest. Like many of the area’s parks, invasive species are crowding out the natural vegetation and taking over. The effects of this struggle ripple through the ecosystem of our natural spaces, affecting not only the native plants but the wild life that feed on them.

To address the problem, Burien Parks, in conjunction with Shorewood on the Sound and the Environmental Science Center, organizes regular volunteer work parties to go into our local parks to conduct cleanup activities and remove non-native vegetation.

On Saturday, January 16, a group of 14 volunteers – including students from St. Francis of Assisi – led by naturalist Jean Spohn of the Environment Science Center, gathered for a two hour work party. Their main goal was to attack outgrowths of English ivy that cover the ground and grow up the trunks of trees in park.

Kevin Alexander from Sustainable Burien pointed out a tree near the entrance to the park that had cracked near the base and toppled over from the weight of the ivy growing on it. This vertical growth of ivy is considered the highest priority as it will bloom and produce berries that are consumed and scattered by wildlife, starting new growths of ivy in the process.

Volunteers cleared 35 trees of ivy, using a technique that involves cutting and removing roughly five feet of ivy vines from around the base of each tree. The remaining ivy growing higher on the trunk will eventually wilt and die over the next several months. While attacking the ivy, they also gathered and carried out any garbage found.

Despite all of the hard work by volunteers at the event, this is just the beginning of the reclamation process at Salmon Creek Ravine Park. Additional work parties are scheduled with the next one taking place on Saturday, March 13.

For complete details on work parties at this and other local parks, visit http://seahurstpark.org/volunteer.html.

Here are photos from Saturday’s event:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Burien’s annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for the Highline Area Food Bank is coming to Moshier Community Art Center Friday, Jan. 29th, with both a lunch and dinner serving, along with one-of-a-kind original bowls handcrafted by area Potters.

This is always a great, fun and fulfilling event involving great food, art and fundraising for Burien’s hungry, and you can bet The B-Town Blog will be there.

Here are the details:

WHAT: “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for the Highline Area Food Bank

WHEN: Friday, Jan. 29th:

• 11am – 2pm: Lunch
• 4pm – 8pm: Dinner

WHERE: Moshier Community Art Center, located at 430 South 156th, Burien

COST: Just $10 donation, which will get you both a good solid meal AND a work of art in the form of a beautiful handmade bowl!

INFO: From their flier:

JOIN US FOR A MEAL AND HELP FIGHT HUNGER IN OUR COMMUNITY!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Lunch served 11:00 AM-2:00 PM

Dinner served 4:00-8:00 PM

Moshier Community Art Center, 430 S 156th, Burien

$10 (minimum) Donation

Proceeds to benefit Highline Food Bank

Moshier Community Art Center Potters have teamed up with the Highline Food Bank and Discover Burien to bring you Empty Bowls 2010. Empty Bowls events can be found around the country raising money to combat hunger in our communities. Potters have donated bowls to be filled with soup at this fun event…all are invited!

Your $10 (minimum) donation will get you the opportunity to pick out a beautiful handmade bowl, as well as a simple but wonderful meal of soup, bread, dessert and drink; all donated by local businesses. 90% of proceeds go to the Highline Food Bank, which serves over 750 area families per month, and 10% will go to provide art programming for low income youth.

www.MoshierArtCenter.org or phone: (206) 988-3700

Here’s a video we shot at least year’s event, where over 800 participants helped raise over $10,000 (let’s break that record this year!):

Burien Parks has released photos of the remodeling of the former Burien Library, which will be the new home for the Burien Community Center.

The re-purposed facility is scheduled to open in late April of 2010, with a total cost of just under $1.5 million.

Here’s what the friendly Parksfolks say:

This collection of photos will document the remodel of the former Burien Library as the new home for the Burien Community Center.

The repurposed facility will open in late April 2010.

The general contractor on the project is McKinstry Essention; architectural design services provided by James Cary, Architect pc.

Here’s a Photo Slideshow courtesy Burien Parks:

Click to View Photo Slideshow

The City of Burien has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board to return the northern shoreline of Seahurst Park to a restored, more accessible, and more natural condition, with hopes it will restore salmon habitat.

The money will be used by the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department, and construction is scheduled for fall of 2010. Crews will remove a seawall, rock riprap (huh?), groins (what th–???), paving and fill.

In addition to the $750,000 grant, the City of Burien will contribute $133,000 from a state grant and the Army Corps of Engineers will contribute $1,800,000 through the American Recovery Reinvestment Act.

Since being armored in the 1970s, beach elevations in Seahurst Park have dropped 3 to 4 feet due to wave scouring and the disconnection of the beach from sources of sediment. The changes in the beach have significantly degraded the quality of habitat for salmon and the organisms they depend on, particularly forage fish.

A similar project on the southern shoreline of the park to remove the seawall and restore the beach was completed in 2005. The northern section is much larger in scale and will include recreational elements such as a playground, picnic areas and trails.

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board on Dec. 11th announced it was awarding over $2.6 million for nine projects, including Seahurst Park, to protect and restore salmon habitat in King County.

by Ralph Nichols

King County Executive Dow Constantine, whose first full day on the job was Monday (Nov. 30), reportedly plans to meet with all interested parties before deciding the future of Puget Sound Park.

The King County Library System recently entered into a preliminary agreement with former Executive Kurt Triplett to purchase the park from the county in a deal brokered through county executive’s office.

But Puget Sound Park is located at 1st Ave South and SW 126th Street in the unincorporated area of North Highline that is to be annexed by Burien early next year. And City Manager Mike Martin said last week that annexation won’t happen until Burien gets this park as part of the deal.

Burien and North Highline officials knew nothing about the pending sale of the park to the library system until Nov. 20th (read our previous coverage here).

Frank Abe, Constantine’s director of communications, told The B-Town Blog on Nov. 30 that “one of the executive’s first action items will be to sit down with all the parties involved and to understand their concerns….

“Before taking office, Executive Constantine asked the previous executive (Triplett) not to take action until he could talk to everyone, and no action was taken” on a possible sale of the park, which is now on hold.

Constantine likely will meet with Burien Mayor Joan McGilton and Martin, King County Library System Director Bill Ptacek, and North Highline Unincorporated Area Council President Greg Duff, among others.

Abe said Constantine wants to “figure out what’s best – especially for the people of Burien.” Constantine represented Burien, North Highline and West Seattle on the King County Council until his election as county executive in November.

He added that Deputy County Executive Fred Jarrett has emphasized “we want to be certain the county doesn’t do something that’s arrogant or one-sided” where Burien is concerned.

Triplett’s stealth attempt to sell the park – initiated by the county and discussed with library system officials without informing the city or, apparently, library system trustees – prompted Burien council members at their meeting on Nov. 23 to postpone official annexation of North Highline, which tentatively was set for March 2.

Burien officials and North Highline residents hope that Constantine will intervene to block the sale, thus allowing Puget Sound Park to go to the city as part of annexation. And a Jan. 28, 2009, letter from Constantine to the North Highline Council, following a meeting he had with Triplett, may give them reason for optimism (download a PDF of the letter here).

At that time, while Burien lawmakers continued to deliberate the annexation issue, Triplett had identified Puget Sound Park as a county property that might be used for affordable workforce housing.

“Park property is hard to come by and especially dear to any community,” Constantine wrote the North Highline Council. “Any proposal to sell park property must receive the highest level of scrutiny and public discussion….

“Any specific proposal for Puget Sound Park would also need to be similarly presented for community review.

“Given that Puget Sound Park is located in the city of Buren’s Potential Annexation Area, I urged the Executive’s representatives to include Burien officials in any future discussions.”

“We expect to have that park,” Martin said following the Burien council’s postponement of setting a date for formal annexation. “No annexation deal will be done until we get that asset.”

And McGilton sent a letter to Constantine requesting his “direct intervention in this matter.”

Burien City Councilwoman Rose Clark, in remarks during the Nov. 23 meeting, called Triplett’s “eleventh-hour” attempt to sell Puget Sound Park “reprehensible.”

Councilman Gordon Shaw called the move “very, very bad government…. I’m very disappointed with King County. The (North Highline) residents have said before they don’t want the park sold.

Shaw added that the timing of the revelation of the proposed park sale “gives (the city) a really good opportunity to work with Dow in a new collaboration and to get away from the dictatorial attitude the county has had toward Burien in the past.”

Shortly after the August election, when residents of the southern part of North Highline approved annexation by Burien, Triplett proposed mothballing King County parks to reduce county general fund expenses by $4.6 million.

Constantine quickly responded, opposing Triplett’s plan to cut funding for the parks in unincorporated areas.

“Parks are important to the health and quality of life of everyone in the communities,” and closing them would be “short sighted,” he said.

Burien’s Mathison Park, located at 425 SW 144th Street, includes 5.3 acres of forested open space on the east side of town, with the only problem being that visitors could only experience the one acre initially developed and accessible.

Since August, the park has been undergoing some serious renovations, including 100+ goats munching brush away (see our video coverage here), and more recently some serious earthwork and grading to establish a new trail system and playground.

The expected completion date is December, and once open, visitors will be able to walk along meandering trails, enjoy views of Mount Rainier and learn about the park’s flora and fauna through a series of interpretive panels. Along the trail people can rest on a trailside bench or take in a view from several overlooks or picnic sites.

For the kids, the addition of a new playground will be a welcome enhancement.

An additional element of the project is the removal of substantial amounts of invasive plant species (thanks goats!) and the re-establishment of native plants, especially along the trail corridors. The final touches will include interpretive signage throughout the trail system.

Design of the park expansion was provided by KPG and the construction contractor is L.W. Sundstrom Inc.

Funding for this project has been provided by the State of Washington’s Wildlife and Recreation Program, the King County Youth Sports Facilities Grant program, along with City of Burien capital improvement program funds.

Here’s a sketch of the project siteplan (click to view full image):

Burien Parks’ annual “Pumpkin Patch Bash” for 1 to 12-year olders is coming Friday, Oct. 16th from 6pm to 8:30pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Pumpkin Patch Bash

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 16th from 6pm to 8:30pm

WHERE: Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street

INFO: This event is for kids Ages 1-12 years old, and will include:

• Carnival Games
• Face Painting
• Costume Contests
• Arts & Crafts
• Photo Booth
• Bouncer (the fun kind, not the kind you find at bars…)

COST: $4 per child/parents free; Children under 1 year of age free with parent

CONTACT: (206) 988-3700 or Email: parksinfo@burienwa.gov

Here’s a video from the 2007 bash to give you an idea of what to expect:

According to our friends at Burien Parks:

“Due to seasonal changes, Burien’s two gated parks (Seahurst & Eagle Landing) are now closing earlier.

Gates now closed at 7pm.”

So, now you know to get yourself outta there before you’re trapped like you’re in a b-rate, B-Town horror movie…

Our friends at Burien Parks sent us a note, asking if we could put out a call for a Volunteer to serve as a Day Trip Driver for the Senior Program.

Here are the details:

Are you fun, flexible, people-oriented and like to travel?

Burien Senior Program is looking for responsible and experienced drivers for day trips throughout Western Washington.

If you want to see more of your home-state for free, this volunteer position might be for you.

Call 206-988-3700 for a volunteer application or stop by the community center at 425 SW 144th St, Burien to talk to the Senior Program Director.

by Ralph Nichols

Just over six months from now, a new Burien Community Center will open to the public in the old library building at SW 146th Street and 4th Ave. SW.

Remodeling of the 20,000-square-foot library building is expected to begin in late October or early November, following the permitting process, with completion anticipated by the end of January, says Michael Lafreniere, director of the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

McKinstry Co. of Seattle has been awarded the contract for general construction, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and electrical improvements. The building was vacated in June when the Burien library moved into the new library/city hall building at SW 152nd and 4th Ave. SW.

The new community center will include programs for seniors; the remodel will include a small kitchen for catered meals for seniors.

Lafreniere expects his department will begin the move from the existing community center at SW 144th and 4th Ave. SW in February, and that staff will have everything “ready and running come April” for the start of Parks and Recreation’s spring program schedule.

The total cost of transforming the library building into a community center is just under $1.5 million.

Final approval for spending that amount on this project came on a 4-2 vote by the Burien City Council last month as lawmakers authorized transfer of $425,000 from the city’s general fund and Parks and Recreation budget and another $75,000 from the Capital Projects Reserve Fund.

Councilman Gordon Shaw strongly dissented, calling it “foolish” spending, and Councilwoman Rose Clark cast a “reluctant” no vote because of financial realities.

The remodeled library is expected to house the community/senior center only for three to five years, when plans call for a new community/senior center to be built at the current site – if the economy improves and if voters approve a bond issue to finance construction.

Shaw argued that instead of spending over a million dollars on a temporary facility, that money should be put in the bank, which when make a new community/senior center building more affordable when that day comes.

Kristy Dunn, the department’s recreation supervisor, says the remodeled library will house seven rooms for a variety of arts, learning and recreation programs, a larger “gathering space” for the community, an area for teenagers, possibly a dedicate space for exercise equipment, the catering kitchen, and staff offices.

“The new facility will cater better to the idea of a gathering space for all the community,” Dunn observes. The space will be “welcoming and integrated into an all-ages community center.”

Less than two years ago, preliminary plans called for construction of a new $35 million Burien Community Recreation Center that would include senior programs, with work beginning last July and a grand opening projected for January 2011.

But those plans were put on hold when the federal and state economies tumbled in 2008 and local sales tax revenue also declined.

City Manager Mike Martin says that following the move of the Parks and Recreation programs to the remodeled facility next spring, a number of non-profit programs will continue to operate out of the current community center building.

These include the Burien Little Theatre, Para Los Ninos, and Pre-School Cooperative, and White Center Head Start until its facility is rebuilt.

So what do YOU think about this? Please Comment or take our poll below…

Our friends at Burien Parks did some testing of the new Town Square Park Plaza interactive water fountains on Tuesday, Sept. 15th and shot the video below.

Here’s what Parks Director Michael Lafreniere tells us:

“We tested the fountain on Sept 15th.

Soon the Town Square Park Plaza Fountain (or is it a Fountain Plaza?) will be fully operational.

From what I’m told, the fountains should be operational sometime during the first or second week of October.

Still some tweaking and a County Health Dept inspection to go.

Yes, it needs a “Pool Permit”.

(Apologies for the cell phone quality video.)”

Here’s a map of the new Town Square Park:

Burien’s annual “Arts-A-Glow” festival is coming Saturday, Sept. 12th, from 5pm to 10pm at Burien Town Square as well as the Interim Art Space.

During Arts A-Glow the park will be lit by beautiful and fascinating original, artist-created lantern sculptures starting around 8pm. Everyone is invited to:

“Come explore on this magical evening, make your own lantern and join the procession at dusk!  We will have musicians and performers around every corner and treats to be sampled too.”

You can also sign up for one of the upcoming August Lantern Making Workshops at the Moshier Art Center.  Lanterns can also be made earlier in the day at Kids Day at the Burien Fire Station.

This year’s Arts-A-Glow festival will feature seven local and regional artists who are creating temporary, site-specific lantern installations. All of the artists have designed around the theme of Gathering! which celebrates the beauty and magic of coming together. The installation artists are:

• Denise Henrikson (Seattle)
• Thaddeus Jurczynski’s (Port Townsend)
• Sarah Lovett (Seattle)
• Oleana Perry (Seattle)
• Deb Shane (Olympia)
• Dana Squires (Olympia)
• Leslie Zenz (Olympia)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

8pm-ish: Lantern Procession at Dusk – Join the fun! Come early and make a lantern, or bring one from home!

5pm-7pm: The Boyd Family Players, Soft Island Sounds, Samual Doesburg juggling, Harp by Jini O’Flynn & more!
6-7:30: Red Dog (bluegrass)
6-9:30: Illuminated Stilt walking by The Cabiri
6:30-7:30: Abyssinian Dance Drum Circle
7:30-8:45: Yellow Hat Band (brass band music from around the world)
8:45-9:45: Boys of Greenwood Glen (zydeco & bluegrass)

AND MORE:

• Magical Face Painting, Lantern Creation Station, Treats and more!

OTHER EVENTS:

• Lantern Open House—Wednesday, Aug 19, 6:30-8:00pm: Everyone is invited to a FREE Open House at the new Burien Library, 4th &152nd. Come meet the artists, get a sneak preview of what’s in store, and learn how you can get involved in making beauty and light for this year’s festival.
• Lantern Making—Kids Day, Saturday, September 12th, 10am-3pm: Find the FREE lantern booth at Kids Day at the Burien Fire Station and make a lantern for the lantern festival! Go to www.BurienFire.org for more information.
• Burien Art Walk—Downtown Burien, Sat, Sept 12, 10am-5pm: Wander downtown Burien and find art in the shops. Sponsored by Discover Burien. Go to www.DiscoverBurien.com for more information.
• The Big Figure Draw In! Sat, Sept 12, 4-6pm: Bring your drawing supplies and a stool and draw the largest figure model you have ever seen! At B/ IAS, 5th and 150th SW. Free and open to the public.

Arts-A-Glow is brought to you by:

• City of Burien
• Burien Arts
• B/ IAS
• Denise Henrickson & Leslie Zenz
• 4-Culture
• Elliott Bay Brewing

Event will happen, art will be created and lanterns will glow, rain or shine. For more information, click here.

The City of Burien’s Senior Program is promoting its first Senior Fitness & Hair Fair on Thursday, Sept. 10th from 10am to 2pm at the Burien Community Center, which is located at 425 SW 144th Street.

While we’re kinda confused about seniors getting their hair “fit,” here are the details:

WHAT: Senior Fitness & Hair Fair

WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 10th from 10sm to 2pm

WHERE: Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street

INFO: You might want to go just for the freebies (tote bags, massages and our faves – the mysterious “vials of life”); here’s a blurb from a press release:

With everything else in recession, Burien’s Senior Program is looking to maintain and even boost Highline-area seniors’ health, with a special focus on regaining muscle strength and physical balance. Many freebies will be offered at the event, including fitness tote bags stuffed with elastic bands, “vials of life”, and educational materials.

The Senior Program is offering new $10 discounts to any new ShapeUp! fitness class participants and to returning participants who’ll be trying new classes. Fitness gear, health screenings (vision, cancer, and spine), 5-minute massages, and healthy snacks will also be provided free-of-charge. Actual fitness class demonstrations and speakers on various health topics will be featured throughout the event.

The ShapeUp! Program is presented in partnership with King County Emergency Services, whose mission focuses preventing falls among seniors. For further information call Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services at 206-988-3700.

This Friday night (Aug. 14th), starting around 8pm, prepare to put your complimentary 3D glasses on and get transported for FREE on a “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” the first of the two outdoor movies in Burien Parks’ “Music and Movies in the Park” summer series at Lake Burien School Park, SW 148th & 16th Ave SW.

This is a family-friendly 3D film starring Brendan Fraser, who has ties to the northwest – he went to Cornish School of the Arts in Seattle before hitting the bigtime in the 90s.

Here’s the film’s synopsis:

An exciting adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” Journey to the Center of the Earth stars Brendan Fraser (Crash, The Mummy) as a science professor whose untraditional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community. But on an expedition in Iceland, he and his nephew stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures. Journey to the Center of the Earth is directed by Academy Award-winning visual effects veteran Eric Brevig (Total Recall, Pearl Harbor) from a screenplay by Michael Weiss and Jennifer Flackett & Mark Levin.

The movie is scheduled to start at “Dusk,” which means around 8-8:30pm-ish, and viewers are asked to bring your own lawn chairs, blankets and popcorn.

But don’t worry about bringing your own 3D glasses – the fine folks at Burien Parks will be providing those!

Story and Videos by Jim Branson

This year, the nesting pair at Eagle Landing Park has successfully raised two eagles to the fledgling stage. For the three previous years, they did not produce offspring successfully, possibly due to the disturbance of the creation of the park and the daily disruption of the visitors. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, eagles can be disrupted by many human activities, causing them to build the nest improperly, fail to incubate the eggs, or abandon the chicks at critical periods.

Here’s a video of one of the fledglings in a tree:

Before Eagle Landing Park was a park, the eagles had their nest on the south side of the nest tree, where it could be seen clearly from the top of the hill. Apparently in a quest for privacy, they moved the nest around to the northwest side this year. This strategy seems to have allowed them to resume raising chicks successfully. Because the nest was hidden from view, I wasn’t even certain they had eaglets until recently.

Now, there can be no mistaking them as they constantly beg for food and practice flying around the park. They are not skilled flyers, and their landings can be especially dramatic and suspenseful. They will fly around for about a month, gaining confidence. In past years, the fledglings have disappeared in September, presumably because the parents lead them to fishing grounds up north. The parents come back in October, alone, having ditched the young eagles and left them to fend for themselves.

If you visit Eagle Landing Park to see the fledglings (website here), please be quiet. Human impacts can cause the fledglings and the adults to startle from their roosts, expending calories they need to survive. Also, your silence will enable others to see the eagles, making the park experience better for all visitors.

Here’s another video:

“Fledgling eagle in the nest tree at Eagle Landing Park. The quiet one is visible here and the noisy one can be heard in the background. These two will be learning to fly and hunt in the next month…”

This Thursday night (Aug. 6th) will be the final FREE music concert of Burien Parks’ Music and Movies in the Park, this week featuring The Staxx Brothers

Here are the details:

WHAT: Music and Movies in the Park featuring The Staxx Brothers

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 6th from 6pm-8pm

WHERE: Lake Burien Scool Memorial Park at SW 149th and 16th SW

INFO: From their website:

“Left to their own devices with Scott Colburn (Arcade Fire, Animal Collective) at his voodoo lair, an old Finnish church turned recording studio, The Staxx Brothers return with a vengence on We are The Blaxstonz. It’s an album that borders on black comedy with heavier social undercurrents; by now as much Chappelle & Carlin as Big Boi and Jagger. It’s a good time record that helps you dance through the tough ones. It’s HARD ASS SOUL. It’s ice cold. This is the way they used to make records. Step real close and you can detect that heavy scent of Howlin’ Wolf runnin’ wild through a Hip Hop landscape…I can still hear him laughin’.” – Dylan Van Keef

Some of their tunes to bother your co-workers with (crank it up!):

Here are some  Staxx Brothers. videos:

As mentioned, this is the finale in this music/concert series, and the next free entertainment in the Music and Movies in the Park series will be next Friday night, Aug. 14th around 8:30pm with the film Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D (and yes, glasses will be provided)!

Thursday night (July 30th), dozens of Burien residents enjoyed another in the “Music and Movies In The Park” series at Lake Burien School Memorial Park, where “Deadwood Revival” played their “Hillbilly Jam Grass” music for free.

Here’s a photo slideshow of the show as shot by Photographer Michael Brunk:

Click to View Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

The next free concert in the series will be Thursday night, Aug. 6th with The Staxx Brothers.

The Burien Parks Department wants kids of all ages to cool down by running through their sprinklers at Lake Burien School Park, where they’re turning on the irrigation systems for two one-hour periods over the next few days.

If you’re wondering what this new “spray ground” looks like, here’s a video courtesy Michael Lafreniere, Director of Burien Parks:

Here are the details:

WHAT: Lake Burien School Park’s main grassy area will become a “spray ground” as the Department turns on the irrigation systems for two 1-hour periods over the next few days.

WHEN: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (7/28/09-7/30/09), from 3pm-4pm and again from 7pm-8pm

WHERE: Lake Burien School Park (located at SW 149th & 16th Ave SW)

COST: None. It’s FREE!

INFO: The Parks folks also add:

“In addition to this fun and wet opportunity to cool off, some cool breezes can be found along the shore at Seahurst Park, in the cool forests of Eagle Landing Park and Dottie Harper Park, and along the really cool trails in Shorewood Park.

More information about these cool parks is at http://www.burienwa.gov/index.aspx?NID=687.”

One way to cool off this Thursday night (July 30th) will be to head on over the Lake Burien School Memorial Park for another fine evening of FREE music courtesy Burien Parks’ Music and Movies in the Park, this week featuring “Hillbilly Jam Grass at its best” from Deadwood Revival.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Music and Movies in the Park featuring Deadwood Revival

WHEN: Thursday, July 30th from 6pm-8pm

WHERE: Lake Burien Scool Memorial Park at SW 149th and 16th SW

INFO: From their website:

If you put a Georgia theater chick, a California drummer-turned-banjo player, a Deadhead bass player and a bluegrass fiddler in the same room and say….”alright folks… make some music” …you’d think that the result would be…well… interesting to say the least. Well, it is far more than interesting. It’s Deadwood Revival. A most unlikely group of musicians join together to make some of the most unassuming, honest “feel good” music filled with the spirit of old-time Appalachia, soulful American roots and a hint of jam-band improvisation.

Deadwood Revival came onto the scene as a duo in early 2005 when Kim Trenerry and Jason Mogi, after years of co-fronting their own folk rock jam band found a new love…that of old time Appalachian music. Combining their rock background with old time gave Kim and Jason their reputation as “one of the hottest duos around”. Hundreds of concerts and festivals, four west coast tours, and two cd’s later…Kim and Jason reconnected with long time friend, bassist Ches Ferguson in June 2007 and the duo became a permanent trio. In late 2007, DwR met former “Looking Glass” fiddler, Julie Campbell, who brings her fierce fiddle playing to the DwR sound at select concerts and festivals.

Here are some videos to overheat your computer with:

“Good Day Sunshine”:

“Listen to the Music”:

“Charlie’s Dream”:

“When I’m Gone”:

“Cold Rain and Snow”:

At the Spotlight in Seattle:

It was “Heroes” week at Camp Craz, Burien Parks’ summer daycamp program, and on Wednesday, July 22nd, officers from the Burien Police Department visited with the kids.

Here’s a video courtesy Burien Parks, with our fave moments at :25 (kid yells “pull over!!” into the microphone) and at 1:35 (same kid yells “I like fishing!”):

Burien Parks’ annual “Family Fiesta” night is coming Thursday, July 16th, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at Lake Burien School Park, located at SW 146th and 16th Ave SW.

There will be music, dancing, art, food and more, and it’s a free festival.

The City of Burien is pleased to present this annual event, with performance by Evolucion Latina.

Grab your blanket and enjoy an evening fiesta of music, dance, art making, food and more! Food will be available from Los Agaves along with a fundraising snack booth from Burien’s own Paros Los Ninos.

Along with the city and Burien Parks, sponsors include 4Culture.org and BurienAutos.com.

For more information please call Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services at 206-988-3700 or go to www.burienparks.net.

Burien Parks is holding a “Fire It Up With Raku” class on Tuesdays at the Moshier Art Center starting July 14th for tweens and teens aged 11 to 17.

Now, before you get all suspicious ’bout the kids and think “fire it up with what-huh?” you should know what “Raku” is.

According to Wikipedia, it’s:

Raku-yaki (楽焼), or Raku ware, is a type of Japanese pottery that is traditionally and primarily used in the Japanese tea ceremony in Japan, most often in the form of tea bowls. It is traditionally characterized by hand-molding of the clay as opposed to turning it on a potter’s wheel, resulting in each piece being “one-of-a-kind”; low firing temperatures (resulting in a fairly porous body); lead glazes; and the removal of pieces from the kiln while still glowing hot. In the traditional Japanese firing process, the fired piece is removed from the hot kiln and put directly into water or allowed to cool in the open air. Raku techniques have been adopted and modified by contemporary potters worldwide.

Here are the class details:

WHAT: “Fire It Up With Raku” pottery class for ages 11-17; 6 classes total

WHEN: Tuesdays, starting July 14th through Aug. 18th, from 9:30-11:30am

WHERE: Moshier Community Art Center, located at 430 South 156th Street

COST: $75

REGISTER: Register at Burien Parks and Rec: 206-988-3700 or online here.

INFO: Here’s the Burien Parks’ description of the class:

Play with a little fire this summer! Create one of a kind handbuilt projects for a special Raku firing outdoors.

Watch as you pull your glazed pot from a flaming hot kiln, place it in a metal bucket filled with paper and then minutes later open the bucket to reveal fantastic metallic surfaces created by the smoke.

All supplies provided. Returning students welcome! Parents are welcome and encouraged to come to last day of class.

Because of raku firing, note different class time on August 18th: 9:30-1:30pm

Michael Lafreniere, Director of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services, reports that Seahurst Park’s brand new picnic shelter and other areas were severely vandalized by alleged gang members Sunday night, June 28th.

“Staff tell me this is the worst they have ever seen in all their years with the city,” he adds. “And it will cost us several thousand dollars to clean it up. We are asking for the public’s assistance in identifying the persons responsible for this crime.”

Here’s a slideshow of the damage, which includes closeups of graffiti tags and assorted words that may help identify the vandals:

Click to View Slideshow of Damages to Seahurst Park’s New Picnic Shelter

Cash rewards of up to $1,000 are paid for information leading to the arrest. Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers immediately at (206) 343-2020 or toll free at 1 (800) CRIME-13 and give the tip to police without giving his/her name.

Burien’s annual free Music and Movies In The Park begins July 2nd with concerts every Thursday night and outdoor Movie Nights every Friday beginning Aug. 14th, all at Lake Burien Memorial Park, which is located at at SW 148th and 16th SW.

The lineup includes:

MUSIC CONCERTS (every Thurs. night from 6:30pm-8:30pm):

• July 2nd: Total Experience Gospel Choir, one of the Northwest’s finest soulful ensembles
• July 9th: Bottle Rockit, Seattle’s Party Animal Band Let Out of the Cage
• July 16th: Family Fiesta Night featuring Evolucion Latina
• July 23rd: Manooghi Hi, Psychedelic Bombagrunge that will Rock Your Socks Off
• July 30th, Deadwood Revival, Some of the Best Hillbilly Jam Grass!
• Aug. 6th: The Staxx Brothers, An Eclectic Experience Blending Hip-Hop, R&B and Powerful Funk

FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIES (every Fri. night beginning Aug. 14th at dusk):

• Aug. 14th: “Journey to the Center of the Earth” in 3-D!
• Aug. 21st: Double Feature: “Freaky Friday” and the Burien premiere of “The Day My Parents Became Cool” (see our previous coverage of this locally-shot film here)

To get you in a musical or cinematic mood, here are some videos to enjoy from the comfort of your PC:

Total Experience Gospel Choir:

The Staxx Brothers:

“Kismet” by Manooghi Hi:

“Good Day Sunshine” by Deadwood Revival:

“The Day My Parents Became Cool“:

“Journey to the Center of the Earth“:

For more information, please call (206) 988-3700 or visit www.burienparks.net.

The sun is out, as if summer suddenly arrived, so what better time to learn how to harness its power than by taking a class on solar power being held by Burien Parks on Sunday June 7th and Saturday June 13th?

Here are the details:

WHAT: Solar Energy: Power Your Home Naturally Tap into the power of solar energy. Find out ways to reduce your energy costs at home and business with this great class on solar technologies.

WHEN: Sunday, June 7th and Saturday, June 13th

WHERE: Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street

COST: $20 per person

INFO: Are you ready to invest in a solar energy system for your home or business?

Do you need more information before you take the first step?

Come by our solar energy class and get up to speed on which solar technologies are available, how much they cost, and how to get the system you want.

Class is conducted by Solar Epiphany, a licensed solar contractor dedicated to educating the community.

REGISTER: Call (206) 988-3700 or register online here.

Previously we posted two videos shot at last Friday’s “Battle of Burien II,” and our friends at Burien Parks just sent us these great photos:

Click to View Slideshow

Here’s some cellphone video shot by Youtuber andrewnguyen5 from last Friday night’s “Battle Of Burien II” breakdancing competition – some pretty impressive moves:

The “Battle of Burien III” breakdancing competition is tonight (Friday, May 29th) starting at 7pm at the Burien Community Center, so start flexing your bod to pop, rock and whateva else the kids do to prep for these insane dance-offs.

Here’s some video from the most recent battle, which took place last November:

Here are the details:

WHAT: Battle of Burien III

WHEN: Friday, May 29th starting at 7pm

WHERE: Burien Community Center Auditorium, located at 425 SW 144th Street (near the skatepark)

INFO: All dancers welcome; battles are for beginner and intermediate dancers; call (206) 988-3711 for more info

COST: $5

Burien’s Parks Department has teamed up with Underdog Sports to bring B-Town some fun league sports for summer, including everyone’s childhood favorite, KICKBALL!

Sunday Burien Kickball League at Chelsea Park:

• 10 Players in the Field (4 women/6 men)
• Rosters up to 15 (15 Team t-shirts Included w/ Sign-Up)
• 7 inning or 50 minute games
• All the Goofy Fun You Remember from Elementary School!
• 6 week Season plus playoffs for qualifying teams
• 2 – 8 PM Game Start Times
• Starts June 14th (6/14, 6/21, 6/28, 7/12, 7/19, 7/26, 8/2, 8/9)

Wednesday Burien Kickball League at Moshier Park:

• 10 Players in the Field (4 women/6 men)
• Rosters up to 15 (15 Team t-shirts Included w/ Sign-Up)
• 7 inning or 50 minute games
• All the Goofy Fun You Remember from Elementary School!
• 6 week Season plus playoffs for qualifying teams
• 7 – 9 PM Game Start Times
• Starts July 1st (7/1, 7/8, 7/15, 7/22, 7/29, 8/5, 8/12, 8/19)

Underdog’s 8+ years of rec sports experience combined with great Burien Parks and Rec facilities make for a lot of fun in a league setting. Look for even more sports and offerings in the future.

Sign-Up Online: www.UnderdogBurien.com

Full information and registration is available on the web. For teams and players who are participating in leagues, the site includes schedules, team pages, locations, and directions links.

Teams, Small Groups of Friends, and Individuals Welcomw.

Burien Parks wants everyone to know that this Saturday (May 16th), from 10am-Noon there’s a group mulching party at Shorewood Park, which is located at 28th Ave SW and SW 118th Street.

Just remember – bring a bucket!

Here are the details:

WHAT: Group mulching party

WHEN: Saturday, May 16th from 10am to Noon

WHERE: Shorewood Park, located at 28th SW and SW 118th Streets

INFO: Please just show up if you’re interested –bring pruners and gloves if you have them. Tomorrow the group is mulching so if you have a bucket with a handle bring it along (possibly 5 gallon but can be smaller.)

Shorewood is located at 28th Avenue SW and SW 118th Street (follow Ambaum to 116th Street, turn left so you are heading west on 116th Street and follow to 28th Avenue SW make a left and go 2 blocks, the park entrance is on your left side.)

The group may be working in the lower half of the park so follow the short trail around.

We first reported on the locally-made short comedy film “The Day My Parents Became Cool” last June when we posted a call for extras needed for scenes being filmed at Highline High School.

We reported from the set, showcased photos of the action, produced a video on the first sneak peek screening, interviewed Writer/Director Steve Edmiston as well wrote about the film’s first showing in various festivals (can you tell we love to see creative success?), and heck – we even proclaimed it as the #10 Top Burien-area story for 2008!

Well now we’ve got more exciting news about this B-Town Baby, including the Burien-area premiere date, time and place:

WHAT: Outdoor screening and Burien “public” premiere at the “Music and Movies In The Park“

WHEN: Friday, August 21st starting around 8:30pm, just before the outdoor showing of “Freaky Friday“

WHERE: Lake Burien School Park

Here’s a letter from Writer/Director Steve Edmiston on what else has been going on with this film:

Friends!

So much exciting news to share!

After our debut in February/March at Sedona, and the “Best Comedy Short” award in LA at the International Family Film Festival, The Day My Parents Became Cool will finally be screening in Seattle! We are an official selection of the 35th Seattle International Film Festival! You can see us in the press release at http://www.seattlefilm.com/about/news/detail.aspx?NID=158&year=2009.

Specific dates and times are TBD, but we will be screening on weekend of May 29-31, 2009. We will screen in the new state-of-the-art SIFF Cinema at Seattle Center, where all formats are brilliantly projected.

SIFF is an Oscar-eligibility-nominating festival (winning films become eligible for Academy voting) – so hopefully we’ll fill the house with motivated Parents’ fans! SIFF is the largest and most well-attended film festival in the United States with 150,000 attendees expected in 2009. With extensive local, national and international media coverage, SIFF is frequently included among the top 10 film festivals in the world.

We will organize event(s) around our Seattle premier, and keep you posted! (Please contact me if you wish to help!)

But wait, there’s more…

Big Island Film Festival Festival dates: May 14-17, 2009 Parents screening date: Saturday, May 16
BIFF is one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Twenty Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.” Please let me know if you might wish to attend this outdoor fest! We need a representative to talk up the film during Q&A! Doesn’t get any better than this – big screens and palm trees, tropical beaches and celebrities! http://www.bigislandfilmfestival.com/

Prescott Film Festival and Series Parents screening date: May 13, 2009
This is a brand new festival and film series (the festival directors saw us at Sedona), and we have been invited us to be the opening night short film (so, does that mean “we’re number one?”). http://www.prescottfilmfestival.com/

A very special treat – the Seattle True Independent Film Festival Festival dates: June 5-14, 2009
Parents screening dates: June 8, 2009
This festival is the ultimate in cool, eclecticism, and fun. Last year, Moby (yes, Moby) was the special guest. We love this fest. Check us out at http://stiff.bside.com/2009/films/thedaymyparentsbecamecool_stiff2009.

A truly big, truly outdoor screening – Burien Strawberry Festival Parents screening date: Friday, August 21, 2009
Once again, thank you Burien! We are a special screening before Freaky Friday.

Thanks for all of your support – our Parents team is phenomenal, and we’re about to have a bunch of fun – thanks!

- Steve

www.thedaymyparentsbecamecool.com

And, in case you haven’t seen it yet, the sharply-edited trailer:

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

• UPDATE: “The Day My Parents Became Cool” LA Screening
• VIDEO:”The Day My Parents Became Cool” Trailer + News
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Sneak Peeks
• “The Day My Parents Became Cool” Production Update
• Report & Photos From Highline High Movie Set
• Your Chance To Be In A Movie This Saturday

Burien Parks and Recreation Department is offering another unusual, rather fowl class on Wednesday, April 22nd on “Keeping Backyard Chickens” from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Burien Community Center (the first class was held on Feb. 24th).

Here are the details:

WHAT: Keeping Backyard Chickens

WHEN: Wednesday, April 22nd, from 6:30pm to 8pm

WHERE: Burien Community Center, located at 425 SW 144th Street, Burien (map below)

COST: $6 per person.

Click here to register, or call 206-988-3700. For more information, click here.

INFO: Living well these days may require a move ‘back’ to living naturally, with classes in using your environmental resources efficiently and living naturally.

Imagine having chickens in your own backyard! Unique pets, abundant eggs, rich compost, sustainable living–more people every day are discovering the many joys of chicken keeping. Learn whether chickens are right for you, and how to get started–even if you have a small yard. Find out about care, feeding, and housing needs. See displays, hear from an experienced chicken keeper and walk away with helpful resources.

The workshop is offered as part of the city’s efforts to encourage sustainable living. Burien code allows up to three hens per residence. No roosters are permitted. $6 Fee. Register: Burien Parks & Recreation, 206-988-3700.

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