It’s starting to rain and forecasters say it will be a wet summer night.  To avoid urban flooding, Seattle Public Utilities is asking residents to clear debris from street drains.  

Nearly an inch of rain is expected tonight and tomorrow and the city is afraid the clogged street drains could cause trouble.  There are about 80,000 of those drains throughout Seattle so city workers can’t get to all of them.  That’s where you come in.  Before you head inside for the night, grab a rake and get those leaves and other debris out of the drains and put them into your green waste containers.

Drainage crews will be on emergency standby during the storm period. You can report flooding problems by calling 206-386-1800.

KING TV has a good story about the storm drain problem including some work being done in Magnolia.  Click here to watch the report.

This week is your chance to share your thoughts about the plan to redevelop the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center adjacent to Discovery Park.

The area that currently houses buildings and parking lots could be redeveloped with 216 homes, including 85 units for the homeless, under the plan being considered.  The Ft. Lawton Army Reserve Center at the corner of 36th Ave. West and West Government Way will be closing by 2011.

The process of determining what to do with that prime real estate has been under way for about three years.  Concerns have been raised about the density, traffic and availability of services for the homeless and seniors who would move in. 

On Wednesday, August 20th at 9:30a.m. the Housing and Economic Development Committee will disucss the plan. 

On Thursday August 21st at 5:30p.m. the full city council will hold a public hearing. 

If you want to testify, a sign-up sheet will be available outside Council Chambers one-half hour before the public hearing.   All of the meetings are held at City Hall at 600 4th Ave. on the 2nd floor.

If you have any questions contact Myisha Chambers in Councilmember Richard J. McIver’s office at (206) 684-8800 or via e-mail at: Richard.mciver@seattle.gov and Myisha.chambers@seattle.gov.

Our Lady of Fatima is holding a community blood drive from 2pm to 8pm at the church hall at 3301 W. Dravus.

Donating blood is easy, it takes about an hour.  Most people can donate, you just need to be 18 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds.  You can donate every 56 days.  Sixteen and 17 year olds may also donate with a parent/guardian-signed Blood Center permission slip.  

The blood drive is sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.  If you have questions call 206-282-4400. 

We think there are lots of Patches Pals in Magnolia so we wanted to bring you the story of the JP Patches and Gertrude statue that was unveiled in Fremont today.

A huge crowd was on hand for the ceremony.  There were lots of people who grew up in the Seattle area who loved watching JP Patches during the show’s run on KIRO from 1958 to 1981.  

Governor Chris Gregoire, Congressman Jim McDermott and King County Executive Ron Sims were among the politicians on hand for the ceremony.

The crowd was filled with Patches Pals who wore red noses to honor JP (Chris Wedes)  and Gertrude (Bob Newman).


The statue was designed by a local artist.  To see the story of how it came together, click here.

JP and Gertrude were mobbed by the crowd as they unveiled the statue while the news media and the rest of us tried to get a photo of the pair.

The permanent statue is located just east of the “Waiting for the Interurban” statue on 34th Ave in Fremont and is a collection site for donations to Children’s Hospital.


Hours after the ceremony crowds were still milling around and taking pictures at the statue.

No big surprise that the owners of the new ice cream shop in The Village, Cocoa & Cream, say this hot weather is great for business.   

They are dishing it up as the temperature continues to climb.  Cocoa & Cream offers 20 flavors of ice cream, speciality sundaes, artisian chocolates, liquid chocolate and freshly brewed teas.

Owners Heather and Mark Lakefish call Magnolia their adopted neighborhood.  They live on a house boat on Lake Union and decided that Magnolia was the perfect place for their ice cream store.   Heather is a pastry chef who has worked at the Third Floor Fish Cafe and ran the kids camps at the Blue Ribbon Cooking School.  She makes all the baked goods sold at the store.

Cocoa & Cream also offers themed birthday parties for children or gatherings for adults who love ice cream and chocolate.  And really, who doesn’t? 

They are even offering an Olympic Sundae with five different flavors of ice cream to match the Olympic rings.

The store is located at 3210 West McGraw Street and they are open Sunday through Thursday from 12pm to 9pm and Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 10pm.

Heather says the welcome from the Magnolia community has been great.  While sales boom during the summer, she is confident that business will continue to be good when the weather cools because kids (and adults too) love ice cream year round.

This little place is very cute and it is the perfect spot to visit for a treat when you are in The Village.  We have tried their ice cream, chocolates and cookies and found them to be top notch. 

The temperature outside is heating up with highs expected to be well into the 90′s Saturday.

Crowds are flocking to Magnolia’s Mounger Pool, hitting maximum capacity.  With that many people in the water there may not be much room for swimming but at least you can find a spot to cool off. 

Listen to the lifeguard and arrive early before each public swim session. 

Click here for schedule.   Stay cool Magnolia!

This weekend is the annual Hemp Fest in Myrtle Edwards Park.  The organizers of the event say the goal is to educate the public on the potential benefits of the Cannabis plant. 

Whether you want to be educated or not, you will feel the impact when you are coming and going from Magnolia.  The festival runs Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 8pm and brings in a huge crowd making for traffic challenges around the park. 

You will just need to chill out as you navigate Elliott Ave and the surrounding area.  If you need more information about Hemp Fest, click here.

Get ready to ride or walk around Magnolia and help raise funds for students at Catharine Blaine School on Saturday, September 6.  If you have never done this ride before I can assure you it is a really fun event and you will feel great once you make it up a couple of the hills that are part of the course.

This is the 17th year of this neighborhood event that is open to everyone. You can choose to walk or ride a four mile or six and a half mile loop around Magnolia.  The ride is followed by a barbecue for all participants. The open course ride will begin and end in the East playground of Catharine Blaine School on 32nd Avenue West.

You can register now online at www.bikethebluff.org or on the day of the event starting at 10am. The course opens at 10am and closes at 2 p.m.

Proceeds of this year’s Bike the Bluff will help fund scholarships allowing students at Catharine Blaine K-8 to attend two environmentally friendly science camps.

Here is the cost for participating and you get a tee shirt too.
$15.00 for individuals over 12
$10.00 for children 12 and younger
$30.00 for a family (two tee shirt limit per family)

Townhomes continue to show up all over Magnolia, and one of the most visible projects in The Village will see residents move in as early as October.  The 15 three-story townhomes are located on West Lynn Street across from Bartells.

These homes have attraced lots of attention as they grew up from the former parking lot.  They are currently on the market starting at $1.2 million.  The homes are large, with 3 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage and luxury details throughout including Sub Zero appliances, Wolf ranges, built in wine cooler and high tech wiring. The homes start at 2,500 square feet and each one has a private elevator. 

The developer is Tm Homes, owned by Magnolia resident Tim McHugh, who has 28 years experience in home building. McHugh said he expects buyers to be people from the area who want to be free of home maintenance and have the ability to walk to services. He admits he is concerned about the downturn in the housing market but believes many Magnolia residents are living in homes that have increased in value and can afford the new townhomes.  So far one home has been sold and three have been reserved.

For Magnolia residents who miss the mailbox that had to be moved to make room for the townhomes, the developer says the post office was going to move the mailbox to its new location in the parking lot of Magnolia Park anyway.

We saw this message on the sign announcing four three-story townhomes to be built on 32nd Ave West next door to Bartells. It appears that someone is unhappy with the project and believes that six Seqoia trees will come down for the construction.

This part of Magnolia is changing quickly, with the construction of 15 townhomes across the street and now this notice that more townhomes are coming.

Magnolia resident Dan McConnell is in Beijing for the summer Olympics.  Dan is the senior vice president and managing director of DDB Worldwide Communications in Seattle and he is bringing his years of media experience to the Olympics.  Dan has traveled to China extensively in his career and he loves the culture and the people. 

Dan says he is not in China to see the Games though he may be able to take in some competition. He has been asked to do media relations work and explain the mindset of the Western news media to their Chinese hosts. He says he is kind of like a doctor on call for the hordes of media covering the games. 

If you would like to follow along with this Magnolia resident and his adventures at the Olympics, click here.

Where will we get our Slurpees now?  The 7-11 at 1518 West Dravus is closed down and boarded up. 

We called the Southland Corporation that runs 7-11 and were told that the store is still listed as active.  Does not look too active to us.  The 7-11 website also shows the store as open for business.

Anybody know whats up?  The rep from Southland promised to call us back but let us know if you have heard anything. 

You have many opportunities to let the city know what you think about the plans for the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center in Discovery Park. 

The area that currently houses buildings and parking lots could be redeveloped with 216 homes, including 85 for homeless people, under a plan currently being considered.  The Ft. Lawton Army Reserve at the corner of 36th Ave. West and West Government Way will be closing by 2011.

A council committee had its first look at the proposal this week and will hold several meetings in coming weeks, including two public hearings, to discuss details. If approved by the council, the plan would be sent to the Defense and Housing and Urban Development departments for final OK. The Seattle Housing Authority would be the lead developer.

The process has been under way for about three years.  Concerns have been raised about the density, traffic and availability of services for the homeless and for senior citizens who would move into the homes.

Public comment is accepted at the following city council meetings.  All of the meetings are held at 600 4th Ave. on the 2nd floor. 

August 20th  – housing committee discussion (9:30am)
August 21st – Public hearing (5:30pm)
September 3rd – Housing committee discussion (9:30am)
September 4th – Public Hearing (5:30pm)
September 18th – Housing Committee Final Vote (noon)
September 22 or 29 – Full Council Vote (2:00pm)

We saw two signs with fresh grafitti on Magnolia Boulevard today.  Also noticing other places in Magnolia that have been hit recently. 

The city says the best thing to do if you see graffiti is to get rid of it as soon as it appears. If you see graffiti on public property, report it to 206-684-7587. If your property is tagged, call the police to make a report at 206-625-5011, and then paint it out or wash it off as soon as possible.