The biggest community event in Magnolia is looking for some help from the community.  Magnolia Summerfest is organized and managed by members, residents and friends of Magnolia. 

Currently there is a big need for volunteers to organize and manage parts of Summerfest 2010.  Volunteers are needed to help with the art show, the parade, publicity for Summerfest and recycling.  They area also looking for people to help with entertainment, equipment, and fund raising.  You won’t be on your own, there is a procedures manual to assist and a base of information on past vendors, contacts and other participants.  Summerfest is set for August 6 and 7 but much of the planning and organizing takes place in the spring.

If you can help in some way to make sure Summerfest is successful this year, please contact  Heather Ussery at 425-269-1554 or heather.ussery@gmail.com.

There is a blood drive on Monday (2/15) at Our Lady of Fatima Church Hall sponsored by the Magnolia Knights of Columbus.  You can donate from 1 to 7p.m.   In 2009, the Magnolia Community Blood Drive registered 288 donors and collected enough blood to support a potential 789 patients in Western Washington.  If you have questions about the blood drive, you can contact Doug Gehrke at 206-282-4400.

A large crowd packed into the Catherine Blaine cafeteria to hear from the Seattle Police Department that burglaries are up in the Magnolia area 31% over last year. 

This did not come as a big surprise to many in the audience who reported being victims or knowing people who were victims of home burglaries in the area.  Officers say Magnolia is a target for burglars and car thieves because it is considered an affluent area.  

Property crime is the biggest problem in Magnolia and half of the burglaries are classified as non forced entry.  That means that burglars are able to get into a home easily through an unlocked door or window.  In 2009, only 36% of the residential burglaries in Magnolia were forced entry. 

Officers told the crowd that most burglaries in Magnolia happen during the day.  Many burglars use brute force to get inside homes and officers recommend that residents remove large rocks from their home area so they can’t be used to break a window. They also tell residents to trim shrubs and install lots of lights around homes, especially motion sensor lights. About a third of the burglaries take place in a detached buildings such as garages where it is easy for burglars to grab whatever is inside and run.

Lisa told the crowd that her home was burglarized in December while she was out of town.  Burglars forced entry and took her computer, television, jewelry and clothing.  The burglars also stole checks from an old account and they have been using them in the area. She says she would not wish the experience on her worst enemy. 

Lisa’s home was part of a string of burglaries that took place in December.  Officers were able to make arrests in those cases, including one with an assist from a resident who saw the burglars with items from his home.   They say the number of burglaries have dropped in the area since the arrests.

SPD says the best way to thwart burglars is to be part of a neighborhood block watch and keep an eye out for anything suspicious.  They also encourage residents to call 911 or the non emergency number 206-625-5011 when they see anything that does not seem right. 

In a number of burglary cases, neighbors later reported that they saw something unusual but did not do anything. In one case, a neighbor actually saw an unknown person loading electronics from a garage into a car but did not call police.  In another a neighbor saw a suspicious person walking from a house with a giant TV but did not make a report.

If you would like to set up a neighborhood block watch, you can call Terrie Johnston at SPD  at 206-684-4741 or via email at terrie.johnston@seattle.gov.

Lawton Elementary School has a new principal.  Beverly Raines has taken a family leave of absence for the remainder of the school year. 

Kathy Bledsoe started this week as interim principal and will remain at the school for the rest of the year.  Bledsoe is no stranger to Magnolia, having been the principal at Blaine for seven years.  She retired from the Seattle School District two years ago.  In a letter to parents Bledsoe said:

“I am happy to return to the principal role especially at Lawton and I look forward to working with staff and parents to continue the great work being done for our children. I am getting to know the staff and students and am gathering information on all the issues that are important to this school.  It is difficult to have a change in leadership midyear but I am confident that we will come together to do what is in the best interest of our children.”

This was Raines first year at Lawton and prior to coming to the school she filed a lawsuit against Seattle Public Schools, accusing the district of discrimination based on age and sex.

The Magnolia Community Center will be closed on Friday (2/12) for one of the ten unpaid furlough days  for the city this year.  It will also be closed on Monday (2/15) for President’s Day. This year Seattle city departments were forced to take furlough days due to budget cuts. All city departments will be closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day. In addition, Department of Neighborhoods offices will be taking their furlough day on Tuesday, February 16. Though the community center will be closed on Friday, child care and late night programs will continue to operate. See the full schedule of citywide furlough days here.

Its the first Girl’s Night Out event in 2010 tonight (2/11).  That means that local shops in the Magnolia Village will be open late for special shopping and restaurants will be offering tasty treats and drinks.

You can start your night with $5 Champagne Cocktails and $6 Chocolate Kiss Martinis at Szmania’s.  Stores like Dish It Up! and the Magnolia Garden Center also plan specials and at Vixen there will be libations and makeovers with makeup artists Erin Orden, Tracy Freckleton, and Susan Posnick. You can call the store to book your free appointment at 206-281-9399.

Magnolia Voice reader Julia reports that a couple living in the area of 39th and Ruffner had their house broken into and both their cars stolen early Tuesday (2/9) morning.  The couple was asleep during the break in and burglars got away with a guitar and their car keys.  The burglars then took off with two of their cars which were parked on the street.

This is one of a string of burglaries in our area recently.  Remember that the Magnolia Community Club general meeting tomorrow (2/11) will focus on crime prevention in Magnolia.  The meeting will be held on Thursday from 7 to 9p.m. in the Blaine cafeteria. Representatives from the Seattle Police Department will share information about the recent burglaries in the area and what residents can do to focus on staying safe.

Our sister site MyBallard has the story of the death of Captain Phil Harris of the Discovery Channel TV show Deadliest Catch.  Harris, who was based at Fishermen’s Terminal, died last night according to the cable channel. “Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end,” said his sons, Jake and Josh Harris. “For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down. We will remember and celebrate that strength. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.”

Captain Phil suffered a stroke while off-loading from the Cornelia Marie in Alaska on January 30th. His death came as a surprise to many — last Saturday, he was “talking to friends and family today; showing his greatest progress,” reported a blog post on the ship’s website.

The Discovery Channel has set up a forum where you can post condolences to the family, and they posted a video of some of his greatest moments on the show.

Captain Phil began working on fishing boats at age 7, and when he turned 21, he ran a vessel out of Fishermen’s Terminal, making him one of the youngest to captain a boat in the Bering Sea. You can learn more about his life and legacy on his website.

The average sale price of homes in Magnolia/Queen Anne rose 9.1% last month compared to January 2009, from $550,000 to $600,000. Prices throughout the city of Seattle also rose for the first time in nearly two years while prices continued to fall in the rest of King County, as reported by our media partners at The Seattle Times.

While prices rose 3.8 percent overall in Seattle in January, they fell 6.5 percent on the Eastside, 8.5 percent in Southeast King County, 11.1 percent in North King County and 11.2 percent in Southwest King County.

The report measures sales in the combined Magnolia/Queen Anne area and finds that there were 43 homes sold in January 2010 compared to 19 homes sold in January 2009.  There were 70 homes listed for sale in January 2010 compared to 96 listed for sale the same time period a year ago.

Zillow.com, the online real-estate marketplace and database, says its research through November indicates homes in Seattle generally have depreciated less than suburban homes since the market’s 2007 peak.  That may be because buyers are willing to pay a premium to live closer to work and such urban amenities as theaters, concerts and parks.

This website has a list of homes that were recently sold in Magnolia.

Seattle Department of Transportation paving crews are making repairs on West Commodore Way this week. They will work between 27th Avenue West to approximately 31st Avenue West daily through Friday, February 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. While they are working, the street will be closed to through traffic from 27^th Avenue West to 40^th Avenue West.  A detour will be provided from West Commodore Way to 27^th Avenue West, West Government Way, and through Discovery Park to 40^th Avenue West.

By 2:30 p.m. each day, one lane will be reopened, shared by both directions of traffic taking turns until the next morning. They plan to reopen the full width of the road by 2:30 p.m. on February 12.  There will still be access to businesses on the route.

The West Point Light Station in Discovery Park  is under wraps as it undergoes restoration. 

Due to high moisture content the lighthouse and the two light keepers cottages are deteriorating.   The  exterior restoration is expected to begin soon and should take a couple of months to finish. The lighthouse exterior will then be refinished with a special mineral coating to protect the lighthouse and allow moisture trapped inside to escape.

When refinished, it will be white with dark trim and a red roof.  After finishing this phase work will begin on the window glazing and roofing around the lens.

Discovery Park staff member Anne Bentley and Seattle Parks representative Charles Ng worked to obtain Capital Grant funding  of $300,000 last year to complete the lighthouse work and start on the cottages if funds allow. 

Thanks to Discovery Park Newsletter editor Mike Greenstein.  If you would like to receive the newsletter, click here and scroll down to the sign up box. The newsletter is sent out bi-monthly at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October, and December.  (Photos courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation)

Our featured pet from the Seattle Animal Shelter is Garcon.  He is just a little guy but he has a very big heart. He came to the shelter as a stray and they are surprised that no one has come looking for him. He’s twelve years old, but he has plenty of spunk and spirit. Garcon is calm and easy to handle, and he’s quite the snappy dresser. 

Garcon is looking for a calm home where he’ll be pampered and loved. He’s gentle and cooperative, and would be good with children at least six years old, as long as they understand he’s a senior–and not a toy–and he must be treated gently.

Garcon is good with some other dogs, and cats too if supervised. Garcon qualifies for the "Seniors for Seniors" program which means that senior citizens or disabled adults with a "Gold Card for Healthy Aging," or a "FLASH Card," issued by the City of Seattle, may adopt him with no fee for the adoption itself, and the licensing fee will be  half-price.

If you are interested in Garcon or any of the animals available at the shelter, click here for more information.

Magnolia’s own Seattle Pie Company has announced plans to open a second store in Tacoma this spring.  Seven months after opening in Magnolia, Seattle Pie owners Alyssa and Patrick Lewis have signed a lease for another pie store in Tacoma’s Old Town.  They had originally planned to expand to Madison Valley but changed plans when they found what they consider the perfect location in Tacoma.

Seattle Pie Company also sells pies in the Western Washington Metropolitan Markets and the Tacoma location is their best customer.  Lewis says they will continue to bake all their pies at the Magnolia location.

Magnolia Voice reader Jennifer wrote to us this morning about some strange noises she heard outside her house:

At around 5am today, I’m pretty sure I heard a bear attacking a small animal.  It was a loud deep constant roar for about a minute along with what sounded like a lil pig squealing. Did anyone else hear this? I live on Gilman and Thurman.

Did anybody else hear anything in that area?  Let us know in comments below.