Salmon Days Festival is packed to the gills
October 9, 2012
Unseasonably warm weather greets visitors for fun, sun
Thousands of visitors to Salmon Days fill Sunset Way on a warm and sunny Saturday to help set an attendance record for the annual two-day festival. By Greg Farrar
The calendar says it is October. The changing colors of the tree leaves suggest that autumn is in the air and the endless stream of chinook congregating at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery definitely confirms it.
Downtown Issaquah streetcar rides start Oct. 14
October 9, 2012
The long-planned Issaquah Valley Trolley is due to start service Oct. 14, as organizers start limited service after more than a decade of planning.
Issaquah Valley Trolley Project volunteers plan to host a dedication ceremony at the Issaquah Train Depot, 50 Rainier Blvd. N., at 1 p.m. and then start public rides.
The public can ride the streetcar during limited weekend service from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. into November.
The streetcar runs from the depot to the bridge across the East Fork of Issaquah Creek at Darigold, about a half-mile north.
Though the track extends to Northwest Gilman Boulevard, additional work is necessary to prepare the track to accommodate the trolley. North of Northwest Gilman Boulevard, crews removed the track to create the East Lake Sammamish Trail.
Downtown Issaquah Valley Trolley starts service soon
October 8, 2012
Issaquah Valley Trolley Car No. 519 stops at the Issaquah Train Depot. Contributed from Issaquah Valley Trolley Project
NEW — 8 a.m. Oct. 8, 2012
The long-planned Issaquah Valley Trolley is due to start service Oct. 14, as organizers start limited service after more than a decade of planning.
Salmon Days Festival returns to downtown Issaquah
October 2, 2012
A chinook tries to surmount the weir Sept. 28 at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. By Greg Farrar
The ode to salmon migration, Issaquah’s iconic Salmon Days Festival, returns to downtown Issaquah on Oct. 6-7.
Salmon Days Festival spawns road closures
October 2, 2012
Motorists should prepare for road closures throughout the Salmon Days Festival.
Expect closures on the following streets from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 6-7:
- Front Street from Newport Way Southwest to Northwest Gilman Boulevard
- East Sunset Way from Second Avenue Southeast to Newport Way Northwest
- Rainier Boulevard South and First Avenue Southeast from East Sunset Way to the Issaquah Community Center
- Southeast Bush Street and Southeast Andrews Street from Second Avenue Southeast to Front Street South
- First Place Northeast and First Avenue Northwest from West Sunset Way to Northwest Dogwood Street
Expect closures on the following streets from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 6 to accommodate the Salmon Days Grande Parade:
- 12th Avenue Northwest from Northwest Maple Street to Northwest Gilman Boulevard
- Northeast Gilman Boulevard and Northeast Dogwood Street from Third Avenue Northwest to Front Street North
- Rainier Boulevard North from Northwest Dogwood Street to Northwest Juniper Street.
Parking near downtown Issaquah is also a challenge during the festival, and Salmon Days visitors should consider the event shuttle.
Shuttles depart from the Issaquah Transit Center, 1050 17th Ave. N.W., Costco corporate headquarters parking lot, 11th Avenue Northwest and Lake Drive, and Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride, 1755 Highlands Drive N.E.
The cost for a shuttle is $2 round trip for adults; children 12 and younger ride for free. Parking is free at the shuttle departure points.
Salmon Days Festival catches international honors
October 2, 2012
The iconic Salmon Days Festival caught six international honors, festival organizers announced Sept. 24.
The awards from the International Festivals & Events Association recognized the 2011 festival and the theme “Wild Things!” Salmon Days earned a prestigious Bronze Haas & Wilkerson Pinnacle Award — a top honor for festivals — plus awards for clothing and merchandise.
The festival competes against other events in the $250,000 to $749,999 budget category.
Salmon Days received top — or Gold — honors for Best Hat, Best Other Merchandise and Best Miscellaneous Clothing.
Issaquah Run prompts road closures
September 27, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Sept. 27, 2012
Motorists should prepare for road closures Sept. 30 during the Issaquah Run.
The annual run is set to start at 7:30 a.m. The event includes a 10K run, 5K run/walk and the Kids Dash.
Sunset Way between Second Avenue and Newport Way, and Front Street between Newport Way and Gilman Boulevard, close from 6-11 a.m.
Off the Press
September 25, 2012
What do criminals think before they act?
Kathleen Merrill
Press managing editor
Thoughts of gunman Ronald Ficker have roamed around in my head since he walked through downtown Issaquah, randomly shooting at people before getting into a gunfight with police on Sept. 24, 2011.
The incident ended with him being shot to death. And I haven’t been able to get that out of my head.
While he was driving around our fair city that morning, thinking about God knows what, I was spending time outside with my German shepherd, and then heading out for a cruise in my car on a sunny day. While he was dying on an elementary school campus, I was chatting with a friend while shopping.
I can’t get that out of my head either.
For some time that morning he drove around our city, even running out of gas and having contact with a police officer on Interstate 90, before he ran out of gas yet again downtown.
Capri Cellars opens store, tasting room
September 25, 2012
Capri Cellars recently opened a wine store and tasting room at 88 Front St. S.
Capri Cellars offers six different tasting flights each with three wines. A total of 18 wines are available for tasting whenever the store is open.
New wines are rotated into the flights weekly. Flight prices range from $11 to $18.
Eastside Fire & Rescue responds to downtown gas leak
September 25, 2012
NEW — 12:10 p.m. Sept. 25, 2012
Crews at work on a reconstruction project at a downtown Issaquah gas station struck a gas line Tuesday, prompting a response from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Puget Sound Energy.
The smell of gas filled the air near the construction site at the intersection of Front Street and Sunset Way for several minutes at about noon. Firefighters used traffic cones to cordon off the parking lot at Front Street Market and asked motorists not to start their vehicles near the site.
Crews started a major overhaul at the downtown Shell gas station and Jacksons convenience store Sept. 11.
