King County animal services agency offers treats, tips for Halloween
October 25, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Oct. 25, 2011
Regional Animal Services of King County is offering a treat for Halloween — reduced adoption fees for cats and kittens through Oct. 31.
The agency reduced the adoption fee for cats from $55 to $30 and from $100 to $75 for kittens.
October is also Adopt-a-Shelter-Dog Month.
Regional Animal Services of King County includes a pet license, neutering or spaying, microchipping and initial vaccinations in the dog adoption fee. The fees range from $100 to $250, depending on the dog’s age and breed.
“There’s never been a better time to adopt a pet from us,” agency Interim Manager Glynis Frederiksen said in a news release. “We have all shapes, sizes, and colors of cats and dogs waiting for their forever homes. Plus, if you come in before Halloween, adoption fees for cats are just $30, and for kittens, it’s $75.”
Gov. Chris Gregoire invites trick-or-treaters to executive mansion
October 23, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Oct. 23, 2011
Gov. Chris Gregoire — a.k.a. Elmo — is inviting trick-or-treaters to trek to the Governor’s Mansion for Halloween treats.
The governor and first gentleman Mike Gregoire plan to hand out candy from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 31.
Chris Gregoire plans to dress as Elmo; Mike Gregoire intends to don a Super Grover costume. Guests can also meet other “Sesame Street” characters — Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Count Von Count, and Bert and Ernie — on the mansion’s front porch as the Gregoires greet trick-or-treaters and hand out chocolate bars.
In addition to the Halloween candy, some trick-or-treaters might receive a bonus treat, because five chocolate bars contain Elmo’s Golden Ticket — a ticket for a child and five guests to attend a holiday reception at the mansion Dec. 2. (Surplus campaign funds pay for the Halloween candy and decorations.)
Since 2005, the Gregoires have dressed up for Halloween and invited trick-or-treaters to the mansion. In the past, the first couple dressed up as characters from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” “Charlotte’s Web” and, last year, as Morticia and Gomez from “The Addams Family.”
Halloween pumpkin’s beauty is in the eye of the beholder
October 18, 2011
Picking perfect jack-o’-lantern comes down to preference
Glenn Dutro hoists a pumpkin on his shoulder in the u-pick pumpkin patch at the Trinity Tree Farm in Issaquah. Photo By Greg Farrar
About 50,000 pounds of pumpkins dot the landscape as far as the eye can see.
There are oblong gourds with ample, flat surface areas for carving.
Others are rotund, boasting a sturdy stem and a thick, perfect shell.
Glenn Dutro, who has offered families a chance to pick their own pumpkins for the past three years at the u-pick pumpkin patch at the Trinity Tree Farm near Issaquah, wants something else out of his Halloween pumpkin entirely.
“The perfect pumpkin is all just a matter of personal preference,” he said. “Most people want a big, bright, beautiful thing. I want one with scars on it. I want it messed up and nasty.”
Ken Allison, a produce manager for PCC Natural Markets, said the perfect pumpkin is all in the eye of the beholder.
“It’s all in a person’s aesthetic judgment,” he said. “Typically, what I look for to carve or to sell is the stem to be attached still. That way you know it’s not knocked or kicked around. You want the pumpkin to feel firm so it won’t rot and collapse right away.”
Costume swap offers ‘green’ twist on Halloween
October 4, 2011
Dana Verhoff and her children, all decked out for Halloween. Verhoff supports an eco-friendly costume swap for this year’s Halloween. Contributed
Spider-Man still would do whatever a spider could. Tinkerbell would still grant you three wishes. They would just save their moms a few bucks while at it.
Three Issaquah businesses have helped organize a costume swap for Halloween. The swap encourages parents to trade in their children’s old costumes for used ones, instead of buying new ones each year.
The swap will occur Oct. 8, all across the country, including in Issaquah and eight other spots in Washington.
Dana Verhoff, co-publisher of the online newsletter Snoqualmie Valley Macaroni Kid, said the website for Green Halloween, www.greenhalloween.org, inspired her to bring the costume swap to Issaquah.
The idea for a green Halloween started in Issaquah in 2007, with Lynn Colwell and her daughter Corey Colwell-Lipson.
“My daughter was taking her kids around for Halloween,” Lynn said, “and she noticed the kids seemed to be more interested in bubbles and stickers than in candy.”
Volunteers
October 4, 2011
The Green Halloween Festival needs volunteers, ages 14 and older, from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Shops at Issaquah Highlands, 3011 N.E. High St. Bring your own not-too-scary costume. Contact Christy at christy.g@ihcouncil.org or 507-1107, ext. 1107.
The city of Sammamish needs volunteers for the following events. Sign up by contacting the volunteer coordinator at 295-0556 or dsanders@ci.sammamish.wa.us.
Wetlands planting: 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 8, 228th Avenue and Southeast 24th Street, ages 14 and older. Read more
Volunteers
September 27, 2011
The Green Halloween Festival needs volunteers, ages 14 and older, from noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Shops at Issaquah Highlands, 3011 N.E. High St. Bring your own not-too-scary costume. Contact Christy at christy.g@ihcouncil.org or 507-1107, ext. 1107.
The city of Sammamish needs volunteers for the following events. Sign up by contacting the volunteer coordinator at 295-0556 or dsanders@ci.sammamish.wa.us.
- Wetlands planting: 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 8, 228th Avenue and Southeast 24th Street, ages 14 and older.
- Sammamish Arts Fair: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 8-9, Sammamish City Hall and library, four-hour shifts
- Invasive weed removal from Jacobs Creek: 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 15, Southeast 42nd Street and Issaquah-Pine Lake Road S.E., ages 14 and older
- Invasive plant removal on Illahee Trail: 9 a.m. to noon, Oct. 22, Northeast 8th Avenue and Southeast 35th Place Northeast, volunteers 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult
The Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank is looking for service groups, families or groups of four or five people to help with the Month of Concern Food Drive, which runs Saturdays through Oct. 15. During the Month of Concern, hand out food bank shopping lists to shoppers at our local grocery stores, collect the goods and deliver them to the food bank. Volunteers can sign up for the entire day, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or for half shifts. Sign up or get more information by calling 392-4123.
Downtown Issaquah residents transform house into winter wonderland
December 14, 2010
Mike Bostjancic shows off a ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ T-shirt amid the holiday light display at his downtown Issaquah home. By Greg Farrar
The soft glow from a shapely lamp — or, as 9-year-old Ralphie Parker described the leg-shaped light, “electric sex” — gleams from a house in downtown Issaquah.
The lamp is a central element in the holiday film “A Christmas Story” and the centerpiece of a holiday display grand enough to make Clark Griswold blush.
Homeowner Mike Bostjancic has transformed the house at the northeastern corner of Second Avenue Southeast and Southeast Bush Street into a festive fantasyland as decked out in colored lights as Times Square.
“As soon as Halloween wraps up, it’s on toward Christmas,” Bostjancic said on a damp December night, as puddles on the street reflected the candy-colored light display.
The house has too many lights to count: realistic icicles cling to the eaves and candlepower gleams from the outline of every window.
The strand along the picket fence blinks in a hypnotic sequence as incessant as a cable TV news ticker. Bostjancic used strands of green lights to turn the front-lawn flagpole — a metal pole not unlike a Festivus pole — into a Christmas tree.
Liberty High School graduate Bostjancic, a boyish 35, starts assembling the display just before Thanksgiving. The lights stay aglow through New Year’s Day.
Operation Support Our Troops needs your donations
November 2, 2010
The local chapter of Operation Support Our Troops is putting together Christmas stockings for troops overseas.
You can donate small hygiene articles; leftover Halloween candy; lightweight, nonperishable food; and entertainment items, like DVDs or crossword puzzle books.
Call Nadine Gulit, with Operation Support Our Troops, at 369-2215, or go to the U.S. Army Recruiting Station at 1145 N.W. Gilman Blvd., No. G2, to donate.
Volunteers are needed to help pack the items from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Nov. 13 at the Issaquah Valley Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way. R.S.V.P. by calling Gulit, or here.
Protect pets from frights on Halloween
October 30, 2010
Regional Animal Services of King County has advised pet owners to prepare animals for Halloween guests, strange noises and unfamiliar costumed creatures.
On Halloween, frequent opening and closing of the door to greet trick-or-treaters can cause pets to become scared or excited and dash outside. Ideally, pets should wear two forms of identification, such as a pet license, ID tag, microchip or a combination.
Though seasonal decorations and burning candles seem like fun for humans, the decorations can be harmful to pets, and should be put beyond the reach of inquisitive noses and paws.
Police promise no treats for impaired drivers on Halloween
October 30, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Oct. 30, 2010
Police intend to scour King County roads to keep the scares and horrors off of the streets during Halloween weekend.
Halloween is a deadly night due to the high number of impaired drivers on the roads. In 2008, 58 percent of all national highway fatalities on Halloween night involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or above.
“Traffic crashes kill or seriously injure hundreds of people in King County each year, and driving impaired is a leading cause of these crashes,” Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, said in a statement. “Treat everyone to a fun and safe Halloween by driving sober or planning a safe ride home.”
