Christmas tree hunt offers old-time cheer
December 14, 2010
Families search for ‘Cadillac of trees’ at local sellers
Bill Johnson, of Renton, carries the Christmas tree he cut Dec. 9 after making the selection with wife Cathy at Trinity Tree Farm. by Greg Farrar
People come to the Issaquah area from across the Puget Sound region to hunt for Christmas trees greener than Dr. Seuss’ Grinch.
OK, so artificial Christmas trees no longer resemble green pipe cleaners, but holiday revelers at tree farms and lots throughout the area said the search for a fresh tree does not compare to unpacking plastic and metal pieces from a box in the crawlspace.
Washington — the Evergreen State, after all — is the No. 6 Christmas tree-producing state in the nation.
Linda Mills — alongside husband Ken and young daughters Marilynn and Erika — trekked to Trinity Tree Farm near Issaquah in early December.
The idea to cut down a fresh tree came to the Renton resident after the family joined Mills’ parents to scope possible Christmas trees on the Olympic Peninsula on Thanksgiving. Read more
Issaquah Christmas tree farms / Dec. 9, 2010
December 14, 2010
Holiday fundraiser benefits Uganda relief effort
December 1, 2010
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 1, 2010
Issaquah Christian Church plans a Christmas fundraiser to support a mission to Uganda next year.
The fundraiser runs from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at the church, 10328 Issaquah-Hobart Road S.E. Offerings include candles, candy, Tupperware and, of course, holiday trees at the iconic Christmas tree lot.
Fundraiser purchases support a relief mission to Uganda, a war-torn nation in East Africa. The trip is to include construction, dental and medical relief efforts to serve Ugandan orphanages, missionaries and prisons.
Off the Press
October 12, 2010
Wishes can come true, um, sort of
One day recently I stopped by a garage sale where they were selling gift bags. The bags, which cost $5, were sealed so customers wouldn’t know the contents until after purchasing one. So I spent $5. Over the years, I’ve wasted money on other meaningless purchases, like lottery tickets. So what’s $5?
When I got home, I opened the bag. There were baseball cards of Dave Cripe (1978 Royals), Gary Cooper (not the actor, 1980 Braves) and Frank Zupo (1961 Orioles) — I had to look these guys up in my Baseball Encyclopedia just to make sure they existed. There was a yo (string was missing, so it wasn’t a complete yo-yo), and an orange tie with purple stars. The bag also had something that looked like Aladdin’s lamp. The lamp was dingy and dusty, and in need of some serious polishing. I gave it a brisk brushing. All of a sudden, smoke poured out of the lamp and a man appeared.
Bob Taylor Press sports editor
“I am the genie of the lamp. My name is Bashar,” the genie said. I later researched the name and discovered he had a Persian name that meant “bringer of glad tidings.”
“Wow! My very own genie,” I thought.
But before I could make a wish, Bashar said, “I must warn you. I am retired. I have no wishes to give you.”
I thought “Oh, man, just my luck. A retired genie.”
Bashar noticing my frown, continued.
“You think you got problems, man. I live in an old genie’s home in Genieapolis, but I’m not sure how long I can afford to stay there. I’m down to my last shekel. I lost all my savings in Enron. I have emphysema from all that smoke I’ve been breathing from the lamp over the years. I have no health care,“ he said.
“If I had a wish, it would be that you could give me three wishes,” Bashar said before disappearing in a poof of smoke.
Fireworks sales light the way for church fundraiser
August 10, 2010
During the Fourth of July, Issaquah Christian Church helped build houses for needy families in Mexico by selling fireworks locally.
They sold fireworks from June 28 to July 4 at the church, 10328 Issaquah-Hobart Road S.E. Profits from the sale of fireworks largely supported the church’s annual mission trip to Mexico, funded house-building materials, other outreach programs and a new facility construction program.
About $50,000 was raised with the sales, the most successful the fireworks booth has been in the past 10 years, according to the Rev. Brad Bromling, pastor of the church. The TNT fireworks company also awarded the church $250 for the best-looking presentation.
The youths and adults selling fireworks in the tent earned the money needed to fund their own trips, according to Lana Bromling, 16, Bromling’s daughter.
The church has several mission trips annually, to locations such as Africa and Haiti, so each member must raise his or her own funds to finance their trip, whether that means working on the church’s Christmas tree lot or at the fireworks stand. Parents, friends and believers in the cause may work on behalf of their children or fellow students. Read more
Buy fireworks to support relief trips to Mexico, Skyline football
June 30, 2010
NEW — 3:15 p.m. June 30, 2010
This Fourth of July, help build houses for needy families in Mexico just by buying your fireworks locally.
The fireworks stand at Issaquah Christian Church, 10328 Issaquah-Hobart Road S.E., opened Monday. It will be open from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. every day through July 4.
Profits from the sale of fireworks will largely support the church’s annual mission trip to Mexico, and fund house-building materials, other church outreach programs and a new facility construction program.
The youths and adults selling fireworks in the tent will be earning money needed to fund their own trips, according to Lana Bromling, 16, the daughter of the Rev. Brad Bromling, pastor of Issaquah Christian Church.
Preston resident heads to Haiti on aid mission
January 30, 2010
NEW — 9:40 a.m. Jan. 30, 2010
Preston resident Mark Bowers heads to Haiti on Saturday on a medical mission with a team of 14 other nurses and medical support professionals.
The group was scheduled to go to Haiti to help orphans and people in villages surrounding orphanages before the 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit 12 miles from Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Jan. 12.
Now they will go to provide more trauma and triage support to victims of the earthquake.
“Our plan is to hit the ground running and do clinics every day that we are there, a total of nine clinics a day from dawn to dusk,” he said. “In this case, it will be a little different than our original plan in that the earthquake will have us focus on people that are affected more in terms of trauma or in terms of affected by illnesses of poverty.
“In addition, though, we’ll continue to do routine medical care and treatments that we would have been doing, like de-worming children, providing eyeglasses and providing medication and formal treatment.”
City celebrates 4th of July
June 30, 2009
The Fourth of July is right around the corner and so are the festivities.
From the Heritage Day Parade to Providence Point’s annual barbecue, you can stay busy in Issaquah all day long.
But remember, when it comes to private events, you need a city permit to use or possess fireworks, since they are banned within city limits. Issaquah’s fireworks ban includes things like sparklers, cones, fountains and roman candles. Anyone caught in possession of or caught using fireworks will be cited. The city passed the ban in 1993.
