Parents can learn about education, extracurricular options
October 10, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Oct. 10, 2011
ParentMap, a local resource for parents and families, is offering a chance for parents to meet learning specialists and tutors, plus representatives from schools and extracurricular activities, Tuesday.
Listen to local education leaders speak about age-specific topics at the Education Extravaganza at the Meydenbauer Center, 11100 Northeast Sixth St., Bellevue, from 5-8 p.m.
Organizers encourage potential attendees to RSVP and learn more about the event.
The event includes schools operating in Issaquah in Sammamish, including Arbor Schools, Cougar Mountain Academy, Dartmoor School, Deerfield Farm, Eastside Catholic High School and Emerald Heights Academy.
Event attendees can also win a $2,500 tuition credit for children’s educational costs, courtesy of Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union.
Other programs represented at the event come from Bellevue, Gig Harbor, Kirkland, Medina, Mercer Island, Olympia, Redmond, Renton and Seattle.
Small Business Awards finalists include Issaquah entrepreneurs
September 27, 2011
Issaquah companies specializing in iconic root beer floats and pan-Pacific shipping earned spots as finalists in the inaugural King County Executive’s Small Business Awards.
Trans-NET Inc., a shipping company focused on Far East ports in Russia, is nominated in the Exporting Small Business of the Year category. Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in is up for Minority Small Business of the Year.
“Those are two very diverse businesses,” Issaquah Chamber of Commerce CEO Matthew Bott said. “One does niche shipping to Russia and one does burgers and fries and nostalgia. It shows that we have some really unique stories behind our local businesses.”
Performers reflect rich heritage through traditional Indian dance
September 13, 2011
Abhinay Fine Arts classical Indian dance ‘Kshetram,’ or ‘temple,’ dancers (from left) Lakshmi Sanjay, Supriya Unnikrishnan, Bhavana Kudikala, Preetha Anandh, of Sammamish, and Smitha Krishnan, of Issaquah, will debut their program Sept. 25 in Bellevue. By Abhinay Fine Arts
Issaquah and Sammamish residents are among those involved in an upcoming dance production that details the origins of five holy Hindu temples.
The production, “Kshetram,” features dance, music and poetry from India that weaves together the stories of the beginnings of five of the 108 temples dedicated to Vishnu, the god of Vishnavite Hinduism. The event is organized by Abhinay Fine Arts, an Eastside nonprofit organization that promotes classical Indian art in the Seattle area.
The production includes three different and distinct forms of Indian dance. Sammamish resident Preetha Anandh perfoms “Bharatanatyam,” a fast-paced dance with structured footwork that is said to represent fire.
Issaquah resident Smitha Krishnan performs “Mohiniattam,” a more fluid dance with facial expressions and hand gestures that signifies the “breeze blowing through the paddy fields” of Kerala, a state at the southern tip of India.
County Small Business Award finalists include Issaquah entrepreneurs
August 30, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 30, 2011
The finalists for the inaugural King County Executive’s Small Business Awards include Issaquah enterprises, TransNET Inc. and Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in.
King County Executive Dow Constantine — along sponsors Microsoft, KeyBank, enterpriseSeattle, Small Business Partners for Prosperity and the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County — named 21 finalists in seven categories Monday.
TransNET Inc., a logistics provider, is nominated in the Exporting Small Business of the Year category. The award recognizes a small business for achieving “significant increased international sales” in the global marketplace.
The iconic Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in is up for Minority Small Business of the Year. The honor highlights a minority-owned business for attaining “outstanding business achievement” and exemplifying the contributions made by minority-owned businesses in King County.
Issaquah ballet studio presents ‘Don Quixote’
May 31, 2011
The Spanish lovers danced a pas de deux — a dance for two — enamored with each other even though the girl’s father forbade their union.
La Yin (left) plays Basil in the ballet ‘Don Quixote’ as he woes the heroine Kitri, played by Sabrina Schulbach. Photo By Laura Geggel
The father believed the young man, a barber, was too poor to marry his daughter. Luckily – or unluckily for them — the fate of the paramours rested on the actions of the ballet’s hero, Don Quixote.
The Issaquah Highlands dance studio MK Ballet is performing “Don Quixote” at the Meydenbauer Center Theater June 10 and 11.
Michiko Black, the studio’s founder, has spent the past year teaching her students the ballet choreography and sewing costumes for their big performance.
Nominate small businesses for King County honor
May 24, 2011
King County Executive Dow Constantine, alongside corporate and nonprofit partners, has launched a program to honor small businesses.
The partners include the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, as well as chambers of commerce and cities throughout the county.
The nomination categories include Small Business of the Year, Minority Small Business of the Year, Woman Small Business of the Year and more. Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/exec/constantine/businessaward.aspx.
The initial awards ceremony is in October. Organizers intend for the awards program to become a yearly event. Submit nominations to chambers of commerce, cities and business organizations through July 1. To qualify, businesses must be in King County, have 50 or fewer employees, and have been in business for at least three years.
Organizers plan to announce finalists Sept. 15. The awards ceremony is Oct. 12 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.
Nominate small businesses for King County honor
May 21, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 21, 2011
King County Executive Dow Constantine, alongside corporate and nonprofit partners, launched a program to honor small businesses.
The partners include the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce, as well as chambers of commerce and cities throughout the county.
“I am proud of the entrepreneurial spirit in our region, and these awards are our way of recognizing worthy small businesses that are doing great things,” Constantine said in a release. “I thank our event sponsors and partners for working collaboratively to make the upcoming inaugural awards a success.”
The partners in the inaugural Executive’s Small Business Awards include Microsoft Corporation, KeyBank, enterpriseSeattle, the Workforce Development Council of Seattle – King County, and the Small Business Partners for Prosperity.
Mineral madness: Science labs boost test scores
March 8, 2011
Sunset Elementary School third-graders Glen McInerney and his rocks-and-minerals partner Catherine Griffin do a streak test to see which minerals leave a mark on paper. By Laura Geggel
Fluorite fluoresces green under an ultraviolet light and graphite leaves a silvery streak across paper. Sunset Elementary School third-graders tried myriad tests on a bagful of minerals, identifying each one for their unit about rocks and minerals Feb. 17.
KIDSTAGE kicks out with ‘Footloose’
January 4, 2011
A trio of friends in ‘Footloose,’ Sarah Russell (Rusty), Molly Knudson (Urleen) and Emily Johnson (Wendy Jo) burst into a 1980s song. Photos by Jean Johnson
The 1980s are back with Village Theatre KIDSTAGE’s production of “Footloose,” drawing audiences into a small California town that has a ban on dancing and many young, eager dancers trying to repeal the stifling law.
KIDSTAGE last performed “Footloose” in 2002, shortly after the musical made popular by the 1984 movie with Kevin Bacon, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest was turned into a stage show. Director Faith Russell and her colleagues chose it again for its high-energy music and dancing, and good take-home messages, Production Coordinator Helen Voelker said.
“The musical is about having an obstacle and overcoming that obstacle — and having a dance,” she said.
The play follows Ren McCormack (Jordon Bolden) and his mother Ethel (Joell Weil) when they move from Chicago, where Ren is the king of teenage dancers at Windy City nightclubs, to Bomont, Calif. Read more
The Issaquah Press named best in the Northwest
May 25, 2010
The Issaquah Press has been named the No. 1 nondaily newspaper in the Northwest.
The regional Society of Professional Journalists chapter announced the general excellence award May 23. The Press competed against publications in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
The competition in the general excellence category included a sister publication, Sammamish Review. The paper earned third place in the category. Puget Sound Business Journal came in second.
“Our entire staff at both our newspapers are over-the-moon excited about this recognition!” Publisher Debbie Berto said. “It takes a commitment to excellent journalism and to our communities to continue to publish award-winning newspapers in a tough economy, but editors Kathleen Merrill and Ari Cetron and their reporters have been diligent about not letting down our readers.”
