With the weather we’ve been having recently, you may have thought that summer is already here. But it is not. And that’s because we have not yet had the Fremont Solstice Parade. The traditional harbinger of summer around these parts, the parade is just one of the events comprising the Fremont Fair produced by the Fremont Arts Council. The fair will take place Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23.

As in past years, the fair will feature music, craft vendors and food in addition to the human and dog parades. This year’s Fair will feature some 300 vendors. …

Back on May 2, the Meowtropolitan Cat Cafe located at 1225 N 45th St near the intersection of Stone Way and 45th was broken into by a masked intruder during the nighttime hours. Fox News covered the story, and we’ve embedded it below. Although they reported the basic facts, they failed to interview the only witness: Penguin, one of the cafe’s resident cats. We’ve got that angle covered for you.

Wallyhood: How did you first notice something was amiss?

Penguin: I’m a cat of habit. I have a route that I patrol every night here at the cafe, …

The 3^rd Annual One Seattle Day of Service will take place this Saturday, May 18. From the Day of Service website:

Joining together a diverse group of public, private, and non-profit partners and community organizations, we will provide a wide array of service opportunities including cleaning and beautification, gardening and restoration, helping neighbors in need, and more.

Wallingford-area events:

Woodland Park Beautification from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Description: Litter pick, shrub bed weeding and mulching Sensory Garden Beautification sponsored by Friends of the Seattle Sensory Garden from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Currently full! Friends of…

Renovation and Expansion

The Wallingford Food Bank shares a space with the library at 1501 N 45th St. Operated by FamilyWorks, the food bank has been unchanged as long as I’ve been around these parts (decades!). Now, however, changes are afoot.

Beginning this summer, the food bank will begin some renovations to the interior of the space. The main area will be redesigned to better serve clients. Professional Chicago kitchen designers can also help with large remodels and renovation projects like this.

Per the email we received from FamilyWorks:

The renovated food bank will be bright and welcoming, with rolling …

Seattle Parks is seeking input on proposed renovations to the Meridian Park playground. To that end, a public meeting is being held here in our neighborhood.

Date: Thursday, April 25 Time: 6-8 pm Place: Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N

Say the parks folks:

This play area project will replace the play equipment and make accessibility improvements to the route from the main parking area and the restroom in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to help shape conceptual designs for the play area at Meridian Playground. Meet the …

Quite a number of Seattle Public Library branches will have their hours shortened for the next couple of months. Our neighborhood branch will be closed Fridays and Saturdays through June 4. I’m not sure when these closures began, but they’re recent. Hopefully, you didn’t show up last Friday or Saturday to find the doors locked.

Staffing is one of the issues causing the closures. According to the SPL blog:

The Seattle Public Library is scheduling intermittent branch closures at several locations through Tuesday, June 4 due to limited staffing capacity. The temporary schedule listed below is being implemented to …

While not technically in our neighborhood, the Freeway Estates Community Orchard (FECO) at 6030 6th Ave NE  is not far away – just east of Green Lake, alongside the west edge of I-5 and just south of Ravenna Boulevard. FECO was started in 2010 by a group of determined area volunteers when the plot was just grass and invasive plants.

We’ve promoted their annual plant sale here before, and the 2024 sale is here! Details:

Date: Sunday, April 7 Time: 1-4pm (or until inventory runs out) Location: 6030 6th Ave NE Nearest light rail: Roosevelt station Bus routes: 20, 44,…