Lake City's parading, the Blue Angels are flying, and Jimothy got his own city holiday

Happy Tuesday, and an especially warm welcome to everyone who's joined recently. Glad you're here!

🔥 The dry spell continues to keep things easy on our side of the mountains - good news if you're NE Seattle-based. Eastern Washington is a different story: Red Flag Warnings are up statewide, and four separate fires are burning big right now - the Kaiser Canyon Fire has topped 110,000 acres near the Colville Reservation (Nespelem under a "go now" evacuation order), and a new one, the Little Giant Fire near Leavenworth, nearly tripled in size over the weekend to 19,000+ acres. All zero-to-low containment. Grateful for our clean air; thinking of the folks dealing with the smoke and the evacuations.

✈️ Coming up this week: the Blue Angels take over the skies above Lake Washington July 31–Aug 2 for the Boeing Seafair Air Show - good excuse for a lakeside evening if you're anywhere near Seward Park or Genesee that weekend. (Perhaps invest in ear plugs!)

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Next week the neighborhoods across the city will be participating in Seattle Night Out (August 4th). This is the night neighborhoods across the city spill into the street for potlucks and block parties. Seattle Night Out is the city's annual excuse to get outside, meet your neighbors, and connect with the officers who patrol your area. Registration for new blocks closed July 27, but plenty of gatherings are already locked in — worth a walk around to see who's out on your own street.

🦝 Also making the rounds: Jimothy, Ballard's oddly round, short-spined celebrity raccoon, officially has his own City Council proclamation now - Seattle Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck and Dan Strauss declared it "Jimothy Summer" at a Ballard celebration this weekend.

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If you've got a kiddo overdue for a haircut — or dreading the whole ordeal — Seattle's Kid Salon located outside of University Village on 25th Ave NE (at JC Salons) is worth knowing about. My kids have been seeing stylist Kimberly Pattison since she was located at Kids Club at U Village. Which means they’ve been seeing her for a very long time! Kimberly specializes in kids from first haircuts through the teen years, including extra care for sensory needs and styling for special occasions.

Text to book: (425) 923-3189

🎭 Backyard Bard: The Tempest / The Two Noble Kinsmen — Friday, July 31 & Saturday, August 1, 7–8pm, Cowen Park (just west of the playground) GreenStage's free, one-hour, stripped-down Shakespeare — alternating performances, no tickets needed, right in Ravenna.

🎉 Lake City Summer Festival & Parade — Saturday, August 1, 10:30am–twilight, Lake City 120+ craft vendors and food trucks on NE 125th St, a car show, and a Fun Zone with Pacific Science Center's Science on Wheels — then parades take over Lake City Way starting at 6pm: Kids' Parade at 6, Dog Parade at 6:30, Grand Parade at 7. One of Seattle's oldest Seafair-sanctioned parades, 81 years running. Official artwork this year designed by Ryan Henry Ward, who'll be there in person.

🧋 Boba Festival — Saturday, August 1, Noon–6pm, U District Fun, food-forward, and close enough to count — pair it with the Lake City festival same day for an "either end of the neighborhood" kind of Saturday.

🍺 Beers & Beats: Summer Stag Party — Saturday, August 1, 2–10pm, Hellbent Brewing, 13035 Lake City Way NE
The 10th annual edition of this Turntables & Trails-hosted tradition — a full day of bands, brews, and food trucks in Lake City. This year's lineup: The Grizzled Mighty, Stag/Miraco, The No 3, Small Yards, and Haley Johnsen, with DJ Kingblind. Free admission, 21+.

🎨 Also at Hellbent: Punch Needle Coaster Workshop — Thursday, August 6, 7–9pm. A craft night with a beer in hand — make your own set of punch-needle coasters.

🎬 Movies by the Tower — Saturday, August 8, Maple Leaf Reservoir Park (1020 NE 82nd St) This year marks its 5th anniversary — a free, all-day event with live music, trivia, and food, with the movie itself ("Superman," 2025) starting at dusk. Presented by Scarecrow Video and the Maple Leaf Community Council. Bring a low-back chair and your own snacks.

Something happening in the neighborhood? I want to know about it! Submit your event here. I review submissions each week before sending.

🚸 Ravenna Ave NE / 22nd Ave NE Safety Improvements | Construction begins in August - sidewalk, crosswalk, and bike lane upgrades along Ravenna Ave NE, NE 55th St, and 22nd Ave NE. Watch for "No Parking" signs as early as July 31 as crews start clearing vegetation. Adds a new shared-use path, curb ramps, and stop signs.

🏘️ Lake City Community Center Redevelopment | Closed since a 2023 fire, the community center at 12531 28th Ave NE is being rebuilt as an 8-story building - new community center on the first two floors, 113 affordable homes above. Final play area design wraps this summer; construction start is listed as either "fall 2026" or 2027 depending on the source, so exact timing is still TBD.

🌮 El Cantor Mexican Cuisine | 805 NE 65th St - The former Casa Patron space has a new tenant lined up: a full-service Mexican restaurant with a liquor license already filed. No word yet on an opening date or menu, but worth watching this space.

📍 8501 5th Ave NE, Maple Leaf — Mon–Fri 9am–9pm, Sat–Sun 8am–9pm (Backroom bar/lounge open till 2am Fri/Sat for karaoke, kitchen till midnight)

Kona Kitchen is my go-to when I want a Loco Moco with a hamburger patty on top of fried rice instead of the usual. Other popular dishes are spam musubi (especially with my kids) and Hawaiian style fried rice. Bonus: it's owned by Yuji Okumoto — yes, Chozen from The Karate Kid Part II and Cobra Kai — and the walls have real memorabilia from his acting career.

In case you missed them — a few guides worth bookmarking for summer:

👀 Coming up soon - my neighborhood take out guide!

🎂 Where to Host a Kids Birthday Party Near NE Seattle: 17 Venues — from our backyard to worth-the-drive

🏕️ Last-Minute Summer Camp Options - (updated last week!) still time to sign up for several of these

🌃 Date Night in Northeast Seattle — restaurants, bars, and spots worth staying out for

Can you guess the price of this real estate listing based on just one photo? Hint: 4 Bed, 3 bathroom, 2120 square feet

$1.20M
$1.325M
$1.40M
$1.495M

🎷 ArrowSpace Music | 1060 NE 100th St, Seattle, WA 98125 (Maple Leaf)
A packed weekly lineup at this community music space — Saturdays bring "Experiments in Effortlessness" (1pm) and Jam Lessons with a live ensemble (2pm), Monday nights are an all-levels amateur jam (7:30pm), Tuesdays split between a laid-back Jazz Café with vinyl and coffee (noon) and a semi-pro ensemble session (7:30pm). Bring a blanket if you're joining the Saturday movement class. (206) 661-7807.

🎶 U Village Summer Concert Series | Wednesdays 7–8:30pm at the Village Green, running through August. Free, with the beer and wine garden opening at 6pm.

Ongoing

Every Tuesday

Every Wednesday

Every Saturday

Every Sunday

🎸 Ravenna Brewing Sunday Fun Day | Free live music on the patio, 4–6pm every Sunday all summer, plus BBQ from Outsider BBQ.

🏟️ Seattle Sports Schedules

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