🏗 Wedgwood Center Has a New Developer. Also: Fourth of July Is Almost Here.

The weather this week gave us whiplash — a stretch of actual summer heat, then back to gray and cool, like June changed its mind. I'm not complaining. The plants are getting watered for free, and every bit of rain this time of year does quiet work keeping wildfire season at bay. Our snowpack has been low so we can get all the help we can get! If you want to keep an eye on things like wildfire risk and AQI as we head into summer, the WFCA's live Washington fire map is a good one to bookmark - it shows active fires, size, and containment in real time.

🏗 The big local news from this past weekend: there are real signs of life at the Wedgwood Center site at NE 85th & 35th. After Security Properties walked away in January, updated permit filings point to a new developer stepping in - more below.

⚽ USA topped Group D and heads to Santa Clara tomorrow July 1st to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 at 5pm. Win that one, and they're right back here! Lumen Field hosts the Round of 16 on July 6. Worth circling on the calendar either way.

🎆 Fourth of July is Saturday, and if you’re interested in seeing fireworks I put together a full guide to where to watch fireworks this year - ordered by how far you have to drive from NE Seattle, from Matthews Beach (closest, underrated) all the way out if you want to really go for it. Also did you know Mountlake Terrace has a fireworks show on July 3rd? Find it here.

🍓 For berry lovers like myself: raspberry season is open at the Spooner Farms booth. Worth the drive to 80th and 35th if you've got raspberry lovers in your house!

📋 Quick ask if you haven't yet - last week I sent out a short reader survey. Two minutes, six questions, nothing identifying. If you missed it: take it here. It helps me how to shape this newsletter in the future!

One housekeeping note: no issue next Tuesday, July 7. Back in your inbox July 14.

Know someone who'd enjoy this? Forward it along — it really does help!

Looking for a last minute camp for your kiddo? If you've got a curious 4th–8th grader who's run out of things to build, Verdafield's outdoor science camp is right in our backyard at Ravenna Park this summer. Blast Off! (July 6 & 13) has kids designing and launching their own rocket-powered vehicles. Power Up! (Aug 3 & 10) gets into electrical circuits and building renewable energy systems from scratch.

What sets it apart is who's teaching: a former MIT/NASA spaceflight researcher, a Boeing Technical Fellow and UW professor, and the engineer who built guidance systems for the James Webb Space Telescope. That's not the usual summer camp roster.

Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm. $499/week. Full scholarships available. → camp.verdafield.com

After Security Properties walked away from the Wedgwood Center redevelopment back in January, the site's been sitting in limbo. This week, the Wedgwood Community Council spotted the first real sign of life: permit filings with the city show updated contacts and a new plan set (dated December 2025), pointing to a new developer in the mix. The WCC believes — though it hasn't been formally confirmed by the property owner — that the new developer is Madison Development Group, a local build-to-hold firm similar in profile to Security Properties.

The plan filed looks like a continuation of the same design already through design review, not a start-from-scratch redo. Nothing's official yet, and the WCC hasn't met with the new developer directly. But after a January that felt like the whole project might quietly die, this is the first concrete reason to think otherwise. Fingers crossed.

→ Read the WCC's full update

📖 Wendy Call at Third Place Books Ravenna (6504 20th Ave NE) — Wednesday, July 1, 7pm

Translator Wendy Call comes to the Ravenna store for a conversation about two newly translated collections by Mexican Indigenous poets: Stolen Flower by Irma Pineda and Red Seed: Poems for Luno by Cruz Alejandra Lucas Juárez. There's a signing and audience Q&A built in. Free, but RSVP is recommended. → RSVP here

🪕 Community Kirtan at blosm studio (8050 35th Ave NE) — Wednesday, July 1, 7–9pm

This one's practically in Wedgwood's backyard now — blosm studio moved into the old Birds Connect building at 35th & 82nd earlier this year. Community Kirtan is open to anyone: lead a chant, join the singing, or just sit back and let the sound wash over you. $10 suggested donation, no experience needed. → blosmstudio.com

🔧 Fix-It Night at NE Seattle Tool Library (10228 Fischer Pl NE) — Thursday, July 2, 5–8pm

Bring your broken lamps, toys, small appliances, and anything else that's been sitting in a "fix it someday" pile. Volunteers help you repair it on the spot rather than just telling you how. It's a recurring monthly event, so worth a quick check on their site if you're reading this after the fact. → seattlereconomy.org

⚽ FIFA World Cup Watch Parties at Lake City Library

Two chances to catch the action on the library's screen this week — Wednesday, July 1, 1–3pm, and Friday, July 3, 3–5pm. Free, family-friendly, and a good excuse to skip the bar crowd if you've got kids in tow. → Lake City Branch events

🍦 Maple Leaf Summer Social at Maple Leaf Park Playground — Wednesday, July 15, 5:30pm

One of the area's biggest annual gatherings: music, food, local businesses and nonprofits tabling, and games. It's the kind of event that turns a Wednesday evening into a genuine block party, drawing the community to the park. Since there's no issue next week, this is your advance notice. Save the date! → Details from the Maple Leaf Community Council

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

If you've been putting off a reservation because it feels fancier than it is - don't. Three Sacks Full is one of those Ravenna spots that's easy to undersell: you text them, they text back, and you're in. The menu changes daily and leans hard into local, seasonal produce, but it never feels precious about it — and the prices don't match how good the food actually is.

It's become our go-to for two very different occasions: a date night (it's on my date night guide for a reason) and also just catching up with a friend over a glass of wine. Same room works for both, which says something.

A couple of practical notes: no online reservations — just call or text 206-330-9805. Dine-in only, no food to-go. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and closed this Saturday, July 4 (they reopen the 5th).

Wed–Sat 4–9pm (kitchen 5–9pm) · Sun 4–8pm (kitchen 5–8pm)

If you haven't been down to University Way NE in a while, it's worth a trip. The College Inn Pub — the dim, subterranean bar that's been pouring pints near campus since 1973 — has new ownership: Jae Chang, who also owns Cafe Happy upstairs, took over last fall and kept the place exactly as dark and beloved as it's always been. Seattle Times wrote a great piece about the pub here.

Cafe Happy anchors a broader boba scene - with roughly two dozen boba shops in the U District, the neighborhood has quietly become Seattle's bubble tea capital. Lois Ko of Sweet Alchemy is opening a new dessert-and-cocktail spot called Elixir just north of 45th (mornings it operates as Grean Matcha). And Shultzy's Bar & Grill — a 38-year neighborhood mainstay — is still the kind of place that helps new business owners get their footing.

Cafe Happy  ·  College Inn Pub  ·  Elixir / Grean Matcha  ·  Shultzy's  ·  Sweet Alchemy

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

🎆 Where to Watch 4th of July Fireworks in Seattle — ordered by drive time from NE Seattle

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

⚽ Where to Watch the World Cup Near NE Seattle — bars, fan zones, and one venue to check before you go

🌃 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: 5 Bed, 3 bathroom, 2530 square feet

$1.55M
$1.85M
$2.1M
$2.25M

🎶 Save the Date: U Village Summer Concert Series | Starts Wednesday, July 15, 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. July 5: Princeton Bridge + Happy Smacks pop-up. (5408 26th Ave NE)

🏟️ Seattle Sports Schedules

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