Christmas Ship flotilla returns Saturday

Holiday Bash timed for peak shopping weekend

There will be music, both on land and on the water, as well as holiday goodies and lots of Christmas cheer as the Christmas Ship(s) make their reappearance off Madison Park beach Saturday evening at about 4:55 pm.

The live on-board music will be provided by the Dickens Carolers.  There will also be a live band performing at the bathhouse from 3:30 until 4:45 pm, sponsored by the Madison Park Community Council and the Madison Park Business Association, which will also be providing the refreshments.

Upcoming events

Christmas Ship(s) to arrive December 22

The date and time have been set for the annual arrival of the holiday flotilla at Madison Park. The ships will be off the beach between 4:55 and 5:15 pm on Saturday, December 22. The live on-board music will be provided by the Dickens Carolers, the same group that did the honors last year.  As always, neighborhood businesses will be chipping in to provide refreshments for those enjoying the festivities.

Madison Parkers living in proximity to the Seattle Tennis Club may be able to see or hear a preview of what's to come. On November 25 the flotilla will anchor off the STC lawn for a concert from 6:00 until 6:20 pm.

We're sure to receive a missive from Argosy Cruises if we don't mention that the "Christmas Ship Festival" is an Argosy event, details here.

Arboretum Holiday Sale returns December 7 & 8

The annual Arboretum Holiday Sale, "Greens & Gifts Galore," will be held at the Graham Visitors Center on Friday, December 7, from 12 to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale will feature eco-friendly botanical decorations, such as locally sourced and sustainably harvested wreaths, swags, and garlands, as well as fresh-cut greens. Additionally, there will be specialty gifts, including gardening and nature books, handcrafted items by local artisans, botanical holiday ornaments by Michael Michaud, miniature terrarium kits, handmade gift cards, Chukar Cherries gift boxes, handmade birdseed balls, and Arboretum honey.

The event is sponsored by the Arboretum Foundation, and all sales benefit the maintenance and education programs of the Arboretum.  The Graham Visitors Center is located at 2300 Arboretum Drive E.

Koulourakia is a traditional hand-shaped, butter-based Greek pastry

Time again for baklava, spanakopita and koulourakia

The Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption will be holding its annual Holiday Fest Dinner this year on December 1 at the Church (reservations here).  But if a sit-down dinner is not your thing, you can still get some great Greek food by signing up online for the dinner to go (available for pickup on the afternoon of December 1) or for some fresh or frozen items to be picked up at the Church November 30 through December 2. Assumption Church is located at 1804 13th Avenue on Capitol Hill.

[Middle photo: New York Botanical Garden.]

Christmas ships attract big turnout

It was clear skies and smooth sailing for the arrival of the Christmas ships off Madison Park Beach last night, as hundred of spectators lined the shores, stood on the pier, or watched the show from the windows and decks of condos and apartments along the water.  The balmy-for-December air temperature may have been responsible for what was certainly the largest crowd to attend this annual event during the last decade---and perhaps ever.

The Christmas ships have been making an appearance at Madison Park for over 60 years.  Lola McKee, former proprietor of Madison Park Hardware, tells us that she can remember the ships coming for 55 of those years. This year she was content to listen to the water-borne Christmas music while standing just outside the doorway of the hardware store ("it's too slippery down at the beach.")

Those who made it down to the water got to see the parade of twenty-or-so gaily-lighted boats arrive from the North and, after a twenty-minute musical interlude, depart for the South.  The  music this year was provided by The Dickens Carolers, a Seattle-based quartet.  We understand that the cookies supplied for the event by Park Shore were excellent, though we arrived too late at the McNae Triangle Park to get any.  The Madison Park Community Council and Business Association were sponsors of the on-shore refreshments, with Starbucks supplying the coffee.

December happenings

'Christmas Ship' and flotilla arrive December 17

As regular readers of this blog know, there is officially one and only one Christmas Ship--all of the rest of the boats following in its wake each year are simply holiday hangers-on.  Just so we don't get an irritated email from Argosy Cruises (which owns the "Christmas Ship" trademark and hates to see it misused), we're reporting unofficially that "The Christmas Ships" will be arriving at the Madison Park Beach two weeks from today: Saturday, December 17, at about 4:55 pm.

This year the on-boat live musical entertainment will be The Dickens Carolers, while the on-shore refreshments will be provided courtesy of the Madison Park Business Association and Community Council, Park Shore Retirement Community, and Starbucks.

As always, you better get there on time or you'll miss the show.  The ships will start heading north at about 5:15 on their round-about voyage back to Kirkland.


'Tear down that fence!' revisited

The simmering debate over the proposed removal of the chain-link fence at Swingset Park moves into a new phase next week, with the Board of Park Commissioners meeting on Thursday, December 8, to formulate a recommendation to the Parks Superintendent.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm in the Parks Administration Building, 100 Dexter Avenue N. The Commissioners will not be taking any further input from the public at the upcoming session, but that probably won't stop a lot of interested parties from Madison Park from showing up to hear the deliberations.  No word on whether lakeside condo owners will again be chartering bus to get residents to the meeting.

Those interested in hearing about the fence-removal issue from the Superintendent himself will get a more convenient opportunity to do so when Christopher Williams, the acting Superintendent, attends the upcoming Madison Park Community Council meeting on Monday, 7 pm, at the Bath House.  The last time a representative of the Parks Department appeared at a Community Council meeting, the results were judged less than satisfactory.  This event, like the last one, is likely to be jam packed.


Another 520-design feedback session

The public is invited to weigh in on some "preliminary ideas" for the new SR 520 corridor between I-5 and the edge of Lake Washington. The feedback session will be held on Wednesday, December 7, at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), 4-7 pm.  It doesn't appear that the Washington State Department of Transportation has posted these design concepts on the 520 website as yet, but there is a lot of other background information there, including the presentation made at a public session held in early November (to access, click here.) Perhaps even more interesting, in view of the fact that the actual floating bridge design has yet to be finalized and graphically portrayed in a side view, is the fact that WSDOT at some point posted the "SR 520 Bridge Architectural Design Principles" online, which we just discovered.  Interesting reading (and lots of illustrations) for those who care to take a look.


SR 520 tolling:  is it really going to happen?

Originally, tolling on the 520 floating bridge was to have begun last spring.  We all know what happened thereafter (though with no one losing their job, as far as we're aware, over what has become one gigantic black eye for everyone involved).  Ironically, the electronic tolling system is called Good to Go, though at least on SR 520 it has proven to be Not-Good-Enough to Go to this point.  Supposedly before the end of the month the glitches will have been fixed and the money will start rolling into the State coffers.  It figures that you can't sign up for Good to Go at the present time, due to another "system upgrade" currently underway.  That upgrade should be in place and the site back in operation by 7 am on Monday morning.

Christmas ships arrive with perfect timing

The rain had stopped only minutes before, and the breeze had calmed. The sky was dark and the air crisp. Indeed, conditions were perfect for reflecting the lights and resonating the sounds of the arriving flotilla of Christmas ships as they made their way into Madison Park waters late yesterday afternoon.

The beach crowd of several hundred, mostly decked out in rain gear and toting umbrellas, had lucked out. The boat display was joyous and colorful and the musical performance by the Vivace! Cathedrals Choir was truly outstanding.

But in twenty minutes it was over. The boats sailed on to their next stop, leaving an appreciative and presumably uplifted audience behind. Many in the crowd immediately decamped to the Bathhouse for jazz and refreshments sponsored by the Montlake Community Center. Others piled into neighborhood restaurants or headed up the street for cookies and hot drinks provided by the Madison Park Community Council. And for once, no one had to complain about the weather.

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[Argosy Cruises would no doubt take it amiss if we did not acknowledge that, officially, their vessel is the one and only "Christmas Ship" (a trademarked term) and that all others in the flotilla are, well, boats.]

December happenings

If you are looking to time your holiday party this year so that it coincides with the arrival of the Christmas ships, it would be wise to plan your event for Saturday, December 18. Argosy Cruise’s “Christmas Ship” and its festive flotilla of followers are scheduled to appear off of Madison Park Beach between 4:55 and 5:15 that evening. The Vivace! Cathedrals Choir will be providing the live music.

Other than boat-borne concerts using our fabulous water backdrop, Madison Park doesn’t have much in the way of a performance venue, so holiday events in the Park each year are pretty limited. That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing happening in the neighborhood, however. Art and photo lovers, for example, will have several opportunities to view some static art at different locations in the Village during the month.

Madison Park photographer David Hiller, who spent his formative years in Los Angeles as a photographer to the music and entertainment industry, will have photos from his Music Legends portfolio on display at the Madison Park Café throughout the month. Hiller’s clients have included several icons, including Angelina Jolie. Three of his shots of Jimi Hendrix will be used for a new boxed-CD anthology to be produced by Experience Hendrix LLC (that’s Jimi above).

Madison Park’s own “Fauvist-inspired” artist, Art Messer, will have some of his work on the walls of Park Place Deli during December. His pieces were inspired by a recent trip to Paris, where he found “the movement” is still alive and well in the city’s museums and contemporary art galleries. His oil-on-canvass painting, Yellow River is shown above. A reception to kick off the show will take place on opening night, December 2, from 6 until 9 pm.

Abstract artist Margo Spellman, meanwhile, will have her art on the walls of Wendy Amdal Salon during December. Spellman was recently featured as “Artist of the Day” on Max’s Kansas City, a national art, fashion, and music website based in NYC. That’s her recent work, Through Up, above. The Madison Park Blogger’s conflict of interest regarding this talented local artist is fairly well known.

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Here’s a final note on December happenings: If you plan on picking up Greek pastries from the Church of the Assumption for your upcoming holiday party, you better get your order in quickly. The last day to get your dibs on the baklava, paximadia, and koulourakia is Tuesday, November 23. You can place your order here and pick the pastries up on December 4th and 5th at the Church, located at 1804 13th Avenue E. on Capitol Hill.

Happy December!

[Madison Park Café is located at 1807 42nd Avenue E., Park Place Deli is located at 4122 E. Madison Street, and Wendy Amdal Salon is located at 4120 E. Madison Street. Photo of the Christmas Ship courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives.]

Christmas ships reminder

Don't forget that the Christmas Ships will be arriving on our shores at about 4:55 this Saturday afternoon. Weather permitting, there will be a bonfire, hot chocolate, goodies--and of course, caroling. The ships are scheduled to depart precisely at 5:15 for a return trip to Kirkland, so if you're very late you'll miss the show. The choir on the lead Argosy ship for this year's trip to Madison Park is the Rainier Ensemble.

Officially, I am told that it is actually the Christmas Ship (not Ships), a term which Argosy Cruises has now trademarked. The other ships that follow along in the wake of the "Christmas Ship" (aka The Spirit of Seattle) are officially designated as parade boats, follow boats, or jazz boats. Who knew? The tradition of lighted boats parading on the Lake in December has supposedly been around for 60 years or so (predating Argosy Cruises for sure), so I am sticking with the term Christmas Ships.

At least we haven't gotten so politically correct as to be calling it the Holiday Ship (yet).

[Photo courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives]

Christmas ships to arrive December 19

For those of you who plan holiday parties timed to coincide with the arrival of the Christmas Ships at Madison Park Beach, you will probably be interested to know that the Seattle Department of Parks & Recreation today released this year's schedule showing that the ships will make their appearance here during the afternoon of Saturday, December 19, from 4:55 until 5:15 pm. Seems a bit earlier in the day than has been the case in past years.

For many of us, however, it is just a bit too soon to be thinking Christmas--though I see that Tully's has been decked out for the holiday season for at least a week, and Christmas trees are already in stores downtown. I guess you can never begin worrying about the holidays too early.

The Christmas Ships' appearance at Madison Park Beach is sponsored by the Miller Park and Montlake Community Centers. There is no Community Center anywhere in close proximity to Madison Park (a fact which is relevant to a story I will be posting this weekend).

By the way, the Christmas Ships will begin their Lake Washington runs on December 1, with a call on Gas Works Park. Earlier, on Sunday, November 29, there will be a preview voyage starting at Lake Union Park (860 Terry Avenue N.) at 6 pm. The ships will arrive at the Madrona Beach on Saturday, December 5 at 9:25 pm.

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[Photo by Curt Milton (cascadeguy on Flickr), who also writes the blog EastlakeAve.]