Upcoming events

Fat Salmon returns to the Park next month

It's an annual ritual: the summer arrival of the salmon to Madison Park. They come in ice chests, of course, and are the reward for swimming well done by the hundreds of participants in the Fat Salmon Open Water Swim, which this year occurs on Saturday, July 21. Registration is already full (all places were filled within four days of registration opening, a record). Those not actually swimming (or escorting swimmers in kayaks) can still enjoy the event by cheering on the teams as they arrive at Madison Park Beach. This is always a lively event for everyone--except the salmon.

Bastille Bash planned for Madison Valley

Madison Valley is leveraging its reputation as a French-themed business district by celebrating Bastille Day this year with a Bash on July 14.  There will be live music, food, wine tastings, giveaways and other festivities in honor of France's most important national holiday. The Bash this year will provide support for the Children's Response Center, a program of Harborview Hospital.

Bastille Bash wil begin at 3 and end at 8 p.m.


NW Sports Rehab holds open house Saturday

It's taken a bit longer than planned for the renovation of the space vacated by Spa del Lago (1929 43rd Avenue E.) to be completed, but NW Sports Rehab will be opening next week and hosting an open house this Saturday, June 23, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. The new sign is up, the space is virtually complete, and everyone in Madison Park is invited to come down and check things out.

Swim for Life looking for swimmers

Another worthy annual event that calls Madison Park Beach the finish line each year is Swim for Life, which benefits the Puget Sound Blood Center.  Registration is still open for teams interested in swimming to support PSBC's Be the Match registry program. We will have more on this event as we get closer to the swim date, August 15.

August happenings

Blue Angels encore

Assuming that the weather cooperates (a by-no-means certain proposition), the U.S Navy's Blue Angels will be doing their regular Seafair thing this year, which means practice sessions and performances over the Lake and, not incidentally, very-low-flying jets above Madison Park.  For those of you who need some advance warning so you can brace yourselves (and your pets) for these noisy forays, here's the Blue Angels' flying schedule while they're in Seattle:

• Thursday, Aug. 4: 9:45 am - noon/1:15 - 2:30 pm (Practice)
• Friday, Aug. 5:  12:45 pm - 2:40 pm (Practice)
• Saturday, Aug. 6: 12:45 pm - 2:40 pm (Full show)
• Sunday, Aug. 7: 12:45 pm - 2:40 pm (Full show)

Note also that if you are planning to use I-90 during any of these times you can think again.  The bridge will be closed to traffic (including that of pedestrians and cyclists) while the Blue Angels practice and perform. Pedestrians and cyclists will actually have to be off the bridge 30 minutes earlier than the starting times posted above.

Of course we love those Blue Angels, loud as they may be.  They always put on a spectacular show, one that brings a lot of people to Madison Park to watch from many vantage points, including the waterfront road ends.  Expect traffic flow and parking to be impacted on the days of the shows.

Swim for Life

The Puget Sound Blood Center's Swim for Life Across Lake Washington will arrive at Madison Park Beach on Wednesday, August 17, with literally hundreds of swimmers (and escorting kayakers) scheduled to participate.  Last year there were 80 teams involved, each with a maximum of four swimmers plus one kayaker.  More than $50,000 was raised for the PSBC through their fund-raising efforts.

Though registration is still open for this year's event, there are only 30 swimming spots left; so you better move fast if you want to get in on the swimming or kayaking side of this charitable endeavor (more information is available here).  And if you still need a reason for swimming, kayaking, or contributing money to the cause, a good synopsis of why this is a worthy event is provided by a two-time Swim for Life participant here.

The 2.2 mile Swim begins at Medina Beach at 7:30 am and should begin arriving at Madison Park Beach about an hour later.  Since it's a staggered-start affair, teams will be arriving here throughout the early morning.

As was true last year, this year's event specifically benefits the national Be the Match bone-marrow donor program.

Music in the Park returns

It's now a tradition that in August there is a weekly musical celebration in the Park, open and free to all.   This year is no exception, with a different group performing on each Thursday evening during the month, beginning at 6:30 pm.  Three of the four groups slated as part of the Music in the Park series are popular performers from the past, and one (The Ben E Band, shown above) will be presenting their music here for the first time.

This is the weekly lineup:

• August 4 - Two Scoops Combo  (blues, boogie woogie, swing)
• August 11 - The Ben E Band  ("soulful" covers)
• August 18 - SuperSones  (Cuban son)
• August 25 - Jonathan Kingham  (folk, pop, country, and jazz)

The Music in the Park series is presented by the Madison Park Business Association.  The concerts are held on the grass in the area by the tennis courts on east side of the City park (42nd Avenue E. and E. Howe Street).

Medina to Madison Park in an hour or so

They piled onto the Madison Park shore this morning in five separate waves. Swimmers (306 of them) and kayakers (80 of them), all having plowed across Lake Washington to benefit a very good cause. It was by far the biggest Swim for Life in the 13 year history of the event, which raises funds for the Puget Sound Blood Center (PSBC). Last year there were only 250 or so participants, and it was not that long ago (perhaps two years) that there were only about 30 swimmers making the race.

So Swim for Life, the brainchild of banker Scott Leopold, has come a long way since 1998 when, according to PSBC President James AuBuchon, Leopold did the very first Swim for Life solo.

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The weather didn’t quite cooperate, making the course choppy (“wicked fierce” said one participant); and the air temperature was a bit bracing for the swimmers when they arrived on the beach after their 2.25- mile workout. But shivering or not (and most were not), everyone seemed to be having a good time, spectators included.

For reasons of safety, a kayaker was a part of each of the 80 teams participating. With a maximum of four swimmers per team, the kayakers were able to effectively monitor the progress of each of the team's swimmers as they navigated the straight-line course to Madison Park.

Swim for Life this year was successful in raising almost $50,000 as of the start of the race. And it’s not too late to donate, so click here to do so. All funds raised from the event this year will go to fund registration fees for the national bone marrow registry.

August Happenings

Blue Angels

Last year at about this time I warned everyone to dig out those earplugs and doggie tranquilizers—and the same advice applies this year. As everyone who’s lived in the Park during Seafair knows, it gets a bid loud down here when those boys do the flyovers. The Blue Angels’ schedule for this year has them practicing on Thursday, August 5, from 10 am until 12 pm and again from 1:30 until 2:30 pm. They will be performing on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 1:30 until 2:30 pm. Note that there will be I-90 bridge closures related to this schedule. For more information, click here.

MadArt in the Park

Following up on the successful installation of original artworks in the windows of Madison Park shops last summer, MadArt has changed focus this year and moved the venue to Cal Anderson Park on Capitol Hill. The brainchild of Madison Park resident Alison Milliman, MadArt seeks to “support emerging artists in our community, to bring art into our lives in unexpected ways, and to create community involvement in the arts.” The unexpected art will be produced this time by six “emerging” sculptors, who will create the art in the park during the next week and a half, with a kickoff event celebrating the installations happening on August 12, beginning at 7 pm. As part of the kickoff, Madison Park's own IndieFlix will be presenting an outdoor screening of four short films ("a film Festival in a Box") at 9 pm. Cal Anderson Park is located at 1635 11th Avenue. Additional information on the sculptors and the event is available here.

New Photography Exhibit

Madison Park photographers Noreen Frink and Morgan Davidson will be among seven “luminary photographers” to be featured this month in a new exhibit at the Gallery at Maison Michel (1928 43rd Avenue E.). Also among the exhibitors will be blind photographer William Madison, whose interesting story is available here. The exhibit will open with a (public invited) reception on August 5 (4-8 pm) and run through the start of Madison Park Art Walk (which begins on September 11).

Swim for Life

The 13th annual Puget Sound Blood Center Swim for Life from Medina to Madison Park will happen on Wednesday, August 18th, beginning at 7:30 a.m. The 2.5-mile swim is an individual event as well as a team event, with each team involving four swimmers and a kayaker. This year’s swim benefits the Center’s Bone Marrow Registry. Registration ends August 11, and you may register here. Swim for Life’s fans are on Facebook.

“Pushing Up the Sky”

The UW Botanic Gardens, Friends of Yesler Swamp, and the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) will be putting on a fun event for kids (ages 3 and up) at MOHAI on August 22 (1-3 pm). It will be a series of audience-participation plays for children based on Snohomish tribal legends and folktales from around the world. The plays will be followed by a naturalist-guided nature walk. MOHAI is located at 2700 24th Avenue East. The suggested donation is $10 per family. Proceeds go to the restoration and preservation of Yesler Swamp, “a unique piece of nature in the heart of Seattle.” More information is available at YeslerSwampTrail.wordpress.com.
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[Photo from www.pdphoto.org.]

Swim for Life a big success

I got a bit off assignment this morning, as I was supposed to be covering the Puget Sound Blood Center's 12th Annual Swim for Life Across Lake Washington. I was diverted, however, by the spectacular crash of the dump truck in Madison Valley. Nevertheless, here's a photo of a member of the first team to make it across the 2.5-mile course, which began at Medina Beach.

The swim started at 7:30, and the first swimmer arrived at the Madison Street dock at about 8:45. Not bad. She was a waif-like teenage girl without a wetsuit! Supposedly the water was realtively warm (70 degrees in some spots), but most of the swimmers I saw definitely had wetsuits.

Swim organizers told me that the event, which raised money to fund a new bloodmobile for the PSBC, had significantly more participation than last year. About 250 swimmers made it across the lake, even though not all of them could do in with a an hour-fifteen time.