ISLAND SUMMER
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98040 | JUNE 2013 | ISLANDSUMMER
ISLANDSUMMER | June 2013 | 98040
Summer at Last 4 5
Citizen of the Year Giving Back on the Back of a Bike
8-9 Green Moves 10 A Place to Play 11 Tasty Eats at the Farmers Market
98040 is a publication of the Mercer Island Reporter 3047 78th Ave. S.E. #207 Publisher: William Shaw Editor: Mary L. Grady Advertising Sales: Theres’a Baumann Production: Melanie Morgan Photography: Staff Cover art by Timothy Malcham
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File Photo
Founded by a Chicago newspaper man in 1949, the Mercer Island Reporter was sold for $0.15 per copy in 1969. Like the community it serves, the Mercer Island Reporter has had a colorful history. Over the years, writers and publishers came from Italy, Canada and even Bellevue to call the Reporter their own. Each brought a fresh view of Island life. Frank Nolan had owned a print shop in New York’s Harlem neighborhood even before the days of gin and jazz, and had somehow made his way out west. He wrote some of the first stories about the Island in 1911. By 1949, Jack Genack, another migrant and a retired Chicago newspaperman, began publishing a weekly Mercer Islander. The Mercer Island Reporter, as it is known today, was founded in the spring of 1954 by Fred M. Bassetti. Bassetti, known as
‘FMB’ by locals, was an Italian immigrant who also wrote and printed an Italian-language paper in Seattle’s Rainier Valley. The office for the eight-page Reporter was a drop box outside of an Island shoe repair shop, Chick’s Shoes, a place that still stands today. Later, a trio of Islanders pooled $1,200 to buy the Reporter. They converted the tabloid to a metropolitan broadsheet. Two competitors sprang up, but were quickly vanquished. Over the next 50 years, the format of the paper shifted back and forth, as did its ownership. The paper has been owned by a Longview, Wash., timber magnate, and later, a newspaper in Honolulu. The paper was purchased by the Bellevue newspaper, The Journal American, which became the Eastside Journal in
2002. In 2006, the Journal was purchased by Sound Publishing, one of a group of papers held by Black Press of Canada. Through it all, the Reporter has remained true to its roots. The newspaper staff knows that the paper does not belong to them but to the people of the Island community. It remains the indisputable source of local news — documenting the events, people and the ideas they care deeply about. They turn to it each week to check on Island happenings, their children’s schools, their neighbors, parks and their lake. As FMB wrote of the Reporter in 1955, “The residents of the Island possess in uncommon measure that fervent community spirit which is so necessary to secure its success.”
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98040 | JUNE 2013 | ISLANDSUMMER
Citizen of the year is adventurer Fran Call By Rebecca Mar
This month marks the 43rd anniversary of Fran Call’s first bicycling journey with the Cyclemates across America. It was New York or bust. “The intrepid 15 — 14 junior high students and teacher Miss Frances Call — took off at 7:45 a.m. Friday morning (June 12, 1970) from North Mercer Junior High School for New York City, where they expect to arrive August 10,” the Mercer Island Reporter announced. One additional student joined the group in Michigan, making the total 16 when they arrived at their destination, “right smack on schedule,” the newspaper reported. In recognition of her lifelong pursuit of athletic achievement for herself and her community, the Mercer Island City Council named Call the 2012 Citizen of the Year this month. Call, who will be 73 in July, taught language arts and social studies at North Mercer Junior High, which merged with South Mercer Junior High to become Islander Middle School in the early 1980s. Before joining the Mercer Island School District, she taught for five years at a Catholic girls’ high school, Forest Ridge. While growing up, she had attended a Catholic school in Bethesda, Md. Call was born in Washington, D.C., in 1940. Her father served as an officer in the Army and her family moved extensively, living in 17 different houses altogether. Her parents, who eventually settled in Bellevue, were always supportive of her adventures, she said. She has one older brother. Once a state finalist in NASA’s ‘Teacher in Space’ program, Call would have been on board the ill-fated Challenger space shuttle if she had been successful in her bid. She finished in 11th place, and the Challenger exploded immediately after being launched, killing all seven crew members. Call’s teaching career spanned 31 years, ending with her retire-
ment in 1993. “Teaching is in my blood,” said Call, whose mother and aunts were teachers. Call’s legendary outdoor fitness class was unlike any other. Walking 55 miles around Lake Washington in one day and canoeing around Mercer Island were annual events. During the same summer that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, Call took some students on a bicycling trip around the Olympic Peninsula. “We said, why don’t we go further next summer?” she said. None of them had any summer plans, and she wanted to keep them active. One student suggested bicycling to Spokane; another said, let’s cross the File Photo Mississippi River. But Fran Call, left, rides with her outdoor fitness class in June 1991, one of many bicycle outings. why stop there? They would go all the way to change a flat tire. bad, they would take refuge in a New York City. church in a small town and roll The group set out from the It was not, however, North Mercer school parking lot on out sleeping bags in the hall or a school-sponsored the basement, and cook hot food 10-speed bikes, each packed with activity. It was an in the kitchen. Occasionally, they 30 pounds of supplies in canvas independent venture. Back then, would treat themselves to a night saddle bags. They carried tents bicycling wasn’t the thing to do in a motel. Often, locals would and poles, sleeping bags and like it is now, Call said. Rarely did invite the group to spend the night pads, rain gear and water bottles. anyone see a group of youngsters camping in their backyard, or the Everyone had about four T-shirts, together, and in those days, no group stayed with the students’ two pairs of shorts and a warm one thought about bicycling across shirt for cool nights. Helmets were relatives and friends who were the continent. spread out across the country. not worn in those days. They were “When I look back on it, it’s quite never accompanied by a ‘sag “The generosity of the local amazing that their parents let folks impressed us,” Call wagon.’ them go,” Call said. said. A large crowd gathShe chose the participants, ages ered to see them off, There were a few 13 through 15, based on four crite- and a minister or accidents, but nothrion — the youth were courteous, ing that couldn’t be priest would pray for careful, capable and determined. handled. Some kids them. fell off of their bikes. “I refer to these kids as my sum“When we left, we But overall, they mertime children,” said Call, who would always set rode safely. They has never married and does not the time and date cycled for five days, have children of her own. of when we would then took one day off arrive,” Call said. To prepare for the trip, she — sleeping in until 7 obtained road maps with marked They never failed to a.m. instead of 6 a.m. campgrounds. Gas stations provid- reach their destination They would wash clothes ed free maps. Then, along the way, on time. at a laundromat. the group would ask questions of Call was 29 when the CycleThey encountered extremes in the locals — which road is better mates embarked on their first weather — snow in Yellowstone to take? What is in the next town? adventure, and celebrated her National Park, and 110 degrees The students earned their own 30th birthday during the trip. Her in Utah. Riding through the Badmoney to pay for the trip by holding students bought some chamthey made sure to have one car washes, baby-sitting and doing pagne, and it became her birthday lands, extra drink, such as lemonade, in other chores. Planning a budget tradition — something they would addition to their water bottle. was part of the learning experinever do today. “We had to be careful about beence. They ate a lot of peanut butter ing hydrated,” Call said. Call showed them the basics of sandwiches and cold cereal, and bike mechanics — how to oil the sometimes went a week without chain, tighten the nuts and bolts, a shower. If the weather was Citizen | Page 11
ISLANDSUMMER | June 2013 | 98040
Sometimes two things that don’t seem to fit together are a perfect match. Cycling events and charity may be one example. There are plenty of opportunities to do both in the greater Eastside area, and on occasion the two intersect. Here’s a look at some local cycling events with the proceeds benefiting charities.
Red-Bell 100
The Red-Bell 100 is an annual pledge ride that benefits the Cascade Bicycle Club’s education foundation for youth programming and the World Bicycle Relief. The ride takes place on June 29 from Redmond to Bellingham. The event is limited to 600 riders. The event will finish with a barbecue at Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham. The event supports the World Bicycle Relief program in Africa, which takes bicycles to Africa, helping people with new ways to get around. The CBC’s youth program benefits over 25,000 each year.
To learn more, donate or register, visit worldbicyclerelief.akaraisin.com.
Derby Days Redmond will celebrate the 73rd annual Derby Days in downtown Red-
mond, July 12-13. The event features the Criterium on Saturday, July 13, at 1 p.m. Criterium is a multi-lap race on a closed course. To learn more, visit www.redmondderbydays.com.
Obliteride
Obliteride is a new event this year, raising money for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Riders can pick from 25, 50, 100 or even a two-day, 180-mile ride that starts at Magnuson Park in Seattle on Aug. 10. The 180mile ride will travel to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma before returning to Magnuson the next day.
All of the proceeds from the event go toward funding cancer research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Registration is $100 for the 25, 50 and 100-mile routes, while the 180-mile event is $150. Each rider is responsible for raising a minimum of $1,000 to $1,975, depending on the length of their ride. Funds must be raised by Oct. 1, 2013. To learn more or to register for the event, visit www. obliteride.org.
Cycle the WAVE
Cycle the WAVE (Women Against Violence Everywhere) benefits several local agencies aimed at helping women. This year’s sixth annual event will take place on Sept. 15. Riders can sign up for several different cycle lengths, ranging from 15 miles to 59 miles. Since the ride began in 2005, Cycle the WAVE Washington has raised over $480,000. To learn more, visit wa.cyclethewave. org.
Find more local events online at www.mi-reporter.com.
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Giving back...
on the back of a bike
Contributed Photo
Hundreds of cyclists race through the downtown streets of Redmond during the 2012 Criterium event.
Mercer Island Summer Celebration! 2013 Schedule of Events
98040 | JUNE 2013 | ISLANDSUMMER
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SATURDAY
Saturday July 13 - 9:00am - 10:30pm
Youth on 3 Basketball Tournament 3 on 3 3Basketball Tournament
9am - 5pm 9:30am - 10am 10am 10:45am - 11:45am 11am - 12:30pm 11am -7pm 11am -7pm 11am - 7pm 11am - 5pm 11am-7pm 11am-7pm 11:45am - 12:30pm 12:30pm 12:40pm 1pm - 2:30pm 1pm - 2pm 2pm - 3pm 2pm 3pm - 4:00pm 3pm- 4:30pm 4pm - 5pm 4:30pm 5pm - 6pm 6pm - 7pm 7pm - 10:30pm 7:15pm - 8:15pm 8:30pm - 10:15pm Approx. 10pm
9am - 10:30pm
Luther Burbank Tennis Courts Mercer Mile Fun Run Parade Route (starts at the Thrift Shop) (Sponsored by Minor & James Medical) “It’s Magic!” Grand Parade 78th Avenue SE, downtown Mercer Island (Sponsored by the MI Community Fund) Veteran’s Recognition & Performance Pergola Stage- Mercerdale Park With a performance by the band Charlie & the Flashbacks (Sponsored by the Friends of the Mercer Island VFW, Au Courant Hair Salon and Parlor Elan) Boat Ride Around the Island (Ticketed Event) Luther Burbank Park Docks Boarding begins at 10:30am, tickets available at the community center starting in June Street Fair (Crafts, Food, Booths) Mercerdale Streets MIVAL Junior Arts Show Wells Fargo Bank Parking Lot (Sponsored by MI Visual Arts League) Souvenirs & Information Information Booth- Near Old Recycle Center MI Arts Council Kids Craft Tent Mercerdale Park Kids Obstacle Course Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by Seattle Children's) Children’s Fun Zone (Inflatable Rides & more) Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by Mercer Island Chiropractic) Family Magic Show with Magician Windermere Stage– Mercerdale Park Magic and Comedy with a new magician hosting each show My First Garden planting activity Pergola Stage- Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by Windermere Real Estate of Mercer Island) Houdini Challenge Pergola Stage– Mercerdale Park Magician suspended upside down in Strait Jacket Boat Ride Around the Island (Ticketed Event) Luther Burbank Park Docks Boarding begins at 10:30am, 12:30pm, tickets available at the community center starting in June Mystery Tour Windermere Stage- Mercerdale Park Live Music: Beatles Tribute Show Beginning Magic Class #1 Pergola Stage - Mercerdale Park Hands on beginning magic using common household items Wooden O Theatre “The Tempest” Luther Burbank Amphitheatre Shakespeare in the Park Play (Sponsored by the Mercer Island Arts Council) Family Magic Show Windermere Stage– Mercerdale Park Magic and Comedy with a new magician hosting each show Boat Ride Around the Island (Ticketed Event) Luther Burbank Park Docks 2:30pm, tickets available at the community center starting in June Boarding begins at 10:30am, Scott Cossu Pergola Stage– Mercerdale Park Live Music: Smooth Jazz Piano Aubrey Davis Park Dedication (formerly known as Park on the Lid) Park Dedication will be at the park on SE 22nd St. by the tennis courts Po’okela Street Band Windermere Stage– Mercerdale Park Live Music: Jamaican Reggae & Hawaiian Island style rhythms Mercerart Dancers Pergola Stage– Mercerdale Park Dance performances from Mercer Island’s oldest dance school Firework Celebration Festivities Luther Burbank Park Masters of Magic Show Luther Burbank Park Professional magicians and illusionists team up for a spectacular show Oncore Luther Burbank Park Live Music: Top 40 R&B, hits from the 60’s to today! Fireworks Luther Burbank Park (Sponsored by True Value Hardware, Kitchen Plus, and the City of Mercer Island)
Thank You to Our 2013 Sponsors!
July 13 &
3 on 3 Basketball Fireworks Cruise Car Show Mercer Mile Fun Run
www.misummerc All the Best Petcare Brad Judy, DDS, PLLC Booth Construction, Inc. Club Sunglass, Inc. Costco #110 Covenant Shores Cutco Cutlery
Evergreen Softub Gutter Solutions NW, I Karate West Hot Jamz Radio Kixi AM 880 Matvey Construction Mercer Island Photo H
ISLANDSUMMER | June 2013 | 98040
SUNDAY
Sunday July 14th - 8:00am - 5:00pm 9am 9am-12pm July 14th Boys- &8:00am Girls Club Pancake Breakfast Sunday - 5:00pm 10am-5pm 9am-12pm 10am - 10:30am 10am-5pm 10am - 10:30am 10:30am - 11am 10:30am - 11am 10am -5pm 10am 10am -5pm -3pm 10am 10am -3pm -5pm 10am -5pm 10am -5pm 10am -5pm 10am – 5pm 10am – 5pm 10am – 5pm 10am 5pm 11am – - 12pm 11am 12pm -- 12pm 1pm 12pm 1pm 1pm - -2pm 1pm - 2pm 2pm - 3pm 2pm 3pm - 3pm 3pm 3:20pm - 5pm 3:20pm - 5pm
& 14, 2013
History
Souvenirs & Information Info. Booth - Near Old Recycle Center Boys Girls Club Pancake Breakfast Near OldStage Recycle Center Park Youth&Theatre! Northwest Pergola - Mercerdale Souvenirs & Information Info. Booth - Near Old Recycle Center Excerpt from ”Godspell” Youth Stinky’s Theatre!Magic Northwest Pergola StageStage - Mercerdale Park Park Uncle Show Windermere - Mercerdale Excerpt from ”Godspell” Long-time Summer Celebration Magician’s Stage Show Uncle Stinky’s Show WindermerePark Stage - Mercerdale Park Children’s Fun Magic Zone (Inflatable Rides & More) Mercerdale Long-time Summer Celebration Magician’s Stage Show (Sponsored by Mercer Island Chiropractic) Children’s Mercerdale Park Parking Lot Car Show Fun Zone (Inflatable Rides & More) Farmer's Insurance (Sponsored by by Mercer Mercer Island Island Apartment Chiropractic) (Sponsored Homes by BRE Properties) Car Show Farmer's Insurance Street Fair (Crafts, Food, Booths) Mercerdale Streets Parking Lot (Sponsored byObstacle Mercer Island Properties) Kids Olympic CourseApartment Homes by BRE Mercerdale Park Street Fair (Crafts, Food, Booths) Mercerdale Streets (Sponsored by Seattle Children's) Kids Olympic Obstacle Course Mercerdale MI Arts Council Craft Tent Mercerdale Park Park (Sponsored byArts Seattle Children's) MIVAL Junior Show Wells Fargo Bank Parking Lot MI Arts Council Craft Tent Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by MI Visual Arts League) MIVAL Wells Fargo Bank Parking LotPark BubblesJunior & FogArts Show Pergola Stage - Mercerdale (Sponsored by MI Visual Live Music-Country Rock Arts Duo League) Bubbles & Magic Fog Class #2 Pergola StageStage - Mercerdale Park Park Beginning Windermere - Mercerdale Live Rock Duo MoreMusic-Country hands on beginning magic using common household items Beginning Magic Class #2 Windermere - Mercerdale Steffan Soule’s “Magic & Wonder of Reading” Pergola StageStage - Mercerdale Park Park More hands onFamily beginning magic using common household items Children’s and Magic Show Steffan Soule’s “Magic & Wonder of Reading” Pergola Stage - Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by the Mercer Island Friends of the Library) Children’s Magic Busand Family Magic Show Windermere Stage - Mercerdale Park (Sponsored by the Rock Mercer Island Friends of the Library) Live Music- Classic Magic Bus Windermere - Mercerdale Houdini Challenge Pergola StageStage - Mercerdale Park Park Live MusicClassic Rock Magician suspended upside down in Strait Jacket Houdini Challenge Pergola Stage--Mercerdale MercerdalePark Park Final Family Magic Show Windermere Magician upside down in Strait Jacket Final showsuspended with magic and comedy Final Family Magic Show Windermere - Mercerdale Park Final show with magic and comedy
Music
Entertainment
THANK OUR 2013 SPONSORS! WITHOUT THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT, THE SUMMER CELEBRATION! FESTIVAL THEIR WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE! THANK OUR 2013 SPONSORS! WITHOUT GENEROUS SUPPORT, Please visit their booths, shop in their businesses, and let them know you appreciate what they do! THE SUMMER CELEBRATION! FESTIVAL WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE!
MYSTERY TOUR what they do! Please visit their booths, shop in their businesses, and let them know you appreciate Saturday 7/13, 1pm - Mercerdale Park
LESLIE MCKINNEY
DAVID SANDY
WOODEN O THEATER - “The Tempest” Saturday 7/13, 2pm Luther Burbank Park Amphitheatre
SCOTT COSSU
Boat Rides Mival Jr Art Show Food Fair Parade
rcelebration.com
Inc.
Magic
- 5pm Near Old Recycle Center
Mercer Island Reporter Mercer Wellness Chiropractic Mud Bay Orthodontic Associates of MI Puget Sound Energy Qdoba Mexican Grill Renewal by Andersen
Springfree Trampoline Sterling Milfoil Removal Sunrise Senior Living The Mercer Luxury Apartments Usborne Books Z-Ultimate Defense Studio
All the Best Petcare Brad Judy, DDS, PLLC All the Construction, Best Petcare Inc. Booth Brad Sunglass, Judy, DDS,Inc. PLLC Club Booth Construction, Inc. Costco #110 Club Sunglass, Inc. Covenant Shores CostcoCutlery #110 Cutco Covenant Shores Emerald City Smoothie Cutco Cutlery Karate West Emerald Smoothie Hot JamzCity Radio Karate Kixi AMWest 880 Hot JamzConstruction Radio Matvey Kixi AM Island 880 Photo History Mercer Matvey Island Construction Mercer Reporter Mercer Photo History Mercer Island Wellness Chiropractic Mercer Mud BayIsland Reporter Mercer Wellness Chiropractic Orthodontic Associates of MI Mud Bay Puget Sound Energy Orthodontic Associates Qdoba Mexican Grill of MI Puget Sound Energy Qdoba Mexican Grill
TOM BURGOON
KIRK CHARLES
LANCE RICH
NATE JESTER
Saturday 7/13, 4pm Renewal by Andersen Springfree Trampoline Mercerdale Park RenewalMilfoil by Andersen Sterling Removal Springfree Trampoline Sunrise Senior Living Sterling Milfoil Removal The Mercer Luxury Apartments Sunrise UsborneSenior BooksLiving Saturday 7/13,Defense 5pm -Apartments Mercerdale Park The Mercer Luxury Z-Ultimate Studio Usborne Books Z-Ultimate Defense Studio
PO’OKELA STREET BAND ONCORE
Saturday 7/13, 8:30pm Fireworks Show - Luther Burbank Park
YOUTH THEATRE NORTHWEST! (Excerpts from Godspell) Sunday 7/14, 10am - Mercerdale Park
UNCLE STINKY’S MAGIC SHOW Sunday 7/14, 10:30am
BUBBLES & FOG Sunday 7/14, 11am
MAGIC BUS
Sunday 7/14, 2pm
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98040 | JUNE 2013 | ISLANDSUMMER
Green moves Changes big and small can add up to a better life for all on the Island By Ross Freeman City of Mercer Island Mercer Island may be small geographically, but our influence is much bigger, reaching far and wide across Puget Sound and beyond. We are increasingly a community of engaged citizens and leaders who want to make the world a better place by reducing their collective environmental impacts. Living on an island provides an inescapable sense of being part of the natural world: it is literally all around us, providing daily reminders of the benefits we Ross Freeman according to our enjoy. And 2012 telephone survey, 75 percent of you have a positive impression of the work that the city does to protect those benefits, such as the quality of the Island’s environment and the health of the water that surrounds us. For almost a decade now, Mercer Island’s city government has advanced sustainability measures, striving to “consider the relationship between the decisions we make as a community and their long-term impacts” according to the 2006 Comprehensive Plan. And in 2007, the Council resolved to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent or more below 2005 levels by 2050. Clearly, we really need to get busy! Fortunately, we have plan. In 2012, a Sustainability Policy Task Force convened by Mayor Bruce Bassett crafted a set of recommendations for city action. After eight months of deliberation, the group of 14 citizens and officials delivered a report (available on the city website) containing actions across five focus areas. These suggestions represent their perspective on the best
near-term projects to immediately improve our Inserting sustainability and livability into other island’s ‘footprint’ in a cost-effective manner. city documents – for example, in our latest bienOne of the first fundamental suggestions to be nial budget, each department explains how it adimplemented was hiring me, the city’s first susdresses sustainability; and in our Transportation tainability manager. Improvement Plan, we’re starting Our city manager is fond of In 2007 the Council to look at sustainable measures. saying that this is a “full serRolling out green building resolved to reduce vice city” – and along with all standards – the rebuilding of Fire greenhouse gas the conventional offerings, we Station #92 will employ a number emissions by 80 now include an additional serof green construction features percent or more vice: stewardship of the very designed to save energy and environment that ultimately conserve resources. What kind below 2005 levels provides us all with a home. of incentives can we offer that by 2050. will encourage residents to follow We are building the Task suit? Force recommendations into a broader Sustainability Action Access to express buses – drivPlan with a rolling six-year ers wanting to use mass transit horizon, just like have a hard time finding parking at the existing many other major city Park & Ride station and future light rail riders programs. Some big expect similar troubles. Could future parking lots picture items that we at Town Center serve double-duty as parking for are currently research- customers and transit users? ing include: Many of the measures listed above count on Implementing betsignificant long-term public participation to be a Fair Pricing & Free Estimates ter tracking – a new success. But, it’s also important to build mocomprehensive carbon mentum with some simpler, near-term actions. footprint tool will help For example, here are five notable initiatives that Licensed & Insured identify additional will soon be underway. for Portfolio See www.pjf-enterprises.com ways that the city • Electric Vehicle Charging: Over the past 18 administration and months, the three city-owned stations have Island residents can served 1,000 users and are often occupied for reduce impacts. hours on end. We’re looking at more designated
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ISLANDSUMMER | June 2013 | 98040 parking and more machines. • Commercial Composting: Most homes enjoy free curbside food waste collection, but it’s not so simple for businesses and apartment buildings. That needs to change, and we’re exploring options. • Solar Power: In the next few weeks, the first city-owned solar array will be installed at the Community and Event Center for all to see. • Lighting Retrofit: With grant money, we are upgrading the lighting above Town Center’s parking lots to modern LEDs. The cost savings will feed into a loan fund that will underwrite
other energy-efficiency projects in the future. • Plastic Bag Ban: Late this fall, we will begin hearings on a proposed ban of single-use, disposable plastic shopping bags on the Island. So what can you do in your own daily life? Some residents are already pretty far along with changes to their daily routines and may be seeking out the bigger challenges, while others are just getting started. There are transportation measures such as: biking to work one day a week, trying carpooling, using public transit, or grouping your errands together in one car trip. If you’re looking at buying a new Far left, a marshy portion of Luther Burbank Park is a quiet home to wildlife on Mercer Island. Photo courtesy of City of Mercer Island
Left, a mom and son walk with their bikes during last year’s Summer Celebration! event. File Photo
Below, grass and trees grow in Luther Burbank Park above the docks. Photo courtesy of City of Mercer Island
car, now’s the time to consider a hybrid or an electric vehicle. At work, you may be able to telecommute one day a week: studies suggest that each one percent reduction in vehicles leads to a threefold decrease in road congestion and corresponding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Residential water-related measures include: checking for leaks, upgrading older toilets, watering yards only when needed, planting native species, avoiding lawn chemicals, using rain barrels, and being water-conscious at home. Take your car to the car wash instead of hosing it down at home – you’ll use half the water, and the dirty runoff gets treated properly instead of making its way into Lake Washington. And residential energy-saving measures such as: replace older inefficient appliances, pick the most energy-efficient electronics, insulate and turn down the heat, plant shade trees, make use of curbside recycling and compost programs, buy re-usable bags, and install compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs. Upgrading just 15 of your older bulbs can save up to $50 per year in energy costs. In the community: volunteer with local environmental or conservation programs, buy your supplies from local merchants to minimize your car travel, and share tools or yard equipment with neighbors. Visit the weekly farmers market – did you know that the average meal in the USA travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate? For the most committed, one of the biggest changes you can make to your own ‘carbon footprint’ is to fly less often: instead of work travel, you may be able to teleconference; for personal travel, perhaps you can combine two vacations into one, or pick the direct flight instead of making a connection; and purchasing carbon offsets for the miles you travel is now easy to do. Living, working and recreating with sustainability in mind can seem daunting, but there are many ways to get started and then build your momentum. Start small, find like-minded neighbors to partner with and learn from, and don’t forget to celebrate the victories along the way. As the city continues to move ahead on these issues, stay tuned for additional sustainability education campaigns – we’re all in this together. Ross Freeman is the sustainability and communications manager for the City of Mercer Island. For more information, see the city website: www.mercergov.org/sustainability
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98040 | JUNE 2013 | ISLANDSUMMER
A place to play
In the next few weeks, construction will get underway on a new playground at Luther Burbank Park that will be accessible to every child. The city has made a concerted effort to ensure that children who are disabled can enter the playground on a new walkway that allows level entry. The new design will replace the old equipment that has been in place for 30 years at the site on a slope adjacent to the tennis courts near the Parks and Recreation administration building. Contributed Photo Funding for the playground project came An artist’s rending of what the new playground at Luther Burbank Park will look like for Mercer Island children. in part from the 2013-2014 city’s capital improvement program. The new equipment includes a zip line, climbing web, improved Ave. SE & W. Mercer Way • Luther Burbank Park: 2040 84th Ave. SE slides, a merry go-round, all on top of a • Secret Park: SE 27th St. & W. Mercer Way • Mercerdale Park: 77th state-of-the-art safety surfacing. •Groveland Beach: SE • Deane’s Children’s Ave. SE & SE 32nd St. • South Mercer Playfield: Private donations and a public-private 58th St. & 80th Ave. SE Park: 5500 Island Crest SE 78th St. & 84th Ave. • Park on the Lid: 72nd Way • Homestead Field: partnership with the Mercer Island Preschool SE Ave. SE & SE 22nd St. • First Hill Park: SE 32nd 82nd Ave. SE & SE 40th Association made this project a reality. • Roanoke Park: 70th St. St. & 72nd Ave. SE The playground will open this summer.
Mercer Island Playgrounds
ISLANDSUMMER | June 2013 | 98040
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Tasty eats at the farmers market
Citizen | FROM 4 burg, Va., and rode a recordOther challenges included breaking 194 miles in one day. keeping the bikes working They usually biked an average smoothly; finding food and 85 mph per day. places to camp; riding over mountain passes such as The Cyclemates made head12,000-foot Independence lines in many newspapers Pass in Colorado, and climbing throughout the country. Call a long, long, long way up hills, would agree to an interview then riding 40 mph downhill. if the reporter would promise to mail 16 copies of the pa“All of us would say we per home to the parents. Call enjoyed mountainous, wooded was asked many of the same areas more than the barren questions: Hardest part of the plains of the Midwest. Further trip? The bicycle seat. How east, there’s a lot of history,” many started the trip? 150, Call said. They noted where she would joke. Where is your Lincoln slept, and rode through husband? He quit in the Rocky “Paul Bunyan country.” Mountains, she would Every third say. night, a girl and After the four crossboy would call I refer to these country expeditions, home on a rotatkids as my Call took the Cycleming schedule. ates on other trips No one had cell summertime of lesser distances. phones then; children. She led 22 trips altothey had to gether. use public pay phones. “Today, we tend to think kids are lazy For Call, the and feel entitled. We most rewarding (adults) are guilty because we aspect was “returning the kids don’t provide opportunities for home safely. The trust their them to be adventuresome,” parents had in me … with their Call said. most precious possessions,” she said. After retiring, Call started the Solemates walking group with Cyclemates II bicycled to Mercer Island Parks and RecreWashington, D.C., in 1971 and ation. They meet “rain or shine” met President Richard Nixon. every Wednesday and walk They practiced what they would three to four miles, then head say and do beforehand. “You shake his hand and say, to a coffee shop. “In a way, we’re ‘soulmates,’ ‘Good afternoon, Mr. President,’ because we become such a and look him in the eye,” Call good support system for each said. “You don’t just fumble other,” Call said. The group around.” numbers in the 40s. Seventy-five reporters armed Another group, the Trailmates, with cameras met the entoutakes local day hikes together rage at the White House. — Cougar Mountain, Tiger “President Nixon shook our hands and invited us into his of- Mountain, Snoqualmie Pass. Call continues to canoe on fice,” she said. He was very gracious to them, she added. Each her own. She still rides her student received a pen with the bike, plays golf, and has a secpresident’s signature. Cuff links ond home in Leavenworth. were given to the boys, and the “I am grateful that I ended girls received pins, each bearup teaching on Mercer Island,” ing the presidential insignia. Call said. “It presented the opportunity to me to present The next summer, Cyclemates III traversed Canada, riding opportunities outside of the classroom for the kids … I was more than 4,000 miles to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Along the way, very fortunate that I had cooperative parents who let their they met the governor general, Queen Elizabeth II’s representa- kids do these things. I figured these things — if I worked hard tive. They put on clean T-shirts enough to prepare — would and visited Rideau Hall, the turn out well.” governor general’s official residence in Ottawa. She still hears from many of her students, and many CyclemThe final cross-country trip ate reunions have been held. undertaken by the Cyclemates took place during the nation’s “They can’t quite imagine bicentennial. The group cycled sending their kids off to do all the way to historic Williamsthis,” Call said.
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From grilled cheese to gluten-free goodies, the Mercer Island Farmers Market is expanding its offerings while keeping old favorites. Here’s what is new this summer at the farmers market: • Acma Mission Orchards – fruits and vegetable • Dog Mountain Farms – chicken, duck and eggs • Grateful Bread – breads, bagels and more • Grilled Cheese Experience • High 5 Pie • I Love My GFF – gluten-free food • Seven Red Tagines • Thyme + Season – spice blends • Willie’s Greens • Willipa Hills – farmstead artisan cheese Returning favorites include: • Alvarez Family Farm Produce • Bao Gardens Flowers • Buns Gourmet Natural Burgers • Camp Robber’s Jam • Caravan Crepes Wandering Crepes • Collins Family Orchards • Daddy’s Muesli
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Got Soup’s Hayton Berry Farms Hedlin Family Farm Produce Island Apiaries – Honey Jeb’s Wild Salmon – a family fishes Kittitas Valley Greenhouse Tomatoes La Pasta Little Brown Farm Goat Cheese Martin Family Orchards Middlefork Roasters Coffee Moua Garden Flowers Olsen’s Farms Potatoes & Beef Parfait Organic Artisan Ice Cream Patty Pan Grill Piccola Cellars Wine Pinckney’s Cookie Cafe Purdy Pickle Skagit Sun Berries Snohomish Bakery Theo Dorres Tea Tonnemaker Family Orchard True Her Garden Uncle Eyal’s Veraci Pizza Whidbey Island Ice Cream
Now Serving Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Dine In, Take Out & Catering 206-232-7878 | www.islandcrustcafe.com