Big Day of Play can’t happen with YOU! We are looking for volunteers on Saturday, August 17 between 8 a.m.-7 p.m. at Rainier Community Center for:

-Event Set-up and Take-Down
-Monitoring field and water activities
-Passing out water
-Photography/videography
-Greeting and surveying guests
… AND MORE!

Register for a 2 or 4-hour shift and spend the rest of your day at play!

Sign up today at: Tinyurl.com/BDOPVolunteer

For more information, contact us at: volunteer@bigdayofplay.com or call 206-733-9703.

Sign up for the popular nighttime walks, bird tours, mushroom walks and so much more!

Registration available online here.

All events are free, fun, and family-friendly. Go to www.VisitBallard.com/SummerinPark for a complete listing

New in the park:

The “Park Your Thoughts” interactive public art installation returns to the park during July and August. A black monolith with words velcroed all over it will allow for all to express themselves with street poetry. Located near the fountain. Artist: Blanca Santander; www.blancasantander.com

Friday, August 9:

• Park in the Heart Kids Art Booth 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Drop by and make fun creative projects with local artist Blanca Santander.
• Busker in the park: musician from noon – 2 p.m.

Saturday, August 10:

• Fitness in the Park 9 a.m. – 10 a.m. Join local gym www.TheSixSeattle.com. All ability levels welcome. Bring a yoga mat if you can, and water.
• Yoga for Every Body 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Join Ballard Health Club for weekly yoga in the park. Bring a yoga mat if you can, and water.
• Busker in the park: musician from noon – 2 p.m.

Sunday, August 11:

• Busker in the park: musician from noon – 2 p.m.

Monday, August 12:

• Start of daily Park Concierge staffing from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., and of daily buskers (street musicians) from noon – 2 p.m.

Tuesday, August 13:

• Concerts at the Commons 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. Come bounce to the dynamic rhythms of Gansango Music and Dance as they bring to the park traditional and contemporary dance and music from West Africa. www.gansango.com. Some seating provided. Bring your own lawn chair if you can.

Thursday, August 15:

• Movies in the Park: Ghostbusters (original version). Join in with the Ballard Alliance and Auntie’s Family Kitchen food truck (serving Asian fusion meals) for the third of this 5-week movie series. Bring your own blanket or lawn chair to sit on. www.roaminghunger.com/aunties-family-kitchen.

www.VisitBallard.com/SummerinPark

Seattle Parks and Recreation announces Camp Long’s Mountain Fest on September 7th, 2019 with wall climbing, mountaineering, presentations and more.

Seattle Parks and Recreation opens historic Camp Long for its free, family-friendly Mountain Festival on September 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.—where anyone, from novices to hard-core enthusiasts, can get their hands on the rocks and feet off the ground. 

Visitors to the Camp Long Mountain Fest will find an exhilarating mix of climbing, conviviality, and challenge. They can test themselves on the high ropes course*, and swap stories afterwards, or simply enjoy some downtime and spirited conversation with kindred climbers around the fire pit eating hot dogs and s’mores (vegetarian options available.)

Vertical World, a local climbing gym, will run a climbing wall where individuals can scale the same rock that Clark Schurman and Fred Beckey, living legends among Northwest mountaineers, used to practice on*. Schurman Rock was constructed between 1938 and 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, and is believed to be the first human-made climbing structure in the U.S.. Mountain Madness, a climbing guide and mountaineering company, will run a rappel station down the camp’s “Glacier Wall.”

Visitors can also listen to presentations from Mountaineers Books authors including Jeff Smoot, Linnea Westerlind and Susan Elderkin. Camp Long cabins will host local artists including photographer Holli Margell and Molly Hashimoto. Multiple community organizations will be on site to discuss nature-focused issues from noxious weeds to bird identification.

*Space for climbing and ropes course is limited so early arrival to the festival and sign-up is encouraged. Waivers are required for all climbing activities and will be available at the lodge. 

All events are free and take place at Camp Long (5200 35th. Ave. Sw.) Located in West Seattle, this 68-acre park offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy nature, hike in the forest, camp overnight in rustic cabins, rock climb, and learn about natural history. A talented staff of naturalists and ropes course staff lead ongoing group environmental education and rock climbing classes. Programs at Camp Long are designed to be fun, educational, and interactive experiences for all ages. 

For more information about the Camp Long Mountain Fest, please call 206-423-3460 or visit seattle.gov/parks/environment/rock.htm. Camp Long Mountain Fest is sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Associated Recreation Council. Partners include O2 Outdoor Opportunities Program, Girl Scouts of Washington, Mountain Madness, Moutaineers Books, WA Alpine Club, Vertical World, and King County Noxious Weed Program.

A new Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) community center will be part of the proposed development at the properties located at Mercer St. and Dexter Ave. N. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, which was selected as the successful developer of the Mercer Properties, put forward a large package of public benefits which included a new community center.

SPR will design and operate the community center with the mission of providing the surrounding community with access to free or low-cost recreational activities, along with spaces for the community to gather.

“We are excited to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to bring recreational programs to even more of Seattle’s communities. Our community centers serve to support healthy people and build strong communities. We are delighted to partner with the community to design and bring life to a community center that furthers this mission,” said Jesús Aguirre, Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent. 

The new 30,000-square-foot community center will be located onsite at the Mercer West Tower. Construction of the towers is set to begin in 2020-2021; during that time, SPR will commence a community engagement process to name and design the space.

Following Open House, stay for the outdoor movie BABE, A Little Pig Goes a Long Way

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to an Open House on Friday, August 16, 2019 from 6 to 8 p.m. for the Magnuson Community Center Improvements project. Following the Open House, the community is invited to stay and enjoy the movie BABE, A Little Pig Goes a Long Way which starts at dusk. Please join us the Magnuson Park Amphitheater located behind the Brig at 6344 NE 74th St. to learn about and comment on improvements to the Magnuson Community Center. Residents and neighbors of Magnuson Park are especially encouraged to attend.

This project will build out the south wing of the community center to allow greater programming capacity. It will also make accessibility improvements to the parking, entry and lobby of the community center.

SPR staff and the design team from Buffalo Design will be present to talk about the designs and answer questions.

The project is funded by Real Estate Excise Taxes, a King County Youth and Amateur Sports Grant and Washington State Department of Commerce.

For more information, please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/magnuson-community-center-improvements. If you have questions about the project, or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Oliver Bazinet at oliver.bazinet@seattle.gov or 206-386-1959.

The Magnuson Park Outdoor Movie series is a partnership with Scarecrow Video. To find the movie schedule visit http://blog.scarecrow.com/movies-in-the-park/.

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) invites the community to participate in a survey for the Madrona Park beach play area renovation project. Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MadronaBeachPlayArea to provide input. Your input will be incorporated into design features and presented at an Open House on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the park, 853 Lake Washington Blvd. The community is encouraged to take the survey and join us at the park for the Open House.

The project provides a unique opportunity to restore the lakeside beach play features and to improve access to the park. We are planning two community meetings for the project. The first meeting on August 28 is an opportunity to learn about the project and provide input on the natural beach play themes. The second meeting on October 20 is an opportunity to review the preferred design for the project and learn the timeline for construction.

For more information about the project please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/madrona-park-beach-play-area-renovation

For additional questions or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Libby Hudson at libby.hudson@seattle.gov or 206-256-5988.

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to an Open House on Wednesday, August 14, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. to learn about the Mayfair Park Retaining Wall and Stairway Replacement project. Please join us at Mayfair Park, 2600 2^nd Ave. N, on the northeast side of Queen Anne. The project planner and project manager will present project information and answer questions on the upcoming improvements.

This project will replace the aging timber features (stairways, retaining walls, and light fixtures) which have reached the end of their usable life. The play area is not in the scope of this project. We anticipate construction starting the spring of 2020.

For more information about the project please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/find/parks/mayfair-park.

For additional questions or if you need an interpreter or accommodations please contact Libby Hudson at libby.hudson@seattle.gov or 206-256-5988.

Seattle Parks and Recreation, along with the Freeway Park Association and partners, are excited to present Tuesday Brews & Tunes at Seneca Plaza at Freeway Park (700 Seneca St.) starting on Tuesday, Aug. 6. This free summer series will take place every Tuesday in August and September from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. with a different performer each week. The event will feature an Optimism Brewing beer garden for those 21+, and Tacos El Taijin Food Truck will be serving up tasty bites.

2019 Tuesday Brews & Tunes artist line-up:

August 6: Kim Archer
August 13: DoNormaal

August 20: Sundae Crush

August 27: Wet City Rockers

September 3: Entre Mundos

September 10: Stucky Jackson and the Boys

September 17: Salt Lick

September 24: Guayaba

To see more summer events happening at Freeway Park, visit: http://freewayparkassociation.org/events

Community invited to planning meetings Aug. 8, 12 and 22

Seattle Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a free community music festival on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Roxhill Park (2850 SW Roxbury St.) and we invite participation by the community in planning the event.

What activities would you like to see at the festival? What music or musicians can you recommend? What organizations would you like to have represented? Please come to one of the planning meetings listed below, or contact Randy Wiger with your ideas: Randy.Wiger@seattle.gov or 206-684-0775.

Planning Meetings dates– everyone is welcome to attend! The meetings will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Roxhill Park at the picnic tables by 29^th Ave. SW.

• Thursday, August 22
• Thursday, August 8
• Monday, August 12