All About Renton

Have you ever heard a rumor that you refuse to believe until you have absolute confirmation that it is true? Sort of like the whole Michael Jackson thing that transpired a few months back. The web was abuzz with tales of MJ’s death and I refused to believe it until I turned on the T.V. and every station in the universe was covering the big event, well the DTR Block Party is kind of like that. Rumors have been swirling around this event for months and I am here to tell you that the rumors are true.

DTR’s first Block Party and Art Walk will be happening next Friday, August 7th from 5pm-10pm and I can not wait. If you were part of the Meet the Artist Event and Liberty Cafe Grand Opening a few months ago you know that this event is going to be awesome.

Live music, dancing in the street, art by Joey Katzer, food, great people and an amazing sense of community are just a few things that await us at the first of what I hope to be many DTR Block Parties.

You do not want to miss the event so clear the calendar now and I’ll see you there. The Block Party starts at 3pm and goes until 10pm or until everyone gets kicked off the block.

I will be reminding everyone about this event again next week, just wanted to give you a head’s up…. and oh yeah, find it at 3rd Street between Main and Wells

Most of you already know that I am from the desert. Phoenix in July is a lot like Hell, where the daily temperature soars above 110 degrees for about 20 days in a row and the nighttime temperature rarely falls below 100 degrees, needless to say it is HOT! That is why I refuse to say that these past few days have been hot, I prefer the term “Washington Warm” and it has been warm, unusually Washington Warm for that matter.

The good news is that this is only a heat wave and temperatures are supposed to return to normal around Friday. In the meantime there are many ways that we can keep cool.

• Find a place that has A/C and stay there till the sun goes down.
• Lay around your house in next to nothing while you sip ice-cold drinks and the oscillating fan blows like a small jet engine.
• Take a dip in the many cool water resources we have, including Gene Coulon Beach Park, Cedar River, Newcastle Beach Park and many others. That is another great thing about WA, the water actually stays cool. In AZ many people have pools but by this time of the year the pool feels more like a bath tub so they offer no relief.
• Run in the sprinklers or mist yourself with a squirt bottle.
• Lady P also has some great ideas on ways to keep cool on her blog so check those out as well.

This heat wave will pass and we will soon be enjoying those amazing summer days that we have been spoiled with this year. However, it might be a good idea to place the memory of these extra warm days in the back of our minds for those days in the winter when the furnace never shuts off and your bed is layered with about six blankets, just to help you warm up a little.

Most importantly, during the next few days STAY HYDRATED… this weather is a shock to some Rentonians and dehydration, heat stroke and heat exhaustion can sneak up on you and it is nothing nice.

Stay cool and thanks for reading….

Winners from the 2009 Rubber Ducky Derby, Parade Awards, Information Booth Awards, Coloring Contest, Golf Tournament and Merchant Windows are now on the City of Renton Website.

Congratulations to all the winners and even though we did not win anything at the derby this year we will definitely be back next year, we had a great time.

Thanks for reading and thanks for coming out to Renton River Days and supporting our great Renton Community.

No better way to start off a Saturday morning than with a pancake breakfast over at the Renton Senior Center and then following it up with the crowning moment of Renton River Days, the Parade which starts at 10am….. Click here to see the road closures that will happen because of the parade.

In addition to all the great things that have been going on all week there are a few new things to tell you about for Saturday, July 25th at Renton River Days. The Chalk Art Contest will be held at the basketball/Sport Court from 12-3:30pm and if it is anything like last year you should check it out, Renton definitely has some very talented artists. There will also be a lot of live entertainment throughout the day on both stages at the event. Check out the line-up here.

Yesterday we headed down to RRD’s and I think we did everything there was to do. We walked around Downtown and checked out all of the window

And the winner is... Ginger's Klosett

 displays and try as I might I could not get any additional information about the voting. As far as I can tell the voting is reserved for a secret group of people and they already voted. Congratulations to Ginger and Kim of Ginger’s Klosett, they received the grand prize for their window.

Sammy and Grandmomma outside the Renton History Museum

We stopped at the Renton History Museum and got caught up on some local history, we went to the Renton Public Library and checked out all of the gorgeous quilts, had a bite to eat at the Nibble of Renton, went to the petting zoo (I encourage feeding the llama), strolled through the Art Market and then we went to the KidsZone. It was definitely a busy day and a fun one.

So, get out and support our awesome city, enjoy the parade, the food, the

Just one of the many amazing quilts on display at the Renton Public Library

 people and the entertainment.

Shuttle servicefrom Renton Memorial Stadium to Liberty Park started this morning at 9am and continues till 9pm, take advantage of this free service and take the stress out of finding a place to park.

Hope you have a great day out there. Remember to keep hydrated and sunblocked from what I can see it is going to be a Washington scorcher today.

Friday is gearing up to be a great introduction to the weekend at IKEA Renton River Days.  In addition to the Kids Zone at Liberty Park, free admission to the Renton History Museum, Old McLendon’s Farm and the Community Information Booths there are a host of other things happening.

Opening on Friday is the Annual Quilt Exhibition at the Renton Public Library, the Nibble of Renton at Liberty Park which features goodies priced at $5 and under, Renton Annual Art Show at Carco Theatre and the Art Market at Liberty Park.

While you are checking out all of the great things that are happening at Liberty Park make sure that you take a tour of our ever growing and changing DTR. The businesses have their windows decorated in honor of Renton River Days and the theme of “Explore the Heart of Renton”. There is a contest for who has the best window but I have yet to uncover any additional information about voting but I will figure it out tomorrow.

Saturday is a busy day at Renton River Days so be prepared to spend the whole day there, check back tomorrow for a complete list of events (or at least the ones that I know of)…..

thanks for reading…

We hit Kids’ Day today and it was great. We got there right when the event started and it was already packed, so I can only imagine what the rest of the day was like. Sammy of course enjoyed the inflatables, getting his face painted, LEGO Playzone and the ice cream. I was lucky enough to have someone who waited in line so Sammy could get his caricature done so I was happy too, thanks Mom I owe you one.

Anyways, tomorrow is a low-key day and the only thing that I can find going on is the Senior Picnic happening tomorrow at the Renton Community Center from 10am-1pm. Advanced tickets were required and I don’t know if you can purchase tickets the day of the event or if there are any more tickets even available. Contact the Renton Senior Activity Center for more information 425-430-6633.

Get ready for the weekend when the events will be coming at you with a fury. Make sure you check back tomorrow to see all of the great things going on.

Thanks for reading and enjoy Renton River Days… Don’t forget to buy your Duck for the Derby on Sunday…

It is already time again for IKEA Renton River Days and Wednesday, July 22nd, is the start to a great week of events.

Kids’ Day at Liberty Park really kicks off the Renton River Days festivities. There is live entertainment starting at 11am and goes until 6pm. Don’t miss the Wenatchee Youth Circus at 1:30pm and again at 6pm for only $1 per person and The Parrot Lady is on at 4pm. Over 40 exhibitors will be on hand at Liberty Park and each will have an activity, game or craft for the kids to do. There is also a ton of free stuff going on throughout the day from 11am-5pm, a caricaturist, Fire and Police Department Activities, coloring contest, Old McLendon’s Petting Zoo, Renton History Museum Booth, LEGO Playzone and inflatables are just a few.

During the week of Renton River Days the Renton History Museum offers FREE admission to the museum so that you can go and discover or re-discover some of Renton’s great history, and seriously drop a couple of bucks in the box when you walk in – the museum is great. The museum not only has it’s permanent exhibits, there is also the new “Sustaining a City” permanent exhibit and a Foods of the World exhibit presented by the students of an ESL program at Renton Technical College. 

While you are at the park enjoying the weather and letting the kids get out some of that energy make sure you pick up your ticket for the Ducky Derby that happens on the last day of IKEA Renton River Days. Tickets are only $5, they support a local charity and there is a chance to win $1,000 bucks cash.

Since there are so many activities throughout the week I will be posting everyday to let you know what is going on for that particular day. I apologize in advance if I miss anything but I am sure I will. For a comprehensive schedule of events check out the City of Renton website. While on the website make sure you checkout the sponsors because without them this event would not be possible. I would also like to give a huge “Thank You” to all of the volunteers who also make this event happen, your hard work does not go unnoticed, thanks.

There will be some street closures during Renton River Days starting on Wednesday. Houser Way between Mill Avenue and Bronson Way will be closed starting at 5am so make travel arrangements accordingly. There will also be closures for the parade on Saturday but I will let you know of those when they get closer.

Thanks for reading and have a great time out there this week. Remember in this warmer weather to keep yourself and the kids hydrated and slopped with sunblock, can’t wait to see you down there.

Last week, while reading my Downtown Renton Newsletter, that is put out by the ever informative Jennifer Davis Hayes, I learned that Renton 2nd Hand had re-opened in a new location with a new owner. Well, if you know me you know that I am a HUGE fan of the 2nd hand store. Value Village and The Salvation Army are two of my regular weekly stops while in Downtown and I can tell that Renton 2nd Hand will be making it’s way into the rotation.

Renton 2nd Hand is now located at 327 Williams Ave South, where Buy the Book used to be. I stopped in the other day to check out the selection and I was not disappointed. I absolutely fell in love with these mosiac tables that had lamps built in to them, they would be great in our bedroom. There were also a couple of sofas, dressers, a great set of Noritake dishes, framed artwork and some glass pieces.

The owner, Thomas Chew was very nice and was also very excited to have

Noritake Butter Dish

 the store opened again. As some of you remember Renton 2nd Hand used to be located behind Pho Hut. I also met the old owner Ken, who informed me that retirement was boring so he would be helping Thomas out.

So, if you are in the market for a new dresser, dining table, set of dishes, or piece of glass stop by and check out the ever-growing selection at Renton 2nd Hand. The store is open Turesday-Saturday from 9am-5pm, Renton 2nd Hand can be reached by phone at 425-279-3704.

Those of you, overly ambitious types, who start your Christmas shopping early should know that Uptown Glassworks  is having a Christmas in July Sale and it is happening now through Sunday, July 26th. Word in the email is that prices on holiday glass art work could be up to 50% off!

If you have never been to an Uptown Sale you should definitely check it out. The prices can not be beat and Uptown has an amazing selection. Last time Uptown had a sale we picked up a glass ornament for ourselves and about 3 Christmas gifts, now that is ambitious. However, it has been hard not keeping those things for ourselves.

I have rambled enough… Sale, Uptown Glassworks, Local Business… enough said. Uptown Glass is located at 230 Main Ave S. 425-228-1849.

Just a quick post to reming everyone about the Uwajimaya ribbon cutting ceremony tomorrow that starts at 9am. Uwajimaya, for those that don’t know is where the old Renton Thriftway used to be at 501 S. Grady Way.
I can’t wait to go and pick up my accupuncture shoe inserts that Mary has been raving about…