Sit on Santa’s Lap

When you’re a kid nothing is better than going to see Santa at the mall at Christmas time. One year I actually brought a JC Penny catalog with me and showed Santa all of the things that I wanted, I don’t think my Mom is ever going to let me forget that one. Looking back now the coolest thing about that visit with Santa was the card that you got at the end with your Polaroid picture in it. But alas those days are gone and now you get roped into buying the whole photo package when you go to the mall.

However, Renton totally has it covered with Santa’s House at the Piazza Renton and this is the last weekend to take your list or catalog to Santa. The Piazza totally beats standing in line at the mall, the cold air keeps you alert and the beautiful decorations keep you oohing and ahhing  and there are no high-pressure photography sales people trying to sell you a deluxe package. I can’t tell you how busy it gets there because we went last year and there was no crowd, but last year it also snowed 12 days in a row so I think that was a fluke. Anyways, you would stand in line at the mall too.

Kiss The Frogs Photography is taking free photos that maybe downloaded or posted all over the web and of course you are welcome to bring your own camera as well. Kiss The Frogs is awesome they took the photos for the Olde Fashioned Halloween Party and they just do a great job.

Santa’s House at The Piazza happens this Friday, December 18th from 5-7pm and Saturday, December 19th from 1-4pm. After you get the list taken care of take a walk to The Met to warm up with a hot chocolate, coffee, glass of wine or a beer it is just up the block on the corner of Burnett and 2nd Street.

I just want to say thanks to the Downtown Renton Businesses and the Downtown Renton Events Committee, without your hard work this event wouldn’t happen. It is events like these that make Renton such an awesome community to be a part of, thank you.

 

It Is Not Too Late….

When I was at City Hall today I overheard someone talking about the Salvation Army Giving Tree and they said that even though today is the last day to donate toys they will continue  to take donations for the next two days. It was so awesome to see how many toys were around the tree already but there could always be more.

So, it is not too late to give some Christmas to a stranger and to yourself. Please drop your donations off at the Renton Community Center or Renton City Hall (I am sure there are more locations but those are the ones I saw, check the website) on Wednesday or Thursday – they will accept late donations. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, self “what do I buy” well the Salvation Army has got you covered on that with their gift buying tips webpage.

 

Last Day For Letters To Santa

Today is the last day to drop off Letters to Santa at the Renton Community Center. Kids can write to Santa and get a response directly from the North Pole but letters need to be in the mailbox today. Please make sure that your child’s letter includes their names and addresses so a return letter can find its way from the North Pole.

Kids are encouraged to write about their favorite memories of the past year and tell Santa about the most wanted item on their Christmas List.

The Renton Community Center is located at 1715 SE Maple Valley Highway.

 

Get Into The Holiday Spirit

If you are looking for a way to really embrace the holiday season you should consider putting the lighting of Clam Lights and the arrival of Santa at the Piazza Renton on your calendar.

Clam Lights at Lake Washington kicks off on Friday, December 4th at 6:30pm with the official tree lighting at 7:15pm. Clam Lights is crowded so either come early to get a parking spot or be prepared to walk in. We braved the crowd last year to witness the tree lighting and stuck around for the “Parade of Boats” and we will be doing it again this year as well.

On Saturday, December 5th Downtown Renton will be buzzing with holiday activity starting at 3pm. Dickens Carolers and local carolers will be on hand singing all of the holiday favorites while the smell of roasted chestnuts fill the air on 3rd Street between Wells and Williams Ave. I don’t think it gets any more Norman Rockwell than that.

After the carolers are finished head over to the Piazza Renton for the tree lighting and the arrival of Santa Claus. Santa will be on-hand for pictures so make sure you bring your camera.

This is another opportunity to connect with our community and enjoy some of the great things that Renton has to offer. I know for sure that volunteers will be on hand at both events handing out flyers regarding the annexation to KCLS so be on the lookout.

 

Time Flies…

Hope your calendar for December is not already filled up because there is a ton of stuff to do in Renton during the month of December. All of the events that I know of going on around our awesome city are here.

Tree Lightings, Clam Lights, The Nutcracker and Santa at the Piazza Renton are just a few of the special holiday things happening, in addition to all of the great stuff that normally happens during the month like Magic Monday’s at Liberty Cafe or the  wine tastings all around Renton. The possibilities are endless.

As always feel free to contact me and let me know of any event that I may have missed, I would love to hear from you. Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!

 

Help Keep Someone Warm

These days there is a lot of talk on the radio, T.V. and newspaper about people not having enough to eat during the holiday season. If people are having a hard time getting their bellies filled up I can only imagine that they are also struggling to keep warm as the temperature dips lower and lower. However, there is a way that we can help those who are having a hard time keeping warm and that is the Coat and Blanket Drive that is going on through November 30th at the Renton Community Center.

The Renton Community Center is looking for people to donate new or gently used coats of all sizes for men, women and children and blankets for those in need. I know that I have a few jackets lying around that Sammy has grown out of but the blankets are sparse in our house seeing as how we are from AZ and all. If you don’t have any of these items lying around the house the thrift stores, Value Village of Renton excluded, have very reasonably priced blankets and jackets all the time.

The Renton Community Center will be closed starting tomorrow, November 25th through Friday, November 27th for a furlough day and the Thanksgiving Holiday so put your donations by the door and drop them off on Saturday. Unfortunately, there is no additional information to be found on the City of Renton website but if you have any additional questions you can call the Renton Community Center at 425-430-6700.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your generosity during the cold season.

 

Storytime and Baby Time End This Week

That’s right, it is already time to end the Fall 2009 Storytime and Baby Times at the Renton Public Libraries. I am sure going to miss our Wednesday mornings at the library but know that Storytime will be back in about 6 weeks, after the business of the holiday season is over.

The last pajama storytime of the season happens tonight at 7pm at the Renton Public Library. The Highlands will host it’s last storytime tomorrow morning at 10am and the Main Branch will hold one more morning storytime on Wednesday at 10am. The Main Branch will also hold the last Baby Time of the Fall on Friday morning at 10 am.

The libraries will be hosting a couple of events during the month of December to help with the cabin fever your young ones will be having and I will let you know of those events as they grow closer.

Thanks for reading and keep checking back for more information about the fight to keep our library local.

 

November Calendar is Here…

Here is the calendar of events happening in Renton for the month of November. Not as much going on as last month but definitely lots of stuff to do.

Some interesting things happening this month are: Northwest by Northwest on November 14th, Renton’s first Indie music showcase put on by the one and only Tyrannosaurus Records, Burlesque Babes Give Thanks in Renton on November 6th and 7th, the Miss Seattle Pageant at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center also on the 14th and Get Back Farmer Mac at the Renton Public Libraries on November 12th. You can find all of these events with links to websites by clicking here.

If you know of any other events that should be included please use the form below to contact me or just leave a comment. Thanks for reading and hopefully you will find something great to do. As always thanks so much for reading.

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Renton’s Got Halloween

When it comes to Halloween Day, DTR has got you covered.

Start off the day with Whispers In The Graveyard: A Celebration of Halloween presented by witch Naomi Baltuck and her apprentice Bea at the Renton History Museum. Naomi and Bea will be presenting some ghoulish tales and sure-fire ways to survive the day that some believe is the link between the living and the dead. Come dressed in your Halloween best and be warned that this event is not for the little ones, it is recommended for kids 6 and above. Admission is free for members and only a small $3 donation for non-members.

After you have the pants scared off of you go home and pick up the kids for some trick-or-treating and the “Olde” Fashion Halloween Party in DTR. The kids can trick-or-treat at the downtown businesses and then come to the Main Street Square for some games, food and fun. Or you can stop by the Main Street Square first and let the kids make a costume and then go trick-or-treating.

Whispers In The Graveyard starts at 11am at the Renton History museum and the “Olde” Fashion Halloween Party and Trick-or-Treat starts at 1pm and ends at 4pm in Downtown Renton.

After the kids have had their fun and filled their bags with candy go and get yourself a treat. Like a pumpkin ale at the Met or a cheese plate and pomme frites at the Red House.

Hope everyone has a great and safe Halloween, thanks for reading

 

Holy Pumpkin Patch, Batman..

For the last couple of weeks while driving home, to Fairwood that is, I noticed signs for a pumpkin patch and knew that Sammy and I had to check it out. So, we took advantage of the break in the clouds and headed east on Petrovitsky Road following the signs to the pumpkin patch.

I had a suspicion that the pumpkin patch would be the same place that we purchased our Christmas tree last year and it was! Enciso Family Farms is a locally owned by Dahvee Enciso but as the name implies the whole family helps out to run the farm that is located off of Petrovitsky Road and 196th

pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere

 Avenue SE. A bit of a drive for some Rentonians, but well worth it for a great selection of pumpkins and to support a local business. There are pumpkins of every size and shape and they are $.49/lb for orange pumpkins. Enciso also has sugar pumpkins for those of you who want to bake a pumpkin pie from scratch, hay stacks, gourds and tiny pumpkins for sale as well.

In addition to the pumpkin patch there are animals, lots of animals. We arrived just as Eva, Dahvee’s Mom, was feeding the chickens and she asked if

resident kitty who helped us pick out our pumpkin

Sammy would like to help and of course he agreed. After feeding the chickens and checking out the pigs, the goats, the peacocks and the geese Eva told us to help ourselves to a wheelbarrow and  any pumpkin we wanted. We of course searched through both patches before settling on a great oblong pumpkin that was just the one I wanted. The resident cat whose name I did not ask followed right along and helped us make our selection, she is lucky she didn’t make it back to our house because she was really sweet and cute.

We took our 16-pound pumpkin back to the little farm store where we also picked out a sugar pumpkin, for our homemade pumpkin pie, and we were out the door for under $10. I was hoping to get some farm fresh eggs that Dahvee usually has on hand for $3 a dozen but they were fresh out from the busy weekend. I told Eva that we would definitely be back for some eggs in the future.

The Pumpkin Patch at Enciso Family Farms runs through Friday, October 30th and they are open from 9am-9pm, be advised that they only take

sugar pumpkins

 cash or checks. If you are interested in picking up some of those farm fresh eggs just call ahead to make sure that they have some because they seem to be in pretty high demand 206-909-8753. The farm is located at 19417 196th Ave SE Renton, WA  (for all of you MapQuesters out there).

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get just the right pumpkin for Halloween and to support another awesome local Renton business. If carving pumpkins is not your thing don’t worry the Christmas trees will be there the day after Thanksgiving.