Our towns

Arlington

Horse-drawn wagon rides

Horse-drawn wagon rides will be offered 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday in downtown Arlington. The main pickup spot is at City Hall, 238 N. Olympic Ave. Special stops will be made along the loop route between Olympic and West Avenue if space allows.

Mark Winterhalter will bring his draft horses Sugar and Spice from Silvana. The rides are free, courtesy of local businesses.

Edmonds

Port boats lit for the holidays

Boats moored at the Port of Edmonds are decorated with holiday lights for the annual “Holiday Lighting on the Docks” event though Dec. 26.

The port is on Admiral Way. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 425-774-0549.

Everett

Low-cost sports helmets available

Snohomish County Fire District 1 is selling low-cost bicycle, sport and ski helmets. The helmets are being offered through the fire district’s injury prevention program.

Ski helmets are available at the Mariner fire station only, 12310 Meridian Ave. in Everett. The cost is $16.Mariner and other stations also have bike and multisport helmets for sale.

Bike helmets are $5. Multisport helmets for skateboarding, bicycling and roller blading are $6.50. Prices will go up Jan. 1.

Bike and sports helmets are available at the following locations:

* Silver Firs Fire Station 13, 13611Puget Park Drive, Everett.

* Martha Lake Fire Station 21, 16819 13th Ave. W., Lynnwood.

* Mountlake Terrace Fire Station 18, 3900 228th St. SW, Mountlake Terrace.

* Silver Lake Fire Station, 12011, 19th Ave. SE, Everett.

* Hilltop Fire Station, 20510 Damson Road, Lynnwood.

* Lake Serene Fire Station, 4323 Serene Way, Lynnwood.

* Mountlake Terrace Fire Station 19, 23204 58th Ave. W, Mountlake Terrace.

Island County

Library holiday party and auction

Oak Harbor Library will have its annual holiday party and gift basket auction 3-4 p.m. today at the library, Oak Harbor Library, 1000 SE Regatta Drive.

The event will include music and refreshments.

Lake Stevens

Drainage district meeting canceled

Drainage District No. 8 commissioners have canceled their Dec. 22 general business meeting. The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at district headquarters, 1911 Vernon Road. The meeting is open to the public.

Lynnwood

Experimental project opens

A traffic light connecting Newberry Square to the Ash Way Park and Ride lot will be activated by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon and project developer Larry Sundquist, officially opening the development.

From 2 to 3 p.m., a panel of government officials and others involved in the project will comment on the development.

For more information, call Sundquist Homes at 425-275-5344.

Marysville

Council awards soccer fields bid

The City Council awarded a bid of $87,351 to Trimaxx Construction of Sedro-Woolley for the second phase of development of Strawberry Fields Athletic Park. This phase of development at the 72-acre park on 152nd Street NE includes field lighting, fencing, restrooms and additional parking.

City parks and recreation department personnel will construct a picnic pavilion and furnishings, including picnic tables, benches and a drinking fountain, with a $3,500 donation by Home Street Bank. The project is expected to be completed within about 75 days.

Mill Creek

City approves biennial budget

The City Council on Tuesday approved a $28 million budget for 2005 and 2006. The council approved continuation of the rate of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for the city’s emergency medical services levy, which was reauthorized by a narrow margin on Nov. 2. The council previously voted not to raise property taxes for the city in 2005.

For more information, call 425-745-1891.

Monroe

Seniors offer pancake breakfast

The East County Senior Center will have its monthly pancake breakfast 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. on Saturday at 824 Village Way. This is a fund-raising event that seniors organize and operate. Admission is $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for children. For more information, call 360-794-6359.

Mukilteo

Artists on hand this weekend

Childrens’ illustrator Gudrun Ongman will be on hand at the Point Elliott Art Center 2-4 p.m. Saturday to meet with fans and sign books. Ongman is author and illustrator of the popular “Sleep Ponies.”

Glass artists will be at the gallery 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday to demonstrate glass blowing and to assist patrons with blowing their own Christmas ornaments.

Cartoon animators will be on hand 1-3 p.m. Sunday.

The Point Elliott Art Center is at 724 First St., one block from the ferry dock in Old Town Mukilteo.

For more information, call 425-347-8480.

Silvana

Fire auxiliary will wrap gifts

The Silvana Fire District 19 Auxiliary will wrap Christmas gifts for people 5-8 p.m. Friday and noon-4 p.m. Saturday at the old fire station, 1430 Pioneer Highway.

A donation is requested. Previous fund-raisers have helped purchase a commercial pressure washer and an instrument to check oxygen levels in patients.

Snohomish

Neighborhoods can fix streets

The city is looking for neighborhoods that want to partner with it to pave residential streets or repair sidewalks. The City Council approved $20,000 in 2005 for the pavement-sidewalk partnership program. The city pays for project labor and engineering services, and residents pay for the materials.

Requests will be handled on a first come, first served basis. Contact Dan Takasugi, public works director, at 360-568-3115 by Jan. 14.

Stanwood

Council to update growth plan, rules

The City Council will meet at 7 tonight at City Hall, 10220 270th St. NW., to adopt updates to the city’s growth management plan and development regulations.