Community Focus

Celebrate meaning of Cinco de Mayo

Los Americas Business Center and LETI Dollars for Scholars is organizing a Cinco de Mayo celebration to remind others, especially young people, about the holiday’s true meaning. Cinco de Mayo marks the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, when the Mexican army defeated the French and the country displayed “self determination,” said Rosario Reyes, the center’s president.

The party, which includes music, is set for noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the business center. The Las Americas Business Center is located at 6605 202nd St. SW, Lynnwood. For information, call (425) 672-4255

The event features an essay contest open to all high school students with a $300 prize for first place and $150 prize for second place. Students are asked to recite an essay in Spanish on one of three topics, the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo, immigration reform or why students should graduate from high school.

The essay contest will start at about 3 p.m. and will be broadcast on radio channel 1680 AM from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. that day.

Transportation fixes focus of luncheon

A luncheon panel about the rising cost of gasoline and public policy, titled “America’s Addiction to Oil: Solutions From a Transportation Perspective,” will be presented May 16 by the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce.

Panel members will include: Joyce Olson, CEO, Community Transit, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington State 10th Dist., Doug Hurley, chair, Transportation Performance Audit Board, Reid Shockey, chair, Snohomish County Committee for Improved Transportation and Dave Earling, senior fellow, Cascadia Center for Transportation and Regional Development.

The luncheon is 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, at Embassy Suites Hotel – Lynnwood. Cost is $32 per person, discounted to $27 for Chamber members with registration prepaid by May 11. To register, call 425-774-0507 ext. 0, e-mail info@s2c3.com or visit www.sscchamber.org/.

Get ready for the worst with CERT

Do you know how to help yourself, family and neighbors after an earthquake, snowstorm or other natural disaster? Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) classes will teach you how to help others and maintain your own safety after a natural disaster.

CERT training occurs in three-hour sessions, one evening a week, over an eight-week period. Among other things, CERT students learn the skills to extinguish small fires, provide life-saving first aid, and perform light search and rescue operations.

Registration for the fall session is now open. Classes will begin on Sept. 14. Visit http://www.esca1.com/cert.htm for more information.

Admission to class is free. Participants are required to provide their own safety equipment. Specific equipment requirements will be discussed during the first session.

For information or to register, contact Jamie Gravelle, CERT Program Manager, at jamie@esca1.com or 425-776-3722.

Spring clean-up coming to Terrace

If you needed a reason to start spring cleaning, consider this. The city of Mountlake Terrace 2006 spring clean-up starts in May.

Residents are encouraged to participate in a City-wide Yard Sale 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, May 12, Saturday, May 13 and Sunday, May 14. No permits required.

A city-wide Volunteer Clean-Up is set for 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, May 20. Meet at the Recreation Pavilion at 9 a.m. with your garden tools. Groups should register with the Parks Services Supervisor Ken Courtmanch by calling 425-776-1811. A free barbecue sponsored by the City Council will follow.

A free curbside pick-up is set for Wednesday, May 17. All waste that meets requirements must be placed curbside between 5 p.m. May 16 and 6 a.m. May 17. For appliances, a low-cost permit can be obtained at city hall. For details about what waste can and will be collected, contact city hall.

For information or questions, stop by city hall or call Ken Courtmanch at 425-776-1811.

Terrace cleans up public spaces

The city of Mountlake will focus on cleaning up parks and public right of ways during the next couple of weekends by cutting planting strips, trimming blackberry bushes and cleaning sidewalks, city officials said. City workers will focus on 212th Street, Cedar Way, 244th Street, 220th Street/Interstate-5, 236th Street, west of I-5 and just west of Cedar Way, 48th Avenue, north of 233rd Street.

Audio e-books a hit with library patrons 

Sno-Isle Libraries reports that more than 10,000 audio e-books have been downloaded by Sno-Isle customers since the service was launched in the spring of 2005.

Thousands of titles on digital audiobooks are available at www.sno-isle.org. Patrons can search for audio e-books from the Sno-Isle Libraries catalog, either for a particular title or to browse by type of book. There also are audio e-books on learning new languages, self-improvement, business and careers. Both services are available around the clock.

Digital books are the digital versions of print books. To access them, patrons must have a library card and Internet access.

For more information visit any Sno-Isle library or the Web site www.sno-isle.org.

Nominees wanted for housing awards

HomeStreet Bank is seeking nominations for the third year of the HomeStreet Community Housing Awards. The program will grant seven $10,000 awards to nonprofit community organizations serving housing-related needs.

Applications for the awards must be received by May 12.

To date, HomeStreet Bank has given $150,000 through the HomeStreet Community Housing wards program to serve housing needs in its communities.

Organizations located in the Washington state counties of King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston and Clark; the Greater Portland area; Salem and Hawaii are eligible to apply for a HomeStreet Community Housing Award.

Applications for the HomeStreet Community Housing Awards are available at www.homestreet.com/community/awards.

For information about the HomeStreet Community Housing Awards, e-mail communityawards@homestreet.com or call (206) 515-4069.

Melody Hill plan hearing on May 15

A public hearing about the future of Melody Hill area is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, May 15, at Mountlake Terrace City Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend and testify in person or by presenting written comments.

The Mountlake Terrace City Council has the option of adopting the plan as it is, making changes or rejecting it, city officials said. The council could take a vote as early as May 15 or at a later meeting.

The plan will guide how the Melody Hill area can change or develop in the next 20 years. The Melody Hill area covers the entire northwest area of the City, which is roughly west of Interstate 5 and north of 224th Street. 

The planning commission voted in February to recommend that the city council adopt the plan.

A draft of the 20-year neighborhood plan for Melody Hill can be viewed at www.cityofmlt.com and or at city hall and Mountlake Terrace Library. For information or questions, leave a message with Debbie Rubatino, planning commission secretary, at drubatino@ci.mlt.wa.us or 425-744-6266.

Terrace gardens need extra hands

The Mountlake Terrace Garden Club is getting ready to plant fresh flowers around the city’s welcome signs and they could use a few extra volunteers.

Club members will start clearing the flower beds at nine different sites after Mother’s Day, said vice president Dave Mercer. The flowers will be planted on the weekend after Memorial Day. It takes about four hours, Mercer said. Volunteers are welcome to join. For information, call Dave Mercer at 425-774-8440.

Rummage sales spaces available

Artisans, crafters and neighbors are welcome to rent tables at the annual rummage sale at Terrace View Presbyterian Church, 4700 228th St. SW., Mountlake Terrace. The dates have been changed to June 2 and June 3. Proceeds will help buy a new furnace for the church. For information or to reserve a table, contact Dolores Sternola at 425-771-9486 by May 12.

Lynnwood Lions seeks new members

Are you interested in service to others? The brand new Lynnwood Lions Club is looking for service-minded individuals to join “in our quest to better our community,” the group announced. The Lions Club is the largest service organization in the world with 45,000 clubs in 197 countries. For information about the Lions Club, visit www.lionszone19b3.org or contact Lion Bobby Mills at 425-778-0974.

Recreation Pavilion Open House May 15

The city of Mountlake Terrace is hosting an open house 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, May 15, at the city’s Recreation Pavilion. Recreation staff will be showcasing different programs with the theme, “Destination: Recreation.”

There will be sample classes, free refreshments and snacks, face painting, balloon animals, and other fun stuff. Each person who participates will pick up a “passport” and can visit all the “destinations” to receive a goody bag with candy, coupons, and other great prizes.

La Leche League forms local group

The newly formed La Leche League of Edmonds will hold its first meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 9, at the Edmonds Wellness Center, 7935 216th St. SW, Suite E. in Edmonds.

The purpose of the group is to offer breastfeeding support, encouragement and education. The new group, which will serve women in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Shoreline, will meet the second Tuesday of every month at the Wellness Clinic.

For more information or directions to the meeting call Nancy at 425-774-1513 or e-mail Tracy at LLLtracy@earthlink.net.

Events calendar lists county attractions

The Snohomish County Tourism Bureau’s free 2006 Spring-Summer events calendar now is available at area chambers of commerce, visitor information centers and libraries. Call 425-348-5802 for the location nearest you.

Performing and visual arts, festivals, music events, craft fairs, markets and attractions scheduled through Sept. 30 are included.

Calendars also may be ordered online at www.snohomish.org.

Free farm guide ripe for the picking

The annual Puget Sound Fresh Farm Guide, designed to help consumers locate locally grown farm products and farm experiences, now is available at all area libraries. The free guides also will are available at local farmers markets, farms and at other public buildings.

The 32-page booklet features entries from local farms and farmers markets, along with maps, a seasonal harvest chart, lists of U-pick farms, harvest season activities, summer county fairs, pumpkin patches and recipes. It is published by the Cascade Harvest Coalition. 

More foster homes needed in county

The regional recruiting office for Why Foster? reports a serious need for foster homes, especially those that can accommodate groups of siblings.

With the new 72-hour requirement to investigate all state Child Protective Services referrals, children are being taken out of dangerous situations much sooner, which presents problems stemming from too many children in need of temporary help and the lack of foster families, according to the group.

For information on becoming a foster family contact Why Foster? at 1-800-760-5340 or visit www.whyfoster.org.

Openings on boards and commissions

Mountlake Terrace residents are invited to fill open seats on city advisory boards or commissions, the city recently announced. Volunteers must be residents of the city and willing to meet about once per month during the term.

“Serving on a board or commission is a good opportunity to learn about city government and get involved in civic events, and it can be a lot of fun,” said city clerk Virgina Smith.

This year the city is recruiting applicants to serve on the arts advisory commission, board of adjustment, community policing advisory board, library board, and the planning commission.

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, May 26. The new terms will begin on July 1, 2006. Information materials and applications are available in the lobbies at City Hall, Mountlake Terrace Library, and the Recreation Pavilion.

For an application or more information, contact Virginia Olsen, City Clerk, at 425-744-6206 or volsen@ci.mlt.wa.us or visit www.cityofmlt.com and click on ‘breaking news.’

Evergreen REACT seeks members

Evergreen REACT is a non-profit organization that uses radio communications, like CB radio, cellular phones and amateur radio to help the public and community organizations and events.

In the past year, the group provided radio communication as well as traffic and parking control at marathons, parades and other public events. During the year, members logged over 4,600 miles and offered 874 hours of community service.

Evergreen REACT is looking to add to its membership.  Those interested in communications as a means of providing public service are asked to contact Evergreen REACT by e-mail at evergreenreat2869@yahoo.com or call John Fisken at 425-771-6454.

VFW open to new members

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1040, Lynnwood welcomes new members.

All veterans and active duty members of the Armed Forces of the United States who have been awarded a campaign ribbon are eligible for membership. The VFW meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 7 PM at the Alderwood Youth Club located at 19719 24 Ave. W. in Lynnwood.

For information, contact Post Commander, Martin Spani at 425-774-7416 or John Beam, Post Quartermaster/Adjutant at 425-742-0495.

Fire Department seeks volunteers

The Lynnwood Fire Department joined the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Snohomish County as a volunteer station. RSVP matches individuals over the age of 55 with organizations and agencies that use volunteers. For information, call 425-257-2111, ext. 3375.

In addition, the fire department recently started the Fire Corps, a volunteer organization to provide community outreach and education events. Fire Corps volunteers will assist the fire department with promoting fire safety, installing smoke detectors and other activities. For information about the Fire Corps, call Marybeth at 425-744-6436.

Camp Fire USA seeks volunteers

Camp Fire USA is extending an invitation to those who enjoy working with children and would consider an opportunity to mentor, guide, and teach our future leaders. For information, contact Camp Fire USA at www.campfireusasnohomish.org or call 425-258-5437.

Good people can help Lynnwood cops

The Lynnwood Police Department’s Volunteers in Public Safety (VIPS) is recruiting. VIPS are local, active men and women who are typically retired, to help their community and have some fun.

Among other activities, the VIPS are responsible for the City’s free house check service. When residents plan on being away from their homes for a time, they can sign up at the police station for VIPS to make daily checks on their homes.

VIPS are uniformed civilians who drive Crime Prevention police patrol cars and assist the department in a variety of ways. Police volunteers assisted those who have locked themselves out of their vehicles; they’ve directed traffic at car accidents, and helped people who’ve run out of gas.

For information, call Lynnwood Police Crime Prevention Officer and VIPS coordinator Shannon Sessions at 425-744-6938.