On Wednesday, Ffej asked us when the Senior Center plans to start accepting donations that will be matched by the Challenge Grant. Christopher Novak, WCSC Board member and Chair of their Communications Committee writes in with the details:

The Wallingford Community Senior Center officially began accepting contributions that will be matched by an anonymous $25,000 Challenge Grant on March 1, 2010.  So, for every dollar raised until we reach $25,000, the challenger will match it with another dollar.  Donations can be sent to:

Wallingford Community Senior Center
4649 Sunnyside Ave., North
Suite 140
Seattle, WA  98103

All we ask is that donors include their name and address so we may thank them.  Anyone with questions should call the Center at 206.461.7825.

Thanks for your continued support, Wallingford!

Quite a pretty penny, but no doubt a delicious meal. Lynne writes:

Join your fellow foodies as we gather for a 4-course prix fixe benefit dinner with wine pairing, hors d’oeuvres and a sparkling reception at Tilth Restaurant. All proceeds support PCC Farmland Trust’s Future Farm Fund to purchase Organic Agricultural Conservation Easements. Find out more about PCC Farmland Trust at: www.pccfarmlandtrust.org

Tuesday, March 16, 2010 5:30pm

Cost: $150 per person (not including tax and gratuity). Reservations required; Call (206) 633-0801 to reserve your spot

There are a couple interesting kid-related things going on this weekend:

• Drew Derby Puppet Show: King County librarian by weekday, puppeteer extraordinaire by weekend, Drew Derby will be putting on a show this Saturday, March 13th 4- 5 pm at Family Works on 45th St. $2 suggested donation, pay what you can. All proceeds benefit the FamilyWorks food bank and free parent education programs.
• Kids sale at the Phinney Neighborhood Center: Sez they: “This is the sale you’ve been waiting for! You’ll find a huge selection of gently used clothing from 0-10 years, maternity clothes, toys, games, books, strollers and tons of general baby/kid gear. For easy shopping all clothes will be hung by sizes. There is plenty of parking in the PNA lower and upper parking lots, so grab a tote and line up early for the best bargains!” Saturday, March 13th, 9 am – 5 pm, 6532 Phinney Ave. N.

While we’re on the subject of kid stuff, Mrs. Wallyhood has been putting together a calendar of “toddler activities”, with things like toddler hours at the various pools, and we thought we’d share it with Wallingford parents. It’s up in our navigation bar under “Kids” now or just click this Toddler Activities link to visit. If you’ve got suggestions on things we should add, please leave a comment on that page.

In other news, rain is expected Saturday, leading to puddles. Go stomp in them.

Erin reported that she had it from a reliable source that the reason for Goldie’s sudden closure was that they were under new management, and the liquor board had yet to authorize a license for the new owner. Andrew just provided us a new clue to the goings on in the form of this Craigslist posting:

Wallingford Bar & Grill – $189500 (Wallingford District)
GOLDIES IS FOR SALE! OUR EXCLUSIVE LISTING
Seattle’s Wallingford Districts longest established Bar & Grill. Nearly 1/2 century of history. 4000 square feet of games, dining and sports viewing on 20 tvs including 9 new big flatscreens and 2 huge projection screens. 4 pool tables, 5 electric darts and many popular video games. Enclosed beer garden. Seller will finance qualified buyer with 1/3 down payment. Shown by appointment.

We have many more similar listings thruout the Greater Seattle Area. Contact Mike Meade at Meade And Associates for details
Specialists in the sales of Bars and Restaurants since 1968 Office 800-427-7560 Cell 206-369- 0308

We think this is a prime opportunity for Wallingford to snag itself a new Community Center. Four pool tables, five electric darts, popular video games and they don’t even mention the beer! Let’s see, 1/3 of $189,500 is $63,166. How many fundraisers does that make?

Back in November, we mentioned that Next Door Media, the Ballard-based company that controls a host of “hyperlocal” blogs such as My Ballard, Phinneywood, Fremont Universe, Queen Anne Review and Magnolia Voice, was recruiting someone to write a Wallingford blog for them. At the time, we invited you all to come join us on these pages, and the many writers you’ve seen here on Wallyhood since then took us up on the offer. Truly a blessing.

Meanwhile, we saw today that Next Door Media has launched their site, titled My Wallingford. Like the rest of the NDM sites, much of their content is shared across their network, appearing simultaneously in Ballard, Phinneywood, etc. That said, they’ve already got some Wallingford-specific content, too, such as their story on the Senior Center being saved and the “Big Hands Guy” shoplifter making the rounds, so it’s off to the races!

My Wallingford’s writer / editor is Marina Gordon. She’s got a BA in journalism from NYU and time at Disney and Real Networks under her belt, so we’re sure she’ll be bringing an exciting new perspective and voice to the neighborhood.

Welcome to the neighborhood, My Wallingford! We baked you pie.

Robert Delaware has been snapping photos of street art around the city and posting them to Brightkite, a service that allows you to “tag” messages and photos with the location they were sent from. Here are a few  of the shots he’s taken from around Wallingford:

Now, regular readers will know that we’re huge fans of street art (newer readers, check out some of our older posts on the topic, including Wallingford Art, More Outdoor Art, Mystery Painting, Easy Chair, More Yard Art and New Yard Yart), so this got us to thinking: wouldn’t it be great if there a map of all the yard and street art around Wallingford? Maybe you could print it and make a self-guided walking tour of our own public gallery? Or maybe someone could whip up some sort of snazzy iPhone app?

Such a map seems like an essential resource for the neighborhood, no less important than a list of kid-friendly restaurants, so we’re willing to help put it together.

If you know of street art or yard art around the neighborhood, please leave the address in the description below. If you’ve got a photo you can link to, even better. We’ll work on pulling together a map we can share with the neighborhood. What say?

John writes:

The old Tweedy & Popp store has decloaked. There are now big color posters in the windows with pictures of oriental rugs. One of them reads, “Heirloom Rugs.” I dunno if that’s the actual name of the new business. I wonder if it’ll be one of those oriental rug shops that have perpetual “Going Out Of Business Liquidation Sale!” signs but never actually close down?

Sweet. I can see it now: “Grand Opening Sale! Going Out of Business!”

If you’re interested in helping to choose some new playground structures for the McDonald School lot on 54^th and Latona, then you’ll want to make note of a few upcoming dates:  The Friends of McDonald School is hosting a workshop on Tuesday, March 23, from 7-9 p.m., at Green Lake Elementary School.  Everyone is welcome.

Funding for the new playground equipment will come from two grants by the Department of Neighborhoods’ Matching Fund and the King County Youth Sports Facilities Grants Program, as well as the generosity from community members and employer donations.  Seattle Schools will also provide support.

Friends of McDonald School will host another workshop, also at Green Lake Elementary, on April 27, from 7-9 p.m., where a design from one of several playground equipment vendors will be chosen.  They’ll also be seeking volunteers later this spring to help install the equipment on June 26-27.

For more information, see the Friends of McDonald School website, or send mail to McDonaldSchool@gmail.com

DOUG. writes:

If you’ve ever taken the 26 bus from northern Wallingford toward downtown, you’ve probably been jolted awake by the mammoth pothole on the 4200 block of Thackeray. Now you can rest easily. The Pothole Rangers were notified by a concerned neighbor on Friday afternoon and were out in force early Monday morning filling the gaping wound. It took mere minutes.

So if you see a pothole that needs to be filled, call 206.684.ROAD. It really works!

As long as we’re talking about fabric, we thought we’d let you know that Fabric Crush, “a fresh, modern fabric boutique specializing in cotton fabrics, patterns and books from a variety of designers”, is opening in Wallingford Center. It sounds like they’ve burst the seams of their old home in Magnolia and have decided to weave themselves into Wallingford, instead. Opening day is Monday, March 15th:

This move will allow us to have more classes and much more room for inventory in a more easily accessible neighborhood location. The close proximity to I-5 will make it nice for our out of town customers and the big free parking lot will make it convenient too. Add in the other great merchants at Wallingford Center (yarn and cupcakes, hooray!!) and you could spend a fine afternoon in Wallingford.

(Thanks to Rachel for the tip!)