The lights, along with those at several other outdoor tennis courts in Seattle, were shut off in an effort to create energy savings during the winter months when few people play outside. Parks estimates the savings from turning off tennis court lights across the city to be about $15,000.

Lights will stay on at several other courts through the winter, including eight of the fourteen courts the Lower Woodland Park tennis courts.

Winter play is also available at the Amy Yee Tennis Center’s 10 indoor courts. For more information, please call (206) 684-4764.

For the full listing of Seattle Parks’ tennis courts, please see seattle.gov/parks/tennis.asp.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: parks and rec, tennis, woodland park

Photo courtesy Office of the Mayor

Mayor Mike McGinn announced today (Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011) that his 2012 Proposed Budget will invest in several City-owned facilities.

The mayor said that the budget, which he will submit to Seattle City Council on Monday, will include funding for a replacement roof at the Green Lake Bathhouse, currently home to the Seattle Public Theater (7312 West Green Lake Dr N).

The proposed budget also allocates revenue for new lights at the Lower Woodland Park tennis courts.

Parks & Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee Chair Pete Spalding said at today’s announcement that these projects were being moved from the Parks Department’s Major Maintenance backlog with the help of re-allocated Parks and Green Spaces Levy funds.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: local politics, parks and rec, tennis, theater, woodland park

The outdoor workout is for parents and their children aged 4-7. All instruction will be in Spanish.

Registration is required.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: bargain alert, fitness, health, kids, woodland park

photo credit: Jeff Sandquist

Skate Like a Girl, a local program that empowers youth through skateboarding activities, is offering free skateboarding lessons to youth aged twelve and younger at the Lower Woodland Skatepark on Saturday, Sept 17 and Saturday, Sept 24, 2011, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The Lower Woodland Skatepark is located at the western end of the space between Soccer Field #2 and the cloverleaf ball diamonds at Woodland Park (5201 Green Lake Way N).

The free lessons are being offered through Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES).

YES, which teaches leadership and employment skills to local young adults, was created by Skate Like a Girl with the help of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Neighborhood Matching Program and Seattle Parks and Recreation.

“Skate Like a Girl received grant funding for their YES program in part because YES is designed to promote healthy lifestyles, minimize negative activity in skateparks, and connect with Seattle youth who may not be involved in their communities elsewhere,” explains a press release from Seattle Parks and Recreation. “The program will train qualified interns and Coaches in Training (CITs) to implement free summer programs for local youth, and is structured to create a safe, positive environment for neighbors to come together. The grant total amounted to $20,200.”

For more information, contact Skate Like a Girl coordinator Nancy Chang at info [at] skatelikeagirl.com.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: bargain alert, kids, skateboarding, woodland park

The event, which is free and open to all ages and abilities, is sponsored by Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES), a program administered by Skate Like a Girl, through a City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods grant.

The event’s Facebook page lists the following schedule:

10:00 AM BEGINER LESSONS
12:00 PM BOWL JAM
BEGINNER FUNTESTS
LADIES JAM
2:00 PM MASTERS (30+) JAM
BBQ (FREE FOR THOSE THAT SIGN IN)
GAME OF SKATE
3:00 PM ADVANCED JAM
4:00 PM BEST TRICK
4:45 PM EVERYONE HELPS CLEAN-UP

The Lower Woodland Skatepark is located at the western end of the space between Soccer Field #2 and the cloverleaf ball diamonds at Woodland Park.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: kids, skateboarding, teens, woodland park

There will be live music featuring Bobby Medina and the Red Hot Band. Ice cream, hot dogs, soda, popcorn and kettle corn will be served, and there will be clowns, games, face painting and a raffle.

The event is free.

For more information call (206) 441-8510 or email office [at] mlkclc.org.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: building community, kids, music, party, woodland park

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Quickstart tennis league for youth is holding a jamboree at the Lower Woodland Park tennis courts this Thursday (August 18, 2011), 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

All ten tennis courts will be in use by Quickstart program participants during the jamboree. No courts will be available for public use.

Everyone is welcome to watch the jamboree, which will will include fun, lightly-competitive matches between up to 100 kids aged 7 to 10. Participants will receive participation medals, Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards and a chance to hit for prizes.

Photo courtesy Carl Bergquist

The QuickStart Jamboree is sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation, United States Tennis Association and Aces Tennis.

For more information about the QuickStart program or the jamboree, please contact Carl Bergquist at (206) 684-0780 or carl.bergquist [at] seattle.gov.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: kids, parks and rec, tennis, woodland park

Merritt says that volunteers are needed for a work party at the Seattle Sensory Garden at the Woodland Park Rose Garden (750 N 50th St).

Sensory gardens make use of all the senses. Plants and landscape elements are chosen for the garden based on not just their visual qualities, but also their smell, texture, sound and taste.

In June, a crew of volunteers cleared the site of the Seattle Sensory Garden, marked the layout of the paths and beds, spread Zoo Doo and readied the site for planting, according to a Facebook page for the garden. Pavers were then installed and planting has begun.

The garden includes elements that can be used in therapeutic sessions treating Alzheimer’s disease, autism, blindness, and hearing impairments.

You can read more about the Seattle Sensory Garden here.

The next work party at the garden is Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 9 a.m. There is no need to RSVP; volunteers will sign in when they arrive at the garden.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: gardening, volunteer, woodland park, zoo

This August, Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation Sound Steps Walking Program is hosting a three-day Olmsted park-to-park walk.

The walk is Thursday, August 4 through Saturday, August 6, 2011. It will highlight the historic Olmsted park plan and improvements that have been made possible by the voter-approved 2000 Pro Parks Levy and the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy.

The walk schedule:

Thursday, August 4: Meet at Seward Park’s Caffe Vita (5028 Wilson Ave. S). The walk proceeds from Seward Park to Capitol Hill by way of Genesee Park, Jefferson Park, Cheasty Blvd, Mount Baker Park, and the many other parks along Lake Washington Blvd.

Friday, August 5:  Meet at Victrola Coffee (411 15th Ave. E). Walk from Capitol Hill to Ballard, by way of Volunteer Park, Interlaken Blvd., the Washington Park Arboretum, the University of Washington campus, Ravenna Park, Green Lake Park, and Woodland Park.

Saturday, August 6: Meet at Aster Coffee (5615 24th Ave. NW). Walk from Ballard to Queen Anne by way of Discovery Park, Magnolia Blvd, Kinnear Park, and Queen Anne Blvd.

The total distance covered each day will be between 12 and 13 miles. Each day will begin with coffee at 8:30 a.m. and will include stops for lunch, afternoon cold drinks, and an early dinner. The walk itself is free, but you will need to pay for your own food and beverages. Although many rest stops are included, the walk pace is moderately brisk.

Participants can join the walk for one, two, or all three days. The walk is one-way, so walkers should plan to use Metro, or have an accommodating friend or family member deliver them each morning and pick them up later in the day.

The purpose of the Sound Steps Walking Program is “to improve the health and wellness of adults age 50 and better throughout the Greater Seattle area by establishing a community-based walking program designed to encourage physical activity and social interaction.”

To join the group for the Olmsted park-to-park walk, please respond by Tuesday, August 2 to Mari Becke at sound.steps [at] seattle.gov or (206) 684-4664.

Related:

In October, 2010, the Friends of Green Lake hosted a presentation by Sue Nicol, Vice President of Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks. Sue spoke on the Olmsted history of Woodland Park and the Woodland Park Zoo. You can read about the presentation here.

In April, 2011, Sue spoke on the Olmsted plans for Green Lake Park, Ravenna Park and Ravenna Blvd. You can read about the presentation here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: older adults, parks and rec, walking, woodland park

The concerts are all free, although food bank donations to Northwest Harvest are accepted.

Concerts are on Sundays, noon – 6 p.m, and are each followed by a drum circle.

Here are some scenes from today’s concert, an “Interdependence Day Picnic.” The concert, which was held at Lower Woodland Park, was produced by Joe Calhoun and featured performances by Dr. Klean, The Barker Boys, Lonely Taylor, Tangletown String Band, Shamaniacs, Lost River String Band and The Bare Roots:

Tangletown String Band

Shamaniacs

One more of the upcoming Seattle Peace Concerts will be held at at Shelter #1 at Lower Woodland Park on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2011. The concert will begin at noon and will be produced by Ron Dickson with sound by Sarvish. It will feature performances by The Babylons, Piper Stock Hill, Little Sense and Kuli Loach.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: music, woodland park