News notes from around Eastlake:

• Night Out block parties: We have some attendance totals for the two Night Out block parties that took place in Eastlake on Aug. 3. Jules James, a resident on Franklin Avenue E., estimates that about 80 people visited the party in the 2600 block of Franklin during the evening, which was more than 2009. Cecilia Grevson says that the party on Yale Avenue E. was visited by 250-300 people. Both of those totals are significantly higher than 2009. The purpose of Night Out is to help neighbors get to know each other, to build a sense of community and to prevent crime.

• Restaurateur nominated for award: Susan Kaufman, owner of Serafina and Cicchetti, has been nominated for a 2010 Nellie Cashman Woman Business Owner of the Year Award (there are five nominees total). The award, given by the Women Business Owners, is named for Cashman, an American pioneer, philanthropist, entrepreneur and gold prospector. The award is meant to recognize and honor "women business owners who have enhanced the status of women entrepreneurs through their vision, perseverance, and fearless, relentless leadership in business and the community," according to a press release. Kaufman, a native New Yorker, grew up eating Italian food. After creating two successful restaurants in Juneau, Alaska, she opened Serafina on Eastlake Avenue in 1991. Kaufman, who lives in the neighborhood, has been active in the Eastlake community for years. The restaurant has won numerous accolades and awards. Last year, Kaufman purchased the building behind Serafina and turned it into her newest restaurant, Cicchetti. The winner of this year's Nellie will be announced at a banquet at the Fairmont Olympic on Oct. 14. 


• Movie Night needs sponsors: Plans are moving forward for the Eastlake Movie Night on Saturday, Aug. 21, on the lawn at Rogers Playfield. The film this year is Disney/Pixar's "Up." Putting on the show costs the Eastlake Community Council some bucks (they have to pay for a license to show the film and rent a generator, a sound system and a DVD projector). Sponsorships are welcome from businesses or individuals. (Full disclosure: Eastlake Ave. is a sponsor.) Sponsors at the $50 and above level will be listed on the Movie Night poster and I'll post them here on the blog. If you'd like to be a sponsor, e-mail info@eastlakeseattle.org.


• 2010 Seattle Floating Homes Tour: One of the most distinctive features of Eastlake (and Lake Union in general) is the numberous floating homes that line the lakefront. Once a year, the Floating Homes Association sponsors a tour of several homes on Eastlake and Westlake as a fundraiser. This year's event, featuring 12 homes, is Sunday, Sept. 12, from noon-5 p.m. Tickets are $25 and you can purchase them from BrownPaperTickets.com, by calling 1-800-838-3006 or by stopping by 220 Nickerson St. in Fremont 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday or 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on the weekends. For more information, go to the Floating Homes Association's website.

Here is the video of Tuesday evening's two Eastlake Night Out block parties. Both events were heavily attended this year.

For our previous post about the Night Out, with photos, click here.

Send us your block party photos! We'll add them to this post. curtmilton (at) comcast.net. Thanks!

Check out our VIDEO of Eastlake's Night Out events.

UPDATE: This post has been updated since it was first published. Information on the raffle has been added. New photos from Franklin Avenue added.

Maybe it was the pleasant summer evening. Maybe it was a renewed sense of community. Maybe it was just the chance to relax and chat with your neighbors.

Whatever the reason, Eastlake's two Night Out block parties were popular with neighborhood residents. Both the party on Yale and the party on Franklin saw higher turnouts than last year.

At the party on Franklin Avenue E. (which, until last year, had been the only Night Out event in Eastlake), neighbor Jules James estimated 80 people had rotated through during the course of the evening.

"This was very good," he said, smiling.

On Yale Avenue E., a bigger event funded with a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods easily drew a couple of hundred people. There was music from a jazz trio, lots of food (including hot dogs and oysters), a visit from the Seattle Police Department, samples from local businesses, a pinata for the kids and a raffle to raise money to provide oxygen masks for rescue dogs at local fire stations. (The raffle raised $138, enough to buy the local fire station two sets of pet oxygen masks.)

Cecilia Grevson, who helped organize the event, was very pleased by the response. The point, she said, "is that we're trying to keep our block safe. As Hilary (Clinton) said, it takes a village. We need to know our neighbors and that's what this is all about."

SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Terri Johnston thanked everyone for doing their part to help prevent crime and keep the neighborhood safe.

Sgt. Paul Gracy of the West Precinct also thanked the crowd and then noted that Johnston's position may be eliminated in March. "She's been the catalyst for all of this," he said of the block parties. He urged those present to communicate with the mayor's office and urge that the positions be retained.

On Franklin, the evening was gently coming to a close by the time I made it back by around 8. A steady flow of neighbors stopped by to say hi or to have something to eat. Many were catching up with each other or swapping news, refreshing their connections in the neighborhood. And that, after all, is what Night Out is all about.

Related story: See what other neighborhoods did in this Seattle Times' feature.

So far, I've heard of two Eastlake block parties taking place on Tuesday (tomorrow, Aug. 3) as part of the national Night Out 2010 event.

Are there more that I've missed? If so, put your details in the comments below and/or e-mail me at curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

Night Out is intended to help neighbors meet each other and organize to fight crime. The Seattle Police Department provides support, including blocking off streets so that neighbors can gather for food and conversation. There are more details on the SPD website.

The two Eastlake events (both run from 6 to 9 p.m.) are:

2600 block of Franklin E.: This is the block just north of Seward School. Jules James is one of the organizers and says they'll be blocking off the street starting at 6 p.m. Neighbors set up in the middle of the street with lawn chairs and tables full of food. There was a barbecue last year. Bring a dish to share or something to grill. Or just show up and meet everyone!

2000 block of Yale E.: Cecilia Grevson, co-chair of the Eastlake Community Council's safety and preparedness committee, organized this event for the first time last year. This year, she applied for and received a $1,000 Small Sparks grant from the city's Department of Neighborhoods to fund it.

Grevson says there will be food (hotdogs, grilled oysters, vegetarian chili, watermelon, ice cream and more), music, kids games, emergency preparedness information and visits from fire and police officers. There was a fire truck last year, which the kids loved.

I attended both events last year, met a bunch of people and had a great time. I'll post photos and a story about tomorrow night's events.

See you there!

UPDATE: This post has been changed since it was first published. The Aug. 14 event will feature space for non-profits.

And we have a movie!

The Eastlake Community Council voted Wednesday evening to show "Up" as the feature at the Eastlake Movie Night on Aug. 21. The film features the voices of Ed Asner and Christopher Plummer and tells the story of an elderly man and a young boy who fly to South America in a house lifted by helium-filled balloons.

The film will be screened on the Rogers Playfield lawn the evening of Aug. 21. 

Although the community council will be funding Movie Night, they are still looking for sponsors. Businesses or individuals are encouraged to help out. Sponsors will be listed on the event poster. The ECC also is looking for a sound system and a computer projector (3,500 to 5,000 lumens) to show the film. 

If you can help, e-mail info@eastlakeseattle.org.

The ECC is also sponsoring Eastlake's Night Out event on Aug. 3. The anti-crime event will run from 6-9 p.m. on Yale E. between E. Boston and E. Newton.

The City's Department of Neighborhoods has contributed $1,000 to help fund the Eastlake event. Cecilia Grevson, who is one of the organizers for the Night Out, says there will be food (hotdogs, grilled oysters, vegetarian chili, watermelon, ice cream and more), music, kids games, emergency preparedness information and visits from fire and police officers.

If you'd like more info on the Night Out, contact Randy Wright at 206-255-1648 or Judy Schoen at 206-406-5529.

The third event on the summer agenda will be a community celebration and block party on Aug. 14 on Fairview between Hamlin and Fairview Park. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m.

The event will have music, an appearance by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, antique cars and booths featuring local non-profits. Eastlake residents are encouraged to bring their own picnic and dine out with their neighbors.

The community council board also discussed the Eastlake News, the ECC's quarterly publication. The long-time editor of the paper has had to give up the post and the board has been looking for someone to take over editing and design duties. Chris Leman reported that a former Eastlake News editor has indicated she would be willing to take on the job again. The board agreed to spend up to $800 on computer design software for the new editor to use in producing the paper.

Eastlake had two Night Out Block Parties this year: One on Franklin Avenue E., where neighbors have been gathering for several years, and a new event on Yale Avenue E.

The block parties are part of the national Night Out Against Crime program. The goal is to help neighbors get to know each other and to learn about safety and crime prevention.

Cecilia Grevson and Randy Wright organized the Yale Avenue block party. Terrie Johnston, the crime prevention coordinator from the Seattle Police Department's West Precinct, and officers Anthony Gaedcke and Paul Gracy stopped by to express their support for the neighbors' efforts at crime prevention. Seattle Firefighters also visited and brought a fire truck, which was a big hit with the younger crowd. Two neighbors were organizing signatures on petitions to improve the Parking Zone regulations in the area.

On Franklin, Jules James and Pandora Eyre and Erika Lim helped organize the block party. Talk centered around neighborhood issues and the announcement today that NOAA was moving its Seattle base to Newport, Oregon. Steaks and hot dogs were grilled, as were s'mores. Last week's heat wave was discussed and it was agreed that this week's weather was a great improvement.

It was a casual, cool summer evening and a chance for people to meet neighbors they didn't know. Just what the Night Out organizers intended.

Night Out Block Parties are beginning in a few minutes. This is a great chance to get out and meet your neighbors on a beautiful (and cool) summer evening.

In Eastlake, there are two parties that I've heard of:

• Yale Avenue E., in front of The Harmon, 2203 Yale Ave. E., from 6-9 p.m. The street will be closed between Boston and Lynn. There will be food, music, lots of neighbors, safety information and police and firefighters.
• Franklin Avenue E., between Roanoke and Edgar, from 6-9 p.m. There will be a barbecue. Bring something to grill and something to share.

I'll be out at both, shooting photos and meeting people. Stop by and say hi!

The deadline to register your Night Out Against Crime Block Party with the Seattle Police Department has been extended to Monday morning at 9 a.m. Click here for the SPD web page. If you're north of Lynn, you'll register in the East Precinct. South of Lynn and you're in the West Predinct.

For the Night Out event, the SPD allows neighbors to get a permit to block off a street for a party for free. The idea is that neighbors will get to know each other better at these events and that will help in crime prevention.

There are at least two Night Out events in Eastlake that I've heard of:

• Yale Avenue E., in front of The Harmon, 2203 Yale Ave. E., from 6-9 p.m. The street will be closed between Boston and Lynn. There will be food, music, lots of neighbors, safety information and police and firefighters.
• Franklin Avenue E., between Roanoke and Edgar, from 6-9 p.m. There will be a barbecue. Bring something to grill and something to share.

Are you having a Night Out Block Party? Let me know and I'll add it to our list: curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

Night Out for 2009 is coming on Tuesday, Aug. 4. You have until Friday, July 31, to register your block party event with the Seattle Police Department.

We'll put up a post late this week with details about any local Night Out events. I saw a poster for the Franklin Avenue block party yesterday. Sounds like fun!

The block parties are part of the national Night Out Against Crime event. The idea is to help neighbors get to know each other and their neighborhood, and to celebrate their anti-crime efforts. If neighbors know each other, the idea goes, they will work more effectively together to help prevent crime.

When you register at the SPD web site, remember that if you live north of E. Lynn, you're in the East Precinct. South of Lynn and you're in the West Precinct.

Send me your info: curtmilton (at) comcast.net.

Once a year, the City of Seattle allows neighborhoods to barricade a street and hold a block party without requiring a permit. This year, the event is on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

It's part of the national Night Out Against Crime event. The idea is to help neighbors get to know each other and their neighborhood, and to celebrate their anti-crime efforts. If neighbors know each other, the idea goes, they will work more effectively together to help prevent crime.

From the Seattle Police Department's web site:

Night Out is a great opportunity to celebrate your efforts to keep your neighborhood safe. Pat each other on the back for your continued involvement and dedication to public safety. It is also a great time to invite new neighbors to join you and talk with friends and family who may not enjoy the benefits of a Block Watch about getting one started. And we'll have our officers out to as many Night Out celebrations as we can, to say "Thank You" in person!

To register your neighborhood, go to the SPD's web site. You'll find a registration link on the right hand side (Eastlake north of Lynn is in the East Precinct; sound of Lynn it's in the West Precinct). Also, there are downloadable posters and signs to help out with your block party.