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Georgetown is abuzz at the news that we'll soon have a year-round, family owned costume retail and rental shop, plus a plethora of holiday, stage, and party decor, in our own backyard. Seattle classic Champion Party Supply is moving to Georgetown after nine years in Interbay. A banner on the local store's website announced the "end of May" move to 6516 5th Place South, just south of the Chevron on South Michigan. Owner Victoria Champion said the move follows a rent hike at their current location. At 84 years old, Champion Party Supply is the second oldest party store in the country. Started 1936 on Fourth Avenue downtown, Champion was first a sign and retail display business that expanded to include costumes and makeup, catering to performers in and around Pike Place Market. Next time you're at the Market, look for the the historic Champion Building on Pike Place, where Victoria's grandfather's legacy was launched. And prepare to welcome the latest iteration of the nothing-but-fun store to GTown next month!

Anniversary open house will be from 4-8 p.m. this Saturday, 5625 Airport Way S. For any Georgetown resident who walks or drives by the Georgetown Ballroom on Airport Way S and wonders what it looks like inside, here is your chance to check it out. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Georgetown Ballroom, 5625 Airport Way S, is hosting an open house from 4-8 p.m. this Saturday, April 13, and welcoming the community. The venue usually hosts private parties and weddings, but on Saturday, ballroom management is throwing open the doors for everyone. While Magnolia Rhapsody DJs spin tunes from the stage, staff will serve paella and drinks from the bar. They will also share information about the building’s history, which was built in 1924 and was first home to a movie theater and auto repair garage. Visitors can also see some of the artifacts found inside or in the interior courtyard, including pinball machines that can be added to your event, a 1946 jukebox, a staircase reclaimed from a mansion, a 1930s phone booth, a 1948 sports trailer, signs from a long-gone Seattle roadhouse, an antique Chinese lion head, the green bench from the movie Singles, the Chinatown sign from the original Chinatown Market and even a velvet painting of the Starship Enterprise. “Given the business we are in, we don’t often get a chance to welcome our neighbors. If anyone is curious about the ballroom, here is a chance to come by, grab a bite, and say hello,” said Danielle Crowson, Georgetown Ballroom’s Director of Operations.

Bike Works is providing free to sliding scale bike repairs via the Bike Mobile, which will be visiting the Georgetown Playfield from 3-6pm on select Fridays this summer!

Shop 30 makers and artists selling handmade goods, home decor, metalworking, prints, soap, paintings, candles, and more. This event is free to attend; you only pay for the items you wish to purchase and the drinks you want to consume!

For years, Georgetown residents have eagerly anticipated the Gazette's annual April Fools' edition, featuring fabricated and humorous takes on local events and happenings. However, in an effort to shift toward more serious journalism and to maintain the Gazette's credibility, the editorial board has made the difficult decision to end this tradition. While some may lament the loss of a lighthearted issue each April, the Gazette would like to remind everyone that being alive is no laughing matter, and that Georgetown is a serious neighborhood where no fun is to be had. Please find here a completely not made up April Gazette, featuring normal news for a completely normal neighborhood.

Look around the neighborhood right now for a seasonal treat: Miner's lettuce is a native groundcover that also happens to be edible and tasty. Also known as winter purslane, the plant has pairs of quarter-sized heart-shaped leaves that sprout up in shady areas in early spring. As more sun arrives, the lettuce adds green rosettes (actually two conjoined leaves) with tiny pink or white flowers in the center. The plant is named for its history as a staple during the California Gold Rush, when it helped prevent scurvy. Before that, the Cahuilla people of Southern California called it "palsingat." The entire above-ground plant is edible and it's high in vitamin C. The plant's leaves are best eaten raw in salads our sautéed like spinach. Here's a good-looking salad recipe if you need ideas of what to pair the greens with. Wash the lettuce first, of course.

Photo Credit: Kelly Thomas A police chase began in Burien on Monday evening and ended in Georgetown. Around 6:40 p.m. Monday, King County Sheriff's deputies attempted to stop a driver suspected of driving under the influence in the 15200 block of 1st Avenue S in Burien, according to the sheriff's office. The vehicle fled and made its way to Georgetown with several police vehicles from multiple agencies in pursuit with lights and sirens blaring through the neighborhood. Police stopped the vehicle on Corson Avenue near the Harbor Freight store by performing a Pursuit Immobilization Technique, or PIT Maneuver, according to the sheriff's office. They took the driver, a male, into custody. There were no injuries, but paramedics were called as a precaution for a possibly pregnant female passenger. The incident remained under investigation Tuesday afternoon. The identity and possible charges the driver may face were not available.

Join Dirt Corps, the Georgetown Youth Council and Seattle Tree Stewards at Gateway Park North (7551 8th Ave S) to help clean up the park, assist with plant management and get to know some of the fabulous folks bringing this park to life! Event runs from 10am - 1pm.

Dozens of local vendors will offer small bites and specials from 11 am - 4 pm on Saturday, March 30. Purchase your "bites" tickets in the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall.

We need your voice! Support the development of a Georgetown neighborhood center. Image, courtesy City of Seattle, outlines the initial planning phases of the Georgetown Neighborhood Center Visioning project. Are you one of many Georgetown residents who has longed for a neighborhood center? Somewhere "the community can come and gather for anything or nothing," as current Georgetown Community Council (GCC) board chair, Heather Carney, states in her March Peeps in the Neighborhood feature? Well then, complete the "Georgetown Neighborhood Center Space Needs" survey! Administered by the City of Seattle's Duwamish Valley Program, this survey seeks to gather input about a community owned and operated center. (In other words, what would your ideal Georgetown neighborhood center look like?) It can be completed in approximately 15 minutes and can be accessed via this link: https://forms.office.com/g/FD2YzTz4qY. More details about the project, including ways to receive updates, are provided within the survey as well. So what are you waiting for, Georgetown neighbors and friends? Click the link and share your ideas, and please encourage others who live, work, and play in the neighborhood to do the same! The goal is to have at least 100 survey responses by April 1. Questions can be directed to Grant Gutierrez at grant.gutierrez@seattle.gov.

The March 2024 Gazette covered the impending departure of Cascade Cliffs, a winery tasting room on 12th Ave S. that will cease operation in April and relocate to Woodinville. While I began reading the news of the closure with sympathy, Cascade Cliffs’ stated reasons for leaving Georgetown not only indicated a lack of accountability, but were tone deaf about our neighborhood to such a degree that by the end of the article I was ready to call and offer to help them pack their bags. To revisit a few of their reported operating challenges: City regulations caused the tasting room to lose its sidewalk patio - To clarify, this “patio” was an unpermitted collection of barrels and rope that encroached onto the sidewalk and made it difficult for pedestrians to pass by, let alone anyone in a wheelchair. The City has an Outdoor Dining permit process to review and approve any food service business who wants to operate on a public right-of-way; perhaps Cascade Cliffs should have applied (I could not locate any permit records or applications on file with the City) to determine if barrels would be appropriate on that stretch of sidewalk. Georgetown’s “charm doesn’t attract people from outside” - Have you been here on a weekend? Georgetown is a destination neighborhood. Restaurants and bars are packed. We have regular events like the Georgetown Flea Market and Art Attack!, as well as tons of annual events–the Georgetown Carnival, Garden Walk, Dead Baby Downhill, Seafair, R-Day, Equinox Studios’ Very Open House, Georgetown Bites, and more–that draw in loads of outside visitors year round. “Other business districts advertise” - The Georgetown Merchants Association (GMA) does advertise: for example, Art Attack! brings in visitors to the neighborhood monthly and directs them to participating businesses. I checked on the Art Attack! website and Cascade Cliffs was not listed as a participant; seems like a missed opportunity for foot traffic. I also spoke with the GMA, who confirmed that Cascade Cliffs last paid membership dues in 2019, but has not in the years since. Nearby encampments, concern for car break-ins, graffiti - This is not unique to Georgetown. I had my car broken into when I lived on Capitol Hill. Encampments exist in many parts of the city - try visiting Ballard. You can probably find graffiti in over 75% of the restaurant bathrooms in Seattle. I understand that Georgetown faces a specific combination of overlapping challenges: we’re in an industrial area, we have a small residential community and we experience environmental, social and health impacts in heavier ways than other neighborhoods. But is Georgetown really to blame for your business operating challenges? What about the many bars and restaurants–including several often bustling wine tasting rooms within a 2 block radius of Cascade Cliffs–that are thriving here? If you don’t think the business district is doing enough to advertise, why not actively participate in the GMA? If your customers are really “used to something shinier and brighter” than this drab, unsafe neighborhood, then perhaps rethink your own curb appeal: I for one never went into Cascade Cliffs because the space looked dark and uninviting, not because of someone sleeping in a tent 150 feet away. Maybe it’s not that Georgetown wasn’t a good fit for you, but rather that you were not a good fit for Georgetown. Best of luck up north.

Meet Heather Carney, new GCC Board Chair and 6-year resident of the neighborhood. Photo of Heather by shon’t. Name: Heather Carney (she/her) Residency in Georgetown: Six years How you might know her: The lady who frequently walks her small dog, Leon; a member of the Georgetown Community Council (GCC) — see below for her new appointment; and a supporter and attendee at myriad community functions. Today’s world normalizes the reality of only knowing a person virtually. Even with our neighbors, community-related emails make it possible to possess “name only” recognition… sometimes indefinitely. Heather was one of such neighbors. Our virtual acquaintanceship lasted for many moons before the tides of life allowed our “real life” worlds to collide. On a bright Saturday afternoon, we met at Matcha Man Ice Cream & Taiyaki for some real-time connection and to talk more about her love for Georgetown as well as her time and history on the GCC. What do you do? (e.g., your profession, personal mission, passion, etc.)? “I work downtown and I like to be involved in the neighborhood. I like to know what’s coming up, what’s going on, and who my neighbors are. If there is something that interests me, I am there.” Regarding the GCC… “I am the newly nominated Chair for the Board of Directors. I’ve been on the GCC for the last 5 years. I joined at one of the holiday parties — when everybody joins. Fun Fact: I learned about the GCC from the Georgetown Gazette! There was an upcoming GCC meeting mentioned [in the very first Gazette I received] and it asked for neighborhood involvement. For me, because I moved from the Eastside, I had a goal to be involved [in my new neighborhood]. It was my way to be educated.” What brought you to Georgetown? Why this neighborhood? “The commute… literally! I lived in Snoqualmie and drove to downtown [Seattle] every day. My youngest kid went off to college and I was like, ‘Why am I in this traffic? Maybe I will live in downtown.’ So I started looking, with the commute as my main criteria. When I first [looked at the neighborhood], I was like, ‘Oh no! This isn't going to work! I don’t think I can live here.’ I thought it was too industrial, so I kept looking. But then I came back to it, plus I loved [my house].” What keeps you here? What do you like about our ‘hood? “We are fun! And I enjoy the feeling of being in this neighborhood. We have opportunities to meet each other and I think — because we are contained — that we only have each other. I also like the commute, and not just for work. The location is very central but you still feel a little bit out of the city.” A piece of advice for your Georgetown neighbors, new or old? GCC-related… “Get to know the GCC! Being part of the GCC is really easy. Don’t feel like you are not qualified. If you have something that motivates you or a niche that you want to use your energy towards, you can do it! There are various vehicles we have that can be used to execute your ideas: e.g., The Gazette.” Neighborly… “If you are moving into a new place in the neighborhood, your plants are not going to live unless you water them — it will really serve you in the future.” Your future Georgetown looks like… “More neighborhood fun! And anything that helps to enhance the neighborhood. We are actually working on a community neighborhood center for the future — it’s going to be years out. I think it will be really nice to have a place for the community to come and gather for anything or nothing. That would be amazing!” If you are interested in being featured in “Peeps in the Neighborhood” or want to recommend someone for us to consider, please forward an email to shon’t at shontatGTownGazette@gmail.com.