Renton River Days 2011

Renton River Days takes over our downtown, brings smiles to many and entertains anyone open to the word "fun". The sights, sounds and additional pounds brought on by nibbling through Liberty Park are well worth my time each and every year.

 Speaking of food, the Queen of all that is natural and biodegradable was on site to remind the public to use your compost bins. Wearing an incredible gown trimmed in plastic wrappers and such, the gracious refuse royalty floated by and gave us all polite admonishments if we weren't already recycling.

Jr Cadillac played a stellar set on Saturday, just as they have been for the last 10 years. Hardly seen in these climes nowadays, Renton holds a special spot in the band's heart, and schedule, and for this we are blessed. This year, singer Nancy Claire rejoined the band for a coupla songs, after having sang back in the 50's and 60's with the band. Nancy's my neighbor's Mom and one cool gal - shout out to Nancy!

Another great 10 year veteran of the Renton River Days music scene is saxophonist Darren Motamedy - and man, can this cat wail! Darren plays with all his heart and soul, and connects with his audience making a free concert in the park feel like front row seats in Vegas, where he moved to be closer to all his gigs. Onetime Rentonite, having bought his first home in our dear town, Darren keeps coming back to show Renton some love. Thanks Darren!

Pam Chicoine is a face you see around town and usually with a drop spindle in her hand. The Rubber Ducky adorning her hat was made by Pam with a cookie cutter and some roving - it's a wool felted duck pin. Kudos for the most original yellow duck I had the pleasure of meeting this year.

Doing the festival up right, makes for hungry work. The Nibble of Renton is always a big success, even if you feel like you are about to starve waiting in those huge lines of hungry folk. This little kiddlin was not giving too many bites away. She ate the whole hot dog herself.

 

Miss Brandywine Divine, a frequent friendly face on The Picaroon.
Michael, her father, is in the hospital but loves to catch up with his daughter on my blog - Michael, this one's for you!! Feel better soon!

Even Pirates have to eat - and what a lovely set of swashbucklin' maidens are these! I love how many smiling faces I see as I wander about the event, soaking up another year's worth of downhome fun.

It's like the Big Top coming to town...

Cruising through Liberty Park on my way to the Renton Annual Art Show, I saw the dormant tents of our yearly celebration - Renton River Days.

A burst of welcomed sunshine lightened the sky and brought a smile to my face as I saw the beginnings of one of my favorite local happenings. There is an excitement that reaches back to your childhood whenever you see the big white canvas of a tent being erected. An as yet, clean canvas that will soon be painted in fun.

Here's your spot, #23! Today begins the Kid's Day at Renton River Days. Free fun and a focus on the young. The Wenatchee Youth Circus is performing for the next two days - see, the Big Top really has come to town! Today at 1pm and 6pm, tomorrow at 1pm and all for a buck or two, depending on your age.

I love a big tent.

I also love some great music - this group played the last two Renton Annual Art Show's that I have had pleasure of attending - Uptown Lowdown Swing.You too can attend - it's free and open 7/22 (today) and 7/23 from 10 til 6pm. Sunday noon to 5.

The evening was lovely, and nestled in on the elbow of the Cedar River, this deck was a buzz with art appreciators and artists. Catered by Gene Sens' The Redhouse, head chef Frank working his magic, it was a classy and tasty affair. I love being in this space - hey somebody, have a wedding here and invite me, will ya?!

No sneak peaks this year - you want art?? Go see some art!! Get inspired by incredible Renton talent and then go home and make a plan to enter yourself, next year.

Renton - where the Shams do Rock

First thing to get proper Green in the town of Renton, you stop off for a bit of the real blarney - a cup of Mike's coffee at Liberty Cafe and a bit of a chin wag. That will set you right in the mood, as it were. Always someone around who wants to have a chat.

926 South 3rd Street  Renton, WA 98057  (425) 235-1400

Then, thinking you're up for the stronger stuff, you head off to see Jenna and Paddy at A Terrible Beauty Irish Pub for a pint and a giggle, You may even stop by their new Irish Market. It has all the tastes and wonders of the green isle herself for you to take home. I have my eye on some tea and a cool shirt me wee self, and it's open all the same hours of the pub. Now that's making it easy.

201 Williams Ave Renton, WA 98057-2106 - (425) 227-3396
Open Weekdays 11am-2am; Weekends 9am-2am

Then, you begin to cry into your cups, thinking of your Irish heritage and all. You think of  your dear ole Mum, whom you haven't called in ages, and head over to Cuigini's Florist Shop to buy her a bit of the green to help celebrate the day.

413 South Third Street  Renton, WA 98057  (425) 255-3900

By now, your head is aching something fierce from all that thinkin' and drinking, and you need a little TLC and a bit of primping. You've heard that a girl can get a great bit of pampering, maybe even a new "do" over at Bianco& Co Salon and Spa
231 Wells Ave South, Renton -(425) 282-5046

 

Maybe feelin' a tad maudlin and in need of reviving, a Pot O'Gold  Guinness chocolate cupcake with Irish cream butter frosting could cheer one up completely. Available right here in our little burg at Common Ground Coffee and Cupcakes

900 South 3rd St # A  Renton, WA 98057-2710  (425) 235-1717

With a belly full of cupcake wonder, my brain begins to tingle from neglect. Old Renton Book Exchange is just the ticket to restoring some brain cell activity and honoring my Irish roots with a book or two on the homeland. 

227 Wells Ave. South  Renton, WA 98057  (425) 430-2665

One must ask - do I really have enough of the green for the day? For a little creative pick-me-up and a whole lot of fun in general, always head off to Happy Delusions, where Indie crafters are well represented.

924 South 3rd Street  Renton, WA 98057-2734  (425) 255-6078

And finally, a shout out to our resident a winner of a $1,000 math and science Carson scholarship for her college fund, Ms. Samantha Goetz-Granquist. Local Rentonite nominated by her school, with a high grade point average, an interest in geology and an active participant in her community, this lovely young woman is loved by all.

ALSO Look at the next best thing to sliced soda bread - AllRenton.Com - check it out!!

First Friday Block Party rocks again

First Friday Block Party tomorrow y'all - and the artwork is rockin'. Featuring the paintings of artist Dan Kevil, who will be at the party for a little meeting and greeting, this is when coming to hang out in the DTR really gets to be fun.

Firecrackers - Bork

Caroline Jones

Set your clocks for 7pm - when either DJ Phil Anthony or Floyd will be spinning some tunes to set the mood. Mike Moskowitz, our favorite conveyor of dark, caffeinated drinks, will be at the helm and neighbors and friends will certainly be inbound for this fun, Downtown Renton event.

Liberty Cafe
926 S. Third Street
(425) 235 - 1400

Junebug's Birthday

"J" is for Junebug - the cute Chinese Crested on the left, who had her first birthday on the first of this month. Celebrations and cupcakes are the norm in this here parts, so the day could not go unnoticed. Yeah! Just the right amount of fun to get this summer season started.

Chocolate cupcackes with dark cocoa cream cheese frosting, made by yours truly to help get the party started. Sue Rider, Dog Mom, brought the first rhubarb of the year baked in a lovely crumble. You soooo wish you had been there.

Birthday dogs get special treatment - like hugs from dear Neva, all cheeks and smiles.

Dog Mom herself, Sue displays the special "J" treats of the day. More happy memories to add to the year.

Thanks to Mike and Johnny, of Liberty Cafe on South Third, for letting us party hearty.

Felt Forest Friends

First Friday Block Party season will be kicked off with Mary Clymer as the month's resident artist at Liberty Cafe starting this Friday. Channeling her favorite theme of trees and mushrooms, Mary's playful felt art wonders feature woodland friends and snippets of color enhanced nature. The show is entitled Fun Felt Forest.

Mary works from her interior inspiration. No patterns are drawn and the work is sewn without pins, so there is a very organic nature to her process. Mary loves how forgiving and cheap felt is to work with and has been amazed at what she has been able to create when allowing the felt to take over her living room for the last three weeks.

Not too long ago, Mary entered a contest for Pabst Blue Ribbon where she created a latch hook hanging that was selected to hang in the halls of the PBR headquarters back east. This spout of recognition created a little fire in Mary's creative belly, and she has been moving forward with her crafty self ever since.

Happy Delusions, the indie craft store that Mary owns and operates on South Third Street in what she has helped coin the "DTR" (aka Downtown Renton, y'all), kept Mary from some of her personal creative outlets for awhile. Now she is feeling really happy and at home with her chosen medium and having the show and deadline looming has helped bring her work into being.


Trucker hats with cute felt bling as well as headbands will also be available at the show. Some of the pieces that are to be hung are part of personal collections that are on loan for the show, but their are some recently created pictures that could go home with any of you.

The artist in her element

NellieLynn's Cheesecakes will be there with slices of cheesecake and wine, DJ Phil Anthony will be spinning some tunes - it is the place to be this Friday evening.

First Friday Block Party starts this Friday, May 7th at about 7pm

Liberty Cafe
926 S. Third Street
(425) 235 - 1400

Birthday Blessings from the coffee crowd

Happy Birthday to Mike

- your presence adds a dimension to our daily life that we all treasure

Fame - Denied

Fame denied, or maybe let's just say Liberty Cafe almost had a well deserved moment of recognition beyond the realm of merely Renton (where, of course, Mike and his coffee have a fabulous following as we Rentonites well know).

National Public Radio's international broadcast entitled, Marketplace, came in and spent a good hour interviewing Mike Moskowitz the other day at the Liberty Cafe, which got the regular crowd all a twitter. Unfortunately, the only shred left of that discourse was one line in this on the air magazine that deals with business and finance in the international market -

"We arrived in downtown Renton -- southeast from Capitol Hill -- and headed for the Liberty Cafe on 3rd Street."

Darn - so close to letting the rest of the nation and beyond know what a cool coffee haunt we have here in our midst. But we all know, and for today, I guess that will just have to be enough.

When you don't know what to wear

It all began with Liberty Cafe's first year anniversary and a caricature of Mike Moskowitz, one of the cafe owners, drawn by the tat artist, Tor from next door at Ancient Arts Tattoos. This cool piece of artwork that Tor just tossed off one day (his mad art skills just work that way) had been hanging on the bulletin board for some time already when a plan began to be hatched.

Ron Hughes, Liberty Cafe regular, had the idea to have a small run of T-Shirts made bearing Mike's image. Sarah Caldwell at Black Anchor T-Shirts and Printing, whom The Picaroon introduced ya'll to here, did the honors and a small posse of caffeine induced Rentonites descended on the cafe en mass March 13th to surprise Mr. Mike.

Mike was surprised. Now a couple dozen of his happiest cup o' joe regulars can be seen around town with a small copy of him emblazoned on their chests. Mike is, as we speak, making plans to insure that Ron Hughes' birthday is just as memorable.

Bill Provin, lovingly referred to as "Farmer Bill" by some, sporting the T.

Sue Rider in her pink version, of course.

Sue Hughes wears her caffeine colors proudly.

Don't mess with Mary Clymer, she is a total Team Mike supporter.

The T-Shirts are available by order at Liberty Cafe for a reasonable $15. Sarah of Black Anchor Printing is very preganant, so be patient with the time frame. These are like a special DTR phenomenom, which is what makes it all the cooler to request one.

Liberty Cafe
926 S. Third Street
(425) 235 - 1400