Wow! On Labor Day the annual Houghton-Lakeview neighborhood picnic at Terrace Park experienced the best weather ever. By 11:15 the big kids, little kids, toddlers and babies streamed into Terrace Park near Lakeview Elementary School to line up for the mini-parade.
Some willing parents, glad to have the day off work to spend with family, transported their kids in decorated wagons. Other kids pedaled on bicycles, covered with ribbons and balloons gaily fluttering in the breeze. Nancy Niedzielski and Nick Bull, wearing funny colander hats festooned with colorful balloons, lead the parade down the middle of the street to watch out for cars and keep the bikers and trikers from zooming out into the intersection. (The city required CHNA to pay a huge permit fee just to have the parade travel around a few blocks of this quiet neighborhood. Did any police officers show up to direct traffic if needed? No. So what was that fee for?)
Following the parade, everyone scattered around the lawn for an array of family friendly activities: face-painting with Yukari Kamada, Christine Bull, and the Raggedy Clown, bean bag toss and mural art with Grant Buckingham and Randy Niedzielski, and a rip-roaring pick-up game of soccer. Thanks to the dad that got that impromptu game going.
The firefighters from Station 22 showed up as always (they are very dependable) to give tours of the big fire truck and hand out bags full of safety information to the kids. Lakeview neighborhood provided live music with a band called the Melody Makers, which really added to the festive atmosphere, especially for seniors, no longer up for sack racing.
Music and free food makes a great combination all by itself. Rich Jones, David German and Chris and Debbie Halvorson were busy volunteers, cooking up hotdogs and garden-burgers on the grill to go with the lemonade, chips, fruit and cookies.
The fun continued with sack races and water balloon toss, lead by former Houghton resident, Nancy Niedzielski. She became the star of the day, winning the Hought-Down cookie contest with her delicious 'Mrs. Field's wannabe' chocolate chip cookies.
The much awaited picnic finale was the candy scramble in the hay. Fortunately, the kids take turns by age. Otherwise, older siblings in the mad race to find every last piece of candy in the haystack would have creamed those toddlers. Peter Bull and Japanese exchange student, Yukari Kamada, made balloon animals for a waiting crowd of children to take home as souvenirs of a terrific day at the park.
Some of the volunteers from the Lakeview neighborhood who chipped in to make this such a wonderful time included: Boo and Carl Rigney, Liz and Chris Hewitt, and Catherine and Paul (?).
If you want to join the Lakeview neighborhood association, be sure to contact Kari Page at 828-7973. From the Houghton neighborhood Lisa McConnell, Lenny Bernardo, Brandon and Sarah Jones, Jon Kelley-Jones, Carol Buckingham (the current CHNA president), and of course, Betsy Pringle, were an enormous help in making this event the spectacular success that it was.
Health and beauty mini-mecca
Have you been to downtown Houghton lately? It's the place to visit for health and beauty care. Houghton village has been transformed recently to include Dahn Yoga and Tai Chi right next to the PCC. Check it out and see for yourself what a quiet, peaceful atmosphere it has.
"Dahn Yoga is a style of yoga that helps you to regain mastership of your life by restoring mind-body communication through the medium of Dahn, Chi-energy." Houghton village also includes Stonehouse bookstore. It's another positive energy place. The sign in the window states "Stonehouse is a non-profit organization dedicated to facilitating the growth and healing of individuals, the community, and the planet."
Next door, Fitness Together® has moved in. Their motto is "1 client, 1 trainer, 1 goal": they provide personal fitness trainers to work with you in a fully equipped private room. Nearby, Salon Featherly offers haircuts and other beauty services. There you may have discovered the changes going on across NE 68th St. at the Houghton Center as well.
Another fitness program, Curves, for women, has gone in where Round Table Pizza used to be. It appears that Amazing Tan and Quizno's Subs will also go into the space left by Roundtable, now that it has been divided into three spaces.
In that same area, Nails and Skincare TODAY is a salon that specializes in skin care and waxing as well as nail care. Around the corner, on 108th Ave. NE there are other beauty choices. In Houghton Plaza you will find Nail Club, another nail care, facial and waxing salon. Next door, you can achieve an almost instant tan at Spray Tan of America.
A couple of doors down is the Paradise Beauty Salon that offers professional full service on hair. If you aren't the salon type, mosey over to Earl's Lakeview Barber Shop across the street and have Adam, John, Carl or Eric get their razor out for a haircut that's timeless.
Meeting
The next CHNA meeting is, October 1 at the Houghton Fire station,Number 22, from 7 to 8 p.m. Local business owners and neighbors are welcome to attend.
Get involved and help support us in making this a terrific place to work and live. If you need to know when and where the November meeting will take place check out our Web site: www.houghtonlives.com.
This article concludes my stint as the guest writer for the Houghton column. The Kirkland Courier is still in need of a regular volunteer columnist for the Houghton section.
