Fremont Neighbor

07/06/2025

Four organizations presented programs and opportunities to residents at the June 24 Fremont Neighborhood Council meeting.

Bria Blitch of Trees for Neighborhoods announced that applications for free trees opened July 1. Residents can plant trees in their yards or along streets, but available trees are claimed quickly.

Applications are accepted through July at seattle.gov/trees/trees-for-neighborhoods.

Teresa Tam, social connection program coordinator, and Amanda Coba, membership and outreach manager, represented PNA Village and the Phinney Neighborhood Association. The organization serves Fremont and North Seattle with programs including social connection, memory loss support, community care and support groups.

Anna Cronin and Brianna Stevenson of Solid Ground said the organization, founded 51 years ago as the Fremont Public Association, now serves about 65,000 people annually across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Services include stability, housing, food access, education and transportation.

Brandi Gaines, president of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, said five organizations are collaborating to establish a Creative Arts District in Fremont. Partners include the chamber, Fremont Neighborhood Council, Fremont Arts Council, Rotary Club and United Indians of All Tribes Foundation.

The Washington state-funded program provides certification that comes with funding opportunities for community improvements, including pop-up businesses, vacant storefront activation and public art maintenance.

Organizers need board executives for their 501(c)3 organization. More information is available at fremont.com/fremont-creative-district.

Editor’s note: The author serves as vice president of the Fremont Neighborhood Council board.

07/04/2025

Hello, neighbors! Welcome to Fremont Neighbor Notes, a Friday guide to what's happening around our community in the coming week.

July 4: Seafair 4th of July at Gas Works Park - This annual event offers free seating for fireworks viewing with premium reserved seating options also available. The day-long celebration features All-American games including pie eating contests, sack races and tug of war, plus live entertainment from multiple performers and the Navy Band Northwest Passage. The event culminates with a fully choreographed fireworks show at 10:20 p.m. that's broadcast live on KONG TV starting at 9 p.m. Food vendors will offer everything from burgers and barbecue to international cuisine and fair treats like funnel cake and ice cream.

July 4: Mischief 4th of July BBQ - Fremont Mischief is hosting a Fourth of July BBQ from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 132 N Canal St. The all-ages event features $5 hamburgers and hot dogs, plus whiskey, beer and cocktails available from the bar. No reservations are needed, and all food and drinks are available for purchase at the farm-to-table establishment in the heart of Fremont.

July 9: A Socratic Conversation - A Socratic discussion group will meet Wednesday, July 9, from 7-8:30 p.m. at Ophelia's Books, 3504 Fremont Ave. N. The inaugural meeting will explore Thomas Paine's quote "The true greatness of a nation is founded on principles of humanity" through respectful dialogue focused on curiosity rather than debate. Facilitator Caroline Sayre, a longtime Fremont neighbor, will establish ground rules emphasizing courtesy, listening and giving everyone space to share ideas. If there's interest, the group may continue meeting regularly with discussion topics suggested by participants.

For more information and links, go to the link in the bio.

07/03/2025

The Fremont community cleanup is back. Join neighbors Saturday, July 12, from 9 to 11 a.m. for the first cleanup in several years.

Dennis Bateman from Patrick Place, run by Catholic Community Services of Western Washington, is organizing the event. He started the cleanup tradition in 2017 and continued it until shortly before the pandemic. Patrick Place Apartments offers 71 units of affordable housing with on-site case management services for single adults who have experienced homelessness, and Bateman is opening the doors to the public for this community event.

Caroline Sayre, Community Liaison of the Fremont Neighborhood Council Board and co-founder of Seattle Scooper Sonics, and Alyson Teeter, Vice President of the Fremont Neighborhood Council Board and Fremont Neighbor editor, are helping organize the event.

Teeter helped Bateman organize the original 2017 event. Sayre attended that first cleanup and was inspired to start the Super Scooper Sonics with her co-founder, creating another neighborhood litter pickup group. The team is happy to be back together again to organize this impactful community event.

The cleanup is part of One Seattle Day of Service, a citywide volunteer initiative. You can register here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/df10925bcded46e2b5c32684ec30f83a?field:event=Catholic%20Community%20Services%20Fremont%20-%20Beautification%20Event&field:eventid=SEA-080

Don’t worry if online registration fills up – come anyway.

Everything you need will be provided: t-shirts, garbage pickers, gloves and trash bags. The cleanup will focus on Upper Fremont.

Local businesses are pitching in too. Marketime Foods, Caffe Vita, and Pecado Bueno will provide donuts, coffee, snacks and water to keep volunteers fueled.

Whether you’re a longtime resident or new to the neighborhood, it’s a chance to help keep Fremont looking good while meeting your neighbors.

Editor’s note: Alyson Teeter is co-organizing this event and is editor of Fremont Neighbor.

07/01/2025

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce hosted a community walkabout on June 26, bringing together local business leaders and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck to discuss key issues affecting Fremont.

The group toured local businesses and examined ongoing challenges including Route 40 construction impacts and the stalled revitalization efforts at A.B. Ernst Park.

Participating in the walkabout were Pete Hanning, Executive Director of the Fremont Chamber of Commerce; Suzie Burke, President of Fremont Dock Company; Phil Megenhardt, President of Bold Hat Productions; and Caroline Sayre from the Fremont Neighborhood Council board.

Councilmember Rinck, who represents Position 8 citywide, listened to community concerns and engaged with questions about local business and infrastructure needs.

These regular Chamber walkabouts serve as a bridge between Fremont’s business community and elected officials, ensuring local voices are heard on issues that matter to Fremont.

06/30/2025

Seattle Public Schools announced today the appointment of a new interim principal at B.F. Day Elementary, Ms. Kristin Eckert, following the resignation of Dr. Natalie Zisko. The announcement comes as the school community grapples with significant staffing changes and enrollment challenges that have sparked concern among families.

The school is reducing its art teacher position from full-time to half-time, though officials say total art and music instruction time will remain the same through an alternating weekly schedule, according to an email from the B.F. Day PTSA. The school is losing a popular teacher who taught fifth grade and had secured grants for STEM programs including a new robotics club. This is in addition to the loss of another teacher, which was based on enrollment projections earlier in the year. The fulltime school counselor has also resigned from his position.

The timing and manner of these announcements have particularly frustrated families. Major staffing changes were revealed at the end of the school year, with many parents learning about the principal’s departure through rumors rather than official channels, the PTSA said. The parent organization criticized the district for poor communication and leaving volunteer parents to manage community concerns without adequate information.

“This entire situation could have been significantly softened — or even prevented — by proactive communication from the district or school leadership,” according to the PTSA.

The community’s concerns extend beyond individual staffing decisions to what they see as systemic problems: unclear enrollment projections, inadequate support for highly capable and advanced learning programs, and inequitable funding formulas that don’t account for students with special needs in general education classrooms.

Acting Superintendent Fred Podesta announced Eckert’s appointment in an email to families, noting that she brings nine years of experience as an assistant principal in Seattle Public Schools. Eckert will need to navigate rebuilding trust within a community that feels its concerns haven’t been adequately addressed.

“I understand that changes like this can be difficult,” Podesta wrote. “I am confident Principal Eckert will step in and provide effective leadership to maintain daily school operations.”

Note: The writer is a B.F. Day parent.

06/27/2025

Hello, neighbors! Welcome to Fremont Neighbor Notes, a Friday guide to what's happening around our community in the coming week.

June 27-30: Leary Way Bridge Closure - People driving south on 15th Avenue Northwest will need to travel down to Leary Way Northwest, then use the on-ramp to access the Ballard Bridge. People traveling north from Interbay via the Ballard Bridge will need to exit down to Leary Way Northwest using the off-ramp to continue into Ballard. On June 27 lane reductions start at 7 p.m. and the bridge is fully closed by 10 p.m.. The bridge will reopen by 5 a.m. on June 30.

June 29-30: Water Shutoff in Fremont - Two rescheduled water shutoffs are planned in Fremont as part of ongoing infrastructure improvements to replace a 100-year-old water line, with the first shutoff Sunday, June 29 (4 a.m.-11 a.m.) causing lane reductions on North 36th Street between Francis Avenue North and Evanston Avenue North, and the second Monday, June 30 (6 a.m.-11 a.m.) affecting Fremont Avenue North between North 35th Street and North 36th Street.

July 2-3: Irish Trad Music - Shawn O'Donnell's at 3601 Fremont Avenue North hosts live Irish music sessions featuring world-class musicians every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., creating an authentic traditional atmosphere in the heart of Fremont. The family-owned Irish pub also offers pub trivia Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. and serves traditional Irish and American food made with locally sourced ingredients.

06/26/2025

Our friends at Wallyhood wrote a story about a new shop on Stone Way -- Spinnaker Chocolates -- and shared the post with Fremont Neighbor. Check it out at http://fremontneighbor.com/goodbye-theo-hello-spinnaker/

06/25/2025

Wonder who's behind the poster? Masterful trolling kudos, to whomever it is.

The Seattle Times, technically the In-N-Out sign was in Fremont, not Wallingford.

Seattle foodie internet circles lit up last week when a photo of an In-N-Out logo on a poster with the words "coming 2026" appeared on a Wallingford storefront.

06/24/2025

Cyclists in Fremont have likely noticed new pavement markings and directional signs along neighborhood bike routes recently as part of a pilot project aimed at creating clearer connections between Seattle neighborhoods.

The “Bike Lines” route spans 6 miles from Ballard’s Gilman Soccer Fields through Fremont to Lumen Field downtown. Volunteers from Ballard-Fremont Greenways and Downtown Greenways installed the markings in one morning before the Sounders vs Botofogo kickoff game.

The project uses existing bike infrastructure to create what organizers describe as clearly marked routes similar to bus rapid transit lines. The pilot cost less than $2,000 in materials and received design support from Toole Design.

“We want to invite Club World Cup fans to bike and scoot to the games using routes like the Ballard Bike Line,” said Gordon Padelford, executive director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.

The route highlights Fremont’s position as a key connector between Ballard and downtown Seattle for cyclists. It follows low-traffic streets and existing bike lanes through the neighborhood.

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways hopes the city will adopt the concept for a broader network of signed bike routes ahead of the 2026 World Cup, when the city expects to host hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The organization cites research showing 60% of people would like to bike more, with lack of knowledge about safe routes as the primary barrier.

Route maps are available at seattlegreenways.org/bikelines.

06/20/2025

Hello, neighbors! Welcome to Fremont Neighbor Notes, a Friday guide to what’s happening around our community in the coming week. The big event of the year is happening this weekend — The Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade — so here’s a handy schedule and links for more information. Happy Solstice!

06/20/2025

Note: The Solstice Parade starts at 39th (instead of 36th)!

The Fremont Solstice Parade route is now starting at 39th rather than 36th, due to ongoing work by WSDOT. Stay tuned here and to your email for additional updates as we receive them from the city.