If you register now to run in the 4th annual Cove to Clover fundraiser (coming up March 9-11), you’ll save some serious ¢lover, ‘cuz registration rates are at their lowest right now!

South King Media be a Sponsor for the fourth consecutive year (learn more about becoming a Sponsor here), and we encourage all our Readers to find a way to participate – even if you’re not a runner – as this is a great, fun, local fundraiser.

The race starts near the cove in Normandy Park, then winds its way up ‘Snake Hill’ through Burien before ending up in front of Mick Kelly’s Irish Pub. The 10k will start at the Normandy Park Towne Center and catch up to the 5k route (click here to see a map of the race course).

Last year over $37,000 was raised and distributed to these local charities:

• Highline Area Food Bank: $16,000
• Highline Schools Foundation/Schools: $12,500
• Hospitality House: $3,000
• Para Los Ninos: $2,250
• YETI Club: $1,550
• Emergency Family Relief: $500
• Hi-Liners: $500
• Girl Scouts: $350
• Boy Scouts: $350

There are several new elements this year, including a 10K run and a Talent Show, along with the usual 5k race and Pub Crawl.

“Cover to Clover is unlike any other 5K or 10K,” reads a note on the C2C website. “For one thing, it is very hard. So hard in fact that it is fast becoming a test piece for NW runners. For starters, “Snake Hill” rises nearly 1000′ in the first mile of the course. Around mile 2 you’ll encounter ‘The Uprising,’ a runner obstacle that has been constructed in the middle of a live Celtic battlefield. For your suffering, you will be rewarded with on-course Celtic pipers and a finish line festival that delivers the goods (2 beer gardens, 2 stages with live entertainment, free root beer garden and free hot dogs for children).”

The Cove to Clover is a 501(c)(3) umbrella charity which distributes all proceeds to local charities. The organization is very lean and run by passionate volunteers.

“Be assured, your participation will be making a positive impact on your community,” the website adds.

This year there will also be a ‘Corporate Team Challenge,’ where companies can participate by registering their employees; here’s more info:

“It’s easy to do; just have each member of your team use a ‘Registration Code’ representing your company’s name. Also, be sure to email us at

“'The Uprising' will be at least double in size and absolutely impossible to scale. I suggest organizers begin working with City officials on a solution to help the estimated 2000 runners that will likely be stranded. This year you are mine…ha, Ha, HAAA!"

corporate_teams@covetoclover.com to let us know the code you are using so we can insure you get proper credit for each registration. We’d also like to have a team captain’s name and email address, so that we can pass on the information of who joined your team. Then all you have to do is promote the race at your company and encourage your co-workers to register online using your ‘Registration Code.’

The team with the most team members (registered with your unique code) will be recognized with a special award at the finish line. Cove to Clover will throw an extra special catered party for the winning team at a later date. We don’t want to be pinned down to a location, since the size of the winning team may require a bigger venue.”

Also, the sponsorship window will be closing relatively soon, so if you’re with a business that wants to do good and get great local exposure, contact sponsorship@covetoclover.com ASAP to let them know of their interest.

The 2011 Toys for Tots Collection is now taking place at the Normandy Park Towne Center through December 14th, where new unwrapped toys can be dropped off daily from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

New owner Tom O’Keefe graciously donated the space in the Towne Center for the use by the US Marines.

Towne Center is located at 19900 1st Avenue South in Normandy Park.

Contact at the donation site is US Marine Christopher Mahoney at 206-304-3043.

Burien’s Environmental Science Center (ESC) will be holding free and family-friendly Moonlight Beach Walks on Saturdays at Seahurst beach, starting this Saturday, Dec. 10th and again on Jan. 21st from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

Here’s more from a press release:

Local naturalists are volunteering their time to help guide visitors in discovering the unique marine life that lives in the intertidal zone. Considered a marine reserve, the rock strewn beach provides vital habitat for creatures such as purple sea stars, burrowing sea cucumbers, Dungeness crabs, moon snails, and aggregating sea anemones plus an abundance of seaweeds. These walks are a unique opportunity to see Seahurst’s beach at low tide and in the dark. When the tide goes out during the day most of the creatures on the beach go with it or burrow under something. But at night, they stay on the beach. Visitors should bring reliable flashlights to explore the nooks and crannies of the large rocks. Remember that you’re in their house, so tread gently. The goal is to Do No Harm.

This year’s walk promises a new treat to returning beach explorers – a brand new warm building! Our new center is at Seahurst beach: 2400 Southwest 140th Street in Burien. Park in the lower or upper lot and walk along the trail that runs north from the turning circle at the lower parking lot. Visitors should check-in at the center for some pre-beach activities and cider, hot chocolate or coffee. Activities include a Matisse themed art project on sea life and a microscope lab with plankton to identify.

Please make sure to dress warmly with hats, gloves, and warm coats. Also, wear rubber shoes so that you can wade out into the ankle-deep water around the tide pools. And please practice beach etiquette:

DO NO HARM

1. Be extra careful where you step so you don’t step on animals or their homes.
2. When you want to look more closely at a creature, bend over and look rather than picking it up. Leave animals where you find them. Don’t move them to a new home!
3. Touch plants and animals gently with one wet finger. Animals living on the beach and in the water are cold and wet, your fingers are warm and dry. Simply touching a plant or animal may be enough to injure or kill it.
4. If you want to look under a rock, be gentle. Turning over a rock can be like someone turning on a bright light in your bedroom in the middle of the night. Lift it slowly and gently. When you’re done the rock needs to be gently returned to its original position.

SAVE THE CHILDREN
Leave all shells and animals on the beach rather than taking them home. Shells and rocks need to be left on the beach because they provide a home for the next generation, an animal’s children, to live on.

For more information about this event, contact Jennifer Dumlao at outreach@envsciencecenter.org or call 206-248-4266.

For more information about the Environmental Science Center visit www.envsciencecenter.org.

Santa arrives on a red fire truck at the 2010 tree lighting ceremony. Photo by Michael Brunk.

“It’s that time of year and the Burien Tree Lighting Festival is near,” reminds Jay Smith, proprietor of BTB Advertiser Economy Wiring / YB Tubless.

Save the date: Wednesday, Dec. 7th at 6 p.m.

It’s a Wednesday and Santa will be there, showing up on a “Christmas Red” fire engine proudly accompanied by Burien/Normandy Park firefighters.

It all happens at that large, lovely and living Fir tree at the Economy Wiring / Y B Tubless store located at 633 S.W. 148th St. in Burien.

The St. Francis School Choir will grace the occasion with traditional Christmas and Holiday songs.

Treats and hot beverages will be available for everyone.

“We will also be collecting canned food for local families,” says Economy/YB Tubless Operations Manager Shawn Becker.

“Please bring any non-perishable food items you can spare. There are more families in need than any time in recent memory. Your help is much appreciated.”

Come out and enjoy the evening!

Sophy Hildreth and Annastasia Nichol.

The Normandy Park Yule Craft Bazaar is coming Dec. 16-17, and is the brainchild of Annastasia Nichol and Sophy Hildreth, local high school seniors who are producing it for their senior project.

Proceeds will be donated to the Normandy Park Arts Commission.

The Bazaar will be held Dec. 16-17, in the Manhattan Village shopping center, 17849 1st Ave South in Normandy Park.

“A midwinter arts swapmeet for the local community of Normandy Park,” is what they’re calling it.

Before then, artists and crafters are encouraged to attend a free Craft Night on November 6 to hang out with fellow artists and create items for the Bazaar. Emphasis will be on decoupage on this evening – all supplies are provided and the creations made will be donated to the Yule Craft Bazaar. Participation is free of charge and open to all ages. The Nov. 6 Craft Night will be held at DTwenty Games, 17851 1st Avenue S, Normandy Park.

For more information e-mail Annastasia at yulecraftbazaar@gmail.com or stop by DTwenty to get signed up or have any questions answered in person.

Here’s more from the Yule Craft Bazaar website:

For the curious, our Yule Craft Bazaar Craft Nights are days where local artisans can come in, hang out with fellow artists, and create. All supplies are provided, and the items made that day will be donated to the Yule Craft Bazaar to sell. It’s free of charge and open to all ages! Show up early, or email us and reserve a spot now! It’s a good idea to bring some of your own business cards, so when we sell your creations, others will know who made what.

This time around, our theme is Mod Podge madness. Join us to decoupage anything and everything on Nov. 6th, from 2 to 8, at local game store DTwenty Games.

To learn more about the Yule Craft Bazaar project, visit yulecraftbazaar.blogspot.com/

And the special musical guest will be ‘The Approximations,’ the band which includes Normandy Park’s own Dan Satterberg, the King County Prosecutor.

And get this – tickets are just $30 each and along with a great spaghetti dinner, that includes beer and wine!

This is the newest service organization in the area, so we encourage all our Readers to attend and help their causes.

There are 1.35 millions Lions members in more than 45,000 clubs worldwide. Founded in 1917, Lions are best known for fighting blindness. Locally Lions make a difference with many community projects, including caring for the environment, feeding the hungry, aiding seniors and the disabled.

Here are the event details:

WHAT: Normandy Park Lions Club Spaghetti Dinner & Dance

WHEN: This Friday, Oct. 21st, from 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.

WHERE: Normandy Park Cove, located at 1500 SW Shorebook Drive in Normandy Park.

INFO: From their website:

Lions meet the needs of local communities and the world. The 1.35 million members of our volunteer organization in 206 countries and geographic areas are different in many ways, but share a core belief – community is what we make it.

For tickets, or more information, contact Kelly Fox at Dunn Lumber: (206) 242-1010 or visit their new website here: http://normandyparklions.org.

With less than a month until the 4th of July, the Three Tree Point Fireworks Fund is still in need of donations!

As you can see in the photo above (taken Monday, June 6th), this year’s goal is $24,000, but the total raised thus far is at $17,100 – Organizers still need to raise $6,900, or over 28% of the total required to fund this great community tradition.

If you’ve already donated, Organizers shout-out a huge “THANKS for your generosity!” in your direction.

If you haven’t, you can either do it online safely and securely by clicking here:

(Safely & Securely with a Credit Card)

Or by sending in a check made out to “Three Tree Point Fireworks Fund” to:

Three Tree Point Fireworks Fund
P.O. Box 385
Seahurst, WA 98062

This is a non-profit, all-volunteer based organization, and its sole mission is to help continue a great community tradition.

Money raised for this annual event will go towards fees for the professional pyrotechnics firm that puts on the show, as well as barge, tug, security, insurance, permit fees and dumpsters for the all-important 5th of July clean up.

Please note that you do NOT have to live in the neighborhood to donate – if you’ve ever enjoyed the display, or plan on enjoying it in the future (or you just dig fireworks and/or neighborhoods), please do your karma a favor by giving something – no donation is too small!

Organizers are also still open to Corporate Sponsors for this year’s festivities, and initial Sponsors include:

Key Bank (Burien branch)

Design In A Day

Safe Boats International

The Tin Room Bar

Highline Athletic Club

Seahurst Dental Design (Dr. Jim Coleman)

Gordon Derr, Attorneys At Law

The B-Town Blog (Media Sponsor)

If you’d like to join these locally-minded business leaders, click here to learn more about how you can become a Sponsor, email info@3treepoint.org, or call one of the Co-Chairs – Scott Schaefer or Laura Beth Peterson – directly at (206) 659-1282 anytime.

Retirement has been busy for Jerry Wick. Since selling his J & W Septic Service a few years ago, he’s tackled all of those projects and hobbies he’s always dreamed of doing – metal detecting, building a greenhouse, expanding his vegetable garden, and more.

Last winter, when he found himself in his workshop with some scrap wood and a little free time on his hands – voila! – he added to his skill set once again. Now Jerry can be called a builder of birdhouses. He has created a variety of designs: single, multiple residence, funny face – and recently he’s branched out into building lodges for Mason bees, the peaceful pollinators that help make gardens bountiful.

An abundance of these bird and bee abodes are going to be on display at the upcoming Highline Garden Tour on Saturday, June 11. Jerry will be donating half the proceeds from the sale of any birdhouses to the Highline Historical Society, which sponsors the Garden Tour every year.

This will be just one of the special features on the 2011 Tour, which is going to feature four private gardens in Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac, as well as the kitchen garden of the gourmet Copperleaf Restaurant, and the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden.

Ticket holders on the 2011 Highline Garden Tour also will enjoy harp music, artists in the gardens, a plant sale, raffle items, discount coupons, and a lecture on “Small Is the New BIG” by gardening expert Lorene Forkner.

Tickets for the Garden Tour are $15 in advance, with group rates of $12 per person if bought in groups of four or more. Tickets will be $18 on the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased at Herr Backyard Garden Center, 107 SW 160th Street; Burien Bark, 13258 1st Avenue S; and Lavina Mays, 17824 1st Avenue S. Tickets also can be purchased by calling 206-241-5786.

For more information about the Highline Garden Tour and about the Highline Historical Society, visit www.highlinehistory.org/Programs.html.

Normandy Park 'Geek' Don R. Crawley.

Normandy Park resident ‘Geek’ Don R. Crawley has co-written a new book, called ‘The Compassionate Geek: Mastering Customer Service for IT Professionals,’ aimed at helping IT professionals learn all-important customer service skills.

Crawley is quite accomplished as an author, speaker, musician and actor. He also is president/chief technologist of IT training firm soundtraining.net, has spoken before audiences in all 50 states, plus Canada, the U.K. and Australia, has appeared in numerous local films and plays (most recently in Burien Little Theatre’s production of ‘Unfound Fossils’), is an ensemble cast member in Seattle Theatre Readers, and plays the pipe organ at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines.

“In his spare time, he laughs with his family, howls with his dogs, and watches the ships on Puget Sound from his home in Normandy Park,” reads his bio.

He also wrote the ‘Accidental Administrator’ series of books for IT pros, and adds this about his ‘Geek’ role:

As a longtime IT author and trainer, I get phone calls and emails every week from C-level execs, business owners, and HR managers who are frustrated with their IT staff. They tell me that their IT staff members are technically competent, but lack the necessary customer service skills to help end-users with their jobs. That’s why my co-author Paul Senness and I wrote ‘The Compassionate Geek: Mastering Customer Service for I.T. Professionals.’ In this short (164 pages) book, you’ll find:

• The four intrinsic qualities of great customer service providers
• How to use emotional intelligence skills to deliver great tech support
• How to say “no” without alienating the end-user
• How to listen so you understand
• Ways to maintain your calm and manage job stress

Here are some links to info on Don:

• Don’s business website: www.soundtraining.net
• The Compassionate Geek book page on Amazon: http://amzn.com/145371278X
• Don’s Amazon author’s page: http://amazon.doncrawley.com

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We love to profile authors, artists, filmmakers, musicians, 'geeks' and other talented local folk, so if you know someone who lives in the general area you think is worthy of a story, please email us!]

Archery Bistro is now the Kayak Bar and Grill, and will be open for business seven days a week.

Archery Bistro, located in the Normandy Park Towne Center, has been sold and is already open for business under new ownership as the Kayak Bar and Grill, according to former owner Todd McKittrick.

“It was time for some new blood, for someone to take it to the next level,” said McKittrick Tuesday afternoon (May 10). “We never fully recovered from the First Avenue South construction, which hurt us bad.”

McKittrick owned Archery Bistro since April 2009, when he took over Cafe Mia (read our previous coverage here).

The new owner is Nick Rondos, who we caught up with as he was helping put up new, temporary signage.

“We’re open for business as of today,” Rondos said. “And we’re going to be open seven days a week, with a new menu, as well as breakfast, brunch and soon, even wine tastings.”

Rondos has been in the food industry for over 20 years, and we were amazed to discover that he used to own the Western Cafe in downtown Seattle, a longtime breakfast mainstay for hungover hipsters in the late 80s and early 90s. This Reporter has many a fond memory of eating great breakfasts ‘back in the day’ at the Western, which had a classic counter in a narrow space, large bowls of great coffee, along with huge servings of hash browns, all presented in a kitschy western/cowboy theme.

Rondos, who will be working at the restaurant everyday, wants our Readers to know that if you come find him and tell him a memory you have about the Western Cafe, he’ll buy you a FREE drink.

Also, if you mention The B-Town Blog, you can get a free dessert with any food order!

Both offers expire on Saturday, May 21st.

“I’m excited to have him do what he’s going to do,” added McKittrick, who said that he will return to focusing on building new houses through his company, McKittrick Real Estate.

“I’m going back to being developer and home-builder,” McKittrick said. “It was time for me to return to doing what I’m good at – I couldn’t be both a restaurant owner and a developer. And now I’m excited to be on the other side of the bar.”

The Kayak Bar and Grill is located at 19803 1st Avenue South in the Normandy Park Towne Center, which was recently bought by Tom O’Keefe, the founder of Tully’s Coffee (read our coverage here). O’Keefe was also on site Tuesday afternoon with his team – it’s good to see some movement in this development, especially since the construction of First Ave South is all complete. No more delays, and there’s plenty of parking.

Hours for the Kayak will be:

• 11:30 a.m. – 11 p.m.: Sunday – Thursday
• 11:30 a.m. – 1 a.m.: Friday – Saturday

Mike Stephan catches a pair of pliers thrown to him by Nick Rondos Tuesday, as he puts up temporary signage for the new Kayak Bar and Grill.