On Wednesday, Aug. 23, at noon, the community is invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new Snoqualmie Safeway. The 43,405 square foot store at 34828 SE Douglas Street will be open from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. Its adjacent fuel station will open in October, with a kiosk open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and 24-hour availability for the fuel dispensers.

The Snoqualmie Safeway will include all the specialty departments that customers have come to expect from its stores, as well as such features as:

• A deluxe deli that includes made-to-order pho, sushi, rice bowls, and sizzling wok meals, plus ready-made sandwiches, cheese case, soup bar and wing bar;

• A fresh cut fruit and vegetable center in the produce department;

• Local, natural, organic, specialty, healthy and ethnic offerings;

• Full-service butcher block;

• A scratch bakery, with custom cake services;

• Wine and spirits department;

• Floral department with a full-serve kiosk; and

• Starbucks kiosk with a large indoor-outdoor seating area and fireplace.

The interior décor for the store will be the first Safeway of this design in the Pacific Northwest.

The community celebrations begin with a ribbon cutting ceremony at noon, which will include performances by Blue Thunder and the Sea Gals, a 2 p.m. appearance by Seahawks mascot Blitz, give-aways of tickets to the Boeing Classic, organic fruit popsicles and resuseable bags, and samples from local vendors. Also, 250 customers will be randomly selected to receive free groceries.

The Snoqualmie Safeway will employ 130 people and is managed by Casey Henriksen, who has been with the company for more than 17 years. There are currently several open positions for this store. For details, call 425-471-9302, visit the store, or apply online at www.careersatsafeway.com.