The two Winnies found it together, a spooky greenish-grey gourd, just lying in the pumpkin patch, waiting to be discovered. Triumphantly, they both picked it up and showed it to their moms, but before an argument could begin about who got to keep it, both girls had said the other could have it, and moved on to find more traditional pumpkins.

It would have been a fun, if not a little disappointing, moment for pumpkin patch owner Nels Melgaard, if he’d been there.

“I bet we planted close to 30 varieties,” said the owner of the Nursery at Mount Si, who hasn’t been out to the patch much lately, not since his early-August diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Read Story

Carnation, or Tolt, as some of the city’s long-timers prefer to call it, celebrates its 100th year as a city in December, but Tolt/Carnation was a community long before it was an official city.

By the time incorporation papers were signed, Dec. 31, 1912, the little community at the confluence of the Tolt and Snoqualmie Rivers had a post office, general store, hotel, creamery, mill, logging company, mining company, a cannery, land office and its own local newspaper, the Tolt Enterprise. The landmark Tolt Congregational Church had been there since 1895, according to the Tolt Historical Society book “A History of Tolt/Carnation: A Town Remembered.”

Read Story

Fridays are special at Si View Community Center. On Fridays, every child involved in the after-school program there, plus the ones in the satellite program at Fall City Elementary School, can go swimming, and then enjoy popcorn and a movie.

That’s on top of the arts and crafts, games, snacks, homework time and, on this particular October Friday, a costume box to explore, built into every other day of the Si View Metro Parks District program.

“Everybody who can hear me, put your hands on your head!”

Read Story

The five candidates for three positions in the 5th Legislative District aired their views on education, reforms supporting small business, and transportation issues at a Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce lunch forum held Friday, Oct. 19, in Snoqualmie.

Brad Toft (R), Snoqualmie mortgage manager and Mark Mullet (D), Issaquah business owner, are both running for the 5th District State Senate seat left vacant by Cheryl Pflug’s withdrawing from the race in May. David Spring (D), North Bend activist, and Chad Magendanz (R), Issaquah software consultant, are competing for the 5th District Representative seat, Position 2.

Read Story

Whether or not kindness is contagious, Debby Peterman’s enthusiasm about it has to be. Just hearing her talk about Pay it Forward, a week focused on Valley people doing nice things for others, friends and strangers alike, is enough to inspire almost anyone.

“Just imagine, if we have a week of everyone doing these acts of kindness, helping each other and then passing it on, what kind of community would we be?” she asks. “What kind of reputation will we have to other communities?”

Read Story

“The first of many!” was the refrain Monday morning on Boalch Avenue, where North Bend city officials gathered to cut the ribbon on a re-constructed road.

Read Story

There’s no reason the activities planned for this evening’s self-defense class should be fun, but they are.

People are talking quietly or laughing out loud, sprawled on the floor of the Snoqualmie Fire Station, or doing some gentle stretches. They’re relaxed and joking, but transition quickly to all seriousness for a final review of their training, and of the evening’s program with Officer John Lievero. Well, mostly serious.

When Lievero repeats the final rule for the night, “no weapons, OK?” he gets a quick retort from one student, flexing her biceps as she says, “None except for these babies!”

Just like that, the 17 women go back to joking, and the first few students gets geared up for practice.

Read Story

On a little ranch outside of Fall City, the Solene family lives and works with a small herd of alpacas. They’re all involved in a business, Alpacas at Legacy Ranch, but sometimes, it’s hard to say who’s in charge.

Although Eric and his wife Leann make sure each of their 20 or so charges is fed and cleaned and sheared properly, it’s the alpaca Gracie who has to give a final stamp (and snort) of approval to things.

Read Story

Helmeted, and checking out the assembled race cars on Snoqualmie Parkway, Hunter, 9, of Fall City, tells her friend Scott that she’s ready to go fast.

Hunter was born with Down’s Syndrome, but that’s never held her back. Scott, a family friend, takes her on ATV rides in the Oregon dunes, and Hunter loves it.

“She likes to do things her own way and not have anybody hold her down,” says mom Dani Stellen.

Read Story