Penny LeGate Visits The UPS Store In Crossroads

Veteran TV reporter Penny LeGate was welcomed at The UPS Store at Crossroads yesterday, to film a segment for the KIRO 7 TV magazine Better Northwest. 
LeGate arrived at the store yesterday about 9:45am, a few minutes after her crew started setting up the "studio" which consisted of a banner made at our store hanging from a counter and the mailboxes.  After introducing herself to our staff, she showed pictures of her dog and posed for a picture (second from top) that I requested.  She interviewed Deb for about an hour from which a 4 minute segment will be taken.  Our dog, Rusty (top) will be included.  They also took a cameo shot of me that may or may not be included.  Our nephews may also appear.  When the crew wrapped up, LeGate took a little time to visit the nearby craft store "Michaels", then returned to say good bye to everyone. 
The segment (which also talks about the "Summer Fun Getaway" contest running now at Seattle area stores) is scheduled to be shown Thursday, July 7th between 9 and 10 am on channel 7.

Hope He Brought His Wife

Or visa versa.  I was surprised to see this car while going to hit balls at the Druids Glen Golfcourse in nearby Black Diamond.

The UPS Store In Crossroads Will Be On TV

KIRO TV's Penny LeGate will be at The UPS Store 4156, Crossroads on Tuesday June 28th from 10-11:30 am to film a segment for the morning program Better Northwest.  The segment will be aired on Thursday July 7th from 10-11 on KIRO TV, channel 7 in the Seattle area.

Issaquah Auto show

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Even a casual car fan like me can have a great time  at "Fenders On Front Street"in Issaquah.  I invited my dad to join me at the car show yesterday, which was Father's Day.  After a nice breakfast at 12th Street Cafe, we drove a few blocks in my Dad's '88 Mercedes (lower picture)  to the show.  Front Steet (Issaquah's Main Drag) was closed off from Gilman to Sunset as the festival featured automobiles from every decade of the 20th century and beyond. I was most impressed with the Deloreans (top picture). Even though it is estimated that only6600 of that model remain, there were about 10 of them in a row. Presented by the PacifcNorthwest DeLorean Club, which was listed as the largest of it's kind.

Happy Father's Day

5th District Democrats Endorse In Races

The Democrats of Washington's 5th Legislative District endorsed in four local races. The lack of partisan contests as well as lack of opposition made the process quicker. In the race for Port Commissioner Position 2, incumbent Gael Tarleton (above) was endorsed. The 5th also endorsed Sammamish resident, Dean Willard for Position 5 on the Commission. Josh Schaer, the only Issaquah City Councilmen drawing an opponent, also received endorsement as well as Lloyd Hara, who is running unopposed to retain his job as County Assessor. The 5th district also endorsed "no" votes on Initiatives 1119, 1122, and 1125.

Record Hits In A Day For Barers Of Maple Valley

As of this writing, I've had 576 hits today, a record for this blog. Half way through the month I've had almost three times as many hits as I average in a whole month. The genesis to this activity was an article that I wrote about the Vancouver Canucks going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now it should be time to strap on a parachute. The Canucks lost game seven to the Boston Bruins tonight. The hits should drop dramatically.

King 5's Tracy Taylor Joins Blogosphere

I like to keep you informed of new and exciting blogs. KING TV traffic reporter, Tracy Taylor has started one called "The Random Acts Of T Squared" Tracy became well known as the morning traffic reporter on KJR-AM. She moved to KING-5 TV at the beginning of last year. She is unique among area broadcasting personalities in her ability to interact with viewers. Her facebook fan page is rapidly approaching 2000 "likes". You can read Tracy's blog by clicking here.

Mavericks Beat The Heat

The Dallas Mavericks defy all the experts and beat the Miami Heat 105-95, taking the NBA finals 4 games to 2.

Willard Running For Port Commision

Sammamish resident Dean Willard, a technology consultant and former Vice President at T-Mobile, is seeking Position 5 on the Seattle Port Commission. Willard, who last year campaigned as a Democrat to Represent the 5th District in the State House Representatives, will run against incumbent Bill Bryant and Will Knedlick in this August's primary for the non-partisan (at least in name) position.

Around The Town

This fountain outside the Lake Wilderness Lodge is a great place to gather one's thoughts after walking the trail.

Maple Valley Days Starting To Take Shape

Maple Valley Days will commence this weekend at beautiful Lake Wilderness Park. The rides where already to go when I dropped by after walking the Wilderness Trail this evening.

The festivities begin Friday, June 10th at 3:00 and wind down Sunday June 12th at 6pm. You can get more information at the Maple Valley Days Webpage

Colin Powell Inspirational In Seattle Appearence

Today, Deb and I were able to endure the lousy traffic to attend Get Motivated Seminar at Key Arena. We were lucky enough to get a premier on street parking spot. We only had enough time to attend the morning session, so after a late start we got to see only two speakers. Fortunately, one of them was General Colin Powell. Powell, of course, was the very first African American Secretary Of State. He served under the Bush administration, and while our politics may differ, General Powell may be the one politician to transcend party lines.
Powell talked about adjustments he needed to make, going from have his own jet and being called upon by worldwide leaders to just being retired. He spoke of the new media and how he wondered why his grandson didn't return his e-mails. He discovered that today's youth do not e-mail but communicate through text and twitter. Powell refused to go on facebook and was enraged to find that an imposter set up a phony page for him. He decided that it may not be as bad when his grandson told him that he had 35,000 followers.
Powell paid homage to the late Seattle School Superintendent John Stanford, also a general and spoke of the need to improve our nation's public education.
He also went through the steps of building a successful team, mostly by respecting your followers. He also emphasized the need of setting goals.
Some of the other speakers to appear at the Key were Laura Bush, Dan Rather, and Joe Montana.

Thank You!

A big THANK YOU to Belmont Woods, and the Greater Maple Valley area for making our garage sale a smashing success!

Ken Levine Featured On KIRO Blog

You may not have heard of Ken Levine ,but chances are, he has entertained you. Ken Levine, who temporarily replaced Rick Rizzs in the early 90's as Dave Niehaus' broadcast partner in the Mariner's booth, is back as one of the rotating group of former announcers brought back to partner with Rizzs.
With a distinct voice and a flair for for description, baseball is the moonlight gig for Levine, who also is one of televisions foremost comedy writers. Levine has written for "Cheers", "Frasier", "MASH," and many more. Levine is featured on KIRO's My Northwest blog.

Levine also has a blog of his own. He is known for sharing behind the scenes stories on some of America's most loved TV shows.

Statue Planned To Honor Seattle Music Icons

A statue is in the works to honor Seattle musician Jimi Hendix and radio personality, music promotor Pat O'Day. According to the "Hendrix & O’Day Music Matters Monument Project 2012" the statue honors the day in 1968 when the pair apeared at Seattle's Garfield High to speak at a school assembly. The statue is being prepaired by O'Day's son, Jerry, a known local artist. I hope to have more details on the project as they become available.

Laura Ruderman Announces Congressional Bid

Former Democratic State Legislator Laura Ruderman has announced plans to seek the seat in the US House Of Representatives currently held by fellow Democrat Jay Inslee. Inslee is expected to run for Governor of Washington. Ruderman served the 45th District in the State House of Representatives from 1999-2005, but left to run unsuccessfully for Secretary Of State.

Maple Valley Native Hits 30

Happy 30th birthday to Maple Valley area native Brandi Carlile.

Mariner Win Highlight Of Fun Afternoon

Deb and I spent a sunny afternoon at Safeco Field with our nephews, Ethan and Connor watching the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-3

Before we arrived at the game, we all made a prediction of what the final score would be and Deb hit it on the nose. The tickets that we had were incredible as we were right on top of the action. I would encourage everyone to get out to see the team this year. It looks like things are moving in the right direction as the team tries to rebuild into a contender.

Community Wide Garage Sale In Maple Valley

The Maple Valley subdivision of Belmont Woods will be having a community wide Garage Sale this coming weekend, June 3rd and 4th from 9am to 3pm. Belmont Woods is in North Maple Valley, second left from the Chevron Station as you come in from Renton and points North.

This Blog Turns 6

Barers Of Maple Valley turns 6 today! You can find my first ever post by clicking here

WSU Makes Desirable Campus List

If you surf the Internet, you can see that "lists"are a popular drawing card. The Huffington Post has named my Alma matter Washington State University the number 12 college to "visit even if your not a student". It is right after Yale and arch rival University Of Washington. The report says "Most campus buildings are red brick and can be characterized as utilitarian, a fitting style for the land-grant university work ethic and standards of fiduciary prudence. Washington State University is located in Pullman, a dynamic center of higher education, research, and culture nestled among the beautiful rolling hills of southeastern Washington" Some of the other beautiful college campuses in our state, that are not on the list would be Western Washington University, The Evergreen State University, and Whitman College.

Vancouver Canucks Going To NHL Finals

The Vancouver Canucks, adopted home hockey team by many in the Pacific Northwest, has advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Canuck's edged the San Jose Sharks in double OT last night to earn the teams 3rd attempt to play for the Cup, named after Lord Stanley, to whom the cities largest park is also named. The Canucks have never won the Cup and their last trip to the finals was 17 years ago.

The Original B. Barer And Sons

From the Whitman College Archives. This is the business from which B. Barer And Sons would evolve. Thank you to Jeff Reynolds for finding this picture.

Mariners Win Behind Pineda Shutout

Rookie Sensation Michael Pineda pitched 7 innings of 2 hit ball as the Seattle Mariners shut out the San Diego Padres 4-0. It was the 4th win in a row for the improving Mariners. Mariner Mike Wilson had 2 RBIs.
It looks like the Mariner rebuilding effort is showing some progress.

The KUJ Wake Up Song

The KUJ wake up song, when Charles Luce, Jr wrote KUJ owner Verne Russell to tell him about his Mom enjoying the KUJ sign-off, Russell sent a tape of the sign-off along with the "Wake-up Song" which was played every morning at the time when KUJ started it's broadcast day.

The Lost KUJ Sign-Off Lost No Longer

Thank you to Charles Luce, Jr for finding this. From the 1960s through the '70s Legendary Walla Walla area broadcaster Verne Russell signed his pioneer radio station off with this audio.

KUJ carried the broadcasting of, at one time, The Seattle Pilots and the Walla Walla Minor League team, which Russell eventually purchased. It also had CBS network news and programming along with local Djs playing easy listening music. The sign-off would occur at 10:00 or whenever a game that was broadcasted, would conclude.

Good Bye To Leonard Donin

Word has been received that retired Portland retailer Leonard Donin has passed away. Donin was the oldest living athlete to have played on a University Of Oregon team, a former basketball and baseball star, he would have been the first Oregon letterman to live to be 100. To us, he was known as the father of my Aunt Carol, who married my Dad's brother Arny. Although I have known Mr. Donin for 40 years, I did not know until recently of his impressive athletic achievements. As a matter of fact, I did not know that he was an athlete at all. He was a very soft spoken, humble man. As soft spoken as he was, he was also very engaging and it was easy to converse with him. Mr. Donin would have been 100 tomorrow and a party had been planned to honor him.

Spring Has Sprung In Maple Valley

Spring has been alternating with Winter hear in the area. I took this picture from our front yard last weekend.

1968 Game of the Century

I had just starting following sports when I watched this game on TV one Saturday night. When UCLA played Houston in what was at that time, the futuristic "Astrodome" now an outmoded concept. I did not realize it was the first college basketball game to be broadcast nationally. The game was on an independent network called TVS.
The Houston Cougars upset the UCLA Bruins 71-69. The Bruins would come back in the post-season and wallop Houston 101-69.

More Wenatchee--The Applewood Grill

Saturday night after the meeting, we went out to look for a neat place to catch some dinner. We thought that the Applewood Grill, located by the Convention Center, near a sky bridge that leads to a park, would be a great choice, we were not disappointed. In a town with many unique restaurants, we found that the Applewood had a vibrant menu of wood fired pizzas, chicken dishes, and micro beers making it a perfect place to unwind. I had the barbecue chicken pizza and Deb had the Buffalo chicken pizza and both were delicious. The Applewood Grill is located at 29 Columbia in Wenatchee.

State Dems Meet In Wenatchee

Politics can be fun, Deb and I headed East last weekend so I could attend the Washington Democrats State Committee meeting in lovely Wenatchee. Wenatchee is locatated just East of the Cascade Mountains, although small, has a lot of charm and character (bottom picture is Bob's Classic, a diner across from our hotel). It is located at the Confluence of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers with a population of about 30,00o.

We arrived Friday evening at the Coast Hotel, a little late to enjoy much of the hospitality suites, we went to Roasters at the top of Hotel, I had never heard of a small town having a night club on the top floor.

Wenatchee is in the middle of it's annual Apple Blossom Festival, while I went to the meetings on Saturday, Deb went to a parade and poked around town.

Before every State Democratic meeting, there is a luncheon, this time it was a Trivia Luncheon. Each table was a team. At my table was Jennifer Sutton, Aaron Belenky, Rob Dolin, Steve Zemke, Dan Lambert and Barbara Gellar. Every table of given sheets of questions and whoever could answer the most would win prize for each member. Our table, which included two 5th District Democrats, took first prize. Not bad! We each got a bottle of wine for our victory. Hopefully, I didn't leave anyone out.

The State Committee meeting concluded once again, with Aziem Underwood singing his "Salt Off The Fries". Amidst happy hand clappin' members, relieved that another meeting could have a little silliness.

May Day Is "Pay Day" For Bin Laden

A US airstrike claims the life of Osama Bin Laden on May 1st 2011.

Seahawks Tap Alabama Lineman

For the second years in a row, the Seattle Seahawks have picked a left tackle in the first round. The 'Hawks picked Alabama's James Carpenters, at 6'4 321 pounds. He was the 25th pick of the draft. You can read the story here

Starlit Stairway And The Boyle Fuel Company

"When you need coal or oil, call Boyle..Fairfax 8 1521...Fairfax 8 1521-"
How easy is it to remember a telephone number these day. It's tough for us to remember our own numbers, let alone a company that you may never do business with. Ask anyone who lived anywhere in Eastern Washington, Oregon, or Idaho during the 1960s what the telephone number was to the Boyle Fuel Co in Spokane and they might say, Fairfax8-1521.
Many decades ago, it was not uncommon for TV stations to have local origination programming. Spokane's KHQ or Q-6 had a talent show on Saturday night, sort of a local version of the "Ed Sullivan Show". Since only larger towns had TV stations, the three Spokane stations had signals that covered the entire "Inland Empire" (there were also three TV stations in the Tri Cities). The Saturday talent show was known as Starlit Stairway and featured local amateur talent from throughout the area. The most memorable part of the show were the twins who sang the sponsor's jingle in perfect harmony.
"For every heating problem for a furnace old or new--just call the Boyle Fuel Company and they'll solve them all for you"
" When you need coal or oil--Call Boyle" Then each girl would recite the phone number
"Fairfax 8- 1521 Fairfax 8-1521." I recently contacted KHQ to see if there was any remaining film of the storied commercial. The answer , according to current KHQ producer Lee Hite, was that the show was done live--there never was a recording except from what we remember almost 40 years ago.

Blazers Come From Behind

Only days before, the story was that his career was over, however Brandon Roy turned in the performance of a lifetime in the second half helping the Portland Trail Blazer overcome a 23 point deficit and defeat the Dallas Mavericks. After hitting a three pointer to close out the third period, Roy scored 18 of the teams 35 points in the fourth. The opening best of seven series is now tied between the two teams at 2 games apiece.

Wide World of Sports Celebrates 50th

The show that proved that there were more sports than just Baseball, Basketball, and Football, Wide World Of Sports debuted on April 29th, 1961. It would remain of the air until 2006. According to the Wikipedia, it was the creation of Edgar J. Sherick, Scherick hired Roone Arledge to be his producer and the rest is history. The show would air every Saturday on ABC. Arledge became became the leading figure in television sports and the creator of Monday Night Football.
Viewers of Wide World Of Sports could see Boxing, Skiing, Track and Field, Auto Racing, and other sports that would not normally be seen on the air. It was Wide World Of Sports where such icons as Jim McKay, who would do the intro shown above, and Howard Cosell became household names.
This week, ESPN, now owned by ABC, will celebrate Wide World Of Sports' 50th Anniversary by showing highlights of the show from over the years. Thank you to KJR's Mike Gastinaeu for the "heads up".

Happy Passover

We celebrated Passover last night with a Sedar dinner at our house. The Passover holiday celebrates the liberation of the Jews from Egypt.

Nina Heading For Sacramento

Sacramento, coincidentally, may be losing an NBA Franchise, but it also is gaining a radio personality. KJR-AM traffic reporter Nina Hajian has left to begin work as morning co-host with NOW 100.5. Hajian will team up with Baltazaar starting April 25th. Hajian announced her departure from KJR earlier this month.

Sacramento Kings On the move

It really hurts to lose an professional sports franchise, but when it's the only team in town, it much hurt worst. Sacramento, it's reported, is about to lose it's only tie to big league sports as the Kings are moving to Anaheim.

Seattle Times Reporter Jerry Brewer pointed out that after 14 years of stability, the NBA has had 4 franchise moves in the last 10 year including our beloved Super Sonics.

For the Kings, who are going back to being called the Royals, this will be the 4th city that they will have called home in my lifetime. When I first started watching the NBA, it was the Cincinnati Royals, then a move to Kansas City, where they became the Kings so they would not be mistaken for the KC Royals Baseball Franchise. they were actually called the KC-Omaha Kings, although they rarely played in Omaha. They eventually dropped Omaha and became,simply, the Kansas City Kings. From there, they headed west to become the Sacramento Kings. If they become the Royals again, it will be so they are not mistaken for the LA Kings Hockey Club. The Club actually began as the Rochester Royals.

King5's Joyce Taylor Talks With Caroline Kennedy

Caroline Kennedy also appeared at the Barnes And Nobles in the U-Village on the following day and found time to speak with veteran King 5 news anchor Joyce Taylor.

Author Caroline Kennedy To Appear In Area

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of one of our most beloved presidents, will appear in the Seattle area tonight. Kennedy will be at Third Place Books at 17171 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forest Park at 7:00 pm to autograph copies of her latest book, "She Walks In Beauty". You can get details by going to the web site. Kennedy is the oldest daughter of President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.

She is considered by many to be the last survivor of Camelot.

KJR-AM Morning Traffic Reporter Leaving

KJR Sportsradio Traffic Reporter Nina (I know her last name but she does not use it on the radio) has announced that she is leaving the station for a new opportunity. She will be leaving the station later this month. Nina replaced veteran Tracy Taylor, who left to report on KING5.

She is pictured above on the left. Nina has not announced what or where the new job will be.

Barack Obama 2012 Campaign Launch Video - "It Begins With Us"

19 months before the 2012 election, Obama has announced his intention to seek a second term.

Dave Niehaus Way

Safeco Field will now be located on Dave Niehaus Way South. The late Hall Of Fame announcer was honored yesterday by the naming of the section of 1st Ave South that passes Safeco Field and by a plate in front of the Mariner Announcer Booth. Fans at Safeco wore white shoes in honor of his unique style of dress. It was the first game of the year at Safeco (the team opened up on the road) and the Mariners lost badly, but although the Mariners had their good days and bad, Dave Niehaus was always great.

Lost Audio May Have Been Found

A couple of years ago, I wrote a series about growing up with Walla Walla radio. Focusing on KUJ, the grandaddy of broadcasting in the region, I mentioned a distinctive "sign-off" from station owner Verne Russell. Perhaps only handful of people ever read it, but one former listener asked if there was still a tape left, that lead to another post, A couple of nights ago, I received an e-mail from the son of a prominent former Walla Walla resident saying they may have the "sign-off" on tape. His mother was enjoyed the hymn of "Peace In The Valley" which played after Verne's descriptive monologue. Verne was kind enough to send a tape to the family of both the sign off and sign on. If they can find the tape, we will attempt of course, to post it here.

Wacky Weather Wednesday

In what started as a sunny springlike day, ended with a reminder that winter does not go quietly in the Pacific Northwest. By evening, the area was hit by lightning and thunder and around 8:30, snow began falling (above). I was driving home from Issaquah when the snow fell heavily, although the road was not slippery, visibility was poor.

Mariners Beat A's In Opener

The Seattle Mariners got off to the right start, beating the Oakland A's 6-2. Unlike the this year's Mariners, now it's the A's who carry the burden of high expectations. Many writers are picking the Oakland team to win it's division.

No Foolin'--I Gave Blood!

No, it's not an April Fools joke! Every other Tuesday, my father-in-law goes to volunteer at the Puget Sound Blood Center in Bellevue. It is one of several ways that he volunteers his service to the community. I had not ever given blood, in fact, the word, blood gives my stomach a funny feeling. But the other day, he suggested, out of the blue, that I should stop by and donate. I said that they did not need type ab blood, after all, that makes me a universal recipient, capable of transfusion of any blood type, but he told me that they do need ab blood. I said "why not" sometimes, you can't resist a challenge. The Puget Sound Center needs donations, which is one reason that for posting this. I entered that center Tuesday evening. I began by filling out a long questionnaire. I was then taken by a nurse into an office, where I was asked even more questions. She took my blood pressure and a small sample from my finger. After the screening process, I was lead to a chair, I was given a glass of juice and then was given a rubber ball to squeeze. They put the needle in my arm. There was no pain involved, but a feeling of exhaustion. If you plan to give blood, make sure that you drink plenty of fluids during the day and a good meal. I was feeling run down for most of the next day, but happy that I could contribute to something worthwhile. The best part was the free cookies and orange juice that they gave me when it was over.

Checking Out History

Thank you to my brother, Steve for this vintage check from our family business, B. Barer & Sons, eventually incorporated. The business was founded by my Great Grandfather, B. Barer and his two sons, IJ and David, early in the 20th Century. The business would last until the year 2000, allowing grandsons and great grandsons a place for summer employment. The business was sold to Oxarc in 2000. Steve still works at the location.

This check was signed by my Grandfather, IJ Barer in March 2nd of 1944. IJ Barer passed away in 1967, and my Dad bought into the partnership with my Uncle Dave. You can read bits and pieces of the company's history at my Dad's abarer blog

Washington State University Fight Song

Cougar Men's Basketball team plays Witchita State in the final four of the NIT tonight.