For the 8th year, Sumner High School student volunteers are having a free dinner for the community. I have lived in a number of places and have never seen such a thing; awesome Spartans. And the story is showing up on the web, I just caught a note from the Bellingham Herald.
A note from principal Bill Gaines says the event is dependent on contributions from the community so if you go, give something if you can. It will be in the gym on December 8 from noon to 4 PM. Entertainment will be provided by the school's jazz band.
More info available from Sumner Patch.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
There is still time to catch White Christmas in Sumner
ManeStage theater is running the musical White Christmas at the Sumner performing arts center. Here is a Patch article with the dates.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Help save the Blue Mouse Theater - Tacoma
The Kickstarter project is called Go Digital or Go Dark. Apparently they are not going to make 35mm films available in the future.
The Blue Mouse is Washington's only theater and is a short drive from Bonney Lake - Sumner. I am going to make my donation right now.
Update NOV 28, 2012: Kickstarter just wrote and they are at 35% funded. If you have any chance to publish on Twitter or Facebook or your blog, it would be a real help. Thanks to King 5 for airing the story! From the email: "Kickstarter is a ALL OR NOTHING CAMPAIGN. If we dont reach our goal of Over $75,000 WE GET NOTHING, Your credit card DOES NOT get charged and you dont recieve any rewards or tax deduction. Thats why this campaign is so important. I know I can count on you. Thank you again FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. I appreciate you so much and your kindness."
Update January 3, 2013 They got the money so the Blue Mouse is going to be able to continue operations. There is going to be a party on January 11, 2013, 25.00 entry fee gets you an experience with a movie star and a Blue Mouse T-shirt. Best to get a ticket in advance.
The Blue Mouse is Washington's only theater and is a short drive from Bonney Lake - Sumner. I am going to make my donation right now.
Update NOV 28, 2012: Kickstarter just wrote and they are at 35% funded. If you have any chance to publish on Twitter or Facebook or your blog, it would be a real help. Thanks to King 5 for airing the story! From the email: "Kickstarter is a ALL OR NOTHING CAMPAIGN. If we dont reach our goal of Over $75,000 WE GET NOTHING, Your credit card DOES NOT get charged and you dont recieve any rewards or tax deduction. Thats why this campaign is so important. I know I can count on you. Thank you again FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT. I appreciate you so much and your kindness."
Update January 3, 2013 They got the money so the Blue Mouse is going to be able to continue operations. There is going to be a party on January 11, 2013, 25.00 entry fee gets you an experience with a movie star and a Blue Mouse T-shirt. Best to get a ticket in advance.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Austin Miller IcyLife
I thought the Bonney Lake-Sumner Patch article on teen Austin Miller was well done and inspiring.
It will be fun to watch their facebook page grow.
It will be fun to watch their facebook page grow.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Drive sober or get pulled over
They say the focus is Black Friday, but I will bet it goes the whole holiday season. According to the Century Council 31% of driving fatalities or 32,000 plus people in 2010 were attributed to drunk driving.
Pierce county is cracking down with extra police crews on the road and that includes Sumner and Bonney Lake. Be careful out there.
Pierce county is cracking down with extra police crews on the road and that includes Sumner and Bonney Lake. Be careful out there.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Sumner Hometown Holiday Celebration 11/10/12
Be there or be square. These downtown events are so much fun, you should find lots to look at and a morstel of food is a distinct possibility. Last year, one of the antique dealers had these amazing home baked chocolate oatmeal cookies. I have never had anything like it and have not been able to deduce the recipe.
Farrell's Pizza
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Sumner. It is located off Main Street in the Fred Meyer complex. It is what I would call classy and casual. Tile floors in a new building, clearly purpose built to be a restaurant. The really high ceilings give the feeling of not being cramped in. I like the family photos on the walls.
They have the classic wood fired oven, a popular happy hour that works even better because the have a separate bar/lounge area from the more traditional family style restaurant. The tables area is in sections and they don't open them contiguously unless they need all tables, this helps with noise. The kitchen is in the center and the kitchen is a fantastic layout. There is also a game area. The booths are comfy and big enough. Not a complaint, but over the years I bet they have had some great collisions as the servers are bringing food down the middle aisle and a patron suddenly stands up.
Kathy had the gluten free pizza with their RPG ( Roasted Pepper and Garlic ) red sauce, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes and a side salad. Farrells is the only place I know of where she orders a red sauce. I had the chopped salad. I have no idea what is in their house made salad dressing, but it is good. Our server was Chelsea, who was friendly and competent, but did let Kathy's water glass stay empty. That does seem to be an issue at many Sumner restaurants. Price before tip was $39.47, so a good value as well.
If you think you will come more than once consider joining the "Fire Club". That is the name of their loyalty club.
They have the classic wood fired oven, a popular happy hour that works even better because the have a separate bar/lounge area from the more traditional family style restaurant. The tables area is in sections and they don't open them contiguously unless they need all tables, this helps with noise. The kitchen is in the center and the kitchen is a fantastic layout. There is also a game area. The booths are comfy and big enough. Not a complaint, but over the years I bet they have had some great collisions as the servers are bringing food down the middle aisle and a patron suddenly stands up.
Kathy had the gluten free pizza with their RPG ( Roasted Pepper and Garlic ) red sauce, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes and a side salad. Farrells is the only place I know of where she orders a red sauce. I had the chopped salad. I have no idea what is in their house made salad dressing, but it is good. Our server was Chelsea, who was friendly and competent, but did let Kathy's water glass stay empty. That does seem to be an issue at many Sumner restaurants. Price before tip was $39.47, so a good value as well.
If you think you will come more than once consider joining the "Fire Club". That is the name of their loyalty club.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Manta.com ( Sumner businesses )
I had never seen this web site before and I was trying to research existing businesses in Sumner because we would like to strive for whitespace, not repeating what someone else is already doing.
It is awesome and I had no idea, Manta.com was such a powerful resource or that Sumner had so many job producing businesses.
It is awesome and I had no idea, Manta.com was such a powerful resource or that Sumner had so many job producing businesses.
WinCo of Sumner
You have to pay with cash or a debit card and bag your own itemns, but that helps them deliver good prices on selected items. Just like Costco and Wal-Mart, not everything is a great deal, but there are some great deals.
There are also some carefully thought out selections, so I enjoy going up and down every aisle. And as it tends to be the case in Sumner, a very friendly staff.
There are also some carefully thought out selections, so I enjoy going up and down every aisle. And as it tends to be the case in Sumner, a very friendly staff.
Aversano's Italian Restaurant
Aversano's is a charming restaurant in an increasingly challenging location just off Main Street in Sumner. The anchor to the shopping center is a closed supermarket. I guess Fred Meyer was too much for them. I would guess it is about 50% vacant.
Love the atmosphere, stained glass lamps, lots of brick and wood, historic photos at every table, cheerful beer signs. It has an awesome bar created in 1897 that has been around the world. There is a large private gathering room with a private bar. There are a few TVs, but they are not the focus and they were muted tonight. It is family friendly, a number of families with small children were there.
It is pretty much your standard Italian menu; there are gluten free options for both pasta and pizza. They have a salad bar, which I think is pretty nifty. There are not a lot of salad bars in Sumner. It is a fairly sizable staff, I noticed three cooks in the Kitchen and four servers on the floor at 5:00 PM.
Our server was Abby, she did not offer to refill my water when it was empty, but they serve nice big plastic cups so that was not a critical issue. Even though to restaurant is well designed with a glass partition above the booths to give some separation from the bar, you can tell this place can get a bit noisy when nearing capacity and alcohol is loosening people's tongues.
Kathy had the gluten free, vegetarian pizza. I had the BBQ chicken. We both made a trip to the salad bar, that added $5.99 to Kathy's tab. We shared a bottle of Grandpa Don's red wine ( I will keep my out for that in stores, it was pretty good). Price before gratuity was 58.72, which I considered a good value and we have plenty leftovers for tomorrow.
Love the atmosphere, stained glass lamps, lots of brick and wood, historic photos at every table, cheerful beer signs. It has an awesome bar created in 1897 that has been around the world. There is a large private gathering room with a private bar. There are a few TVs, but they are not the focus and they were muted tonight. It is family friendly, a number of families with small children were there.
It is pretty much your standard Italian menu; there are gluten free options for both pasta and pizza. They have a salad bar, which I think is pretty nifty. There are not a lot of salad bars in Sumner. It is a fairly sizable staff, I noticed three cooks in the Kitchen and four servers on the floor at 5:00 PM.
Our server was Abby, she did not offer to refill my water when it was empty, but they serve nice big plastic cups so that was not a critical issue. Even though to restaurant is well designed with a glass partition above the booths to give some separation from the bar, you can tell this place can get a bit noisy when nearing capacity and alcohol is loosening people's tongues.
Kathy had the gluten free, vegetarian pizza. I had the BBQ chicken. We both made a trip to the salad bar, that added $5.99 to Kathy's tab. We shared a bottle of Grandpa Don's red wine ( I will keep my out for that in stores, it was pretty good). Price before gratuity was 58.72, which I considered a good value and we have plenty leftovers for tomorrow.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sumner retail part 4 (small town business ideas)
I just did a Google search for "Best small town business ideas" Here are a few that jumped out at me from the posts I read. Instead of an exhaustive list, I chose things I think I can actually do, would enjoy, and that I think there might be white space in Sumner:
Start a taxi or limo service
Soapmaking, sell designer soaps
Virtual assistant, help busy people with their email and such
Personal shopper, do grocery shopping for really busy people
In home chef, make meals for people at their homes
Proof reader, technical editor
Eldercare
Custom frame shop
Custom t-shirts
Sign maker
Painting business
Canoe and kayak store
Photography
Wine tasting
Couple's retreat
Bakery
Choclatier
Freelance writer
Concierge
Construction cleanup
SEO consultant
Insurance portfolio creator
Meeting planning
Woodland Park Greenhouse
We stopped in today what a great operation. A large number of the plants in our yard started out there. Their prices are very fair and here is a tip. When you get your flat, look for the older gentleman. He stares at all the plants thoughtfully and comes up with a very reasonable price.
Dragon Ball Restaurant and Lounge
We stopped in today for early dinner at this restaurant in on Main Street in downtown Sumner WA. It is an interesting building. Essentially a gravel parking lot. A lot of effort went into the decor inside, but it is showing some wear; the restaurant is five years old.
We both ordered Kung Po dishes or at least that is what it said on the menu. Our waiter asked how spicy we wanted on a scale of 1 to 5, a nice touch, we answered 3.5 -4. Brown rice is not an option, you are seeing that more and more with Chinese restaurants. The food took a little longer to arrive than I would have expected considering that it is a wok dish. In terms of flavor, it was too salty ( always a risk with soy sauce) and I could not taste the black vinegar that you expect with Kung Pao. The spicing from a heat perspective was fine, we could have easily done 4 and with a beer, 5. There was a bit less meat than you usually see, but to be honest I am trying to increase my intake of vegetables so that was fine with me. I can't say for sure there was monosodium glutimate, but as I write this I have that little headache in the front part of my brain.
Kathy also ordered the egg flower soup, thought it was comforting and the appropriate thickness. I had a TsingTao beer, total before tip was $27.55.
The bottom line, if I had guests that wanted to go out for Asian style food, I think I would recommend the Riverside Mongolian Grill at 725 River Road in nearby Puyallup. Also, there is nothing particularly wrong with the Dragon Ball, but nothing that screams "WOW" and the price is just a bit above a plate lunch type operation. I continue to think there is an opportunity for a good casual restaurant that is a step above fast food.
We both ordered Kung Po dishes or at least that is what it said on the menu. Our waiter asked how spicy we wanted on a scale of 1 to 5, a nice touch, we answered 3.5 -4. Brown rice is not an option, you are seeing that more and more with Chinese restaurants. The food took a little longer to arrive than I would have expected considering that it is a wok dish. In terms of flavor, it was too salty ( always a risk with soy sauce) and I could not taste the black vinegar that you expect with Kung Pao. The spicing from a heat perspective was fine, we could have easily done 4 and with a beer, 5. There was a bit less meat than you usually see, but to be honest I am trying to increase my intake of vegetables so that was fine with me. I can't say for sure there was monosodium glutimate, but as I write this I have that little headache in the front part of my brain.
Kathy also ordered the egg flower soup, thought it was comforting and the appropriate thickness. I had a TsingTao beer, total before tip was $27.55.
The bottom line, if I had guests that wanted to go out for Asian style food, I think I would recommend the Riverside Mongolian Grill at 725 River Road in nearby Puyallup. Also, there is nothing particularly wrong with the Dragon Ball, but nothing that screams "WOW" and the price is just a bit above a plate lunch type operation. I continue to think there is an opportunity for a good casual restaurant that is a step above fast food.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Uptown Coffee News
From what I understand, this is the largest restaurant reading publication in the world and to my shame I had never seen one until today. The idea is to create a platform for local businesses to advertise and give you some content to read especially if you are eating alone.
I will try to keep my self objective, but for right now I am not impressed. Print is very small, no local stories, I can't see the point. But I will try to pick up a few episodes and keep my eye open for versions from other areas when I travel.
I will try to keep my self objective, but for right now I am not impressed. Print is very small, no local stories, I can't see the point. But I will try to pick up a few episodes and keep my eye open for versions from other areas when I travel.
Great Clips in the Fred Meyer Center
We fly again early this Friday, so I needed to get my hair trimmed. I was lucky enough to get John, he seems to do the best job with my hair of any of them. I will try another place at some point, but there was no wait so I did that while Kathy filled her shopping list at Fred Meyer.
Water Hole Bar and Grill
I wanted to watch some of the Seahawks vs Vikings game and we do not have television, so we popped into the Water Hole. It is a fun place, they have comfortable mint green seats and a couple pool tables.
We both ordered a vodka tonic and it was a doozy, this was most definitely a one drink visit. It was really affordable as well, I paid with a twenty and got 13 dollars back, so $3.50 a drink with tax; wow.
They also have pull tabs. I am not exactly sure what these are, but they are clearly some form of gambling. I did try to look it up on the Internet, but just ran into all the laws and decided this, like almost all gambling, is too complex for me.
We both ordered a vodka tonic and it was a doozy, this was most definitely a one drink visit. It was really affordable as well, I paid with a twenty and got 13 dollars back, so $3.50 a drink with tax; wow.
They also have pull tabs. I am not exactly sure what these are, but they are clearly some form of gambling. I did try to look it up on the Internet, but just ran into all the laws and decided this, like almost all gambling, is too complex for me.
Watch it at Wal-Mart
There is no Wal-Mart in Sumner. The closest is in Bonney Lake, the next town up the hill. But we go there sometimes as an alternative to Fred Meyer. Wal-Mart is known for good prices, but you have to shop carefully.
The first thing I noticed was a wine display in the main hall of the food aisle. It was really strange, none of the bottles of wine lined up with the published prices. They were often not even close.
Then in the checkout lane, Kathy did an impulse buy and picked up a National Geographic Magazine, it rang up at $13.99. You can get a year's subscription for $15.00. What a rip off! If the price isn't posted at Wal-Mart, don't put it in your cart was the lesson I learned.
The first thing I noticed was a wine display in the main hall of the food aisle. It was really strange, none of the bottles of wine lined up with the published prices. They were often not even close.
Then in the checkout lane, Kathy did an impulse buy and picked up a National Geographic Magazine, it rang up at $13.99. You can get a year's subscription for $15.00. What a rip off! If the price isn't posted at Wal-Mart, don't put it in your cart was the lesson I learned.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
RIP Patrick Durnford
Patrick of the 7000 block of 142nd Avenue East on the other side of 410 than Sumner Middle School was suicidal. He called police and came out with a gun and was shot. We express our condolences to everyone that knew him and also to the Metro police department, that sort of thing is hard on everyone. For further information:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/10/24/2344065/man-fatally-shot-by-metro-swat.html
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2012/10/25/sumner-man-fatally-shot-by-metro-swat-after-pointing-gun-at-them-is-identified/
http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-suicidal-sumner-man-who-points-weapon-at-police-is-shot-dead-20121024,0,4055701.story
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/10/24/2344065/man-fatally-shot-by-metro-swat.html
http://blog.thenewstribune.com/crime/2012/10/25/sumner-man-fatally-shot-by-metro-swat-after-pointing-gun-at-them-is-identified/
http://www.q13fox.com/news/kcpq-suicidal-sumner-man-who-points-weapon-at-police-is-shot-dead-20121024,0,4055701.story
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