Issaquah woman wants to make a difference at plus-size pageant
January 31, 2012
Kelley Yarnell will represent Issaquah in the Washington Miss Plus America pageant. Contributed
“I’ve definitely had to overcome some adversity in my life,” said Kelley Yarnell, 20, an Issaquah native and resident who will represent the city in the upcoming Washington Plus America pageant, Feb. 17-20 in Everett.
Yarnell is one of 26 pageant contestants in four divisions. She will compete in the category for unmarried women age 20 and up. But probably more important than the age categories is that all of the contestants must be a clothes size 14 and up.
The pageant’s motto is “Real Women, Real Bodies, Making a Real Difference.” And while Yarnell said she would love to win the pageant and continue on to the national competition, the pageant isn’t the most important thing on her mind.
“I really want to make a difference,” she said, adding the idea behind the pageant for her is to be an example to women, especially younger girls, who might not be a dress size 2.
“It’s just to open things up and level the playing field,” said Latasha Raines, the executive director of the Washington pageant program.
In 2010, Raines won a national Plus America title. Like Yarnell, she represented Issaquah in the contest.
“I got to travel around the country and it was a great experience,” Raines said of her time as a national titleholder.
Comic Life brings comic or manga art to Issaquah Library
January 31, 2012
The mobile Digital Discovery Zone of the King County Library System arrives in Issaquah Feb. 9 for what’s been dubbed “Comic Life,” a chance for those ages 9-18 to study and learn about how to create original comics or manga.
The bright, red Discovery van will be at the Issaquah Library, 10 W. Sunset Way.
The event is from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. No prior registration is required. Visitors can bring artwork or photos on a flash drive or saved in an accessible email account.
Go to www.kcls.org/issaquah and click on “Programs, Classes & Events.”
Giada de Laurentiis to bring book tour to Costco
January 31, 2012
Food Network star and celebrity chef Giada de Laurentiis is due in Issaquah soon to sign cookbooks for local fans.
The cookbook author, known for the Italian recipes she prepared on the Food Network show “Everyday Italian,” is scheduled to appear at Costco, 1801 10th Ave. N.W., at noon April 26 to sign “Weeknights with Giada” — a collection of quick and simple recipes.
De Laurentiis last appeared at the flagship Costco in April 2010.
Besides the Food Network gig, the Rome-born de Laurentiis oversees a line of cookware, pasta and sauces.
Small Saffron Deli delivers on big Southeast Asian flavors
January 31, 2012
A sign in front of the Saffron Deli announces “Southeast Asian fusion” cuisine.
Inside the eatery, the hostess said her menu is straight from Laos. It includes some dishes with which you are probably familiar, such as beef or chicken pho, but also some possibly more adventurous choices, such as Hainan chicken or Gau Lau beef soup.
The two visitors in question here played it safe with a vegetable soup and chicken pho, but were impressed with the flavor of each, enough that trying some of the other offerings at some point in the future is definitely not out of the question.
Community invited to enjoy love of fiddling
January 24, 2012
From left, Tami Curtis, and Ken and Martha Neville from the Rovin’ Fiddlers play at the Railroad Depot in June 2009. Contributed
Fiddle music is filling the air in Issaquah and beyond. Two locally based bands aim to bring joy to the public through fiddle music.
Rovin’ Fiddlers was formed in the summer of 2008 and consists of six to eight regular members, ages ranging from 40s to 60s. Besides performing at senior centers, retirement homes and the farmers market in Issaquah, they also rove around the greater Seattle area.
“Our group was originally called the Firehouse Fiddlers … but we changed it because we move around the local area to perform,” said Ken Neville, the group’s coordinator, who has lived in Issaquah since 1972.
Other regular band members include Ken’s wife, Martha, Tami Curtis and David Edfeldt, all of Issaquah.
‘The Odd Couple’ is fresh, funny at Village Theatre
January 24, 2012
Felix Ungar (Chris Ensweiler, front) receives a massage from mismatched roommate Oscar Madison (Charles Leggett) in Village Theatre’s ‘The Odd Couple.’ By John Pai/Village Theatre
Neil Simon is a regular at Village Theatre.
The playwright — gilded in Tony Awards aplenty and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama — often offers rich material to Village Theatre producers. In the past decade, the downtown Issaquah theater presented “Barefoot in the Park” and “Lost in Yonkers” to audiences. The latest Simon offering on stage is “The Odd Couple” — perhaps the most recognizable piece in the playwright’s oeuvre.
“The Odd Couple” — re-imagined on stage and screen more often than Felix Ungar scrapes up crumbs — is a solid choice as the selection for the play in a Village Theatre season defined by musicals.
The play is a charming anachronism, 47 years after “The Odd Couple” debuted on Broadway. The boozing and smoking recall a looser era before political correctness. Still, the dialogue and the mismatched-roommate premise remain universal almost a half-century after Simon introduced audiences to uptight Felix and untidy Oscar Madison.
Delayed artEAST exhibit puts images to ‘Love Songs’
January 24, 2012
Virtually every month for six years, Issaquah’s artEAST Center has put together a different themed exhibit with entries from members and invited artists.
Just in time for St. Valentine’s Day, the coming monthly exhibit is “Love Songs!” with works from 17 artists reflecting the lyrics and moods of various classics love ballads, said Sally Penley, a calligrapher and painter who makes her home in Olympia.
Penley also is a member of artEAST and the curator for “Love Songs!” She noted that, importantly in her mind, “Love Songs!” is a juried show, which generally means works were reviewed before being accepted into the show.
For the coming exhibit, Penley and others created a “playlist” from which artists could draw their inspiration.
Snowstorm leads to rescheduling for World’s Fair event
January 24, 2012
The discussion about local authors’ book on the Century 21 Exposition has been rescheduled for April 14.
Paula Becker and Alan Stein, staff historians for HistoryLink.org, collected memories from the fair in the book “The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy” — a comprehensive account of Century 21.
The authors planned to lead a discussion about the book and present a slideshow of fair images Jan. 17 at the Issaquah Library, but the snowstorm caused organizers to cancel the event. Expect additional details about the rescheduled date in the weeks ahead.
First Friday Wine Walks offer a new taste of downtown
January 17, 2012
The artEAST Art Center and UP Front Gallery, which always participates in ArtWalk in the summer, will be one of six locations on Front Street to take part Feb. 3 in the inaugural First Friday Wine Walk. File
Adding to its list of events to draw more visitors to downtown, the DownTown Issaquah Association announces First Friday Wine Walk from 5-8 p.m. Feb. 3.
Wine Walk, following other popular events such as ArtWalk and a zombie invasion, will feature boutique wine tasting at six locations up and down Front Street.
“It should be fun,” said Karen Donovan, the association’s executive director. “I’m excited.”
Wineries will include Lodmell Winery in Walla Walla; Woodinville’s Smasne Cellars; and, Castillo de Feliciana. Several Wine Walk locations will feature live entertainment to include acoustic guitarist “Uncle Phil” Hansen; guitarist and composer Angelo Pizarro; vocal group Bodacious Ladyhood; and, pianist Meg Mann.
Liberty High grad continues to do well on ‘The Bachelor’
January 17, 2012
Lindzi Cox
According to several fan websites, as well as the official ABC site for “The Bachelor,” local contestant Lindzi Cox, 27, continues to do well on the reality TV show.
A 2003 graduate of Liberty High School, Cox was one of 25 bachelorettes attempting to win the heart of businessman Ben Flajnik.
While several women have been eliminated in the first few episodes of the show, Cox has not only hung in there but, in the first episode won a “first impression rose” when she arrived on horseback for her initial meeting with Flajnik.
Cox is a longtime equestrian. During her days at Liberty, Cox spelled her first name more conventionally, using “Lindsey,” according to Issaquah School District records.
For those interested, there are several sites purporting to know the outcome of the latest “The Bachelor” competition. Most are relying on a site, www.realitysteve.com. The site recently reported some of its spoiler posts are the subject of a lawsuit, presumably filed by ABC or the makers of “The Bachelor.”
