The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs is accepting applications for the 2012 CityArtist Projects program that supports Seattle-based individual artists working in the visual, literary and media arts.

CityArtist Projects is an annual funding program that provides support to individual Seattle artists to develop and present new, in-progress or remounted works taken to the next stage. Funding is offered to artists in clusters of disciplines in the visual, media and literary arts and performing arts in alternate years.

Priority will be given to quality art projects that focus on public benefit defined as community impact and access. Projects will be rated on their ability to address at least one of these four elements: engage new audiences, develop partnerships, create access through education and public awareness opportunities and/or present in non-traditional venues.

Artists can apply for set awards of either $2,000 or $4,000. Projects must be presented between May and December 2012 and include a public presentation.

A link to the online application is available at www.seattle.gov/arts. The application deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. For more information, contact Irene Gómez at irene.gomez@seattle.gov or (206) 684-7310.

The Fremont Oktoberfest was a big success last weekend. How do I know? Cause the numbers don’t lie…

Here are a few fun facts from the weekend…

• 20,000 people gathered in the Tasting Garden to taste over 100 beers.
• 5,000 guests of all ages entered the Oktoberfest Village where over 500 Zucchini Cars were raced in the Kids Area
• 42 dogs entered CityDog Magazine’s Cover Dog Model Contest during Sunday’s Fremont Dogtoberfest.
• 1,000 runners raced in the Fremont Oktoberfest 5K and finished in the Pyramid Breweries Village Beer Garden
• Our 1,000 amazing volunteers poured 157,561 beers in the Tasting Garden, meaning… they collected 157,561 tokens and tapped over 550 kegs of beer

Incoming kindergarteners and students of all grades who are new to Seattle Public Schools can get a head start on the enrollment process for next year starting on Monday. Early Enrollment goes through Jan. 31, 2012.

SPS enrollment facilitators will be at several Seattle Public Library locations and neighborhood community centers from Oct. 3-25 to help parents fill out forms and answer questions. You can also enroll your child during Seattle Public Schools’ Family and Community Symposium on Saturday, Oct. 15, at Garfield High School (interpreters provided).

Early enrollment allows families to avoid long lines during the busy spring and summer enrollment periods. While early enrollment does not impact where a student is assigned to school – under the new student assignment plan, assignment is based on the student’s home address – it is offered as a convenience to families, enabling them to get the enrollment paperwork completed ahead of time.

In addition, families who have students enrolling early – as well as existing students – will receive their school assignment notification in early 2012, prior to the Open Enrollment period in the spring. Students may apply to attend a different school of their choice during Open Enrollment.

The nearest enrollment events to Fremont are:

• Monday, Oct. 3: 5:30-7 p.m., Ballard Library, 5614 22nd Ave. NW
• Thursday, Oct. 13: 5:30-7 p.m., Broadview Library, 12755 Greenwood Ave. N.
• Monday, Oct. 24: 5:30-7 p.m., Green Lake Library, 7364 E. Green Lake Dr. N.

The full list of all early enrollments sites is here.

The Mayor has released his proposed 2012 budget (.pdf) to the Seattle City Council and Fremont will be affected if it is passed as is.

Parking:

Earlier this year, the Seattle Department of Transportation decided to keep parking rates at $1.50 in Fremont to make sure parking was accessible. The goal was to have one or two available spots on each block at a given time. After doing research, the good news is that it looks like the $1.50 per hour rate is doing well here and will not go up (click here for pdf.).

Nearby in Ballard, proposed changes for 2012 include raising the rates in the core of Ballard back to $2.00 per hour.

Light Rail:
The Mayor is proposing a one-time use of $1.5 million “for planning related to high capacity transit in the five corridors identified in the Transit Master Plan.”

Here is a look at the light rail corridor from Ballard  through Fremont to downtown, as mentioned in the Transit Master Plan.

Community Centers:
From the proposed budget:

Under this recommendation, community centers are clustered into five geographic groups (Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast, and Southwest), with each team managed and programmed in a coordinated fashion, with partially or fully restored hours at the current limited use community center sites (Alki, Ballard, Green Lake, Laurelhurst, and Queen Anne).

We are continuing to sift through the proposed budget (.pdf) and will update this as we learn more.

There will be two public hearings about the 2012 budget. The first is October 4th, the second is October 26th. Both hearings are at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers (City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue). If you’d like to speak, sign in time is 5 p.m. The city council will be voting on the final budget in November.

By Mwiza Kalisa

Some coffee shops provide Wi-Fi to customers for free, but Fremont Coffee Company is trying something different.

Last year the company introduced a Wi-Fi code system that lasts up to three hours. Despite the time limit, the system is working well for the company and its Wi-Fi users.

Assistant Manager Brandon Mills says that the current passcode system is reliable. “I know there are things, like support, that go along with the system we have which is helpful,” he said. “If there’s ever a problem, there are people to get a hold of to ensure that our customers are happy and connected.”

The company has gone through three different Wi-Fi systems. In previous years customers could purchase a four-hour passcode which was administered by the coffee shop. At one point free Wi-Fi was provided to the neighborhood, but many customers complained about the poor service. “It crashed all the time and there wasn’t anything we could do about it,” Mills said. “Now it’s a better system all together.”

Grady Lemoine, a PhD student at UW, has seen the company go though the three systems over the years. Lemoine, who is a regular, typically spends 2 to 3 hours at the coffee shop. “This is the one that has worked best of the three,” he said. “It’s a small price to pay for Wi-Fi that is reliable.” When Lemoine goes over the three hours he says that the baristas are happy to provide a new code.

Caffé Vita, Starbucks and Caffé Ladro are among coffee shops that offer Wi-Fi with a purchase. “People like that we have Wi-Fi, it fills up quickly,” said Holly Walter, manager of Caffé Vita. Some have gone to different lengths to use the Wi-Fi service. Although it doesn’t happen often Walter says there are days when people pull up in their cars. “It’s like going to a restaurant and [only] ordering water,” she said.

“We’re here to make good coffee,” Walter added. “Internet is a bonus.”

Photo: Mwiza Kalisa

Mr. Yuk and Tracy Taylor of KING-5 News will be the hosts of the annual wine tasting to benefit the Washington Poiston Center. Guests will taste wine from around the world, sample hors d’oeuvres from Kaspars, and celebrate the winner of the annual award for a business that makes a difference in poison prevention, Umpqua Bank. There also will be a silent auction.

The event takes place at Fremont Studios on October 7th between 6:30 and 9:30 pm.

The Poison Center notes that it is more important than ever to get people to attend this year’s fundraiser because of unexpected budget cuts. Normally, 53 percent of its calls concern children younger than 5. This number is starting to edge up to nearly 60 percent.  Additionally, the calls from adults are becoming more serious in nature, which is problematic since poisoning is the No. 1 cause of accidental death in Washington state and has been since 2006.

For almost 15 years, Seattle Audubon has provided the Finding Urban Nature (FUN) program for free at B. F. Day School and other schools around Seattle.

The FUN program introduces 3rd and 4th grade students to producers, consumers, and decomposers in their schoolyard habitat and how they depend on each other to survive.  Volunteer guides take a small group of up to six students outside to learn about their schoolyard habitat, first hand. Each classroom receives four different lessons in the fall and four more in the spring.

This year, B.F. Day is a looking for some volunteers to help with the program. Volunteers do not need any previous experience and training will be provided.

You can learn more about the program at their website. To find out how to become a volunteer, email the Elementary School Program Manager at fun@seattleaudubon.org.

-Photo by Susan Yates

It was just weeks ago that Italian restaurant Rialto moved out of its long-time spot at 4307 Fremont Ave N. And almost as soon as they were out, work began for the new tenant.

That would be Pecado Bueno, which plans on opening sometime very soon (Fall 2011). According to their placeholder website, they’re not just here to serve food. They’re here to redefine the entire battle of Good vs. Evil (kinda)…

Sin, was it worth it? Can food be worth the wrath of god, Eve felt so, and haven’t we all tasted something that just might be worth a little wrath of god?

Organic, local, free range, no hormones & sustainably harvested products into the best tacos, burritos, enchilada etc. The best tasting items with the right ingredients cooked simply and correctly. Not to mention a Tequila bar…

Want to get a sneak peak (or sneak taste, as it were) of what Pecano Bueno is all about? The restaurant is hosting The Fremont Abbey Arts Center for a pre-grand opening party and benefit:

Our new neighbors across the street, Pecado Bueno, are throwing us a pre-grand opening dinner party full of delicious organic & natural Mexican food, drinks, and you! Apparently even beer and margaritas are included and the food is sustainable and hormone free. Bring your friends and your appetite.

RSVP here if you’re interested in attending. The event is 6-9pm, suggested donations are $10-15 and all proceeds go to help Fremont Abbey.

Gay and lesbian cyclists looking for a date will have a chance to meet other bike lovers on Tuesday, October 4th.

Fremont cycle boutique, Hub and Bespoke, will host the second “Slow Ride Speed Date” event for local singles. Participants will pair up for 3-minute bike rides on a pre-set path through the Fremont neighborhood.

Riders will note the individuals they are interested in on provided booklets, and Hub and Bespoke will later notify each person of any matches.

The first speed date event in August was a success according to Hub and Bespoke co-founder, Aldan Shank.

“There were several matches and everyone said they had a great time. We’re excited to do it again, this time for our gay and lesbian friends.”

Shank says the event offers bike-riding singles a chance to meet people with similar interests and values.

Anyone interested in participating should email hubandbespoke@gmail.com. Spots are limited, and a bike is required. The event will start at 5:45pm at the Hub and Bespoke shop (513 N 36th St) and will conclude with a friendly mixer at a neighborhood venue. More details available on the Hub and Bespoke blog.

Join Fremont Techie’s next Thursday for the September Meetup of the Fremont “Geek” Group,  monthly techie Meetup.

This month’s meeting takes place Thursday, September 29, between 7 – 9pm. This monthly meeting is a place for “Geeks” in Fremont to meet, network, share resources and get referrals in a relaxed social setting. The Group meets on the last Thursday of every month.

Meeting location is at the History House (790 N 34th St.) in the sculpture garden. There will be free wi-fi at the event, so feel free to bring a laptop, smart phone or other geeky devices. Pizza and beverages provided.

The event is free, donations to the Fremont Chamber will be accepted at the door.