Historical Society hosts Feb. 8 cemetery cleanup
February 6, 2014
NEW — 4:40 p.m. Feb. 6, 2014
By Christina Corrales-Toy
The Newcastle Historical Society will host a cemetery clean up Feb. 8.
The Newcastle Historical Society will host a Feb. 8 work party to clean and spruce up the city’s iconic cemetery. Read more
Notes from Newcastle: Newcastle Jewelers treats you like family
February 6, 2014
Newcastle Jewelers employee Sylvia Mauerman has one heck of a job.
“How much fun is it to lift diamonds all day?” she asked, when I visited the store for a story last month.
That sounds pretty fun, if you ask me, but not as much fun as getting to do it under the tutelage of Wayne and Joan Underwood, the store’s owners.
I had never been to the store before I visited to write a story about its 20th anniversary, but for the first time since Sweet Decadence left the city, I had the soothing feeling that I was sitting in a cozy living room.
Newcastle Jewelers doesn’t have chairs and seats set up for its patrons, and it’s not meant to be a place where people gather and lounge, but after meeting the welcoming, kind staff, all I want to do is hang out there.
The shelves and display cases filled with beautiful jewelry may or may not have had a hand in my longing sense to linger at the store, too.
At any rate, Wayne, Joan and Sylvia made me feel at home. Whether it was the kind welcome I received from Sylvia as I walked in the door, Wayne’s quiet, self-deprecating humor or Joan’s pride in the community, they were just so comforting.
It seems that their breed is a dying kind, you know, the type of business owners that treat their customers like family.
They’re the kind of owners who will shake their heads at you when you try to pay after a quick repair of your watch, refusing to let you pay for something that took two minutes but was a world of help.
They’re the kind of jewelers who when you say you’re looking for a specific token to add to your charm bracelet, they’ll say, “No, problem,” and will hand craft it in their store. If you don’t see it on their shelves, they’ll find it, or make it for you.
They’re the kind of people who saw a city come into existence 20 years ago, and did everything in their power to support it, even changing their business’ name to do so.
Newcastle is lucky to have the Newcastle Jewelers team in its community, but if you ask their owners, they’ll quickly say, “No, we’re lucky to be in Newcastle.”
Newcastle business shares 20th anniversary with city
February 6, 2014
Newcastle Jewelers still ‘shines bright like a diamond’
By Christina Corrales-Toy
The Newcastle Jewelers team, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is a tight-knit group led by (from left) owners Wayne and Joan Underwood and staff member Sylvia Mauerman. The white poodle, Mingo, also serves as a trustworthy watchdog.
The new business cards still had the warmth of a fresh printing when husband and wife Wayne and Joan Underwood decided to open a jewelry store along Coal Creek Parkway in 1994. Read more
City to honor volunteers at Feb. 27 event
February 6, 2014
Mack Strong headlines speaking program
A strong culture of volunteerism is one of Newcastle’s greatest points of pride.
Every year, hundreds of volunteers dedicate hundreds of hours to make the city a better place, and signs of that can be seen everywhere.
It’s there in the trails that were built by Eagle Scouts and maintained by the Newcastle Trails group; it’s in City Hall, where volunteer commissions meet to give their best recommendations to the City Council; and it’s certainly evident in the smiling faces of the families enjoying their time at the city’s volunteer-coordinated summer events.
The city will honor its approximately 300 volunteers at a special appreciation event Feb. 27. Read more
Wife attends Super Bowl to honor late husband
February 6, 2014
‘This one’s for you, Denny’
By Greg Farrar
Elizabeth Widseth and son Trevor Yarnell hold their Diamond Award in November.
Newcastle Shell station owner, and avid Seattle Seahawks fan, Elizabeth Widseth knew this football season was going to be special.
Community mourns historian Milt Swanson
February 6, 2014
Family, neighbors and community leaders gathered Jan. 25 to honor the life of Milt Swanson, a titan of Newcastle history and the man with an unceasing, warming smile.
The Newcastle pioneer, born and raised in this community, spent all of his 95 years living in the same area, 90 of which were in the same company house that still stands at the edge of town near the Cougar Mountain trailhead.
Milt Swanson
Swanson died Jan. 20 after a Jan. 14 fall sent him to the hospital, where he lapsed into a coma.
Council elects mayor, deputy mayor
February 6, 2014
The Newcastle City Council ushered in 2014 with elections for the mayor and deputy mayor positions at its Jan. 7 meeting.
Steve Buri will serve as mayor, while newcomer John Drescher is the new deputy mayor. Both will serve two-year terms.
“I’ve enjoyed my time on the council and having a voice in the direction of the city, but the real excitement is the future, and the next two years, I think, will be among the most exciting in the city’s history,” Buri said.
Liberty High School singers nominated for Diamond Award
February 6, 2014
The Liberty High School volunteer choir that performed at A Very Newcastle Christmas, the first-ever Newcastle community Christmas tree lighting event at Newcastle Fruit & Produce, has been nominated for a 2014 Diamond Award.
Contributed
Members of the Liberty High School choir perform at A Very Newcastle Christmas Celebration at the Newcastle Fruit & Produce stand in November.
Gabby Smith, Leah Jackman, Taylor Santos, Hailey Gumm, Sarah Edmonds, Courtney Santos, Jason Jarmin, Katy Orr, Cassi Cox, Jaylen Jackman, Colby McFarland-Knutson and Hannah Edmonds all took time out of their holiday season to make the event special.
Historical Society hosts cemetery cleanup Feb. 8
February 6, 2014
The Newcastle Historical Society will host a Feb. 8 work party to clean and spruce up the city’s iconic cemetery.
Volunteers are invited to help cut, collect and haul away brush. The city will provide tools, but attendees should bring gloves and wear sturdy shoes.
Ernest Swanson
February 6, 2014
Ernest Milton “Milt” Swanson, was born March 29, 1918, in Newcastle, to Ernest and Esilda Swanson; he passed away peacefully on Monday, Jan. 20, 2014, due to complications from a fall.
Milt, a lifelong resident of Newcastle, lived his entire life at the family home — a former mine company house just off Lakemont Boulevard. Frequent travelers on that road will remember the coal car in his front yard and the railroad semaphore he installed at the end of his driveway, rigged to light up and signal when anyone came down the drive.
Milt Swanson
1944
