In honor of National Trails Day, Newcastle Trails and a slew of local organizations are hosting a unique geocaching event across the city’s trail network June 6.

Part scavenger hunt, part exploration, geocaching sends participants on a quest to different waypoints, where they will usually find a small prize or object.

In this case, the “prize” waiting at each waypoint is education.

“It will have information about where they are standing, the history of the place and so on,” said Troop 499 Scoutmaster Bill Burris, who’s helping with the event’s organization.

Check-in is at Lake Boren Park, 13058 S.E. 84th Way, where participants will receive the coordinates for the first waypoint and a passport book to record information found at the eight other waypoints.

A GPS is most commonly used when geocaching, but Newcastle Trails will offer maps for those who prefer it, Burris said. Most smart phones have free GPS apps to download, he added.

At each waypoint you will find information about that waypoint’s location and coordinates to take you to the next stop.

The one-day, multicache event takes you on a 2.5-mile hike through the Newcastle trail system. Burris estimated it would take the average person a couple of hours to hit all the waypoints, so adventurers are invited to start anytime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Newcastle Trails will wrap up the event at about 3 p.m.

Newcastle Trails will offer snacks and water for what it is expected to be a sunny, 80-degree day. Participants should wear sturdy walking shoes.

The event is coordinated by Newcastle Trails, Boy Scout Troop 499, Weed Warriors and the city’s Community Activities Commission.

Learn more about the Newcastle trail system at newcastletrails.org.

File
Newcastle’s Historic Coal Miners Cemetery was established in 1878.

Well, there is, and it is a registered King County Historic Landmark. Located on 129th Avenue Southeast, just north of the entrance to Lake Boren Park, lies a 2.02-acre parcel that has served as the final resting place for coal miners and their families since 1878.

The site consists of rocky non-arable land that overlooks Lake Boren. In fact, the ground was so rocky that blasting was often required to prepare a gravesite. Jim Rannie (34) was the first internment on the property given to the International Order of Odd Fellows in 1879. The IOOF maintained ownership of the property until 2001, when it was donated to the city of Newcastle.

We don’t know how many people are buried here, but existing headstones and documentation indicate at least 190 have been laid to rest at this site. Many of the original headstones have been vandalized or removed.

In addition, wooden markers and fences outlining gravesites were destroyed by two fires during the 1900s. In some cases, the graves were marked by a ring of stones and they have been covered by moss and natural vegetation.

The existing headstones tell a story of the migration of Irish and Scots in the 1880s, Welsh, Swedes, Belgians,  English, around 1900, followed by Blacks, Germans, Italians, Slavs, Finns, Croatians and Serbians. The deaths of children identify years of disease outbreaks. Frequently, the deceased speak to us through their epitaphs: “Weep not father and mother for me, for I am waiting in glory for thee.”

“Death to me short warning give; Therefore be careful how you live; Prepare in time, do not delay; For I was quickly called away.”

Not all stories about cemeteries are sad. In 1918, a lady named Emmy had a heart attack and was declared deceased. Now, Emmy was said to be a loud and obnoxious woman and would not be missed by too many. Her husband arranged a funeral service and burial in the cemetery.

The entrance to the cemetery is steep, and one of the pall bearers slipped and dropped the coffin. To everyone’s surprise, Emmy popped right up and demanded to know what was going on.

Two weeks later, the original diagnosis came true and Emmy died. Once again, her husband arranged a service and burial. This time, however, he cautioned the pall bearers to watch their footing because he could not afford another service for his wife.

The cemetery is closed to new burials except for relatives of those already interred.

It is generally closed to the public except for Memorial Day and during Newcastle Days. To arrange a visit, or to participate in the restoration of the cemetery, contact the Newcastle Historical Society.

Look for the next two articles in the series (set to publish in July and August), which will be about individuals at rest in the cemetery. This is the aspect of the history of Newcastle that is so exciting to me. Our mining history is only 150 years old, and we know about the people that made that history.

Part of the festival includes a parade through Lake Boren Park opening the event on Saturday, Sept. 12.

This year’s festival coincides with the National Day of Service and Remembrance, so the organizing committee is inviting veterans to participate in the second annual Newcastle Days Parade.

The parade serves as the official kickoff to the Sept. 12 event featuring music, activities, food and more. The exact time of the parade is yet to be determined, though it will likely begin at either 10 or 10:30 a.m., depending on the number of participants.

Local high-school bands, drill teams and dance teams also participate in the parade.

Veterans interested in joining the parade should contact Community Activities Commissioner Linda Newing at LindaN@ci.newcastle.wa.us or city community activities liaison Wendy Kirchner at WendyK@ci.newcastle.wa.us or call Kirchner at 649-4444, ext. 142.

A year after the wet stuff put a damper on the 2014 event, Stiller said she is hoping for sunshine when the festival returns to Lake Boren Park on April 18.

“All we need is a really nice day, no rain,” she said. “Last year, it dumped buckets. It was terrible.”

The city of Newcastle and the Newcastle Weed Warriors, with funding from the King Conservation District, will provide speakers, seminars and activities for Earth Day 2015 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 18.

Similar to previous years, Stiller said the event will serve, in part, to support a citywide effort to earn National Wildlife Federation Community Wildlife Habitat Certification.

To obtain the certification, residents must commit to providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise offspring. A healthy habitat can be in a variety of places, including a backyard, a local city space or even an apartment balcony.

After promoting the certification at past events, Stiller said the city as a whole is about 60 homes away from officially receiving the environmental honor.

Representatives from the National Wildlife Federation will be available to register residents’ yards as a backyard wildlife habitat at the event. Children are also invited to take photos with the organization’s mascot, Ranger Rick.

“The unique thing about Newcastle and our environment is that with the habitats that people have in their yards, they’re already qualified,” Stiller said. “They’ve got trees for shelter, bushes for cover, places to raise young and putting up a birdhouse is really easy.”

New to this year’s event is a special presentation by Native American storyteller and flutist Paul “Che oke ten” Wagner.

The Newcastle Library will sponsor his noon performance that promises to transport audiences to the ancient forests, meadows and waters of the Salish Sea.

“He’s going to take us on a journey with his stories and music back to a time when we can appreciate living in harmony with nature,” Stiller said.

Another event likely to attract a crowd is a special ceremony honoring the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s very first Karelian bear dog, Mishka.

Karelian bear dogs, averaging 40 to 65 pounds, are instinctively bold with bears and can be trained to track, help capture and deter them from returning to places where they can get in trouble with humans.

After 12 years of service, Mishka is retiring, along with her handler, WDFW enforcement officer Bruce Richards. Western Wildlife Outreach will honor both of them with a special presentation at 1 p.m.

The Hazen High School jazz band and the Boeing Employees’ Concert Band return to provide live entertainment. Many of the popular attractions from last year, such as the amphibian-toting frog lady and the live raptor house featuring birds of prey, will also return.

Festival organizers are hoping to increase its social presence and, attract the younger generation, with an Instagram campaign.

Attendees are encouraged to take “Earth Day selfies,” or simply document your favorite part of the festival, and hashtag it #NewcastleWA on Instagram. Head to the Weed Warriors website to see the photos after the event, Stiller said.

“It’s so important because young people are our future stewards and environmental change agents,” Stiller said. “They’re the ones that are going to make a difference. We’ve got to keep them engaged, so however we can do that and get them excited about the environment and our world, is worth it.”

By Greg Farrar
A Patagonian cavy named Superman sits on a lawn under the Animal Encounters tent during the 2014 Newcastle Earth Day celebration at Lake Boren Park. This year’s event takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 18.

Earth Day is officially April 22, but Newcastle will celebrate the green holiday April 18 with its eighth annual community festival.

The city of Newcastle and the Newcastle Weed Warriors, thanks to funding from the King Conservation District, will provide speakers, seminars and activities for Earth Day 2015 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lake Boren Park.

The festival begins promptly at 10 a.m. with opening words from Mayor Steve Buri, followed by Boy Scout Troop 499’s presentation of the flags.

Vendors armed with information on how you can better serve the planet will dot the park lawn, while a petting zoo, music and food will also keep attendees occupied.

Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org.

Newcastle is suffering from an identity crisis.

No, I’m not talking about anything that the city is or isn’t doing. This crisis, it so happens, is simply out of City Hall’s control.

The problem would best be described as a “social media identity crisis.” Go ahead; search ‘Newcastle’ on Twitter. What do you see?

You’ll likely see a lot of tweets about Newcastle United FC, a soccer team in the English Premier League. Though the majority of Newcastle tweets are about the Magpies, they, incidentally, have nothing to do with our Newcastle.

You’ll probably see a few mentions of Newcastle Brown Ale and its #NoBollocks campaign. Again, not in the least related to our Newcastle.

You might fall into the trap that I do at least once a day. You see a tweet mentioning a cool event or the opening of a new restaurant in Newcastle; you click it, only to find that it isn’t our Newcastle. Rather, it’s happening at a Newcastle in Australia or England.

In an age where social media is such an integral part of everyday life, it’s very, very difficult to find an online presence of Newcastle, Washington, the one in the United States.

Social media is increasingly becoming a more important part of my job. In addition to Newcastle News’ online channels, I also manage the Twitter and Facebook profiles of The Issaquah Press and Sammamish Review.

Social media allows us to interact with our readers, find breaking news stories and see what’s going on in the community. I’ll tell you, it’s infinitely easier to do that with unique city names like Issaquah and Sammamish.

When someone tweets about an event in Issaquah, you know it’s happening in Issaquah, Washington. The same goes for Sammamish, though, I often have to filter through tweets mentioning Sammamish High School, which believe it or not, is not in Sammamish.

Some in the Newcastle community utilize the #NewcastleWA hashtag on social media to distinguish our city from the others. It’s a great start, but it will only work if we all commit to use it when we are talking about our Newcastle.

I try to include it in every Facebook post and Tweet I send, as does the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce and the account for Newcastle Earth Day.

So, Newcastle, my plea to you is, let’s make it easier to talk to each other on social media. If you see breaking news in Newcastle, take a really pretty picture at Lake Boren Park or just have something you want to say about your city, use the hashtag #NewcastleWA.

It not only helps me have a better grasp of what’s going on in Newcastle, it will also help you interact with your neighbors and local businesses.

Stop filtering through the soccer, beer and Newcastle upon Tyne tweets, let’s make #NewcastleWA ours and start taking back our identity.

Look to the future — The city has enjoyed a few years of financial stability, but looking at future forecasts, challenges are ahead as development revenues begin to disappear. Begin the discussion now, not later, to make decisions that will ensure the city’s financial future isn’t seeing red.

Keep an eye on Energize Eastside — Puget Sound Energy’s Community Advisory Group just selected its recommended routes, and both include proposed electric transmission lines through Newcastle. The company’s Energize Eastside process, aimed at upgrading power lines to fulfill the growing demand, is far from over, though. Make your voice heard and participate in the coming Environmental Impact Statement process and any other avenues offered to share your concerns.

Do something with Lake Boren Park — It’s been more than a year since the city unveiled a series of conceptual designs for improvements to Lake Boren Park at a town hall meeting. During that October 2013 presentation, a majority of respondents supported park improvements, and even expressed a willingness to pay for it through a park levy. City leaders need to decide how much of a priority Lake Boren Park truly is and move forward with a levy process if it’s that important.

Make a long-term decision on marijuana — The Newcastle City Council extended the six-month moratorium on marijuana-related business activity within Newcastle at its Dec. 2 meeting. A moratorium is only a temporary measure, though, and a permanent solution must be reached sooner rather than later. The council has talked about marijuana numerous times and each time it does, a ban is discussed. The council should decide how marijuana fits into the city and begin laying the groundwork for a permanent solution.

Try for a city ZIP code again — The most one-sided response at the June 2014 town hall meeting was residents’ desire to acquire a unique Newcastle ZIP code. The city last petitioned for its own ZIP code in 2009, but the request was denied, as it was in 2004 and 1994. Municipalities are required to wait five years between ZIP code requests, so now is the time to try again.

Communicate with your residents — In this digital age, it’s more important than ever that a city have an online presence. Newcastle has Twitter and Facebook accounts, but they are not consistently used. Keep your citizens informed of city events and answer resident questions through these social media platforms. Just look east to the city of Issaquah for the right way to disseminate information to the populace. Newcastle City Councilwoman Carol Simpson scratches the surface with her weekly email blasts, but the city can do more. City Manager Rob Wyman often stresses the importance of customer service among his staff; well, this is part of it. It’s an easy way to be responsive to your residents.

Contributed
Newcastle resident Max Willoughby, 9, stars in his first TV commercial, a promotional ad for the upcoming Seattle Auto Show.

Newcastle resident Max Willoughby is a performer.

Whether it’s an impromptu show on the Lake Boren Park stage or a dramatic display on the Coal Creek Family YMCA basketball court, 9-year-old Max is never short on theatrics.

“We knew he had acting talent when he pretended to fall and be knocked out during a YMCA basketball game,” mom Tina Perkins said. “They blew the whistle, stopped the game and ran out in the court to help him.

“I had to carry him off the court so I didn’t look like a bad mom, but I could see him sneaking little peeks, proud of his dramatic exit from the game.”

The next week his parents signed him up for drama classes.

It appears the classes are paying off, because Max was booked for his first TV commercial, a promotional ad for the upcoming Seattle Auto Show.

In it, Max plays a boy weaving in and out through an obstacle of ever-moving cars as they suddenly appear bursting out from the ground.

The commercial utilizes CGI and was shot completely on green screen, so Max had to pretend that cars were magically appearing out of the floor and flipping all around him.

Max’s favorite part of the shoot, his first ever paying gig, wasn’t the acting, though — it was the green room.

“He liked the green room because it was totally full of food — the perks of being an actor,” his mom said.

The 9-year-old, who attends the Open Window School in Bellevue, said he’d enjoy pursuing a career in the acting industry, especially one that allows him to write and direct his own works.

“I like role-playing,” Max said. “I like being a character version of myself.”

The Blue Plate Digital produced commercial began airing Oct. 1 and will continue appearing on local TV stations through Oct. 19.

Garry Kampen

This year is the 20th anniversary of Newcastle, a small city that ranks high in livability, and the 15th anniversary of Newcastle Trails, a nonprofit citizens group that has worked for parks, trails and open space, in close cooperation with the city, since 1999.

I’m writing to celebrate Newcastle’s amazing and still-growing trail system, and to encourage you to explore it and enjoy it. Check NT’s website, www.newcastletrails.org; download our latest map and trail guide; join NT by emailing info@newcastletrails.org (for trail news, no dues); attend our Oct. 6 board meeting (7 p.m. at Regency Newcastle); and consider volunteering for the board, or lending a hand with trail work, computer work (GIS, web, writing), lobbying, fundraising — whatever you’d like to do.

Newcastle’s trails are part of a regional network used by walkers, joggers, cyclists and equestrians. The city lies within a Grand Loop, a triangle of trail corridors with its base on the existing Lake Washington Trail (future Eastside Rail Trail) and its apex in Cougar Mountain.

The sides of the triangle are the May Creek Greenway (mostly in Newcastle) and the Coal Creek section of the Mountains to Sound Greenway (mostly in Bellevue). The triangle is crossed north-to-south by Coal Creek Parkway (continuous sidewalks) and the heavily used Waterline Trail (few sidewalks, many trees), with downtown Newcastle and Lake Boren Park sandwiched between.

You can walk the loop and its cross-trails now, with two exceptions: Renton’s May Creek Trail (partly complete, bridge needed), and the parkway underpass for the Coal Creek Trail (due soon). The Grand Loop is mostly wooded nature trails: The May Creek and Coal Creek trails include creeks, waterfalls, bridges, historic sites and sections of an old railroad; the Terrace Trail has switchbacks, lovely rock steps, views, fallen trees and giant moss-covered boulders. The Marshall’s Hill and Red Town trails (in Cougar Mountain Wilderness Park) link wilderness trails with the remains of Old Newcastle and its coal mines.

The west-to-east CrossTown Trail is Newcastle’s major urban trail (nature trails and sidewalks), a central connector linking schools, parks, neighborhoods and north-south trails. It starts near 116th Avenue Southeast and Newcastle Way, and winds past or through Hazelwood Elementary School, Hazelwood Park, Donegal Park, the historic Newcastle Cemetery and Lake Boren Park, continuing on sidewalks to Beit Tikvah and, after a gap, southeast along the DeLeo Wall (woods, views) from Newcastle Vista to Cougar Mountain.

Fall projects include new trail signs citywide, and changes to the CrossTown Trail: rerouting it at the new middle school and the planned Renton School District Newcastle development (between Olympus and Hazelwood), and rebuilding sections of trail between Newcastle Vista and Cougar Mountain.

Newcastle’s trail system has benefited from the cooperation of many groups, including Renton, Bellevue, King County and the Issaquah Alps Trails Club (check their websites for trail maps and guided walks). Volunteers were also essential. Much of the trail work was done by Boy Scouts, and parents, from Newcastle’s Hazelwood Troop, and other troops from Bellevue, Kirkland and Renton.