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.

Anyone who has given his or her time to the city of Newcastle, whether it be volunteering at a summer event or helping with various trail projects, is invited.

Volunteers from Newcastle Trails, the Newcastle Historical Society, Weed Warriors, the Planning and Community Activities commissions, and local Boy Scout troops will be among those honored at the celebration.

The event is from 6:30-8 p.m. in The Golf Club at Newcastle’s Prestwick Terrace. It will start with a social, featuring free desserts and beverages, followed by a speaking program headlined by Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri.

Newcastle relies on volunteers to support its summer events lineup and keep its trail system, one of the community’s most significant commodities, in top condition.

The city will also honor summer event financial sponsors such as The Golf Club at Newcastle, Waste Management, Regency Newcastle, the Coal Creek Family YMCA and more, at the Feb. 26 celebration.

Want to get involved in your city? Contact Newcastle’s community activities liaison Wendy Kirchner at wendyk@ci.newcastle.wa.us or 649-4444, ext. 142.

What did Pacific Northwest natives eat before Safeway and McDonald’s dotted the landscape?

They relied on everything that the surrounding nature and forests had to offer.

Newcastle resident Reed Ingalls will share his knowledge of nutrient rich edible plants found in local forests and fields in a 10 a.m. June 21 presentation at the Newcastle Library, 12901 Newcastle Way.

Ingalls, an avid hiker and backpacker, is the Weed Warriors’ secretary, and is a team member with the National Wildlife Federation’s effort to certify Newcastle as a Wildlife Habitat Community.

Prior to the walk, sponsored by Newcastle Trails and Weed Warriors, a speaker will talk about native edible plants along the trail. Participants should wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Meet at the Lake Boren Park map kiosk near the restrooms, 13058 S.E. 84th Way.

Jim Price joined Garry Kampen, Giles Velte and other trail enthusiasts in 2002 to form Newcastle Trails, and his wife Peggy Price joined soon after. Since, Newcastle has become a “trail city” with a network of trails that provides access throughout the city and connects to trails in Bellevue, Renton and Issaquah.

North Bend’s population is smaller than Newcastle’s, by about 4,000 residents, but it offers greater responsibilities, including managing the city’s water and sewer district.

Rigos was only with Newcastle for three years, but it has certainly felt like much longer than that, given the way he has fully ingratiated himself within the community.

In his time with Newcastle, Rigos redefined what it meant to be a public works director, when he equally prioritized public safety and customer service.

He worked weekends and evenings if necessary, often bringing one, or a few of his sons, to an event, and he was highly visible in working with groups like Newcastle Trails and the Weed Warriors.

When residents in a west end neighborhood lost out on a grant for a future park, Rigos was instrumental in working with neighbors and the Newcastle City Council in making sure it still became a reality.

Little Rhody Park is now a complete hit in the community. The playground is installed, with a gazebo and half-basketball court to come.

“When residents look around at some of the recent improvements that continue to make Newcastle such a great place to live, they should know that Mark Rigos was heavily responsible,” said Danny Finan, a resident who worked with Rigos on Little Rhody Park.

It’s true. Rigos was responsible for managing a pavement rehabilitation program that makes Newcastle’s streets some of the best in the region. He worked with Newcastle Trails to continuously improve the city’s trail system, one of the community’s greatest assets.

City Manager Rob Wyman has a very tough task ahead of him in naming Rigos’ replacement, and he knows it. It will be difficult to find someone to replicate Rigos’ blend of industry experience and community commitment.

Like it or not, Rigos has raised the bar of what it means to be a public works director in this city. Residents now expect a certain level of community engagement.

If his replacement cares half as much about this city as Rigos did, though, Newcastle will be in good hands.

Josephine Yen, 12, of Bellevue, looks and listens as a male Pacific tree frog fills its vocalizing sack at the 2013 Newcastle Earth Day event.
By Greg Farrar

Earth Day is officially April 22, but Newcastle will celebrate the green holiday April 19 with its sixth annual community festival.

The city of Newcastle and the Newcastle Weed Warriors will provide speakers, seminars and activities for Earth Day 2014 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19 at Lake Boren Park.

This year’s theme is “Living in harmony with nature,” a nod to the fact that humans aren’t the only ones that call Newcastle home, event chairwoman Grace Stiller said.

In addition to the Lake Boren Park festivities, HomeStreet Bank is simultaneously hosting a community shred-a-thon from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its Newcastle branch, 6949 Coal Creek Parkway S.E.

Residents can bring their sensitive documents for safe disposal in an event made possible by the bank, city and local real estate agent Brenda Nunes. The Boy Scouts of Troop 499 will be available to assist people with large reams of paper.

Prior to the Earth Day event, an old tradition returns, with an Easter egg hunt at the park.

In the past, the hunt was a pre-Newcastle Earth Day festivity. Volunteers from the Olympus Homeowners Association hid about 500 eggs in 2011

The fun begins at 9:30 a.m. April 19, just a half-hour before the Newcastle Earth Day event opens. Families should arrive early, since the plastic eggs go fast, Stiller said.

Nearby, Seattle Revival Center will host its annual community egg hunt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 19 at its church, 12636 S.E. May Creek Park Drive.

The organizers of the Newcastle Earth Day festival are seeking volunteers.

Volunteers are needed to set up tables, direct parking, assist with kids activities and help with clean up after the event.

Students can earn community service hours for their time, and those that volunteer four hours or more will receive a special event T-shirt.

Newcastle Earth Day goes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 19 at Lake Boren Park, 13058 S.E. 84th Way.

Sign up for volunteer shifts here, and learn more about Newcastle Earth Day here.