Keeping You Posted - Good Gossip

Every March I wander around the yard looking for signs of life in the garden and think thoughts like, "Hmmm, I wonder what ever happened to those (fill in the blank) bulbs Dave planted." Then I realized some of you might also wonder "what ever happened" to the people or situations I've written about. Just for fun, I've decided to make this week's post as enlightening to my curious readers as the old "party line" was to telephone users, with all the latest gossip.

"rrrrrrrrrrring......."

"Hello?"

"Hi! It's me, Candace, from Good Life Northwest."

"Oh, hi! What's new?"

"Well, plenty, to tell the truth. Are you busy? I have n-e-w-s."

"Ooooooo. Really? Like what?"

"Well, for starters, I went to a pizza party last Saturday night down at the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum on Dock Street, here in Tacoma"

"No kidding. Who was there?"

"The teen-age girls who participated in the Self & Sound program last October, offered by Sound Experience through a grant from A.S.T.A. Remember that story? The girls left behind families, boyfriends, cell phones, text messaging, TV, hot showers and other things they thought they couldn't live without, to sail around Puget Sound for six days on the tall ship ADVENTURESS. You must have read my blog post called Discoveries in Unknown Waters." So they had a reunion and were there with their families, Catherine Collins, Executive Director of Sound Experience, staff member Elizabeth Becker, a few crew members from ADVENTURESS, people from Tall Ships Tacoma and the museum, and me. Then we had a surprise guest, Erma Lewis, President of Soroptimist International's Tacoma club, who showed up with a check for a generous contribution to Self & Sound."

"She did? Wow. What a good example. I know Soroptimist works to "improve the lives of women and girls." And by the way, how are those girls doing?"

"Great! It was good to see them again. Many hadn't been together since they sailed last October. They had a lot of fun catching up and watching a presentation of the photos Elizabeth Becker took aboard the ship that day. Self & Sound taught them all kinds of things, like self-confidence, leadership, cooperation, and more. It really impacted their lives. The only thing is... funding for Self & Sound for 2009 still isn't secured, so the program could be in jeopardy. Catherine Collins works hard toward getting grants and other financial help, but in this economy it's tough. She's hoping the public will care about this great program. Even just by becoming members people can help, and sail for free too. She even gave every one of the Self & Sound girls a free one year family membership for their families, each valued at $85.00, to get more people out there on Puget Sound, realizing how important this education is. Wasn't that nice?"

"You bet. Say, what ever happened with the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie? I remember reading about that in your post called 'Getting History Back on Track'. How are the repairs going after those devastating floods in January?"

"Funny you'd ask. I just heard that the great organization 4Culture is contributing $50,000 for needed repairs. If you click on that blog post you can read a press release about it at the end of the post, in the comments."

"Wow. That's a lot. I guess their troubles are over now."

"I'm afraid not. As wonderful and generous as that gift may be, the amount required to do the job is estimated to be $100,000, so they still have to raise the rest. The most urgent need is to get the tracks repaired before the tourist season. The revenue generated by those train rides is crucial to their budget. Donations are still appreciated."

"I see. Hey, I loved reading about the contra dance you went to in that story called "Joyride" in Tacoma. When's the next dance at Wells Hall? I might show up and give it a try."

"March 21st. This time the band is La Pointe du Jour (which means "the dawning of the day"). Great name, isn't it? The caller is Mike Richardson and the dance goes from 8:00-11:00 that evening, with free lessons beforehand, starting at 7:30. You can go to the website for Tacoma Contra Dance for all the details and directions."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. That's all good news, but there's some that's not so good. Just this morning I called Karen Barkley from Toy Rescue Mission. Remember when I wrote about how there mission could become "Mission Impossible" back in December? Well, things are pretty grim. Without more funding they might have to close in June 2009. Right now she's trying to set up a Read-a-Thon through the Pierce County school district, as a fund raiser. Tacoma Community College Students are working on this event as a project. You can email their instructor, Mary Fox at mfox@tacomacc.edu, for more information."

"Hmmmm. I hope that works out. Hey, how's your Dad doing? Is he still 'Raking in the Memories' these days?"

"Sure is. He's doing quite well and almost halfway to his ninety-sixth birthday, I'm happy to say."

"I've gotta run, but it's been fun catching up. Oh yeah, one more thing... are you REALLY going to quit buying plastic wrap, like you said you would in that "Wishing You a New Year With Less" post?"

"Well, to be honest I still have a teeny-tiny bit left on that last big roll from COSTCO, and remember, I said I wouldn't buy anymore after I used it up."

"You haven't really answered my question."

"Okay, okay already. I WILL QUIT BUYING PLASTIC WRAP IN 2009. Did you hear that Readers? Yeah you, the ones listening in on the line. I know you're there. Margo? Are you with me on this?"

CLICK

Getting History Back on Track- Northwest Railway Museum Needs Our Help

My childhood on Vashon Island held many charms, and one big flaw. We had no trains. But I loved it when we came to Tacoma and Dad drove right next to the tracks along Commencement Bay. In the 1950s and '60s trains surrounded us in life, legend and American culture, and even kids knew the importance of railroads in history. We'd seen photos of logging operations and Saturday matinee westerns with wild gunfights on top of speeding trains. We'd been to Disneyland. Our parents talked about hobos riding the rails during the Great Depression. We begged Santa for Lionels. But what about children today, or in the future? Our region's railroad legacy goes on, but floods in January of '09 shut down an important train museum.

For the past fifty years the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie, Washington has offered kids and their families a chance to experience train travel like it was in the old days, thanks to the museum's interpretive railway program. This section of track, built in 1889 as the Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern Railway Company, was acquired as a branch line by Northern Pacific Railway in 1896, whose western headquarters resided in Tacoma. These days museum visitors spend about an hour chugging along through the scenic upper Snoqualmie Valley. This happens every weekend, April through October, plus during seasonal special events and school programs. In 2008 the riders who answered the call, "All aboard!" numbered 47,000. Nearly that many more visited the historic Snoqualmie Depot and the Conservation and Restoration Center, and learned from the museum's exhibits. But it's significance extends beyond a fun afternoon.

"The Museum is far more than just a depot, train ride and a history lesson," said Executive Director Richard Anderson. "It's about a sustainable local economy, a shared community identity, and a really great gathering place for families and friends to get together for a shared experience." Indeed, many small businesses and individuals rely on tourism to make a living in this small town nestled in the Cascade Range. It's the kind of place where folks stick together during hard times. When flooding in early January left two miles of track and two timber trestles underwater, and caused numerous washouts citizens rallied, donating over 160 hours of work so far. Anderson told me, "When I asked our Mayor, Matt Larson, for a letter of support, he had it to me within twelve hours."

Although volunteers are still greatly appreciated, this problem can't be solved by volunteer labor alone. Much of the work requires special expertise and equipment and that means money. Damage costs are estimated to be at least $100,000. Because of policy changes, museums are no longer eligible for funding through F.E.M.A. for the types of repairs needed, even though they could prevent future damage. It's disconcerting to realize this is the second "hundred year flood" in two years, and one wonders about the impact of logging and development.

"The Northwest Railway Museum has experienced flooding before but this is the deepest water yet and demonstrates a disturbing trend of increasingly serious natural disasters that threatens not just the museum but the community," said Anderson. Now he hopes the public will come forth to offer financial assistance in time for the whistle of the locomotive to be heard in the hills again this spring.

"The January 7th and 8th flood has been devastating for the Northwest Railway Museum. We are grateful for all the community support we are receiving and are hopeful that together we will be able to fully recover," Anderson said. He hopes readers will visit the museum website's secure online donation page, or mail donations to Northwest Railway Museum, P.O. box 459, Snoqualmie, WA 98065. For information you can call the museum at 425-888-3030 or email Anderson at rra@trainmuseum.org. It will just take a little bit from a lot of people to get this historic railway back on track. Please help spread the word.


Photos are used with permission from the Northwest Railway Museum. Please also see the train museum blog.