Even with a steady drizzle during the day, Arlington High School Band students were on target to make their goal of 150 cars washed at their annual fundraiser in the high school parking lot on Oct. 1. “We never miss that target,” AHS Band Director John Grabowski said. “Our goal is to wash 50 cars for every two-hour shift, with four stations set aside for washing and two more for drying. We have about 60-70 kids per shift, but between 20-30 of them just stick around to wash cars all day.”
No matter how much Dave Grinnell struggled with his studies growing up, he could always find solace in his enthusiasm for automobiles. When Grinnell was told that he could no longer pursue his previous career in construction due to the wear and tear that it had put on his body, he thought back to his youthful love of classic cars and souped-up rigs, and realized that he had an opportunity to help out the kids of today who face scholastic challenges similar to those he overcame.
The Pilchuck Hot Rod Academy is still getting itself organized and underway, but Grinnell and his partners, Marcus Hansen and Kate Otey, believe it can create confident and productive workers in the future by assisting students now in graduating from high school or obtaining their GEDs, as well as by enlisting businesses and community volunteers to mentor those prospective workers in trade skills.
ARLINGTON — For the third year in a row, the Cascade Valley Hospital and Clinics have been named among the top 100 hospitals in the United States for providing high-quality care to patients at low costs and charges, as well as for using their strong financial position to reinvest in their care and facilities.
Cleverley and Associates, a national healthcare consulting firm, designated Cascade Valley not only as a “Top 100” hospital, but also as a “five-star” facility, making it one of only three hospitals in Washington state to earn that distinction this year, alongside the University of Washington Medical Center and the Virginia Mason Medical Center.
LAKEWOOD — The Plant Farm at Smokey Point is once again covered in pumpkins, but the Rotary Club of Marysville’s annual “Pumpkins for Literacy” program has a few new wrinkles this year.
“We’ve got four weekends instead of three this year for our pumpkin patch,” Marysville Rotary Past President Gayl Spilman said of the event, which kicks off on Oct. 8 and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week, through Halloween, Oct. 31. “We still have the bouncy houses and the hay and train rides, though.”
The Black Raven Stables in Arlington received their second visit from champion horse rider Aaron Ralston from Oct. 1-3, as he teamed up with “People Helping Horses” to offer a clinic for fellow equestrian enthusiasts from throughout the state and beyond. Ralston provided on-air commentary for NBC’s coverage of the reining competition portion of the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., and can be seen weekly on RFD-TV’s “The Ride with Aaron Ralston.” About a year ago he met up with Gretchen Salstrom, owner of Black Raven Stables and founder of the Arlington-based “People Helping Horses,” through what they both called “horse circles” and since then, he’s supported her mission of rehabilitating, retraining and re-homing horses.
What began as a comparison of policy ideas and accomplishments in office between the two candidates for Snohomish County Executive dipped into the territory of character attacks near the end of their joint appearance in front of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 30.
Jake McNeal is a newcomer to Marysville and Arlington, but in many ways his new hometowns remind him of the ones where he grew up in Oregon. “It’s a lot like Beaverton,” said McNeal, who recently stepped in as the new reporter for The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times. “It’s very spacious with a lot of smaller businesses. I’m used to this kind of community. It’s comfortable.”
ARLINGTON — The Arlington High School Robotics Club faced unpleasant weather as close to half of their roughly two-dozen members stood outside and patiently collected cash donations and electronic items at their annual recycling drive on Oct. 1.
AHS Robotics Club President Dan Radion estimated that not only the day’s cold rain, but also the event’s move to a new location might have diminished the community’s participation.
ARLINGTON — Eight years in, and organizers of the annual Drag Strip Reunion and Car Show at the Arlington Airport agreed that Sept. 10 marked their best show ever.
“More than 500 cars were on display for an audience of at least 2,300 spectators,” said Bill Kinney, director of the Arlington Boys & Girls Club, who approached the Port Gardner Vintage Auto Club two years ago about partnering on the Drag Strip Reunion. “We probably generated about $12,000. This year is probably our most successful ever.”
The Arlington City Council gave itself some extra time to consider the issue of medical marijuana during their Oct. 3 meeting. After a public hearing during which no one stepped up to offer any testimony, the Council voted unanimously to extend their moratorium on medical marijuana collective gardens within the city limits, from six months to a full year, dating from Aug. 15 of this year.
The Trafton School has been closed for more than a year, but the members of the Oso Community Chapel have no intention of letting the historic building go to waste. On Sept. 24, more than a dozen parishioners arrived early on a Saturday morning, armed with tools ranging from brooms and vacuum cleaners to a weed-whacker, to spruce up the old building as the first step toward establishing it as the site for a non-profit community program called “HighPoint.”
Motorists and pedestrians passing through downtown Arlington have probably noticed some black marks on the city’s image, literally, on Olympic Avenue since Friday, Sept. 9. The annual Drag Strip Reunion and Car Show didn’t begin in earnest until Saturday, Sept. 10, but with a number of auto enthusiasts arriving in town the night before, the rubber met the road hard enough to leave skid-marks that have remained visible since.
Lakewood High School Principal Dale Leach acknowledged that students can occasionally see senior projects as merely being “a box to check off,” but he was heartened by the example of LHS senior Ashlie Jensen on Sept. 24.
