Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Spring Has Sprung in Downtown Tacoma - Food Truck Fridays and a New Series on the BIA Blog

Spring has sprung.

Our boys of summer, the Tacoma Rainier’s, are playing ball at Cheney Stadium.  The bikers are out in full force. Wright Park is abuzz with hula hooping, picnickers, and lawn games galore. This next week the Broadway Farmer’s Market will begin populating downtown with local food growers, entertainers, artisans, and food trucks.

I am moving from dark beers to the paler side of brew - all signs of spring in Tacoma.

Speaking of food trucks – the City of Tacoma’s pilot Food Truck Fridays will hold their ribbon cutting this Friday May 1st at 10 am near Urban Grace church on 9th and Market Street. According to initial plans the trucks will be at the 9th and Market location the first and third Friday of the month for breakfast and lunch and the second and fourth Friday of the month at Tollefson Plaza for just lunch. The trucks will also be at two Ruston Way locations on Saturday and Sundays for lunch and dinner. Read more here at Exit 133: http://www.exit133.com/articles/view/coming-soon-food-truck-fridays-and-saturdays-and-sundays-too-in-tacoma#.VT5kdLXn-M8

Spring is the season of blooming - a time when that which has lain dormant in the winter comes to life. So, it is that the BIA Blog has a new addition. Beginning with this post and continuing on for the foreseeable future, I’ll be posting roughly twice a week with short pieces reflecting on the residential, civic, business, and cultural goings on in downtown Tacoma.

Who am I? Good question.

My name is Tad Monroe. I have lived in Tacoma for 22 years, except for a short moment of insanity, when I moved to Seattle for about a year and a half. I quickly came to my senses and returned home.

My undergraduate studies at Pacific Lutheran University brought me to Tacoma and the community and quality of life is what has kept me here. I have lived and worked in the North End, Hilltop, and Downtown neighborhoods of Tacoma and currently reside in the Stadium District.

My vocational life in Tacoma has consisted of being a pastor at two congregations: Trinity Presbyterian Church and Urban Grace. I have also worked extensively in the non-profit community in Tacoma, in higher education, and as a community organizer and consultant. I have been a volunteer and board member for many organizations and an arts advocate and programmer.

I do a bit of freelance writing, write prose and poetry, and co-produce Tacoma’s Drunken Telegraph – Live Storytelling. Currently, I work as an Organizational Development Consultant for Habit for Humanity International, where my work focuses on consulting around organizational capacity, community development, and neighborhood revitalization.

I am looking forward to celebrating, exploring, and discussing downtown life in Tacoma in the coming months. I have and continue to spend a great deal of time working and playing in downtown and I believe a thriving city center, that is deeply connected to the other neighborhoods of Tacoma, is key to maximizing our quality of life in the city as a whole.

In honor of National Poetry Month (April) ending this week and the beginning of what I hope will be a successful and sustainable effort to bring food trucks to enhance the cultural and economic life of downtown– I leave us with the first stanza from Czeslaw Milosz’s poem In Common.

What is good? Garlic. A leg of lamb on a spit. Wine with a view of boats rocking in a cove. A starry sky in August. A rest on a mountain peak.

See you Friday for some good food and I look forward to exploring what is good, and what can be good, in downtown Tacoma.


Thursday, April 09, 2015

Road Closures for Daffodil Parade on 4/11/15 in Downtown Tacoma

The 82nd Daffodil Parade to be held Saturday, April 11, 2015 in Downtown Tacoma and will have significant road closures associated with the event. The Special Events Staff shared every effort to minimize the impact to your residence and business will be made. Detour and road closure signs have been posted to anticipate the event. 

Downtown Road Closures:

Roads to be closed or impacted between the hours of 6:00AM to 12:30PM. The parade begins at 10:15AM. 
  • Pacific Avenue, from 9th Street to 24th Street/Puyallup Avenue 
    • 9th Street will remain open to vehicle traffic
    • Cross traffic at 21st will be allowed until Parade start at approximately 10:15AM
  • A Street, from 11th Street to 24th Street/Puyallup Avenue (staging and fun run areas)
    • Cliff Avenue access will be via 10th & A Street
  • Hood Street and parking lot road behind History Museum, from 5:30AM to 10:00AM 
  • East 11th Street from Commerce Street to St. Paul Avenue 
  • 24th Street / Puyallup Avenue between Pacific Avenue and East D Street
    • East D Street and Dock Street will remain open to vehicle traffic
  • South 15th Street will allow traffic to A Street after 7AM
  • South 22nd, 23rd between Pacific Avenue and A Street, and A Street from 22nd Street to Puyallup Avenue (disbanding areas)
Impact on Local Freeways:

The A Street and 15th Street exits from I-705 will be closed. Schuster Parkway will remain open and Commerce Street will be accessible from the Stadium exit. The I-705-on-ramp at Ninth Street will be open and drivers will be able to cross Pacific Avenue at SR-509 and 21st Street. Detour and road closure signs will be posted. 

Click here to learn more from the City of Tacoma or click here to learn more about the festival.

Picture Provided by the City of Tacoma's Special Events Office