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FRIDAY, January 4, 2013
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Firing up a celebration Redmond residents flock to City Hall for centennial bonfire Samantha Pak
First-grade teacher Michelle Briggs briefly speaks to her students before they enter their new classroom at Ben Rush Elementary.
spak@redmond-reporter.com
On Sunday evening, about 2,000 people gathered at Redmond City Hall for a community bonfire to celebrate Redmond’s centennial one last time before the end of the year. The bonfire was lit at 4:30 p.m., about half an hour before the event started and continued to burn well into the night. “The fire burned pretty steady till about nine,” said City of Redmond community events manager Lisa Rhodes. Throughout the night, attendees enjoyed the music of the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band, Redmond’s own Celtic Fire and Greg Paul. Peet’s Coffee & Tea also offered samples and s’mores kits were provided by the Redmond Kiwanis Club, who sold out of their 500-plus kits. Burn barrels were placed throughout City Hall campus for people to roast their marshmallows and while the bonfire will probably be a “onceevery-hundred years” event, Rhodes said they have used the burn barrels during Redmond Lights before and may do so again and have s’mores again since so many people enjoyed them. She added that the bonfire was also a way for people to come together and relax. “It was definitely casual,” she said about the event. Rhodes’ favorite part about the night was just seeing the circle of people around the bonfire, five or six people deep, mesmerized by the fire. “It was just peaceful, beautiful and ng Session! calm,” she said. “It felt like a big campfire you would have with your family.” [ more BONFIRE page 10 ]
Samantha Pak, Redmond Reporter
New year means new Ben Rush Elementary building
Samantha Pak spak@redmond-reporter.com
A firefighter keeps the bonfire going last Sunday evening at Redmond City Hall. About 2,000 people attended the centennial celebration. Courtesy of Alyse Young
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The first day of school back from a long break is always a bit chaotic, but things were especially hectic at Benjamin Rush Elementary School in Redmond as the students were entering their new school building for the first time Wednesday morning. The day began with everyone meeting in the school’s old gym, which is still open for use. Excited whispers and murmurs filled the room as students eagerly awaited the moment they would be allowed into the new building. Ben Rush Principal Brad Stolz spoke briefly, welcoming the youngsters to the new year and the new building and making sure to thank those involved in making their new school a reality. “I greatly appreciated the patience of our parents, staff
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and community members through the building process and I know the final results will be well worth the inconveniences,” he said. “Also, Mortenson Construction and Integrus Architects have been great to work with.” And then it was time to get to class. Teachers collected their students and led them to their new classrooms. As they made their way toward the new building and through the halls, students stared in wonder at everything from the large windows letting in plenty of natural light to the staircase that would take them to the building’s second floor — something they didn’t have in their old building. While those arriving on campus Wednesday morning were all smiles about entering the new building, it wasn’t easy to let go of the old Ben Rush. [ more school page 9 ]