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COURT | Trial date set for Kirkland soccer star Hope Solo [2]
Fastpitch | Kirkland shows well during Junior Softball FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2014 World Series in Everest neighborhood [10]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Ye Olde Curiosity about mummies LWIT hosts film crew seeking answers about Seattle icon “Sylvester”
BY TJ MARTINELL
BY TJ MARTINELL
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Above, American embalming and funeral home historian Jon Austin, center, works with “Mummies Alive!” producer Heather Kohlmann on the set for the new show at the Lake Washington Institute of Technology. Below, mortician’s tools. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter on him. “We have to make sure our research is 100 percent accurate and our experts are leaders in their field,” said Mick Grogan, director for Saloon Media. “That’s why we’re delighted to have the opportunity to film the unique facilities at Lake Washington’s funeral service lab.” Modern embalming
first started in the 1840s and was perfected during the Civil War, according to Austin. Although the chemicals in the embalming fluids have changed, such as the modern use of formaldehyde, the basic process by which a body is embalmed has essentially remained the same. For example, modern [ more MUMMY page 2 ]
Summerfest draws nearly 40,000 to downtown Kirkland BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Despite initial concerns about funding, Kirkland Summerfest 2014 proved to be another success last weekend thanks to lastminute sponsorships. The festival involves performances, activities, exhibitions, dancing, com-
Parent group drops objection to Kirkland brewery tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
ake Washington Institute of Technology’s funeral program will be featured in a new TV series on mummies, including one displayed in an iconic Seattle store. Last Wednesday, a film crew with Saloon Media filmed inside the funeral lab while interviewing Jon Austin, an American embalming and funeral home historian from Illinois for “Mummies Alive!,” a new international television series scheduled to debut in 2015. For the episode, Austin explored the history of embalming and the various tools embalmers might have used on “Sylvester,” a mummy featured in Seattle’s Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. The shop has been in business since 1889. Allegedly, the mummy was preserved in the desert approximately 120 years ago, though Austin said arsenic, a formerly common chemical used for embalming, was found
Soccer | Crossfire prepares players for life [6]
edy, circus and street arts, and family entertainment. Established in partnership with the Kirkland Downtown Association, Kirkland Summerfest was first held in 2011. Scott Becker, the vice president for the Rotary Club of Kirkland and one of the organizers, said the two-day event drew around
35-40,000 people. “The weather was good, the music was outstanding,” he said. “Everyone seemed to have a great time.” Back in July, organizers were struggling to find a way to acquire more funding for Summerfest, which at the time had raised $75,000 compared to the $130,000 desired. The shortage of
funds ultimately required them to make cuts, including the stage for live band performances, as well as food vendors and the kids’ area. However, Becker said they received a flurry of small personal donations, and more corporate sponsors helped to bring the total close to $100,000.
Additionally, the Fish Frolic sold numerous art pieces for $5,000 each, and the Duck Dash raised $40,000, which will go to various projects. Becker said they hope to have more food vendors next year and plan to keep the beer garden near the pavilion, which he said helped make it popular with attendees.
The objections by the parents’ association of a Kirkland ballet academy and some Kirkland residents to a microbrewery opening up near the academy disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared. Chainline Brewing’s co-owner, Scott Holm, reported that a positive meeting with the parents’ association for the ballet academy resulted in the majority of objections by parents being dropped, though he said some have still not warmed to the idea. The controversy started when the ballet parents learned that a microbrewery intended to open in the complex on 6th Street South. Among these concerns were limited parking and the possibility of intoxicated patrons attempting to drive out of the parking lot. Also opposed to the brewery was part-time owner of AMC Kickboxing, Christina Hume. The city started to receive emails in late July, and the Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) notified Scott Holm and his wife and co-owner Michelle on July 31 that they received 17 letters objecting to the microbrewery. In order to receive a license, they needed to write a statement explaining why they should be approved over those objections. Prior to receiving the WSLCB letter, Scott Holm wrote a blog post on Chainline Brewing’s [ more BREWERY page 3 ]