10
l
July 11, 2012
COMMUNITY
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Get set to shake, rattle and roll at summer concert series By Lillian Tucker
Sammamish’s Pine Lake Park is set to transform into a familyfriendly, grooving bandstand this summer with a concert series that promises to have crowds dancing and singing along. Organizers have been listening to demos since the beginning of the year and all their hard work is about to pay off. The 2012 Sammamish Summer Concerts in the Park Series starts with a bang and a few bangles July 12 when The Spyrographs are set to take the stage with their take on ‘60s pop. “It’s fun music, really diverse and very, very upbeat. Everyone wants to dance to it,” said lead singer of The Spyrographs, Cheryl Serio. The vocalist in go-go boots explained that the band aims to take audiences on a tour through the ‘60s pop experience by channeling everything from James Bond tunes to Nancy Sinatra to Dusty Springfield. “It’s a great chance to bring
The Bard in the park Free Shakespeare performances are once again coming to Pine Lake Park. The Wooden O Shakespeare Company is set to delight outdoor theater-goers this summer with free productions of both “Twelfth Night” and “The Winter’s Tale.” “Twelfth Night” will be at 7 p.m. July 21. “The Winter’s Tale” will debut at 7 p.m. July 28. Organizers encourage attendees to bring blankets, chairs and picnic baskets for the shows.
Contributed
The Spyrographs will be the first band in the summer concert series. the kids out and see live music of people who are going to enjoy Lynne Handlos, recreation and cultivate the next generation music,” Serio said. coordinator with the city, said
this year’s selection of bands reflects Sammamish’s efforts to pick groups that are familyfriendly and danceable. “We tried to have cover bands this year because we know that people like to sing along,” she said. “This is the first year in a while that we’ve had tribute See SERIES, Page 11
Volunteers are at the heart of Fourth on the Plateau By Lillian Tucker The sun was not the only one that showed up for the 2012 Fourth on the Plateau celebration. By the time the event officially kicked off at 6 p.m. July 4, blankets and chairs already quilted the lawn outside the Sammamish Library. While the dueling scents of kettle corn, barbeque and curry mingled in the air, around 10,000 people poured into the free Independence Day event. On the upper commons, families kicked back to the sound of live music while on the lower commons children scurried and cartwheeled between the playground and the bouncy-houses. Threaded among the thousands of picnickers and partiers were 76 volunteers. “They are vital,” said Joanna Puthoff, event coordinator with the city of Sammamish. “Our whole entire department is 10 people. Even with all of our people working the event, there is no way we could do it without our volunteers and like I said, we have some phenomenal volunteers.” Those that enlisted to help included everyone from people with search-and-rescue backgrounds to high school students who enjoy face painting. The volunteer crew attended an orientation training the week before and
was awarded with t-shirts and onsite parking passes. “That is definitely a perk, they can bring their whole family and volunteer for a few hours and enjoy the whole event,” said Puthoff. “Our volunteers have a great time. (Volunteer coordinator) Dawn (Sanders) does a great job making them feel like they all have a job to do. We also try to make the jobs fun in nature like go talk to people; here’s some flyers; here’s a radio.” It is a family tradition for Jennifer McConaughey and her daughters Alissa and Alex to volunteer every year. Her husband, Greg McConaughey, is a member of the Sammamish Plateau Amateur Radio Club. The group of two-way radio enthusiasts volunteer their services each year to make sure staff have ample communication. “It’s great they have this free event,” said Jennifer McConaughey. “We really enjoy this fireworks display and it’s great just to camp out in the grass.” In years past, the girls’ volunteer duties were relaxed as they offered general support, mostly answering people’s questions. But this year Jennifer McConaughey and her daughters were tasked with a two-and-a-half hour shift in the kids area. Corralling little ones wasn’t high on her list of favorite ways
Photo by Lillian Tucker
Taryn Cummings (right) waits with her friend for their turn to enter the giant inflatable airplane. to spend a summer evening, said Alex, 15. Her mom, however, was optimistic. “I’m used to kids,” said Jennifer McConaughey. “It might get crazy back there but who knows. There tends to not be an
issue. Usually, they are pretty safe.” Anh Vo likes the behind-thescenes knowledge that comes with volunteering. “You’re excited about the event because you know what’s
going on… I get to see the map, I know where everything is,” she said. “To volunteer gives you a piece of ownership of the event and the process.” See FOURTH, Page 11