Choose Monroe Magazine - 2022

SHOP LOCAL | PLAY LOCAL | SUPPORT LOCAL

A LOCAL’S GUIDE TO MONROE

Monroe’s

best

Mexican food From Taco Trucks to Tamales

TIME TO PLAY

Monroe Parks will Knock Your Socks Off

2022

EVENTS CALENDAR

Inside

COMPLIMENTARY

Summer 2022

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Where happy & healthy begins

24/7 Emergency Room Care Urgent Care in Monroe Primary Care in Monroe & Sultan

As your health partner, we combine the personalized care you want with the convenience you need.

Learn more at evergreenhealthmonroe.com or call our 24/7 Nurse Navigator & Healthline — a free service connecting you and your family with the right level of care and a provider who meets your personal needs at 360.794.1111.

Anticoagulation Management Clinic Chemical and Alcohol Dependency & Recovery Center Outpatient Addiction Medicine Care Diagnostic Imaging Gastrointestinal Services 3-D Mammography & DXA Midwifery Care Nutrition Counseling OB/GYN Care Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Pain Management Physical & Occupational Therapy Podiatry Respiratory Care

Hospitals In Monroe • Kirkland | 24-hour Emergency Room Care In Monroe • Kirkland • Redmond Urgent Care In Monroe • Kenmore • Mill Creek • Redmond • Sammamish • Totem Lake • Woodinville • Virtual Care

Surgical Services – General, Orthopedic, Gastrointestinal & Gynecological

Primary Care In Monroe • Bothell • Canyon Park • Duvall • Kenmore • Kirkland • Redmond • Sammamish

Vascular Care

Sultan • Totem Lake • Woodinville

Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Center

Summer 2022 Volume 5 | Issue 1

In This Isssue 4

Local Organization News

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Local Hispanic owned businesses

16 Parks in Monroe 24 Non-Profit Highlight 25 ARP Success Stories 26 Events Calendar Published By: Scenic365 LLC P.O. Box 564 Custer, WA 98240 (360) 739-0701 Advertising Sales: Audrey Fraggalosch (360) 739-6881 audrey@visitorsguide.com Jennifer Coleman (360) 739-0701 jennifer@visitorsguide.com

At the base of the Cascade Mountains, the City of Monroe is a place of beauty and goodwill. I invite you, your friends, and family to venture out of your homes and off the highway to explore all Monroe has to offer.

Monroe is a diverse community, home to a vibrant Hispanic Community. Many of Hispanic friends and neighbors

Mayor Geoffrey Thomas

own and operate small businesses here in our community (pg. 6). I encourage you to explore the Historic Downtown, North Kelsey, and US-2 retail centers and support local businesses in our community. While you’re out and about, enjoy some of Monroe’s over 200 acres of parks (pg.

16). Whether you’re looking for a playground for your children, some exercise for your four-legged friend, or a family-friendly community event, you’ll find what you’re looking in one of our 16 Monroe’s parks.

Monroe is also fortunate to be home to several non-profit organizations supporting our community. From serving residents in need (pg. 24), to successfully using American Rescue Plan Act funds for early childhood development (pg. 25), our community is truly a safe place for all. In Monroe, everyone feels at home and everyone feels they belong.

Design: Katie Darrow Writer: Ellen Hiatt

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Photographer: Dan Evans

ON THE COVER Isabelle Sayler, owner of Modern Home Furniture

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Evergreen Health Monroe 14841 179th Ave SE, Monroe, WA

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here’s no better place to find yourself outdoors, hiking, biking, climbing and enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Pacific Northwest – but sometimes adventures can lead to unexpected bumps and bruises.

EvergreenHealth Monroe is your dedicated community health partner. Whether you’re seeking primary, urgent, emergency or specialty care, our experienced team of experts are here to provide you with the highest quality of personalized care when and where you need us.

This past spring, we opened a new urgent care location on our EvergreenHealth Monroe campus located at 14841 179th Ave SE Suite 230, furthering our ability to conveniently serve patients with urgent medical needs close to home, and all the recreation that makes our Sky Valley community a favorite destination for outdoor adventurers. Our 24/7 Emergency Care is also available to help ensure you receive the expert care you need during the unexpected.

Learn more at evergreenhealthmonroe.com or call our free, 24/7 Nurse Navigator & Healthline to learn what level of care is right for you, should you experience an injury or illness. We invite you to call our team day or night at (360) 794-1111. It is a privilege to be your partner in health.

MONROE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 125 South Lewis Street, Monroe, WA

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he Monroe Chamber of Commerce proudly operates the Monroe Visitor Information and Welcome Center at 125 South Lewis Street, in the heart of Downtown, where residents and visitors alike discover something new and interesting about Monroe!

Visit www.ChooseMonroe.com to learn more about our locally owned small businesses, year-round events, dining options, parks, hiking, and beloved shopping destinations in town!

Situated near the Skykomish River, historic downtown Monroe is filled with restaurants, bars, breweries, antique stores, boutiques, Monroe’s Historical Museum, and Wagner Performing Arts Center! Monroe is treasured by its residents and tourists for its active, and outdoorsy lifestyle. Surrounded by mountains, we are a year-round destination for outdoor adventure seekers with fishing, hiking, horse-back riding, hiking, kayaking, and off-terrain right at your fingertips! ​ Whether you are coming to attend one of our amazing Summer Concerts at Lake Tye, stroll through the shops in Downtown on a First Thursday, attend our weekly Farmers Markets, experience the Evergreen State ​Fair, or savor that cup of espresso from one of our local coffee roasters, your adventure doesn’t stop here - it’s where it starts!

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Monroe Library 1070 Village Way, Monroe, WA

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pen a world of adventure with your Sno-Isle Libraries card at the Monroe Library.

Sno-Isle Libraries offers books, CDs, DVDs, eBooks and audiobooks across 23 communities in Snohomish and Island counties, and online. All items in the library district’s collection are available to customers of the Monroe Library, whether on the shelves in Monroe, requested from another Sno-Isle community library, or through our electronic resources. Monroe Library located at 1070 Village Way, is one of two Sno-Isle Libraries locations to include the new Express Lockers, which allow you to pick up your books and materials from 24/7 lockers outside the library doors.

Sno-Isle Libraries is your community resource, with local access to other services such as: book a librarian, laptop check-out, printing, and Wi-Fi, a public meeting room, self check-out stations, browsing shelves with a large collection of books and other items, a play area for young children.

Visit this beautiful library in person to see the unique contemporary architecture, browse the shelves, and use the up-to-date library services offered by the nationally recognized Sno-Isle Libraries.

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MODERN HOME FURNISHINGS COMES TO MONROE

Couple finds connection in new boutique furniture store on Main

Modern Home Furniture is located at 126 East Main Street Hours of Operation: Fri., Sat. Sun. 11am - 6pm with more hours coming soon!

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outique shopping just got bigger and better in downtown Monroe. Modern Home Furniture, owned by Isabelle and Steve Sayler, recently opened at 126 East Main Street, turning 1,800 square feet into a cozy, welcoming, home furniture and decor boutique.

With music playing in the background, staff that is happy to see you, and more than a few cozy 6

| Choose Monroe

BY ELLEN HIATT couches to curl up on, the space feels like home.

That’s what their customers tell them when they walk in. But don’t let the homey vibe and small setting fool you. This place is big! Adding power to the boutique is the couple’s Everett store that showcases as many as 30 complete vignettes (complete furniture sets) and a warehouse stocked full of furniture.

Relax on a velvety sofa while you surf a 360-degree view on a big screen, checking out the Everett store’s display. Like what you see?

It could very well be in stock and delivered within a day.

The business started when Isabelle heard a message in church that spoke to her heart. She was a single mom at the time, working at Microsoft. It wasn’t a great time

to take a risk, but she knew in that moment she needed to do what she loved. Up until then, she’d been buying and selling used furniture on the side. She loved to design and decorate, and could see she had a knack for this business. Within a few months of switching to used furniture sales full time, she and Steve met.

“He really encouraged me and made me believe I could do this,” she said. With that, she moved out of her garage and into a storefront and switched to selling new furniture. They had stores in Bothell,

only way you’re going to survive in this economy.”

“As you know, there were a lot of supply chain disruptions a year and a half ago,” Steve added. “Under her great guidance, we expanded. When other furniture stores were turning away new shipments, we said ‘keep it coming!’ We bought 16 shipping containers of furniture and decor.”

The other way she said Modern Home Furniture survives: low prices.

“We have had some very strong conversations with our suppliers.

They want us to raise prices on

that respect. She has broken glass ceilings in an industry with a lot of men. In the beginning they would come shake my hand thinking I was the boss.”

“It’s so competitive,” Isabelle added. “It’s important for us to be strong together.” The couple said they bring their marriage and their business together in a complete partnership.

Partnership with their community is part of that bigger picture. They support Damascus House in Seattle to help people without homes, and

Bellevue and Lynnwood, before moving their operation to Everett.

They thought about opening another storefront and decided, instead, to get warehouse space.

“We made a business judgment that we will keep everything in stock. We serve millennials. They want it immediately. It used to be they wanted it within a week. Now they want it delivered in one to two days,” she said. “They have kind of an Amazon mentality. That’s the

our Snohomish and King County families to be ‘fair’ with our competitors. We say we have to be fair with our customers, too. The bottom line is important, but we want to help our customers be fiscally responsible. We are a community business.”

Steve takes her lead on that. “We have very strong female leadership. I am very proud of my wife in

hold Santa events in their stores

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during the holidays. The couple says they’ve made family of many of their customers, one of whom came to their store to create a special moment, revealing to her husband she was pregnant.

It helps that both Isabelle and Steve speak Spanish, she’s fluent as a Latina from Miami and he as a small-town boy who learned Spanish on a mission to Venezuela.

“We have found Monroe to be so charming. When I saw the location, I saw the potential in Main Street. I fell in love with that corner,”

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Isabelle said. Steve added, “It’s been wonderful having customers come in and say, ‘Welcome to our community!’.”

Modern Home Furniture’s low prices and ability to keep their display items in stock is impressing Monroe residents including resident and business owner Crystal Amsberry, who left an online review: “If you haven’t stopped by this boutique, you should visit asap! The owners are super friendly and so very helpful. We went in last week looking for a couch, and we were able to run over to the Everett store the same day to order an amazing, modular sectional. We just received our sectional today and love it!! We will be back to the boutique for their beautiful decor ”

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TASTE OF MEXICO in monroe

Ixtapa

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he many Hispanic owned businesses of Monroe add to our community experience and connection.

Comforting, spicy, complex Mexican fare is a hit locally, and there are plenty to choose from with a great variety of restaurants and markets bringing authentic Mexican fare.

Antojitos La Poblanita

101 East Main Street, #107 As if you needed another reason to hit Monroe’s Main Street, Antojitos La Poblanita inside Monroe Town Center Building is highly rated by whatever measure you choose— online review or from your friend who introduced you to this fruity sensation. Frozen drinks line the display case, along with esquites (Mexican corn in a cup), tostilocos (Tostillas with delicious toppings) and a mangonada. You’ll think you’re on a Los Angeles street corner with the freshest fruits and Mexican fare served up from a street cart.

El Paraiso Mexican Grill 14090 Fryelands Blvd.

With outdoor dining and a view of Lake Tye, this restaurant on Fryelands Boulevard is a familyrun, local chain. They cook up fresh, homemade tortillas every day shaped in front of your eyes in the front of the restaurant. You’ll enjoy a bevy of cocktails with over 150 10

| Choose Monroe

tequilas to choose from, and a wide range of beer. Cozy up to a table and enjoy chips, salsa, and warm bean dip while you scour the menu.

Join your neighbors on the patio, soaking up the summer sun and enjoying the sounds of friends on the lake. Large, yummy portions will keep you coming back.

Ixtapa

19303 US-2 This is your destination for soulcomforting, big-portioned, saucy, cheesy meals enjoyed with friends and family. The Ixtapa Burrito is a fan favorite, with beef Chile Colorado, guacamole, sour cream, onions and a mild salsa. It’s also a win for bacon-wrapped shrimp

and cheesy beans, cocktails, and a warm welcome. The three cheese avocado salad is filling enough, but if you’re really feeling hungry, the steak fajita salad is mouthwateringly good. Stop by with your family soon, as this is the place the locals gather, and everyone is family inside. As Blair Broughton posted on Ixtapa’s Facebook page under a photo of a group of friends, smiling for the camera, margaritas in hand, “Honestly, if you don’t have a photo like this with friends from this exact room are you even from the valley?”

Las Tres Marias 116 West Main Street

This Mexican restaurant on Main Street has incredible tamales and by

all accounts is a “great value for the money,” with “fresh food and friendly service.” Try their real molcajete, with carne asada, cactus, rice, beans, guac, and chips and salsa.

Get the family size and you won’t have to cook tonight. You’ll feel like family here. According to local resident Brandon Shafer, the food is “some of the best on the planet,”.

onions, a lime wedge, radish slices, and a big, fat, roasted jalapeno. Get in the fast-moving food truck line for authentic sopes, carne asada militas, cabeza, and tripa. Long day of hiking, rock climbing, or shooting the rapids of the Skykomish River?

Stop in for a healthy and filling veggie burrito… be informed that the hot sauce is, indeed, hot, the flavors are authentic.

Pueblo Viejo 118 West Main Street

Sweet and fluffy sugar donuts, fresh prepared cactus, homemade tortillas, and carnitas on the weekends. Come for the fresh Mexican pastries, still cooling on the rack, or the freshly made Chicharrones and tamales. A sizable grocery section will provide all you need to make your own meal, or pick up a piñata for the weekend birthday party. Who doesn’t love whacking a piñata and scooping up candy, no matter how old you are!

Tacos Pihuamo 329 East Main Street

Who doesn’t love a street taco food truck? Stop drooling and visit Tacos Pihuamo. Get your street taco with all the toppings… cilantro and white

Body Therapeutic Healing Center 117 W Main St, Monroe, WA

Taqueria El Rey and Restaurant 19191 US-2, #173

If you haven’t jumped on the latest and greatest quesabirria tacos craze, make your leap at Taqueria El Rey. The slow-cooked meats are stuffed between corn shells with a little cheese, flipped and fried, and served with the consommé for dipping. Amazing. Come by for a chorizo breakfast burrito, or a $2.25 Carne Asada taco. Top off your meal with a cinnamon-laced horchata. Arrive with a healthy appetite. The Carne Asada burrito is filling and the spicy mole is oh-so satisfying. Visit in their sit-down restaurant or catch the food truck at 17614 West Main Street, Monroe.

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Tienda Vallarta 115 Main Street

This butcher shop and bakery is a go-to stop for Mexican pastries, soup, meats, groceries, and whatever else you may need.

Near the historical museum, it’s a destination for their quality,

flavorful salsas made in-house, and marinated meats. Visit on Sunday for their special barbacoa or carnitas and tamales made the same day. This store carries a lot of products you won’t find in other stores stocked with Mexican foods, including some specialty foods.

Locals and Seattlites alike make a special trip for any of the above.

Tijuana Restaurant 118 East Main Street

Tijuana Restaurant has been a Monroe mainstay for about three decades. High backed booths in a classic family-friendly atmosphere, suitable for date night in old town Monroe. The Chile Relleno will not disappoint as it avoids over-doing the cheese in favor of letting the veggie flavors shine. This family-run Main Street business is all about

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authentic Mexican fare. Google reviewer Pete Nice sums it up nicely: “There is an incredible dish here called ‘Caldo en su Jugo’ which is a pillowy dream of comfort. If you need a huge hug inside your belly, come here and order this.”

Yoli’s Snack Bar 102 West Main Street

Open early for your breakfast smoothie, Yoli’s is serving up genuine Mexican snacks, frozen fruity drinks like mangonada and coconut, raspberry, and mango raspados among the many options.

Drinks taste extra good when you know that Yoli’s owner, a single mom, supports many community events downtown Monroe. This place is legit and delicious. Do try the mangonada, but come back for the fresh fruit bowl and a torta sandwich.

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CHOOS E

MONROE .

w w w.dodgechr yslerjeepofmonroe.com 1- 84 4 - 412- 6786 16 413 W Main St Monroe, WA 98272

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K

E RO

PA R

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An International Attraction, a Gathering Place for Community

Lake Tye Park 14964 Fryelands Blvd.

Skykomish River Park 413 Sky River Pkwy.

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ild spaces, woods and river.

With more than a dozen parks, spanning over 200 acres, you’ll find what you’re looking for at Monroe Parks.

“We moved here because of the parks,” Monroe Mayor Geoffrey Thomas said of his family experience.

The Mayor’s family is not alone 16

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BY ELLEN HIATT in seeing the value in Monroe’s parks. Monroe’s Lake Tye Park can attract thousands of people in one day for an event, or just a few dozen on an average weekday.

At 64 acres, the park surrounds a man-made 42-acre lake. On the City’s western edge, Lake Tye puts Monroe on the map for international travelers.

“Competitions that go to Japan

or Florida come to our little City, hosting the best in the world,” said Mike Farrell, Monroe Parks and Recreation Director. “For the triathlon, the last eight qualifiers of the US Olympics—both men and women—were here, hosting 300 athletes from 35 plus states over four days.”

The City recently adopted an aspirational statement, “Imagine

Monroe.” In that document, the community shared the vision of a lively City center, surrounded by nature, parks, water. Mayor Thomas said the community asked for “safe environment, healthy and accessible for everyone, historic, and thriving, friendly and responsive.” They seek an environment, he said, that is “envisioned to strengthen connections between people.”

Monroe’s parks do that. They bring people out of their homes and into the outdoors. Whether it’s a field permanently marked for Lacrosse (there aren’t too many of those around!), a soccer or baseball field, or the fully renovated street-style skate park, Lake Tye is a community gathering space, sports complex, and event center wrapped up in one.

At Skykomish River Park, known locally as “Sky River Park,” the 32acre athletic field complex includes four natural grass baseball fields, three soccer fields, a playground and a dog park.

The parks in Monroe have themed installations, so it’s fitting that the athletics-oriented Sky River Park includes Wiggly Field off-leash dog park.

“Bring the family dog and enjoy playing during the game,” Farrell said.

That aspirational vision aiming for healthy and accessible for all is something the City of Monroe takes seriously.

“We have gone a long way toward making our parks more

accessible for wheelchairs. At Sky River, a wheelchair can traverse in the play structure. There’s a big swing somebody with a caregiver can help swing.”

From lakes to dog parks, playgrounds to ball parks, Monroe Parks are calling you outside of your home and into the community.

Put a spring in your step, a spin on that wheelchair—however you get around—join us in the park!

Events, Festivals & Celebrations “We take it seriously,” Mayor Thomas says of celebrations.

There are so many community events in Monroe parks, from international competitions to community festivals and community sports, Monroe’s parks are where you’ll find all the action.

Lake Tye Park Lake Tye is the community’s gathering place, and Monroe knows how to gather!

The 1.63-mile trail around Lake Tye makes up a 5k ran twice ‘round.

There are festivals, wakeboarding competitions on the lake, and community events such as baseball, tennis, and basketball games for young and old, resident or visitor.

The synthetic turf field has been upgraded with lights that shine bright as late as 10 o’clock in the evening. There are concerts in the park and movies, complete with a state-of-the-art mobile

stage with a sound system. There is often a party in the park.

Every Friday in July (except for July 15), come for Music in the Park, along with food trucks and a beer garden. Grab your lawn chair, throw a leash on Rover, and bring your dancing shoes. The beer garden opens at 6:30 p.m. so you have time to settle in before the live concert starts at 7 o’clock. Be sure to arrive early as parking fills up fast. Don’t miss this season’s line-up of acts, and featured food trucks and breweries.

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Every Friday in August, family friendly Movies Under the Moon begin at dusk. Arrive at 8pm for live music performed by Monroe Concert Band and free crafts/ activities for kids.

The first Tuesday of August, 3,000 citizens show up for National Night Out Against Crime, learning safety tips while exploring first responder trucks, motorcycles, and fire engines, while having fun with bouncy houses, face painting, K-9 and police demonstrations and, if that’s not enough, free hot dogs,

community to embrace its diversity, as both events offer food, fun and an emphasis on inclusivity and education. Both Pride Fest and Juneteenth are community driven events that engage the business community and neighbors.

Last Leaf Productions, Monroe’s non-profit community theater company, offers Shakespeare in the Park July 10, producing “Midsummer Night’s Dream” for this free community event. One of the most-performed of all Shakespearean comedies, it will

boarding for pets for low-income residents. Bring your furry friends to Wiggly Field in Sky River Park and walk, wag, shop and eat your way through the afternoon. There will be ways to help Beck’s Place provide their critical services, keeping pets and people united. Rain or shine, it’s a great place to bring Fido any day of the week. Enjoy the covered area, the doggie water fountain, an obstacle course and plenty of grass for playful canine rolling.

pizza and water.

have your imagination reeling with the fantasy of four lovers who find themselves bewitched by fairies.

The second-annual Wiggly Walk is hosted by the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, City of Monroe and Beck’s Place, providing foster

visit www.choosemonroe.com or www.monroewa.gov/calendar.

Sky River Park Here, the community gathers for community events and celebrations.

Home to PRIDE and Juneteenth, Monroe’s Sky River Park allows the

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For more detailed event information

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Monroe Parks AL BORLIN park 615 Simons Road

Rainier View Park

Currie View park

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On the City’s southern edge, Al Borlin Park gives residents and visitors a whole other kind of park experience. With its 90 acres, it is the largest and among the oldest parks in the City. It’s also the most natural.

It sits on a small peninsula created by the Skykomish River and Woods Creek. Cross Woods Creek over a footbridge, traverse the black cottonwood forest, and dip your toes in 1,000 feet of pebble-strewn shoreline of the Skykomish River; known for its annual salmon and steelhead runs.

Bring a picnic and take advantage of one of the barbecue grills, and end your day with a relaxing hike on the 1.2 mile nature loop.

17260 153rd Street SE

Blueberry park 18399 Blueberry Lane

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This small, inviting neighborhood park is designed specifically for families with small children. It includes a Biggo swing and a .5acre grass open-play area. Perfect for meeting friends and neighbors for a picnic or game of tag.

Cedar Grove park 15554 168th Ave. SE

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This neighborhood park includes a children’s play structure and small picnic area.

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This 4.3-acre neighborhood park is designed to be family-oriented with children’s play equipment. It includes an approximately 3-acre grass play area perfect for pick-up games and practices.

Did You Know: This grass area can be rented for practices and small special activities by calling the city’s parks department at (360) 863-4559.

Hillcrest park

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14175 Country Crescent Road SE

In the heart of The Farm this neighborhood park boasts a halfcourt basketball, playground area, picnic tables, walking paths, and a small, covered picnic shelter.

The park can be accessed from

Currie View Park

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Park Meadows park

2014 the park and bridge became a film location for an Amazon Prime series titled: “The Man in the High Castle”.

Monroe Board & Blade Skate Park

15800 160th Ave SE

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14964 Fryelands Blvd. the main entrance and walking paths from both Springbrook and Corbridge Roads.

Lewis Street park 561 South Lewis Street

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This is a street-style skateboard park located at Lake Tye Park.

It was originally built in the early 2000’s but re-designed in 2016 by world renown Grindline Skateparks of Seattle.

This 3-acre neighborhood park has a children’s play area, picnic tables and is linked to soft surface walking trails through a tranquil open space tract to the west.

Rainier View park 19921 Rainier View Road SE

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This stunning 2-acre neighborhood park boasts a children’s play area that features Biggo swings, and a

This park is the oldest in the Monroe Park System and features century-old cedar trees, a recently updated children’s play area including a traverse wall, arch swing, covered picnic area, restrooms and a pedestrian bridge that crosses Woods Creek into Al Borlin Park. Its vast soft-surface trail system with spectacular Skykomish River views and access will not disappoint. It’s become a local favorite for family and wedding photoshoots.

Fun Fact: During the fall of

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13-foot high rotating rope climbing apparatus. Walking trails link pedestrians to the park which also provides picnic seating and open play grass areas. Come to this park to enjoy an afternoon BBQ.

Ramblewood Tot Lot 20019 Ramblewood Road SE

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This park consists of a small children’s play area and sitting benches. It is in the midst of The Farm’s neighborhood along Ramblewood Road.

Stanton Meadows park

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17701 149th Ave. SE

This is a 3.5- acre neighborhood park designed to be a familyoriented park with a picnic shelter, picnic areas with barbeques, and a children’s play area. It is the east terminus of a walking trail that runs west to Fryelands Blvd. which links to Lake Tye Park. Come enjoy a quiet picnic lunch at the gazebo while observing local bird activity within the park’s wetland.

Travelers park 501 East Main Street

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Owned by the State DOT and leased to the City, this park is designed to provide a welcome rest stop for weary travelers on their way through Monroe. It is home to the annual Light up Monroe tree lighting event where the roughly 70’ dawn redwood tree is lit in a dazzling display.

Wales Street park

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Van Ave. SE and Wales Street SE This neighborhood park boasts a children’s play area, open play field, picnic areas, and basketball courts.

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Financial Advisor 14090 Fryelands Blvd Se 14090 Fryelands Blvd Se Ste 223 SteMonroe, 223 WA 98272 Desiree Anderson Monroe, WA 98272 360-294-8911 360-294-8911 Financial Advisor

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| Choose Monroe 14090 Fryelands Blvd Se

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Wiggly Field OffLeash Dog Park

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413 Sky River Pkwy.

Wiggly Field was created and built

by volunteers in partnership with the City of Monroe in 2009. The dog park is approximately 2.5 acres with dog agility equipment, shade trees, a dog drinking fountain, and a small covered shelter for dogs and people to cool off.

Know before you go: Three sides of the park are fenced with a 4-foot split rail fence. Wire mesh is added during the summer months to deter small dogs from wandering out of bounds. That mesh is removed during winter months (roughly October through April) in order to withstand annual flooding. The design keeps costs down and minimizes fence damage due to flooding events. During flood months the parking lot will often be closed but the park can always be accessed by walking through Skykomish River Park.

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Monroe

Bookkeeper

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Left: Cindy Chessie Right: Matthew Campbell

Food Bank: new director takes helm

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ive years ago, when Matthew Campbell saw the social media post introducing the new Sky Valley Food Bank Director, he thought ‘this is what I want’; in April, his aspiration came true as he was hired as the director succeeding Cindy Chessie.

An 18-year Monroe native, Campbell comes to the Sky Valley Food Bank with 16 years of nonprofit food and security experience.

He loves his work and knows it’s important, but after so many years helping other communities, he was ready to give back to his own.

Past directors set him up for success in a lot of ways, so there are only a few things he plans to ‘tinker with’. The most exciting news is that the Food Bank is ramping up for an addition, to be completed by the end of this year. This new space will offer a lobby for clients to wait inside, a multi-purpose room which will be open to the public and local groups, and the new space will double the shopping area. Campbell wants the new shopping space to “feel like a small grocery store.” During construction, the Food Bank will remain open as it’s their priority to continue to serve.

It’s a goal of Campbell’s to make clients feel welcomed. “It’s hard to come to the Food Bank. But just 24

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know this is a safe place for [you].”

Clients can ask questions without being judged.

Campbell plans to continue strengthening community relationships. Local groups and organizations can always reach out for help from the Food Bank. “Client access is everything. [We’re] not doing folks any good if the warehouse is full of food and they can’t access it.” He also wants to work with local farmers to purchase produce directly from growers up and down the valley.

Not only to support local farmers, but also to get the Food Bank even more fresh and local goods. In addition, the Food Bank’s produce will continue to be supplemented from its neighboring Julia V. Morris (JVM) Centennial Garden, which last year alone grew 2,995 pounds of produce and is 100% volunteer ran.

Monroe’s needs continues to increase. In April 2021 the Food Bank served 2,879 individuals, in April of this year they served 6,386. The non-profit gives much credit to their supportive donors. “The need is not going away, it is at, or greater than it was [pre-pandemic], our donors continue to answer our call, it’s amazing to me,” Campbell said.

Whether you are in need of some assistance, know someone who is,

or are looking to volunteer in your community, the Sky Valley Food Bank invites you to reach out to them.

HOW TO HELP 1. Residents can donate extra fruit and produce from your property at any time.

2. Volunteering - the Food Bank is in need of volunteers for several different areas including: Grocery Rescue: 6 days a week which entails going to local grocery stores to pick up items that are going to be thrown out but are still fresh.

Distribution Help: working with the public or in the back warehouse stocking shelves.

Backpack Program: packing kidfriendly weekend food for roughly 300 kids a week.

Visit www.svfoodbank.org/ getinvolved, fill out the 1-page application, and be volunteering in less than a week.

HOW TO GET HELP Don’t think ‘someone needs it more than I do.’ The Food Bank has a plethora of good, healthy food, and they will not run out. If you need help, the process is easy. New clients only need to supply their name and household number, no proof of income or address required.

THE AMERICAN

RESCUE PLAN

city supports new stem kits

I

n March 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARP”) was signed into law. ARP is a federal funding package that includes direct relief to states, counties, cities, and towns, as well as public utilities, libraries, and transit agencies.

The City of Monroe expects to receive approximately $5.5 million in two distributions. The City received the first distribution in June 2021, and the second distribution is expected in June 2022.

In June 2021, the Monroe City Council approved a plan to distribute ARP funding based on community input.

The approved plan will distribute funds in four phases, with applications being grouped into three priority categories: Supporting Recovery, Reconnecting Community, and Building Resiliency Three committees consisting of board and commission members review applications and make funding recommendations to the Mayor and City Council.

The first application round was conducted in summer 2021, with award recommendations approved by the City Council in late 2021.

MONROE PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOUNDATION

ARP funds have been used by local businesses and non-profit agencies on projects benefitting the Monroe community.

One such project has been conducted by the Monroe Public Schools Foundation, which received an award of $5,000 to provide Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) kits in our local classrooms. Two local elementary students have used STEM kits to code sounds and effects into stories they wrote in class. If it began to thunder and lightning in a story, those sounds could be heard at the time you came to that part of the story; if someone was laughing or a dog was barking, those sounds would come up on cue. In another story, the student used the kit to code

a working stop light for the city street they created. Teachers observed the students working enthusiastically on coding their stories, and quickly realized the students were using a middle school curriculum as second graders to accomplish the intended project. At the end of the day, one of the students told the teacher how much they ‘loved playing video games at school’.

A video prepared by the School District shows the types of materials included in the STEM kits and how teachers are utilizing them in classrooms district-wide. That video is available at https://bit.ly/38rcZIh.

FUTURE ROUNDS For information on future rounds of ARP funding plese visit monroewa.gov/1050 (English) or monroewa.gov/1058 (En Español).

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Events Calendar July

7.1 | Music in the Park Laurel Canyon Lake Tye Park 6:30pm • choosemonroe.com 7.8 | Music in the Park Harvey Creek Band Lake Tye Park 6:30pm • choosemonroe.com 7.10 | Shakespeare in the Park Skykomish River Park 5pm 7.16 | Fair ‘Opening Day’ Food Drive Evergreen State Fair Park 12p - 5p • evergreenfair.org 7.16 | Rainbow Bingo Monroe Community Senior Center 5pm • mcsc.org 7.16 | TriMonroe Triathlon Lake Tye Park 7am - 6pm • trimonroe.com 7.22 | Music in the Park Soul Searching Band Lake Tye Park 6:30pm • choosemonroe.com 7.28 – 7.31 | Summer Meltdown Sky Meadows Park summermeltdown.com 7.29 | Music in the Park Hair Nation Lake Tye Park 6:30pm • choosemonroe.com

AUGUST

8.2 | National Night Out Against Crime Lake Tye Park 5:30pm - 8:30pm 8.5 | Movies Under the Moon Encanto Lake Tye Park 8pm 8.6 | Lake Tye Triathlon Lake Tye Park 8am • trimonroe.com

8.12 | Movies Under the Moon Sing 2 Lake Tye Park 8pm 8.19 | Movies Under the Moon ‘Third Friday Throwback’: The Karate Kid Lake Tye Park 8pm

10.29 | Mexican Family Festival Evergreen State Fair Park 10.29 | Monroe/Sky Valley Family YMCA’s Fall Fun Run Skykomish River Park 10.30 | Downtown Trick or Treat Main Street 3pm - 6pm • choosemonroe.com

8.20 | Swift Night Out Frank Wagner Elementary School 4pm

10.31 | Trunk or Treat Lewis Street

8.25 – 8.30 | Evergreen State Fair Evergreen State Fair Park

11.4 – 11.5 | The Great Junk Hunt Evergreen State Fair Park

8.26 | Movies Under the Moon Spider-Man: No Way Home Lake Tye Park 8pm

11.5 | Holiday Bazaar Monroe Community Senior Center 9pm - 2pm • mcsc.org

8.27 | Fair Days Parade West Main Street 11am • choosemonroe.com 8.28 – 8.29 | Fairfest 3on3 1 Galaxy Way fairfest.org

SEPTEMBER

9.1 – 9.5 | Evergreen State Fair Evergreen State Fair Park 9.16 | Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser Monroe Community Senior Center 5pm • mcsc.org 9.17 | Monroe Community Art Fair Wagner Performing Arts Center 10am 9.28 | Harvest Market 1 Galaxy Way choosemonroe.com 9.30 – 10.1 | Pickin’ at the Barn 10am - 4pm

OCTOBER

10.1 | Wiggly Walk Skykomish River Park choosemonroe.com

10.15 | Octoberfest Cosmic Bingo Monroe Community Senior Center 5pm • mcsc.org

NOVEMBER

11.12 | Monroe Rotary Barn Dance Evergreen State Fair Park rotaryofmonroe.org 11.18 | Drive-thru Thanksgiving Dinner Monroe Community Senior Center 5pm • mcsc.org 11.27 | Light Up Monroe Lake Tye Park 10am

DECEMBER

12.2 – 12.3 | Pickin’ at the Barn 10am - 4pm 12.16 | Drive-thru Christmas Dinner Monroe Community Senior Center 5pm • mcsc.org

Recurring

7.6 – 9.7 | Farmers Market Wednesday’s at Galaxy Theatres 3pm - 7pm • choosemonroe.com First Thursday of Month Historic Downtown Monroe 5pm - 9pm

JANUARY 23’

1.22 | Jayme Biendl Memorial 5k Skykomish River Park 9am

Some event dates and times may be subject to change. Please contact the Event Organizer or the Monroe Parks Department at (360) 863-4519 to confirm. Visit www.ChooseMonroe.com or www.monroewa.gov/calendar for more local event information.

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| Choose Monroe

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