Summer is Special in Newcastle Washington

As summer approaches I prepare for the sound of music! My home is fairly close to Lake Boren Park, and each year I get to sit in the back yard and enjoy the sound of live music. Every summer is interesting here in Newcastle's Olympus neighborhood; from the community garage sale, moonlight movie nights, to the Arts & Crafts show.

The 23-acre Lake Boren Park at the base of Olympus is a major asset to the neighborhood and a gathering place for many Newcastle residents. With a large play area, sand volleyball court, tennis courts, walking trails and a fishing dock, it's a very popular destination. The homeowners association, which meets monthly, hosts an annual neighborhood garage sale and Easter egg hunt.

"The upscale Olympus neighborhood in Newcastle lives up to the grandeur its name implies, with sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains, Lake Washington and Mount Rainier, along with well-kept yards and homes," writes Jolene Gensheimer in a special to The Seattle Times Real Estate section on Sunday, October 14th, 2007.

Olympus is served by two school districts: Issaquah and Renton. Both elementary schools have new buildings, with Issaquah's Newcastle Elementary, which opened in 2004, and Renton's Hazelwood Elementary, which opened in 2005. The neighborhood also has wide streets, making it a good place for walkers and bicyclists, as well as walking trails and a large greenbelt.

The well-maintained yards and homes are a trademark of Olympus and are enforced by neighborhood covenants. For example, residents need to submit a paint sample before painting their home, and there are codes requiring residents to keep their yards maintained (believe me, I've been warned before)!

Olympus is also a short walk from the Coal Creek Park Trails; the park trails serve the city as a refuge from the urban sprawl with a trail through a narrow creek ravine leading to two waterfalls and several excellent historical sites. The trail through Coal Creek Park is one of the most fascinating hikes anywhere around Puget Sound.

It features several waterfalls, a small canyon, and an environment typical of the Cascade foothills, the park stretches the boundary between the suburbs of Bellevue and the natural areas of the Issaquah Alps, a green belt pointing from the foot of Cougar Mountain through the rows of houses along Lake Washington's eastern shore.

What makes Coal Creek Park so unique is that in the late 1800s, when forest still reached all the way to the shores of Elliot Bay and today's Eastside was mostly untracked wilderness, the park was the site of the Newcastle coal mine. As you hike the trail, you may get glimps's of remaining vestiges of the mining days, clues to the story of Newcastle coal; hence the name Coal Creek.

So anyone in need of a special place to spend a hot summer day, pack the family into the car and head to Newcastle and visit our park, our trails, and maybe even grab a round of golf at the club. The music is great each Wednesday in June through August, and the BBQ pits are going full blast. We hope to see you there, tell them Mike sent you!

Event Calendar 2008

Concerts in the Park Wednesdays, June 25 - August 20

4th of July at Lake Boren Park Friday, July 4

Moonlight Movies Fridays, August 8, 15 & 22

Newcastle Days Saturday & Sunday, September 6 & 7