David North

Carnation Farmers Market 2010

The Carnation WA Farmers Market kicked off Tuesday, May 4, 2010 and runs through September 28, 2010. Market hours are 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. each Tuesday, according to the Carnation Farmers Market web site, where complete details, history, directions and vendor application are readily available.

Located one block east of Highway 203 on Bird Street in Carnation, just look for the banner over the main street in downtown Carnation and you'll see the market a block to the east. The Carnation Farmers market features entertainment by local talent as well as celebrity guest chefs creating healthful and innovative dishes from in-season market ingredients. Kids and artists will enjoy free sidewalk chalk for expression of their creative talents, and various other events and activities are sure to appeal to all.

The Carnation Farmers market is beginning its seventh year, and has established an exceptional reputation. Plan a visit to this great market in the heart of downtown Carnation soon. And then you'll probably find yourself returning over and over again!

Duvall WA Farmers Market 2010

The Duvall WA Farmers Market Kicks off Thursday, May 6, 2010 and runs through September 30, 2010. Market hours are 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. each Thursday, rain or shine according to the Duvall Farmers Market web site, where complete details, history, map and vendor application are readily available.

Located on Brown Street NE, between NE Ring Street and NE Richardson Street in Duvall, free parking and handicapped access are available. The Duvall Farmers market features entertainment by local talent as well as tastings of local chefs' creations using fresh ingredients from the market. For the kids there are hands-on activities sponsored by local businesses and organizations.

The Duvall Farmers market was founded in 2006, and is beginning 2010 in its new location in the heart of Duvall. Why not visit this fine market in the culturally vibrant city of Duvall? And if you happen to see one of my open house signs on your way to or from the market, I will be delighted to have you stop by and visit for a few minutes!

King County's nationally acclaimed Countywide Community Forums program has announced its upcoming topic and schedule for May 1 - June 13, 2010. The topic for this first round in 2010 is "Public Trust: Customer Service and Community Engagement." More information about this innovative program and how people who live and/or work in King County can participate in a comfortably small gathering at a place and time convenient to each individual's schedule can be found at:

Countywide Community Forums

I participate in these forums, and highly recommend participation to fellow King County residents and workers. I haven't found them to be uncomfortable in any way, and I look forward to each new forum. Most importantly, other than the election ballot box, this process is one of the best ways to have your voice heard at both the grass roots and county government levels.

These aren't designed to be partisan political events, and the discussions at the forum meetings I have attended have always been cordial, even when there is disagreement. The structure of the meetings is well thought out and effective at encouraging people to be heard on the designated topic, without awkward non-constructive debate, and each participant privately completes an appropriately detailed survey. The surveys are tabulated and the results presented to the King County Council and the media.

For readers who do not live or work in King County, WA I recommend that you visit the web site and send a link to it to your elected officials. It is a good model that could be implemented elsewhere to improve the engagement between governments and the people.

I can always tell when there is a new person responsible for monitoring noxious weeds in my part of King County, Washington. In the spring or summer a note will appear on my door telling me that someone from the county has been hunting for noxious weeds on my land, and that they found some. They leave an information sheet that tells me I'm responsible for eradicating them, and that they're nearly impossible to eradicate.

For me, the reason I know there is someone new on the job when this happens is because the noxious weeds are actually on King County's land, not mine. The new person misjudges the location of the boundary between my land and King County's land the first year they visit. Then I set them straight, and the same person doesn't make the same error if they are still on the job the next year.

Did you even know that there are people out looking for noxious weeds, and holding landowners responsible for eradicating them? I had never heard of such a thing until the first summer after I became a landowner.

The purpose of the program is to control the spread of weeds that are harmful to agriculture and/or cause other problems. There is a separate line item in my property tax statement for the fee that funds the county's noxious weed control program.

What I find most interesting about the program is that King County so far has been unsuccessful in their attempts to eradicate the noxious weeds from their land adjacent to mine, yet if the noxious weeds really were on my land, I would be responsible to do what they are unable to do.

For more information directly from the source, learn more about noxious weeds in King County, Washington.