National Doughnut Day this Friday!

This year National Doughnut Day will fall on Friday, June 3rd. National Doughnut Day is always held on the first Friday in June in honor of the Salvation Army “Lassies” of World War I.

During WWI, Salvation Army “Lassies” were sent to the front lines of Europe. These brave volunteers made home cooked meals, i.e. doughnuts, and provided a morale boost to the troops. The original Salvation Army Doughnut was first served by the Salvation Army in 1917. Salvation Army lassies were the only women outside of military personnel allowed to visit the front lines. Lt. Colonel Helen Purviance is considered the Salvation Army’s “first doughnut girl”.

The American infantrymen were commonly called doughboys, and we’re talking about doughnuts so you might wonder if one got their name from the other. In my research, while I found some discussion about a connection, I found no definitive answer as to a connection between doughnut and doughboy.  Both had been to referred to by their respective nicknames for years before World War I.

In any case, the National Doughnut Day “holiday” was established in Chicago in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army as both a much needed fundraiser during the Great Depression and to honor the many volunteers, those Lassies,  who cooked food, including doughnuts for thousands of soldiers overseas. Do tell.

On National Doughnut Day, look to see if your local doughnut shop, or other organizations, are offering free donuts to solicit donations for the Salvation Army or for another needy cause. If you find them, please be generous.

In Mill Creek,  Frost-Doughnuts Evolved is having a doughnut eating contest. How many do you think you can eat in 2 minutes? The contest will be held from 4-6 PM [ I suggest you skip breakfast & lunch and just forget about dinner! ] and there will be winners in three age categories.  http://www.frostology.com/

Rival doughnut shop, Top Pot – across the parking lot- inside the University Bookstore, will also honor National Doughnut Day. They are partnering with Northwest Harvest to spread doughnut-y cheer. Representatives from Northwest Harvest will be at all of the Top Pot Cafes including the one in Mill Creek from 6AM until Noon collecting donations of non-perishable food items. They will also have “tons” of fun giveaways at the cafe throughout the day.  http://www.toppotdoughnuts.com/

Friends of the Library have a Sale

This Saturday June 4th, The Mill Creek Library Branch of the Sno-Isle Library System will host a book sale. This annual sale is put on by the Mill Creek Friends of the Library group. 

So come down between 10AM and 3PM and check it out. According to the official flyer there will be business books, cookbooks, books for children and lots of romance. Most items will be priced from 25 cents to $1 and prices will be marked down after 2PM. So, get there early for the best selection, or if you like to live on the edge, wait until after 2!

The following is an excerpt from the Friends of the Library web page:

“The Friends of the Mill Creek Library is a nonprofit organization which offers opportunities to volunteers to join in planning programs, library grants, and library furnishings. Anyone interested in our library and the people who support it is welcome to meetings, which are held from 9 to 10 am on the second Wednesday of the month from September through June, at the library.

The library is at 15429 Bothell-Everett Highway.  Phone: (425) 337-4822.

We support and fund monthly book meetings and provide essential support to the Mill Creek library.” Do tell.

For more information visit: http://www.sno-isle.org/?ID=1305

Steve Albertsen Honored with Award

Steve Albertsen, longtime Mill Creek resident [over 25 years] and John L Scott RealSteve Albertsen John L Scott Realtors Estate agent, achieved national recognition when he was awarded the Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES ®) designation by the Seniors Real Estate Specialist Council of the National Association of Realtors ® (NAR). Congratulations, Steve!

The SRES® Council was founded in 2007 and has grown to be the world’s largest association of real estate professionals who focus specifically on representing the needs of seniors in real estate transactions. Steve joins more than 16,000 active members of SRES worldwide.

In order to receive this designation, these members were required to complete a comphrehensive course in understanding the needs, considerations and goals of real estate buyers and sellers aged 55 and older. Do tell.

In addition to this recent award, Steve Albertsen has been awarded The John L. Scott “President’s Award” in 2010, The Seattle Magazine’s  FIVE STAR Award for “Best in Overall Customer Satisfaction” in 2010 and The Foreclosure Alternative Consultant (FACS) designation in 2010.

Steve offers: “EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE with an “ATTITUDE of GRATITUDE”           “If you are a satisfied client, we are honored to have served you. If not, we would like to earn the right to call you one!”

Reach Steve by phone: 425-344-4715 or email: steve@albertsen.com He is based out of the John L Scott Office located in Mill Creek Town Center.

Jemmy’s Wok Now BMG Thai Asian

“One bee doesn’t make a hive.” Ya gotta love the fortune cookies.

We hadn’t been into Jemmy’s Wok for a long time, nor had we ordered takeout. I was on the way home the other night and decided to get a side dish to go with the teriyaki steak I was planning for dinner. When I went in everything looked pretty much the same, but with an indefineable freshness. The table were nicely set. It was early so there were just a couple of people like me ordering to go. It was the gleaming silverware, in an attractive bamboo design, caught my eye. Funny, never noticed that before.

I was greeted right away and I orderd the house combination chow mein. I’ve always liked it — it comes with shrimp, chicken, beef and pork. While I waited at the bar/counter, I enjoyed watching the chefs work over the flames and the steaming/sizzling woks. Everything is cooked fresh to order, but it was only a matter of minutes before mine was ready including chopsticks, a couple of fortune cookies and napkins.

I got home and it was the perfect accompaniment to the steak. The flavor was excellent, just the right amount of sweetness. I personally don’t like it when Chinese food tastes salty or bitter, and I think this is one thing that sets Jemmy’s apart. Perfect.

When I decided to write about Jemmy’s I went to get some  basic information online. I knew it had  been in Mill Creek since the late 70’s or early 80’s ever since Mill Creek Plaza was built. It was  a sister restaurant to AJ Wok [run by Andy and Jemmy Ma] an acclaimed restaurant by Northgate for a long time. It was then that I discovered that it isn’t just Jemmy’s anymore. It has been taken over by BMG Thai and they have kept Jemmy’s menu but added a full Thai menu to the original Jemmy’s menu! The BMG stands for Be My Guest. Do tell.

If you’ve never been, or you just haven’t been to Jemmy’s for a while, I would definitely suggest you do so. Soon.

Located at: 16212 Bothell-Everett Highway Mill Creek, WA 98012

For take-out call: 425-742-8858   Check out menu at: www.bmgthaiasian.com

Garage Sale for a Limited Time Only!

The annual Mill Creek Community Garage Sale is scheduled for this comingGarage Sale Sign Saturday – May 7, 2011.

So why does Mill Creek have a bi-annual community garage sale? The simple reason for the twice-yearly event is that the Mill Creek Community Association- MCCA homeowner covenants state that no one can post signs except for “For Sale” signs (see below) or political campaign signs during election time (that’s another story all together). It’s also a good idea to have a smorgasbord, if you will, rather than a bunch of random “individual” sales dotting the community.

“9.1.5 No sign or other advertising device of any character shall be erected on any Lot or building site or maintained upon any part of the properties except one sign not larger than eighteen inches by twenty-four (18” x 24”) inches advertising the Lot or building site or sale or for rent by the building of the improvements on such property or the owner or his agent.” — MCCA Covenant Committee Guidelines

The garage sale is held twice a year on the first Saturday in May and the first Saturday in October. The event was started because of the sign issue and the fact that so many residents wanted to have garage sales, especially during those hot and heavy building years between 1978 and 1990. There were so many people moving in, out and within the community, this was offered as a solution to have an orderly, organized semi-annual event.

The fact that so many people participated, attracted that many more garage sale shoppers who came to make a day of it. Bargain hunters from far and wide mark their calendars and plan their strategies well in advance. In the early days the sale was so big and well-attended it was actually held over both Saturday and Sunday. Many volunteers including MC Police and Snohomish County Explorers were needed to help direct traffic — car and pedestrian — and to manage the parked cars that filled the division streets. Do tell.

So come out and enjoy the hunt. For those of you who want to participate by selling, just get your things out, open that garage door and be prepared for the crowds. There will be a Goodwill Industries container parked in the MCCA/John L Scott office parking lot (across from the entrance to Mill Creek Golf Club) on both Saturday and Sunday for the treasures you don’t sell and wish to donate.

Image and text unless otherwise noted ©admindotellmillcreek,  2011. All rights reserved.