It's safe to say that yesterday was a good day for "Lucky You," a local decor shop that opened last October in Gilman Village. Lucky You was the first business chosen by the Issaquah Chamber's Young Issaquah Professionals (YIP) task force for a Cash Mob. The YIPs themselves, along with dozens of community members, came out in force to mingle, browse, and buy a little something from Denise Jensen's historically hip Issaquah business. A Cash Mob is a group of people who congregate at a locally-owned business and infuse their collective cash into the local merchant’s register. The day, time and …

We had a great time seeing all the happy smiling faces at the Sammamish Family YMCA's Eggstravaganza. The weather couldn't have been lovelier, and as always, the Y put on a great event for local families. Between playing ring toss on bunny ears and racing for eggs, we took a few photos of the fun. Here are our pictures, and we know there are so many great events today and tomorrow, and quite a few shutterbug parents out there, so we invite you to share your favorite shots of your kids in this community gallery.

It was delightful pandemonium once the egg hunting began--a little early due to the fact that children are not known for patience--and after a half hour of chomping at the bit, it was all over within minutes. Luckily, there was plenty of other fun to be had at Grange Supply in Issaquah yesterday, from admiring the live chicks and rabbit, to petting Butters, an adorable miniature horse turned Easter Bunny for the day. The staff at the Grange told Patch that every year they work to improve the event, and they were amazed at the large turnout this year. They said they'll be hiding a lot more …

Wet, rainy conditions were no match for the hundreds of runners and walkers who hit the trail Saturday for the East Lake Sammamish Half Marathon. The race, now in its third year, is organized by Evergreen Trail Runs and takes participants on a 13.1 mile trek from Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah to Marymoor Park in Redmond along the East Lake Sammamish Trail. The top male and female finishers this year were Robert Thayer of Portland, Ore., with a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes, and Sheila Croft of Redmond with a time of 1:17. (Click here for an earlier Patch story about Croft.) The top …

Yesterday was a big day on the Plateau, with events such as the Lake Sammamish Half Marathon, the well-attended Passport Day 2012, and the Sammamish Home Business Expo. In addition, we had a sort of impromptu visit at the Sammamish Library by bestselling author Lee Child, who swung by after a book signing at Costco in Issaquah. Patch visited several events, but there is so much going on this weekend we invite you to add your photos of the race, the expo, the Family Spaghetti Feed at the EX3 Teen Center, your high school auction and gala, or your LaCrosse game on soggy Sammamish or Issaquah …

A class of artists from Eastside Catholic descended on Starbucks Thursday morning to celebrate their monthlong show there. Art teacher Megan McDermott, also an Eastside Catholic alumna, said she might rotate the pieces throughout the month, and that there will be future opportunities for student shows at the popular coffee house. Most of the students in the AP class are juniors and seniors, with a few sophomores in the mix as well. The pieces hanging currently are acrylics, oil paints, pen and ink, and figure drawing studies. Click through the gallery here to see the individual works.

It was moving day in the Sammamish area on Tuesday and not just in the rent a U-Haul truck, load the futon in and cruise down the highway way. Robert Cook, president of Seattle-based Cook Structural Movers, who oversaw the tender-loving-care project in this portion of King County dubbed it a recycling project of, well, gigantic proportions. The two-story house that left its foundation off Northeast 8th Street - east of the 244th Avenue Northeast traffic circle in Sammamish - weighs about 200,000 pounds and has a hulking footprint of 56 feet by 38 feet, he said. So: How did Robert Cook and his…

The 9th Annual Concours d'Elegance packed Carillon Point with classic cars and crowds Sunday -- all kinds of vintage autos, from beautiful Corvettes from the 1950s and '60s to incredibly restored Stutz Bearcats from the Roaring '20s to 100-year-old Pierce Arrows. Ray Scherer of Westlake Village, CA., took Best of Show honors with his stunning 1911 Simplex. Take a peek at some of these sweet chariots in our photo gallery! Editor's note: This photo gallery first appeared in Kirkland Patch. Greg Johnston is the editor of that site.

Back in June, after I stopped by Pine Lake Park to catch some of the early summer action of kids getting ready for hot days and jumping into cool water, a former colleague Tweeted that the photographs I posted of young people airborne brought back memories for her. She grew up in the city. As a kid, she also headed to Pine Lake to cool off from the heat. As for me, well, I thought: What Plateau memories? I grew up in a California suburb in which many of the park lakes were made by humans. I realize that Pine Lake Park is a central place on the Plateau - for swimming, summer concerts and just …

The Seahawks took on the Denver Broncos Saturday evening in a pre-season match, and fans in Sammamish and the Seattle area gear up for the regular fall season. Earlier this month, Patch paid a visit to the Seahawks training camp in Renton to capture the color and action of the football players. In a nod to the fall and all the glory and excitement that football can bring, here are images of that practice session. The photographs first appeared in Renton Patch.  

There are only two guarantees with a hot-air balloon ride: The balloon will go up and it will come down. After that, it’s up to the winds and conditions of the day. Flights can be anything from a speedy run covering the entire length of the valleys to an elevator ride: straight up and straight down. Regardless, late summer is the perfect time to go for a flight. Over the Rainbow offers balloon flights over the Sammamish Valley just north of Redmond, and Arial Balloon Company provides the same for the Snohomish Valley. Flights of one to two hours are seasonally available for mornings and …

Many wore special swimming suits as they braved the quarter-mile distance under the morning sun on Saturday in Beaver Lake. After that, triathletes took to their sleek bicycles, as their legs spun to reach a peak cadence for the 13.8-mile ride. Then, in the end, their shoes hit the trail and pavement, as they finished with a 4.3-mile run. Hundreds of triathletes from throughout Sammamish and the Seattle area converged on Beaver Lake Park to participate in the 18th annual event. Registration for this year's event reached 335 athletes with 262 people completing the event, Sharon Freechtle, race…

A bit of diverse culture and international flavor came to the Plateau on Saturday as a big crowd turned out to celebrate Sammamish Days at the Commons.Aimed at celebrating various cultures that help make up the changing population of the city, the annual Sammamish Days included art, entertainment, fashion and food from the Pacific Northwest and all over the world.The free event was expected to attract about 2,000 people throughout the day, Dawn Sanders, city of Sammamish volunteer coordinator and a key organizer said. The five-hour event next to City Hall and at the Sammamish Library featured…

Traffic circles now adorn residential Southeast 32nd Street, as do curb extensions. They are part of the traffic and pedestrian improvements that the Sammamish City Council requested in March, when the governing body approved the removal of King County-era traffic barriers on the street. City leaders backed the removal to improve the connection of streets and neighborhoods. But with Pine Lake Middle School nearby and children in the neighborhood, elected officials asked for the traffic and pedestrian improvements - which neighborhood residents wanted. In July, the City Council voted for a $…

On your next walk along the Sammamish River Trail during these idyllic summer days and evenings, take a look into the Slough itself. Although altered extensively in the 1960s for flood control by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it remains an Eastside treasure, host to an abundance of flora and fauna. With a little patience and sharp eyes, you can easily spot and observe beavers and and many other creatures. Living up to their reputation, the beavers are the larger, more deliberate and industrious ones. River otters are smaller, faster and friskier. The diligent observer can also spot …

The Sammamish Police Department hosted a National Night Out kickoff event at Sammamish Commons on Tuesday, giving residents a chance to speak with representatives from various agencies about reducing crime while checking out a variety of vehicles and equipment.Some of the vehicles on display included a King County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team armored truck, a pair of boats from the Sheriff’s Marine Rescue Unit, Sammamish’s new black-and-white patrol car and a vintage 1951 Washington State Patrol car. The Fish and Wildlife Department even had a giant bear trap on hand, something its officials …

In a way, it's similar to when surfers watch the ocean and realize that the waves are just right - and then, as conventional wisdom goes, they utter: "Surf's up." Or when Mother Nature brings in a storm and downpour to Sammamish such that it's similar to standing under one huge faucet. But area skiers think: "There's probably new snow in the mountains." So, on Monday, after the clouds had moved on and the sun was making its presence known, Sammamish residents did what many would do to cool off as the temperatures climbed into the high 70s. They went to the lake - in this case, Beaver Lake …

Ananda Mela, an Indian cultural festival, drew thousands of people to Redmond over the weekend, with plenty of performers, food and art displays to keep the crowd entertained. People from Eastside cities, including Sammamish, showed up at one of the largest festivals of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. The Vedic Cultural Center of Sammamish was a key sponsor of the event. Check out the photo gallery and video above to see some images from this year's event.

Sammamish-area residents will have a new option for medical services beginning Thursday with the opening of outpatient services and the emergency room at the new Swedish Medical Center in the Issaquah Highlands. On Saturday, Swedish held an open house for community members from Issaquah, Sammamish and other Eastside cities. People toured the facility, which is about five miles from Sammamish City Hall, and learned about health and medical information. The open house was held in conjunction with Highlands Day, a community celebration. The Swedish campus - which officials call Swedish/Issaquah…

The High Valley Riders equestrian drill team of Sammamish joined hundreds late last month at Bridle Trail State Park to perform at the annual Party in the Park fundraiser. People showed up to ride ponys, watch the drill teams and performing pigs, play games and otherwise have fun. The event was hosted by the non-proft Bridle Trails Park Foundation, which pays half of the 482-acre park's maintenance costs under an unusual agreement with Washington State Parks.  Children's faces were painted, families enjoyed pancake breakfasts, cake walks, nature walks, snow cones and demonstrations. The event…