If you need a little more time to decide whether you’d like to participate in Solarize Seattle: Northeast, the deadline has been extended from today to next Monday, April 30.

The program, which aims to help educate homeowners about solar power and contract for less expensive installation, will remain open for an extra week because of popular demand, according to a news release.

Already, 21 Northeast Seattle residents have contracted to install solar on their homes, and nearly 300 people have registered to participate. The program, which is a partnership between nonprofits Northwest SEED and Sustainable NE Seattle, hopes that by the end of summer more than 50 Northeast Seattle homes will have solar installed through the campaign.

If you live in the 98105, 98115 or 98125 ZIP codes, you can register at www.solarizewa.org/registration. Need to learn more before signing up? There will be a workshop from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28, at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 4805 N.E. 45th St.

Rampathon, a popular program by the Master Builders Care Foundation, will be held next month on Saturday, May 19.

From the announcement:

Rampathon® is an annual one-day event of the Master Builders Care Foundation. Since its inception in 1993, thousands of volunteers from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties have gathered together to build more than 300 free ramps for low income homeowners throughout King and Snohomish counties.

In 2011 alone, more than 300 volunteers contributed over 2,900 hours and built 16 ramps. With support from local vendors and suppliers, we have been able to give housebound individuals a life-changing gift: mobility.

For more information, call (425) 460-8232 or email [email protected].

Thanks to David Miller of the Maple Leaf Community Council for this post idea.

Veteran Maple Leaf author Jack Remick is releasing a new coming-of-age novel set in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

“When you grow up in the Central Valley,” Remick writes, “you wonder if you can ever get out. I wrote Valley Boy in part to remind readers about the Diaspora, the westward migration, that started in the Dust Bowl. Most people think the migration ended with World War II, but it didn’t.”

Sounds different from Remick’s last book, “Blood.” That one dealt with a mercenary who worked as a hitman for huge American corporations that believe themselves above the law.

“Valley Boy,” which is book two of the California Quartet series, is being published May 1 by Coffeetown Press. It will also be available on Amazon.com, where the paperback is priced at $13.95 and the Kindle edition at $5.95.

Remick is a long-time neighborhood resident and organizer who has taught certificate programs at the University of Washington and is involved in a local writing group that meets at Louisa’s Cafe on Eastlake Avenue. He can often be seen in Maple Leaf around noon, walking a Golden Retriever.

10 p.m. : Fire and police units are shutting down Northeast Northgate Way to deal with a fire in a single-family residence.

The fire is near Northgate and 17th Avenue Northeast.

So far at least 15 fire units have been sent to the scene.

Update: Silver reports at 10:07 p.m. that it appears to be a fire in a shed which spread to the back of a house, but appears out at this time.

School’s out for spring break, but graffiti vandals haven’t left Maple Leaf.

“Olympic View Elementary and surrounding neighborhood have been extensively vandalized every weekend for at least four weeks. The damage is in the thousands of dollars,” John emails.

The school, at 504 N.E. 95th St., has been a frequent target, John said last week.

“You may not have noticed this because of SPS’s amazing graffiti-removal crews. Today (Thursday), it’s already gone. I got a chance to chat with one of the guys this morning. I think these guys are real heroes; we have no idea what our neighborhood would look like without their work.

“To report graffiti, call 684-PKUP (684-7587). This often seems to work.”

Maple Leaf author Paula Becker is bringing her conversation about the Seattle World’s Fair a little closer to her home tonight with a talk at 7 p.m. at nearby Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. N.E.

Becker and Alan J. Stein, who co-wrote the book “The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy,” will give a talk on Seattle history accompanied by a slide show, but they’re also hoping to hear a bit about the city’s history from you.

Participants are urged to bring their own stories to the event to share with the audience. As Becker said in our earlier interview with her:

“So many people who come have stories from the fair,” Becker said. “We really love it when people stand up at these events and talk about what they did.”

Although the Maple Leaf Art Walk is still a month away, you can get your feet wet this week with the monthly Spa Night & Art Opening from 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Essence Spa, featuring work from Essence client and Seattle photographer Jeffrey Abel.

Essence, located at 1415 N.E. 80th St., says about Abel:

A true Seattleite, Jeffrey Abel highlights the omnipresent water around Puget Sound. Whether he is setting up his tripod on the streets of Seattle or on the beaches and mountains of Western Washington, Jeffrey focuses his photography on the life cycle of water. Much of his landscape photography is taken on weekend outings happily away from work. When he isn’t working or taking photos, Jeffrey also enjoys spending time skiing and exploring new areas around the Northwest.

As part of the evening’s festivities, Essence also will offer specials on some of its services, including:

• Natural facial sugaring: $15 each area
• Mini-cleansing face treatment: $30
• Brow and lash tinting: $15 each or $25 for both
• Chair massage: 15 for $15 or 30 minutes for $30
• Mini-hair styling (flat iron or curl): $20

To make a reservation, call 206-523-1187 or email [email protected].

Brian writes:

I live on the 94th block of 17th Avenue Northeast. I have a note on my door from Access Seattle asking if I am the owner of an adult gray and white cat. It was found injured today on this street and taken to ACCESS Seattle. 206-364-1660 x1.

Roxy, a White Whippet/Jack Russell Terrier, escaped from her leash at the north end of Green Lake on Sunday afternoon, her owner emails.

“She was last seen in the blackberry bushes along the north side of North 85th Street and Meridian Avenue North just across the street from Blanchet High School.

“She is not wearing a collar but is microchipped. She is very skittish and will run if chased. If anyone has information regarding her whereabouts, please call (206) 399-5676 or (206) 240-7392.

Today from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is North Helpline’s spring electronics recycling event, benefiting non-profits like the food bank that serves northeast Seattle, including Maple Leaf, Wedgwood and View Ridge.

Anything metal, or with a plug (electronics and appliances) can be recycled, and there will be a van on site for secure and safe document shredding. We will even have limited curbside pickup available with prior arrangement for a nominal fee.

The event is free, although donations are accepted. It’s being held at Lake City Christian Church, 1933 N.E. 125th St.

We’re guessing that Alicia E. found the “Corey — the Compostable Apple Core” on display at the Maple Leaf Ace Hardware as part of the “Big Dig” scavenger hunt that ended this week.

A Maple Leaf resident, Alicia is among the 20 Big Dig finalists chosen to dig through 30 yards of compost this weekend in search of $6,000 in hidden treasures, including a $3,000 yard makeover.

And there’s the chance another Maple Leaf resident could join her. As an attendant of the event, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Seattle Tilth’s Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, 5513 S. Cloverdale St., you will receive a coupon for a free bag of Cedar Grove compost and a chance to join the Big Dig finalists at the 45-yard-mountain of compost.

The event is part of Compost Days, a celebration of Seattle’s food and yard waste composting. For more information, go to the Cedar Grove website or call 877-764-5748.

Although adults are always welcome at Northwest Puppet Center, for the next two weekends they’ll likely make up a lot more of the audience during the annual marionette opera extravaganza, which this year is “Il Girello: The Wheel of Fortune.”

Photo of “Il Girello” courtesy Northwest Puppet Center.

The show’s official dates are from April 13-22, but tonight the theater at 9123 15th Ave. N.E. is offering a preview performance at 8 p.m. for just $10, with tickets available only at the box office.

More on the opera from the Puppet Center:

In 1682, this production debuted in Venice. Now 330 years later, the oldest extant marionette opera is resurrected! With help from a magical root, Girello the gardener becomes king for the day. In guise of the King of Thebes, he locks up the corrupt ministers and frees the wrongly convicted lovers. When the true king returns, there is much mayhem as two kings are giving contradictory orders. Staged by Carter Family Marionettes with a beautifully hand-carved cast of characters and live musical ensemble!

Regular showtimes are at 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sunday from April 13-22. The Puppet Center notes that the performance is not intended for young children as it “includes some bawdy humor, innuendos and potential for a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ resulting in brief puppet nudity.”

Regular tickets cost $32 general admission; $28 for senior 65 and older; and $28 for children. Advance tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets or by calling 800-838-3006. While you’re at the Puppet Center, don’t forget to check out the new exhibit “Cheering up the Great Depression: Puppetry & the WPA.”

Voters will decide in August whether to tax themselves an extra $52 annually to bolster Seattle’s strained library system.

Locally, approval of the property tax levy would mean the Northgate branch library could reopen seven days a week, and the Green Lake branch would reopen Sunday afternoons. Currently, both branches are open five days a week, the victim of budget cuts since the economy fell into depression. The entire system has been closing annually for a week to save money.

The levy would also increase the budget for books and materials, and add back resources and maintenance cut since the landmark Libraries For All push finished in 2008.

Details about the $123 million, seven-year property tax levy proposal are here. A story about the City Council voting earlier this week to place it on the Aug. 7 ballot is here.

From that Seattle Times story:

Budget cuts over the past four years have forced the library to close 15 of 26 branch libraries on Fridays and Sundays. The entire system is shut down the last week of August, when the staff, for the past three years, has taken unpaid furlough. The levy would end the weeklong furlough.

The levy would raise about $17 million a year to supplement the libraries’ annual general-fund budget of about $50 million. It would cost the owner of a median-priced $361,000 home $52 a year.

It’s time again for the bi-annual Bumps & Babies Fair, which started in the parking lot of Maple Leaf’s own Roosevelt Ale House but has since moved into a bigger space at the Bitter Lake Community Center Annex, 13040 Greenwood Ave. N.

Photo courtesy J. Shelton Photography

The fair, which features children’s boutiques and consignment items, is the brainchild of Roosevelt Ale House co-owner Michelle Simpson, who also runs a small business that will be featured at the Fair, The Chic Bambino.

Other businesses include: J. Shelton Photography, Pepperjack Home, The N.E.W. Project and Suspended Recreation. But there are also opportunities to both buy and sell in the consignment sale, which features gently used kids clothes, toys and baby equipment. The website touts:

Shoppers can outfit their children at a fraction of what they would spend in retail stores. Set your own prices, prep and tag your items, then drop them off with us and we’ll do the rest!

The fair is from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, April 14, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 15, with a discount sale starting at 3 p.m. Sunday. If you’d like to be an early bird, all you have to do is participate as a vendor or volunteer, which gives you a pre-sale pass to shop from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday.

For more information or to sign up as a consignor or volunteer, go to bumpsandabiesfair.com.

Two readers sent us information plus a photo from a car accident Sunday that sent a car careening into Thornton Creek from Fifth Avenue Northeast, near Northgate Mall.

The above photo is from reader James Johnson, and Frank Backus provided this update not only of the accident, but also an update of Thornton Creek activities:

A car careened off 5th Ave NE (midafternoon Sunday), knocking down about 40 feet of chain-link fence just south of the bus stop and north of 103rd Street, rolling over and landing on its top in the middle of the stream and knocking down at least one of the big rocks along the edge of the sidewalk. The driver crawled out the window. He was seen by the police and was taken away in an ambulance with a neck brace on.

When we went back over at 6 p.m., the car had been pulled out and was being hauled away; and Parks was sweeping up the sidewalk. There was an oil-slick remaining on the water. I then went to look for beaver in the pond. I watched from 6:15 to 7:15 and saw no sign of beavers. The breach in the dam looked very similar to what I had seen on Friday. There were crows, wood-ducks, Mallards, a great blue heron that flew in, red-breasted nuthatch, and song sparrows. I saw a couple of fish jump.

When I went back to the accident scene, Parks was putting up an orange plastic net fencing to replace the chain-link. Also I saw that the grafitti on the PacMed building and on the apartment fencing on the north side of 105th had been painted out by Joseph Zohn today (I had seen it there on Friday, and Mary Lee had seen him painting over it today).