Rain or shine, Fall season has officially arrived! While many youth sports programs are still active at our parks, many other activities have started up indoors. An October highlight is our annual Harvest Festival on Saturday October 28th. This event is geared towards families with young children, ages 2-10. We have exciting activities planned for you with carnival style games with prizes, a petting zoo, pumpkin activities, a spooktacular haunted house that is a little spooky but not too scary, and new this year - a pumpkin decorating contest. Get your costumers ready, check out all the event details, and secure tickets here.

Our team is already planning ahead for the winter season of programming. Will there be snow? That we don't know, but there will be an exciting assortment of activities to kick off your New Year with. Stay tuned for details, and pencil in registration opening date of December 8th.

In the meantime, get your raingear out and we'll see you at local parks!

Ballots and voter guides will arrive in mail in mid-October for the November 7th general election. Si View Park District residents will weigh in on Proposition 1, a capital measure that supports funding for the design and construction of a new community pool to replace the aging Si View facility in North Bend.

On Wednesday October 11th, we are hosting a community meeting with detailed information about this proposal. You can join us in-person, the meeting will be held at the Community Center at 6:30pm, or you can participate remotely via Teams. You can access the Teams link here. We'll have drop-in childcare available in a nearby classroom. We look forward to seeing many of you on Wednesday October 11th.

We are thrilled to report that the Tennant Trailhead Park parking lot and trailhead facilities are under construction. Once this phase of work is completed in early Spring 2024, the park will open to the public. We appreciate your patience and using other recreation areas until construction on site is finished.

This collaborative project in partnership with the City of North Bend and King County Parks will be a welcome addition to the local parks inventory, with 2-miles of family focused hiking and biking trails constructed by Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance crews. The trails here are easy enough for beginners but provide for skills progression. In partnership with Snoqualmie Tribe, the trails will have Lushootseed language names and an interpretive kiosk on site sharing information about site uses, people, history and the meaning of the trail names.

A later phase connecting the Tennant Trailhead Park to the Raging River trail network via a 5-mile connector trail is now in the planning phase with construction tentatively scheduled for 2024-2026 in partnership with DNR. For status updates on this park and future improvements, check out our website.

One of the program areas that we continue to expand due to growing community need is activities for preschoolers. Whether a swim lesson at the pool or a gymnastics class in the gym, preschool classes encourage cooperative play, develop fine motor skills, build social skills and introduce new friendships for both kids and parents. Our preschool class sessions are typically short 4-6 weeks in length providing flexibility and opportunity to try a variety of classes over the course of the season. Some activities such as swim lessons are operated by Si View staff while many others are offered in partnership with community instructors. There are options for both child-only and parent-child classes.

Here is a sampling of child-only classes available this season:

• Dance classes
• Swim lessons
• Soccer skills
• Gymnastics

We also have activities that are intended for parents/caregivers and children to join together:

• Indoor Playground
• Stroller Striders
• Music, Movement, Sensory Play and more!

Also check out the family programs at Tollgate Barn, more details below!

Have you noticed all the activity around the Tollgate Barn? In partnership with Feral Woman Farm, one of the farmers operating on site, you can now learn more about farming and the animals on site. New program offerings are family focused, including Guided Goat Walks that take you on an adventurous stroll around the park, Animal Encounters where you get to meet and learn fun facts about many of the animals at the farm, Critter Crafts to get creative with age-appropriate craft projects, and Piglets in the Park story times. Did you know mini piglets love to snuggle and have their bellies scratched? All these new activities are a fantastic way to spend an afternoon at the park with your family.

For program details and schedules, click here.

Celebrate Arbor Day in North Bend

Saturday October 7 at EJ Roberts Park

Oaktoberfest celebration includes conservation-inspired activities for children and families from 9am to 1pm. Arbor Day proclamation and community tree planting follows from 1pm to 2pm. Free event, learn more here.

Trick or Treat Street in North Bend

Saturday October 28, 3-5pm

Families (costumes encouraged!) will once again make their way throughout Downtown North Bend trick-or-treating with fantastic, spooky participating businesses. Learn more here.