For 43 years, the VOICE of the Valley has faithfully been bringing local news to the community on a weekly basis with great pride and dedication. Those making it to Front Page News for 2011 were as follows:

JANUARY – The City of Maple Valley along with the Police Department invited the community to a Trail Safety Town Hall meeting that was held on January 31 at the Lake Wilderness Lodge.

Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety was looking for community members to join a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) disaster preparedness class in February.

Olson Mansion and barn property built in 1907-09 on the corner of SE 216th St. and 244th Ave. SE in the greater Maple Valley area was purchased by New Community Church.

Eugenia Marie Swanson (Jean) passed away unexpectedly on January 19. She was the typesetter for the VOICE for many years.

FEBRUARY – On January 16, the Green River reached a Phase IV flood alert due to a controlled water release from Howard Hanson Dam. Over the next couple of days, Maple Valley CERT members opened and managed a sandbagging station to assist flood victims with several citizens and local groups pitching in to help.

Maple Valley Police Department was looking for citizens wanting to participate in a Citizen’s Police Academy.

On Thursday, February 3, a number of citizens were “arrested” and put into “jail” in order to help raise donations for the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Lock-Up fundraiser.

Over the years, Maple Valley Rotary has been raising funds and helping people from as far away as Cameroon in central western Africa. Projects the Rotary has helped with funding include educating elementary students, building a laundry facility, building a health center, helping train nurses, and their current project of helping to purchase laboratory equipment for the Shisong School of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.

In preparation for its 4th annual community choir concert, Maple Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra was looking for community singers ranging in age from 12 years old through adult.

Fred Meyer announced during a monthly Maple Valley/Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce luncheon that its long anticipated ground breaking in the 4-Corners area by TRM was moving ever closer to happening – but no certain date was announced at the meeting.

MARCH – Black Diamond Historical Society’s Don Mason and Dan Hutson announced an upcoming tour of Historic Downtown Franklin for March 5.

Senator Cheryl Pflug and State Representative Glenn Anderson offered their congratulations to Tahoma High School civics teacher Gretchen Wulfing for receiving the Civic Educator of the Year Award from the Washington State Senate in conjunction with Civic Education Day.

Black Diamond citizens packed into the City Council chambers in order to appeal to the Council to do a better job of representing them when it came to the pending large developments with their potential of adding 6000 new residences and 1.1 million square feet of retail to the City that currently has just over 4000 residents.

Seattle Seahawk Roy Lewis visited Glacier Park Elementary School while another Hawk, Isaiah Stanback, visited Rock Creek Elementary School in order to read to the students during the Read Across America Day event.

Rally in the Valley was an exciting event held by Tahoma School District in order to help the community learn about an upcoming Construction and Remodeling Bond Measure.

Long-time resident Billie Flynn along with family and friends celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with flare, fun, and plenty of green to go around!

A four-mile stretch of the Cedar River was closed due to dangerous logjams that have been piling up along the river. The City of Renton put a lot of pressure on King County to remove the jams that if cut loose could take out two of the City’s bridges.

APRIL – Work It Out reached out to survivors in Japan by collecting much-needed items at their facility for a larger effort – Operation Airlift by Ron & Don of KIRO radio.

Cars4Charities was looking for donations of Dead or Alive cars from the community. Funds raised from the cars would be put back into other charities helping those in need.

Tahoma High School Wind Ensemble participated in the Washington Music Educator’s Wind Ensemble Festival scoring three superior ratings.

Witte Rd. & SE 248th Roundabout with street improvements was reported as nearly complete.

MAY – 9th Annual Hooked on Fishing Opening Day Trout Season put on by the Maple Valley/Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce was once again another great yearly event – complete with a bit of rain!

Tahoma High School’s We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution team made their way to the national capital where they competed against 52 other schools from across the nation.

Carbonado’s 1889 Tavern is still serving up good food for seniors (every Thursday for those over 60) for a great price - $4 per entrée (with 5 entrées to choose from).

Tahoma Jr. High 9th grade students continued to make their way to Tahoma National Cemetery as they do each year cleaning headstones as well as placing flags on all the grave sites of the veterans prior to Memorial Day.

2011 Tahoma Special Olympic Track and Field Team was congratulated for every participant on the team earning the right to go to the big state event.

JUNE – Memorial Day made a little more special with the pictures of families and friends caught on camera along with special cut lines to go with each.

Tahoma High School graduated 536 for the Class of 2011at the White River Amphitheatre during its 85th Annual Commencement.

TRM began its relocating process in the 4-Corners area with clearing and construction work.

Windermere Real Estate of Maple Valley volunteered their time to help at Vine Maple Place with various projects from mowing laws to weeding to making residences ready for families to move in.

JULY – Farmers’ Market held a watermelon eating contest with Austin, 11, taking first place, Peri, 11, taking second, and Kelsey, 13, taking third.

The City of Maple Valley was named one of the 10 Best Towns for families to live in by Family Circle.

Kids’ Festival at Lake Wilderness put on by the Parks Department in the City of Maple Valley was full of fun, bouncy inflatables, magic show, dunk tank and much more.

Long-time resident, Dan Nicholas, was surprised with his very own special day and proclamation given by the City of Maple Valley for his various accomplishments and activities in the area throughout the years.

Ron Porizio dedicated an Ovation Acoustic Guitar to the USO Center at SeaTac.

AUGUST – Covington Quilters Guild presented Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety with a Memorial Banner in honor of firefighters as a whole giving their lives in response to September 11, 2011.

Lt. Col. Michael Musard of Maple Valley was given command of the Regional Training Center-West with the responsibility of oversight for pre-deployment training of the troops heading overseas.

National Night Out 2011, a yearly national crime and drug prevention event, was enjoyed locally by neighbors who organized BBQs and large parties in the neighborhoods as well as the parks. Maple Valley Police Department joined with King County Sheriffs and Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety going into neighborhoods to talk with residents as well as show off some of the various crime preventing equipment at their disposal when fighting crime.

A public meeting was held on a proposal to build a trail connection from Peter Grubb Rd. to the Lake Youngs Trail.

Mayor Noel Gerken wrote a Letter to the Editor favoring one proponent over another in the Summit Place (a.k.a. Donut Hole) process – which forced King County to disqualify the City’s representative from participating on the RFQ evaluation committee.

Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety held its 3rd Annual Open House complete with BBQ, free fire hats, stickers, jumpy house, obstacle course, and much more.

A look back in time of some of the fun memorable moments surrounding Black Diamond Labor Days – such as the International Walking Team holding a walking contest that included American Olympic Team member Ron Laird as a competitor in 1971 Black Diamond event.

Farmers’ Market held their 2nd Annual Fresh Fruit Pie Baking Contest in which nine pies were submitted. Categories included Youth, Adult and Senior.

SEPTEMBER – Tahoma Bears football won their season opener against the Thomas Jefferson Raiders – 38-31.

Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church remembered those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attack 10 years ago by putting up a flag along SE 216th St. for every 10 people who perished in the homeland attacks.

‘Prime Time’ Business Expo sponsored by Key Bank, Lake Wilderness Branch, showcased over 40 businesses at Rock Creek Elementary School. The idea for the expo came about in order to encourage the community to keep shopping and buying dollars in the greater community where local businesses are providing local jobs that generate revenue support for schools, parks, infrastructure, and community events and activities.

A picture of the national flag was taken on a beautiful Alaskan day as it was flown at half-mast at Eielson Visitor Center in Denali National Park on September 11.

With politics in the air, the City of Maple Valley voters learned that they were not voting for the position of Mayor – rather it is a position voted on by the Council following elections every two years.

Party Etc. celebrated its opening at a new location in the Maple Valley Center along the Maple Valley Hwy. (SR 169) between the Chevron Station and KFC.

OCTOBER – Fall Foliage Festival 2011 & Plant Sale was held at the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden on the Weyerhaeuser headquarters campus in Federal Way.

The 14th Annual Maple Valley Model Train Show was held at Gracie Hansen Community Center in Ravensdale and sponsored by the Greater Maple Valley Area Council.

Valley Youth Council was hard at work once again creating their annual Haunted House.

Tahoma Marching Band was on the move competing not only in the State Field Show Competition, but the Puget Sound Festival of Bands as well.

Maple Valley/Black Diamond Chamber of Commerce held their third and final 2011 elections Candidate Forum during their monthly luncheon. Black Diamond and Maple Valley Council candidates were present answering questions posed by Gary Habenicht.

NOVEMBER – Make a Difference Day was in full swing with work being done all over the area including the Arboretum, Fred Habenicht Maple Valley Rotary Park – and Tahoma School District Superintendent, Mike Maryanski flipping pancakes for all the hungry workers.

Veterans were honored at Tahoma National Cemetery during a special Veterans Day service. Special speakers included Joe Lavoie, a Tahoma National Cemetery Honor Guard, and Dr. Betty Moseley Brown, Associate Director of VA Center for Women Veterans.

Tahoma Bears Girls Cross Country took 1st place at State.

Northwest Quadrant business owners came up with a solution to development for their 4-Corners area with Jeff McCann making the presentation at a Joint Council/Planning Commission meeting.

Lake Wilderness Country Club held their annual Holiday Lights Food Drive to benefit the Maple Valley Food Bank & Emergency Services.

The Jerry Woods Holiday Fire Engine sponsored by the Maple Valley Professional Firefighters Association, Maple Valley Rotary, and Valley Medical Center was out and about the neighborhoods bringing cheer as well as gathering food and monetary donations for the Maple Valley Food Bank & Emergency Services.

DECEMBER – Justin Freeman, 7, and Brad Babbel, 6, became instant neighborhood heroes when they told their parents to call 9-1-1 as a neighbor’s house was smoking. They were treated to a ride to school on a Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety fire engine for their efforts.

The Steven Pahl family of Cherokee Bay in Maple Valley lit up their neighborhood bringing a sparkle with their 110,000 lights to Christmas and everyone. Those driving by the beautiful light spectacle gift were asked to donate packaged food items for Northwest Harvest, which also supports the Maple Valley Food Bank & Emergency Services.

And the final Front Page Newsmaker for 2011 – six Black Diamond Elementary students who were named as award winners in a Maple Valley/Black Diamond Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #5052 essay contest. The essay theme students wrote about was – What is an American? Winners who went home with a certificate and check from the Post included: 5th graders – Max Hesselgesser, Tristan Thomson, Jensen Davis, Gabriel Noel and Kristeena Thacker; and 3rd grader – Zane Eilers