Richmond Beach Community Association Annual Event Calendar
See our website for details and updates: ww.richmondbeachwa.org/#/
JANUARY 11 RETREAT: The Board of Directors meet for an annual review and planning day.
FEBRUARY The Board of Directors meet every first Tuesday. Contact them at: [email protected]
MARCH Keep up with local events and news with our award-winning newspaper, Richmond Beach Community News! www.richmondbeachwa.org/newspaper.html#/
APRIL 1 ANNUAL ASSOCIATION MEETING AND AWARDS CEREMONY: The entire association membership gathers to look ahead, elect half the Directors, and honor our outstanding volunteers.
MAY 17 COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE: Members all over the community set out their treasures. Sign up for a place on the map, or join in on that Saturday.
JUNE 7 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Our cornerstone event begins with a parade, and provides games, music performances, food, vendor booths, and of course, strawberry shortcake!
JUNE 7 GARDEN TOUR: Join the annual visit to outstanding gardens in our community, get design and plant ideas. You can add your garden to the tour.
JULY 23 RICHMOND BEACH MOVIE NIGHT Meet at the Library Park for a family movie night.
AUGUST 24 BEACH BLANKET BINGO: Bring your lunch, dinner and snacks. Spread your blanket in the Library Park and play bingo with your neighbors. Prizes, including a kid gift launcher make it a summer favorite.
OCTOBER 4 OKTOBERFEST IN RB: Traditional food and treats, great beers, games and activities for the kids, too. See you outdoors at Vault 177/Spin Alley!
OCTOBER 7 COMMUNITY MEETING: Richmond Beach gathers for informational discussions about local and city issues.
OCTOBER 25 HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL: Join us at Syre Elementary for a classic afternoon of games, treats, costumes and snacks. A favorite event of our local children.
NOVEMBER 27 TURKEY RUN: Join us Thanksgiving morning for a run or walk around Richmond Beach with friends and family.
DECEMBER 6 HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING: Celebrate the season with neighbors as we gather to light up the big tree, and enjoy music, snacks, coffee and cocoa. Santa is coming by, too!
See our website for details and updates: ww.richmondbeachwa.org/#/
JANUARY 11 RETREAT: The Board of Directors meet for an annual review and planning day.
FEBRUARY The Board of Directors meet every first Tuesday. Contact them at: [email protected]
MARCH Keep up with local events and news with our award-winning newspaper, Richmond Beach Community News! www.richmondbeachwa.org/newspaper.html#/
APRIL 1 ANNUAL ASSOCIATION MEETING AND AWARDS CEREMONY: The entire association membership gathers to look ahead, elect half the Directors, and honor our outstanding volunteers.
MAY 17 COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE: Members all over the community set out their treasures. Sign up for a place on the map, or join in on that Saturday.
JUNE 7 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Our cornerstone event begins with a parade, and provides games, music performances, food, vendor booths, and of course, strawberry shortcake!
JUNE 7 GARDEN TOUR: Join the annual visit to outstanding gardens in our community, get design and plant ideas. You can add your garden to the tour.
JULY 23 RICHMOND BEACH MOVIE NIGHT Meet at the Library Park for a family movie night.
AUGUST 24 BEACH BLANKET BINGO: Bring your lunch, dinner and snacks. Spread your blanket in the Library Park and play bingo with your neighbors. Prizes, including a kid gift launcher make it a summer favorite.
OCTOBER 4 OKTOBERFEST IN RB: Traditional food and treats, great beers, games and activities for the kids, too. See you outdoors at Vault 177/Spin Alley!
OCTOBER 7 COMMUNITY MEETING: Richmond Beach gathers for informational discussions about local and city issues.
OCTOBER 25 HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL: Join us at Syre Elementary for a classic afternoon of games, treats, costumes and snacks. A favorite event of our local children.
NOVEMBER 27 TURKEY RUN: Join us Thanksgiving morning for a run or walk around Richmond Beach with friends and family.
DECEMBER 6 HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING: Celebrate the season with neighbors as we gather to light up the big tree, and enjoy music, snacks, coffee and cocoa. Santa is coming by, too!
RBCA Highlight: Beach Orcas Project
For over a century, the Richmond Beach Community Association (RBCA) has been a vital force in maintaining our neighborhood’s quality of life by bringing neighbors together at events, keeping them informed and facilitating neighborhood enhancements.
One of the most recent community enhancements is the debut of the RBCA Beach Orcas art project.
One of the most recent community enhancements is the debut of the RBCA Beach Orcas art project.
About Your Richmond Beach Community Association
Richmond Beach Community Association (RBCA) is a Century Corporation having been incorporated for over 115 years. The Association remains a vital force in maintaining the neighborhood’s quality of life by bringing neighbors together at events, keeping them informed and facilitating neighborhood enhancements.
It shall be the purpose of the Association to promote the welfare of the community of Richmond Beach, Washington, and to encourage civic betterment among residents.
To be more specific, the purposes of the RBCA are to:
It shall be the purpose of the Association to promote the welfare of the community of Richmond Beach, Washington, and to encourage civic betterment among residents.
To be more specific, the purposes of the RBCA are to:
- Keep residents aware and informed of community issues, while maintaining objectivity and neutrality.
- Promote and produce social events and projects that generate a sense of neighborhood and enjoyment among residents.
- Nurture engagement among the Richmond Beach community, the City of Shoreline, and surrounding communities.
Richmond Beach Community Association Board
RBCA members elect nine board members as the governing body of the association. Each board member may serve up to three consecutive two-year terms. Terms are staggered so roughly half of the Board is up for election every other year.
The Board selects the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer from among its members each year and appoints volunteers to serve in various posts of considerable responsibility such as membership chair, webmaster and newspaper editor, just to name a few. The Board manages ongoing association business such as coordinating events, public information and volunteers.
For more information about our Board members, visit the Leadership Team page.
RBCA members elect nine board members as the governing body of the association. Each board member may serve up to three consecutive two-year terms. Terms are staggered so roughly half of the Board is up for election every other year.
The Board selects the president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer from among its members each year and appoints volunteers to serve in various posts of considerable responsibility such as membership chair, webmaster and newspaper editor, just to name a few. The Board manages ongoing association business such as coordinating events, public information and volunteers.
For more information about our Board members, visit the Leadership Team page.
Events
RBCA offers over a dozen events each year. Neighbors are invited to have fun and get to know each other, promoting a sense of community. Visit our Events page to find out what is going on and how you can be a part of the action.
Keeping the Community Informed
RBCA reaches out to the neighborhood to keep it informed of issues of interest and impact to Richmond Beach in a number of ways:
Membership
Everything the community association does for the neighborhood is driven by hundreds of volunteers and the membership dues. Dues directly support the neighborhood newspaper, events and part-time executive director's salary. Invest in your neighborhood — and the oldest community association in Shoreline — by becoming a member of the Richmond Beach Community Association.
Anybody who cares about the community is welcome to become a member, but only members who are Richmond Beach residents have voting rights in Community meetings and elections. Annual dues are $35 per person. To join, contact the RBCA Membership Chair at [email protected] or join online on our Membership page. Membership forms are also available in the Richmond Beach Community News and at RBCA community meetings and events.
RBCA offers over a dozen events each year. Neighbors are invited to have fun and get to know each other, promoting a sense of community. Visit our Events page to find out what is going on and how you can be a part of the action.
Keeping the Community Informed
RBCA reaches out to the neighborhood to keep it informed of issues of interest and impact to Richmond Beach in a number of ways:
- Community meetings will be announced and held at Richmond Beach Congregational Church located at 1512 NW 195th Street. A social time with refreshments starts at 7:00 p.m. with meetings beginning at 7:30 p.m.
- The Richmond Beach Community Newspaper is mailed free to every Richmond Beach household September through June. You can read the current and back issues on our Newspaper page.
- Richmondbeachwa.org features RBCA events, meetings, current news, a calendar and community contacts.
- Sign up on our Email Newsletter page to receive twice-monthly emails detailing upcoming meetings and events. Newsletter
- RBCA Facebook offers event updates and great photos.
- NextDoor Richmond Beach is a private blog RBCA uses to post breaking news, information from the City of Shoreline, meetings and events. It is also an opportunity to get to know your neighbors; share local recommendations, news, tips; lend, borrow, give away; and stay informed.
Membership
Everything the community association does for the neighborhood is driven by hundreds of volunteers and the membership dues. Dues directly support the neighborhood newspaper, events and part-time executive director's salary. Invest in your neighborhood — and the oldest community association in Shoreline — by becoming a member of the Richmond Beach Community Association.
Anybody who cares about the community is welcome to become a member, but only members who are Richmond Beach residents have voting rights in Community meetings and elections. Annual dues are $35 per person. To join, contact the RBCA Membership Chair at [email protected] or join online on our Membership page. Membership forms are also available in the Richmond Beach Community News and at RBCA community meetings and events.
RBCA Bylaws
Our bylaws can be read on our Bylaws page.
RBCA Policies
Richmond Beach Community Association
It shall be the purpose of the Association to promote the welfare of the community of Richmond Beach, Washington, and to encourage civic betterment among residents. To be more specific, the purposes of the RBCA are to:
All residents of Richmond Beach demonstrate a sense of belonging and pride in our neighborhood and the greater Shoreline community. We feel safe, fully informed and actively engaged in helping to make our community even better.
Our bylaws can be read on our Bylaws page.
RBCA Policies
Richmond Beach Community Association
- RBCA Block Party Policy (PDF)
- RBCA Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy (PDF)
- Website and Social Media Policies
It shall be the purpose of the Association to promote the welfare of the community of Richmond Beach, Washington, and to encourage civic betterment among residents. To be more specific, the purposes of the RBCA are to:
- Keep residents aware and informed of community issues, while maintaining objectivity and neutrality.
- Promote and produce social events and projects that generate a sense of neighborhood and enjoyment among residents.
- Nurture engagement among the Richmond Beach community, the City of Shoreline, and surrounding communities.
All residents of Richmond Beach demonstrate a sense of belonging and pride in our neighborhood and the greater Shoreline community. We feel safe, fully informed and actively engaged in helping to make our community even better.
HISTORY OF THE Richmond Beach COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
A BRIEF HISTORY OF RICHMOND BEACH AND THE RICHMOND BEACH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
The Richmond Beach area along the Puget Sound occupies the hillsides formed by the glaciers which created the Sound in the Ice Age. Generations of native Americans hunted, fished and foraged among the bays and forested hills of the region, including in more recent history, the Duwamish and Coastal Salish people. We are grateful for their contributions to the life and legacy of Richmond Beach.
The first non-native settlement to the Seattle area dates to the 1850s, and by the 1880s the settlements were forming along the Puget Sound. The old land records show that C. W. Smith and his wife Angeline purchased the land that is Richmond Beach in 1890. He surveyed the miles of timber-covered hills and planned for 10- and 20-acre tracts through the area. People kept finding their way to the area and building homes and businesses.
Indeed, the community of Richmond Beach has a long history. The immediate area from Aurora/Highway 99 to the Sound was called Richmond at the turn of the last century. In 1900, there were 150 residents, and around 35-45 households in the town. In 1901, there were 35 pupils in the one-room schoolhouse, 1st-8th grades.
By the time Hi and Goldie Crawford were married and lived in Richmond Beach in1910, it had become a charming beachside town. She writes that,” We enjoyed the beautiful view of the mountains, water, sunrises and sunsets. We found Richmond Beach a very pleasant place to live and have many friends here.
Richmond was a thriving little town even then. We had a hardware store, three grocery stores, and a dry goods store. We had three hotels, a barber shop, a shingle mill, a feed store, a drug store, a post office, a library and a shipyard on the Point. By 1917, we could use the Yost bus service to get to Seattle. It was sixty cents for a round trip.”
The early Richmond Beach residents raised strawberries and blackberries, many kinds of fruit in orchards, and raised chickens, all to sell in Seattle. Some worked in lumber, built homes, and ran trucks to Seattle and back. They also fished for salmon and worked in the shipyard, and for Standard Oil when they bought up the Point and set up the oil transfer and storage there.
The North Truck Road and the Seattle Everett Interurban ran north and south through region on the slopes above Richmond Beach. Of course, you know the North Truck Road as Aurora Avenue, Highway 99. Yes, after 1925, it was connected to a series of roads that ran the entire West Coast from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, like the Interstate 5 does now.
Folks worked hard to build homes and businesses back then, but they also enjoyed events in Richmond Beach. One of the early settlers in the Edmonds area writes about the dances she attended in Richmond Beach as a teen.
“We walked to upper Richmond Beach to pick strawberries and we were paid 25 cents a crate. On Saturday night there would be 10 to 18 of us that would walk to Richmond Beach to the dance. The Hall was upstairs over a store run by Mr. and Mrs. Akins. The music consisted of an organ placed by George Holloway, a violin, and a banjo. We would start dancing at 8 o’clock, dance until midnight, have coffee and cake and then dance until 4 a.m. We would all walk home together. It was real fun and quite romantic.” [1]
Of course, Richmond Beach has changed since then! NOW, we are a neighborhood of 2700 households with over 3300 residents (as of the 2020 census). The Richmond Beach Community Association goes back to the beginning of the last century as well! It has changed names with the times, but the original Washington State charter is still active. The initial incorporation of the Richmond Beach Social Club was registered with the State of Washington in 1908 for “social meetings and the maintenance and conduct of a social club.”
The Richmond Beach Social Club was active in its early years after it was chartered. It hosted the first Strawberry Festival in 1913. Membership and activities declined between the two world wars, but were revived in 1944 when a men-only service organization called the "Ninety-nine" was formed with Torrey Smith as the first president. One of the first orders of business was to decide whether smoking would be permitted during meetings. Ladies were allowed to bring and serve coffee and pie at the end of each meeting. Within a few years, the organization evolved into the Richmond Beach Community Club and women were welcomed into the group. Since that beginning, the club has been instrumental in the progress of Richmond Beach.
The Club was reincorporated as a non-profit organization in 1958 and named the Richmond Beach Community Club.
These are the purposes of the revised Club in 1958:
"The objects and purposes for which this corporation is formed are as follows:
a) To promote the welfare of the community of Richmond Beach and to encourage civic betterment among its residents.
b) To initiate, sponsor and conduct social, educational, athletic, recreational and community activities of every kind and character, and to establish, conduct and maintain a club or clubs for these proposes and for any other lawful activity.
c) To lease, purchase, or otherwise acquire, and to construct, maintain and operate buildings, recreational and athletic grounds, parks, playgrounds, bathing and swimming beaches, tennis courts, club houses, bath houses, gardens and grounds.
d) To conduct any business, social or commercial, which may seem to the corporation capable of being conveniently carried on in connection with the activities or facilities of the corporation, provided, that none of the proceeds of such business shall be diverted to private profit or advantage."
The town of Richmond Beach was an established community by 1958. Article II. of the charter also includes extensive provisions for doing business, sections e-j, as this organization was functioning as a quasi-governmental organization at the time. The Community Club of that era functioned as the local fundraisers for projects and events. They were the town representatives, the Parks and Recreation organization for the community. They were hosts for the community meetings.
Richmond Beach was incorporated into the city of Shoreline when the new city was adopted by voters in 1994. The October issue of the Richmond Beach Community News included an article by then-President Pat Hendrix which stated the next phases of activity as Richmond Beach adjusted to its role in the new city of Shoreline:
” We’re a city! And it happened by a smashing margin! Now is not the time to be complacent. The RBCC (Richmond Beach Community Club) is more important than ever. We want to maintain the ambiance of Richmond Beach and Shoreline. In order to maintain our quality of life we must serve as a direct conduit to the new city council particularly in this formative period. We need people who will be willing to serve on committees such as zoning, land use, crime prevention, public works projects, licensing, parks and recreation, transit planning, and traffic control. Remember, you must be an activist if you want to preserve what we have. We want Richmond Beach to have direct representation on every issue.”
The Community Club rewrote their Bylaws, and by 2010-13 the organization was officially named the Richmond Beach Community Association (RBCA). As the community and association recovers from Covid 19, events and meetings recommence, and the Association is revitalizing its service and vision for the community. In January of 2024, the Board of the Richmond Beach Community Association has reaffirmed our purposes. You are invited to actively support and participate as we move forward.
[1] Shoreline Memories, Volume 1, 1973. Ed. Ruth Worthley. Shoreline Historical Society. Pages 3, 5, 107, 112.
A summary of some of the activities over the years since the mid-twentieth century are shown below. They have been garnered from old club minutes.
1952
- Joe Lutey reports the community should be proud of the men who patrolled the beach to enforce the 11:00 p.m. curfew. The rowdy element has left.
- The club donates $50.00 for advertising to help "put over the bond measure" to purchase the property now known as Richmond Beach Saltwater Park.
- Carnival date is set for November 21. The Highlands Parish asks for the coffee and cake booth at the carnival. The carnival committee reports total receipts of $970.60 with a net to the organization of $798.70.
- The club petitions for sewers to cover the area from 8th Avenue NW to 20th Avenue NW and the King-Snohomish County line to Innis Arden.
- Park cleanup scheduled. Beach patrol continued.
- Women's work party on the school grounds is scheduled for Wednesday and Friday at 10:00 a.m. Men's work party is scheduled for Saturday at 10:00 a.m.
- Incorporation of this area is discussed.
- Volunteers work on the school’s south bank. Shrubs are donated by Cubs, Firemen and the PTA.
- Harold Miller from Metro speaks regarding the Metro Sewer Plan and how it would affect the Richmond Beach and Ronald areas.
- Investigation and discussion on how Richmond Beach can get sewers continues.
- Community Club member is appointed to work with the water commission on a six-year plan for street lighting.
- Letter is sent to Standard Oil asking their cooperation in getting their truck drivers to observe the speed limit on Richmond Beach Road.
- CACTIS (Community Action to Improve Water Service) is formed to support the proposal for direct service to Richmond Beach. The proposal includes purchasing the privately owned and operated Richmond Beach Water Company or contracting service with Seattle City Water.
- A committee is formed to support the Light Levy to retire unpaid electrical bills.
- Marge Unruh announces the June meeting will be a community wiener roast to be held at the Richmond Beach County Park (now Saltwater Park).
- Richmond Beach “dis-incorporates” and becomes unincorporated Seattle.
- Neighborhood Crime Watch program instigated.
- The use of the Richmond Beach Elementary School site for a park is urged.
- Call for donations of historical interest to the Shoreline Historical Museum as it becomes a fact, not a dream.
- Richmond Beach Post Office moves to the Innis Arden Pharmacy. Club box number 186 remains the same.
- Richmond Beach Community Club votes to lease the school from King County Parks Department—develops community park with King County.
- Richmond Beach Community Club joins Shoreline Chamber of Commerce.
- First Strawberry Festival is sponsored by the Richmond Beach Community Club.
- The fourth Annual Strawberry Festival is combined with Park Beautification Day. Hot dogs, baked beans and strawberry Jello.
- Last full year for “volunteer-style” fire service in Richmond Beach. On-call firefighters are replaced by full-time professionals from “up the hill.”
- Sewer swap and closure of Metro treatment plant in Richmond Beach saves taxpayers $10 million.
- RBCA is involved in the Shoreline Governance Study.
- Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) sites an office with over 60 workers at Point Wells. The office later moves to Everett.
- Post office returns to Richmond Beach, housed in Richmond Beach Foods. The Richmond Beach Community Council's box number remains the same.
- Richmond Beach is a neighborhood in the newly incorporated City of Shoreline.
- The Marge Unruh Community Service Award is created in honor of the late neighborhood leader to acknowledge those who carry on her legacy of service.
- The Strawberry Festival makes a comeback.
- The Strawberry Festival adds live music, food from local restaurants and strawberry shortcake.
- The Richmond Beach Community Council changes its name to the Richmond Beach Community Association.
- RBCA helps the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council buy the “Showmobile” stage, in exchange for perpetual use at the Strawberry Festival.
- The old “volunteer” fire station is revived by the Shoreline Fire Department as the Fire Safety Center, used for community events, education and as a party rental.
- Community action discourages the construction of a vast wastewater treatment plant at Point Wells. Instead, Point Wells/Richmond Beach will become the outfall location for treated water from the Brightwater plant in Woodinville.
- The heretofore private, informal Turkey Day Fun Run on Thanksgiving morning becomes a publicized RBCA event, drawing a large crowd.
- Regular blood drives begin, first at the Richmond Beach Library and then at the Fire Safety Center.
- Paramount Oil, operator of the tank farm and asphalt plant at Point Wells (in Snohomish County, on the northern border of Richmond Beach) announces that its corporate parent, Alon, intends to redevelop the property, putting in 3000+ luxury condominiums. This is met with overwhelming community opposition and unprecedented political and legal activism.
- The Richmond Beach Post Office is relocated to Spin Alley. The RBCA box number still remains the same.
- RBCA hires Sheri Ashleman as its first Executive Director. Teresa Pape also served as Executive Director in subsequent years. The role was no longer filled after 2022.
- The Richmond Beach Post Office relocates to Beach House Greetings. Yes, we keep our historical box number 186.
- Small group gatherings are introduced as a way to encourage residents to meet their neighbors with common interests. This includes food tours of local restaurants, yoga classes, bike rides, etc.
- The first Food Truck Shoreline is held at Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, bringing in food trucks and live music.
- Halloween Carnival celebrates its 30-year anniversary.
- Turkey Day Fun Run celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a visit from pirates.
- The Orca public art project is unveiled.
- Pandemic forces cancellation of many events and restrictions on meetings
- Strawberry Festival returns after Covid restrictions lifted.
- Board elections result in a complete group of Directors
- A full year of RBCA and Shoreline events return to Richmond Beach