(WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland and board member Amy Daly-Donovan)
Another night, another big party at The Hall at Fauntleroy! One night after The Taste of West Seattle, The Hall rocked Friday night with “Shake, Rattle, & Roll,” the cocktail-party benefit for WestSide Baby, held last year just hours after WS Baby’s big benefit tea, this year moved to a few months later. Another difference: While the tea moved to a big airport-area conference center, this bash was West Seattle through and through. West Seattle-residing radio star Marty Riemer emceed:

West Seattle band Not Dead Yet provided the music – including their signature “West Seattle Hey”:

We had to grab a separate pic of them once we heard their story, courtesy of Sherri Chun, a founding member of the “47th Ave Bookclub,” a moms’ group that gave birth to Not Dead Yet when the members’ husbands “learned they all have something in common – musical talent! … They write their own music, much of it about family, kids, and famous local landmarks.”

If you missed them at last night’s party, Not Dead Yet will be playing Seattle Summer Streets on Alki this Sunday. Back to the Friday night party – click ahead for more photos, and video!

Among the event’s sponsors, Wyatt’s Jewelers – whose Kirk Keppler, photographed with wife Joni, was celebrating his birthday! And what a great place to celebrate, given who was mixing the drinks:

That’s Matt Johnson, award-winning cocktail artist and co-proprietor of the Feedback Lounge. The fun also included a photo booth-type setup:

WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland took a few minutes to speak about the people they help – and the people who make that possible:

(If you couldn’t watch the video – Nancy had big news – another major Kimberly-Clark donation on the way – 18 pallets of baby wipes!) More local businessfolk enjoying a break and supporting WestSide Baby – Kendra and Parrish Hammer from Budget Blinds in The Triangle, and Shannon and Jon Felix from Avalon Glassworks in Luna Park:

From Fauntleroy Chiropractic in The Triangle, Dr. Bryan Wiebe:

Next big event for WestSide Baby – the annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive, July 22nd! And you can help them any time … here’s how.

(Our standard disclosure, whenever we mention sponsors – of the businesses mentioned above, Wyatt’s Jewelers, Feedback Lounge, Budget Blinds, and Fauntleroy Chiropractic are all WSB sponsors as well as WestSide Baby supporters who happened to be on hand last night – as is, though not photographed, Ventana Construction)

Residents of Puget Ridge will be cleaning up the neighborhood as part of the City’s annual Spring Clean campaign tomorrow from 10 am to noon. Neighbors will meet at 5644 17th Ave SW to pick up supplies and form work teams at 9:30 am.

Other neighbors will be meeting at 10 am at Sanislo Elementary, including the team that will be cleaning and restoring the natural area at the school. There will also be a team cleaning the Myrtle steps as a combined effort with volunteers from the North Delridge Neighborhood Council.

If you can help tomorrow, just show up in one of those spots! As for the other two = White Center Spring Clean has ended registration for participants, but Highland Park is welcoming help, and you can get details here. Anybody else spring cleaning tomorrow?

Providence Mount St. Vincent is looking for Artists to display their work in our McAllister Hall Art Gallery.

The art gallery at Providence Mount St. Vincent displays local art on a monthly basis featuring a different artist each month. The main goal of this program is to provide enjoyment and artistic culture for our residents, since many of them are no longer physically able to visit art galleries. We offer artist the ability to sell her or his art with the request that 20 percent be donated to our Foundation. The gallery is located on the second floor entrance on the west side of the building–a high traffic area within the Mount. The art is viewed by residents, staff, families of residents, volunteers, and visitors. We insure the art while it’s on display to protect it from any possible damage and offer a reception in the artist’s honor.

The months of June, August, October, November and December are currently open in 2012. Please contact Anna Cronin at anna.cronin@providence.org or 206.938.6242 for more information.

West Seattle High School is looking for adult volunteers this coming Sunday (May 20th) to help with the 5K race. If you are able to help Sunday morning between 7:30 am and 12:00, or anytime inbetween, it would be much appreciated. Please send an e-mail with your name and time you are available to wshs5kvolunteers@gmail.com – Any and all help will be much appreciated.

The run is followed by the Seattle Summer Streets street party till 5 pm – the activity/entertainment list is taking shape here.

COOLMOM/SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE BENEFIT TEA: This Saturday afternoon at 2 pm, you’re invited to a benefit tea to help “make West Seattle more sustainable and resilient,” as Bill Reiswig put it in his note, by supporting two groups: CoolMom and Sustainable West Seattle. From local food to transportation to toxic runoff to recycling, both groups have led a variety of creative sustainability campaigns in the community, with small budgets and tireless volunteer energy, and this is your chance to help them keep the work going. Tickets are $30; get yours here.

NORTHWEST HOPE AND HEALING’S ‘STYLE ’12′ TALLY: A week and a half after another annual edition of Northwest Hope and Healing‘s triumphant fashion show raising money to help breast-cancer patients (WSB coverage here) – with survivors wowing the crowd from the runway – the tally is in, and NWHH says its $100,000 goal was exceeded, with a total of $114,000 raised. As explained in today’s announcement:

Proceeds from the event benefits the Northwest Hope & Healing (NWHH) Patient Assistance Fund, which provides financial assistance for every day expenses like child care, groceries, gasoline, utilities & emergency rent to women in need who are receiving breast and gynecological cancer treatment at Swedish Medical Center, as well as for Signature Healing Baskets which are given free of charge to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

You can also help NWHH by registering for the annual Alki Beach 5K – it’s on August 26th, and online registration is open now.

If you can spare a few hours next Saturday morning, the volunteer-run West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs would love to have your help as a “citizen actor.” It’s another drill – this time with a terrorism scenario – and two of the 11 West Seattle hubs are scheduled to be “activated,” along with at least 10 others around the city. The “hubs” are neighborhood spots designated as places you would be able to go to find information if some kind of disaster takes out the regular communications channels, and local volunteers “activate” them periodically in drills, to stay fresh with the procedures and skills that might have to be put to use someday. The drill is scheduled for Saturday (May 19th) 8:30-noon at hubs in High Point and Fauntleroy; to volunteer as a potential “citizen actor,” role TBA, please e-mail Cindi at cbarker@Qwest.net.

Thanks to Debra Salazar Herbst for the bird’s-eye view of this morning’s Walk With Us to Cure Lupus fundraising walk along Alki. The money raised supports the Alliance for Lupus Research, trying to cure lupus, an autoimmune disorder affecting up to 1.5 million people in the U.S.

SIDE NOTE: Next fundraising walk/run on Alki is a biggie – one week from tomorrow, it’s the West Seattle 5K (co-sponsored by WSB) on Sunday, May 20th, 9 am (preceding Seattle Summer Streets “car-free day” activities till 5). Registration and packet-pickup details are on the WS5K website; the event is a benefit for, and organized by, the West Seattle High School PTSA.

Meet Lauren. She’s been working to learn more about bees, which are so vital to our environment … and yet, to some, so scary, or at least mysterious. She has an idea to help other learn more about them – but she can’t make it happen alone – so she would like to pitch her idea to you, and find out what kind of support is out there:

Seeking fellow West Seattle Neighbors interested in supporting an observational/educational beehive in High Point!

My name is Lauren Englund and I live in the High Point Community. I am also a member of the High Point Neighborhood Association … and I have an idea. I would like to apply for a Department of Neighborhoods Grant (or similar) for the construction of an observational beehive enclosure within one of the park spaces in High Point (perhaps something similar to the enclosure already installed at Bradner Gardens Park). Beehive enclosure’s help to minimize disturbance to the bees, heighten the flight path of the bees (to minimize human/bee interaction), and protect curious children from getting too close to the hives.

The enclosure would be at least eight feet tall and would completely surround the hives – but would have transparent windows, allowing both adults and children to see the hives or potentially a demonstration on how to work with the bees. I have been working with a garden coordinator from the Seattle P-Patch Program who is supportive of the idea. I’ve also communicated a bit with the coordinator of the children’s programs at the High Point Library who would be willing to create an educational children’s bee program associated with a High Point/West Seattle Beehive.

But, there is much more to be done and I need to know how much community support is out there before applying to use community funds for this!

Other ideas/plans:

- communicate with teachers in West Seattle Schools to see if they would be interested in incorporating bees into their curriculum and/or a field trip to visit the hives
- work with art teachers at West Seattle schools to create artwork (perhaps a mosaic?) to display West Seattle artwork and make the beehives pretty
- create another space/opportunity for those who like to work with bees/plants to gather (potentially there is a space available to create a small orchard nearby, but this is still in the works)
- surround beehive enclosure with educational signs relating to bees – honey bees are interesting!
- viewing of Vanishing of the Bees at the High Point Neighborhood House and/or West Seattle Community Center around the opening of the Beehive
- perhaps a neighborhood party for the beehive’s grand opening – lots of honey and bee related fun

Why?

- being part of the solution is a good thing. Bees are in trouble, we need them, and they need our help
- pollination – West Seattle has beautiful plants – let’s keep them happy and pollinated!
- honey – for legal reasons we cannot sell any honey made from a hobbyist beehive, but there will definitely be honey to share and enjoy
- education and community building opportunity
- High Point specific: there is a large Somali population within High Point, and collecting honey is a significant component of African heritage

Timeline:

- October 8th, 2012 = deadline for Small and Simple Grant from the Department of Neighborhoods (I will plan on attending their workshops over the summer to help put this together). This is a matching fund, which means that enough volunteer hours will need to be donated to match the funds requested. Likely amount to be requested = $12,000-$14,000.

- Spring 2013 – build beehive enclosure and create beehives

What I need help with:

- Education! Although enthusiastic, I am a novice at the very best when it comes to beekeeping. I am willing to assume primary responsibility for maintaining the hives if they are created, but I have a lot to learn. So far I have taken Beekeeping 101 and 201 through Seattle Tilth at the Good Shepherd Center. I am signed up for Beekeeping 301 in July, recently attended my first apiary work party at the arboretum, and have a whole bunch of beekeeping books on the coffee table preparing to dominate my summer reading. So, does anybody have any beehives out there in West Seattle? And would you be willing to let me come help you with them?

- Experience and support – if you’re interested in bees and want to learn more, know a lot about bees and want to share, or are just interested in community building events….here’s your chance! If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll keep you in the loop!

Contact information:
Lauren Englund
lcenglund@yahoo.com
616-502-3182

In order to remain compliant with Washington State law, it is now mandatory that those attending the Taste of West Seattle be 21 and over only. We apologize for this inconvenience and have advised people [affected] who have already purchased tickets to contact Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 for a full refund. Those over 21 that want to taste what West Seattle establishments have to offer can still buy tickets at www.tasteofwestseattle.org. Attendees will be required to have IDs at the door.

Tara says there are 15 more food/beverage participants this year than last, and there will be more room at The Hall of Fauntleroy too, with an additional “tented area” and room.

(WSB photo of 2011 West Seattle Grand Parade)
Organizers of the West Seattle American Legion Grand Parade – the one that thousands watch every July as dozens of floats and bands and community groups walk and roll and march down California SW – say they’ll have to cancel it if nobody steps up to contribute $3,500 so they can cover the costs. We’ve mentioned the donation drive earlier this year; here’s the latest from parade co-coordinator Dave Vague:

We want to thank everyone in the community who has donated to help put on the West Seattle parade so far this year, however, we’re still $3,500 short of the funds needed to put the parade on this year. As you know, we now are responsible for the cost of the street barricade signs and the bid has come in at $7,000, and so far we have only been able to raise half that amount. If we are unable to raise the additional money needed by June 1 we need to cancel the parade this year.

This was to be the parade’s 79th year, and as added excitement, it includes a 5K run before the start.

We are in desperate need in finding a sponsor or donor for the remaining funds by the end of May.

If anyone would like to donate or become a parade sponsor, contact Jim Edwards (wsbigband@ureach.com) or Dave Vague (vagued@comcast.net).

You can donate online via the official parade website, too. If you’ve missed our previous coverage – this is the second year the city has required groups to pay the cost of street-closure barricades; last year, the quote was about $3,000, and this year it’s up to $7,000. The parade does not charge entry fees and changing that wouldn’t help, because then they would have to pay more to get a different type of permit. If the parade doesn’t get canceled, it’s set for July 21st.

ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: Forgot to note that one of the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day sales this Saturday is a benefit for the parade – it’s sale #140 on the map, at parade-presenting American Legion Post 160, 3618 SW Alaska in The Triangle.

There’s been no offseason for Seal Sitters this year – which means the volunteer marine-mammal protectors/educators/admirers have been wildly busy. If you’ve thought about joining them, here’s your last chance before things get REALLY busy again. From Robin Lindsey:

Seal Sitters MMSN will hold our final new volunteer training session on Saturday, May 19th at the Alki Bathhouse (2701 Alki Ave SW next to the Statue of Liberty). There will be a lecture/AV presentation from 10am-12. Following a 30-minute break, there will be a followup on-the-beach training lasting approximately an hour. Due to time constraints as pupping season arrives, we will not be able to hold another training until after the season ends. We hope to see folks who want to help protect marine mammals attend the training – and please rsvp to reserve a spot:

blubberblog.org/files/f1e2561025a2bc8063238a9180e25086-368.html

We encourage children to get involved in this empowering experience! Shown in the photo here is new volunteer 10-year-old Casey with her mom Dana and veteran volunteer Christine, looking after a pup at Lincoln Park.

(WSB photo from 2011 ‘Stamp Out Hunger,’ donation-sorting at Junction post office)
Since it coincides with West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day each year, so we always ask that you donate to the Stamp Out Hunger food drive before shopping/selling that day – your Postal Service carrier will pick up donations of nonperishable food left by your mailbox or (if you have a mail slot) door. But here’s another way to help Stamp Out Hunger this Saturday – Audrey from White Center Food Bank sends word that volunteers are needed at the Westwood Village Post Office to help with the donated food:

Help Food Lifeline and help the White Center Food Bank. White Center Food Bank gets thousands of pounds of food from this every year…..

Volunteer at the 2012 Stamp Out Hunger food drive! Stamp Out Hunger is the county’s largest one day food drive. With the help of the National Association of Letter Carriers, we at Food Lifeline are striving to collect over 500,000 pounds of non-perishable food in the greater Seattle Area.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Watch for the blue bag in your mailbox for the nation’s largest one-day food drive, Stamp Out Hunger on Saturday, May 12th. Fill your bag with healthy non-perishable food and leave it by your mailbox so your letter carrier, Food Lifeline and White Center Food Bank can make sure it reaches hungry people in your community.

Food Lifeline is recruiting 170 volunteers to serve at 17 postal stations around Seattle, Bellevue and Mercer Island. We’d love to encourage White Center folks to lend a hand at the Westwood Post Office – of all the remaining stations, Westwood is in need of the most volunteers – 14 spots!

Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to volunteer this May 12th (especially at Westwood Post Office) to help end hunger in Western Washington!

Food Lifeline told us last week that the Junction Post Office already has all the volunteers it needs. If you can help at Westwood – find out how by going here.

On and off the runway, smiles, words of hope, and flourishes of fashion were the order of the night at Northwest Hope and Healing‘s “Style ’12” event last night at Showbox SODO. The video above is courtesy of Edgar Riebe at Captive Eye Media – the survivors you’ll see and hear from in his clip include West Seattle’s three-time survivor and fundraiser extraordinaire Tracy Dart (who told Edgar, “It’s fun to feel pretty in front of 500 people, and to show that you made it out on the other side”), the keynote speaker. West Seattle businesses participating included >West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), Ola Salon, and boutiques Carmilia’s, Sweetie, and Coastal. This summer, as usual, there’s a big West Seattle fundraiser for NW Hope and Healing: The 5K Alki Beach Run/Walk on August 26 (yes, registration is already open!).