According to the staff at West Seattle Nursery (the home’s neighbors to the east), the statue was hoisted to the roof earlier yesterday, and people worked all day to install it. When we went to the house, a man on the roof helping with the installation described the sculpture as a “fairy” and said they were almost done with it.

From the street, it indeed appears to be a “fairy,” albeit one with very little clothing. The statue faces southwest, with her “wings” facing northeast toward California Avenue.

If you want to see the statue in all its glory (well, some of its glory): click here.

(Story and Photos by Jason Grotelueschen)

That’s the West Seattle Big Band playing their final song, as the sun set (both literally and figuratively) on the second summer of the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s popular Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series.

A reporter-estimated crowd of 300 enjoyed the show, on a pleasant but increasingly chilly Thursday night as the wind picked up and the sun went down. The WSBB concert was the sixth and final concert of the 2010 Hiawatha season, and ANA president Katy Walum said it was a terrific summer. Here’s Katy introducing WSBB and thanking the sponsors, volunteers, and musicians who made it all possible:

Here’s the crowd spreading across Hiawatha’s east field:

And here’s the band in full swing:

We’ll update this post later with more comments from Katy Walum, and perhaps a video from WSBB’s performance.

SEPTEMBER 4 UPDATE: We’ve added a short video below of WSBB’s performance.

 Here’s the info, from our Events page:

SEPTEMBER 3: You are invited to FiaFia! co-presented by Southwest Youth and Family Services
Friday Sept 3rd 5-7pm @ SSCC JMB A

Please join our youth in celebrating their accomplishments this year!
· Pacific Islander Senior Banquet: SPY Connections youth organized a senior banquet to honor their high school brothers and sisters who successfully completed high school and are moving on to college or vocation.
· Washington Strongest School Competition: SPY Connections youth took second place this year in the 1st annual competition that focuses on fitness and strength.
· Pacific Dance: SPY Connections youth has performed cultural dance at 20 different venues this year.
· PI Social Studies Class: SPY Connections youth has successfully completed a social studies class for high school credit.
· YUIR Community Forum: SPY Connections youth helped organize a successful forum to address the recent injustices with the police and the youth community.

 Information about this event and dozens of other local events is always available on our Events page.

As usual, start time is 6:30 pm and admission is free – bring a blanket, some food & drink, and the whole family.

SEPTEMBER 2 UPDATE: Thanks to ANA president Katy Walum for letting us know that “Admiral apparel” will be on sale at a discount tonight: $10 kids’ shirts, $15 adults’ shirts, and $40 track jackets. The PCC truck with food samples for the kids will also be there, and likely the “Icecycle” folks with Full Tilt ice cream and treats in tow.

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Best-selling West Seattle author Terry Brooks, a big name in the fantasy-fiction literature world, drew a crowd of more than 60 fans for his annual appearance to read and sign books at Barnes and Noble in Westwood Village today.

Brooks is promoting his latest book, Legends of Shannara: Bearers of the Black Staff. From his website:

Terry has finished writing both books in the Legends of Shannara duology, which take place five hundred years after the events in The Gypsy Morph. Bearers of the Black Staff, Book One, will be published August 24, 2010!

The book follows on the success of his previous novel, A Princess of Landover (which was “a continuation of the Landover series after the events in Witches’ Brew,” according to his website).

Brooks’ appearance at B&N is an annual tradition that his fans clearly appreciate, and is one of the few local events that we’ve covered five consecutive years since WSB’s launch in 2005. (Read our coverage of his 2009 appearance here). According to B&N assistant manager Sonja, who has also organized Brooks’ readings in recent years, today’s crowd is “one of the biggest we’ve had” for the author, who is “one of the few authors we do these events for. He’s local, and shops here all the time!” 

Brooks read excerpts of his work, shared stories, and treated his fans to a free bookmark with a list of his suggested reading order for his various books, which he joked have been ”written out of order and confusing to everyone — but this should help.”

In addition to working on some continuations of his previous books, he promised fans “something new” in the next few years — “I’m getting burned out on Shannara and need to put some time into something different.”

When asked about the possibility of film adaptations of his work in the future, Brooks lamented the stop-and-go nature of past negotiations he’s been through. “Everyone talks a good game, but nothing happens,” he sighed.  He joked that “my kids always say ‘look what happened to Tolkien!’” in reference to the famous Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, whose works made theatrical millions long after his passing in 1973.

Brooks thanked those in attendance for their dedication, and sat down afterward to sign books and meet with his fans.

(Photos and Video by Christopher Boffoli)
The Providence Mount St. Vincent outdoor-concert series is a wrap for this year – after The Haggis Brothers‘ performance at The Mount tonight. A few people in the audience were bundled up against the breezy late-summer evening. But the band’s Bluegrass and Western Swing music (and a barbecue dinner) definitely warmed up the crowd.

This is one of two major outdoor-music series in West Seattle – the other, the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (co-sponsored by WSB), concludes next Thursday, with the hometown favorite West Seattle Big Band playing on the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center at 6:30 pm. (In the meantime, there’s a bonus concert – The Board of Education, half of a crowd-delighting Hiawatha double bill Tuesday before last, will perform at Alki Playfield Tuesday night at 6.)

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli)
If you drove through The Junction tonight and spotted the huge crowd spilling into the street from Easy Street Records – big night for music fans. The store hosted – free! – the public debut of Fistful of Mercy, a new group with three names you might recognize: Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur, and Dhani Harrison. Hundreds showed up for a glimpse and a listen:

Fistful of Mercy is based in Venice, California. They’ve got a website – but it looks like you’ll find out about them right now on the band’s Facebook page. ADDED 10:17 PM: From comments, here’s video shot and uploaded to YouTube by “k”:

And Christopher’s clip from the crowd-in-the-street perspective:

A onetime Junction eyesore is getting a big dose of beautification. We told you two weeks ago about the High Point Community Center-supervised mural-creation project, making paintings that would be put up in the passageway on the west side of California SW in The Junction, near Northwest Art & Frame and Puerto Vallarta – now, they’re up, after some hard work by volunteers on Wednesday.

Among those putting up the murals were Marc Patnode, daughter Annie, Liz Schroeder from the West Seattle Junction Association staff, and High Point CC’s new Small Scholars Academy early-education program teacher Roxanne Brown.

A dedication plaque will go up soon, and the walkway path itself will be repainted too, to complete the facelift, which should be done sometime next month.

(Photo courtesy Toni Reineke, Westside Symphonette)
Westside Symphonette “welcomes all musicians – beginning to advanced, young to antique.” So writes its founder/co-conductor Toni Reineke in her announcement of its new season, which starts September 14th. If you’re interested in being part of this community orchestra, it’s registering musicians now. Read on for the full announcement:

Westside Symphonette anticipates its new season!

September 14—and every Tuesday!

The Westside Symphonette Community and Youth Orchestras are preparing for the 2010 Fall Season, which begins Tuesday, September 14.

The Westside Symphonette welcomes all musicians, beginning to advanced, young to antique. Each group is open to all ages, youth through adult with informal auditions for placement in one of the three different orchestras to suit your individual skill level:

Symphonette Strings – Are you just now thinking about learning how to play the violin or have kids that have sparked an interest? This group is for those who are just getting started playing the violin, viola, cello or bass. Through a generous grant from The Wallace Foundation, the Symphonette Strings will have adult coaches provided by the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras.

Intermediate Orchestra – This ensemble was formed for those that may have only a few years experience or are promoted from the Symphonette Strings. This group will give you the full symphony experience by including winds and percussion, an opportunity unique in West Seattle.

West Seattle Community Orchestra – The Westside Symphonette is now known as the West Seattle Community Orchestra. The name change is a reflection of its significant growth in musicianship and increased adult membership. For the fall season, the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony will be tackled and included in the fall season’s repertoire along with other classical and holiday music.

In addition to Toni Reineke, co-conductor and founder of the orchestra, the Symphonette again welcomes Julia Tai and Robert Duisberg as co-conductors. Julia recently received her doctorate from the University of Washington studying instrumental conducting with Maestro Peter Erös and violin with Ronald Patterson. For over 30 years, Rob has composed music and conducted various groups in the Seattle area. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition and conducting from the University of Washington and a PhD in Computer Science. Toni holds a doctorate in music from the University of Washington and recently retired from Seattle Schools where she taught beginning instruments for ten years.

Come join the Symphonette! Fall registration has begun and openings are still available for every orchestral instrument. To register, visit the Westside Symphonette website (www.westsidesymphonette.org) and click on Registration. For additional information or questions, contact Toni Reineke at 206-243-6955 or tonireineke@comcast.net

If you saw our “tour new Fire Station 37″ story in the first few hours after we published it, you haven’t seen the postscript – one day after our tour, artist Pete Beeman – commissioned three years ago to create a sculpture for the site, under the city’s 1% for Art program – installed his work outside the station, along 35th SW. (Thanks yet again to Michael Oxman for sending a photo last night – we went back for our own a little while ago.) There’s little information about the sculpture online, so we e-mailed Beeman today to ask about its name, its inspiration, and even – as asked by a commenter – whether it has moving parts. He replied:

It is called “Lifter.” It has a crank at the bottom, which raises and lowers the polished arms.

There are a few concrete references to fire fighting equipment in the piece. The tower borrows its form from the “jaws of life” tool FFs use to open crunched car doors; the 5-sided nut shape around each shaft is borrowed from the 5-sided nut on fire hydrants.

Below is something I wrote about it when I was proposing the project. It is an abstract project, and I hope that people will bring their own visual vocabulary to it, project their own references onto it, but below are a few of the images that it kicks up for me.

“At times the sculpture looks a bit like a tree or an umbrella, metaphors for the sheltering, protective role the Fire Fighters play in a community. Other times it seems to be a bird form, a metaphor for the rising soaring hope that Fire Fighters provide a community in a crisis, whether it is helping maintain fire and health safety in daily life, or dealing with health and fire crises. It is heavy and mechanical, like much of the equipment standard to fire fighting, the moving tubes similar to a (unreachable) ladder at one point in their cycle. Finally, the image of the phoenix rising from the ashes of a fire comes to mind in its rising form, as its tubes are cranked all the way up. This is a perfect image or metaphor for the firefighters work, it is their work that breaks the crisis and allows people to recover, to move on.”

Closer look:

You can see more of Pete Beeman’s work here.

Volunteers needed: The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival is looking for volunteers for the 2010 festival (Oct. 15-24). We need volunteers to usher, set up and break down events, staff will call and merchandise tables and assist with other event related duties. Volunteers earn coupons to see movies for free and have a great time helping out with the event. All volunteers should plan to attend the Volunteer Orientation on September 26, 1:00 PM, at Northwest Film Forum. For more information send e-mail to the Volunteer Coordinator, Kevin Fansler at kevin@threedollarbillcinema.org.

According to a separate announcement from the organization – which doesn’t appear to have the full festival calendar online yet – The Admiral is one of five venues, and the films to be screened will include:

THE SECRET DIARIES OF MISS ANNE LESTER was the opening film at “Frameline,” the San Francisco LGBT film festival.

THE ADULTS IN THE ROOM is a gay docudrama by Portland-based filmmaker Andy Blubaugh.

A MARINE STORY shows how every fight is personal in an award-winning story about lesbians in the military.

IS IT JUST ME is a spirited romantic comedy.

Fansler adds that an opening party is planned 10/21 for West Seattle festival fans, at the Heartland Café, just around the corner from the Admiral.

11 days after the first word of the many ways you – and/or your kid(s) – can participate in Alki Family Fun Day on Sunday, September 12, a whimsical new video has just been made as another way to get the word out that they’ve still got spots for youth talent-show participants (as well as sponsors, vendors, and community groups). Early signup is especially vital for the talent show because they’re planning on one or two rehearsals. (Antonio Fernandez, who stars in the video with Izzy Krainick, is the talent show’s emcee and director.) The talent show will be part of a day also including a dog parade and concert. If you are interested in participating, e-mail Libby ASAP at libby@carrbiz.com – or call her at 206-938-8721.

BIG BONANZA: Just look for the red bandanas and balloons at dozens of stores in The Junction to see who’s part of today’s Big Bonanza end-of-summer sale organized by the West Seattle Junction Association (WSB sponsor) – and check this list before you go. Stop by Big Bonanza HQ in front of KeyBank at Walk-All-Ways to pick up coupons (like these) you can use at many of the participating businesses – or to be part of the water showdown at high noon! Sale starts at 10 am and runs till 5 pm.

ART FAIR AT LIFE CARE CENTER: Visitors of all ages are welcome 10 am-2 pm at Life Care Center (4700 SW Admiral) for art displays, a free barbecue lunch, kids’ activities, and more, all detailed on the official flyer.

REGISTRATION EVENT FOR ALKI BEACH 5K: With the walk/run benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing coming up a week from tomorrow, West Seattle Runner (California/Charlestown) is hosting a registration party today, 10 am-2 pm – come sign up for the Alki Beach 5K and enjoy refreshments, a raffle, plus a discount if you’re buying something from WSR while you’re there signing up for the 5K.

ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL: The Nature Consortium’s annual Camp Long extravaganza (5200 35th SW) runs 11 am-9 pm today and 11 am-6 pm Sunday. You will find interactive art in the woods, music in the (newly renovated) lodge, aerial dance by The Cabiri (shown in Catherine Anstett’s photo at left) in the meadow, among many other things. Find the schedule here.

PICNIC AT THE PRECINCT: It’s really more like a street festival, with SW Webster closed west of Delridge (map) for booths and displays that also fill the Southwest Precinct’s parking lot in a celebration/information event put on by West Seattle’s own police HQ. 1-4 pm today, come meet not only local police, but also community volunteers from a variety of local organizations. And you never know what you’ll see – SPD usually brings out everything from Mounted Patrol horses to a remote-controlled robot.

HAMS AT THE LIGHTHOUSE: A couple weeks ago, the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club shared the story of “activating” Alki Lighthouse as part of a worldwide event – but they had to do it from a tent at Alki Beach Park. Today, they will actually be set up AT the lighthouse, and are inviting everyone to come by and get a firsthand look and listen. 1-4 pm (also one of your last chances to tour the lighthouse this summer).

FUNDRAISER FOR SAILOR’S FAMILY: 5-10 pm tonight at Alki Crab and Fish (Seacrest Pier), proceeds from beer/wine sales and raffles go to the family of Petty Officer Jarod Newlove, the West Seattle sailor killed recently in Afghanistan.

‘UP’ AT WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: Second-to-last WSOM show of the summer! Come get carried away with the animated hit – AND enjoy a free barbecue courtesy of West Seattle Christian Church/Preschool (6:30 pm till the food runs out). Movie’s free, at dusk. Bring your own chair/blanket – and also consider money for tonight’s raffle to benefit Family Promise of Seattle (which helps homeless families but, as first reported here, has had to shut down because of $ shortage).

WALK ON, JAYME! The amazing story of Jayme Miller’s sudden paralysis and fight to walk again has made news all over Western Washington, because of her friends’ decision to plan a fundraiser to help with her massive medical bills. That event is tonight at Rocksport in The Junction, starting at 7:30 pm – centered on a silent auction for which they’ve collected some terrific donations. Here’s the Facebook event page.

Even more on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar!

(P.S. And just outside of West Seattle – South Park is throwing a party at Duwamish Waterway Park 11 am-3 pm, community garage sale and free barbecue, to raise money for Wi-Fi – details on FB.)