month : 06/2009 442 results

West Seattle Art Walk: June images, and a look ahead to July

June 12, 2009 9:41 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Art Walk: June images, and a look ahead to July
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s the Fraternal Order of Eagles Band performing at The Kenney last night during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk. Other sights from along the route:

Twilight Artist Collective celebrated its June group show. (And remember, they’re accepting applications for the Art Dive at West Seattle Summer Fest next month – full details here.) To the south, Curious Kidstuff unveiled its new Curious Art Kids and Curious Party Kids additions:

And in the Admiral District, Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) featured Mixed Greens Blog and celebrated 10 years of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market with rosemary/lavender lemonade, homemade crackers with rhubarb and Beecher’s cheese (second photo), and co-proprietor Frances Smersh‘s cork jewelry:

The West Seattle Art Walk (official site here) adds new participants quarterly – here’s a Google Map with sneak peek at who you will find on the next three WSAWs – July 9th will be particularly fun because that’s the night before Summer Fest, so you can visit stops in The Junction while wandering the closed street. And the new participants include venues outside The Junction, too, like Coffee at the Heights (WSB sponsor) in Sunrise Heights.

Happening today/tonight: Cooper hearing; TV switch; wine; skating

June 12, 2009 7:54 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today/tonight: Cooper hearing; TV switch; wine; skating
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

COOPER ELEMENTARY CLOSURE COURT HEARING: 10:30 this morning in King County Superior Court; closure opponents are offering bus rides to supporters who want to be there (as reported here).

TV SWITCH: This is the date TV’s all supposed to go digital. If you still need help making sure you’re ready, there’s a drop-in help center at Youngstown Arts Center (as reported here).

WINE RELEASE: 3-6 pm, the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College hosts a free event for you to taste and purchase its summer wine releases (tomorrow too; more info here).

END-OF-YEAR SKATING PARTY: The popular Friday night roller-skating events at Alki Community Center wrap up the season with a party tonight, 6:45-8:45 pm, free admission – including hot dogs and a bouncy toy for younger kids.

More to come – for today, tomorrow and Sunday – in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup later this morning.

Video: West Seattle High School, Seattle Lutheran graduations

June 12, 2009 1:57 am
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 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | West Seattle video

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

After both the West Seattle High School and Seattle Lutheran High School commencement ceremonies on Thursday night, we published photos here – now we’re adding video. Above, it’s the WSHS Class of 2009 — 265 grads — on the field at Memorial Stadium (here’s our earlier coverage on their Awards Night); below, members of the SLHS Class of 2009 (45 grads) doing the wave while waiting to enter the gym for their ceremony:

(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)

Since our photographer got a little closer to the SLHS grads, he noticed special detail work on some of their caps, like this:

And here they are in the gym:

The SLHS ceremony, by the way, was streamed live online! Graduations yet to come: Chief Sealth High School on Saturday, and two ceremonies at South Seattle Community College next week (schedule here).

West Seattle food: Swinery Deli in the works for The Junction

(Gabriel Claycamp demonstrating pork-butchering in Port Orchard; 2008 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
One month ago, we shared the report that The SwineryCulinary Communion founder Gabriel Claycamp‘s cured-meat business, closed on Beacon Hill – was planning to take over space in West Seattle. Now, a multitude of WSBers have shared e-mail from Claycamp that not only has more details about the originally reported West Seattle space, but also about plans to sell their products retail in The Junction – here’s the excerpt:

The Swinery Deli (The Swine Shop?)
The rumors are true. The Swinery is about to open an official retail establishment in West Seattle. This will be a full-service delicatessen (in the style of DeLaurenti’s, but smaller). We will carry cured meats from our friends around the sound and include a FULL butcher shop, as well as truly incredible cheeses that you don’t see anywhere else. We will have some dry goods, plus plenty of the hard to find deli items. This will be a delicatessen for foodies—for CC type foodies, who would everyday ask us where to buy veal bones, or salt cod, or bocarones. We hope to open this summer. Culinary Communion will have a little play here too: The Swinery Deli will feature a computer and printer running the complete CC database of recipes and curriculum. Now, when you ask about oxtails or mahi mahi, you can choose from a selection of real recipes, tested and proven. This has never been done before, truly turning a retail store into an educational cooking experience.

Where is it?
For 7 years people asked the Chefs at CC where their favorite fish store was. Without a doubt, our first response was always: Seattle Fish Company in West Seattle (California Ave, just north of the Junction). Owner Hobey Grote carries, we believe, the most amazing fish in Seattle at the best price. Only one little oddity, Seattle Fish has a huge amount of empty space in the front of its store… perfect to house an amazing deli/butcher. The deal isn’t finalized yet, but Hobey has told us to go ahead and tell people. Please, if you are in the area, come down, say hi to Hobey and crew, and buy some fish to show your support for this incredible opportunity for all of us!! The combination of amazing seafood, incredible meats and cheeses, and great wine will be a treasure for West Seattle and the whole Puget Sound.

If you haven’t been to Seattle Fish Company, it’s on the west side of California SW, north of SW Oregon.

(photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Claycamp and his family, meantime, have moved to Vashon Island. They originally started in West Seattle, then moved to Beacon Hill, but lost their lease there shortly after a permit controversy and – according to their e-mail – are currently in a legal fight over how that ended. Their other new endeavor, which has been reported elsewhere – teaming with Skillet Street Food‘s Josh Henderson to come up with a “street food fair” starting later this year.

West Seattle scene: Yet another memorable sunset

David Hutchinson shares this shot from Duwamish Head (you’ll recognize the silhouetted area as Anchor/Luna Park). ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Thanks also to Cynthia, for this view:

Traffic alert: Crash blocking Delridge at Trenton

We’re on the scene of a two-car crash – at least one person is being transported by private ambulance – Delridge is blocked at Trenton right now. No info on how it happened.

A very busy night

Tonight both West Seattle High and Seattle Lutheran held their graduations. Here’s two quick pictures. The first is from Memorial Stadium, where the WSHS graduation took place. The second features the Seattle Lutheran class of 2009 waiting to make their grand entrance.

Later we’ll be adding an update that includes highlights of the West Seattle Art Walk, the grand opening of the new art studio and birthday space at Curious Kidstuff, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles Band performing at The Kenney.

Cooper Elementary “buddy program” to present art show 6/13

June 11, 2009 4:41 pm
|    Comments Off on Cooper Elementary “buddy program” to present art show 6/13
 |   Announcements

Coming up this weekend:

TAKE A WALK IN OUR SHOES:
An art show hosted by the Cooper Elementary Buddy Program

Saturday, June 13th
6:30 – 9:30 pm
Zeitgeist Coffee
171 S. Jackson St.
Come help us celebrate a successful first year of the Cooper Buddy
Program, a program dedicated to building relationships among students
with and without Autism at Cooper Elementary in Seattle Public Schools.
This evening celebration will feature student photography, paintings,
musical performances, spoken word, and writing, all highlighting the
relationships developed between students with Autism and their buddies.
There will be musical performances by local bluegrass and folk
musicians, Kirk Reese, Jason Stewart, Tom Rooney, Brad Carter and Melisa
Holman. Join us June 13th at Zeitgeist Coffee to celebrate friendships
as we walk together in the shoes of Autism.

West Seattle jail-site fight: County to offer “multi-year extension”

June 11, 2009 3:47 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle jail-site fight: County to offer “multi-year extension”
 |   Crime | West Seattle jail sites | West Seattle news

We reported in April that the Seattle City Council had sent the county a letter asking for an extension of at least 10 years in the contract for the county to handle misdemeanor inmates – the same inmates the county had said it couldn’t handle after 2012, touching off a push to build new municipal jails (with a West Seattle site under consideration by the “north/east cities”). Now comes word the county will offer a “multi-year” extension – read on to see the official news release just received from the county, followed by a response on behalf of Seattle and the other “north/east cities” (indicating the jail-planning process will NOT be halted):Read More

2 West Seattle food updates: Zippy’s parking; Skillet’s plan

ZIPPY’S PARKING: This one’s been playing out in the WSB Forums over the past several days – a Zippy’s Giant Burgers customer wrote about some apparent escalated tension over parking in the small lot there; now, Rahel Cook from Zippy’s has weighed in with an update.

SKILLET RETURNS: After one week without a West Seattle appearance, Skillet Street Food says it’ll be back this Sunday, 11 am-2 pm, Seattle Lutheran High School parking lot. 5:40 PM UPDATE: Skillet just tweeted a new Sunday location: 44th SW near the Farmers’ Market.

“Bite of Morgan” at Saturday’s Morgan Junction Festival: Freebies!

June 11, 2009 1:30 pm
|    Comments Off on “Bite of Morgan” at Saturday’s Morgan Junction Festival: Freebies!
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Just two days till the next big West Seattle festival, the Morgan Junction Community Festival this Saturday, in and around the new Morgan Junction Park (which will be dedicated at 10 am, right before the 11 am-6 pm festival), and we have more details now about one brand-new component of the festival, the “Bite of Morgan” — from Kate Stineback:

Several restaurants have agreed to participate in the first annual “Bite” by donating bite-sized goodies for festival attendees throughout the day…the restaurants participating are:

Kokoras Greek Grill
Feedback Lounge
Zeeks Pizza
Tully’s Coffee
Abbondanza Pizzeria
(after 4:30pm)
Domino’s
Caffe Ladro
(handing out coupons at the park opening)

We are so excited about this and hope that people will come on down, grab a coupon book and travel around the (Morgan) Junction to these businesses to pick up a yummy “bite” of something inside each establishment. It should be great! And it says a lot about our businesses that they would be willing to do this at such a precarious time in the economy. Let’s show them our love and come out to the festival to celebrate our great little commercial business district!

You’ll be able to get the coupon book for the free “bites” at the Morgan Community Association booth. We’ll be there reporting live throughout the day too – hope to see you there! Earlier in the week, we mentioned the music lineup – read on for a few more details on the bands, courtesy of Chas Redmond:Read More

Pancake breakfast at Alki UCC on June 27 to help Family Promise

Your breakfast plans for June 27 just might be set – here’s the announcement of a fundraising pancake breakfast:

Who doesn’t love pancakes? Mickey mouse shaped, buttermilk, blueberry, apple sauce, creamy butter, maple syrup, piping hot stack of flap jacks.

Where: Alki United Church of Christ, 62nd and Hinds, in West Seattle.
When: Saturday morning, June 27th starting at 8:30AM.
What¹s to eat: Simple breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, syrup, orange juice, milk and coffee
Who is invited: Anyone who wants to help the cause of homeless families! Children must be accompanied by an adult.
What it costs: $5 per person, but larger donations are welcome and appreciated.

Additional information on Family Promise can be obtained through our website at www. familypromiseofseattle.org or at our parent website at www.familypromise.org

“Red Across Day” this Sunday (6/14) at Avalon Glassworks

June 11, 2009 12:06 pm
|    Comments Off on “Red Across Day” this Sunday (6/14) at Avalon Glassworks
 |   Announcements

That photo is from Shannon Felix at Avalon Glassworks in Luna Park, along with an explanation below:

“Red Across” Day at Avalon Glassworks this Sunday:

All-Red-All-Day to Support American Red Cross.

Shop at Avalon Glassworks on Sunday, June 14 when we we will be donating 10% of the day’s sales to help American Red Cross of King and Kitsap Counties.

Watch live glassblowing throughout the day, we’re making ALL RED stuff.

See a special RED vase demonstration at 2pm.

Get the limited edition mini RED float for a $20 donation.

10% of the day’s sales will be donated to American Red Cross.

More info at http://www.avalonglassworks.com

Digital TV switchover tomorrow – where to go if you’re not ready

You may feel like you’ve been hearing about it forever. But it’s still estimated that thousands of people in the Seattle area alone will be caught off guard when the “digital TV transition” finally happens tomorrow. So, if you’re not sure you’re ready – here’s a reminder that you can get help at a special drop-in center at Youngstown Arts Center in North Delridge, 9 am-9 pm daily (that includes tonight and tomorrow). More details here, including information on what the transition’s all about, if you’re still a bit befuddled.

New York Times writer looks at the Amanda Knox case

As Kristina put it while e-mailing WSB to share this New York Times link (which a few others have pointed out to us as well), “West Seattle-ites don’t hit the NYT all that often!” Seattle-based NYT writer Timothy Egan has written a long, opinionated look at the case of Amanda Knox, the Arbor Heights student who is about to testify at her murder trial in Italy. See it here.

Washington State Ferries starts summer season on June 21

June 11, 2009 11:09 am
|    Comments Off on Washington State Ferries starts summer season on June 21
 |   Announcements

Yet more proof that summer is just around the corner – so is the summer season that kicks off June 21 on Washington State Ferries, with details in a news release we just received – read on:Read More

Report #2: What the candidates told the 34th District Democrats

Next time West Seattle’s biggest political group, the 34th District Democrats, meet, they will decide who else to endorse for the August primary — and that’s why more than two dozen candidates in almost one dozen races came to The Hall at Fauntleroy last night for our area’s biggest pre-primary candidates’ forum.

One week earlier, four of the contenders for King County Executive took questions in the InSPIRe-sponsored forum (WSB coverage here) across the street at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor); with many 34th DDs involved in that group, they urged members to attend that event to get a look at the KCE candidates, but as for everything else – last night was the big night.

The marquee race: Seattle Mayor, which started the night; also featured – four Seattle City Council races, the Seattle City Attorney race, Seattle Port Commission positions, and Burien City Council. Read on for our marathon roundup of highlights (focusing on the city races) – including links to the 34th DD’s own coverage, as well as photo galleries, and a link to what we sent out via Twitter during the event:Read More

Invitation to join – and help – the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade!

That’s WSB video from last year’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade in the Admiral District – and Sherri Chun has just sent word of the plans for this year, with a request for help to make sure it happens next year (and beyond) too:

Yes, we are having a parade this year! As usual, we’ll meet at 44th and Sunset to kick things off. Start time is 10:00 am. We’re still waiting for confirmation (but are hopeful) that Mayor Nickels will again be able to join us. The parade will end at Hamilton Viewpoint park, with games and bake sale treats courtesy of the Holy Rosary Moms’ group. A huge shoutout to Dave Weitzel at Weitzel Construction [WSB sponsor] for providing our portable toilets. Dave, we couldn’t do it without you! Thank you also to Holy Rosary Parish for underwriting our parade insurance and for providing our PA system, and to all the volunteers who make it happen.

This year we are really, really counting on the community’s support. Several years ago we had a volunteer development director, whose job it was to solicit donations from local businesses. Sadly, this person retired due to a combination of job and personal life changes. This year we are financing the parade using the last of her development efforts. If we are to continue having this parade in the future, we need additional support from the community. Parade and park permits alone are $350. Additional costs include the generator, beach balls (an annual tradition at the park!), printing, and miscellaneous decorations. This does not include the cost of portable toilets, which are very important (and expensive over the holiday weekend!).

This year we are asking each family to donate $1 per child toward future parades. There will be donation boxes by the games table, the concessions stand, and next to the portable toilets. Please help ensure the future of our annual 4th of July Kids Parade! Thank you, and we look forward to seeing all of you and your families on the 4th of July!

Sherri Chun and Jodi Bennett
Parade Coordinators

Today/tonight: Crochet a river; do the Art Walk; congratulate grads

That’s Mandy Greer in a shot we captured on Delridge Day May 30th, as she continued adding to the crocheted river she’s creating as part of Mater Matrix Mother and Medium, art to be installed later this month at Camp Long. And that’s where you’ll find here today, noon-4 pm, as she invites anyone and everyone interested to join her in crocheting more of the rest of her work. That’s not today’s only art event:

WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits is one of the 40-plus stops on tonight’s West Seattle Art Walk, 6-9 pm, with a “fresh” theme – read about it here. For the full list of Art Walk stops, check out the official website; here’s a direct link to the printable map. And while you’re in The Junction, remember tonight is the grand opening for Curious Art Kids and Curious Party Kids at Curious Kidstuff (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm (with cupcakes!) – read more here. Finally, for hundreds of West Seattle teenagers and their families – this will be remembered as graduation night:

sashes.jpg

That’s a photo from the 2008 West Seattle High School graduation at Memorial Stadium (Seattle Center downtown). That’s where WSHS’s Class of 2009 will graduate at 5 pm tonight; then at 7:30 at the Seattle Lutheran High School gym, the SLHS Class of ’09 has its commencement. (Here’s a full list of West Seattle-linked graduations taking place over the next week.) This is just part of what’s happening today/tonight – check out the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for more (including the Alki Idol finals!).

Details: Court of Appeals hears Satterlee House arguments

hosuetoday.jpg

While Satterlee House owner William Conner is pursuing his development-rights appeal on five main points, only one of those points was spotlighted in oral arguments this morning before the state’s second-highest court: “Whether the city’s landmarks ordinance is unconstitutionally vague,” as Conner’s lawyer Richard Hill described it. The arguments went quickly – as we noted in the morning preview from the Court of Appeals-Division 1 courtroom at One Union Square downtown, each side gets 10 minutes, and a digital clock tracks the time in glaring red illumination – starting just after 10 am, and concluding, with some questions from the judges along the way, just before 10:30. Read on for details (and backstory if you haven’t followed this case before):Read More

Meet the Highland Park Improvement Club’s new officer lineup

June 10, 2009 11:26 pm
|    Comments Off on Meet the Highland Park Improvement Club’s new officer lineup
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle people

Highland Park has two active community groups. We’ve written the most in recent months about the Highland Park Action Committee, as its members tackled tough topics including the proposed municipal jail, but the Highland Park Improvement Club is not to be underestimated. HPIC met tonight in their namesake building – same place HPAC meets, incidentally – and installed new officers – you see the team above: Ken Knoke, Kay Kirkpatrick, Julie Schickling, Nickie Jostol, Rhonda Smith, Gretchen Heiden, Bette Spry, Bill Jaback, Rory Denovan, Greg Harrington. (HPIC celebrates its 90th anniversary this fall; here’s the history page on its website.)

Another vivid sunset, in case you missed it (well, we did)

Thanks to JH for sharing the sunset photo. The Hall at Fauntleroy, where the 34th District Democrats‘ candidate forum just wrapped up in the past half hour, is a lovely place, but no westward view. We’re working now on stories wrapping up loose ends from some of the one-of-a-kind events we covered today and tonight; stay tuned.

1st report: 34th District Democrats’ candidate forum

This is the epicenter of Seattle politics tonight – The Hall at Fauntleroy, where the 34th District Democrats are hosting their big candidates’ forum — all major races except King County Executive (that race was handled with a separate forum across the street at Fauntleroy Church [WSB sponsor] last week). The major candidates for mayor are all here – including incumbent Greg Nickels, Councilmember Jan Drago, Michael McGinn, Joe Mallahan, James Donaldson, Norman Sigler. If there are any fireworks during the meeting, we’ll add them here – otherwise look for the detailed report later (we’ll also be tweeting from time to time at @wsblive rather than our regular Twitter account). The first few minutes focused on the mayoral race, with yes/no questions – notably, “Do you support parking meters in The Junction?” Nickels no, Drago yes. ADDED 8:05 PM: The mayoral section of the forum is over, no fireworks. Questions included support for labor, philosophy on transportation and helping the homeless. “Nickelsville” only came up when Mallahan alluded to it but said he would only call it a “tent city” because anything else “wouldn’t be fair.”