The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) is back at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater this Thursday and Friday – the full Admiral schedule is here – and organizers are providing tickets for giveaways – so we’re starting right now. First person to e-mail us at westseattleblog@yahoo.com gets two tickets to “The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls.” It’s an award-winning documentary coming back to Seattle after its previous appearance at SIFF, and it’s described as “the must-see yodeling lesbian twins movie of the year.” After the 7:30 pm Thursday screening, there’s a reception at SLGFF sponsor Heartland Café just steps from The Admiral. Make sure your e-mail has TOPP TWINS GIVEAWAY in the subject line, and includes the name in which you would want the tickets held at the box office. As soon as they’re given away (which could be a while given the hour!), we’ll add a note here. We’ll have giveaways tomorrow and Wednesday night too (earlier!) and then Thursday and Friday, the festival’s on. 12:47 AM UPDATE: Tonight’s tickets are gone.
P.S. Not in West Seattle, but part of the festival, and free: SLGFF is joining with Safe Schools Coalition to screen the documentary “Bullied” at 6 pm Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall, with a panel discussion afterward, including three youth speakers.
From tonight’s Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum: Before the night’s main feature – a panel on the Duwamish River (still under way – full coverage later) – some news about city-landmark ex-Fire Station 37 at 35th/Othello (map). SWS president Brian Allen announced that the group is “exploring the possibility” of buying the station with a “large coalition” of partners and donors, to turn it into “Sustainability Station 37.” As we reported here in July, the city has already started the process of figuring out what to do with the historic station; firefighters moved out earlier this month and are now in the brand-new station a few blocks south, at 35th/Holden (map). As for the potential purchase, Allen promised an “initial organizing meeting” in the next two weeks – watch the Sustainable West Seattle website for more info (you can find his contact info there too).
9:18 PM UPDATE: Now that the meeting’s over, we talked to him to find out more: The concept is still fluid – “come to the meeting!” he smiled – but it could be a permanent HQ for Sustainable WS, for offshoots like the West Seattle Tool Library (currently ensconced at South Seattle Community College), and for services that support sustainability – very much a work in progress, and finding the funding, he acknowledged, won’t be simple, but they’re hopeful.
That video will give you a taste of what “Woodstick Big Beat” is all about. It’s happening on the Eastside – but it’s the brainchild of a West Seattle musician, Donn Bennett of Fauntleroy, and he says, “We need all the drummers we can get” in hopes of setting a record. This is the 8th annual Woodstick, Donn explains, saying, “Every year we attempt to set a new world record for drummers playing drumsets simultaneously. Our largest even ever had 533 drummers at Qwest Field in 2005. In 2008, a group in England broke our record with 588. We will attempt to break that record on November 7th.” This year’s event is at theJuanita Field House in Kirkland – but it’s linked simultaneously to 15 other cities in North America, all playing under one director who’s here in this area. If that’s not enough to pique your interest, Donn adds, “One of the featured drummers is Steve Moore. He became an Internet sensation when his Crazy Drummer video went viral on YouTube with more than 7 million hits.” Drumming is Donn’s business, by the way – with Donn Bennett Drum Studio in Bellevue. You can sign up through his website, by going here; proceeds benefit two charities, Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation and Camp Korey,as explained here. (By the way, even if this isn’t something you can play in, you’ll be welcome to come watch, 2-4 pm on November 7th, with doors opening at 10 am – Donn says there’s a band onstage with the hundreds of drummers playing in synch – this year, the band is Spike and the Impalers from the recently canceled Bob Rivers Show.)
36-year-old Nikki Mackey hopes you will watch that video of her recent haircut at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor). Five weeks ago, Nikki was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She explains why watching the video can make a difference:
Knowing that I will lose my hair to chemo, I decided to donate it to Locks of Love (my hair was very long and very pretty….)
I went last Wednesday to Illusions Salon in West Seattle and had them cut the hair for the donation – one of the stylists videotaped it for me since I have been trying to fully document this new and painful journey. I put the video up on YouTube to share with my friends and family (I’m from the East Coast so many of them are not here physically but want to share this experience with me in any way they can…)
The video generated a great many views very quickly and I received a notice from YouTube regarding ad-revenue sharing. Illusions gave their permission for me to
apply for the ad-revenue sharing and I contacted Locks of Love to let them know that I want all proceeds earned from the video to go to them. I just really want to get the video out there so we can perhaps earn some money to help this fantastic organization. Immediately following my surgery, one of the surgical attendants came to see me to make sure I was doing OK. She told me she had worked at St. Jude’s and was present when one of the Locks of Love wigs was presented to a 15 year old girl. She told me she never forgot how happy the girl was and how emotional it was to see this child get a wig which would allow her to feel like a normal 15 year old – at least as normal as she could possibly feel under the circumstances.
… I want to raise awareness for this awesome organization, as well as for breast cancer awareness. As I said, I’m 36 years old – I have no family history of this disease – I exercise regularly and eat organically, yet here I am. I just want to get the word out that body awareness is the key to survival. It certainly was for me.
The official Election Day – with vote-by-mail, it’s more like Voting-Ends Day – is two weeks from tomorrow. You should have received your ballot by now; if you have already mailed it back in or dropped it off, King County’s online ballot tracker will start reporting today on whether it’s been received (here’s where to check). And if you’re still researching who and what to vote for – remember there are two voter guides this year – online, you can find the King County guide here (or a custom version by entering your info on the right side of this page), while the state guide is here. Your ballot has to be either in a dropbox by 8 pm Tuesday, Nov. 2, or postmarked by that date (we’ll check when it gets closer, but last election there was one post office in the city that was postmarking up till midnight). One more voting note: For those with disabilities, the county’s accessible voting center at Elections HQ in Tukwila is now open, weekdays through Election Day – full details, hours, and location here.
The city has proclaimed this the Week Without Violence, and Seattle Parks and Recreation has announced a lineup of events including this one in the West Seattle/White Center area:
On Wednesday, Oct. 20, teens can enjoy “Bowling for Peace” at Roxbury Lanes, 2823 SW Roxbury, from 4 – 6 p.m. Participating teens will have the opportunity to compete in several special prize-winning bowling frames, contribute to a non-violence art project, and meet new teen communities from other centers. Teens who need a ride should contact Matthew Roberson at
matthew.roberson@seattle.gov or call him at (206) 684-7451.
The week’s full citywide lineup of events is here.
… is this Thursday. Bordeaux, Bites, and Boogie is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, which advocates for the health of our peninsula’s economy, while connecting local businesspeople with each other, and also making sure that key concerns such as sustainability are addressed as part of economic growth. The Chamber has a lot of big projects in the year ahead, and has had a busy year, but this one night is a time to celebrate and mingle, and you’re invited. The event is at Sodo Park, the events venue in SODO that’s owned by West Seattle-founded Herban Feast (which is also the parent of Fresh Bistro). It starts at 5 pm this Thursday night, and as the title suggests, there’s food, drink, and dancing, among other parts of the festivities – plus a raffle. You can get tickets online through Brown Paper Tickets (here’s the direct link), $50/person. (Disclosure note: WSB, like many local businesses, is a Chamber member and is honored to be its current Business of the Year.)
Some speed bumps lately for a few West Seattle park projects – as reported last week, Delridge Skatepark now won’t be built till after rebidding next year, and grading/utility challenges are pushing Myrtle Reservoir Park into next month – but this one is really on the home stretch: We just checked in with Fairmount Playground project manager Kelly Davidson, after noting that the hoped-for reopening date of October 15th had come and gone (our photo was taken last night). Here’s her update: “I just scheduled our punch-list inspection for Wednesday afternoon, 10/20. The contractor installing rubber surfacing took a bit longer than expected. The fence should come down after this inspection.” The project, designed with two community meetings last winter, is funded by about $170,000 in Parks and Green Spaces Levy money.
Just under two weeks till Halloween, but the celebrations are already beginning – so we’ve pulled the information about everything even remotely related (including “fall festival” events) onto one WSB page again this year, grouped by type of activity, and added it to the lineup of tabs atop every WSB page. Some of what you’ll find: The official Admiral Treats and Treasures (one of 4 local business-district trick-or-treating events) map is linked to its listing; The Sanctuary at Admiral is offering a new event, a silent movie with live organist; local Toastmasters will tell spooky tales at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) tomorrow night, and that’s the earliest event on the list. See it all here – and let us know if something’s missing, so it can be added – thanks! (Jack-o-lanterns photo from Heidi & Daniel, Halloween 2007)
(August 2008 photo by John LaSpina)
What do you need to know, and what can you do, about the state of the Duwamish River, the West Seattle-bordering waterway on which so much depends, from wildlife to industry? Tonight – Sustainable West Seattle convenes a Community Forum with leaders representing many facets of the complex situation, from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition to the Duwamish Tribe to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. You’re invited to listen, learn, question, and discuss (just as a key document on cleanup alternatives is going public) 7 pm @ Camp Long Lodge (here’s our original preview; the SWS website has an updated list of panelists). 5200 35th SW … Also tonight: Family Story Time at High Point Library, 7 pm … This afternoon, flu shots are offered at Merrill Gardens-West Seattle (WSB sponsor), 4611 35th SW, 1-3 pm, followed by free Mega-Bingo; call 206-932-5480 for an appointment … Monday night also means weekly bingo at Alki UCC (6112 SW Hinds), doors open 5:30, first game at 6:30 … More on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.
Starting today, King County Water Taxi riders can use credit/debit cards to pay their fare – by buying tickets from the machines now installed at Seacrest, Pier 50 downtown, and Vashon. The one in West Seattle, shown in our photo, is alongside the southeast side of the main building at the pier, close to where shuttle riders get on/off buses. The machines sell one-way tickets; more info here. Meantime, if you drive along Fauntleroy or 35th SW to get to the West Seattle Bridge, as of about 6 am this morning, the electronic signs along those routes are supposed to start showing travel times, as announced by the city on Friday. If you just want to check online before you leave home, this map is supposed to show times for even more areas.
The official Election Day – with vote-by-mail, it’s more like Voting-Ends Day – is two weeks from tomorrow. You should have received your ballot by now; if you have already 
… is this Thursday. Bordeaux, Bites, and Boogie is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the 
Just under two weeks till Halloween, but the celebrations are already beginning – so we’ve pulled the information about everything even remotely related (including “fall festival” events) onto 
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