Congratulations to the fall/winter 2010 West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Award winners! A ceremony this afternoon next to West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays Headquarters honored the four winners (more than four people in the photo, since one is a group award) of the twice-yearly awards, which are sponsored by the Southwest District Council, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, and WSB. The winners this time around are Sawyer Coe(youth), Patrick Dunn(environment), Roxanne Simonds (community), and West Seattle Be Prepared(group). Here’s our unedited video of the entire 6-minute ceremony (held on a busy streetcorner, so a bit noisy/bumpy), emceed by Erica Karlovits, co-chair of SWDC and president of the Junction Neighborhood Organization:
No time to watch? Read on for a closeup look at each honoree:
Along with the West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays festivities we covered earlier (more next Sunday – and during WS Art Walk/Shop Late Thursday in four nights!), we checked in on some of today’s other holiday happenings. Above, the Keller Williams Realty team from The Junction had their annual holiday party at West Seattle Bowl – including an ugly sweater contest! The “winner” hadn’t been chosen yet when we stopped by, so everyone gathered for a group shot. Keller Williams has a Salvation Army Giving Tree in their office at 4452 California SW this season, and you are invited to participate by stopping by, choosing a tag, and bringing back the new, unwrapped gift before 12/20 pickup.
That action shot just in via cameraphone; we expect to be able to show the winner later! Two other events this afternoon, both by WSB sponsors, featured elegant spreads – the hallmark of the holiday open house – this one was for the dessert reception after the annual remembrance celebration at Forest Lawn:
And there were treats among the treasures at Wyatt’s Jewelers at Westwood Village:
Wyatt’s is now along the central WV driveway, while its former location on the breezeway by Bed Bath Beyond is home to Santa’s House again this year – Santa’s back at Westwood next Saturday and Sunday, noon-4 pm, one of the ongoing (as well as one-time-only) events listed on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page.
On the left, with her Scrabble game face on, that’s Jessie SK, proprietor of Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge. We dropped by last week as she and friends practiced for tomorrow night’s debut of fundraising Scrabble tournaments at Skylark. Every Monday night from here on out, you can go to Skylark to play Scrabble, with the entry fee going to a good cause. Tomorrow night (and every first Monday), the beneficiary will be Team Tracy, the breast-cancer-fighting-and-awareness-raising 3 Day for the Cure team (whose namesake/leader Tracy Dart is a former Skylark employee); other nonprofits are set (or being lined up) for the other Monday nights. The Skylark website has the full story; signups are at 7 pm Mondays, first game at 7:15. (Skylark opens for happy hour/dinner at 3 pm, so you’re welcome to chow down before your wordplay.)
In some places, it’s not Christmas till Santa and his reindeer show up. In the West Seattle Junction, the Belgian draft mules and their carriage are almost as much of a holiday icon. They’re here now (video) and giving rides till 3 pm – just wait by Hometown Holidays HQ alongside KeyBank, which is where you’ll find Pathfinder K-8 with holiday facepainting:
Your holiday helpers in that photo are Lashanna and Jen (whose face is already painted). Pathfinder is also selling wreaths, raising money for outdoor-education programs, just a few steps west along SW Alaska by the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. And of course, Santa has arrived in The Junction today too – with photos raising money for WestSide Baby, which is near and dear to the heart of the young lady with whom we photographed St. Nick a short time ago:
That’s McInnis Woodland, daughter of WestSide Baby’s executive director Nancy Woodland. Donna Ryan Photography is taking professional Santa photos again this year (we took the pic above – hers will be much lovelier!) – your $15 donation today goes to WS Baby. By the way, Donna is having a contest to name the retail shop – including kids’ clothes – that she opened alongside the studio space earlier this year; winner gets a $500 shopping spree – entry details here.
Next up for Hometown Holidays Sunday – West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards at HH HQ, California/Alaska southwest corner, at 1 pm!
Monday P.S. – As discussed in comments, Santa photos continue the next two Sundays, 11 am-3 pm, at Donna Ryan’s studio, on SW Alaska south of California, next to Cupcake Royale, as do other Junction festivities, though the mules aren’t back till December 19th.
Saturday’s sunshine brought lots of visitors to West Seattle’s new Myrtle Reservoir Park. These photos show it’s a viewpoint as well as a playground: The top photo, shared by Andy Silber, shows the view toward downtown, looking over the new play equipment; earlier in the week, Val took photos including this next one, showing the place markers at the viewpoint from which the top photo was taken:
The inscriptions are part of what Seattle Parks describes as “an interpretive element” labeling the area’s highest hills – and as Val points out, “We win at 520′!” (The nearby 35th/Myrtle water towers are at the highest elevation within the city limits, which is where High Point gets its name. Park access by the playground/path is at 35th/Willow.) The park’s official dedication is not yet scheduled.
(2009 photo of mule carriage in The Junction) HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS: Today and the next two Sundays are full of Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) excitement in The Junction. Starting at 11 am, you can get a photo with Santa Claus at Donna Ryan Photography ($15 donation goes to WestSide Baby) and ride a mule-drawn carriage (free – catch it by Hometown Holidays HQ outside KeyBank), plus face-painting courtesy of Pathfinder K-8 (purveyors of the famous handmade wreaths). The West Seattle Farmers’ Market is open for business 10 am-2 pm as always. And at 1 pm, join us at Hometown Holidays HQ to honor the latest recipients of the West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards (as announced here). While you’re in The Junction, you can enter the $4,600 Hometown Holidays Raffle – with more than two dozen participating merchants (listed here).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS TODAY: 3 WSB sponsors are having open-house events: Savor “The Flavor of the Season” with special food tastings/demonstrations at Metropolitan Market, noon-5 pm … Wyatt’s Jewelers in Westwood Village has an open house 1-4 pm … And Forest Lawn invites you to a holiday celebration starting at 4 pm, with a string quartet and catered goodies … Also: The community is invited to the annual Christmas Party at Alki Masonic Hall (4736 40th Av. SW), 3-5 pm – free Santa pictures, magic show, food, games, gifts for the kids … Watch a gingerbread-house-building competition at West Seattle Christian Church, 5 pm … Gingerbread houses are also part of the plan this morning at Fauntleroy Church, where the annual Advent Pageant is part of the 10 am service; Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) has a special holiday service too, 10 am, with the “Hanging of the Greens” … Westwood Village‘s Santa House is open again today, noon-4 pm (bring food-bank donations for photos, and diaper donations for WS Baby, too) … Details, and even MORE holiday happenings, on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page (updated at least once daily, with more events and services as we get word of them)!
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