West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Announced after our visit to Arbor Heights Elementary for today’s dedication of the new building: Mayor Murray will be at AHES tomorrow morning to greet preschoolers arriving for their first day in the levy-funded Seattle Preschool Program. The announcement we received this afternoon says he’ll be joined by school district and city officials during his 7:45 am visit. (We published an announcement back in July that the city-funded program had dozens of openings in local schools including AH.)
And the ribbon is cut at Arbor Heights! Genesee Hill dedication one hour away pic.twitter.com/7WF4Mw6NL2
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 6, 2016
The just-concluded dedication ceremony at Arbor Heights Elementary celebrated a day that twice came close to never happening. Mentioned many times during the pre-ribbon-cutting speeches was the fact that the school community had to fight to get the rebuild – and then had to fight to get the schedule moved up in the BEX IV levy so that students could get out of deteriorating conditions as soon as possible. Not mentioned – the fact that just a few years before, during a contentious school-closing process, the Arbor Heights program was proposed for closure. That too was fought and now AH students are hours away from their first day in a $28 million building built for their eSTEM curriculum, as highlighted by principal Christy Collins:
The ceremony in the AHES Commons was attended by a crowd we estimated at more than 400 – here’s just part of it:
The ribbon-cutting was followed by tours – here are our photos from the recent media tour, including many of the elements that Collins mentioned. She was joined onstage and at the microphone during the ceremony by 34th District State Sen. Sharon Nelson, 11th District State Rep. Zach Hudgins, Seattle PTSA Council president Sebrena Burr, Schools First president Melissa Pailthorp, West Seattle/South Park School Board rep Leslie Harris, School Board president Betty Patu, and SPS Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland.
AHES is one of 5 new schools the district is dedicating, and the next one is in West Seattle too – Genesee Hill Elementary (1 pm)!
ADDED: Another view of the crowd in the commons, showing the bracing in the back, meant to be educational as well as safety-enhancing:
The big smiles during the ribbon cutting:
Pieces of the ribbon were offered to kids afterward – “Batman” got one:
Both kids and parents were helping the Arbor Heights PTA make the most of the big turnout, handing out cards touting the “4th Annual Direct Drive” fundraiser – one was offered to us as we walked down the sidewalk before even getting to the school, and the PTA had a table in the lobby:
It was a day for celebration and for gratitude – with principal Collins thanking many, including the neighbors who dealt with two years of construction, and the Louisa Boren K-8 STEM community whose Delridge building they shared the past two years (“wonderful hosts”). And now, as of Wednesday morning, Arbor Heights’ new future begins.
We’ve reported already on the five Seattle Public Schools in West Seattle that are starting the new school year with new principals. 
We have since learned that a major local independent school has had a change at the top as well: PreK-8th Westside School (WSB sponsor) is now led by Ted Kalmus, who has a two-year appointment as interim head of school while Westside embarks on a thorough process to create a strategic plan and launch a leadership search. He took over after the departure of four-year head of school Kate Mulligan last June. Kalmus served as head of school at independent Billings Middle School from 1997 to 2015, and worked with Westside as a consultant prior to taking the leadership role. He also is on the board of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (which has its headquarters south of The Junction). By the way, tomorrow will start Westside’s second year in its permanent location in Arbor Heights.
(Juvenile Coopers Hawk – photographed by Mark Wangerin)
After almost two years of construction, two new Seattle Public Schools elementaries will be dedicated in West Seattle today. They top our list of highlighted happenings:
ARBOR HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY RIBBON-CUTTING AND TOURS: 11 am, the new school on the site of the old one will be dedicated, followed by open-to-the-public tours. (3701 SW 104th)
GENESEE HILL ELEMENTARY RIBBON-CUTTING AND TOURS: 1 pm is when you can see the ribbon-cutting ceremony here, also followed by open-to-the-public tours. (5013 SW Dakota)
Also from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BABY STORY TIME: 10:30 am, bring your baby/babies to Southwest Library for story time! Free. (35th SW/SW Henderson)
TODDLER STORY TIME: Or, if your little one is toddler age, 10:30 am is when you’ll find a story time just for them at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. Free. (2306 42nd SW)
TWIN PEAKS COFFEE AND CHERRY PIE SOCIAL: Noon at Easy Street Records, celebrate the reissuance of the original “Twin Peaks” soundtrack with, well, coffee and cherry pie. If you are/were a fan, you’ll know why – details in our calendar listing. (California SW/SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. The WSBC website features agenda highlights. All welcome. (41st SW/SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE SONGWRITER SERIES: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, no cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:57 AM: Good morning and welcome to a rainy post-holiday Tuesday. No incidents in/from West Seattle thus far.
BACK TO SCHOOL: More students return today – the Vashon Island School District, which has more than a few West Seattle students, is starting classes. But tomorrow’s the big day for Seattle Public Schools and the independent schools that follow the same calendar.
7:05 AM: Sound Transit just sent an alert that some of its buses, including West Seattle-serving Route 560, “are experiencing delays of up to 25 minutes due to heavy traffic and road conditions (rain) this morning.”
WEST SEATTLE CANCELLATION: This came in just ahead of that and we almost missed it until the mention in comments, but, for the record:
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:06 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) September 6, 2016
Metro has tweeted four other cancellations this morning, but this is the only one in West Seattle so far.
ROAD-WORK REMINDER: The Spokane Street repaving project east of the low bridge enters its second month this week and is expected to last two more months. This week’s plan is here.
8:34 AM: If you’re headed toward the high bridge from the Fauntleroy end, beware:
Stalled vehicle left lane eastbound West Seattle Bridge by steel plant #westseattle @King5TracyT @westseattleblog
— Mike Jensen (@mjtwit) September 6, 2016
8:48 AM: And if you happen to be heading southbound on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, there’s a lane-blocking crash near the Columbia on-ramp, per WSDOT.
8:56 AM: SDOT says that incident has cleared.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Puget Sound’s boundless beauty might be its ultimate undoing.
But it’s not too far gone – yet.
That was the message heard by and shared among more than 100 people during a recent boat tour that used the Sound’s beauty as a backdrop for a message that grows increasingly urgent: Restore more of its nearshore.
That’s the part you might not even think twice about as you gaze at the spectacle of the water, sapphire under sunshine, silver under showers.
We hear a lot about the water itself – pollution we can reduce, like combined-sewer overflows and toxic runoff. But what’s next to the water matters too. The beach, or what’s replaced it; the bluffs; those comprise the nearshore. So does what’s on the beach, the rocks, the bluffs … NOAA Fisheries Service explains it, plainly, here.
Another term that mattered on the tour: WRIA 9 – a zone you’re in, but might not ever have heard mentioned.
WRIA stands for Water Resource Inventory Area. Zone 9 is the Duwamish-Green Watershed … as in, the Duwamish-Green River, which runs south from West Seattle.
With that area of focus, those who were aboard (listed here) included elected officials from South King County as well as representatives from advocacy groups, businesses, and government agencies.
The slate of speakers began with Jay Manning from the Puget Sound Partnership Leadership Council opened with the dire warning that you can’t judge Puget Sound by its beauty: Read More
For the second day in a row, we’ve received a Crime Watch reader report of a Toyota Prius stolen in West Seattle. First Arbor Heights, now Fairmount Springs (Fauntleroy and Graham): “Charcoal gray Toyota Prius, Chico State sticker on rear window. WA license 474-YNG.” 2008 model, per @getyourcarback. Owner says usage of card(s) that also were stolen might suggest it is or has been in the Westwood Village vicinity. Call 911 if you see it.
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
3:57 PM: A second major fire call is working right now, this one in the 5600 block of West Marginal Way SW [map]. In this one, we’re hearing by scanner, there is some concern about propane tanks – stay away from the area.
4:04 PM: Per scanner, this fire is reported to involve containers on a barge. The response includes at least one SFD fireboat.
4:13 PM: The response has been upgraded to include “hazmat” so you will see and hear even more units heading to it. We have just arrived in the area. West Marginal Way is NOT blocked off – the fire units are all on the east side.
4:24 PM: The additional responders are arriving now and West Marginal is filling up – not sure how long it is going to remain open. We’ve added a photo of firefighters getting water on the burning container(s).
4:28 PM: Media crews are being kept back a ways for obvious reasons. Via scanner, it’s reported that the fire is believed to have started in garbage inside the container(s).
4:40 PM: Still an active firefight. We haven’t heard of any injuries but no one is providing official information to us or other gathered media yet, either. Meantime, the Coast Guard is helping keep vessels away from the fire zone; one of our crews is going to go see if any of this is visible from anywhere else along the river.
(Photo courtesy Aaron)
4:51 PM: Just got a briefing from SFD’s Lt. Harold Webb (video added below), who says basically half the city’s firefighting force is here.
…including Chief Harold Scoggins.
(Photo added: Chief Scoggins and Lt. Webb)
Even more units are arriving now. No injuries, we’ve confirmed. What they’re doing now, Lt. Webb says, is trying to cool off the burning containers so they can get a chance at taking them apart and figuring out what caught fire.
He mentioned the same thing we had heard via scanner – they’re not entirely sure what’s in the containers but garbage is believed to be at least part of it.
5:21 PM: Thanks to Andrea for the photo above – looking toward the fire scene from Highland Park – and Stacy for the tip that boat traffic is being kept out of the area, so if you’re looking to head south on the Duwamish River from the West Seattle Bridge vicinity, you won’t be able to, TFN. Looking toward the fire scene from the east shore of the river, Patrick Kelly shared this photo via Twitter:
Lots of firefighting foam in the water.
5:43 PM: Some units are being dismissed as this winds down. Scanner discussion also indicates the exclusion zone on the river will be reduced.
6:53 PM: We just went over to check on how the wrapup is going. More SFD units left, including the last one (Engine 29) that was still parked along West Marginal Way. Lt. Webb, currently serving as public-information officer, was about to leave too, and told us they would still have a presence on site for a few hours. Forklifts are continuing to pull containers off the barge where the fire started:
8:29 PM: SFD says “spontaneous combustion of garbage” is what sparked the fire.
3:51 PM: Firefighters are at a house near 34th SW and SW Findlay, with investigating unit Marshal 5 on the way to investigate a fire there.
4:12 PM: We stopped here briefly on our way to the big call on West Marginal Way (separate story). Toplines: Small fire on a deck, now out; house was undergoing remodeling; no one home when it happened; no one hurt.
West Seattle’s Chelan Café was the starting point this morning for a poker-run motorcycle ride to the Labor Temple downtown – but not a direct route: The ride stopped at multiple local union halls along the way. Leading the ride, if you didn’t recognize her in our video clip of the departure, was West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, riding with husband Bob Combs:
As previewed here on Saturday, the ride had five stops planned, from the International Association of Machinists hall in South Park to the Deep Sea Fisherman’s Union in Ballard, before arriving at the annual picnic at the Labor Temple.
Herbold participated last year too – but this was her first since being elected last November to the City Council (whose two-week summer recess ends tomorrow, by the way).
(Added late Monday afternoon – photo by Trileigh Tucker)
2:11 PM: Just got a report from Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail that orcas – transients, not the Southern Residents – are headed southbound toward Alki Point. And she says they’re reported to be close to this side of the water.
2:44 PM: As of a few minutes ago, an Orca Network sighting report had them near the Vashon ferry.
3:14 PM: Just tweeted by @corybe – the video below, showing the orcas still heading southbound, closer to the Vashon shore, seen from the Fauntleroy-bound ferry:
Orcas sighted between Vashon and West Seattle from our ferry cc: @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/gS0CE6QLN1
— Cory Bergman (@corybe) September 5, 2016
1:38 PM: Burglars are still targeting local storage units in the Luna Park area. Most recently, we’ve had multiple reports of break-ins at Public Storage on SW Avalon Way; today, we have word of a break-in at nearby Stor-More (WSB sponsor) on SW Yancy. The victim says it happened late Friday night:
They broke into only our unit, apparently. We had a really good lock on the door but they cut the hasp — so essentially, they cut *around* the lock. They went through almost every box and threw stuff around and took jewelry and a few antique silver ornate serving platters. Mostly stuff they could sell easily.
Searching Tweets by Beat for the incident number (2016-320931), we noticed another burglary report this weekend (different incident #) for an “unoccupied structure on residential property” in the same block.
6:08 PM: As noted in comments, there are reports now of multiple break-ins at Stor-More this weekend. We’ll be following up on these and the PS break-ins, with police and with company reps, to see if we can find out about plans for increased security.
Back-to-school season continues this week. Not too late for you to sign up to provide extra help to kids for whom it will make a world of difference:
(Photos courtesy Invest in Youth)
Looking for a way to give back to your community?
Invest in Youth is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that provides free tutoring to local elementary students across the city.
Become a tutor this fall! We are looking to pair volunteers with about 100 students at Roxhill Elementary and five schools outside West Seattle (Daniel Bagley Elementary, Madrona K-8, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Beacon Hill International School).
Tutoring begins the first week of October, runs through May and takes place once every week at each school.
Each tutor is matched with the same student for the whole school year, and the pair works together on things like playing math games, reading stories or working on homework, for one hour each week. Educational materials and activities, training and support, and heartfelt appreciation are provided at every session.
For more information or to apply to be a tutor, please contact Erika Chen at echen@investinyouth.org or visit our website.
Can’t commit to the full school year? Become a substitute tutor or share this with your friends who might be interested.
You can share any WSB story (or Lost/Found Pets post, Forum post, etc.), by the way, by clicking ShareThis beneath it, to open e-mail and social-media options for sharing/sending.
(One of the hardest-working birds, taking a break. This is a male Anna’s Hummingbird – photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Welcome to Labor Day 2016!
TRAFFIC/TRANSIT/TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Area traffic cams and info (including a link to the city map with travel times) on the WSB West Seattle Traffic page.
*Metro buses are on a Sunday schedule
*West Seattle Water Taxi is also on a Sunday schedule
*Sound Transit Route 560 is on a Sunday schedule too
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is on its “regular summer Sunday sailing schedule”
‘PARKING HOLIDAY’: No pay stations on city streets in West Seattle, but if you’re heading off-peninsula, you should know there’s no charge in the neighborhoods that do have them, because this is a “parking holiday.” (SDOT also notes that time limits are not enforced on holidays.)
TRASH/RECYCLING PICKUP: If you have Monday pickup, it WILL happen today.
SEATTLE PARKS: Most facilities are closed for the holiday, with the exception of Colman Pool (last day of the 7-day-a-week season) and Highland Park Spraypark (last day of the season), and West Seattle Golf Course.
LIBRARIES: All Seattle Public Library branches are closed today (King County Library System, too).
Event notes for today:
POKER RUN MOTORCYCLE RIDE: Join City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and the labor community on a ride to area union halls, starting from West Seattle’s Chelan Café at 8:30 am – registration at 8 am – details in our preview. Scooters welcome too. (3527 Chelan SW)
LABOR DAY PICNIC/FLAG RAISING: 11 am-3 pm at Alki Masonic Center in The Junction, you’re invited to the annual potluck picnic (bring a side dish to share) and flag-raising ceremony (at noon) – details are in our preview. (40th SW/SW Edmunds)
GLASS BLOWING: 11 am-5 pm at Avalon Glassworks (which is open regular hours, 10 am-6 pm, today): Glass artist Sean Welch will be making glass apples to benefit White Center Food Bank. (2914 SW Avalon Way)
LAST DAY FOR TOURS AT ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: 1-4 pm, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary invites you to the season’s last day of tours at historic Alki Point Lighthouse before the season ends. Be there by 3:40 pm. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
If you see/hear news … please let us know – 206-293-6302 text/voice if it’s happening now, editor@westseattleblog.com if it’s not urgent. Thank you!
September is Preparedness Month. This year brings more than the standard – and important! – reminders about disaster kits – it also brings the 2016 Seattle Disaster Relief Trials, starting from Alki Beach during the Seattle Summer Parkways event three weeks from today. Here’s the official announcement about what organizers describe as “a disaster drill in the form of a cargo-bike ride, simulating a Day 3 supply run”:
Seattle’s Disaster Relief Trials (DRT) will take place Sunday, September 25th, 2016 and will run from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, starting from 61st Ave SW and Alki Ave SW in West Seattle. This year, the Seattle DRT will be held in partnership with Seattle Summer Parkways, Seattle Emergency Hubs, and the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS).
Imagine the impact a nearby 8.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami would have on Seattle. Buildings collapsed, roads in shambles, people displaced, services disconnected. Without roads that are passable to vehicles, how do we provide essential services to injured and scared residents?
The DRT is a fun emergency-preparedness event that mobilizes bicyclists to carry cargo representing emergency supplies to and from six checkpoints, Community and Communication Hubs and other significant community gathering locations throughout West Seattle and White Center.
Each of the six hubs will include a cargo activity for the Responder class, and an emergency response mini-workshop for the Resilient, Family, and Citizen classes, as well as for the public. The emergency response activities will be provided by partnering organizations.
The goal is to provide a realistic practice of how bicyclists can be a vital link in providing supplies to citizens, in cases where the roads are impassable to larger vehicles, within the context of educating the public and having a great time!
Tickets are now available. We are offering different ticket types indicating your level of participation (Responder, Resilient, Family, Citizen, etc.). Tickets range from $0 – $20. Most tickets include a free stylish 2016 DRT shirt you can wear year round!
Want to help out with the event? We are seeking volunteers to help with registration, setup, running checkpoints, and teardown. Volunteers will receive free snacks and water and a stylish 2016 DRT shirt, and will have the opportunity to learn valuable preparedness skills!
If you would like more information about this topic, please email us at info@SeattleDRT.org. If you’d like to volunteer to help with this event, please email us at volunteerDRT@gmail.com.
An Arbor Heights resident hopes you can help find her stolen car:
My newly bought 2012 Prius v – my dream car – was stolen from in front of my house last night (Sept. 3rd). It is silverish blue. I live on 40th St. SW. Reward for anyone who provides information leading to the recovery of this vehicle.
Plate # is AZE2410, according to SPD’s @getyourcarback Twitter feed, which includes the reminder to call 911 if you see a stolen car, rather than checking it out closeup.
2:29 PM: On the shore at Alki Point, swimmer Erika Norris hugged her dad Jim after she became the first person in more than half a century to swim from Bremerton to Alki Point. She finished the “Amy Hiland Swim” – named after the woman who did it in 1959 – moments ago. We first reported on Thursday about the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association‘s announcement of Norris’s 10.4-mile swim.
3:10 PM: NOWSA says Erika’s official time was 4:09:20; Amy Hiland’s 1959 time was an hour and a half longer, according to the coverage linked in the first paragraph.
ADDED 5:24 PM: Our video as Erika came ashore:
Some of the people who hiked out onto the rocky shore at low tide to watch:
Here’s what they saw as she approached, with the accompanying sailboat:
(That photo and the next one are by David Hutchinson.)
Even before this, Erika was an accomplished swimmer, as explained in the bio published when she was named to the New York University Hall of Fame last year.
(WSB photo from 2012 flag ceremony at Masonic Center)
Another Labor Day invitation for you – everyone’s invited to the annual flag ceremony and potluck at Alki Masonic Center in The Junction:
We hope you you’ll join us this Monday, September 5th, for our Annual Labor Day Flag Dedication Ceremony and Potluck Picnic. We’ll be raising a new flag at 12:00 noon, following by a potluck picnic. All are welcome – we hope you’ll join us!
WHEN: Labor Day, Monday September 5, 2016 11 am – 3:00 pm
(Flag Ceremony Begins at Noon)WHERE: Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th Ave SW
MEAT: Brother Jeff Jolly is smoking a substantial amount of beef brisket for you to enjoy.
BRING: A Lunch Dish to Share
WHO: All Are Welcome!
Oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!-Francis Scott Key
September 14, 1814
That bald eagle caught a lot of attention on Saturday, spending time atop a streetlight at Duwamish Head. The photo above is from David Hutchinson; the two below are from Robert Spears, interspersed between our highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and coverage archives:
BREMERTON TO ALKI POINT SWIM: As previewed here last week, Erika Norris plans to swim from Bremerton to Alki Point today, approximately 10 am-2 pm. It’s only been done once before – more than half a century ago. The Northwest Open Water Swimming Association plans to track the swim here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm on Sundays year-round, holiday weekends included! (California between Oregon and Alaska)
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Second-to-last day of the season for West Seattle’s only spraypark, 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
COLMAN POOL: Second-to-last day of the 7-day-a-week season, with swim sessions noon-7 pm; after tomorrow, the pool is closed except for one last “post-season weekend” next Saturday-Sunday. (8603 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: 1-4 pm, second-to-last day of this year’s free tours with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – get there by 3:40 pm. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
‘LIGHT UNDER THE BRIDGE’ MUSIC FESTIVAL: 2-5 pm at Shorewood Foursquare Church, this outdoor Christian-music festival will raise money to help people experiencing homelessness. Info in our calendar listing. (10300 28th SW)
RYAN HUTCHENS: Acoustic singer-songwriter performs at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)
FUNCTION NORTH OF THE JUNCTION: 4-9 pm festival/expo in the Anytime Fitness lot in The Admiral District, first-of-its-kind-event promising food, fun, games, raffles, via what’s intended to be “an annual event to promote physical health, mental health and emotional health and how to find it through local businesses here in West Seattle.” Full schedule/details in our calendar listing. (2222 California SW)
LUCKY BROWN AND THE SGs: Folk/jazz at Parliament Tavern, 9 pm, no cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SEE THE FUTURE … on our full calendar, here.
10:14 PM: Thanks for the texts – including the photo, from Hugh: What happened in the 5000 block of 42nd SW, just south of The Junction, is only logged as a “motor vehicle incident” but it involves an overturned car.
10:32 PM: SFD left quickly – no one is hurt. Police say one parked car is damaged, in addition to the flipped car, for which they’re awaiting a tow truck. The driver is being given a field-sobriety test.
By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Ruth Parker Winquist doesn’t say much these days, but when she does, it’s said with a dry, quick wit. Out of nowhere, Winquist remembers “someone daring someone else to lick a cow pie.” Good fun back in the day!
It is not very often that a centenarian is in our midst. Winquist is a week away from that milestone – on Saturday, September 10th, she plans to celebrate her 100th birthday with family, at her home in Brookdale Admiral Heights, where she has lived for more than 10 years.
Winquist was born in Portland in 1916 to Charles Arthur Parker and Ella Ethelyn Gabriel. She was the middle child of three – sister Nancy, born in 1914, is gone now, but brother Ben, born in 1921, lives in Mill Valley, Calif., and talks on the phone with Ruth every Sunday. Her earliest memory is when her mother took she and Nancy to see French Marshal Ferdinand Foch in a parade after World War I. Her mother thought it was important for her daughters to see a real war hero. Read More
With less than three weeks until the curtain rises on its 2016-2017 season, ArtsWest Playhouse has a crowdfunding campaign under way to support the upcoming productions: Dubbed #TellTheStory, the campaign, says the ArtsWest announcement, “allows our patrons and others in the community to engage with the stories we tell together and connect them to the process of getting a show on its feet. We’re asking the members of our community to donate and help support the show or shows in our season with which they most connect. Their donation is a way to show their support of the stories they want to see told and in return we’ll include them on the journey as each show takes shape. We want to cultivate a new audience with a stake in the art that we make.”
The six productions start with “Ghosts,” opening September 22nd, a change from what was announced back in May, though the six plays are the same. September 22nd is also the final scheduled day of the just-launched crowdfunding campaign. ArtsWest is also offering an incentive for bigger donations – the first 50 people to donate $100 will get an invitation for 2 to the season-launch party, one week from tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
The donation campaign is on Crowdrise – go here and start by choosing which of the six “stories” you want to support. Tickets for ArtsWest’s upcoming performances, meantime, are on sale via the playhouse’s own website.
(CM Herbold and other riders on Labor Day 2015. Photo by Bob Combs)
Got a motorcycle? You can put the “labor” in Labor Day by joining in this citywide ride that starts in West Seattle on Monday morning. Scott sent the announcement:
Join Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and Seattle’s labor community for a motorcycle ride through Seattle and a visit to some of Seattle’s union Halls.
Participation in the poker-run is $20 and benefits The Labor Archives of Washington. Registration starts at 8:00 am at the Chelan Café in West Seattle. From there we journey on to several union halls before ending at the Seattle Labor Temple for the annual Labor Picnic at 1:00. And yes, there is reserved parking. An after-event is scheduled for 4 pm at Slim’s Last Chance.
You don’t have to be a union member to participate – everyone is welcome. Given the route, this is a great event for smaller bikes and scooters as well.
Poker-Run route is as follows:
Chelan Café (Registration) – 3527 Chelan Ave SW
IAM (International Association of Machinists) 1500 S. 91st St.
ILWU (International Longshoremen and Warehouse Union) 3440 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA
UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) 5030 1st Ave S
IBU (Inlandboatman’s Union) 1711 W Nickerson St
DSFU (Deep Sea Fisherman’s Union) 5215 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle Labor Temple – 2800 1st Ave.
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