Feed the need to read: Free books for “West Seattle Reads”
One of West Seattle’s smallest elementary schools has a big event for all West Seattle families this week: Sanislo Elementary (16th/Myrtle; map) is one of just a few schools to win a “One Book, One Community” state grant, thanks to the successful proposal sent in by Sanislo librarian Maryann Horsley. Your part in this starts 6:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, when you’re invited to Sanislo for 
the kickoff of “West Seattle Reads” — including free books! Kites are the theme, appropriately enough for this time of year. Two books will be offered — a picture book for kindergarteners through 3rd graders, “The Emperor and the Kite” by Jane Yolen and Ed Young, 
and a chapter book for older kids, “The Kite Fighters” by Linda Sue Park and Eung Won Park. The school says the Drachen Foundation is also providing a temporary installation of Drachen kites. (Besides free books, kite-making kits will be distributed during Wednesday night’s event.) As a followup to Wednesday, discussions about these books are planned at local libraries including Delridge (7 pm 4/14) and Southwest (7 pm 4/15) library branches, and then a community kite celebration at Sanislo is set for April 27th.
West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Last weekend of winter
Spring starts in a few days — truly a reason to celebrate with events like Halau Hula ‘O Lono Hawaiian music and dance (photo above) tonight at SSCC, and/or two big church rummage/garage sales today/tomorrow – then there’s the WSB Forum members’ “Handbags for Hunger” bash, the final weekend of two theater productions, video games for grownups at a local library, and more — 43 events ahead:Read More
Garage-sale season starts!
The official start of spring is still a week away, but garage-sale season gets off to a running start tomorrow and Saturday, with two megasales at West Seattle churches: One is at West Side Presbyterian Church (3601 California SW). 9 am to 5 pm Friday and 9 am-2 pm Saturday, church members are selling linens, books/CD’s/records, antiques/collectables, clothing, vintage and better labels, craft/holiday decorations, garden items, tools, furniture, household goods, salesman samples from the kitchen and home industry. Photos have just been posted – here’s a big collection. Also, Tibbetts Church is having its semi-annual rummage sale, 9 am to 4 pm Friday and 9 am-3 pm Saturday, with clothing, books, linens, kitchen supplies, sporting goods, yard and lawn tools, furniture, and collectables, 41st SW/SW Andover. This also gives us the opportunity to remind you that WSB is sponsoring this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, Saturday, May 10; we will soon announce the dates for and other details of registration — and we’ve got the stirrings of a website going at westseattlegaragesale.com. Hope you’ll be able to join the fun!
Happening tonight: Art Walk, theater, High Point safety
ART WALK: The West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk hits new heights again tonight – with a record 23 participants, stretching from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) 
in Admiral, to artist Steve Klinkel on Beach Drive (4150 Beach Dr #202, “stairs around back” per Steve, here’s his website), to venues south of The Junction including C and P Coffee and West Seattle Nursery. A major centerpiece tonight is the Clementine/Sweetie/Carmilia’s fashion show at Twilight Art (just west of Easy Street) — among what you’ll see there are new I (Heart) West Seattle T-shirts by designer Todd Karam (photo left courtesy design:toddkaram.com; as you’ll see on his site, there’s a black version too). Art Walk, 6-9 tonight, list of participants here, map here.
THEATER: “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” is in its final week at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) — with shows tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday night (here’s a full list of showtimes). Read more about it here; shown below in a scene from “Sweetest Swing,” Dana (Heather Hawkins, far right) defends her art to Karen Nelsen and Kelly Kitchens (ArtsWest photo by WSB contributor Matt Durham):
HIGH POINT SAFETY: If you live or work in the High Point vicinity and want to get involved with your neighborhood, you’ll want to be at the High Point Neighborhood Association meeting tonight, 6-7:30 pm @ High Point Library (that still leaves time for Art Walk-ing afterward!). The agenda includes Block Watch info – a vital way to help your neighborhood stay safe.
On the West Seattle horizon: Fashion, passion, lashin’
FASHION: Four days to go till what one organizer dubbed “The Catwalk Meets The Art Walk” — wearable art from Clementine, Sweetie, and Carmilia’s, modeled at Twilight Art in The Junction as part of the next monthly West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk. This month’s list of participants hits another new record high — 23, stretching from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) to the north, to West Seattle Nursery in the south! See the map here.
PASSION: One of the city’s most passionate musical and humanitarian leaders will spend four nights in West Seattle during a unique showcase starting a week from tonight 
at Kenyon Hall. Total Experience Gospel Choir leader Pat Wright (TEGC photo right) will be there March 16-19, getting ready to open a new chapter in her post-Katrina humanitarian efforts. Each night includes a choir performance and more; this page on the KH website has full details including an “open rehearsal” March 18 with the choir joined by Pearl Jam (and ex-Soundgarden) drummer Matt Cameron. Just a few days after the KH events, Wright and the choir will travel to Mississippi; the Kenyon Hall events are free of charge, with donations accepted for the relief effort.
LASHIN’: OK, so we’re stretching for the rhyme, but you could take that a couple of different ways with regards to “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” 
That wild classic, with the Vicarious Theater Company, usually screens at the Admiral Theater the first Saturday night of each month, but there will be midmonth madness April 18-20 as NW Rockypalooza — the Northwest regional convention of “RHPS”ers — time-warps over to West Seattle for two screenings/shows. (The rest of the convention will be HQ’d at the Quality Inn on Aurora. Not like we really have a hotel over here anyway.)
West Seattle Weekend Lineup, “spring forward” edition
OK, so the weekend’s an hour shorter (Daylight-Saving Time kicks in at 2 am Sunday, as in Saturday night), but the WSB list of West Seattle weekend activity options is long, including two live-theater productions, a free yoga class, a free Nia class, the Community Mother/Baby Shower to help families near and far, the return of Seattle Chinese Garden tours, a cat adoptathon, and an Admiral Theater Saturday morning matinee of the first movie your editor ever saw, 39 events ahead:Read More
Give me an R, an E, a G, an I … SWAC registration time!
Over the past few months, we’ve brought you advance notice of registration season for several West Seattle-based youth-sports groups, and now it’s time for one more: The Southwest Athletic Club (SWAC) will host early-registration sessions at Westwood Village for football and cheering this Saturday and three other Saturdays this month and next. Here’s what they want you to know:
Registration will be held on four Saturdays (March 8th and 15th, and April 5th and 12th) from 11 am to 1 pm at Big 5 Sporting Goods in Westwood Village.
The Southwest Athletic Club (SWAC) is a West Seattle-based nonprofit organization with the purpose of teaching youth teamwork, discipline and self-esteem through participation in youth football and cheer activities. They serve youth between the ages of 7 and 14, providing a safe structured and positive environment that stresses dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship, which teaches as much about life as it does football and cheer. Practices start on August 1st with weekly games starting the third weekend of August. Practices and home games are held at the Southwest Athletic Complex at 2600 SW Thistle.
Lee Newgent, the SWAC Board President, is proud of last season and looks forward to next season: “We congratulate last year’s participants on a very successful year, and we look forward to seeing them next fall.†Regarding new players, he added: “We also look forward to seeing any young people and their families who are considering participation in football and cheer at Big 5. Coaches will be on hand to meet the children and answer any questions parents may have.â€
The registration fee for cheer is $100 and football is $200. Early registrants will receive a SWAC water bottle.
More information about SWAC can be found at www.swaccougars.org
Welcome back to a returning WSB sponsor: ArtsWest
(photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham of mattdurhamphotography.com)
We’re happy to welcome back ArtsWest, which sponsored WSB during the run of its holiday production “O. Henry’s The Gifts of the Magi” and has rejoined us for the play that continues its opening week with a 7:30 pm performance tonight — the Seattle premiere of Rebecca Gilman‘s “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball.” ArtsWest executive director Alan Harrison describes it as “a play about success and failure and the pinnacles and pitfalls of each.” Here’s the official ArtsWest plot synopsis: “Dana Fielding is a successful artist whose latest exhibition completely flops. As does her personal life. To dig herself out of her crisis, she is admitted to a psychiatric hospital and seeks inspiration from – and takes the identity of – the bad boy of baseball, Darryl Strawberry. ‘The Sweetest Swing in Baseball’ is a funny, biting tale of insanity, health insurance, and being all that you can be (even when you’re being someone else).” Dana is portrayed by Heather Hawkins, shown above with castmates Trick Danneker and Gavin Cummins; Shana Bestock directs. ArtsWest is producing “The Sweetest Swing in Baseball” in association with Seattle Public Theater. After tonight’s performance, it continues Wednesday-Saturday nights for the next 3 weeks at 7:30 each night (tickets available online here). Thanks again to ArtsWest for supporting WSB — you’ll find their ad in the exclusive banner spot atop our Crime Watch page, a special sponsorship spot that we’ve made available on all our extra-content pages (the newly reformatted Other Blogs in WS update page, plus our Events list page, the Pets news/pix page, as well as Traffic cams and info, Schools, and the brand-new More page) — find out how to join them and our other sponsors, by going here.
West Seattle Weekend Lineup: February finale
*If you are coming here from the Sustainable WS newsletter, welcome, and please click the West Seattle Weekend Lineup category link beneath the headline to find the current WSWL … thank you!*
The last full weekend of February is full of fun … from a pancake breakfast to a soup and chili cookoff, from a pruning workshop to an open house for the Fire Station 37 project, from Parents’ Afternoon Out and Parents’ Night Out child-care offerings to Sunday fundraisers to help a brave child and a beloved pet. We’ve listed 39 events:Read More
Dates announced for this year’s Alki Art Fair
Another reminder that summer (not to mention spring) is getting closer: Just got a note asking us to tell you that the dates are set for this year’s Alki Art Fair (photo above is from last summer’s event) — July 26-27 — and organizers have set up a website too (check it out here) with info on how to register to participate this year as an artist or craftsperson vendor.
Teens & tech: 2 West Seattle events
FOR TEENS: Think you can find anything online? Delridge Library invites you to test your skills – and win prizes! – at the Teen Internet Scavenger Hunt this Wednesday, 4 pm. Find out more here, including how to preregister.
FOR ADULTS: The Madison Middle School PTSA is extending an open invitation to anyone interested in attending its next meeting featuring two UW researchers who are looking into how teens use tech — specifically, instant messaging and blogging, and video games. After the presentations, Madison PTSA co-president Adrian Lee tells WSB, “the researchers will lead a discussion of youth and emergent digital technologies.” That meeting is 7 pm March 12 @ the Madison library; more info here.
If you lose track of either of these events, just keep an eye on the WSB Events page, where they’re listed along with dozens of other West Seattle events for the days, weeks, months ahead.
Today’s highlights: Rocks, puppets, culture, history
(Photo left is by WSB contributing photojournalist Matt Durham from the West Seattle Rock Club‘s 2005 annual show, as then-president Lyle Vogelpohl demonstrated cutting and polishing stones for use in jewelry.) Regardless of whether the weather clears (it’s supposed to), you’ve got options today, as detailed on our West Seattle Weekend Lineup list; highlights include this year’s Presidents’ Gemboree rock and gem show (WSB sponsor), admission free, 10 am-5 pm at the Alki Masonic Temple (which despite its name is in The Junction, map here); Clay Martin’s Puppet Theater @ Alki Bathhouse, 1 pm; a Vietnamese/English New Year’s celebration with bilingual culture “discovery zone” for kids at High Point Library, 3-5 pm; the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) “Meet Your Sweetheart” campaign concludes with a Sweetie Party (everyone’s invited!) 5-7 pm; and at Youngstown Arts Center at 6 pm, it’s the 2nd annual Black History Project, a 2-hour all-ages show featuring live performances and presentations honoring four local leaders.
Keeping with the Valentine’s theme: News about a Darling
When former Skylark manager Matthew Darling left that North Delridge hotspot, we asked him to let us know where he wound up next. This week, he and friend Tracy Dart (both pictured at left) are launching a new events/PR firm called The West Seattle Scene; they’ve got an event happening tonight, in fact, and it’s not too late to get in on it, Matthew says:
The Valentines Day Bitter Hearts Junction Bar Crawl
Thursday Feb 14th 2008
All are welcome…singles…couples…group scenes (eww)!
We’re gonna crawl up and down the Alaska junction hitting all the bars we can. There will be a set crawl map available at the first bar, and many of the bars will offer a drink special to help us celebrate.
The ultra cool west seattle tattoo logo t-shirt will be available!!!
Please rsvp to westseattlescene@gmail.com
You will be sent a confirmation email with all the details and disclaimers!
That’s also the address where you can find out more about Matthew and Tracy’s new company … as well as the “ultra-cool West Seattle tattoo logo T-shirt” he mentions – logo shown at right. (And of course, as we’ve already said a dozen times today, the West Seattle Art Walk is happening in The Junction tonight as well … should be a wild night.)
Libraries aren’t just for quiet time: “Wonderful Ones”
Time to toss out that old mental image of your local public library as a hush-or-else quiet temple of bookshelves. Today’s libraries have a lot more going on. Last weekend, for example, we told you about an adult Wii-gaming class at Delridge Library — nice turnout, we’re told, and now we have another activity at that branch — one of four Seattle Public Library branches in West Seattle – that we want to tell you about: “Wonderful Ones.”Read More
(West Seattle has two official “sports bars” –
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