Before this “wearing of the green” day ends … two more scenes from West Seattle St. Patrick’s Day celebrations:

IRISH DANCE AT THE SENIOR CENTER: As featured in our daily event list today, students from the West Seattle-based Comerford School of Irish Dance performed this afternoon at the Senior Center of West Seattle.

PIANO TUNES @ THE KENNEY: Weekly piano music at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) had a St. Patrick’s Day theme, according to this reader report:

John Van Lierop, Jr., from West Seattle, played Irish songs on the piano for the Memory Care residents (including his 101-year-old Father) at The Kenney today. John plays old-time piano music of the ’30s, ’40s, every Friday. He notices that the faces of the residents light up when he begins to play familiar songs and some even sing. The two favorites today were “My Wild Irish Rose” and “When Irish Eyes are Smiling.” John has been operating a piano studio for over 50 years on Gatewood Hill and has been the organist at Tibbetts United Methodist Church in West Seattle for 42 years!

Taking a moment to look ahead to the weekend – if you could use some soul-soothing music, this just might be it. The award-winning Northwest Symphony Orchestra is sponsoring WSB right now to be sure you know about Saturday’s concert:

Northwest Symphony Orchestra presents “Music for the Soul”

The Northwest Symphony Orchestra presents a concert of “Music for the Soul” at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle on Saturday, March 18, at 8 pm. This concert features Mozart’s Symphony #41, with its incredible finale, Where Springs Not Fail by local composer Hanna Benn (a piece based on the poignant poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins), J.S. Bach’s exuberant Orchestral Suite #3 (that includes the famous Air on the G String) and a cello concerto by Vivaldi featuring Carlsen Cello Foundation recipient Carson Ling-Efird.

For more information, go here; for tickets, go here.

The concert venue is at 42nd SW and SW Genesee on the north edge of The Junction.

That’s the video for a new song, “Bend the Arc,” by Western Washington musician Rich Arithmetic. We heard about it from West Seattleite Stewart Lyman, who wrote the lyrics and produced the video, which he wants to share with the community. Rich Arithmetic himself describes it as “a song that calls to mind the protest music of the Sixties. The song is based on MLK Jr.’s famous quote: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ Produced by James Nicholson and with lyrics written by Stewart Lyman, the recording is filled with folk-rock guitars, crunchy harmonies, and an anthemic singalong chorus.” The video, Arithmetic says, “is filled with powerful images of people trying to bend the arc.”

The photo and request are from Caroline:

Over the weekend, while visiting the Senior Center of West Seattle, I came across these crocheted snowflakes. They were selling for $1 each.

I thought about the time and love that someone out into making them and decided that the best outcome for the set would be to keep them together, so I purchased all 49 snowflakes.

I am interested in donating these snowflakes to a folk art museum, and I’m trying to find out who crocheted them so that their name may be identified with the snowflakes. Hopefully one of your readers will recognize the snowflakes and let me know who crocheted them.

Caroline said the Stop ‘n’ Shop thrift shop at the Senior Center, where she bought the snowflakes, told her there was no name attached to the donation, which isn’t unusual. If you have a clue, post a comment and/or email us and we’ll connect you!

A reason to think spring on a day that started with snow – the West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is returning for a second year, and inviting interested artists and prospective host sites to register right now! Here’s the announcement:

Saturday, May 6, 2023, 10 am to 5 pm all across West Seattle
One Day, Many Artists, All Kinds of Art!

The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop, West Seattle’s community arts tour, is back and has moved to the spring! This year’s tour will be Saturday, May 6th, 10 am-5 pm. Art will be on display and available for purchase at studios, yards and outdoor spaces throughout the West Seattle peninsula. The tour features art of all kinds, at a wide variety of price points from emerging to established artists. Art lovers are sure to enjoy the day as they hop their way across West Seattle.

Unlike traditional art tours, the West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is open to all artists who complete the registration process. Artist registration this year is $25 and the registration deadline is April 9th. Artists are encouraged to start planning early to ensure they have a location to show their work.

While artist participation is unlimited, this year’s event will have a limit of 30 sites, with a minimum of three artists per site. Site hosts will complete an easy, free registration to secure their spot on the tour and then coordinate with artists to fill their location. Site registration will close when 30 sites have registered.

The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop offers an artist and host matching tool to help those offering space with those looking for a location to show their work. Artists and sites will find all the information they’ll need to connect and complete registration on the Art Hop’s registration page. The West Seattle Art Hop & Shop is organized by an all-volunteer committee of artists and art lovers with support from West Seattle Art Walk and West Seattle Junction Association. If you’re interested in getting involved behind the scenes to support the West Seattle Art Hop & Shop, email WSArtHop@gmail.com.

(WSB file photo)

While much of Seattle’s only river, the Duwamish River, has been pressed into service as industrial “waterway” over the decades, some stretches retain remnants of its original wild beauty. In all its roles, the Duwamish can be a source of inspiration, and a writer who grew up in West Seattle wants you to know about a writing workshop he’s leading soon – not in WS but not far away. Here’s the announcement:

This winter Simon Wolf will offer Place Based Poetics: Writing with the Duwamish River, a workshop through Hugo House, an essential literary community in Seattle. The course draws on documentary and ecopoetic work that has preoccupied Wolf for the past three years, including his University of Washington Bothell MFA thesis, Charging. That project drew from Seattle settler history texts, family migration stories, and reflections on urban experiences, with the Duwamish River as a grounding line through every element. In his current work he questions his preconceived notions of nature and explores new ways of approaching the Duwamish River through writing, research, and his work in land restoration.

The course considers, “How can we write poems from a river? How can this river be the line that guides us through the violent past of Seattle? Part Seattle history, part eco-poetics, we will read excerpts of history texts and discuss poets that engage rivers, industry, and pollution in their work. Students will practice incorporating research into their poetry, will visit the river at least once, and leave class with two river poems.”

Registration is open. Hugo House members receive a discounted rate for the class, which meets in person at Hugo House Tuesdays 5 to 7 pm from February 28 through March 21, 2023.

Wolf also hosts a free monthly Writing Circle at Blue Cone Studios, on Capitol Hill, in Seattle that meets the last Friday of the month from 6-8 pm. Participants are invited to read and discuss poetry, make work together, and to share work in progress — all are welcome!

The West Seattle Junction Association wants to make sure you know that city grant money is available for “arts and culture recovery,” with less than two weeks remaining for applications:

The West Seattle Junction Association is pleased to announce a one-time Request-For-Proposal for arts and culture recovery funding for the West Seattle Junction. These funds have been available through the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and are being distributed through Lead Organizations throughout Seattle.

The funding available through this RFP is for activations or events specifically in the West Seattle Junction that assist in arts and culture recovery efforts with a specific priority to those areas and groups most impacted by COVID pandemic and in alignment with the City of Seattle’s vision of equity, inclusion, collaboration, public safety and resiliency for One Seattle.

The total amount of funding available through this Lead Organization for this designated area is $56,950.

We welcome proposals for projects of all sizes, but requests cannot exceed $20,000, and some awardees may only receive part of their requested amount.

Activations and events can occur any time after an award is made with final reports due no later than September 15, 2023. These contracts are made on a reimbursement basis with deliverables that will be outlined in the contracts. While you may apply to other Lead Organizations for projects in other designated areas, you can receive funding for only one award.

The RFP package includes Guidelines, Application & Budget Template, and is due no later than 5:00pm, February 27, 2023. You will be notified of results after our community review panels completes their rating and funding recommendations and shall be no later than March 15, 2023.

You can apply online here and access documents and contact info at wsjunction.org/arts-culture-neighborhood-recovery-program

The application form also explains more about the intention of these grants and what type of “event or activation” might qualify, as well as qualifications for applying.

Quirky, lively, joyful … brass bands can make you smile and get you dancing, If you want to give the gift of irresistible music, one of your West Seattle neighbors has an invitation for you:

Do you sometimes hear a song and think, “ya know, that would sound better as brass”? Same here! Let’s play tunes that span multiple decades that will fill any street or venue to the brim with sonic satisfaction!

We’re looking for lead and solid trumpet (x2), trombone (x2), and tuba/sousa (x1) players, a core drum set player (x1) plus percussionists to double up on bass, snare, and cymbals (x3). 21+ only, please. Email Kevin Freitas (photo right) at BetterAsBrass@gmail.com for more info.

More about the band

Imagine a great mixtape from a school dance (slow dances included plus possibly a little singing and/or karaoke!) but brass and that’s the plan: En Vogue, Boyz II Men, The Police, Radiohead, Soundgarden, Kansas, Lonely Island, Britney Spears, and more!

We’ll rehearse weekly in/around SW Seattle and busk/gig on the streets, in venues, and for festivals around the area. Collaboration on arranging tunes, snagging and managing gigs, and more is welcome. Depending on band travel and other goals, we can decide together how best any $$ earned can be distributed and/or spent.

Kevin is formerly a founding member of 8-Bit Brass Band, where he helped lead rehearsals, manage gigs, arrange tunes, and play sousaphone. Before that, he played trumpet in Trash Talk and got his nerdy brass band start with D20 nearly 10 years ago. He’s sat in with various Honk bands through the years and looks forward to adding a new krewe to the Honk roster.

(That’s a reference to the boisterous bandfest that has livened up Seattle streets in recent years.)

With that video, you can preview the title performance planned for a concert by The Byrd Ensemble tomorrow night (Saturday, February 11th) at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in West Seattle. The chamber vocal ensemble will perform composer John Sheppard‘s “Media vita” – “In the Midst of Life” – with the program also including music by Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre’s setting of “When David Heard,” John Tavener’s “Song for Athene,” and more. The Byrd Ensemble is sponsoring WSB today and tomorrow to ensure more know about the concert and to offer a 30% discount – buy tickets online and use the code WSBLOG30. The concert begins at 7:30 pm Saturday; the venue is at 4139 42nd SW. (Not familiar with The Byrd Ensemble? Learn about the ensemble here.)