From Toni Reineke of the West Seattle Community Orchestras:

REHEARSALS: West Seattle Community Orchestras (formerly the Westside Symphonette) has just learned that it has been granted permission by Seattle Public Schools to rehearse at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). Rehearsals are held Tuesday evenings — beginning Strings and Symphonette from 5:30 to 6:30, Symphony from 6:45-8:15.

MORE MUSICIANS NEEDED! We kicked off the season last Tuesday with a nice core of musicians in each orchestra, but we’d love to have more folks join us. There are spots in every group. In the Symphony, our top group, we especially need another BASSOON and another OBOE, a STRING BASS or two, and perhaps a FRENCH HORN. In all groups we can use all the VIOLINS, VIOLAS, CELLOS, and BASSES that would like to join. All instrumentalists are welcome–even beginners!

For more info, contact Toni Reineke, 206-243-6955, tonireineke@comcast.net

WSCO had been allowed to practice at Sealth last week, Toni explains, but they didn’t know until today that they’d be allowed to make it a permanent site. Meantime, she also notes that student musicians do not have to pay anything for participation; for adults, there’s a $65 fee for the fall session.

Highland Park Action Committee chair Dan Mullins shares the news of a big achievement for artist Kay Kirkpatrick, an HPAC member and Highland Park Improvement Club board member – her work “Rescue” will be celebrated as the new Seattle Fire Station 35 is dedicated in Crown Hill on September 25th. Dan shares the official announcement here. The photo of Kay’s work is used with permission of our fellow community-collaborative neighborhood-news publishers at My Ballard, from their tour of the new station last month.

(Our first Alki Family Fun Day report, including the dog parade, can be seen here)

Seattle bluegrass band Dysfunction Junction closed out the first-ever Alki Family Fun Day with a concert this evening at Statue of Liberty Plaza. The free afternoon/evening slate of activities and entertainment began with a dog parade (video’s in our first Family Fun Day report) and continued almost nonstop for 7 hours. At mid-afternoon, the plaza filled with people watching the children’s talent show – with participants including 10-year-old Lafayette Elementary School student Mackenzie, a showstopper with her a cappella rendition of “Reviewing the Situation“:

The talent show was produced and emceed by Antonio Fernandez, who got to show off his own special skills – including the no-tech sound-effects production known as beatboxing:

There was a magic show, too – all of this free, thanks to the Alki Community Council. ACC’s presentation of Family Fun Day was led by organizers Libby Carr and Paul Carr, who we interviewed briefly toward day’s end:

The Carrs led the campaign to raise money for Liberty Plaza, which was dedicated two years ago this month. Will there be a second annual Alki Family Fun Day? That’s likely to be among the topics when the ACC has its next monthly meeting – everyone welcome – this Thursday at 7 pm, Alki UCC (6112 SW Hinds).

From Westside Symphonette founder Toni Reineke, as the community orchestra gets ready for its new season – the rehearsal site’s just been finalized, plus there’s even bigger news:

We will be rehearsing at the newly remodeled Chief Sealth High School (2600 S.W. Thistle) this coming Tuesday, Sept. 14. The beginning strings and junior orchestra will rehearse from 5:30-6:30 and the senior/community orchestra from 6:45-8:15. Both groups will meet in the music wing at the west side of the building.

The big news: On Sept. 2, we incorporated and also registered as a nonprofit with the State of Washington. (We do not yet have federal 501(c)(3) status but that’s coming soon.)

The name of this new business entity is “West Seattle Community Orchestras.” This year, we will again operate three orchestras under that umbrella name.

You’ll see that new name on the website – along with more info – here.

Love to sing and wish you had somebody to sing with? Both the Endolyne Children’s Choir and Seattle Glee Clubs (adults) are welcoming new members as their new seasons start this month. Endolyne’s Encore (grades 3-5) and Advanced (6th-9th) groups start rehearsals this Thursday; the Debut (grades K-2) group starts next Tuesday (9/14). Endolyne practices at St. John the Baptist Church in Admiral – e-mail info@endolynechoir.org with questions and/or check out endolynechoir.org. Meantime, the Seattle Glee Clubs’ three groups are starting their new season, looking toward a choral concert in January: Tonight, the Seattle Metropolitan Glee Club women’s chorus has a season-opening potluck supper where prospective new members are welcome to come meet returnees – for more information, e-mail musical director John Gulhaugen at the_met@seattlegleeclubs.org, or leave a message at 206-260-7393; that’s also the number you can call to find out more about the 8-part vocal-jazz ensemble The Offbeats, which start their season with a retreat next Saturday; and the no-audition, male-and-female Prelude Glee Club starts weekly rehearsals next Monday – email director Jerry Halsey at prelude@seattlegleeclubs.org. All SGC groups practice at Luna Park ActivSpace.

(August WSB photo by Jonathan Stumpf, taken during “Divine Marigolds” shoot)
Three weeks ago, we reported on the local producers trying to raise $10,000 online to produce what they hope will be the pilot for a possible TV series set in West Seattle, “The Divine Marigolds.” Tonight was their deadline to get at least $10,000 in production-funding pledges via Kickstarter – and they made it, hitting $10,011 around 5 pm, thanks to more than 50 contributors. The producers had said the money would go toward getting their pilot produced – then they still would have to shop it around before knowing whether a TV network will pick it up. By the way, as they told us at the time we covered their project last month, they’ve been shooting “character vignettes” – the one that was in progress when we took the photo atop this update, is now fully produced – here’s the clip:

You can follow the project’s progress on the “Divine Marigolds” Facebook page.

Certain to get some reaction in the neighborhood, a new “statue” has appeared on the chimney of a home at 44th & Brandon, the same location as the much-discussed “minotaur” wood carving that was unveiled back in 2008.

According to the staff at West Seattle Nursery (the home’s neighbors to the east), the statue was hoisted to the roof earlier yesterday, and people worked all day to install it. When we went to the house, a man on the roof helping with the installation described the sculpture as a “fairy” and said they were almost done with it.

From the street, it indeed appears to be a “fairy,” albeit one with very little clothing. The statue faces southwest, with her “wings” facing northeast toward California Avenue.

If you want to see the statue in all its glory (well, some of its glory): click here.

(Story and Photos by Jason Grotelueschen)

That’s the West Seattle Big Band playing their final song, as the sun set (both literally and figuratively) on the second summer of the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s popular Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series.

A reporter-estimated crowd of 300 enjoyed the show, on a pleasant but increasingly chilly Thursday night as the wind picked up and the sun went down. The WSBB concert was the sixth and final concert of the 2010 Hiawatha season, and ANA president Katy Walum said it was a terrific summer. Here’s Katy introducing WSBB and thanking the sponsors, volunteers, and musicians who made it all possible:

Here’s the crowd spreading across Hiawatha’s east field:

And here’s the band in full swing:

We’ll update this post later with more comments from Katy Walum, and perhaps a video from WSBB’s performance.

SEPTEMBER 4 UPDATE: We’ve added a short video below of WSBB’s performance.

There will be a lot to celebrate at tomorrow’s FiaFia! event at the Jerry Brockey Student Center at South Seattle Community College, co-presented by West Seattle’s Southwest Youth and Family Services.

 Here’s the info, from our Events page:

SEPTEMBER 3: You are invited to FiaFia! co-presented by Southwest Youth and Family Services
Friday Sept 3rd 5-7pm @ SSCC JMB A

Please join our youth in celebrating their accomplishments this year!
· Pacific Islander Senior Banquet: SPY Connections youth organized a senior banquet to honor their high school brothers and sisters who successfully completed high school and are moving on to college or vocation.
· Washington Strongest School Competition: SPY Connections youth took second place this year in the 1st annual competition that focuses on fitness and strength.
· Pacific Dance: SPY Connections youth has performed cultural dance at 20 different venues this year.
· PI Social Studies Class: SPY Connections youth has successfully completed a social studies class for high school credit.
· YUIR Community Forum: SPY Connections youth helped organize a successful forum to address the recent injustices with the police and the youth community.

 Information about this event and dozens of other local events is always available on our Events page.

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s successful Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, which wraps up its 2010 season with local favorites the West Seattle Big Band tomorrow night. WSBB played at Hiawatha earlier this summer prior to the “official” start of the concert series (video clip below), and tomorrow is your chance to enjoy them again.

As usual, start time is 6:30 pm and admission is free – bring a blanket, some food & drink, and the whole family.

SEPTEMBER 2 UPDATE: Thanks to ANA president Katy Walum for letting us know that “Admiral apparel” will be on sale at a discount tonight: $10 kids’ shirts, $15 adults’ shirts, and $40 track jackets. The PCC truck with food samples for the kids will also be there, and likely the “Icecycle” folks with Full Tilt ice cream and treats in tow.

(Photos and Video by Christopher Boffoli)
The Providence Mount St. Vincent outdoor-concert series is a wrap for this year – after The Haggis Brothers‘ performance at The Mount tonight. A few people in the audience were bundled up against the breezy late-summer evening. But the band’s Bluegrass and Western Swing music (and a barbecue dinner) definitely warmed up the crowd.

This is one of two major outdoor-music series in West Seattle – the other, the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha (co-sponsored by WSB), concludes next Thursday, with the hometown favorite West Seattle Big Band playing on the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center at 6:30 pm. (In the meantime, there’s a bonus concert – The Board of Education, half of a crowd-delighting Hiawatha double bill Tuesday before last, will perform at Alki Playfield Tuesday night at 6.)

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli)
If you drove through The Junction tonight and spotted the huge crowd spilling into the street from Easy Street Records – big night for music fans. The store hosted – free! – the public debut of Fistful of Mercy, a new group with three names you might recognize: Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur, and Dhani Harrison. Hundreds showed up for a glimpse and a listen:

Fistful of Mercy is based in Venice, California. They’ve got a website – but it looks like you’ll find out about them right now on the band’s Facebook page. ADDED 10:17 PM: From comments, here’s video shot and uploaded to YouTube by “k”:

And Christopher’s clip from the crowd-in-the-street perspective:

A onetime Junction eyesore is getting a big dose of beautification. We told you two weeks ago about the High Point Community Center-supervised mural-creation project, making paintings that would be put up in the passageway on the west side of California SW in The Junction, near Northwest Art & Frame and Puerto Vallarta – now, they’re up, after some hard work by volunteers on Wednesday.

Among those putting up the murals were Marc Patnode, daughter Annie, Liz Schroeder from the West Seattle Junction Association staff, and High Point CC’s new Small Scholars Academy early-education program teacher Roxanne Brown.

A dedication plaque will go up soon, and the walkway path itself will be repainted too, to complete the facelift, which should be done sometime next month.

(Photo courtesy Toni Reineke, Westside Symphonette)
Westside Symphonette “welcomes all musicians – beginning to advanced, young to antique.” So writes its founder/co-conductor Toni Reineke in her announcement of its new season, which starts September 14th. If you’re interested in being part of this community orchestra, it’s registering musicians now. Read on for the full announcement:Read More