West Seattle, Washington
27 Monday
Thanks to Minoru for the tip on this late last night, which we shared via Facebook at the time, and have now confirmed this morning: The Seattle International Film Festival will include a week of showings at the historic Admiral Theater here in West Seattle, June 5-June 11. The Admiral’s entertainment director, Dinah Brein-McClellan, tells WSB, “I’ve been working on an association with them for a long time and we’re really happy about it.” The Admiral has been diversifying its film offerings for a while, as a participating venue in the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival last year, and 
by showcasing independent movies with events like the one coming up this Saturday night: Walter Dalton, one of the featured stars of the hit independent film “Wendy and Lucy,” will attend its 7 pm screening at the Admiral and conducting an audience Q/A afterward. The SIFF movie lineup is scheduled to be announced in early May; here’s the news release that includes today’s announcement of the Admiral joining the venue lineup (and festival guests at other venues including Spike Lee and Francis Ford Coppola).
(Evan Woltz as Bud in “Gutenberg! The Musical!” – photo by Matt Durham, mattdurhamphotography.com)
It’s opening night tonight at ArtsWest in The Junction for “Gutenberg! The Musical!” ArtsWest describes it as “a loving spoof in which two aspiring playwrights perform a backers’ audition for their new project: A big, splashy musical about printing press inventor Johann Gutenberg … With an unending supply of enthusiasm, Bud and Doug sing all the songs and play all the parts in their “historical” epic, with the hope that one of the producers in attendance will give them a Broadway contract – fulfilling their sky-high, if simple-minded, dreams.” “Gutenberg!” runs through May 15; showtimes and ticket sales are accessible online here.
ALSO TONIGHT: You could call it an all-star lineup at the Morgan Community Association meeting, 7 pm at The Kenney, from City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, to SDOT’s Jessica Murphy with the latest on the Fauntleroy Way repaving/restriping, plus a RapidRide update, officer elections, and more. Also tonight, the two “district councils” whose territory together covers the entire peninsula will sit down together – the Delridge and Southwest District Councils meet at 7 pm at Youngstown Arts Center. (Both of these meetings are open to the public.)
We’re at the Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, where Katy Walum has just discussed plans for a new summer concert series – six Thursday nights outside at Hiawatha Community Center in July and August – and she’s starting to look for music acts, “classy” like jazz and folk, as well as seeking businesses to sponsor the series – contact her at katy.walum@gmail.com. More shortly, including what ANA attendees heard from Councilmember Sally Clark.
Much happening this week. Major highlights, from the WSB Events calendar:
MONDAY – Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council. 7 pm, Cooper Elementary. Agenda topics include electing a new chair and discussing public safety in the wake of recent incidents from car prowls to the incident in which police shot a dog.
TUESDAY – Fauntleroy Community Association, 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy. Also: Admiral Neighborhood Association, 7 pm, Admiral Church, special guests include City Councilmember Sally Clark.
WEDNESDAY – Morgan Community Association, 7 pm, The Kenney. Big agenda, including Fauntleroy restriping/repaving, RapidRide, The Kenney, Morgan Festival, Solstice Park, and a guest appearance by Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. Also that night: Southwest/Delridge District Councils‘ joint meeting, 7 pm, Youngstown Arts Center. Plus: “Gutenberg! The Musical” opens at ArtsWest (7:30 pm).
THURSDAY – Third and final “design workshop” for possible additions to California Place Park in North Admiral. 7 pm, Alki Community Center. Previous coverage archived here. Also, Sunrise Heights Neighborhood Association meets at the Southwest Precinct at 7 pm; agenda includes briefings on EC Hughes School and community awareness/education about sex offenders.
FRIDAY – CoolMom Family Movie Night at Camp Long, 6:30 pm, “An Arctic Tale,” free.
SATURDAY – Huge slate of happenings, including Duwamish Alive! Earth Day events (cleanups followed by a festival @ Cooper Elementary), Healthy Kids Day at the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor), Alki Garage Sale/Car Wash at Alki Community Center, and a LOT more (full list on the calendar).
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli took that photo of the newly completed staircase through Orchard Street Ravine in Gatewood, site of a work party tomorrow morning.
Tomorrow’s also prime time for egg hunts; though we have a special page with Easter (and Friday/Saturday) services here, and an overall Easter page (including Saturday/Sunday egg hunts) here, those events are just part of what’s in this West Seattle Weekend Lineup – with other highlights including West Seattle Nursery‘s spring open house, and lots more going on this weekend, more than three dozen events ahead on our list brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club:Read More
During last night’s West Seattle Art Walk, stopping by Brunette Mix (WSB sponsor) in The Junction would have brought you a little Parisian flavor – Vertu Cakes‘ creation echoed the Eiffel Tower. Elsewhere, treats abounded:
Beneath the painting by “subdued surrealist” T.S. Pew, that’s the dessert buffet offered last night by M3 Bodyworks (whose ad on the WSB sidebar is a gateway to the latest M3 specials). You can see more of Pew’s work at other local businesses including Elliott Bay Brewery and Mashiko, and online at tspew.com. Also on display last night, the work of student artists:
That’s art from Holy Rosary School students, shown last night at The Kenney, the southernmost stop. Last but by no means least, the classic Art Walk pairing may be art and snacks, but at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District, the elegant pairing was modern living and modern real estate:
Click! joined forces with 360 Modern, a regional firm that handles, as noted online, “the buying and selling of modern homes.”
Even if you missed last night’s Art Walk, or – like us – only managed a few stops, keep in mind that many of the art displays are at the participating venues for the entire month – so keep an eye out for art as you shop in West Seattle. Next month’s Art Walk – always on the second Thursday – is May 14. And watch the WSB Events calendar for other Junction (and elsewhere) happenings in the meantime, like this one just announcedt:
April 24th from 7-10pm Carmilia’s, Clementine, Edie’s and Sweetie are joining together to host a night of beauty and fashion. Each store will have mini-spa treatments, drinks, treats and of course shopping with great deals. Visit each store and get a punch card stamped good for a glass of bubbly at West 5. There will also be a VIP Discount card given out, good for discounts at the stores and the participating salons (Julie from Ola, Heidi from Seattle Style Salon, Sara from Sara’s Skin Butik and The Body Bar). Please join us for an amazing night. Questions? Call Erin at Edie’s, 206.937.2029
Click that image for a full-size, printable version of the map/venue list for tomorrow night’s West Seattle Art Walk (6-9 pm, every second Thursday of the month). 40 venues are participating this time, from Alki to Delridge to Fauntleroy and many points inbetween, including Admiral, where Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) – will offer art, real estate, and shopping deals:
With a common appreciation for modern architecture and design, it’s a perfect match. During the West Seattle Art Walk, the real estate professionals of 360 Modern will have a festive meet and greet hosted by Click! Design That Fits in the Admiral District of West Seattle.
Guests can talk shop with fellow modern design fans, perhaps laying the groundwork for a future move with help from the local modern authorized agents of 360. Also during the event, all Click! purchases are 15% off! and the beautiful encaustic and oil paintings of Kate Fluckinger
adorn the walls. (Sorry, discount does not apply to the artwork.)
Meantime, “food can be art” is part of the message behind a photography display at C and P Coffee that you’ll see as part of the Art Walk; “What Feeds Us” photographers Sally Shintaffer and Poppy Barach are also known for writing the website Mixed Greens (featured on the WSB Blogs page, too). One more preview:
That’s art by Karl Addison from partybots.org, and you’ll see it at Twilight Artist Collective in The Junction during the Art Walk. Wine and cupcakes are promised too; here’s the official description of what he’s showing:
Karl Addison has been exploring the idea of over-population, saturation, and the dynamics between individual identity versus the selfhood gained and lost when one becomes part of a union. For this show, Karl will impregnate the back gallery of twilight with a superplethora of mustachio boxes. The mustachio boxes, each having individual personalities, that when viewed together in this overpopulation become something all together different.
An ardent naturalist, Karl Addison uses earth-friendly products in all his endeavors.
(Other photos of his installation are on this Flickr page.) More information about tomorrow night’s artists can be found on the official Art Walk site — along with detail on some of the places you’ll find treats (like champagne and chocolates at Clementine!).
And in fact, that’s the URL – thehistoricadmiraltheater.com – lots of info about upcoming special events as well as a link to the page where you’ll find their regular movie offerings.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Here’s the most recent fresh sheet. 10 am-2 pm today at 44th/Alaska.
PENGUINA DESIGNS’ OPEN STUDIO: One of our newest WSB sponsors, Penguina Designs, invites you to an Open Studio event today — 11 am-5 pm, 4726 50th SW (map).
EASTER IS ONE WEEK AWAY: We’ve added a few more updates to our page listing Easter and Holy Week church services in West Seattle – see it here.
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY, SECOND DAY OF SIGNUPS: Between the Gathering of Neighbors in-person sign-ups and online registrations, the 5th annual WSCGSD is off to a roaring start. We’ll have news later today on where you can pick up mail-in forms if you need ’em, but in the meantime, you can register online at westseattlegaragesale.com (or print out a mail-in form from there). The big day is Saturday, May 9, with sales all over West Seattle (and if you don’t have room for your own but have stuff you want to sell, talk to Lora at Hotwire Coffee [WSB sponsor], who is opening her courtyard – she’s already signed up for a group sale but will be doing sub-signups (so if you’re going there, sign up with her, not us) for a donation that’ll go to WestSide Baby.
, Better late than never, we present the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, with the return of the Water Taxi on Sunday, the Gathering of Neighbors tomorrow, the second and final weekend of “The Underpants” (all three events are WSB sponsors), and the final performances of ArtsWest‘s “History Boys.” Slower weekend than usual, what with Spring Break, but still more than 30 events in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup:Read More
“It’s like a modern, supernatural Jane Eyre.” That’s what West Seattle author Molly Ringle says about her paperback novel going on sale today, “The Ghost Downstairs,” also described as “a paranormal romance novel depicting an unusual workplace relationship in a house whose spirits refuse to rest.” Ringle’s inspiration: A haunted sorority house where she spent time during college in Oregon, though the novel is set in Seattle. Ringle says she’s published e-books before but this is her first paperback, issued by Wild Rose Press. It’s available online through Barnes and Noble or Amazon; you can read the first chapter online.
Seattle Channel has just posted a video that focuses on one of Seattle’s fastest-growing communities, one with a significant presence in the West Seattle/White Center area: Somali immigrants. It’s a look into the community’s traditions, successes, hopes, fears, and faith, all in 15 minutes: Watch online here.
54 hours remain in the weekend as we publish this – Earth Hour is one of them, Saturday night at 8:30 – after Saturday events including the Delridge Produce Cooperative community potluck celebration, a free SOMA Bodywork demonstration by WSB sponsor Amanda Coleman, the groundbreaking for ARK Park in Arbor Heights, and tonight’s full of fun too – including “The Underpants” (WSB sponsor) and world music/dance at Kenyon Hall — all among 40-plus events in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club):Read More
Maybe you could use a little comic relief after this week (or after any week, really). Toward that end, we welcome a new sponsor, Twelfth Night Productions‘ latest play, “The Underpants,” opening tonight at Youngstown Arts Center. Here’s the official news release announcing the show:
Never underestimate the power of a glimpse of lingerie. Twelfth Night Productions (TNP) is proud to announce its next offering, “The Underpants.”
Adapted by Steve Martin from Carl Sternheim‘s 1910 comedy 
Die Hose,” this hilarious comedy dives into issues of sex, feminism and politics. The story begins when young housewife Louise has a mishap with her underpants – they fall to her ankles, resting there for a few moments in public. The sight of her underpants unearths passion in those who witnessed it and concern from her boring, government-employed husband. “The Underpants” is a witty and hilarious look at marriage, gender roles, celebrity and class. This production is for mature audiences only.
TNP is a non-profit performing arts organization located at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. This production features several artists from the West Seattle community as well as the greater Seattle area.
“The Underpants” runs in a special limited engagement at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, the former historic Cooper School, in West Seattle. Show times are: March 27th and 28th, April 3rd and 4th at 7:30PM, with matinees at 3 PM on March 29th and April 5th. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students & seniors, and are available through Brown Paper Tickets (www.brownpapertickets.com), and at the Youngstown Theater on performance days. “The Underpants” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.
Twelfth Night Productions (www.twelfthnightproductions.org) is a non-profit arts organization and anchor tenant at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (www.youngstownarts.org). Established by educators in West Seattle over twenty years ago, Twelfth Night has been active in charitable and neighborhood improvement projects such as The Compass Center and Delridge Neighborhood Development Association. The organization has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local charities, and offers theater training and mentorship to all members of the community, free of charge. Recent productions have included Once Upon a Mattress, True West, Fiddler on the Roof, The Dining Room, The Foreigner, Oklahoma!, DeathTrap, Crazy for You, and Bullshot Crummond.
Thanks to Twelfth Night Productions’ “The Underpants” for sponsoring local news, information, and discussion here on WSB; our current sponsor team is listed here.
The sidewalk stencils in front of Easy Street Records‘ front door in The Junction mark the spot where the party started at nine; the music — four new editions of Pearl Jam’s “Ten” — goes on sale at midnight. Inside, quite the crowd for a Monday night:
According to Easy Street’s party preview, free pizza and soda were part of the fare — and sale prices when the four new editions of “Ten” become officially available at midnight. If you are new to West Seattle, this location is particularly significant because (a) Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder is a West Seattleite and (b) one of the band’s other famous releases is from a 2005 show at the store.
ADDED 5 AM: At midnight, the counter was mobbed:
Here’s video from a few minutes before midnight – that’s Easy Street owner Matt Vaughan saying “God bless West Seattle”:
Of course, someone asked if Vedder was there; Vaughan said no.
Reminder – The Viaduct is closed till 6 pm for the first day of its semiannual inspection; the Battery Street Tunnel is closed around the clock till early Monday morning. But why leave West Seattle? Highlights from the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup include:
SCOUTING FOR FOOD – You may have received a door hanger about this; we reported on it two weeks ago. Local Boy Scouts will go door to door to collect food donations to help fight hunger; if they’re not in your neighborhood, you can still take donations to the West Seattle Food Bank (map) 10 am-2 pm.
FRY BREAD FOR JUSTICE – 10 am-5 pm at the new Duwamish Longhouse (map) – $20 donation, food and entertainment to help the tribe raise money to keep fighting for federal recognition.
CASUAL INDUSTREES SALE – This sassy West Seattle clothing business doesn’t have a regular storefront but it’s opening the doors for a big sale this weekend – 6205 SW Admiral (map), 10 am-6 pm today.
FREE MOVIE – “Napoleon Dynamite” is the grand finale of the first-ever Winter Indoor Movies on the Wall series presented in The Junction by local businesses (including WSB!) – free (but bring money for concessions and nonprofit-benefiting raffle), 7 pm, the new West Seattle Christian Church activity center (map), bring your own chair(s), doors open at 5:30 pm.
“ECLECTIC” MUSIC – That’s how guitarist Andre Feriante described the show he and others will present in the Admiral Theater‘s Listening Room series at 9 tonight ($12).
Much, more more in the WSWL.
“Napoleon Dynamite” wraps up the first-ever Indoor Winter Movies on the Wall (free!) series Saturday night in The Junction with “Napoleon Dynamite” — including a tater-tot contest! Before or after, you can check out the White Center Open Studio Art Tour – Saturday night’s also when Andre Feriante and friends perform a “Listening Room” concert at the Admiral Theater – Scouting for Food, Sanislo Elementary‘s auction, the Hi-Yu Spring Tea, World Water Day at Alki, and more, all among more than 40 events in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup (sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club):Read More
When the Duwamish Tribe dedicated its long-awaited longhouse on the eastern edge of West Seattle on January 3rd, lawyer Scott Wheat – seen in that WSB video clip from our coverage of the event – talked about the tribe’s legal fight for federal recognition. One thing they need: Money. So tomorrow – and two other dates in April and May – the tribe is holding all-day events under the title “Cecile’s Fry Bread for Justice” – Cecile is the tribe’s longtime elected chair Cecile Hansen, and we’ve heard that her fry bread is legendary. Other food, plus entertainment, and “surprises,” the tribe promises. (We also got a note this morning that they’re looking for volunteer help from people with food-handler permits.) 10 am-5 pm tomorrow at the longhouse, $20 donation at the door; more info here.
That’s guitarist Andre Feriante, who will be performing in West Seattle for the first time ever as part of the “Listening Room” show at the Admiral Theater this Saturday night. If you haven’t seen one of the shows yet, “Listening Room” is a new concept at The Admiral — concerts for true music lovers. We talked with Feriante this afternoon, and he’s excited about playing the historic theater, saying he’s always curious about the history of places like The Admiral.
He’s been a musician full-time for a quarter-century and has played around the world, mixing guitar with poems in multiple languages as well as songs. With him onstage will be, he explains, “two people I play with frequently — Swil Kanim, Native American violinist and storyteller — he’s an actor, with a Native American spirit tradition, and a haunting mystical quality to his sound., as well as a deep, moving presence. Also playing with us, Eric Fridrich, a blues and jazz singer with a great big warm voice, a phenomenal guitar and harmonica player – there’s going to be some contrasts since I’m a flamenco, classical, Brazilian, Latin-style solo guitarist.” And that barely describes the “eclectic” nature of what he does, Feriante adds, saying his songs “are in the Leonard Cohen, Jacques Brel style.”
Here’s the other eclectic aspect of the Listening Room show – local muralist Glenn Case will paint live onstage during the performances. One of his most recent works in West Seattle is the distinctive Cafe Revo mural:
(September 2008 photo, as the mural was being completed)
The Saturday night “Listening Room” show is at 9 pm; tickets are $12 and available online right now via Brown Paper Tickets.
Just in from ArtsWest – the waiting list for the first session of its Summer Musical Theater Camp got to be so long, they opened a second session, and it has some room – read on for the announcement:Read More
Back in January, West 5 in The Junction had its first-ever movie screening — “Rock ‘n’ Roll Gearhead – 4 Days with Billy Gibbons.” Its locally based filmmaker, Jamie Chamberlin, sent that photo and this accompanying announcement:
In response to the warm hospitality extended … by West 5 in screening the NW premiere of “Rock and Roll Gearhead,” Gibbons has flown up a most enviable wall piece. Taking time out of his hectic recording sessions with producer Rick Rubin down in Los Angeles, Gibbons custom pin-striped a mustard yellow guitar to be hung on display at The West 5. The legendary guitarist is celebrating a 40-year anniversary with his band ZZ Top and is slated to have a new album out this year as well as a worldwide tour. The guitar should be on display by week’s end.
Chamberlin says he’ll be visiting West 5 to personally present the guitar for display. There’s more about his movie, including its trailer, at this MySpace site.
Just got a note from Jessie, proprietor at Skylark Cafe and Club (WSB sponsor), West Seattle’s major live-music hotspot with bands six nights a week – she says, “I’m going to be on 107.7 The End’s Local Music show tonight with Megan Seling of The Stranger (8-10 pm) playing a few awesome bands that have played Skylark — as many as I have time for. Take a listen if you can!” She’s working to get mixdowns for Stevedore (which has two former Skylark employees) and Bend (which has two Shadow Land owners), who she says are both in the middle of recording right now. 6:31 PM UPDATE: Jessie reports in comments, “Got the mixdowns.” If you’re away from a radio, listen online, 8-10 pm: 1077theend.com.
The movie and the singing are in full swing as we write this, and the cake/cupcake partying will follow, but we can report that tonight’s real-life wedding onstage at the Admiral Theater happened in fine style. We took the wedding party’s photo above in the lobby afterward; we’ll be checking our video in a bit. Good crowd on hand to applaud now-newlyweds Melodie Anderson and John Babcock, longtime sweethearts whose story you can read here and here; we met the fine folks from Standing Ovation Films, a West Seattle-based video-production company who read about the wedding plan here on WSB and donated a wedding-video package worth $2,000 (they had three cameras in the theater!); other donated gifts included the Cafe Revo wedding dinner, the Sugar Rush Baking Company cake and cupcakes, an anonymously gifted stay at a Lake Chelan vacation home, and the volunteer services of nondenominational minister Teri Ensley, who you may also know as the ringleader of local pet-helping nonprofit Furry Faces Foundation. For the occasion, till we have wedding video to share, here’s our favorite ABBA song:
ADDED 9:52 PM: Here’s the entire five-minute wedding – minister Teri’s mike did come on after the first 10 seconds or so:
(video no longer available due to blip.tv shutdown)
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