West Seattle, Washington
30 Thursday
‘Tis the season for holiday/winter concerts, especially this week, with many local school groups performing in the nights before winter break. Last night at Hope Lutheran School, it was a full house for the “Sounds of Winter” concert by groups from Hope and nearby Seattle Lutheran High School.
We stopped in toward the start of the concert. Above, the Hope Concert Band opened the night; our top photo and our video below feature the Hope Chapel Band/Choir:
Also performing, the SLHS Band and Hope’s Handbell Choir and Glee Club. We’re told some of the Hope musicians will also be performing at the Senior Center of West Seattle this afternoon.
P.S. See the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide for more music (and other events/info)!
There’s a new mission for the space on the north side of the North Delridge building that’s home to Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and The Skylark:
Mode Music and Performing Arts is a new nonprofit arts organization that introduced itself to the community with an open house this past Sunday – co-founded by Erin Rubin and Kristina Rowell.
Rubin is proprietor of Mode Music Studios, which is two doors south and will continue its core business of music instruction; Rowell is a veteran performing-arts instructor. MMPA will offer theater/performing-arts instruction for youth through classes, camps, and local schools. The first offerings are described in this brochure (PDF). The space also will be available for kids’ birthday parties centered on personalized drama workshops (info’s in the brochure) and event rentals – the space is 900 square feet.
If you click “play” on the video above, it’ll take you directly to the Endolyne Children’s Choir performance during last Saturday night’s West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays Tree Lighting. Tomorrow (Saturday, December 9th), you can start your holiday-season weekend by enjoying and supporting the young singers at their annual “Winter Fantasy” concert, 11 am at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California SW). Full details are on the choir’s website, and of course this is one of many events you’ll find in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, for this weekend and beyond, through New Year’s!
Before we get to the list of highlights for today/tonight – as you’ll see if you look at the music section of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, we’re heading into a big weekend for holiday music. Including the next West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ concert!
The full announcement:
West Seattle Community Orchestras invites you to attend its annual December concert by West Seattle’s very own Symphony Orchestra!
Conducted by James Pham, the program includes Grieg’s “Norwegian Dances” and Bizet’s popular “L’Arlesienne Suite No. 1.” You might not recognize that title, but you’ll definitely recognize the music as it’s often played during the holiday season. Also in tune with the season is Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular “Nutcracker Suite.”
The concert is FREE! Donations are gratefully appreciated. They help enable student musicians’ participation in this and our other orchestras and classes at no charge.
Again, that’s Friday, December 8, 7:30 p.m., in the Chief Sealth International High School auditorium, 2600 SW Thistle Street. Find more info at www.WSCOrchestras.org.
Dental offices with art in every room. That’s what you’ll find at the new offices of Healthy Smiles by Dr. Saturay, as we discovered at their open house tonight.
When we introduced Dr. Kathleen Saturay (above, with the mural that’s in the lobby) and her team as new WSB sponsors two weeks ago, we mentioned they were moving and expanding in December. Tonight they showed off the new offices in Springline, at 3222 California SW. And there’s a lot to see!
The move wasn’t far in distance – right across the street from where Dr. Saturay’s practice used to be.
West Seattle is clearly a hotbed of poetry! For the second time in four years, a West Seattleite has been appointed to serve as Washington State Poet Laureate. The just-announced 2018-2020 Poet Laureate is Claudia Castro Luna, who made history previously as Seattle’s first Civic Poet. She succeeds Tod Marshall, whose 2016-2018 appointment followed that of West Seattleite Elizabeth Austen (2014-2016). From the full announcement of Castro Luna’s appointment:
Castro Luna fled war-torn El Salvador for the United States at the age of 14 with her family. She went on to earn an MFA in poetry and an MA in urban planning. After working as a K-12 teacher, she became Seattle’s first Civic Poet, a position appointed by the mayor. In that position, Castro Luna won acclaim for her Seattle Poetic Grid, an online interactive map of showcasing poems about different locations around the city. The grid even landed her an interview on PBS NewsHour. She is also the author of the poetry chapbook This City and the collection Killing Marías.
Her appointment officially begins on February 1st. In February of last year, we covered her speaking in West Seattle at Southwest Youth and Family Services (photo above), telling the story of her “long journey.”
That’s Admiral Congregational Church organist Sam Peters, getting ready for a Sunday that will go beyond performing for the congregation: On Sunday afternoon (November 19th) at 3 pm, the entire community is invited to a concert dedicating the restored 21-rank pipe organ in what the concert program calls “a moving culmination of years of loving work for the people of Admiral Church.”
The program – which we obtained while stopping by earlier this week for the photo and video – explains that Admiral Church had a Balcom and Vaughan organ installed in 1962:
As the organ’s 50th birthday approached, then-music director and organist Keith Terhune galvanized a group of Admiral music lovers to work toward restoring and updating their beloved organ. Eventually $92,000 was raised over 4 years, largely from members of the Admiral congregation and surrounding community. The pipes and chests, which had suffered considerable water damage in a severe storm, were renovated and then hybridized to a new state-of-the-art Rodgers electronic 4-manual console.
Peters will be joined at the concert by internationally known, Oregon-based organist Dan Miller and the Admiral Choir, led by Pam Gerke. The program includes a variety of music – hymns as well as selections from composers including Bach, Copland, Handel, and Peters himself (“Variations on Nicaea,” part of which is featured in the video clip above). Admission is free, and refreshments will follow the concert. Doors open at 2:15 pm Sunday at Admiral Church, 4320 SW Hill.
You might have seen that video online – or maybe this New York Times story from earlier this week – without realizing its subject, actor Mickey Rowe, lives in West Seattle. Mickey has gained natioal fame as “the first openly autistic actor to play the role” of Christopher, an autistic teenager, in “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.” He told us he is on the road for three months, performing the play (which closed in Syracuse today, after a run in Indiana) and will return to West Seattle, where he lives in an apartment in The Triangle. He is a 2011 graduate of the University of Washington drama program with a long list of theatrical accomplishments, even before this role brought him a bright spotlight.
That’s Pellegrini, onstage at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) when we stopped in toward the start of tonight’s 2nd annual Benefit Concert for the Homeless. 10+ bands are on the lineup tonight, $12 cover (unless you bought an advance ticket), with all proceeds going to benefit Mary’s Place, which helps families experiencing homelessness (and opened a shelter in nearby White Center earlier this year).
Inside the cozy converted Craftsman house that holds C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), you have your first chance of the season to browse a holiday arts-and-crafts fair.
Among the artists you’ll meet – Bill Reiswig, who many know as co-founder of Sustainable West Seattle, now based in Olympia:
You’ll find vendors in both main rooms at C&P, so don’t just stop at the front room! The fair is on until 2 pm today, at 5612 California SW.
P.S. This is one of 14 arts/crafts fairs and bazaars on the seasonal list we published earlier this week – if yours isn’t there yet, please send us info as soon as you can, so we can also get it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and forthcoming West Seattle Holiday Guide.
At Skeleton Theatre. Which happens tomorrow night too, btw (36th/Hanford) pic.twitter.com/2WDmOgNgYc
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) November 1, 2017
Night 1 of Skeleton Theatre got off to a late start – they were still “debugging” when we first stopped by around 6:30 – but all’s well now and they are just starting the final performance of the first night.
As promised, it’s full of “pop culture” references, including movie dialogue and music, from “Wizard of Oz” to a wizard named Harry, and more:
From 'Wizard of Oz' to the wizard named Harry, it's indeed a pop-culture-palooza at Skeleton Theatre this year! pic.twitter.com/0S8aSxSUGI
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) November 1, 2017
With music, dialogue, lighting, and a pro (all-volunteer) crew wearing headsets, this is always a quality production – more comedic than spooky (although skeletons are spooky in almost any context).
Good crowd gathered around the corner of Hanford and 36th:
Scheduled showtimes tomorrow (Wednesday, November 1st) are between 6 and 9 pm.
We stopped by 36th/Hanford at dusk to say hi to the Skeleton Theatre team, who were working hard to get West Seattle’s most extensive animatronic Halloween extravaganza ready for the next two nights, on, and behind, the front-yard stage:
As noted in the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide, Skeleton Theatre mastermind Chris Walker tells us, “The theme this year is ‘Back to our Roots.’ Through the years people have asked us to do this again, so we’re going to do a show consisting of pop culture clips – like we did for the first two years of Skeleton Theatre a decade ago, with a few new tricks added in. We will end with one original scene: It’s a preview for the new show that we’ll be putting up next year.” The show is set to run continuously 6-9 pm Halloween night and the night after (Tuesday and Wednesday; here’s a map). Free but if you are moved to help the Skeleton crew cover their costs, there’s a donation button on their webpage (where you can also catch up on the backstory – ST has been a tradition since 2006!).
Got your ticket(s) yet? Saturday’s the night you can masquerade in the spirit of the season, while also dining, dancing, and bidding to help the West Seattle Community Orchestras support student music. The reminder from WSCO:
Come dance to the great sounds of the West Seattle Big Band and listen to topnotch musicians of the West Seattle Community Orchestras (WSCO) as they get you in the swing of things at this year’s annual gala!
Here’s the general plan:
6:00-7:15: Doors open, cocktail reception, silent auctions, entertainment by WSCO musicians
7:15: Buffet dinner served
7:55-8:40: Live auction, raise the paddle, dessert dash
8:40++: Dancing to the West Seattle Big Band!Generous supporters have donated very special items for our silent and live auctions:
Tray of WSCO “Masquerade Fantasie” Drinks
Alaska Junction Pack (ArtsWest, Matador, Husky Deli, Cupcake Royale)
Canlis and Seattle Symphony
Conducting Opportunity (you’ve always wanted to lead an orchestra!)
Wine Cellar
Dinner and a Play (10 Mercer and Seattle Shakespeare Company)
Coffee, Tea & Chocolate Pack (Ampersand Cafe, C&P Coffee, Caffe Ladro)
Paradise in Cabo!There are many, many more fabulous items to bid on. Here’s a partial list of donors:
Bartells Drug Store | Bakery Nouveau | Seattle Shakespeare Company
Heavy Restaurant Group | Boehms Candy | C&P Coffee | MoPOP | West5 | Fresh Flours | ACT Theater | Pagliacci Pizza | MOHAI | Northwest Symphony Orchestra | Trader Joe’s | Seattle Theater Group | Seattle Symphony | Alki Spud | MarketSpice | Puzzle Break | Philharmonia Northwest | Seattle Thunderbirds |
Photography by Chris Leavitt | Jet City Improv | Emerald Downs | Museum of Flight | 5th Avenue Theatre |
Great Harvest | Grand Central Bakery | Seattle Theatre Group |10 Mercer | Ampersand Cafe | Seattle Seahawks | Elegant Electrolysis | Lake Union Civic Orchestra | Plus Friends of the Orchestras!Your support will help WSCO continue to provide FREE participation and instruction in orchestral and band music for our student musicians.
Hope to see you there: Saturday, October 28, 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. at Alki Masonic Lodge, 4736 40th Ave. SW. Tickets are on sale online now or at the door ($35 adults 18+, $20 students and seniors):
Oh, yes! This year’s theme is Masquerade for Musicians: A mysterious night benefiting student music in West Seattle. Diners are encouraged to contribute to the fun by donning a costume — Halloween-themed or otherwise. Wear a costume—or not!—but don’t forget your dancing shoes!
That video clip from California tells the story of the Threshold Choir, which is expanding into West Seattle. The announcement is from Susan Moskwa:
Are you a woman who loves to sing? Are you drawn to offering your voice as an instrument of kindness to those who are seriously ill or dying? Are you interested in joining a supportive community of women who gather regularly to rehearse and sing at the bedside?
If your answers are yes, yes, and yes, then you are invited to attend a Threshold Choir introductory meeting in West Seattle.
Threshold Choir is an international choir with chapters in over 150 communities throughout the United States and in seven other countries. Our mission is singing for individuals at the thresholds of their lives. Our Seattle chapter is called Seattle Threshold Singers.
This fall the Seattle Threshold Singers will begin rehearsing in West Seattle. We are holding two introductory meetings to provide information about our plans: Saturday, October 21st from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and Wednesday, November 8th from 10:00 a.m. – noon.
We will meet and greet, sing songs, and answer questions about the international Threshold Choir organization as well as our local chapter.
This is an all-volunteer group. We honor all spiritual paths and have no religious affiliation. There are no auditions but we do ask that you can carry a tune and have time to attend two rehearsals a month.
Rehearsals will be the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month from 10 to noon in West Seattle. If you are interested but cannot make this particular rehearsal time, let us know. At this time, you can either come to rehearsals in Seattle’s north end or wait to see if evening rehearsals will be offered in the south end.
Find out more about the Threshold Choir on its website; if you are interested in joining and/or have questions, you can e-mail west.seattle.threshold.choir@gmail.com.
That’s the trailer for “The Duel of Wine (El Camino del Vino),” which will have its Pacific Northwest premiere at West Seattle’s Admiral Theater as part of the closing-night celebration for this year’s Seattle Latino Film Festival.
The 9th annual festival showcasing Latin American films starts next Friday night (October 6th) downtown and continues for the following week, at venues around the area, from downtown to Federal Way (see the full list of screenings here) – concluding with the film and closing-night party at The Admiral on Saturday, October 14th. Betty Santiago from SLFF tells WSB that the star and producer of “Duel of Wine,” Charlie Arturaola and Lino Pujia, will be in attendance. We’re mentioning this early so you can get tickets if you want to be there – the film and party are included in your $25, and you can get your tickets online, here.
4:13 PM: Looking for something to do with the rest of your Sunday afternoon? The Children’s Moonlight Festival is happening until 6 pm at the Vietnamese Cultural Center. Above, lion dancers performed toward the start of the event; treats, entertainment, and a lantern parade are still to come.
This is a traditional lunar-calendar end-of-summer celebration; more photos to come. The Cultural Center is at 2234 SW Orchard, just north of Home Depot.
8:39 PM: As promised, more photos from the festival, which was so picture-perfect, an afternoon shower stopped just in time for the lion dance. Center director Lee Bui offered the lions a good-luck gift:
Joining the festivities at the center were Boy Scouts from Troop 286:
Two people dressed as characters from a Vietnamese legend offered backpacks to kids:
(This photo and next two by Lynda Bui)
There was rubber-duck fishing:
And a lantern parade:
A group photo to commemorate the event:
In addition to special events like this, the Vietnamese Cultural Center is open to visitors on Saturdays, noon-3 pm.
Friends of the Southwest Branch Library are your hosts during the Community Art Showcase‘s opening reception, continuing at the library until about 4 pm. Among the artists there, Steve and Lori Douglas:
Other art on display includes this guitar by Amanda Musclerat:
And Vera Sterling‘s “Best of Seattle”:
You have time to see the art show if you can’t get there by 4 – it’s on display at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) for most of the rest of this month.
The rain stopped in time for the welcoming ceremony and performances at Duwamish Waterway Park (7900 10th Ave. S.) in South Park, where you have until 9 tonight to see the Seattle debut of Lelavision‘s kinetic/musical sculpture Interspecies Communication, also seen at Black Rock City (aka the annual “Burning Man” festival in Nevada – video here).
The performance continues at Duwamish Waterway Park, where other flight sounds have since interrupted (jets) pic.twitter.com/YfqMkfxLxz
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 30, 2017
The welcoming featured Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen
Then those gathered at the park saw Vashon-based Lelavision‘s duo ascend the sculpture, and then descend to continue the event.
Participatory “human murmuration” was to follow, and then what Leah Mann promised would be a big dance party. We’re not sure what’ll be happening if you head over when you see this, but the sculpture itself is a sight to see. According to the Kickstarter page with which money was raised for the project, Lelavision hopes it will eventually find a permanent public home.
P.S. Thanks to Tom, who tipped us off to this!
4:07 PM: A two-vehicle crash at 30th SW/SW Genesee involves a school bus, but no one is hurt, per scanner – not the students, nor their driver, nor the other vehicle’s driver. We’re headed that way to see if we can find out more.
4:25 PM: SFD has left. The bus and police are on 30th just north of Genesee.
Now that it’s Thursday afternoon, it’s time to look ahead at some of the weekend highlights, in case you haven’t already seen them in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar. We start with the Lantern Festival and Competition in the Galleria at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle), featuring a chance to win prizes for handmade lanterns, and performances including a lion dance. The Van Lang Vietnamese Cultural and Language School is presenting the free event and hoping you’ll be there, 4:30-8:30 pm – all ages welcome! (Check our West Seattle Saturday lineup that morning for schedule specifics; it’ll wrap up with a lantern handout and night walk with lanterns starting at 8 pm).
(WSB photo: WordsWest co-curators Susan Rich, Harold Taw, Katy Ellis)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The three West Seattle writers who co-curate WordsWest Literary Series say it’s the kind of series “we would like to be invited to.”
WordsWest opens its fourth season this Wednesday night at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) and co-curators Harold Taw, Katy Ellis, and Susan Rich say it’s become everything they hoped it would be, and more.
While we regularly feature WordsWest in the WSB calendar and previews, we thought the start of the season would be a good time to check in with the co-founders, to re-introduce (or, if you’re new here, introduce) them and what it is they do each month. So we sat down with Susan, Katy, and Harold for that check-in over lunch at Easy Street Records one recent midday.
First – we should mention that WordsWest events usually feature two writers, in an innovative format, plus a community member reading a “favorite poem,” and a chance for interactivity with the dozens of attendees. More on the 7 pm Wednesday season-opener lineup a bit later – but first, the start of their story:
Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited
The annual Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park celebrates not only Latin American cultures but their importance in the U.S., and that was more poignant and urgent than ever this year.
Underscoring the issue of justice, King County Superior Court Judge Veronica Alicea-Galván was this year’s Grand Marshal:
More than 60 entries, with hundreds of participants, paraded and performed down the route.
Horses and riders from Charros of Washington concluded the parade, and we have some video too:
Charros of WA at end of Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park pic.twitter.com/fhzcrxNXMO
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 16, 2017
Earlier in the parade, different kinds of horsepower were on display:
Everyone’s an artist when it’s time for the Southwest Library‘s annual Artist Showcase – and Jane Gibson tells us the 26th annual showcase is just a few weeks away! Your first step – create up to three pieces of visual art to show off, or choose up to 3 works you’ve already created. Second step: Take your entries to SW Library (9010 35th SW) September 28th through 30th. And then be there for the artists’ reception on October 1st! The artists’ creations are shown at the branch through October 30th, and the month is highlighted by opportunities to “See Art/Make Art.” All the details are here – but we wanted to make sure you knew it’s time to start thinking about how you can participate.
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