West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
Since pumpkins are part of the photo, we’re kicking off this final roundup of West Seattle pumpkins with this photo, and “news alert!” explanation, from Chris Henggeler:
Admiral family awakes to enormous spider in house. Local scientists believe the spider originally hitched a ride in a container from southeast Asia and disembarked at the Port of Seattle. It’s thought that the insect was exposed to toxic waste at the Aluminum Plant and has now taken up residence at the corner of 39th and Lander. The family is trapped in the house waiting for emergency services and animal control to arrive.
Will they escape? Only time will tell. In the meantime, more West Seattleites’ pumpkins for all to enjoy, trapped or not. First, from Kate, Pat, and Neil:
Next, a brainy pumpkin from Carl:
From SeaChanty51:
Adam carved this howling-wolf pumpkin:
Vanessa shares this, explaining that’s Elmo on the right:
Dan and Heidi shared their pumpkin group:
Finally, this pumpkin pic’s from EE:
One more round of BIG THANKS to all the pumpkin-photo-sharing WSB’ers – scroll through our Holidays archive to see the others shared over the past week-plus. ADDED 11:34 PM: To bookend this with spiders – one more, from Todd, who says it’s at 38th/Lander in the Admiral District:
Thanks yet again for sharing so many great pumpkin photos this past week – This round begins with one from Chef Jason Todd Rice at The Bohemian, who also wants to make sure you know they have a special cocktail with proceeds going to help Sofia Goff from now-closed Café Revo – just ask for “La Sofia.” Meantime, Meredith shared this group:
And two from Todd:
If you have a pumpkin pic to share for the final two roundups tonight and Halloween night – please use this address: westseattleblog@gmail.com … our main one’s having a few technical challenges at the moment and might not be fixed till later Saturday. Thanks and have a great time this weekend!
We’re featuring West Seattle pumpkins through Halloween, and tonight, three more examples of creative carvings – first, Megan carved half a dozen pumpkins, both in honor of her two Admiral workplaces (including WSB sponsor Shanti Salon and Spa) and “just for fun.” Next, Bill Schrier – who among other things is webmaster for the 34th District Democrats – has some political pumpkins in this picture:
From left, that’s Alexandria, Ryan, Lara, and Bill. And from MargL‘s three-member family, a three-pumpkin family:
Sent your pumpkin photo yet? We’ve got room for more the next three nights! Here’s how to send ’em.
Busy news night tonight, so we’ll just show two West Seattle jack-o-lanterns for you to admire – Karen shared the “friendly vampire” in the top photo – and this spider came in anonymously (is it yours?):
Browse our “Holidays” archive to see the pumpkins we’ve shown the past few nights; if you have one to show off, please share a photo – e-mail address (etc.) here! And if you’re looking for West Seattle Halloween activities, there are dozens in the next five (yes, even Nov. 1) days/nights – full list on the WSB Halloween page.
“Stella and her pumpkin from Tony’s,” is how Justin captioned that before sending it in, as our pumpkin-photo-share-a-thon continues. (By the way, we asked Tony’s last weekend about the impending seasonal break – they told us they’ll be closing after Halloween, till reopening for Christmas trees.) Then we have Andrew‘s pumpkin, which looks a little spooked:
With a classic literature theme, the Mahrt family pumpkins – they note they have a child who’s dressing up as “Thing One” this year:
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” spawned Kimi‘s pumpkin:
Share yours – here’s how.
And the pumpkins keep rolling in … Last night we published some of the pumpkin photos shared by WSB’ers (see them here), plus one in a pre-Halloween update earlier today, and now, tonight’s official showcase: The top trio is from Sara, Lisa and Terra; these next three were shared by Shelley:
Anthony and Kelly Perez shared the next pumpkin pair:
And Lisa L sent this photo taken after a carving party last weekend:
We’ll be showing more between now and Halloween – so keep ’em coming! Meanwhile, in case you missed it earlier – the Southwest Precinct is interested in showing off West Seattle kids’ pumpkins – so if you’ve got a jack-o-lantern to share there, check out the info here (last part of the story).
ArtsWest in The Junction says “Evil Dead: The Musical” is such a hot ticket, it’s adding seven more shows, extending the run through 11/20:
The schedule for the 23 remaining shows is as follows:
· Wednesday 10/27 thru Saturday 10/30 at 7:30 PM; Saturday 10/30 at 11:00 PM; Sunday 10/31 at 5:00 PM; Monday 11/1 at 7:30 PM
· Wednesday 11/3 thru Saturday 11/06 at 7:30 PM; Saturday 11/6 at 11:00PM; Sunday 11/7 at 3:00 PM
· Wednesday 11/10 thru Saturday 11/13 at 7:30 PM; Saturday 11/13 at 11:00PM
· Wednesday 11/ 17 thru Saturday 11/20 at 7:30 PM; Saturday 11/20 at 11:00 PM
Tickets are on sale by phone 206-938-0339, at the box office, or online at artswest.org.
After noticing so many people out buying pumpkins today, we put out the call via Facebook this afternoon: It’s been fun to spotlight West Seattle jack-o-lantern pix in recent years, so send us yours! And we’ve received several already. Here are three. Top, Stephanie shares “Pac-Kin”; next, Sarah, Dan, and Wrigley sent their trio of “freshly carved West Seattle pumpkins”:
Via Facebook, Joleen shared a photo from her visit (with a friend she says is also from WS) to last week’s Keene, New Hampshire, pumpkin festival – the bottom two jack o’lanterns are theirs:
Also from the after-dark files, David Rosen from SlickPix Photography shares the one he made for his Halloween party:
Counting Halloween, we have seven nights ahead for pumpkin-showcasing – share yours any of these ways!
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
A local author took center stage at the monthly meeting of the Alki Community Council at Alki UCC Church on Thursday night, along with discussions of disaster preparedness and city-budget concerns affecting Alki Community Center.
The final hour of the meeting was devoted to a presentation by Alki author Peter Stekel (above) who talked about his book, “Final Flight: The Mystery of a WWII Plane Crash and the Frozen Airmen in the High Sierra.” The book, published last month and available on Amazon, chronicles Stekel’s extensive research into the 2005 discovery of the body of an “ice man” pilot in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and Stekel’s resulting discovery of airplane wreckage and an additional pilot’s body.
The meeting opened with remarks by Alki parent Lisa West (who had also collected signatures and spoken at last week’s Seattle budget hearing), expressing concern about service reductions at Alki Community Center as part of the proposed cuts announced by Mayor McGinn last month (WSB coverage here). West said the city’s plan would reduce the center’s weekly operations from 53 hours to 15 hours (7 of those on a single day – Friday), and that the closest alternative (Hiawatha) is “too far up the hill for kids to walk to.”
West encouraged community members to let the City Council know that Alki Community Center is important, by visiting the council’s “IdeaScale” website and voting for continued funding (link is here). NOTE: The city’s third and final public budget hearing is Tuesday October 26th.
ACC trustee Tony Fragada added that the city’s proposed budget cuts would also affect Department of Neighborhoods funding and encouraged citizens to keep that in mind while getting involved with the discussion.
Read on for more meeting notes: Read More
Tomorrow and Friday, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) returns to West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. We’ve given away tickets, courtesy of festival organizers, the past two nights, and tonight we have one last giveaway: Two tickets to the 6 pm Friday screening of “The Sleeping Beauty of East Finchley,” described as an “uplifting drama shot at the Various Voices Festival, a 4-day festival of gay and lesbian choirs from all over the world.” First person to e-mail us with SLEEPING BEAUTY TICKETS in the subject line, westseattleblog@yahoo.com, wins (be sure to tell us the name you want the tickets held in at the box office). Once the tickets are won, we’ll post an update here; no more giveaways after tonight, but you can go here to check out all the Admiral showings over the next two days.
9:19 PM UPDATE: The tickets have been won.
Thursday and Friday, the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) is back at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. See the full Admiral lineup here. Tonight, we have another ticket giveaway – this time, we’ll have TWO winners, each for two tickets to “To Faro,” screening at 9:45 pm Thursday, described as “an endearing account of complicated relationships … an audience favorite at LGBT festivals around the world.” First two people to e-mail us at westseattleblog@yahoo.com each get two tickets to that screening. Make sure your e-mail has TO FARO GIVEAWAY in the subject line, and includes the name in which you would want the tickets held at the box office. As soon as they’re given away, we’ll add a note here. We’ll have one more giveaway, tomorrow night; then Thursday and Friday, it’s festival time.
ADDED 10:28 PM: Both sets of tickets have been won! Check back tomorrow evening for 1 more giveaway, different film.
P.S. One more reminder of this free event that’s being held (not in WS) in connection with the festival, tomorrow night: SLGFF is joining with Safe Schools Coalition to screen the documentary “Bullied” at 6 pm Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall, with a panel discussion afterward, including three youth speakers.
West Seattle artist Oleana Perry shared this photo and explained what the bags are all about:
Yesterday I spent the day making decorative harvest-leaf bags out of burlap coffee bags. My leaves are out of control in my yard and I don’t like the big plastic pumpkin bags (plastic is forever), so I solved the problem. The decorative burlap bag will break down and compost the leaves over the winter season. Then I will mix the leaves in my garden soil and use the bag as weed block or for my garden path. The West Seattle Nursery liked them as well, so I had to make about 25 of them in my front yard yesterday. People walking by kept buying them as I was making them, it was pretty hilarious. It amazes me that all of these burlap coffee bags come from all over the world and a huge majority of them go into landfills. I think this is a resource we should all be thinking about.
She says you can find her bags at West Seattle Nursery or you can e-mail her about bulk orders – art4thoughts@yahoo.com
(Red laceleaf maple at the South Seattle Community College Arboretum, photographed by Keri DeTore)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: Hear the latest local crime trends firsthand – and get a chance for Q/A with local police leaders – when the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster) … Tonight’s the quarterly opening for the Art Lending Library at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way), details here … 10 am-2 pm today, it’s a Potpourri Bazaar of goods and services at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), even flu and pneumonia shots … 6:15 pm tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), Toastmasters Club 832 tells “Tales from the Hearth” (featured on our new West Seattle Halloween page) … After 6 pm “Spin Your Wax” open turntables at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) tonight, it’s the monthly Alauda belly-dance showcase (3803 Delridge Way) … Not in WS, but of regional interest: The public-health impacts of trucking are the topic of a special community forum tonight at South Seattle Community College‘s Georgetown campus (6737 Corson Avenue South).
(Kelly Lyles, center, photo by Dina Lydia Johnson)
When we photographed Highland Park artist Kelly Lyles at the Twilight Artist Collective show during West Seattle Art Walk last Thursday, little did we know she had been feted the night before, receiving a grant as lively as her work: The Conductive Garboil Grant. Another Highland Park artist (and dancer, and photographer), Dina Lydia Johnson, shares the news, plus the photo of Kelly and this video of her lightheartedly accepting the award:
The Conductive Garboil (that last word is a very old term for a disrupter) is a $3,000 grant given by organizations including 4Culture. Dina says Kelly declared, “”I’m thrilled to be the grantee; it means a lot, the peer recognition as much as the financial reward.” Dina has more photos on Flickr here, including the splashy outfit she wore to honor Kelly. She and her work – including her well-known “art car” – are online at kellyspot.com.
The Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (WSB sponsor) is back at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater this Thursday and Friday – the full Admiral schedule is here – and organizers are providing tickets for giveaways – so we’re starting right now. First person to e-mail us at westseattleblog@yahoo.com gets two tickets to “The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls.” It’s an award-winning documentary coming back to Seattle after its previous appearance at SIFF, and it’s described as “the must-see yodeling lesbian twins movie of the year.” After the 7:30 pm Thursday screening, there’s a reception at SLGFF sponsor Heartland Café just steps from The Admiral. Make sure your e-mail has TOPP TWINS GIVEAWAY in the subject line, and includes the name in which you would want the tickets held at the box office. As soon as they’re given away (which could be a while given the hour!), we’ll add a note here. We’ll have giveaways tomorrow and Wednesday night too (earlier!) and then Thursday and Friday, the festival’s on. 12:47 AM UPDATE: Tonight’s tickets are gone.
P.S. Not in West Seattle, but part of the festival, and free: SLGFF is joining with Safe Schools Coalition to screen the documentary “Bullied” at 6 pm Wednesday, Broadway Performance Hall, with a panel discussion afterward, including three youth speakers.
We mentioned Avalon Glassworks‘ pumpkin-making event earlier – seems there’s another patch of glass pumpkins in West Seattle today: WSB contributing photographer Ellen Cedergreen happened onto this show/sale that Tacoma Glassblowing Studio is presenting till 4 pm at Alki Bathhouse. Above, that’s studio co-owner Jeannine Sigafoos; part of today’s proceeds are going toward an orphanage in Romania and a Puget Sound charity (explained here, along with other venues that’ll be hosting the event in the weeks ahead).
(First 6 photos in this story are by Ellen Cedergreen [Alki, ArtsWest, The Kenney])
Steps from the beach, Alki Bathhouse celebrated the exhibit “Beach Structures” last night during the October edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, 41 venues this time around, and we made it to eight of them last night. At the Bathhouse, David W. Simpson is the artist:
He’s also known for cyanotype prints (the image behind him is a print of the same structure), and he’s teaching a class in that medium at the Bathhouse Studio on October 30th, 10:30 am, call 206-684-7430 to register. Another of last night’s most unusual shows, WTF?! Guys and Dolls and Zombies at ArtsWest – here’s artist Kate Vrijmoet attacked by her zombie children tonight in front of her giant zombie paintings:
Click ahead for another unusual sight at ArtsWest – plus more stops around the Art Walk map:
(Photos courtesy Stir It Up Productions; above, Francine at left, Laurel at right)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
West Seattle filmmaker Francine Strickwerda and her business partner Laurel Spellman Smith are freelance filmmakers focusing on social and environmental issues. Their latest work-in-progress is “Oil and Water,” focusing on two young men fighting the presence of oil companies in the Amazon rainforest, with a screening planned this Thursday at the Duwamish Longhouse in West Seattle.
Francine calls it a “David and Goliath” story:
Two more Halloween-season events just sent in for the WSB West Seattle Events calendar … Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in Admiral is having a costume contest October 29th, 3-6 pm. (That happens to coincide with the Admiral Treats and Treasures trick-or-treating event.) Meantime, a new twist on West Seattle’s artsiest pumpkins:
That photo is courtesy Shannon Felix at Avalon Glassworks, who shares this announcement:
Design your own glass pumpkin and watch it being made at Avalon Glassworks on Sunday, October 17, 2010. You choose the color, shape, and stem type and see your unique piece being created. A limited number of time slots are available for purchase on our web site, www.avalonglassworks.com/designyourown.aspx at $60 (plus tax) each. We will also accommodate as many drop-ins as possible, first-come, first-served.
Our Halloween page is almost ready to go so if you have a Halloween/harvest-themed festival ahead in the next few weeks, please let us know!
(Promotional video for TEDxRainier – nothing about the speakers, but lots of scenery!)
Heard of the TED talks? Tomorrow, there’s an independently organized Seattle version called TEDxRainier, described by organizers as featuring “Seattle’s guiding lights in global health, environmentalism, high tech, literary arts, and culture, delivering brief lectures about their remarkable work.” TEDxRainier is happening in Benaroya Hall downtown, 10 am-6 pm, but because that only holds about 500 people (admission: $50), organizers arranged for a few locations around the region to stream the conference live. One of them is Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), 4410 California SW, specifically sought out by TEDxRainier organizers. You’re welcome to drop by, according to Hotwire’s Lora Lewis – she’ll have it set up on one of the Hotwire computers. You can see the schedule of speakers (though it’s not broken down minute-by-minute) in the official program here.
(June 2010 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
It only happens once a quarter – and today we have the date for the next opening of West Seattle’s Art Lending Library at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center: Tuesday (corrected), October 19th, one night only, 6-9 pm. Read on for the details (including how it works), just shared by Seth Damm:Read More
(YouTube photo montage of Bacon Kevin Bacon – substituted for previous video clip, which seems to be broken)
In recent months, you might have seen the What Do Bacon Do? folks around West Seattle — at the WS Art Walk last April, street festivals, etc., with their festive felt Bacon People. Right now, they’re gaining new attention for their role in a fundraiser – and they’ll even be on KING 5‘s “New Day Northwest” at 11 this morning, we just found out. The photo above is the reason why – they were part of the making of a bust of actor Kevin Bacon, crafted from, what else, bacon. West Seattleite Wendy Watkins is on the WDBD team and explains it’s being auctioned on eBay – three days to go, and the bidding’s past $4,000! – to raise money for Ashley’s Team, a foundation to help families dealing with childhood cancer (Ashley is a leukemia patient who is also the daughter of the owner of J&D Foods, a partner in the BKB endeavor and best known for Bacon Salt). Sorry, though, BKB is not edible – as the eBay description notes, it’s been “well-lacquered.” (Bid here!)
Out of the WSB inbox tonight, two events for this weekend:
TWELFTH NIGHT PRODUCTIONS CABARET AND AUCTION: It’s the event that yields much of the funding for community-theater troupe Twelth Night Productions, and it starts at 6 this Friday night at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center – dinner, drinks, appetizers, silent/live auction (items including a Leavenworth getaway and “instant wine cellar”), and entertainment, $55/person, tickets available online through Thursday.
AT COVE PARK, HELP OUT, AND LOOK AHEAD: A work party this Saturday at the mini-beach park north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock will be followed up by a chance to talk about what’s ahead for the park, according to this note from Mardi:
Saturday, October 9th, Tom Jay, lead artist, and Kirk Hackler, lead landscape architect, will be at Cove Park to talk to any interested community members about ideas for the restoration of the space after the Barton Street Pump Station is expanded and restored. All are welcome to help maintain the park from 10 to 1, and then meet with Tom and Kirk at 1 pm.
Construction of the two-year pump-station project is scheduled to start in 2012 – here’s more info on the King County Wastewater Treatment Division website.
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