If you’re interested in supporting a good cause with a good pie for Thanksgiving – you might want to make plans to pre-order one of Diane Niemi‘s Heritage Pumpkin Pies next week. We photographed her at the West Seattle Eagles‘ Junction headquarters yesterday afternoon during the first of her planned weekly order-taking sessions – and she says she only has 23 10-inch-pie pre-orders left to sell (though an ample supply remains for the 5-inch pie pre-orders). As noted in the calendar listing, Diane is making the pies to raise money for Alzheimer’s/dementia research, in honor of her 90-year-old mom, who taught her the pie recipe – which originated with Diane’s great-grandmother. She’ll be back at the Eagles’ HQ next Wednesday (September 12), 2-8 pm.
This federal holiday was marked with a flag-raising ceremony in one corner of West Seattle – at Alki Masonic Lodge on the east edge of The Junction. For the first time in eight years, a flag flies over the lodge, and VFW District 2 sent representatives to formally dedicate the new flag and renovated flagpole:
Mar Murillo from VFW Post 6599 (holding the flag) and Richard Moore from Post 2289 led the ceremony:
Also on hand, lodge leadership present and future – Sonny Canlas and Scott Marshall:
Family, friends, and community members came for a potluck preceding the dedication:
Alki Lodge 152, by the way, was originally chartered more than a century ago – in 1906.
The lodge over which the new flag flies is not only home to the local Masons, it’s also a popular place for public rentals and community events.
I would like to thank the very nice man who knocked on my door just past 11 (last night) to give me my wallet. I must have dropped it outside of the Shadowland. I was taken aback and probably didn’t thank you properly. I truly appreciate your honesty and sense of urgency. I wish I would have offered you something in return.
On Tuesday, Rick Cook of “Psychic Barber” fame will start work in his new spot at the Classic Barber Shop, about a block north of his old shop at 5251 California SW. But before he closed Rick’s Barber Shop for the final time on Saturday – with a development project looming, as reported here three weeks ago – he had a full-circle client: Rick’s last cut there was for longtime friend Jeff, who was also the first person to get a haircut from him in that space, on February 14, 1994. By the time Jeff arrived Saturday, even the barber pole was packed up:
Rick is joining other old friends, Julie and Keith, at the Classic. But the Psychic Barber neon (backstory here) that filled his old shop’s window is not coming along. Rick says the signs will “go into storage for now, although I’ve had a couple of unsolicited offers from a couple of galleries that are tempting.” When we stopped in on Saturday, the PSYCHIC half was already down, below the window that’s covered with a sign about Rick’s move to 5040 California.
Since it’s a federal holiday, Labor Day will bring a few more flags out on display around West Seattle (and beyond). One will be brand-new, and you are invited to its dedication. From Gary Langenbach:
On behalf of the Alki Masonic Temple Board, we would like to invite members of the community to a Labor Day Potluck and dedication of our new Flag and renovated flagpole. Members of VFW district 2 will be performing the flag dedication. We will gather at noon on Monday, September 3rd, at Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th Ave SW, to share a casual meal. We will commence the Flag Ceremony at 1 pm. Please feel free to remain for fellowship throughout the afternoon. Call 206-938-3554 for additional information.
On August 31st, friends and family will gather to remember Ray Sargent, a longtime West Seattleite who died at home in Arbor Heights last week at age 84. They tell us he was known as “the Mayor of Luna Park Café,” where he was a regular, and where he made news in October 2011, saved after a heart attack. He recovered from that, but then was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. The staff of Luna Park was part of a celebration of his life that he was able to attend before he died – that’s when the photo at right was taken. (And the family hopes that those touched by Ray or by the café’s support will go to Luna Park for a meal in his memory.) We have a formal obituary for him, followed by a few more thoughts from his daughter – read on:
(Photo by Kristen Marie Tourtillotte)
These newlyweds are hoping their recent ceremony will be the first of two. For starters:
West Seattle residents Keith Bacon and Corianton Hale made it official on August 11th at Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort in Leavenworth, WA. The happy couple are looking forward to making it legal when their friends and neighbors vote to APPROVE R-74 in the upcoming election. The celebration included a Bavarian log-sawing ceremony, a talent show, a tube float down the Wenatchee River, and even made The Stranger’s fashion blog.
One hot ticket outside West Seattle/White Center on Saturday night did have a local connection: Before KISS headlined the White River Amphitheater (with Motley Crüe), three fans got custom KISS-style face paint at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), courtesy of FBL general manager Bradi Jones, who shared the photo – she’s the non-face-painted person in it, with, from left, Persia Saffele of the FBL (“Paul Stanley”), Pete Yore (“Ace Frehley”), and Nicholas Brown (“Peter Criss”).
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
This morning, we mentioned a West Seattle couple’s plan to take their wedding-day photos in The Junction, by the Easy Street Records sign congratulating them. We of course couldn’t resist the photo op ourselves. Above, the Walk-All-Ways light changes and the wedding party dashes into the street. Next, a group pose:
Katie says it took a few cycles for a practice run, then several for the actual photos.
Now, here’s where we share the couple’s backstory, courtesy of Auburn Scallon, who was a bridesmaid (in a wedding party she described as 90 percent West Seattleites):
Sean Jolly, a West Seattle real estate agent, and Michelle Mierz, Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu 2000, originally met at Our Lady of Guadalupe school. Years later, they reconnected after running into each other in the West Seattle junction and within hours their friend Tiara Johnson asked them, “Why aren’t you two married?!” Three years later, the couple is taking that advice in a ceremony at Holy Names Academy.
Their official wedding photographer is Tara of Tara Leigh Photography, in the striped shirt:
Kristina Graubins & Kane Jamison are happy to announce that they were married on August 11th at Lincoln Park. The happy couple moved to Seattle from Champaign, IL in 2008 and have lived in Arbor Heights for just over a year. When they’re not walking their dog Ben or tending to their new flock of chickens, they can be found chiseling away at their endless list of urban homestead projects. Please send your happy vibes to the new couple!
Thanks to Mark for the photo and a heartening tale (tail?) from the West Seattle Bridge this morning: Somehow a dog turned up on the westbound bridge around 9 am. Both directions stopped, Mark says; he and others on the EB side watched as people on the WB side “chased the little thing all around the bridge deck and finally corralled it, to some applause.”
ADDED: Even if you don’t usually read comments, make an exception here – as Laura, who was involved in the rescue, tells the story of saving little runaway Bell.
That’s Cal Prinster, who along with dad Gordon Prinster has just made it to New York City – but not by plane or train or car or even motorcycle: They just finished pedaling cross-country! We told you about their plan just before they left back in June; here’s that story. This morning we heard from Gordon, who also shared the photo:
We arrived in Lower Manhattan – slightly thinner – on 8/11/12. We pedaled 3,639 miles in 49 days. It was an unbelievable adventure. We’re now lounging under a tree in Strawberry Fields on a perfect day in Central Park.
Gordon adds that he and Cal – who starts 7th grade at Madison Middle School in 3 weeks – are “looking forward to thanking everybody that gave to pbtfus.org.” That’s the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, for which they raised money with not only this trip but also their 1,732-mile bike ride to the Mexican border last summer. (You can still donate – just follow this link, and please mention Cal Prinster as the “honoree” so they can keep track of everyone who donated in honor of their ride.)
Ada Hallberg will be remembered September 16th at Alki UCC, where, as her family says in this remembrance announcing her death, she was a lifelong member:
“There is a joy in holding close to our inheritance, but even a greater pleasure in continuing the feelings of community” – Ada Hallberg
Ada Hallberg, Alki girl, loving wife, wonderful mother and tireless grassroots activist died peacefully on June 22, 2012 at the age of 87, three and a half months after the passing of her husband, Robert.
Born in Seattle, Washington on August 6, 1924 to Grace and John Woodhouse, Ada was raised at Alki Beach with her two siblings, Neal and Nancy, attended Alki Elementary, James Madison and West Seattle High School. She graduated from the UW where she was a member of Sigma Kappa. She was a lifetime member of Alki Church since 1941 and this is where she met Bob. Together they built a life of love, laughter, family, and commitment to their heritage.
Inspired by her love for the neighborhood where she was raised, Ada gathered stories about the area and the people; “The combination of these places on the land and in the woods beside the bay was vital to our lives …. Most of us who went to Alki School were firmly grounded … when we grew up and left Alki, we knew who we were, where we belonged and where we wanted to return.”
10:41 PM: We’ve watched solstice and equinox sunsets with her, and now a Mars landing – West Seattle’s NASA Solar System AmbassadorAlice Enevoldsen presided as a crowd of more than 40 at The Kenney (WSB sponsor) just watched the NASA feed bring word that Curiosity had landed successfully. There was applause here to mirror the applause from Mission Control; we’ll have video shortly(added – here’s the video):
(First big round of applause is about :45 in)
A lucky few went away with buttons to commemorate the occasion – reading “7 minutes of terror”:
That’s in honor of the nailbiting interval between its entry to Mars’s atmosphere, and touchdown.
10:59 PM UPDATE: Almost half an hour after touchdown now, and at least a dozen people are lingering to talk about it.
(The NASA feed says there was so much interest, two of their websites crashed.) Back in June at Alice’s summer-solstice-watch event, Lego models of the lander were on display, and they’re here too:
The Solar System Ambassador program (explained here) has more than 500 volunteers around the country, including Alice, who has been part of it since 2010 (here’s her listing on the NASA website).
EARLY MORNING P.S. Another new image has since come in from Mars – see it here.
The trailer is for its PBS premiere this fall … but you can see the award-winning film “Love Free or Die” in West Seattle next week. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church plans a screening, followed by a community forum on marriage equality, at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 9th. Read on for the invitation:Read More
We have news of a local gold medalist – but it’s got nothing to do with the Olympics! West Seattle High School student Philip Nokeo is home from the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America national conference in Florida with the gold medal for Applied Technology. He earned the trip to nationals by winning that same medal in statewide competition. Philip and teacher Sarah Orton (with him in the photo) traveled with 20 students and staff from elsewhere in the city. Teacher says they were among 7,000 students at the conference, and of course there was time for side trips to Disney World and Universal Studios parks, as well as numerous conference events on which Philip will brief his fellow students in the WSHS chapter next school year. Congratulations!
(MONDAY UPDATE: A medal for Ginger’s grandson! Scroll down …)
26-year-old Olympic athlete Nick Thoman is from Ohio – but you can call him an honorary West Seattleite if you’re looking for specific people to cheer during the 2012 Summer Olympics, since his grandmother Ginger Brewer lives on Alki. She headed to London a few days ago to join other family members there. We’ve heard from Ginger before regarding Nick’s swimming success; a neighbor of hers told us he made it to the Olympics, so we e-mailed her, and heard back from daughter-in-law Lauri, who says Nick’s in the 100m backstroke “and may also swim in the 4x100m medley relay.” Lauri says those competition dates are:
July 29 – 100 m prelims
July 30 – 100 m finals
Aug 3 – 4x100m medley relay prelims
Aug 4 – 4x100m medley relay finals
She adds, “He has the third fastest Olympic qualifying time in the world for the 100m backstroke, so he is definitely in the running to bring home some hardware, although we are just super excited that he is even going! He currently holds the world record in the 100m short-course backstroke. The Olympics is a long-course pool. Short course is a 25 meter pool, long course is a 50 meter pool.” Nick is 26 and has been swimming since he was 4, Lauri says, adding, “Go Team USA!!” (P.S. Nick of course has an official “fan page” on Facebook. Here’s the lineup for his preliminary competition at 11 am Sunday, London time.)
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: And … he’s in Monday’s finals!
MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Nick scored silver today – here are the results (thanks to Ben for sharing the link in the comment section). He is also scheduled to be part of the USA relay team in competition later this week.
Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy student Tamela Thomas has won her third world championship, reports the academy’s Master Steve Elmore(with her in the photo above). Thomas, 52, is one of nine students who went with Elmore to the World Tang Soo Do Association‘s world championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, last weekend, an every-two-years event at which more than 1,600 people from 34 countries competed. He says Thomas became Senior Female Black Belt World Champion “by winning gold medals in weapons, forms, and free fighting. This was her 3rd consecutive world title but her first in the black belt division.” (Back in 2008, we mentioned this Seattle Weekly story about her first world title.) He also reports that the recent death of the association’s founder, Grandmaster Jae C. Shin (reported here), loomed large over the event, with a memorial service following the ribbon-cutting for a new WTSDA in nearby Burlington, N.C.
That’s what it said on longtime community activist/volunteer Pete Spalding‘s birthday cake last night at the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), where wife Kerry Hughes organized a surprise party:
Back in their home neighborhood of Pigeon Point, one of the trademark signposts held a tribute:
Just got the news, and that photo, from a proud Laura James – best known here as “Diver Laura,” who has often shared video of amazing underwater sights as well as news of cleanups on sea and shore: She won the Cox Conserves Heroes award, which means a total of $10,000 for Sustainable West Seattle, her chosen nonprofit! We first told you in June that she was a finalist in this year’s contest. Then, voting ensued – till one week ago – and today, Laura was announced as the winner. (She was the only West Seattleite among the finalists, who are all shown here; the other two will each earn a $2,500 grant for their chosen nonprofit.)
(Laura with Cate White, Sustainable WS Tox-Ick fighter) ADDED 9:49 PM: We asked Laura for a comment. Her reply:
A huge thank you to KIRO 7, Cox Enterprises and the Trust for Public Land for helping fight the Tox-Ick Monster! Many many thanks to my Friends and Family – Facebook or otherwise – who voted, My dive buddies who make the dives possible; a special thank you to Kelle Fitzpatrick for nominating me; and West Seattle Blog for your relentless support! I could not have done it without all of you!
“Tox-Ick,” you might recall, is the “face” of the Sustainable WS toxic-runoff-fighting campaign (read about the “monster” here and about simple actions YOU can take to fight it).
Some have asked if the Paddle to Squaxin tribal canoes are still on Alki, where they landed Monday afternoon as a stop along the journey to the big annual gathering, to be held in the Olympia area this year. We went back over to Alki to be sure we had the correct answer: Yes. Departures aren’t planned until tomorrow morning, when they will head to the next stop, hosted by the Puyallup Tribe; the Muckleshoots are the hosts here – all the stops are on this map. (Our coverage from Monday is here and here.)
ADDED: Stately sunset view with a canoe’s bow in silhouette, from David Hutchinson:
We reported on the new group last month; it’s the brainchild of Alki Arts‘ Diane Venti(below left), now collaborating with Mind Unwind‘s Krystal Kelley (below right):
After a pilot organizational meeting, they launched a Facebook page, set the date for this meeting, and got more than three dozen RSVP’s. Twenty-six women showed up Monday to talk and nosh and listen, to admire, maybe even to conspire.
Though many didn’t know each other before, in many cases, they knew of each other. As each in turn introduced herself and talked about her business, there were oohs and aahs.
“What a great group of gals!” someone exclaimed after the introductions ended, and shortly before another round of conversation began.
Here’s a lost bunny who doesn’t really qualify for the WSB Pets page … so we’re showing it here. Markus explains:
We went to the West Seattle Parade this weekend and unfortunately lost our daughter’s beloved stuffed animal bunny. I thought the bunny made it home in my backpack, but others saw her take it out while I wasn’t looking. :( We posted some flyers around Hinds & California where we sat for the parade. … If there is any way to help spread the word, our little one is still asking where she is…
If you have any ideas about the bunny’s whereabouts, e-mail the bunny’s companion’s dad at Markus@rocketgraphicsinc.com.
On August 31st, friends and family will gather to remember Ray Sargent, a longtime West Seattleite who died at home in Arbor Heights last week at age 84. They tell us he was known as “the Mayor of 
Ada Hallberg, Alki girl, loving wife, wonderful mother and tireless grassroots activist died peacefully on June 22, 2012 at the age of 87, three and a half months after the 
26-year-old Olympic athlete Nick Thoman is from Ohio – but you can call him an honorary West Seattleite if you’re looking for specific people to cheer during the 2012 Summer Olympics, since his grandmother Ginger Brewer lives on Alki. She headed to London a few days ago to join other family members there. We’ve 
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