West Seattle, Washington
29 Saturday
(Photo added 5:20 pm – those here for previous bills have left, public safety folks now seated for 1679)
3:47 PM, ORIGINAL NOTE: We are in Olympia for the State Senate Ways and Means Committee hearing that will include EHB 1679, to remedy the situation that has left former SPD Officer Jason McKissack and his family losing health coverage because a 2008 attack in West Seattle left him unable to work. Public testimony is expected. The state House already passed the bill, but the Senate is where it stalled last year.
4:43 PM: 1679 hasn’t come up yet – 6851, the Clean Water bill, was up first … 39 witnesses. (Added 5:25 pm – among them, speaking in the photo above, West Seattle resident Martha Kongsgaard, on behalf of the Puget Sound Partnership, one of the supporters.) It was preceded by testimony on a few others including one that Sen. Joe McDermott (who is on this committee and here at the hearing) tells us can affect financing for the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency and Fauntleroy Schoolhouse’s future.
5:27 PM: 1679 is up. Looks like they are running out of time and may not have any public testimony – Sen. McDermott tells us a Senate floor session is coming up at 5:45 to take up amendments to the bill that suspends I-960, a hot topic at the Town Hall in West Seattle last Saturday. The legislative staffer who is speaking about 1679 now says it would cost the state about $800,000.
5:48 PM: The committee meeting is adjourned. They did wind up hearing very quickly from six people – including Jason McKissack’s wife Kim McKissack, and two Seattle Police Guild leaders, Sgts. Rich O’Neill and Ty Elster. Sgt. Elster read a statement from Jason, who did not feel well enough to be here. Next up – this committee will decide whether to advance the bill to the full Senate.
9:31 PM: Adding video — first, Kim McKissack and Renee Maher, the law-enforcement advocate who is also the widow of Federal Way Officer Patrick Maher, killed in the line of duty in 2003:
And the Seattle Police Guild leaders who spoke before them – Sgt. O’Neill is first, with the “help the officer” message he also gave the House Ways and Means Committee; Sgt. Elster, second.
No one signed up to testify against 1679. If you want to contact Ways and Means members about the bill, their names and contact info can be found here.
Some days, the inbox overflows with news releases that we pass on so you can read for yourself … some days, it’s quiet. Today’s one of the overflowing days. Latest one of potential interest, the Seattle City Council announces its 2010 priorities – read on to see if they dovetail with yours:Read More
When we stopped by the Fauntleroy Church electronics/appliances recycling event at midday Sunday, the crew from Issaquah-based 1 Green Planet already had filled one truck with recyclables. We checked with Judy Pickens to see if they had received a grand-total report; here it is – four truckloads (24-foot, two 16-footers, and a 14-footer), totaling between 15 and 20 TONS of recyclables. Judy says they’re talking about doing it again this fall; in the meantime, you can use E-Cycle Washington to find out how to recycle these types of items.
From the inbox:
On Saturday, 3-6-10 from 9am to noon, the Friends of Lincoln Park will meet to continue our work restoring the forests of this West Seattle treasure. Join us! Meet at 9am in the north parking lot at the kiosk across from Rose St. Dress for weather and wear sturdy shoes. Bring sturdy gardening gloves and hand clippers, if you have them, or we have extras. Contact Sharon at sbaker@uw.edu or (206) 464-1068.
Tonight’s the first of five public meetings (all listed here) the city’s holding to discuss the new Youth and Families Initiative. The fourth one is in West Seattle, 7 pm March 15 at Denny International Middle School, but in the meantime, Mayor Mike McGinn‘s staff has taken the unusual step of sending code for an embeddable form you can use RIGHT NOW to let them know what you think:
The information you submit, by the way, does NOT go to us – while we’re embedding the form, it’s hosted on another website, and everything goes straight to them (we just tested it to make sure it works).
Good crowds for the first two public meetings to help plan the new park at West Seattle (Westcrest) Reservoir; today’s there’s word from the city that the date’s been set for the next meeting, 10 am Saturday, April 24, again at Southwest Community Center. (Our reports on the first two: December meeting here; Feb. 6 meeting here.)
From SDOT: Crews are working today in the 6000 block of Beach Drive SW, where a slide last month has left the road restricted to one lane. SDOT’s Marybeth Turner tells us, “They are clearing away slide material and will set ecology blocks along the side of the street. The goal is to reopen the street to two lanes (one lane in each direction).” We are checking on the other questions that remained unanswered regarding the slide situation – including plans for permanent stabilization. 2:57 PM UPDATE: Bryan Stevens from DPD has some information on the latter issue. He says they’re working with a property owner in the 6000 block of Atlas Place, over the slide:
The city is working with Mr. Saladino to quickly review an option that stabilizes the slope and protects the public.
At this point, we have not received a permit application from Mr. Saladino to stabilize the property. Mr. Saladino has not yet provided the city with a geotechnical report that provides sufficient information to evaluate the options and the appropriate design. Our engineers need this information for their review to assess whether the proposed options do indeed stabilize the slope and protect the public.
At this time, we are waiting for Mr. Saladino to respond to our request for additional information.
SDOT is taking advantage of the unseasonably dry weather to remove slope debris from the Beach Drive right-of-way and place a temporary ecology block catchment wall in the parking lane on Beach Drive. This work is underway and should take one to two days. Upon completion, SDOT will reopen Beach Drive to two-way traffic at this location.
5:56 PM UPDATE: SDOT now says the work will continue tomorrow (Tuesday) instead of taking a break till Wednesday.
IN THE LEGISLATURE: At left, those are your 34th District state legislators – Sen. Joe McDermott, Rep. Sharon Nelson, Rep. Eileen Cody – during their Town Hall at High Point Community Center on Saturday. Today, they are back to work in Olympia – as they explained on Saturday, they’re now at the stage where more deadlines loom for bills to either advance or be declared officially dead for the year. Today the Senate Ways and Means Committee (of which McDermott’s a member) has a public hearing on one bill of particular West Seattle interest – HB 1679, to make sure catastrophically injured public safety personnel like former West Seattle police officer Jason McKissack don’t lose their medical benefits. Advocates are asking for a show of support like the one received in the House Ways and Means Committee last month (WSB coverage here); the hearing’s in Room 4 of the Cherberg Building on the Capitol campus, 3:30 pm.
ROAD CLOSURE REMINDER: East/southeast of Youngstown Arts Center in North Delridge, work is scheduled to start on the project that will close 23rd/22nd SW for up to six weeks – see our previous story for the latest.
WEST SEATTLE PRESCHOOL FAIR: School-choice season is now in full swing and more than a dozen of West Seattle’s preschools are hoping to meet prospective families and answer tonight at the first-ever West Seattle Preschool Fair, 5:30-8:30 pm at St. John the Baptist Church‘s community hall (3050 California SW).
AND IF YOUR LITTLE ONE’S TOO LITTLE FOR PRESCHOOL … maybe you’ll be interested in the debut of Baby Story Time at the Southwest Branch Library (9010 35th SW). 11:30 am today; details here.
SPEAKING OF SCHOOL: A reminder, midwinter break’s over and everybody’s back today.
PARKS AND GREEN SPACES LEVY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE: Want to find out how the money you’re paying because of the 2008 levy is being spent? Got something to suggest to the citizen volunteers who are reviewing that spending? Be at the committee’s regular meeting, 7 tonight, Parks HQ downtown (100 Dexter Ave. N.). Among the agenda items – an overview of the letters of intent received so far.
EVEN MORE … like regular bingo and trivia events … on the WSB Events page. Have a great day (it’s off to a great start, as this sunrise photo from John LaSpina shows) …
Many who live on Pigeon Point have had this top-of-mind all weekend, but for those who live elsewhere and drive 23rd/22nd SW between Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge/elsewhere and North Delridge – remember that tomorrow’s the day the road closes, along the route shown above (as first reported here February 10th), for up to six weeks. A few new developments today, according to Pigeon Point’s Pete Spalding, one of the neighborhood leaders who’s been in close contact with the city and the developer whose project’s closing the road for sewer-line work: He says the no-parking zones have been reduced somewhat, but they’re hopeful of getting even more parking back by convincing Metro to run the Route 125 bus down 21st SW instead of the currently planned reroute. Any decision on that isn’t expected before tomorrow. Spalding says Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – who chairs the Transportation Committee – returned to the neighborhood for the second afternoon in a row, this time with five SDOT reps, who thought the revised bus re-route would make sense, and promised to request it. Spalding also met with developer Jon Riser this morning, and reports he’s “totally concerned” about the neighborhood impacts. As Riser told us in a conversation last night (last element in this story), he’s been working with the city since November on the “traffic plan” for the project – but city rules don’t require early notification, nor do they require community consultation, which is why no one knew about this until the signs went up a week and a half ago. Many hope this might lead to a change in the rules so that neighborhoods would get earlier warning, in order to participate in the planning process and avoid frantic last-minute maneuvering like this. NOTE: Channel 13 did a story on the situation last night – first TV story that we know of:
It’s been ALL about the sunshine this weekend. From the hummingbird that JayDee caught in action at a feeder … to the Admiral tree in full bloom, photographed by Eric Bell from fridgefoto.biz:
…to West Seattle as seen from West Point (Magnolia/Discovery Park) by Chas Redmond, via iPhone:
and finally, indoors but in a bit of sun: Wes shared this scene:
Wes explains, “This is Cooper, a 4-year-old Brittney, and Maximillion, a 6-month-old Irish Setter who is Cooper’s new best friend.” For all those who love to nap on Sunday afternoons when possible, that pic seemed to say it all. (Thanks for the photos! Breaking news or just cool pix, share ’em any time)
Not many details on these incidents, but witnesses took the trouble to share photos (and the 911 log has the time/place info) – Above, Ed photographed the car fire that brought Engine 29 and crew to 60th and Admiral (map) just after 3 pm; no injuries, Ed says, and the car was eventually towed. Below — One week after the hit-run truck-vs-multiple-car crash along 35th SW north of Myrtle Reservoir, neighbors heard the crunch of a collision yet again, just after 6 tonight; this is described as a chain-reaction crash, no injuries:
Thanks to Jake for the photo. This was near 35th and Willow (map), south of the closest cross-street to last week’s crash, Holly.
Tomorrow, it’s back to school for Seattle Public Schools students (among others) after a week of midwinter break. About 100 students spent four days of the no-classes week at Denny International Middle School in West Seattle, which offered a music camp for 4th through 8th graders again this year. Our video clips are from the week-ending recital at Denny on Friday afternoon. Music director Marcus Pimpleton told the audience that a hallmark of the camp was having the young musicians – who numbered more than 70 – mentored by high-school volunteers (more than 30!). You can see a few of the mentors in this clip of the steel drummers:
The high-school volunteers were from Chief Sealth and Roosevelt High Schools. Click ahead for two more clips from the Friday afternoon recital, including one student group with a ’70s classic:Read More
That’s how Gary Jones captioned this photo he shared of two juvenile bald eagles spotted in the Alki sunshine this morning. (Got a photo to share? Here’s how to send it!)
An hour and a half into the five-hour recycling event at Fauntleroy Church, the 1 Green Planet crew already had filled a truck! We caught them during a brief lull before a couple more cars pulled up:
They are a relatively new, nonprofit operation, based on the Eastside. They recycle electronics and appliances for free – while some other recyclers still charge fees. They tell us that some aspects of the operation (taking apart old computers, which have myriad recyclable components) subsidize the others. If you miss this event, they say you can take recyclables to their facility in Issaquah – full info on what they take and where they are is on their website. But in the meantime, they’re scheduled to be at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) till 2 pm – and they had big props for West Seattleites’ obvious recycling zeal.
ANNIVERSARY #1: As of this past Friday, Café Revo (WSB sponsor) in the Luna Park business district has begun its second year in operations. Five months ago, when husband/chef/restaurant co-founder Sean “Chano” Goff died at 43, Sofia Zadra Goff (right) and her team vowed “Café Revo will go on” – and it has. Their spring menu will debut soon, and as the weather warms, they’ll open up the patio again; they’re continuing with Wine Wednesdays (15% off bottled wines), and next Thursday, it’s a wine dinner with Reverdito Winery and Gioia Wines, 4 courses plus Puccini arias sung by West Seattle soprano Maria Johnson. More info at caferevo.com. Café Revo’s at 2940 SW Avalon Way (map).
ANNIVERSARY #2: Tomorrow, Circa in the Admiral District marks its 12th anniversary. Via Facebook, Circa invites you to “Come celebrate the beginning of our tween years Monday, Feb 22nd – a night filled with balloons, burgers, cake and a fabulous Birthday Belgian Brown Beer specially brewed for us by Big Al Brewery!” Circa’s at 2605 California SW (map).
CONGRATULATIONS: The news reverberated around the food circuit a few days ago but in case you haven’t heard, Spring Hill‘s Mark Fuller is now a semifinalist for one of the food world’s most prestigious awards, the James Beard Awards. Here’s the writeup from our citywide-news partners at the Seattle Times (the five finalists will be announced in a month). If you haven’t been to Spring Hill (4437 California SW) on Monday nights, the menu (see it here) now includes a by-reservation-only fried chicken dinner for 4.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE … Or maybe the sunshine alone is a reason. Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor) has confirmed that the mimosa carafe, which made its debut for Valentine’s Day, is now a permanent fixture on the brunch menu. That’s OJ and “an entire bottle of champagne.” Skylark’s at 3803 Delridge Way (map).
(Saturday sunset photo by Philippe Bishop)
Looks like yet another sunny day (maybe 2nd to last) … here are some of your options:
VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR: West Seattle’s Vietnamese Cultural Center invites you to its celebration at 1:30 this afternoon, 2236 SW Orchard (map).
ELECTRONICS/APPLIANCES RECYCLING: 9 am-2 pm, Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) parking lot is where to bring recyclables including electronics and appliances; details at fauntleroyucc.org. This is in partnership with 1 Green Planet.
ALSO IN FAUNTLEROY: Little Pilgrim School, which is at Fauntleroy Church, has an open house for 2-5-year-olds and their parents, 11 am-1 pm.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm as always, 44th/Alaska. The online Ripe and Ready list is still in last weekend’s Valentine mode but still gives you an idea of some of what’s fresh.
(some of what was on sale Saturday)
ALSO IN THE JUNCTION: The office-furniture (etc.) sale to raise money for Haiti relief continues 10 am-2 pm today, outside Olympic Court (home to WSB sponsor Westside Dermatology), 4740 44th SW (just north of the Chase drive-thru).
CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: 5-7 pm at the ILWU Hall on Pigeon Point (2414 SW Andover), it’s Marcee Stone‘s campaign kickoff for State House, Position 2 (currently held by Rep. Sharon Nelson, who has said she’ll be running for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Joe McDermott, who is running for King County Council). Stone is State Committeewoman for the 34th District Democrats and announced her campaign at their February meeting (WSB coverage here).
Sunny, warm, perfect day to think gardening, and that brought so many people out to Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle‘s first-ever Seed Swap ‘n’ Sale, the seeds were gone about halfway through the three-hour event. Community Harvest’s Aviva summarized it in a comment tonight on our morning preview story:
Thank you to those who came out to the Seed Swap ‘N Sale…and apologies to those who came after we were sold out. By 2:30 we had sold ALL of our 650 packets of seeds. Should have known…with it being the year of Urban Agriculture.
AND THANKS TO THE GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WHO MADE THIS HAPPEN! I’m grateful to all the gardeners who brought in their old seed packets for re-distribution and for the old tools…keep an eye open for their transformation! We will be doing a Veggie Start Sale in mid-April. Will have more seeds then.
Gardening wasn’t the only topic on the table:
(Photo courtesy Karen Berge)
From left, that’s Karen Berge, Deborah Greer and Cindi Barker – they brought along the traveling display of info about the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs (a project that’s an ongoing WSB sponsor – find their ad on the right sidebar to access the hub info at any time). Be sure to go here to find out where your nearest “hub” is, just in case.
Our video shows the scene inside the Alaska Marine Lines loading dock on West Marginal Way SW this morning – about two hours after West Seattle’s 30,000 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies arrived, and about two hours before they were all scheduled to be gone, picked up by reps of the 25 troops selling cookies in our area this year. From outside the dock:
As always, volunteers young and old helped out – coordinated by West Seattle Service Unit Cookie Manager Cheryl Brown – including this group we got to stop down for a photo:
What’s new this year, you ask? Two things: First, the new flavor is Thank You Berry Munch, described as:
Real, premium cranberries provide a delightful tartness in these hearty cookies sweetened with creamy white fudge chips.
And of course, as you probably noticed in the video, older faves are still available too, like Samoas, Thin Mints, last year’s new flavor Dulce de Leche …But here’s what’s really big: The Cookie Locator. Once cookie sales officially begin next Friday, February 26th, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington website will have a spot for you to enter your zip code and find the locations and times where you’ll find cookie sales nearby! (Around Western Washington, Cheryl says, 18,844 girls sold 2,773,288 boxes of cookies last year; 112,569 were donated to Operation Cookie Drop – you can buy a box of cookies to be donated to U.S. military personnel.)
(Updated at 6:10 pm after a conversation with the developer whose project’s at the heart of this)
ORIGINAL 4:37 PM REPORT: In the bright jacket, that’s West Seattle-dwelling City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who chairs the council’s Transportation Committee. Rasmussen bicycled up to Pigeon Point this afternoon to listen to neighbors’ concerns about effects of the 6-week road closure that starts on Monday so that a developer can run a sewer line to new-home sites on 23rd SW. First reported here 10 days ago, the closure not only will close a major route between North Delridge and Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge, it also will reroute Metro’s 125 bus (details here), which in turn means parking restrictions on nearby streets that are not in the construction zone. Most galling to neighbors – as noted here last night, when the signs went up yesterday, they covered an even longer stretch of nearby streets than had been announced by SDOT – and that’s what has neighbors most concerned. Jim S wrote in a WSB comment last night:
It’s frustrating to say the least. It feels very much as if the city has sold out Pigeon Point for a developer’s utility upgrade to the arterial. I understand that Riser Homes are paying the full ride on the sewer and storm drains on 23rd and that cost is considerable, but this has affected a far wider swath of neighborhoods than the average street closure. Closing virtually all parking on two of the three major streets in the Pigeon Point neighborhood without consulting the neighborhood is very unfair. It is a thoughtless, cookie cutter fix to a problem that required a more measured equitable solution.
This afternoon, Rasmussen met with about a dozen residents, coordinated on short notice by Pete Spalding (at right, below, with Rasmussen at left – note the “no parking” signs lining the road in the background).
It’s not just a matter of nowhere to park and driving a detour route, neighbors say, it’s also a safety issue – as hundreds of drivers detour, there’s concern they may go racing down streets where there’s not usually heavy traffic. And there’s a big-picture issue here: Notification. Everyone agrees that the homebuilder did what was required – notifying neighbors in the immediate area – but, as discussed at the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting last Wednesday, what’s required, may not be enough. In our video clip, you’ll hear Rasmussen wonder if there’s any way to hold off the project now, so that a meeting can be held with neighbors first:
There was no public word of the impending closure till signs went up on Delridge a week and a half ago; the signs seemed to suggest Delridge was closing for six weeks; a WSB’er named Pete (not Spalding) contacted us to ask what we knew. We checked with SDOT, which explained the developer’s plan – this Feb. 10th story resulted – and got him to add “23rd SW” lettering to the closure signs; the information about bus and parking restrictions followed, and Pigeon Point neighborhood leaders have been working round the clock to try to make sure residents are getting accurate information. They’re expecting SDOT reps to be in the area to monitor the situation on Monday morning, first commute period after the closure is scheduled to happen, if the plan doesn’t change in the meantime. (We also have e-mailed the developer to ask for comment.)
ADDED 6:10 PM: Got a fast response from Jon Riser, the aforementioned developer, who called after receiving our e-mail. He says, “This is a process that’s been going on for a long time. We submitted a traffic control plan back in November – it’s not a small, little, quick, throw-out-a-permit thing to close the road. It’s been a drawn-out (process) that’s involved Metro, city engineers, and my own traffic engineers. This is the plan they came up with that they felt was the safest.” He says he’s talked with Councilmember Rasmussen and that holding off construction isn’t an option – “I don’t see us not starting on Monday” — Riser says this phase of the project will be costing him $10,000 a day; “the contractor’s lined up and this all has been rolling for weeks.” But, he adds: “What I do want to do is, during the first initial closure, try to adjust some of this …” such as, seeing if buses can “turn directly onto 21st,” and adjusting some of the no-parking zone on 23rd for residents who face “some serious parking problems.” He adds, “Adding signs, removing signs … whatever we can do in the first day or so. … (And) we’re trying to get a couple police officers to be on site to help. … I’m trying to do what I can.”
We’re at High Point Community Center, where West Seattle’s three state legislators are leading a “town hall” meeting to let constituents know what’s happening in Olympia – and to find out what constituents hope to see happening. Sen. Joe McDermott and Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson are your 34th District legislators. They have given toplines on the legislation they’ve been working on, and a presentation on the state-budget dilemma ($2.8 billion shortfall in the current biennium and what to do about it). Now they’re taking audience questions – first question was about the corporate-personhood ruling and campaign financing. One interesting point – in the photo at left, you see Reps. Nelson and Cody holding copies of surveys they sent out. Nelson sent out 20,000 by e-mail, Cody about 21,000 by postal mail. The postal rate of return was 1,300+; the e-mail rate of return, fewer than 200. About 75 people are here, by the way; questioning is now turning to education financing.
1:39 PM: The meeting ended at the top of the hour, though the legislators lingered to speak with people who lined up to have a one-on-one word. The overall point seemed to be – the state has to close a budget gap but it’s almost impossible to figure out how – the budget presentation showed that $7.7 billion of the budget is the only part that can be cut (roughly a fourth), and while they expect an income-tax initiative this fall, if it passes, it would face years of court challenges, so it wouldn’t solve anything any time soon. What about raising revenue by privatizing liquor stores? they were asked. We rolled video as Reps. Nelson and Cody replied.
Town-hall meetings like these are being held in a number of legislative districts around the state today. The legislators promised they would do their best to get the budget-explaining slideshow onto the Web next week; meantime, one other account of the meeting is online so far, from PubliCola.
(photo added 1:36 pm)
OFFICE ITEMS, FURNITURE ON SALE TO RAISE HAITI $: Just got the word from the folks at Westside Dermatology (WSB sponsor). Outside their building, Olympic Court in The Junction, there’s a sale under way “till 4 or 5 pm” to raise money for Haiti quake relief. From Joe Erickson at Westside Dermatology:
All proceeds will go to the Haiti Relief Fund. There is lot of furniture and office items. We are hoping to raise $5-10 per item. Some items are free with an optional donation. Please come by and help out.
Joe also says they have a lot of framed prints. (added 12:55 pm) Also: “Office chairs, lots of framed floral prints, a Nordic track exercise ski machine, desk tops antiques, solid marble table with heavy metal base, desktops, heavy lockable file cabinets etc.” Here’s a map to Olympic Court. Meantime, less than a block away:
BIN 41 SIGN: Driving through The Junction late yesterday, we spotted the sign going up for Bin 41, the specialty wine store going into the former Georgia Blu space between Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy (WSB sponsor) and KeyBank. In this January 29th WSB story, Bin 41’s proprietors told the story of what their store will be all about.
Thanks to WSB’er “westseattledood” for the Friday afternoon photo and report on West Seattle’s only off-leash area.
Cyndi, dog wrangler and owner of Petite Posse dog walking service, shared the shade with her exclusive pack of small dogs at Westcrest Dog Park. This bucolic patch of wood chips, about 50 yards in length, now includes two benches providing observation points toward the sloped embankment adjacent to the West Seattle Reservoir Park project. Hand removal, without any machinery, of yards of dense invasives revealed a prime location for sighting rabbits scurrying from burrows in the remaining berry brush on the slope. Sounds of chatty wrens co-exist with barking dogs, neighbors’ roosters, Boeing planes and the earth movers still grading the reservoir project. What was once an overgrown, impassable thatch of blackberries and invasives has been transformed by dedicated volunteers with a vision and time to give.
Haven’t been to Westcrest before? Here’s a map.
Some of today’s special events around West Seattle (and vicinity):
SEED SWAP ‘N’ SALE – AND BRING YOUR OLD SHOVELS! Sunny weather got you in the gardening mood? Perfect timing! 1-4 pm today in the horticulture area at the north end of the South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) campus (6000 16th SW), it’s the first-ever Seed Swap ‘n’ Sale presented by Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. The seed list can be seen here; the SSCC Garden Center will also be open and selling plant starts. And bring your old shovels/garden tools, which CHoSS plans to recycle into artwork for later fundraising.
WHAT’S UP IN OLYMPIA? Find out from your 34th District legislators, Sen. Joe McDermott and Reps. Eileen Cody and Sharon Nelson, High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), 11 am. (Full details here)
WESTSIDE YOGA-DOGA GRAND OPENING: This new business in Morgan Junction (6417 Fauntleroy) invites you to its grand-opening party, 7-9 pm tonight. More at its website.
OPERA SNEAK PEEK: 7 pm at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way), the West Seattle Preview Group of the Seattle Opera Guild presents a preview of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” which opens in a week. The opera’s chorusmaster, Beth Kirchhoff, will bring young artists to sing the arias and tell the “Falstaff” story. Free.
AND IN WHITE CENTER … ART! The White Center Third Saturday Art Walk is tonight, with artists showcased at eight WC businesses plus the new Dream Community Gallery, 6-9 pm — all listed on the White Center for the Arts website.
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