May 2009

OK, so we know that Theo Chocolate is technically located in Fremont, not Ballard, but if you’re a fan of chocolate you will certainly forgive us for making this one of our 101 Things to do in Ballard.

Just think of it as something to do FROM Ballard and make a visit to Theo even more of an adventure by walking or biking to get there (after all the chocolate samples, you’ll need some way to burn off the calories).

However you slice it, this melt-in-your-mouth opportunity located in the old Red Hook Brewery building is within close reach for any Seattleite, considering there are only 18 operating chocolate factories in the entire country—most of which are owned by the same mega-corporations.

But Theo is different—in almost every respect. The first and only organic and Fair Trade chocolate factory in the country, Theo Chocolate is “equal parts delicious and ethical” buying organic, Fair Trade certified cocoa beans direct from farmers and grower coops.

This year's summer series of Movies on the Wall will begin July 18 with showings every Saturday until Aug. 22. But for now, organizers are looking for suggested movies to show.

To make a recommendation please e-mail westseattlemovies@gmail.com or post a comment at http://westseattlemovies.blogspot.com.

Movies will be shown in the courtyard between Dr. Wolff and Hotwire Coffee. If it rains, the event will move indoors at the West Seattle Christian Church’s activity center at 4400 42nd Ave. S.W. Doors will open at 6 p.m. with movies starting at dusk.

Attendees are invited to bring your blankets and chairs. Concessions will be available as well as charity raffles.

The Seattle Parks Department met with the northwest Seattle community May 13 to discuss their plans on how to split up funding from the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy between neighborhoods and community projects.

An extension of the 2000 Pro Parks Levy that created more than 27 parks and green spaces around Seattle, the 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy will be split into three types of improvements: development, environment and the opportunity fund.

The levy will provide $33 million for improvements to 23 neighborhood playgrounds, the development of parks on top of two water reservoir lids, and development of 11 new neighborhood parks.

Ross playground, located between Ballard and Fremont, will receive $450,000 worth of improvements from the levy. Play equipment will be replaced, and safety improvements will be made to the existing playground area.

The Seventh Elect Church site, which will for now be called the Ninth Avenue Northwest Park Development, will receive $200,000.

The existing structures on the site will be removed with remaining 2000 Parks Levy funds and a park will be developed following the removal of the structures.

The Ballard High School girls golf team capped their season with an eighth-place finish – out of 11 teams – at the May 12 and May 13 KingCo 4A Championships.

Four Beavers – Kayla Wenger, Blair Morgan, Caitie Scott and Diana Shyue – qualified for the tournament, and two – Wenger and Shyue – made it to the second day of the competition.

Coach Casey McMullin said only four freshmen made it to the second day, and Shyue had the second lowest score of the group.

The team finished with a 2-5 record this season, but McMullin said he is looking forward to a decent season with the team next year.

The Beavers will have many returning players in 2010 and are losing just one senior, he said.

It has been an exciting 100th year of celebration for the Tibbetts United Methodist Church of West Seattle. The church has been featuring a steady stream of noted speakers like Lenny Wilkens and others to Sunday morning services.

On May 24, Tibbetts will honor artist and speaker Michael Reagan, founder of the Fallen Heroes Project. He will discuss why he gave up his $150,000 annual salary at the University of Washington to dedicate his life to his project, which he considers something of greater value than money.

Many in Reagan’s hometown of Edmonds know him as the artist who once had the studio by the ferry. To those on campus he was their well-paid guru on trademarks and licensing. He gave up the job and the studio, too, and works from home.

Now, he is known nationally as a humble hero who sketches fallen service men and women. He works in charcoal and, at no charge, creates framed portraits of soldiers who lost their lives to war in Iraq and Afghanistan. He works 10-hour days, the time it takes to create two portraits, and seldom takes a day off.

A picnic was held Tuesday night, May 12, at Camp Long by the West Seattle Learning Center to celebrate the Jewish holiday Lag B'Omer. This refers to counting of days between Passover, which commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, and Shavu'ot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

As the bonfire was made, two boys, each 3 years old, had their hair cut as part of the "upsherin," a ritual which ties into the holiday.

In traditional Judaism, fruit from trees are off limits for human consumption for the first three years. Similarly, the boy's hair should be left alone for the first years of life, and then cut afterwards.

There is currently a temporary closure between Airport Way South and 6th Avenue South on South Spokane Street. It is needed to allow placement of a water quality vault underneath the Spokane Street Viaduct just west of Sixth Avenue South, and will be in place for approximately eight weeks.

This closure of westbound traffic between Airport Way South and Sixth Avenue South will not affect vehicles approaching South Spokane Street from northbound I-5 (via exit 163) or from Beacon Hill (via S Columbian Way).

Westbound traffic on Spokane Street will, however, take a slight jog to the left as they proceed through the intersection. Westbound traffic will also have the option of turning left to proceed south on Sixth Avenue South.

This left-hand turn onto Sixth is possible because there is at present no eastbound traffic on Spokane at this intersection. Until Metro bus traffic returns to eastbound Spokane between the E-3 Busway and 6th Avenue South –now planned for near the end of July – this left-hand turn onto Sixth Avenue will be allowed.

Plaka Estiatorio
5407 20th Ave. N.W., 829-8934
Tuesday through Saturday: Lunch 11-3, Dinner 5-10

Plaka Estiatorio, one of the latest addition to Ballard's ever-growing restaurant scene, is an Athenian style establishment named after the old Athens neighborhood Plaka. Here, dogs romped freely, and the mayor generously gave of himself to all that would gather round. Crying out for love, all would converge for simple, elegant foods.

That of course is made up. But our visit to Plaka was real, and it already feels like it's been around for a while, as they've created a "lived-in" feel.

One of the nice touches is the old wood floor from the clock repair shop, which formerly occupied the space. Under the old funky carpets lay a beautiful and burnished hardwood floor, all a'shining and a'glow. And now, with that nasty carpet removed, it can shine again. Seldom is something more exciting or worthy of celebration than a bright and shiny floor that is daylighted from filthy rugs.

Dear Editor,

What an absolutely wonderful performance. Mr. Finley and students put on a marvelous, professional production of the musical "Merrily We Roll Along." I was amazed at what these high schoolers were able to do. What a talented group of young people.

I have lived in West Seattle for a number of years and never thought to go to a high school play, but I must report, it was terrific. An outstanding evening of entertainment.

While this letter will appear after the play's run is over, think about going to their show next year. You won't be disappointed.

Dorothy Jones
West Seattle

Kristine Leander, cultural director of the Seattle Swedish Cultural Center and former director of the Leif Erikson Foundation, stopped by the May 13 Ballard Chamber of Commerce luncheon to discuss Norwegian history in the region in anticipation of Syttende Mai, May 17.

Leander presented a selection of photos from her new book, "Norwegian Seattle."

One photo showed a group of Norwegians hanging out on Dock St. early in Ballard's history, Leander said it was fitting that Bad Albert's is currently located there.

"Strong independent women are very much a part of the Norwegian tradition," she said while discussing the founding of the Daughters of Norway.

There was a photo of reindeer from Norway that stayed at the Woodland Park Zoo briefly on their way to Alaska. Approximately 8,000 people stopped by to see them in one day, she said.

A more recent photo demonstrated the slow diffusion of Ballard's Scandinavian base. In 1994, Scandies, a Finnish restaurant, served Lutefisk and Swedish pancakes from a location on Market Street that has since become the India Bistro.