May 2009

Students from the Ballard High School Video Production Program won 13 awards and honors at the 11th annual Northwest High School Film Festival at Shoreline Community College on May 19.  

The festival is the largest and longest running of its kind for high school filmmakers in the Puget Sound region.  This year 275 productions were entered in the competition from 21 schools.  

The festival was judged by a panel of 23 industry professionals and college media professors.  The event was organized by the Media Educators Excellence Team (MEET) and sponsored by Adobe, Canon, DigiPen, Shoreline Community College and the Art Institute of Seattle.

Ballard High School productions were honored in seven different categories. All of the winning productions will be shown on Friday, May 29 at The Showing, a screening of work by the students. The event begins at 7 p.m. in the Ballard High auditorium.  

There is a suggested donation of $5.00.

Ballard's Northwest High School Film Festival winners:

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Comedic Narrative
"The Ring"
Jeremy Eliassen, Dylan Miller

Documentary
"Half Life Snacks"

The Community Harvest of the West Seattle Edible Garden Fair offered workshops, gardening demonstrations, plants and, yes, female goats for sale.

The idea was to teach residents how to grow their own groceries. It took place Saturday, May 23 at the South Seattle Community College landscape horticulture buildings, and courtyard and nursery. Aviva Furman organized the event.

Represented were Galena White of the Delridge Produce Co-Op, Laila Suidan of Down To Earth Landscapes, the Western Washington Fruit Research Project, the "Shibaguyz.com" Urban Farming Project, West Seattle P-Patch Program, Herban Feast catering and the West Seattle Emergency Preparedness group.

Lacia Lynne Bailey of the Seattle Urban Farm Co-Op, sells miniature dairy goats, legal to keep in the city of Seattle with a minimum 400 square-foot area. Once pregnant, they supply milk. Baily pointed out that some people have allergies to milk from cows.

People did their best at Alki Beach to turn a negative into a positive as the tide dipped to minus 35 inches at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 23.

By Monday at noon the tide will be at just under minus 50 inches.

A small but loyal crowd gathered at the Alki Bathhouse Saturday, May 23, to witness the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Senior Regional Education Coordinator Courtney Sullivan certify Alki as a Community Wildlife Habitat area, the reward of a six-year effort by the Alki Wildlife Habitat Project.

The project was initiated by the Alki Community Council.

More than 100 Alki residences, businesses and public places established "backyard gardens" to fulfill the NWF's criteria for certification. These gardens required such elements as berries for birds, butterflies, toads, lizards and other critters, cover to shelter wildlife, nesting places, and a water source like a birdbath or creek.

Accepting the certification plaque were former president of the Alki Community Council Tony Fragada, Seattle City Council member and former Alki Community Council member Tom Rassmussen, Seattle Parks Senior Gardener Phil Renfro, Dolly Vinal and Mary Quackenbush of the Habitat Project.

Vinal and Quackenbush said they would like see the project expand into other West Seattle neighborhoods.

Local catering company, Herban Feast, kicked-off Memorial Day weekend with the opening of their restaurant, Fresh Bistro, Friday, May 22.

The full-service eatery, located beneath the newly constructed Mural Apartments, was still dishing up bistro-style cuisine near midnight.

“We had a nice, even flow,” said front of the house manager, Amanda Frye. “We were able to deliver our service without letting the learning curve affect us.”

The Fresh Bistro staff was willing to answer any question and were eager to please. Server David Anderson recommended the Moules Frites, which are accompanied by “truffled” fries and garlic aioli.

Another popular dish is the “Bellies Up” Asparagus. The dish pairs crisp, salmon bellies with an asparagus salad of pickled red onions, shaved fennel, dill and preserved lemons.

The tranquil, spa-like ambiance offsets the exciting dishes. Frye said a highlight of the space is that guests can now enjoy the great food found at Herban Feast events in an intimate setting.

Alki Beach drew a good sized crowd today, Friday, May 22, thanks to the hot sun, and the long weekend that started early for some.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Alki Homestead, among other Washington landmarks, as an endangered historic property.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation says this about the Homestead:

In 1903, Gladys and William Bernard began construction of Fir Lodge.  This country estate, located near Alki Point in West Seattle, exemplified the Rustic Style of architecture and stands as an early iteration of the style in the Puget Sound region.  Its log structure and river rock fireplace provided a retreat from the hustle and bustle of Seattle and the city’s accompanying growth during the 1890s.  Almost immediately after its construction, Fir Lodge became a gathering place, serving as the first clubhouse for the fledgling Seattle Auto Club from 1907-1911.  Since 1950, the structure has been home to the Alki Homestead Restaurant.  Because of its architectural quality and its association with the development of Seattle, the Alki Homestead Restaurant is a designated city landmark.

A 29-year-old Arbor Heights man (and his 27-year-old friend who was visiting from New Mexico) were arrested after being involved in three hit and runs and assaults on Friday the 15th. In the 4300 block of Admiral Way, they rear-ended a car, punched the victim driver (who got out to exchange insurance information) at least twelve times and tried to run him over. At Alki, they rear-ended a parked car and then started to walk away from the scene. When a female yelled at them to stop, one suspect returned, punched the male driver at least three times and then kicked in the victim's car door (causing $1,500 damage). A quick-thinking citizen photographed the suspects and their car. Officers later arrested the pair at the suspect's home. The friend can be charged with non-aggravated assault. The local suspect faces five charges of non-aggravated assault, felony assault with a vehicle, and three charges of hit and run.

The Seattle Public Library is proposing several changes to its Rules of Conduct, which will be discussed at the next Library Board meeting May 27.

The Seattle Library system regularly reviews its Rules of Conduct to ensure they reflect the Library's needs for effectively managing behavior in its facilities to ensure they are safe, welcoming and clean for all customers and staff, according to a press release.

Ballard's branch of the public library system is in downtown Ballard at 5614 22nd Ave. N.W.

Changes being proposed include:

- Organizing the list of rules into categories of severity, from behavior that results in a first-time warning (sleeping, being barefoot, unattended items, etc.) to those that result in a one-year exclusion (alleged criminal behavior).

- Clarifying the rule against distributing literature, gathering signatures, soliciting contribution or conducting surveys without Library authorization to specifically include plazas outside library entrances.

The Seattle Public Library is proposing several changes to its Rules of Conduct, which will be discussed at the next Library Board meeting May 27.

The Seattle Library system regularly reviews its Rules of Conduct to ensure they reflect the Library's needs for effectively managing behavior in its facilities to ensure they are safe, welcoming and clean for all customers and staff, according to a press release.

West Seattle has four public library branches, including: Delridge (5423 Delridge Way S.W.), High Point (3411 S.W. Raymond St.), Southwest (9010 35th Ave. S.W.) and West Seattle (2306 42nd Ave. S.W.)

Changes being proposed include:

- Organizing the list of rules into categories of severity, from behavior that results in a first-time warning (sleeping, being barefoot, unattended items, etc.) to those that result in a one-year exclusion (alleged criminal behavior).

- Clarifying the rule against distributing literature, gathering signatures, soliciting contribution or conducting surveys without Library authorization to specifically include plazas outside library entrances.