June 2010

The next Strategic Delridge meeting is this Wednesday, June 16th at 6:00pm. The topic of discussion will be "Create or maximize places and events where diverse groups can come together to build trust and reciprocity. " We look forward to seeing you there and hearing your ideas.

The Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting will follow that evening at 7:00pm. Featured speaker this month will be Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark. You can review Sally Clark's blog at http://clark.seattle.gov.

Youngstown Cultural Arts Center,
4408 Delridge Way SW

Taproot Theatre’s intimate new staging of "Man of La Mancha" will allow audiences to experience Don Quixote’s impossible dream like never before.

Featuring the story and songs of an immortal classic, this Tony Award-winning musical comes to the Taproot stage, located at 204 N. 85th St., with fresh, acoustic arrangements.

Don Quixote is mad, mad enough to dream an impossible dream while tilting after windmills with his trusty sidekick Sancho Panza. Quixote’s romantic quest is as crazy as he is. But, is his impossible dream madness or vision? The trial is about to begin.

"Man of La Mancha" provides a glimpse into the Spanish literature that inspired Picasso before "Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musée National Picasso, Paris" opens at the Seattle Art Museum in October.

Inspired by Spanish writers, including Cervantes, Picasso wove characters such as Don Quixote—a revolutionary like himself—into some of his art.

"Man of La Mancha," directed by producing artistic director Scott Nolte with musical direction by Edd Key, opens on July 9 and runs through Aug. 7, with low-price previews on July 7 and July 8, plus a pay-what-you-can performance on July 14.

The 28th Annual West Seattle Summer Fest is coming at you again July 9-11, hosted by the West Seattle Junction Association.
Giving the event a powerful kickoff Friday night is the AC/DC female tribute band Hells Belles.

Summer Fest is host to dozens of bands (see the lineup below), hundreds of merchants and artists, and over 30,000 attendees. This year people attending will enjoy a food court, beer gardens and plenty of family activities.

Live music on two stages, a skateboard exhibition, and a large kid friendly family activity area are all part of the show this year. The Saturday Night Street Dance will be on two stages.

Closing out the show on Sunday July 11 are The School Of Rock All Stars (performing Live Aid Remade, with songs by David Bowie, Queen, Judas Priest, U2 and more).

The West Seattle Summer Fest started as the West Seattle Sidewalk Sale in 1983. Over time more and more activities were added, and more people began attending until it grew into what is now the West Seattle Summer Fest, voted “favorite annual event” by West Seattle Herald readers and attracting visitors from the entire Puget Sound region.

Sweet Pea Cottage Preschool of the Arts opens this Fall in the Unitarian Church's new location, a former church on California Avenue at Othello. The church recently purchased the building as the West Seattle Herald was first to report, here:

Sweet Pea Cottage is currently accepting applications and scheduling tours.

According to their press release:

All teachers are professional artists.
The Founder and Artistic Director began the program nearly 17 years ago from her own home and, by popular demand, grew into what now has 125 families at the Queen Anne location.
Sweet Pea is a non-profit organization.
Children experience visual arts, theater, yoga, French, Spanish, nature walks, cooking, dance, music, sports/exercise every week.
Guest artists are brought in on a weekly basis to share their craft with the children.
The curriculum is multi-cultural, celebrating a different country each week by teaching the children about the culture, language, art forms, and food.

This is the eighth in a series of articles on longtime Fauntleroy resident Morey Skaret, who will be ninety-seven years old in August. After moving to West Seattle from the Canadian prairie as a ten-year-old lad in 1923, Morey quickly fell in love with Puget Sound and its salt water, which provided a lifelong backdrop for his remarkable life.

Like nearly every American of that era, Morey Skaret was hit hard by the economic punches of the Great Depression. In 1933, after graduating from West Seattle High School—where he attended a proffered extra year, due to the scarcity of jobs for young people—Morey decided to go footloose. By becoming hobos, millions of young men eased the financial strain on their families—even if it meant riding gritty rails, courting constant danger and enduring all the other hardships of life ‘on the bum.’

But Morey was lucky: not only did he survive six months ‘on the bum’; he had a job waiting for him when he returned home from his wanderings.

Five Seattle Prep High School students from West Seattle recently participated in the YMCA Youth & Government of Washington State's Mock Trial program. Three levels compete, the Green, Junior Varsity, and Varsity teams. There are also three levels of competition, city or "Districts," State, and National.

The students included Max Bertellotti on the Green Team, Tierney Vial and Campion Fellin on the Junior Varsity Team, and Alex Dullea and Lani Beadle on the Varsity team. Varsity made it to State. The Junior Varsity team competed nationally, in Philadelphia. Vial and seven other students were chosen from the team for the trip. Each team of attorneys and witnesses prepares a case for trial before a real judge in an actual courtroom.

The Seattle City Council today sent a letter of support to King County Executive Dow Constantine expressing their commitment to replacing the South Park Bridge by pledging $15 million toward the replacement effort. View the Council’s letter.

"The South Park Bridge plays a critical role in the Puget Sound region's freight mobility and economic vitality," stated Council President Richard Conlin. "It is very important that we as a Council show united support and commitment to our regional partners, our residents most affected in the South Park area and to the broader transportation system in Seattle."

In addition to this financial commitment, the City expects that our support will allow King County to pursue additional funding partners in applying for the TIGER II federal grant, ultimately providing secure funding for the full replacement.

SeaTac City Council members agreed June 8 to a 21/2- year contract with King County to continue animal control services.

"We recognize that we are paying more for less but it is the only game in town," Councilman Tony Anderson grumbled.

Police Chief James Graddon said SeaTac will pay approximately $105,000 a year for animal control patrolling, sheltering in Kent and pet licensing services. SeaTac will receive some subsidies from the county.

Graddon said the city could receive some enhanced services by paying overtime for off-duty animal control officers. The program would be similar to paying off-duty police officers to occasionally patrol city parks, according to Graddon.

Program manager Soraya Lowry told lawmakers she realized the new animal control contract is financially costly, but city staffers could use the next few years to work with neighboring cities on a subregional plan.

County officials are ending the current contract and going with a new approach July 1.

The county will be split into four regions with officers working Monday through Friday.

Fathers and their relations will be able to check out wheels flashy and classy at the Burien Father's Day Car Show Sunday, June 20. The free event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. features '50s and '60s tunes spun by a KJR-FM disk jockey plus a chili cook-off.

Killer rides from various eras will line Southwest 152nd Street between Fourth Avenue Southwest and Eighth Avenue Southwest in downtown Burien and spill onto Sixth Avenue Southwest.

Vehicles will compete in nine prize categories: Mayor's Choice, Best Project Car, Under Hood Artwork, Most Likely To Go On A Date In, People's Choice, Best Interior, Auto Dealers' Choice, Best Paint Job, and Lowest Odometer.

From Noon-2p.m., attendees may sample chilies entered in the chili cook-off. The top-scoring chili wins $250 plus a traveling trophy. Second place earns $100 and third place $50.

Adjacent to the car show, the Wild Strawberry Festival will offer food and live entertainment.

(Editor's note: Derek King and Nick Hodgins were both students at Highline Public Schools' Puget Sound Skills Center in Burien. They attended half their school day in Federal Way and half at the skills center in the culinary arts program. They were killed by in a car accident near Southcenter on June 10. Below is a tribute from their instructors.)

IN LOVING MEMORY: DEREK KING and NICK HODGINS
It is with deep sorrow and shock that we face today, June 10th, as two of our brightest lights, Derek King and Nicholas Hodgins were tragically killed by a drunk driver. These best friends were just coming back from a graduating senior event with fellow classmate Anthony Beaver when it occurred. Our heartfelt support goes out to the family and friends of these remarkable students who had given so much to our program and their classmates.