August 2010

Country music may replace hip hop music at one SeaTac entertainment avenue after Club Monte Carlo closed down at the beginning of August.

The Monte Carlo's lease was terminated Aug. 2, according to SeaTac economic development director Jeff Robinson.

The nightclub at 15222 International Boulevard, across from the Tukwila light-rail station, generated numerous noise, traffic and crime complaints from nearby apartment owners and residents in Riverton Heights.

Robinson said police also had been called to break up altercations in the parking lot on some weekends after the club's closing time.

Monte Carlo originally featured Latino bands from along the west coast, according to Robinson. He said the format was fairly successful but the managers switched formats, Robinson noted.

He said the owners also wanted out of the lease so a termination was negotiated.

The club was located at the site of the former Funsters Casino.

The city bought the SeaTac Center, which contains the nightclub site, for $12 million. SeaTac officials hope to make the development a centerpiece of their South 154th Street light-rail station planning area.

The former location of Authentic Home at 4151 California Avenue S.W. is currently under construction to be transformed into a New Jonny Bostons Sandwich Shop.

The 562 square foot space is being redesigned by Eric Koch Partners Architectural Design from Redmond.
The new owner is Dan Atherton who is from Boston but has lived in West Seattle for 20 years. He's looking at a mid October opening pending permits and construction progress.

The shop will feature "East coast sub shop style, all hot sandwiches, and burgers," Atherton said.
Atherton currently owns a drywall company called Artistic Design and does custom home building work but wants to move on to a new business, though he will likely maintain his existing company. This is his first time as a restauranteur.

He's familiar with other burger and sandwich suppliers in the area. "I think we'll do a better job," he said.

SDOT has posted a press release about the opening of the eastbound 4th Avenue offramp from the Spokane Street viaduct:

Ahead of schedule and under budget, the new eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct Fourth Avenue S Off-ramp opens for use Monday, August 16, after the morning commute.

At 9:15 a.m. SDOT Director Peter Hahn, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and invited dignitaries will officially open the ramp for use. At 9:30 a.m. a media tour of the new structure will be led by Project Manager Stuart Goldsmith.

Once the media tour is complete, safety barriers will be removed and traffic will flow onto the new eastbound Fourth Avenue S ramp.

Three Ballard-area schools have received state funds as part of nearly $3.8 million in grants to Seattle Public Schools from the Washington State Department of Commerce to help fund energy-efficiency projects.

The Seattle Public Schools grant awards were announced Aug. 11 by Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Department of Commerce. They were part of a grant award totaling almost $17 million to 29 public education institutions statewide.

Ballard High School, as well as Green Lake Elementary, was awarded $749,000 for replacing HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems and controls and to retrofit lighting. The total cost of the project is $2,445,249.

The state awarded $513,300 for replacing the HVAC system, controls and retrofitting lighting at Viewlands Elementary School. The total cost is $2,043,300.

Whitman Middle School, along with seven other schools, was awarded $45,530 for retrofitting lighting in its gymnasium. The total cost of the project is $183,530.

It's another rainy August day in Seattle, and the cast and crew of the Divine Marigolds couldn't be happier. In a cramped West Seattle home, 20 crew members, 5 producers and 2 cast members are bursting with creative energy as they film a character vignette to promote The Divine Marigolds.

Maybe it’s the luck of the Irish, but everything seems to be going right for this Seattle based family sitcom slated for Network T.V.

It all started on what was yet another overcast day in early October 2009, much like a day one would experience in old Ireland. Two actor/producers in Seattle, WA were regaling family tales.

The resulting nostalgia planted the seed for the creation of The Divine Marigolds, a new Irish family sitcom. A quirky and wholesome family show much in the vein of 7th Heaven crossed with Arrested Development, culminated from the work of Lisa Coronado, Alder Sherwood, and soon after, writer Hugh Berry. Right away they started putting together the most creative and ambitious production team they could get in Seattle by bringing onboard Producers Will Chase and Jeremiah Kaynor as well as Art Director Jordin Paul Mitchell.

On Aug. 2 and Aug. 4, two more Humboldt penguins hatched at Woodland Park Zoo, bringing the number of this year’s hatchlings to seven.

The chicks represent the first offspring between 18-year-old mother Cujo and 20-year-old father Oedipus. The parents are among the oldest penguins in the zoo’s colony and also the most genetically valued breeding pair at the zoo, according to a Woodland Park Zoo press release.

Both hatchlings are under the care of their parents and are off exhibit in a nesting burrow. Before the new chicks reach fledging age and go outdoors on exhibit, they will be pulled from the nest so keeper staff can condition the birds to approach staff for hand feeding and to allow close-up visual inspections.

To help get them accustomed to swimming, the chicks will have round-the-clock access to a shallow pool behind the scenes where they can practice floating and swimming in a more controlled and less crowded environment.

When "American "Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert played Seattle in July, Ballard resident Mark Saltzman's friend was desperate to meet him, and Saltzman knew just how to do it. Make a puppet.

When Adam Lambert the singer took the stage, Adam Lambert the puppet, complete with top hat, makeup and rippling felt abs, was in the front row performing along.

Afterward, Puppet Adam Lambert made it back stage and was played with by Lambert's brother and signed by Lambert himself. Mission accomplished.

Saltzman is the founder of Kiwuppet Studios, currently being run out of his East Ballard garage. He has made more than 75 puppets and is working to expand and share his love of the art form with children and adults alike.

As an actor in the early 2000s, was a human actor alongside puppet costars in "Bear in the Big Blue House". Watching expert puppeteers every night rekindled a childhood love of puppets.

Did you know there is 5 acres of undeveloped land on Beach Drive? What if someone offered to let you use it for a few months to further a dream?

Therese Henning is a West Seattle entrepreneur and owner of the Body Bar at 4156 California Avenue Southwest. Her vision is to create a "hybrid corporation that ties together spirituality, healing, and well being" and call it the Healing Life Foundation.

The first step in making that dream real Henning thought was to stage an event, a gathering where these ideas could be shared with the public and some energy and money for them could be generated.

She was in a local coffee shop some weeks ago and was talking about her dream. Jay Hadley, an attorney for well-known northwest boat builder Dave Livingston overheard her conversation. He told her that the land, on Beach drive up on the hill on the east side of the road about a mile north of Lowman Beach was not developed, though there are plans to build homes there, possibly as early as next spring. He offered to let her use it, as long as it was returned it to the state it was found in, or even improved. She jumped at the chance.

Providence Mt. St. Vincent 4831 35th Ave SW (between SW Hudson & SW Edmunds in West Seattle is featuring Maia Santell & House Blend
tonight at 6 pm. Dinner which starts at 5 pm is Jambalaya, burgers, and hot dogs.

The music will start at 6 pm.

There will be a Bouncy House, face painter, caricature artist.

Food is available for purchase and a beer and wine garden for those over 21. Fun activities for kids.

During the Aug 12 West Seattle Artwalk one of the highlights of the event was a group of men all linked by their love of fly fishing.
Bill Keiling a resident of The Kenney at 7125 Fauntleroy Way Southwest still refurbishes bamboo fishing poles but not crude bamboo poles, these are slender brown beauties just waiting to be taken out to a stream or lake.

Bruce Clark of West Seattle came through for the Artwalk a few months ago and together with Kieling suggested a fly tying exhibition.

Kieling no longer fishes but said, " I had to give up driving but that was easier than giving up fly fishing."

Ehren Krause of West Seattle was there tying flies too and his connection was through his fiance who works at the Kenney but who also happens to be the daughter of another fly tying expert, Greg Tompkins.

"Actually I've been a fisherman for years," Krause said," but I've been wanting to learn about tying flies." He acknowledged that his future father in law has been, "teaching me as I go along."

Is Greg, who's been tying flies since 1965 better at this point? "Oh yeah," said Krause laughing.