August 2010

The White Center Community Development Association held its first Member Mixer on Saturday Aug. 7 at the YWCA Learning Center 9720 8th Ave. SW and it became clear that some issues were of more importance than those on the agenda.

The meeting, run by Resident Fellow Sean Healy, was intended to bring members and the public together to review progress the agency has made on core issues of community development. Last Dec. 4 a Community Summit was held to provide a look back and a look ahead at these issues. At Saturday's mixer health was on the agenda and access to health services was covered. Healy touched on housing and mentioned the SOPI (Strength of Place Initiative) that they have been central in implementing. The groundbreaking for SOPI is set for Sept. 15.

Healy touched on jobs and the assistance the CDA can provide to job seekers, spoke about education and programs the agency provides. Education rounded out the topic list and the CDA's efforts to encourage parents to become more involved in the education process was discussed.

After 50 years away, more than 30 Beavers converged on Zesto's across from Ballard High School Aug. 7 for a pre-reunion shindig bearing yearbooks, classic cars and a lifetime of stories.

Norm Gustafson, a member of the Ballard High School class of 1960, said it's funny how everyone has changed so drastically, but no one thinks they've changed.

Carol Strickland said the weekend's reunion events are going better than she expected. She said she remembers her classmates as young people without stories, but now they have done things that give them greater character and depth.

While standing in the Zesto's dining room, which was a popular hangout when his class was at Ballard, Ingvar Carlson said he is looking forward to the evening's official reunion for the camaraderie and the good, old-time craziness.

"Some of us are a little on the gray side," Carlson said. "But, one thing I've clued in on this the voices. They start talking, and, boom, it blasts you back."

Carlson said he is happy to see the updates, such as engineering classes and a plethora of computers, that have been made at his alma matter.

Mayor Mike McGinn was in West Seattle today using Twitter and the Twitpic feature to share some photos of a cleanup on Delridge and some reforestation efforts in Longfellow creek.
The link to his Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/mayormcginn and the photos he posted this morning are here http://twitpic.com/2ciuw4 and here http://twitpic.com/2ciuqv

Burien Animal Care and Control facilitated a successful reuniting of a dog name Cisco with his owner Eddie Jackson after nearly one year apart.

Jackson, a long-haul trucker from South Carolina, was staying in a hotel in Tacoma when Cisco disappeared back in September 2009.

Fearing he had been stolen, Jackson contacted the authorities but no leads were ever found.

Fast-forward to July 2010: A small brown and white spotted Chihuahua was reported to Burien Animal Care and Control as a stray found in someone's back yard. The dog, named Buster Brown by the shelter staff, was held for the routine 3-day stray hold and then neutered and prepared for adoption. BACC lists all of their adoptable animals on PetFinder.com.

Back in South Carolina, the Jacksons were monitoring PetFinder still holding hope for their Cisco to show up. When they saw Buster's posting, they immediately called BACC knowing he was found.

After a week-long haul across country, the Jacksons were able to hold Cisco in their arms again Friday.

Burien's new Animal Care and Control program operates out of a state-of-the-art shelter at 19655 1st Ave. S.

As most in West Seattle know, the totem pole from Rotary Viewpoint was stolen last November, recovered, repaired, restored, reinstalled, and will be re-dedicated Aug. 10. And while South Dakotan Native artist Robin Young originally carved the pole about 35 years ago, it took a lot of behind-the-scenes expertise to reinvigorate the pole, to bring the pole back as close as possible to Young's original vision.

Peter Lane grew up in West Seattle and lives near the Alaska Junction, and is the operations manager for Artech Fine Art Services in Seattle, the firm that restored the totem pole. Artech does installations, transportation, art logistics, framing, storage, and import and export of artwork.

The familiar tune of the Popsicle cart as it drives through your neighborhood is a great reminder of summers past. It’s also a reminder of a refreshing way to stay cool on a hot day.

Popsicles can be a great, low-calorie treat because it usually takes longer to eat them than it takes to drink the same volume of sugary soda.

For even more summer fun, try making your own ice on a stick. Use something as simple as Kool-Aid, or brew up some exotic ice teas and freeze them. Lemonade and other sour juices are also good choices – sour tastes help quench your thirst.

Experiment with some of the recipes below and you’re sure to find a new favorite.

It’s easy to make Popsicle molds by using 3-ounce or 5-ounce paper cups, such as Dixie cups. Use a plastic spoon as a stick, and fill the cups with your beverage of choice then pop them in the freezer. Or, just fill your ice cube trays with your favorite juice.

Ice pops will keep for about two weeks in your freezer, if they last that long!

These refreshing summer treats are sure to have you reminiscing about summer days gone by. Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Pops

A milestone in the construction of the Seattle Chinese Garden was reached on Aug 6 with the arrival of specially trained artisans from China. The Garden, located on 4.6 acres just north of the campus at South Seattle Community College has been in the planning stages and beginning of construction for years now. The finished project is expected to take ten years to complete.

The organization sent this press release:

A team of 18 master artisans arrives on August 6–7 to transform the concrete shell of the Seattle Chinese Garden’s first major structure into an exquisite gathering place.

With traditional methods used for centuries and material shipped from China, these craftsmen will complete the formal gate, intricate leak windows, tile-roofed walkways, stone paving, rockery, and garden features of Knowing the Spring Courtyard.

Fallen sailor Jarod Newlove was honored Friday night, Aug. 6 at the Seattle Mariners baseball game.

It was Navy Night at the game and his photo was shown on all the stadium monitors at Safeco Field.

Services for Newlove are set to be held Monday, Aug.9 at Holy Family, 9622 20th Avenue Southwest.

See our previous story regarding the services here.

In a continued effort to mitigate the South Park Bridge closure and foster a stronger sense of community, Seattle Parks and Recreation and the South Park Outdoor Cinema (SPOC) will host outdoor movies every Saturday night in August. The movies will be shown in the Napoli’s Parking Lot (8600 14TH Ave S) beginning at 9:30 p.m. Along with the movie, families can enjoy games, music, prizes, and concessions beginning at 8:30 p.m.

The movies are:
August 7 Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Wererabbit
August 14 Where the Wild Things Are
August 21 Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
August 28 UP

The South Park Outdoor Cinema is another project of the City of Seattle’s Bridge Closure Response - an effort led by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to help the South Park community through the impacts of the bridge closure. The Cinema is envisioned, along with other events, to build community, mark South Park as a destination, and bring more people into the business corridor. Look for more exciting events coming in August!

"Ballard on the weekend has become sort of its own animal," Ryan Ellis said. "That's not a bad thing. But, there is an increase of the 'meathead' element."

Ryan, who is the general manager of the Tractor Tavern, tends bar at the Sunset Tavern and has worked at Zayda Buddy's, Conor Byrne and Hazlewood, compares the late-night weekend scene to the parking lot of a sports stadium on game day.

The Seattle City Council is hoping to enable the Seattle Police Department to better curb that disruptive element with what they are calling the "Meathead Ordinance," passed unanimously Aug. 3.