September 2010

The West Seattle Garden Tour Beneficiary Awards Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, 4705 W. Marginal Way SW, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

See the gardens of the tour in our original story here.

Each year, the West Seattle Garden Tour donates the net proceeds of the tour to Seattle-based non-profit organizations that promote horticultural, educational, or artistic endeavors. This year’s tour was one of our most successful, attracting over 800 attendees as well as raising over $21,000 for our beneficiaries.

The proceeds from the 2010 Garden Tour will benefit ArtsWest Theatre, Highland Park Elementary School, Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center, South Seattle Community College Arboretum and Seattle Tilth.

Please plan on joining us at the Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center for hors d’oeuvres, champagne and wine as we honor our beneficiaries.

The sidewalk on the western side of the Ballard Bridge is closed for up to three weeks for painting of the pedestrian railing. The sidewalk will be open on the weekends.

The stairway to the western sidewalk at the north end of the bridge is closed as well.

The sidewalk on the eastern side of the bridge remains open.

As Seattle Public Schools is celebrating many accomplishments as they add new services and new programs that will contribute to ensuring that every school is an excellent school and that they graduate every student ready for college, careers and life.

“The beginning of each school year always brings the promise of new learning, new experiences, and new accomplishments; and we see that promise in the smiles on the faces of our students as we welcome them back to school today,” said Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., Superintendent. “It is our collective responsibility to deliver on that promise – to ensure that each and every student has what they need to be successful.”

“As we budgeted for 2010-2011 in the face of continued cuts in funding, we prioritized our resources to where they are needed most – the classroom,” said Dr. Goodloe-Johnson. “I am proud to say, thanks to the collaborative work and support of our teachers, staff, families, community partners and voters, that we are able to offer new services and programs, new materials and textbooks, and additional support to our teachers and school leaders.”

Tucked neatly on nearly every available shelf or ledge throughout her tiny White Center home, more than 1000 smallish wooden characters,red-topped Roosters and miniature cups remind Audie May of her late husband Howard's uncanny knack for carving.

Special canes in a variety of tree limbs quietly nestle in a metal milk can near the hallway.Their gnarly curled handles ready to assist. Hummingbirds hung from ceiling string appear to be aloft. The exquisite blended wood cups wait to be chosen for someone's knick-knack shelf.

For more than 80 years Howard spent his free time and maybe a few late nights with tiny carving blades and a fine eye for detail. Audie May shows off the Turkey Calls her husband fashioned out of one piece of wood.Using an attached wood plate, she demonstrates the effectiveness with an audible gobble..gobble, gobble. A machinist by trade, Howard made his own knives to fit the need for specific detailing on each carving.

On a table nearby are finely detailed toothpicks in a small glass jar. They stand Totem pole-like in their pose with a mildly angry grimace as if held by the carved wooden chains draped on walls around the room.

Kevin Finney describes his three year old dog Stella as a Golden Doodle or a Golden Retroodle so you can probably guess at her parents. The combination has led to Stella being, in some ways, the best of both. She's very bright, sweet natured and will go get the ball if you throw it but...that's where the poodle comes in. Once she has the ball, she's not giving it back.

"She's a ball thief," he said, "Her favorite game is keep away. I say it's the poodle in her. The retriever goes and gets the ball and the poodle keeps it."

She's learned how to open our bedroom door. She comes in to tell me it's time to start my day. My wife Sarah usually gets up and then Stella comes in and tries to wake me up. She checks on me, licks my face or jumps up on the bed if she can get away with it. If we get the right blanket down she can do that."

SPSL Football
2010 Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 9

TJ at Kentwood
Federal Way at Puyallup

Friday, Sept. 10

Mt. Rainier at Auburn
Todd Beamer at Bethel
Decatur at Bremerton

Thursday, Sept. 16

Curtis at Federal Way
Kentlake at Mt. Rainier

Friday, Sept. 17

Auburn at TJ

Saturday, Sept. 18
Todd Beamer at Aub.-Riv.
Yelm at Decatur

Thursday, Sept. 23

TJ at Kentlake

Friday, Sept. 24

Mt. Rainier at Kent-Meridian
Rogers at Todd Beamer
Federal Way at Emerald Ridge
Decatur at Lincoln

Thursday, Sept. 30

Bethel at Federal Way
Todd Beamer at Spanaway Lake

Friday, Oct. 1

Aub.-Riv. at Mt. Rainier
Kent-Meridian at TJ
Decatur at Enumclaw

Thursday, Oct. 7

Mt. Rainier at Kentridge

Friday, Oct. 8

Federal Way at Todd Beamer
Decatur at Lakes
TJ at Aub.-Riv.

Thursday, Oct. 14

Kentridge at TJ
Spanaway Lake at Mt. Rainier

Friday, Oct. 15

Rogers at Federal Way
Todd Beamer at G-K

Saturday, Oct. 16

Bonney Lake at Decatur, 1:30

Thursday, Oct. 21

Puyallup at Todd Beamer

Friday, Oct. 22

Federal Way at Spanaway Lake
Peninsula at Decatur

Saturday, Oct. 23

TJ at Mt. Rainier

Perilous paths for opponents to follow will target the Federal Way School District area.

When South Puget Sound League boys tennis teams map out their route to 2010-2011 sterling supremacy, all roads will eventually have to pass through the dangerous territory of Thomas Jefferson High School.

In his 20th year at the helm, Jefferson head coach Andrew Buchan is strongly confident about his squad's opportunity to reel in another top spot after an undefeated 10-0 Central Division season last year.

"We are definitely the favorite, but there will be some stiff individual competition in the Central (Division)," said Buchan. "Each team in the league has at least one top player. Our strength is in our solid depth. Auburn also has some depth. Kentridge (10-0, West Central District champion) and Kentwood (8-2, WCD runnerup) in the North graduated significant key players and Emerald Ridge (9-1 last season) should lead the South."

Jefferson graduated five seniors including district players Joe Lee and Branden Muraki along with state doubles athlete Kyle Creek but returns its big three of state players. This Hawaiian trio looks forward to even more achievement this season.

Holy Angels High School's class of 1960 will gather on the weekend of Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 to mark 50 years since graduation.

Holy Angels Academy, founded in 1907 as a coeducational school for first grade through 12th grade, became a high school exclusively for girls in the late 1920s. The grammar school at the location was known as St. Alphonsus School, which still operates at the site.

In 1923, Holy Angels Academy was the largest Catholic school in the state, enrolling more than 600 students, necessitating the construction of the red brick school building still in use.

Due to declining enrollment and financial concerns, Holy Angels High School, which occupied the third floor of the existing St. Alphonsus School building, closed its doors permanently in 1972.

While the majority of alumni still reside in Washington, others live in California, Montana, Oregon, Wisconsin and Manitoba, Canada. When they meet at the home of Sondra (Haney) Wagener Sept. 11, it will be, for many, their first encounter since their May 29, 1960 graduation.

The bumbershoots came out Sept. 6 as the rain set in for the final day of the 2010 Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival.

The wet weather couldn't dampen enthusiasm as festival-goers kept dry inside the Experience Music Project for local acts like BOAT and People Eating People or bounced up and down under a canopy of umbrellas for Bomba Estéreo.

This slideshow from day three of Bumbershoot 2010 features:

• Japandroids
• The Moondoggies
• The Whigs
• BOAT
• JEFF The Brotherhood
• Trampled By Turtles
• People Eating People
• Victor Shade

Click the image above to the view the slideshow.

At approximately 8:58 a.m. Sept. 6, a man called 911 to report that his wife came across a dead body near Carkeek Park.

The woman was walking along a remote beach area near the train tracks approximately one mile north of Carkeek Park.

The body is that of a male in his 40s.

Officers and Burlington Northern staff are investigating.