October 2010

The West Seattle VFW Hall at 3601 s.w. Alaska Street
 was taken over by thrill seekers (those who love to get scared and those who love to ski and snowboard) on Saturday, Oct. 30 for what owner of Mountain to Sound Outfitters owner Greg Whittaker called a Haunted House / Ski Swap.

Hundreds of people came through to walk through the Haunted House set up on the stage which was full of skeletons, flashing lights and even a haunted TV.

In the main hall there were ski and snowboard equipment bargains galore as people tried on boots, checked out boards and examined skis.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society Annual Gala was held Saturday, October 30, at Salty's on Alki in support of the Log House Museum.

The event featured brunch, and a silent auction.

Costumes were encouraged for the event and people showed up in all manner of garb including outgoing Museum Director Andrea Mercado who was the ghost of the Log House Museum's past.

All funds raised will go to support the ongoing work of the Society and the Log House Museum.

The West Seattle Thriftway invites children from West Seattle to the store every year around Halloween to decorate pumpkins with paint and fun items they can glue on to make their own creation.

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Tables were set up the dining area near the front of the store and lots of kids showed up in costume to enjoy the event. They got picture frames and could play a ring toss too.

There's another area of the store where kids can have their photo taken, this year by a man in a banana suit... appropriate since it's near the produce section.

Every child gets a goodie basket too.

Every Saturday, this time of year the Fauntleroy YMCA brings together 6 and 7 year olds to introduce them to the game of soccer and let them practice in a competitive but non outcome way.

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On October 30 at the upper field it was the International Super Spies vs the Blue Dragons and from all appearances, every one of the players, both boys and girls, seemed to really enjoy it.

The coaches stay on the field to provide instruction, guidance and some close control but mostly let the kids run, kick, pass and from time to time, score a goal.

At this level, they don't keep score. The purpose is to get them familiar with the game, teach them fair play and the basic rules.

Photographer Kimberly Robinson took some photos of the action in this slideshow.

You can reach Kimberly via Westseattle@robinsonnews.com

UPDATE & REMINDER:

Kickoff is 1:05pm this afternoon, then check out Duff and Loaded at the halftime show.

One year ago West Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin released his movie and 2-DVD set "Double Down Live" featuring an intimate look at rock icons ZZ Top performing live throughout America and Europe including rare, behind the scenes footage. The West Seattle Herald reported on that release, plus ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons' visit with Chamberlin to the Mission Latin Grill, Feedback Lounge and West 5 last Aug. 28.

Chamberlin's new project is a feature length film about Seattle rock legend Duff McKagan and his band, Loaded. The band's line up also includes bass player and West Seattle resident Jeff Rouse, as well as guitarist Mike Squires and drummer Isaac Carpenter.

The film is based on the new Loaded album which is soon to be completed and yet to be titled.

It didn't result in a win, but the Ballard High School football team closed out the 2010 season with its best offensive performance of a year in which it had been shutout in more than half its games.

Sophomore Dominic King ran for two touchdowns and junior Jesse Scott returned a punt 65 yards for another score as the Beavers lost 27-20 to Redmond High School (4-5) in a nonconference match Oct. 29.

Ballard had only managed 19 points total in the previous seven games. The team's previous best single-game scoring output was it's lone victory of the season, 15 points to beat Samammish High School and open the season.

The Beavers finished 0-5 in KingCo and 1-8 overall. It was the team's third one-win season in a row.

By Cassandra Allen

In between rain squalls Oct. 24, 23 volunteers built a border fence at Greenwood Park to kick off the construction of the park’s new community garden. The project is part of the effort to improve and expand the park located at 602 N. 87th St.

Volunteers were guided by Joanna D’Asaro, a fellow volunteer and local landscape architect from Greener Living Solutions. They constructed a fence frame that was then filled by the north lot’s cleared tree branches and shrubbery.

As the fence grew from the ground up, volunteers intertwined rhododendron, yew and cedar branches in layers. D'Asaro's design of the twig fence provides a natural-looking visual barrier with recycled materials.

“We came up with the concept of the twig fence with the hope of constructing something that will be esthetically pleasing, easy to maintain and easy to assemble," said Mike Stringer, chair of Vision Greenwood Park. "It met all those goals and brought the community together for four hours."

The goal is to open the community garden to planting in the spring.

Press Release:
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Jan Drago (Dist. 8) delivered a retired King County Metro Vanpool van today to the White Center Food Bank. It was the third of three donated vans delivered by Drago to non-profit organizations that help the homeless, the hungry, and young people in neighborhoods in south Seattle and White Center.

“The pressure on local food banks has grown immensely with the lingering economic recession,” said Drago. “Donating this van will help the White Center Food Bank reach more people in need in our community, particularly since people in need of food bank assistance often face challenges with transportation.”

The van will immediately be put into service, helping the White Center Food Bank connect more than 5,000 hungry people each month with healthy, nutritious foods. The White Center Food Bank also assists families with infant and child supplies, cooking and nutrition classes, food and services designed specifically for seniors, and culturally relevant food to better serve the diverse White Center community.

Admiral Treats and Treasures, where merchants set up candy trays and bowls outside their shops for the kiddies Friday.

Merrill Gardens at Admiral Heights, the last stop on the treasure hunt for kids to get their maps stamped were in charge of awarding two participants large goodie bags as raffle prizes based on kids turning in their maps there. Saturday morning they announced the lucky winners, Jayla Sashaw, 9, who dressed as a "devil-girl", and 11 year-old Aidan Ewing, both of West Seattle.

Click on photo for SLIDESHOW

MOHAI Minutes are created by Helen Divjak and Peder Nelson to highlight spots of historical interest around Seattle.

These short, informal videos feature a number of local neighborhoods, as well as artifatcs, documents, and photos from the Museum of History & Industry's (MOHAI) collection.

In this video, Helen and Peder explore one of Seattle's hidden jems- Schmitz Preserve Park - in West Seattle, which is The largest old-growth forest in the city.