March 2011

By David Rosen

March 20 is the first day of spring and a cold north wind along Alki Beach was blowing in from the North at 24.2mph.

It also marked the first high tide of the month at 12.3ft peaking at 5:45am. The wind caused the waves to crash over the seawall along the Promenade.

Peter V. from Kenmore came down to Alki with his camera to capture a glimpse of moon setting behind the Olympics. He said “I have never seen this ever before in my life, it’s quite phenomenal actually”.

Another man who chose not to give his name has lived here in West Seattle since 1973 and said, “I have never seen the waves break over the seawall like this before” he also stated that “The moon might be the cause of these abnormal waves, (...) I thought there was a tsunami warning this morning due to the high tide and the waves crashing over”.

On April 15th the Chief Sealth Jazz Band hosts a Big Band Dinner Dance.

Who: Chief Sealth Jazz Band I & West Seattle Big Band
What: Big Band Dinner Dance!
When: April 15th, 6pm-11pm
Where: Chief Sealth High School in the Galleria. Address: 2600 SW Thistle St,

Price: $15 adult/students. $7 children under 10.

Come for a night full of food, music, and dancing! Your ticket guarantee's you an Italian dinner, swing dancing, and wonderful music played by the Chief Sealth Jazz Band I and the West Seattle Big Band. Contact Debbie Meyer (dlmeyer@seattleschools.org) or Tristan Addington-Ferris (Teaf_14@msn.com) for ticket purchasing and more information!

West Seattle-raised Jack Stafford, Jr. is striving to continue his father's legacy as a legendary boxing coach. Jack Stafford, Sr. coached former two-time heavyweight champ Pinklon Thomas who lived in Seattle. Stafford, Sr. is gone now, but Pinklon works as a drug counselor at the "Center for Drug Free Living" in Orlando, Florida, with young offenders.

Stafford, Jr., who moved from West Seattle to Renton six years ago, trains and coaches heavy-weight professional boxer "Vicious" Vincent Thompson of Federal Way. Thompson beat Ryan Shay in a TKO in the second round of a March 20 match at the Emerald Queen Casino and is now undefeated with seven matches under his eager belt.

Stafford was ringside during the match, and in Thompson's corner after Round-1. Joining him was Vincent's father, Calvin, who also coaches, with the additional assistance of Sam Ditusa, a full time Seattle police officer from Normandy Park who coaches seven other boxers.

West Seattle photographer David Rosen was out taking pictures of the 'super extreme moon' as it became full and rose over the Cascade Mountains on March 19.

He filed this report:

"I was out along the viewpoint on top of Southwest Admiral Way about 7:30pm. There was about 30 or so other photographers there, waiting for the moon to rise. Just a few minutes past 8pm the moon rose above the horizon to the East. The moon rose with an ominous glow of red and yellow. After about 30mins, most of the photographers left as the moon grew smaller. One photographer quoted " The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," The supermoon is a one of kind event that happens every 20 years or so. "

www.slickpixphotography.com

Here's the list of what is available at the Farmers Markets in West Seattle and the University District this week.

March 21 - 27, 2011

Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance Markets:
University District (UD) – Saturdays, 9 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND –
West Seattle (WS) – Sundays, 10 am – 2 pm, YEAR ROUND

Locations, Hours, Vendor and Event Info: www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org

New this Week:

*****NEW ITEMS IN ITALICS*****

Fresh Baby Spring Arugula – New, shiny, spring-green leaves of peppery perfection – from Willie Greens Organic Farm
Fresh Mint – from Children’s Garden – UD only

Fresh Oysters and Clams from Hama Hama Seafood (Lilliwaup, WA). Plus smoked and pickled oysters. At UD only.

Fresh Duck - Whole ducks for roasting – From Stokesberry Sustainable Farm – pre-orders available by calling Jerry Stokesberry at: 360-485-2558

Wild Things: Black Truffles, Stinging Nettles, Fiddlehead Ferns – from Foraged and Found at UD.

Garden Starts: Veggie Starts for home gardens; carrots, lettuce, peas, greens, radishes, onions, strawberries. Also Berry-Bearing Shrubs; currant, gooseberry, thimbleberry, blueberry, huckleberry.

By Patrick Robinson and David Rosen

Approximately 70 people gathered on Alki Beach Saturday night, March, 19 not to raise money but instead to "raise hope" for the victims of the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and ongoing nuclear reactor disaster.

The event, coordinated through a Facebook page stated "Take time to touch the water that connects our worlds.

The tragic earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011, brought with it a feeling of grief and fear into the hearts of the world. Let us come together to show our outpouring of support and love for the nation of Japan at this Saturday's vigil on Alki Beach in Seattle, WA. ".

Here is the text of one handout from a vigil participant, one of several on a piece of paper headed HOPE, with the “O” replaced by the red circle (sun) of the Japanese flag

Thay’s Prayer for Japan
Sending love and compassion to the people of Japan
Dear friends in Japan,

Over 150 participants took advantage of the stellar weather and an adventurous spirit of the 2011 Alki Street Scramble on March 19.

Adventurers started out at Alki Beach, near the bathhouse, and had either 90 minutes or three hours to set out on a West Seattle scavenger hunt, self-propelled by foot or bike.

Participants were given a map of West Seattle with 30 checkpoints to visit, one as far south as Lincoln Park, and had a half hour to map out there route before the Scramble began at 10 a.m.

Team sizes ranged from solo to full families and the level of competition ranged from a serious adventure armed with GPS units to a leisurely walk with a purpose.

According to event organizer Eric, about two-thirds of the participants are competitive scramblers who participate in several of the 10 events held each year.

Each checkpoint corresponded with a multiple choice question on the back of the map to ensure people actually visited the site.

Street Scramble events happen throughout Seattle. For more information, visit http://www.streetscramble.com/.

CLICK ON PHOTO FOR SLIDESHOW

The Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed this weekend between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day. The structure is closed for a full inspection twice a year to ensure it remains safe for drivers, according to WSDOT. Saturday morning WSDOT offered a press tour of the viaduct to highlight to aspects, the nine newly installed gates called the "Automated Closure System" and the "SR99 - S. Holgate Street to S. King Street Viaduct Replacement Project".

According to WSDOT's website, "WSDOT is installing a system designed to clear traffic from the aging and vulnerable structure as quickly as possible within two minutes of the first signs of a moderate to severe earthquake.

"The new system consists of nine traffic gates, similar to railroad crossing gates, located at all viaduct access points and controlled by an earthquake detection system.

The Seattle Academy of Arts and Science (a school on Capitol Hill that provides tuition-based college preparatory education for grades 6 - 12) is holding their 10th Annual SAAS Track and Field Meet at West Seattle Stadium (next to the West Seattle Golf Course).

The event started at 10:30 a.m. and will run into the afternoon. If you decide to go, admission was $3 for adults and $2 for students and parking was hard to find in the parking lot as of 10:30 a.m. so it may be better to park a little ways away and walk to the event.

4A schools taking part are:
Auburn Riverside
Emerald Ridge
Gig Harbor
Issaquah
Kent Meridian
Mariner
Olympia
Redmond

3A schools:
Bishop Blanchet
Chief Sealth

2A
Foster

1A
Bush
Northwest
Seattle Academy

2B
Bear Creek
Seattle Lutheran

UPDATE: 12:30pm Saturday

The sun is out. A crowd is currently streaming through different groupings of clothes, antiques, baked goods, books, and more.

UPDATE: Organizer seeks more items ASAP

Admiral resident Shelley Lebert will hold a "West Seattle Neighborhood Garage Sale for our Friends in Japan". The Garage Sale will be held Saturday, April 2nd, and Sunday, April 3rd, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.

The address for dropping off donations, and of the garage sale itself is: 3014 45th Ave S.W, Seattle 98116.

Shelley explains: