April 2011

The Bridge, the recently opened restaurant and bar the West Seattle Herald told you about first in February has already made some more improvements. They have a booth. Not for dinner (though they have those too).

This one is a throwback to earlier, simpler, happier times. It's a photo booth, where for the small sum of $5 you can get your silly on (or kiss or what have you) while posing for the four photo strip or rather DOUBLE strip of photos.

Co-Owner Rita Dixson said, "We brought it in two weeks ago and people love it. We're going to be doing a photo wall soon behind plexiglass so if you want your photo up you just give it to the bartender."

The booth is provided by All Star Photo Booths and it's an up to date version of the kind of photo booths that were commonly seen at state fairs, and other public gatherings.

The Cambodian New Year Festival is back again in White Center on April 30. It will take place on the block between 15th and 16th s.w. on 98th Street s.w. The festival opens at 10:30 am.

Sopha Dahn with the White Center Community Development Association said, "There will be 22 booths plus cultural dances, performances

The festival is the work of the Cambodian Cultural Alliance of Washington (CCAW), a locally founded and locally based organization in White Center.

"Our mission is to create opportunities for diverse communities to understand and appreciate traditional Cambodian art through events and other cultural activities. Our goal is to provide learning opportunities for youths about traditional Cambodian arts and culture. Our vision is to foster unity and generate interest in showcasing traditional arts and culture of Cambodia."

In addition to grants, the festival is made possible with sponsorships and donations from local businesses and individuals.

This festival is a celebration of the Cambodian New Year and to showcases one of the many unique cultures in White Center.

It is free and open to the public.

King County Executive Dow Constantine held a fundraiser (he explained that he needs to hold one about once a month to cover the cost of campaigning even though it's not until 2013) and an Earth Day Celebration at the new Harbor Properties building, the LINK Apartments at 4550 38th Avenue s.w.

Constantine said, "Every week I make a few phone calls and I have some little event and bit by bit over the course of months and years you raise enough money to be able to get the word out when election season comes around." He acknowledged that at the moment there are no obvious contenders for his job but "You always have to run as if you're going to have a formidable opponent. That's the only way you can be successful at this and I've always done that.(...) It forces you to think about the public perception of your actions and make sure that you're touching base with the people who elected you and that you're still doing what they wanted you to do."

The recently reopened Southgate Roller Rink, 9646 17th Ave. SW, will end the month on a rough-and-tumble note with the arrival of April 30's Saturday Night Roller Derby. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the action is scheduled to begin a half hour later. It can go to about 10:00 p.m.

The men's home team is the Puget Sound Outcasts who take on the Portland Men's Roller Derby. Our junior female team, the I-5 Roller Girls, all under 18, take on the Portland Rosebuds, a rival junior team.

"They can bump into each other but they can't tackle each other," said Josh Rhoads, a skating champ who owns the rink with his wife, Erin Venables. "It will be exciting. The last Rat City Roller Girl bout we held brought 600 people. The track they use is a small portion inside the skating floor."

Bleachers will be set up on the rink's perimeter. Black markings designate an oval track within the rink and in front of the bleachers, the size based on official Derby regulations.

Update 3 (April 29)
After passing the medical marijuana bill (SB 5073)on April 21, the Washington State Legislature was countered with a veto of portions of the bill by Gov. Gregoire on April 29.

In a press release issued on April 29 the Governor said "the sections in Part VI, Part VII, and Part VIII of Engrossed Second Substitute Senate Bill 5073 would direct employees of the state departments of Health and Agriculture to authorize and license commercial businesses that produce, process or dispense cannabis. These sections would open public employees to federal prosecution, and the United States Attorneys have made it clear that state law would not provide these individuals safe harbor from federal prosecution. No state employee should be required to violate federal criminal law in order to fulfill duties under state law."

Gov. Gregoire's press release is attached to this story (link is above, next to "Update 3") in its entirety.

In a month from today, KEXP will be broadcasting an all-day free music event from The Sunset as a thank you to Ballard.

During KEXP's Summer Membership Drive last year, KEXP issued a “Hood-to-Hood” Challenge, in which the neighborhood that represented the most support would be the lucky recipients of an all-day event.

On Friday, May 20th, KEXP will thank the Ballard neighborhood for banding together to donate the most money to keep the music playing on KEXP by hosting an all-day event.

KEXP 90.3FM (www.kexp.org) will be broadcasting live from The Sunset from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. with free music events open to all ages.  

While the exact details of that day are yet to be released, Ballard businesses like Harlow’s, BalMar, Cupcake Royale and Conor Byrne have jumped on board to make the day an all neighborhood event.

Visit KEXP.org for more information about teh Hood-to-Hood Challenge.

Drive down 153rd Street in downtown Burien and you will see a difference. Colorful new banners have been installed on the light poles from 1st to 10th avenues that will decorate the street for the next year.

The banner project was the brainchild of Burien Arts Commissioner Victoria Hall. Hall, who has lead the education committee of the Arts Commission for many years, wanted to find a way to work with area school children to explore the idea of cultural heritage. Working with three different schools in 2010, she had the students create drawings that explored their diverse cultural heritages.

The drawings were then displayed at the Burien Community Center, and from the many drawings eleven were picked to be made into banners. The arts commission embraced the idea of decorating 153rd Street with the banners and with the help of Discover Burien and local designer Maureen Hoffmann, were then able to have 44 banners printed and installed.

The new banners will be celebrated at Burien Clean Sweep on April 30th with a scavenger hunt for participants and artists.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council hosted a meeting on April 19 with Jim Curtin, community traffic liaison for the Seattle Department of Transportation and West Seattle resident, to gain insight on SDOT’s process for making changes to roads and create an opportunity for residents to voice their concerns – primarily on the safety of 35th Ave s.w., often called I-35.

Although Curtin has been on the schedule for this month’s WSCPC meeting for some time, the topic is of particular relevance after the tragic April 13 collision at the intersection of Juneau and 35th that took motorcyclist Andrew Seffernick’s life.

An overall drop in collisions

Curtin opened the session by handing out a spreadsheet illustrating yearly collision averages for intersections in West Seattle and spreading the good news:

“I am glad to report that collisions in West Seattle in general are down 9.5 percent since 2001, which is pretty significant,” Curtin said, adding collisions are down throughout Seattle.

Egan's Ballard Jam House will be hosting a Variety for Charity night tomorrow in support of the Fremont Solstice Parade.

Starting at 7 p.m. various musicians, actors, vocalists and even burlesque dancers will show off their act in 10 to 20 minute time slots to entertain the crowd and raise money for the Fremont Arts Council.

Here's the line-up that promises something for everyone:

7:15 Susan & Larry kick off the night with a Bossa Nova tune and a poem or two www.susanharper.com
Larry Crist ~ a silver tongued poet
7:30 Pacific NW Blues Diva Lady "A" www.ladyababyblues.com
7:50 Ricky Gene Powell ~ a musical trend setter www.boysofgreenwoodglen.com
8:15 Michael Murdock ~ endearing thespian
8:25 Susan & Hugh ~ duet
8:40 Seastar ~ folky, passionate and celtic-y music www.reverbnation.com/seastar
9:00 Larry & Michael Murdock ~ theatre
9:10 KlezterBalm ~ hypnotic chaos www.klezterbalm.blogspot.com
9:30 Kylie Koyote ~ devious desert nymph burlesque
9:40 EQ lateral ~ ambient electronic violin and ethereal vocals http://www.eqlateral.com/

For more information, visit www.fremontartscouncil.org

Breeders Theater will return this July with a new show, Helpdesk.

The pending sale of E.B. Foote Winery in Burien, home to Breeders Theater and a lot of award-winning wine, seemed ready to end BT's 10-year run at the winery. However as the sale fell through, the winery now will be open through August as winemaker Sherrill Miller sells off the last of her stock.

And so BT is back with a new show, Helpdesk, by company founder T.M. Sell
Helpdesk is about five women who work at the customer service desk of an office computer equipment company. Across the street, a young man has been watching them, and may be about to confront the women. Who is he, and what does he want?

"It's a play about how people relate to each other, both as co-workers and as strangers," said Sell.

Scott Green directs the show, which features the acting talents of Teresa Widner, Laura Smith, Melissa Malloy, Marianne Everett, Terri Fincham Conner, and Brenan Grant.

Show dates are July 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 7 p.m. and July 24 at 2 p.m. Tickets are still only $20, including wine tasting. Doors open at 6:30 for evening performances and 1:30 p.m. on July 24.