November 2011

Seattle musician Victoria Contreras performs tonight which began at 7:00 p.m. The show will be videotaped before a live audience.

West Seattle videographer Jamie Chamberlin will continue to document the performer tonight as he has been filming her in the day at the Feedback Lounge, 6451 California Ave. SW.

"I am putting my first album out with V and the Noise," Contreras, a Seattle resident, told the West Seattle Herald. "We're really excited to do this show here at the Feedback Lounge. I know (Feedback co-owner) Jeff in a couple of different capacities, so we're happy to be the guinea pigs for this performance."

She is referring to Feedback's "experiment" tonight of hosting live musicians regularly on Sunday nights in the back room.

"I've been singing since I was about 10 years old," Contreras said. "I studied with Maestro David Kyle, and with a lot of classical and opera coaches throughout the years. I studied voice here, and in Los Angeles for five years. I admire Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. I really like the music of Fiona Apple. I like Garbage quite a bit. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan. People sometimes call me 'V' or 'Tori'."

As the weather turns colder there are compensations. Soup and coffee seem to taste better, you might get a little more reading done and you come to appreciate your wool scarf a little more. But nature offers beauty all her own as the leaves blanket the ground, while some cling to the tree waiting for the next storm.

CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Today between noon and 7:00 p.m. Alki Arts Gallery, 2820 Alki Avenue SW, (206) 432-9936 is collecting winter items for homeless residents of Nickelsville, including blankets, tarps, jackets, socks, with the focus on children's needs. They encourage the public to drop off anything usable you have to their gallery.

West Seattle High School grads, and friends, Jack Stafford, and Alki Arts owner, Diane Venti decided to help after Stafford visited the encampment and said he was shocked to see so many kids there. The West Seattle Herald did an article on Stafford here. Stafford plans to deliver the donated items to Nickelsville tomorrow.

Following a football season in which the Sealth Seahawks finished with an overall record of: 1-8-0 and a league record of: 1-5-0 things did not look good for the football program at the school. Winning still matters at every level even if in high school it shares importance with academics and participation. But for Athletic Director Sam Reed, it became apparent that a change was necessary. He chose to let the coach Asosa Sailai go.
Reed sent this message to the Sealth community to announce the change.

Dear Chief Sealth International staff, students, families and community at large,

This letter is to inform you that I have made the decision to end the tenure of Asosa Sailiai as head football coach at Chief Sealth International High School.

Ballard introduced two new coaches to their athletic department. Mark Nicholson will be taking over the boys soccer team, after long time coach Gary Hunter decided to step down. Also, Sara Wetstone was named the new girls basketball coach.

Hunter, a product of SPU, played under soccer legend Cliff McCrath. He built a strong program for Ballard soccer, coaching the girls’ team for four years before taking over the boys program. During his tenure, Hunter took his teams to the playoffs six times.

While Ballard is sad to be losing Hunter, they are excited about Nicholson. Nicholson, 27, has quite a pedigree when it comes to soccer. He graduated from Issaquah high school in 2002 as a varsity letter winner under 3-time state champion coach Tom Bunnell. His select soccer team also won the U-18 State Championship his senior year. After high school, Hunter became a long distance tri-athlete, competing in events such as the 2008 Ironman Boise and the 2009 Lake Stevens Ironman.

Ballard Athletic Director Carrie Burr spoke about Nicholson in a press release from the school.

Folks packed into what is Caffè Delia by day, Proletariat Pizza by night, for the cafe's Grand Opening Celebration Saturday, at 9622A 16th Ave. SW.

White Center musicians Squirrel Butter, Stebmo, Del Rey, and The Blue 4 Trio were on hand in various forms, performing separately and together. Caffé Delia actually opened Oct. 9, but this was their opening party.

Delia (pronounced like Deal' ya) MacFadden and husband Matt Weiner own the cafe. He played bass with Squirrel Butter during the opening and generally gigs with Blue 4 Trio. "This is the first business that I've owned, but I've been making espresso since 1992," said Delia who lives four blocks from the cafe, in White Center. "I started at PCC in their deli in Seward Park years ago. Most recently I worked for three years at Bird on a Wire Espresso."

UPDATE: Nov. 22

The owners of Coco & Co shared this news about their upcoming Grand Opening.
"CoCo & Co, will be having a Grand Opening and Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 21st. Come by any time between 4PM to 8PM to meet the staff, eat some snacks, enjoy the music and get the grand tour. We will be providing cupcakes from Stuffed Cakes, appetizers from Von’s Roast House, Coffee from Bird on a Wire Espresso and music by my very talented friend Sphinx Akashaa Duncan.

We are just over in West Seattle not far DT Seattle. From the West Seattle Bridge, just turn left on 35th Ave SW and go 2.9 miles. We are on the west corner of 35th and Henderson right across the street from the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Library.

More details can be found on our Facebook Event Page. Feel free to RSVP on Facebook but it isn’t required."

Original Post from Nov. 12

The CoolMom 4th Annual Holiday Toy Swap 'n' Sale is today November 12 9am to 2pm.

Terri Glaberson CoolMom Executive Director said, "After months of preparation and gathering toys from the generous West Seattle communities and beyond, we have a stellar sale planned. There are mounds of books, games, puzzles, leggos, dolls and much more! The gently used toys seem extra stellar this year. The line for the sale tends to start forming at 8:30 am in anticipation of purchasing some pre-holiday gifts. So get there early!"

All proceeds benefit CoolMom & WestSide Baby

WHERE: Fauntleroy Church, 9140 California Ave. SW (Barton & California)

The annual sale is focused on keeping things local, and reusing high quality toys for other children to enjoy.

David Myka has many books, but if he invites you into his library, you will not see one. That's because he is a luthier, or guitar maker, and what he calls his library is actually an organized collection of stacks of nearly 50 types of wood, including claro walnut, indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, black limba from Western Africa, and his prized planks of 82 year-old Brazilian kingwood.

Myka, 39, a West Seattle resident, works nearly 70 hours a week in his loft studio near the Morgan Junction. He makes about 16 to 20 guitars a year in the $3,000 to $10,000 price range. Most are electric guitars, but he is currently building an unusual instrument. He is keeping busy, and has customers as far afield as Australia.

"I am working on a custom 12-string baritone electric mandolin, kind of an odd-ball," he said as he lifted up a slice of shaped wood that will evolve into a "David Myka original".

From the Seattle Police Blotter

Posted by Detective Jeff Kappel

On November 11th at approximately 3:23 p.m. officers responded to the area of Olson Place SW and SW Cambridge Place for a multiple-vehicle head on collision with life-threatening injuries.

Preliminary investigation indicates that a 51-year-old male was driving westbound in his Nissan Pathfinder. The driver crossed the centerline and struck a 1999 Saturn head on. The driver of the Saturn, a 22-year-old male, was transported to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medics with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Pathfinder then spun around and was struck on the driver’s side by an eastbound, on-coming Toyota Camry. The Camry was being driven by a 63-year-old female, who was subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medics with life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Pathfinder was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.