November 2011

Here are some Holiday events happening in and around Ballard.

Email anner@robinsonnews.com to get your Holiday community events posted.

Luciatag
December 11, 2011
5:00 p.m.
Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church
2400 NW 85th St.

Celebrate this beloved Swedish Christmas tradition honoring St. Lucia’s message of light and hope. Our Redeemers’ 46th annual Luciatåg features youth in an all Swedish program (with English translation).

Afterwards, all are invited to a reception with coffee, Swedish goodies, music and dancing around the Christmas tree. Goodwill offering collected.

Gala Holiday Concert! - Norwegian Ladies Chorus of Seattle
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, 3 PM
Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church
2400 NW 85th St, Ballard

Warm up the winter season at our annual Holiday Concert, which will also celebrate the Chorus's 75th year of sharing our Norwegian heritage with the community! Join us for an irresistible variety of Scandinavian and American songs, with solos by renowned guest harpist Beth Kolle. Homemade Dessert Reception follows - yum! Visit our website: nlcofseattle.org. Velkommen!

53rd Annual Julfest

Last November, the authors of the World 's Fair 50th anniversary book visited the Sunset Hill Community Club, allowing the audience to revisit the legacy of Seattle World's Fair.

Next week authors Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein will return to Ballard to present a slideshow and share your stories about the book, The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy in celebration of the fair’s 50th anniversary.

The event will take place February 23 from 6:30 p.m. till 8 p.m. at the Ballard Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 5614 22nd Avenue NW.

Century 21 Exposition revisited
2011-11-10
By Chris Foster, Intern

The Ballard Historical Society hosted authors Paula Becker and Alan J. Stein of the celebrated “The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and Its Legacy" book at the Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse on Wednesday, Nov 9.

The authors gave a presentation featuring many interesting facts, stories, and photos about the legacy of the World's Fair.

If you are heading west on the Spokane Street Viaduct and look south in the evening you are likely to see a very large lit Christmas tree. Standing approximately 80 feet tall this glowing holiday symbol near West Marginal Way is accomplishing what it was meant to: get some attention for the business that did it, Fleming's Holiday and Event Lighting(FHL). The West Seattle based business employs 30 people who are all about Christmas lighting but there's more to what they do than climb trees.

The owner, Ryan Fleming is a serial entrepreneur. At the age of 12 he got his first business idea when he saw his dad attempt to put up Christmas lights and fall off the ladder. He reasoned, "People should be able to hire someone to do that," and while it would take him a few years, he made it a reality. Before that business was formed however, after graduation from college he formed a car detailing business and shortly there after a couple of other businesses.

Voters approve liquor initiative 1183. The new rules go into effect June 1 and about 1,000 people will lose their jobs, including nine employees at the new West Seattle Premium Liquor Store No. 143 at 4100 S.W. Alaska St. It opened at the end of August.

"Everything has to cease on May 31," said Molly Wheeler. "I'm sad. It's a big deal. I've got 14 years with the Liquor Control Board and this premier store was a huge undertaking and I took it on. That part devastates me. It's a career, and a lot of people's careers. I want to stay optimistic that once one door closes another door opens. I feel bad for the people in the 60-plus age group who will have to start their careers over.

"There have been a lot of people who come in saying how sorry they were for us and other people were like, 'the state needs to get out of business,'" she said. "It is what it is."

The annual White Center Community Summit is taking place Saturday, December 3. The event's purpose is really community building. It's meant to be a time when neighbors can meet one another, interact with community organizations and talk about neighborhood issues. It's free and open to the public but the White Center Community Development Association does request that you sign up through an RSVP form to help them not only gauge how many will attend but to gather information to help them serve the community more effectively.

The event offers free food, free childcare, free parking and features workshops on Health, Education, Housing and Employment.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3, 10:00AM - 2:00PM

WHITE CENTER HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY - 10015 6th Avenue SW, Seattle WA 98146
(Corner of 8th Avenue and SW 100th Street in the Greenbridge neighborhood)

Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting two public meetings on the Roxhill Park renovation project. The meeting focusing on the skatespot is Monday, November 14, 2011 and the meeting for the play area is Wednesday November 30, 2011. Both meetings begin at 6 p.m. at the Southwest Branch Library located at 9010 35th Ave. SW.

In a previous meeting the skating area brought out some vocal and knowledgeable skaters who offered both their insight and criticism of what was proposed at first.

At the first meeting, Parks and California Skateparks will present the latest design for the skatespot. The community is invited to view and comment on the skatespot design. A skatespot is smaller than a full skatepark, but large enough to incorporate multiple skateboarding features. The skatespot is expected to be 8,000 square feet. For more information on Seattle skatepark planning please visit http://www.seattle.gov/parks/projects/skatepark.htm.

press release:
Tis' the Season for the expanding "honey-do" lists! The list may be daunting, but the actions don't need to be.

Join the West Seattle Tool Libarary for camaraderie (and pizza!) at this monthly event (every 2nd Thurs) and get FREE expert advice on:

* how to...
* what do I use to...
* best place to get...
* best time to...

And so much more! Whether it's about renovating a doll house, winterizing your garden or a home for you or the chickens, our experts will be able to advise on best practices and direct you to right tools amongst the plethora available at the West Seattle Tool Library.

This month we'll have West Seattle business owners from Mighty House Construction, Gray Sky Farms, and Solar Epiphany at your call to answer your questions.

Bring your inspiration and your inquiring minds! Tell your friends!!

p.s. You do not have to be a West Seattle resident to participate in this event or borrow tools from the West Seattle Tool Library!

Thursday, November 10 · 6:00pm - 8:00pm

West Seattle Tool Library at:
Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW, Seattle, WA 98106

Two long-term city lawmakers have been voted out of office in the Nov. 8 general election while four more are in razor-thin races too close to call.

Two-term Burien City Councilman Gordon Shaw was trailing challenger Bob Edgar by 21 percentage points in returns released by King County Elections on Wednesday evening. Edgar, who had attempted to withdraw from the primary race because of family health issues, was garnering 60 percent of the vote to Shaw’s 39 percent. Shaw was a strong advocate for White Center annexation and an auto mall on Des Moines Memorial Drive while Edgar and his wife, Chestine Edgar, were frequent anti-annexation speakers at council meetings.

SeaTac Deputy Mayor Gene Fisher was also badly trailing his opponent, ex-councilman Barry Ladenburg. Ladenburg had 64 percent of the vote to Fisher’s 36 percent. The elected mayor proposition that Fisher advocated was trailing 47 percent yes to 53 percent no. Fisher has been mentioned as a possible candidate for mayor if the proposition passes.

Two Highline mayors are in very tight races. Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler has 49 percent of the vote to Rebecca King’s 50 percent.

press release:
Seattle Public Schools will host three community meetings, to be held on Nov. 28, 29 and Dec. 1, to share information and ask for feedback about the District’s short-term Capacity Management plan for the 2012-13 school year. The District is experiencing considerable enrollment growth, and with that comes challenges. We are gathering input and working on creating a short-, intermediate- and long-term plan to address our capacity. Our enrollment this year is about 48,500 students. We are using this enrollment information, along with projections and community engagement, to analyze capacity for the 2012-13 school year.

A Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee (FACMAC) was established in October, 2011. This volunteer group of community members represents all regions of the city and has diverse interests in various programs. Technical experts and school representatives are also part of the committee. The FACMAC is working with staff to identify and help address the short, intermediate and long term facilities challenges. As its first task, the group is focusing on our capacity issues for the 2012-13 school year.

In March, 1945, an FM-2 Navy Grumman fighter plane took off from the flight deck of the USS Petrof Bay on a strafing mission of the beaches of Okinawa. Fourteen years later, that same plane landed in a park in White Center, where local kids played on it for years.

The Navy had decommissioned that aircraft and donated it to the King County Parks Department in 1959. A gem to be treasured and a good reminder to the sons of the fathers who fought in that war.

CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO SEE MORE

Within a week vandals had ripped the plane apart. It was a mess. But it was rescued quickly. Apparently some engaged citizens helped restore it. Kids were able to enjoy it until 1966 when the US Army came calling.

The brass at Ft Lawton needed the plane for an armed forces pageant promising to return it. Sadly, it never happened.

So what did happen to that plane?

From heroic battles in Okinawa to a storage facility in the King County bone yard at Juanita Beach, the plane sat thru 1969, rusting and deteriorating. It remained in limbo for a few years.