January 2012

Keven Wynkoop loved Ballard High School so much that he returned to BHS only five years after his graduation. He started as a history teacher and moved up the ranks to become the youngest principal in the school's history at 35 years old.

"I can't imagine being anywhere else," he said, adding that his story is "the quintessential Ballard story".

Wynkoop attended Ballard High School during the school's "dark ages".

The early 1990s were an era of falling ceiling tiles, a deadly drive-by shooting, and declining enrollment. Seattle Public Schools threatened to close the school altogether.

"There were all those problems and even the building itself was falling apart around us," Wynkoop said. "I was in the middle of it all and loved it."

A third generation BHS graduate, Wynkoop was proud to be a Beaver.

"My friends and I, we were classic old Ballard. We owned everything Ballard," he said. "Ballard has such a unique identity of a small town in a big city. It's a great neighborhood, community, and legacy."

Press release:

Sustainable Burien Gathering
Sunday, February 12, 2012
A developing sustainable garden/farm (call 243-9366 for address)
2:00pm - 4:00pm

FIELD TRIP TO A DEVELOPING SUSTAINABLE GARDEN
Rather than having our regular monthly meeting at the library on February 12th, we will be gathering at the private home of two of our members.

They have created many raised beds, planted berries and fruit trees, built a green house/chicken coop, and have been experimenting with beekeeping.

We will be learning pruning techniques with Bill Wanless of Brooke/Wanless Gardens. He will demonstrate how to prune new and old fruit trees and shrubs. We will also have a biochar stove demonstration. Come and see what you may be able to create in your own garden.

Bird Count – Feb 17-20. Some SuBu members will be participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count, and we invite others to join in the activity. It’s simple to do and only takes 15 minutes! Here’s a link: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html

Most birthdays are happy occasions, but for Roger and Gena Starkweather 16 year West Seattle residents, the occasion of Roger's 50th had to be special and it had to mean more. The theme of his birthday party was "Sparkle Central" which was obviously very loosely translated by the more than 130 guests who attended the event Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Hall at Fauntleroy. A wide range of odd, funny, and outlandish costumes were on display. A DJ supplied the music and donated his services.

But this party had a purpose. It had a raffle with some great prizes but they made the proceeds go to the West Seattle Foodbank. It was Roger's 50th Birthday but the Food Bank got the biggest gift.

The raffle items included:

$100 gift certificate from John Howie Steaks
$100 bottle of wine from Valerie & Chris Legler
$200 wine and cheese basket from Fromaggio Artisan Cheese Shoppe
A yoga basket from Two Rivers Yoga
"RAKU" fired ceramic from Alki Arts

Do you know why I haven’t moved from my property since 1947? I can’t part with my stuff, that’s why. The article in the WS Herald about the woman who helps you downsize is right down my alley. But I don’t know if I could ever allow a stranger into my domain or relax while my special collections were being rated as superfluous. Actually my problem is not the usual hoarding problem. I am compartmentalized. The living room is usually perfect. The entrance to my home must be pleasant and welcoming and it is usually acceptable. Now, on the other hand, my office is all aclutter but don’t ever try and clean it up because I know where everything in the clutter can be found.

The reason I am writing about all this is the appearance of the strange popup box appearing on my computer desktop without my permission. For a control freak like I am, that is anathema. (I just learned this great new word. You might want to look it up and use it too.) There is nothing like the helpless feeling of a so-called inanimate object controlling one’s life. Well, actually my computer is far from inanimate. It has a need to frustrate me into a tantrum.

The eastbound lanes of the Spokane Street Viaduct are closed this weekend, until Monday morning, January 30, at 5 a.m.  During the weekend closure, either the First Avenue S off-ramp or the Fourth Avenue Loop ramp will remain open, permitting motorists to use the eastbound S Spokane Street lower roadway to reach either the I-5 ramps or Columbian Way S.

The Ballard basketball teams were on the road on Friday night, visiting Woodinville.

The Ballard boys basketball ended their losing streak last night with a win over Woodinville.

The Beavers got ahead 13 to 6 in the first quarter and continued to build on it for the rest of the game.

At halftime the Beavers were ahead 35 to 23. Woodinville tried to make a comeback in the second half but were unable to catch up.

Ballard won 68 to 57.

Leading the Beavers in scoring was Johnny Verduin with 27 points, shooting 100 percent from the three-point line. He also had 17 rebounds.

Stuart MacGeorge was also strong, scoring 16 points.

The Lady Beavers were less successful against Woodinville, losing 27 to 52.

The Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council (CFCPSC) has launched its annual Candy Sale on which runs through February 20.

Five flavor offerings are available for $5 each, including: the popular Creamy Smooth Mint Patties, made by Brown & Haley and exclusive to Camp Fire; Almond Roca; Almond Caramel Cluster; P-Nuttles, and Camper Mix. Camper Mix was introduced last year as a sugar-free alternative. Camper Mix is a blend of cashews, almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and a variety of sesame sticks.

By purchasing Camp Fire candy, not only are you helping youth build important skills like goal setting, public speaking, money management, and business ethics, but you are helping families cover the cost of Camp Fire activities and camps.

Camp Fire boys and girls will be selling candy at grocery stores and other local businesses for the duration of the three-week Candy Sale. On Saturday, January 28, a Camp Fire middle school group from Westside School will be selling at the QFC in Westwood Village from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Alternatively, you can securely purchase candy on the CFCPSC website at http://www.campfire-usa.org/secure/candyorder

By Kyle Howard

Cleveland and West Seattle squared off Friday night Jan. 27th for a metro league boys basketball matchup. This game began an hour later than the scheduled time due to a fire that broke out during the J.V. game; it pushed the girls game back as well.

From tip off the two teams seemed evenly matched, there were seven lead changes in the first half, but West Seattle pulled away to take the lead 26-22 before the end of the half.

West Seattle did a great job controlling the ball and limited their turnovers. They executed the fast break very well and were able to get plenty of points from points from layups.

Cleveland’s J’Shaun Cash was the high scorer finishing with 18 points for the game. Cash also knocked down four three pointers. Top scorers for West Seattle were Junior Guard’s Vidal Griffin and LaTrey Newsome who both scored 16 each.

Cleveland’s record now stands at 3-13 overall, and West Seattle sits at 8-9 overall.

By Kyle Howard

Number six state ranked Cleveland Eagles visited West Seattle for a girl’s metro league matchup Friday night Jan.27th. The game began 45 minutes late; the gym had to be evacuated during the JV game when a popcorn machine at the concession stand caught fire. After Firefighters left the JV game finished and the girls began the game at 7:00 rather than 6:15. 

From the tip off the Cleveland girls showed why they deserve to be ranked sixth in the state. They brought a lot of pressure to the West Seattle offense as they forced over 30 turnovers with 24 of them coming from steals. Cleveland’s defense allowed only one field goal in the first quarter with a score of 20-2 going into the second quarter. They kept the pressure up all game as they defeated the West Seattle Wildcats 64-26.

Updated Saturday, Jan. 28, 11:40 p.m.

By Patrick Robinson & Steve Shay

The Riverside Memorial Plaza in the heart of the historical West Seattle Croatian immigrant fishing community took place Saturday, Jan. 28. The plaza is located at 17th Ave. SW and West Marginal Pl., at the mouth of the Duwamish River, just south of the West Seattle Bridge

It is the product of a partnership between the “The Friends of Riverside” – the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Riverside fishing families of the early 1900s – and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.

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"A lot of hard work went into this," said Historical Society President, Marcy Johnson. "It's a wonderful thing." (Another slice of West Seattle history, Johnson's parents purchased what is now the Log House Museum on Alki in 1959 where she grew up. She recalls strangers entering their front door at dinner assuming it was the Homestead Inn restaurant, another log house down the street.)