August 2012

Britt, Dave and Bob are three buddies at an age where many are in their dotage. All have lived full lives and continue to do so with gusto as portrayed by first-time director Taylor Guterson in his debut film, Old Goats.

The film has already won several important awards in the independent film world. The fact that it was made in and around the Seattle area gives it a special flavor for Northwest audiences. The 'actors' -- Britton Crosley, David Vander Wal and Bob Burkholder, who play themselves albeit in a fictional setting -- are real guys you might see in any cafe having coffee together and bickering over some small point. While there is some of the quality of grumpy old men in this, there is also an abiding affection between them. They are all members of that club which you automatically join once you reach a certain age. Guterson (whose father authored the book Snow Falling on Cedars) rounded up this gray trio and scripted a film that has some of the character of a documentary but is a lovely cinematic portrait of three friends squeezing every bit of juice they can from life.

Press release from Marquise Roberson, White Center Community Development Association

The Promise Summer Celebration 2012 is the second annual event focused on the White Center Promise (WCP) Initiative. The Promise Summer Celebration will be Friday, August 31, 2012 from 4:00PM-6:30PM and will take place at the Greenbridge Plaza on 8th Ave SW and SW 99th St. in White Center.

Similar to last year’s event, the celebration will feature local delicious food and live performances at no cost. This year’s feature acts will include: Seattle Kokon Taiko Drummers, Au Lac Vovinam Lion Dance Team and the EriAm Sisters. There will also be a giveaway of book bags to the first 250 K-12 grade students who sign up and the first 150 parents that register will receive a special gift.

UPDATE: Thursday, 8:30 p.m.

Despite the extreme summer weather, or perhaps because of it, a small but enthusiastic crowd attended tonight's Braxmatics concert just north of the Alki Bathhouse from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The edgy ensemble seemed a good fit for the beach location. The Hiawatha Concerts in the Park series, normally performed at Hiawatha Park, is brought to you by the Admiral Neighborhood Association.
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The Braxmatics, self described as a "Seattle based funky dance party extravaganza" will bring the Hiawatha summer concert series to Alki Beach at the Bathhouse tonight and given the temperatures it's going to be a hot party.

Now in their fourth season of concerts the Hiawatha Concerts in the Park series is brought to you by the Admiral Neighborhood Association.

The shows normally take place at Hiawatha Park 2700 California Avenue SW (between Lander St & Stevens St)

Concerts start at 6:30pm and kids, babies, dogs, and families are welcome. Bring a blanket or something to sit on and enjoy.

Ballard’s newest eatery promises to be equally ideal for kicking up your heels or your boots. The Kickin’ Boot Whiskey Kitchen, scheduled to open today, August 16, focuses on Southern fare and excels at traditional comfort food with culinary twists. True to Ballard itself, the restaurant is a combination of nostalgia and forward thinking.

Kickin’ Boot is located in a former 1920s mill house majestically overlooking the Ship Canal (5309 22nd Ave. NW). Long in disrepair, it’s been refurbished from the ground up thanks to the vision of owners Zak Melang and Nathan Opper, restauranteurs of the Matador Restaurant and Tequila Bars. The space has old-world appeal thanks to exposed brick, the preservation of exposed, original Redwood beams and custom-made, eight-foot steel chandeliers illuminated with Edison bulbs. In a testament to the owner’s personal investment, Melang built many of the wooden tables himself as well as the herringbone wood art that decorates the walls.

Burien's final Music in the Park concert for the year will take place at Lake Burien School Park on Thursday, August 16, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Here are the details from Kristy Dunn, recreation supervisor for the City of Burien:

Bring your swimsuit in anticipation of 90+ degrees tomorrow. We have scheduled some of the sprinklers to be on at Lake Burien School Park during our last concert of the season.

We will also have an Arts A Glow artist doing hands on activities, a face painter, tamales, various sausages and ice cream.

Come enjoy the last concert of the season and listen to summer reggae with Shan Coleman!

The Volunteers of America Greenwood Food Bank is approaching a critical lack of food supply, according to a press release.

Currently the food bank has less than four distribution days of food. "The Greenwood Food Bank typically has a supply of 8 distribution days of food. Right now, we have half of that in our stock," said Leann Geiger, Director of Food Bank Services at Volunteers of America, in the press release. "Food donations have continued to decrease and we are concerned that we will run out of food."

The decline in supply is due to a few reasons. Summer months are always slow, low-income children rely more on the food bank without the same school meal program benefits they get throughout the school year, and, most dramatically, the Greenwood Market has closed down. The Greenwood Market donated over 4,000 pounds of food a week and the food bank has been unable to replace that sudden loss.

Needed food items include canned meat, boxed meals, and kid friendly foods such as macaroni and cheese and canned fruit. Donations are accepted at the Greenwood Food Bank, located at 9041 Greenwood Ave N. every Tuesday – Friday, from 8:30am – 4:00pm.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for the Seattle area on Thursday and Friday as temperatures are expected to break into the 90s. NWS recommends drinking plenty of fluids, finding air conditioning, staying out of the sun and checking on relatives' and neighbors' well-being during the swelter.

Here is the NWS official warning:

... EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 11 PM PDT FRIDAY...

* TIMING... THE INTERIOR OF WESTERN WASHINGTON WILL HAVE HIGH TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 90S BOTH TODAY AND FRIDAY.

* TEMPERATURE... HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO REACH THE LOW TO MID 90S BOTH DAYS IN THE SEATTLE AREA... WITH MID TO UPPER 90S POSSIBLE IN SOUTHERN AREAS. NIGHTTIME LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE MAINLY IN THE 60S.

* IMPACTS... THURSDAY AND FRIDAY ARE LIKELY TO BE AMONG THE HOTTEST DAYS OF THE YEAR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

SLIDESHOW: Click on photo for more

UPDATE: Friday

Below is the description of yesterday's big event at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center.

The Normandy Park Police Department would like to notify citizens about the 2012 Chief for a Day event held tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 16 at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center, 19010 1st Avenue S.

10:15 AM: Arrival of police motorcade
11:00 AM: Opening ceremony
12:00 PM: Lunch (by donation)
1 ‐ 3 PM: Outside demonstrations/presentations, including "Lisa" the camel from Old McDebbie's Farm in Spanaway.

This event celebrates the lives of children who have been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness.

Seattle Police Officer Garth Haynes, who used excessive force when he stepped on the head of a handcuffed man outside a Ballard nightclub on Dec. 12, 2010, will not be getting a suspension.

Instead, Police Chief John Diaz gave him more of a verbal reprimand, saying as long as Haynes stays out of similar trouble for the next two years, Diaz will withhold the 10-day suspension. The Office of Professional Accountability concluded that Haynes used unnecessary force during the fight and referred, according to the Seattle Times, that he get retraining.

Haynes was off duty when he got into a fight outside of the Ballard nightclub, BalMar. He had chased down a woman who he believed stole his coat and -- the details on who instigated are fuzzy -- got into a scuffle with three men. Haynes had one victim, Jake Baijot-Clary, facedown on the ground and handcuffed when he kicked him in the head.

Middle College High School, an alternative high school that called the South Seattle Community College campus home for around 15 years, has found a new space at the High Point Community Center Building (6400 Sylvan Way S.W.) in West Seattle, according to Carmela Dellino, executive director of schools, Southwest Region.

Middle College lost its space at the SSCC campus before the 2012-2013 school year and was originally supposed to move to the Louisa Boren Junior High Building on Delridge, sharing the space with a new K-5 STEM program, but that plan fell through.

“The space at the High Point Center is well-suited for our small Middle College Program and is conveniently located with easy bus line access for our high school students,” Dellino said in a statement.