November 2012

There was a lot of hootin' and hollerin' at All-Star Sports Bar in Des Moines Nov. 23 as about a dozen frenzied TV screens broadcasted the rivalrous Apple Cup, the annual battle between UW and WSU. Unfortunately for most fans there, the fireworks emanated until the Cougar comeback in the forth quarter and Black Friday took on a dark cast.

Then it was the heavily-outnumbered half-dozen or so Cougar alumni, surrounded by purple, who cheered their team on to the 31-28 overtime victory, an upset, according to odds-makers that predicted Huskies to win by 14 points at Martin Stadium in Pullman.

Longtime Des Moines residents and loyal Huskies fans, the Silkman family were at the bar to cheer on their team. They included husband and wife, Lucky and Toddy, their son Shannon and daughter Brandie. Perched on their table next to a large oval plate of half-eaten nachos stood a metallic softball-sized object on a stand resembling a bronze apple.

Its caretaker for three years has been Shannon who did not attend UW, but worked in their physical plant.

Thanksgiving night, while many families sat down at their tables to feast, the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger teamed up with the 2 Bit Saloon to throw the 3rd Annual Orphan Thanksgiving, which sought to serve food and supplies to people in need.

For the event, organizers and volunteers first served participants at the 2 Bit Saloon, and then they packaged up the food and went out to serve people on the streets.

According to Graham Pruss, chair of the BCTHH and an organizer of the event, said the event went very well.

"The dinner was an amazing success, as was the outreach after!" Pruss wrote in an email. "We had 10 turkeys, tons of sides and desserts and a massive amount of donations from SPD Parking Enforcement, Mars Hill Church and many in the community. We gave out around 50 meals to people on the streets after, in cars and sleeping outside."

To sum up the event, Pruss said this:

"As one participant repeated throughout the night, before heading out to take donated clothing and food to the car where he lives, 'It's all about community, it really is and we feel it. This is a community that cares.'"

Apparently some people couldn't wait for Black Friday, or even Gray Thursday. They had to create their own doorbuster at Radio Shack at Westwood Village on Tuesday.

Art the Assistant Manager there said," Tuesday morning we came to work and somebody had tried to break in. They broke the glass out, they stole a bunch of dummy phones, they got nothing, and an empty lock box. It was just more aggravation for us. They were more upset when they got home than we were, because they got nothing."

The front glass door on one side was smashed out and has since been boarded up with thick plywood.

"They went through with snippers and they were dumb. They got the dummy phones so it matched!"

Santa is back at Westwood Village and he's ho-ho-ho-ing every day now through Christmas Eve.
You can get professional quality photos taken with Santa by the people at Arthur and Associates, the same photographers who gained fame at Seattle's Frederick and Nelson. Owned by the same family since 1961.

You'll find him between Pier One Imports and Clear Wireless across from Barnes & Noble every day from 10am to 8pm and Sundays 11am to 6pm, Christmas Eve 11am to 5pm.

The Salvation Army's Giving Tree is there at Santa's Village for people to post promise ornaments on (then return with the gift), and kids can also pick up their coloring contest entry to win "Westie" a stuffed animal penguin.

Entries will be posted on the wall.

The West Seattle Junction is not full of big box retailers and is not known as a mecca for those who want to camp out on a sidewalk. But you can find deals and on Black Friday, with free parking, it actually makes more sense to stay local and get some shopping done.

The friendly people at the West Seattle Junction Merchants want to remind everyone that Black Friday deals are not the exclusive province of malls.

Here's a list they compiled:

Easy Street Records – 10% off everything in our stores on Black Friday (except Black Friday titles & items already on sale). Open at 7 am!

Click! Design That Fits – Anything black in the store is 15% off on Black Friday. Floor rugs by Jonathan Adler and Design House Stockholm are 30 % off all weekend long.

Clementine – Black Friday Boot Special where all boots will be 20% off for one day only! Snag two pairs of the popular Miz Mooz Bloom below, one for you and one as a gift for your stylish sister!

Carmilia’s – 20% off everything on Black Friday (excludes jewelry).

Boy Scout Troop 100 annual Christmas tree sale

Boy Scout Troop 100 kicks off its annual Christmas tree sale the weekend after Thanksgiving at St. Alphonsus Church, located on 15th Ave NW and NW 57th St. This is the one and only annual fundraiser for the troop, a tradition of nearly 60 years in the Ballard community.

Top-quality trees of all shapes and varieties are hand-picked by some of the troop's fathers and sons. The trees are freshly cut and replenished every few days and are guaranteed fresh.

This is a troop with a big heart. Community service plays an important part in building character, and these boys regularly volunteer their time and efforts to make positive contributions to the Ballard community. Many of their trees are donated to those less fortunate. The money raised enables the scouts to participate in many wonderful activities throughout the year.

The tree lot will be open from November 24th until December 15th, or until supplies last.

Planting party at North Beach Park

It's time to get excited, because Beaver basketball season is coming up. We already introduced you to Seth Berger, who just signed his national letter of intent to go to University of Mass. Now check out the roster for the rest of the team.

The Beavers preseason starts off with the Boys Basketball Jamboree. The game will take place on Monday, November 26 at the Eastside Catholic Gym. Junior varsity plays the first game at 5:30pm and Varsity tips off at 7:00PM.

Nate Rauda: 6'2" Guard Senior

Darius George: 5'11" Guard Junior

Raymond Owens*: 5'10" Guard Senior

Will Leondard: 6'1" Forward Senior

Seth Berger*: 6'7" Guard Senior

Stuart Macgeorge*: 6'2" Guard Senior

Johnny Verduin: 6'4" Forward Senior

Chase Deger: 6'3" Forward Junior

Jordan McColloch: 5'9" Guard Senior

Carl Pearson: 6'6" Forward Senior

Nick Brown: 6'3" Forward Junior

Thomas Christensen: 6'1" Guard Senior

Asher Clasen: 6'6" Forward Junior

Head Coach: Billy Rodgers (8th Season)
Athletic Director: Carrie Burr

By Cassandra Baker

7:45 p.m., November 16. 52nd block of Ballard Ave NW

Police responded to reports of a bar fight in Ballard on the evening of Nov. 16. The responding officer arrived at the scene to find the suspect sitting on the sidewalk outside the bar between two of the victims. The suspect’s wrists and ankles were shackled with duct tape, and he was trying to separate his hands. He smelled strongly of alcohol.

The two victims gave similar accounts of the incident. One, a bartender, said the suspect was in the tavern watching a music performance when he said something rude to a female employee. The bartender said that the employee asked the suspect to leave, but when the bartender attempted to escort the suspect out the door, the suspect resisted. The other victim, who was by the front desk, said that he and several other employees attempted to help the bartender lead the suspect out of the tavern.

So called "Gray Thursday" the jump on Black Friday for super discounted prices brought about 215 people to the Target Store in Westwood Village on Thanksgiving night.

The crowd was well behaved and there were a number of Seattle Police cars in the parking lot keeping an eye on things. None of the other retailers in the shopping mall were opening for special sales.

The shoppers were there in line to get deals on large flat screen TV's and video game consoles and the mix of people in the crowd ranged from teens to older people all eager to save money.

Reader Sydnee Pardee added via Facebook that "I was in that line! And got what I wanted! Target was on point tonight fast and steady! ;)
I should add that i arrived at 8:45pm and was in the back of the line by the vitamin store BUT once the doors opened the line moved quick and I was home by 9:45pm! Fastest shopping trip to Target in YEARS!!"

Members of the Vietnamese Cultural Center based in West Seattle returned to Nickelsville for another Thanksgiving, with hot meals, haircuts, and flu shots, all free to the homeless residents camped there. It was especially rough on the residents when the camp flooded Monday night.

Thanks to sump pumps and the cooperation of the weather the camp is relatively dry. As a result of the flood there were water-damaged pallets, blankets, clothes, and food. When word got out of their circumstance, many generous folks from West Seattle and beyond dropped off items.

Furry Faces Foundation's Teri Ensley of West Seattle, was on hand distributing supplies collected by patrons of the Hotwire Cafe near the Alaska Junction. Ensley is best know for her advocacy for animals.