January 2013

For those who have been craving art lately, this Saturday is the time to satisfy your hunger.

Because, of course, it's second Saturday, which means the Ballard ArtWalk will be in full swing for the new year. From 6 to 9 p.m., you can walk around businesses and studios and gaze at all of the art displayed by local artists.

From the organizers: "Among many other talented artists, this month’s Art Walk features a pop-art installation by MK Barr titled “Y HOme” at the Blowing Sands gallery. Barr works in multiple mediums and across disciplines to create colorful new perspectives on the concept of home. Blowing Sands is located at 5805 14th Ave NW."

For a map and list of participating venues, click on the thumbnails below.

For more info, visit http://www.ballardartwalk.blogspot.com/

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Got a bone to pick with or a pat on the back to give to King County Metro for the sweeping changes they made to bus routes last September?

Now's the time to express all of your deepest feelings about the new bus riding experience. Ballard District Council has put together a survey to determine what the general Ballardite reaction is to new bus routes, cut routes and, yes, RapidRide D.

You can find the survey at tinyurl.com/Ballardtransit

See below for their survey introduction.

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King County Metro Transit made big changes to its bus routes on September 29th, 2012. They made these changes after much public consultation. This is a Ballard District Council led initiative to determine whether these changes have made it easier or harder to use public transit. Some people feel their commute or other use of the bus system has been impaired, while others feel the changes have been an improvement. This is not designed as a scientific survey, but an opportunity to see whether or not the service is improved over what it was.

Highline Forward Bandon Baker took the opening tip off but that was as close as the Pirates would get.

Led by point guard Anthony McClusky’s 20 points the Kennedy Lancers cruise to a 65-33 win over Seamount league rivals Highline High School.

UPDATE

Highline Forward Bandon Baker took the opening Tip Off but that was as close as the Pirates would get.
The pirates didn’t score until the 2:03 mark in the game and found themselves down 4-2.

Both teams struggled offensively in the first but not because the respective defenses were that good. It felt like both teams were cautiously testing each other. At the end of one the score was 14-7 Kennedy.

In the second period the Lancers found a rhythm offensively, and defensively began to realize Highlines weakness in their inability to penetrate for points. The Pirates looked sharp in the pre-game warm up but that didn’t translate into offense during regulation mostly because of Kennedy’s size in the front court.

A year has flown by since West Seattle resident and Callison architect Bret Wiggins won the 15th Annual Elvis Invitationals and became "The King"- Seattle's Best Amateur Elvis with "Suspicious Minds".

Another competitor, Tom Nelligan of Burien, earned a respectable sixth place finish with his "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", following his brief but frenzied nunchuck demonstration which delighted the audience.

This Saturday night, Jan. 12 at the EMP's Sky Church auditorium, the 16th Annual Elvis Invitationals again promises to get the audience, and judges, all shook up. Wiggins returns but not to compete. Instead he performs in their "pro review". Among other Elvi will be Tukwila resident "CC Ryder", an aerospace engineer at Boeing.

White Center's Marlow Harris, an organizer of the event, will again grace the stage as "Priscilla". West Seattle's Jim Dever of KING5's Evening Magazine, a huge Elvis fan, will host as he has done for years.

For more information, visit the Elvis event website here:

Show Schedule:

UPDATE: Friday, Jan. 11

Elvis impersonator Bret Wiggins of West Seattle won last year's 15th Annual Elvis Invitational. He tells the West Seattle Herald that he will not compete this time, but will instead perform prior to the competition in the event's "pro review." There event is tomorrow night at the EMP's Sky Church auditorium. He said he will be appear last in the review, which runs from 9:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., before the competition begins. He will perform songs from Elvis' '68 Comeback Special, which refers to the NBC-TV special on Dec. 3 of that year.

Show Schedule:

7:30pm Doors open. No public seating (limited ADA)

8:25pm Graceland 5

9:05pm El Vez with King of Hawaii

9:15pm Kentucky Rain Band and Pro Elvis Review with three special guests

9:35pm Seattle Elvis Invitationals featuring 23 amateur performers

11:00pm Break to compile results

11:20pm Winners announced with amateur performers coming together for a final song

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Press release:

During December students at Beverly Park Elementary hit the running course to continue the healthy practices that keep students fit and maintain Beverly Park’s status as a US Healthier Silver School.

Students completed 31,588 laps, or just over 3,500 miles, during the annual Jiggle Bell Jog. The event set a new record for the number of student participants and the most miles run by a single student. The grand prize runner completed 375 laps, or 41 miles, in two weeks. The top kindergarten student ran 149 laps, or 16.5 miles.

Students ran laps during recess, earning one jingle bell for each five laps completed. The number and size of the jingle bells increased as the number of laps accumulated. In addition to grade level prizes, the overall winner earned the largest Jingle Bell Ball and their name was added to the Jingle Bell trophy.

Press release:

Highline High School (HHS) staff and students have traditionally been generous in giving to others in need. During this holiday season, the school initiated Winter Wishes, a program that directs generosity to the needs of students at the school. Nearly 200 wishes were granted out of the more than 400 wishes made.

More than 50 percent of students at HHS qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch, so Winter Wishes organizers were motivated by the desire to help fellow classmates and brighten their holiday season.

Each HHS student was invited to make a wish for themselves, or for someone else. An overwhelming number of students made wishes for others who were in need, but might not ask for help.

Wishes granted included HHS spirit wear, ASB cards, clothing and food gift cards, school supplies, sporting goods, a sewing machine, a piano, and a laptop.

Winter Wishes was the idea of Associated Student Body President Sierra Flanagan, and the program was planned and implemented by the leadership class and school activities coordinator.

Between 4 and 5 a.m. on Jan. 9 heavy rains were too much for a steep slope on the 2400 block of 55th Ave S.W., just south of Alki Beach, causing a mudslide that pushed one neighbor’s minivan across the street.

Luckily, Adrian Johnson’s minivan suffered the only injury in a slide that brought massive amounts of mud, roots and trees down into the roadway, blocking off the street completely.

Johnson, who has lived across from the hill for seven years, said he has seen the slope slide four times (including this one), prompting him to get full insurance coverage on the van he always parks on the road.

He woke up around 4:30 that morning to the sound of a neighbor banging on his wall. He stepped out and, sure enough, the insurance premiums and his $100 deductible paid off.

Johnson said while he slept through this most recent slide, he’s witnessed others in the past and described the sound as a “roar” combined with snapping branches.

A rally of around 15 neighbors in the "Benchview" neighborhood of West Seattle to protest a "small lot development" plan to put three houses on two lots came to an unexpected head as one of the developers showed up and offered his side of the story on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

The issue the rally was staged for regards changing the character of established neighborhoods by re-developing properties, and the developers altering traditional lot boundaries to squeeze more homes on less land. Specifically the protest targeted a plan to change the lot line boundaries on a property at 55th Ave. SW and SW Manning Street that has previously been set as two 5000 sq. ft. each, being changed to three lots of approximately 3750 sq. ft each or less. The name comes from the view overlooking a bluff at that corner where a bench allows an unobstructed view of Puget Sound.

Compiled by Shara Wallace

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following week’s Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: hteditor@robinsonnews.com Items can be accepted from nonprofit groups and government agencies only. Others may call Dona Ozier at 206-708-1378 for inclusion in our “Out & About” advertising section.

Art Exhibits

Burien Community Center ---“Extraordinary Women of Highline," an exhibit that showcases the accomplishments of eleven pioneering women from the Highline area. Through Jan. 31. Hours are Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Burien Press --Artist Scott Grigg, presents American Spring Art show a visual critique of modern American politics. 423 S.W. 152nd St.