May 2013

Press release:

Tickets for the 2013 Highline Garden Tour are now on sale. This popular annual event will take place Saturday, June 8. It allows participants to visit inspiring private gardens in Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac and to learn about the latest in gardening techniques.

In addition, the self-guided tour features include artists and musicians in the gardens, plant sales to benefit both the Highline-SeaTac Botanical Garden and the Master Gardener Program, and information on building community through gardening.

Discount coupons and other specials are being provided by tour sponsors including Wild Birds Unlimited, Burien Bark, The Bean, Grand Central Bakery, Rodda and Sons Landscaping and Rain City Sewer and Plumbing. Additional support comes from John L. Scott realtor Susan Plecko and Discover Burien.

Press release:

REMINDER: FREE workshop on yard care this Sunday, May 19th from 2:00pm-4:00pm. Please join the Environmental Science Center (ESC), Cascadia Consulting Group, Master Gardeners, and Sustainable Burien in the Multipurpose Room at the Burien Library (400 SW 152nd Street, Burien).

A beautiful garden or yard depends on healthy soil. Learn how to achieve this while also keeping the Puget Sound and our community vital. Master Gardener, Mary Machala, will show you examples and tools to use to build soil health inexpensively. Gretchen Muller, Senior Associate at Cascadia Consulting Group, will also speak on low-impact development practices and protecting our watershed. Thank you to our funders who help make this a free resource for our community: City of Burien, King County, and The Russell Family Foundation.

Please REGISTER:
Email outreach@envsciencenter.org or call 206.248.4266 to reserve your spot. Light refreshments will be served.

For more information visit www.EnvScienceCenter.org

By Shara Wallace and Steve Shay
HIGHLINE TIMES

Burien woman injured
A Burien women was injured when a Dodge Ram pickup crashed through the post office window in West Seattle's Westwood shopping center May 9, causing evacuation of the building.
Lidiya Van Valkenberg, 40, walked away with a few bruises and cuts from shards of glass. She said she was facing away from the window when all of a sudden she felt an explosion of glass knock her to the ground. Then something else slammed down on top of her. When the engine stopped, Van Valkenberg said she saw a male driver on crutches come out of the pickup. He apologized to her.

Police shoot suspect
Southcenter Mall in Tukwila was briefly locked down after an officer shot a suspect during a police chase in the parking lot May 8.
Tukwila police said the incident started just after noon. They were conducting a random search in Southcenter’s Olympic parking garage when they happened upon a vehicle reported stolen. One passenger was inside.

What if you could visit a tropical paradise AND play bingo at the same time plus contribute to a fundraiser? You will get very close to that on May 17 at the Senior Center of West Seattle when they present Rainbow Bingo.

Open at 6pm with Bingo beginning at 7pm the event costs $15 prepaid ($20 at the door or $10 prepaid for SCWS members - $15 at the door) and is restricted to those 18 or older. Cash prizes will be awarded.

There will be music, entertainment, guest bingo callers, and plenty of food on hand with burgers, hot dogs, chips, popcorn and cold drinks offered.

You can reserve your seat by calling 206-932-4044 ext. 4. Reservations are taken with payment or credit card number.

The Senior Center of West Seattle is located at 4217 SW Oregon Street.

Rainbow Bingo is sponsored by Park West, and Trader Joes.

The former Piranha Joe's, closed for more than a year and famous for Alligator burgers, is the victim of time and the economy as a sharp-jawed demolition machine reduced the building to rubble this week. Plans call for the current Staples store in Burien Plaza to relocate and expand into this location at 3rd SW and 148th.

The most important day in Ballard is almost upon us. Syttendae Mai (17th of May), otherwise known as Grunnlovsdagen (Constitution Day) -- the day that Norway signed their Constitution and took its first step toward freedom from Swedish rule.

In Ballard, 1901 (four years before independence), celebration of the day started with a children's parade from a church to Salmon Bay Park, with entertainment and speeches by Mayor Johnson, Pastor Syrdal, and Colonel Alden J. Blethen. The evening ended with the singing of "Ja vi elsker dette landet," now Norway’s national anthem. Syttende Mai didn't become the extremely popular neighborhood festival that we know it as today until 1974.

On Friday, May 17, Ballardites and people from all over will celebrate the day once again, and with just as much passion and fervor. Throughout the day, their are several festivities, including a luncheon at the Leif Erickson Lodge, free admission and activities at the Nordic Heritage Museum and entertainment at Bergen Place Park.

Like a magnificent comet that we only get to see in this neighborhood every three years, the Ballard Classic Home Tour is back this year, and tickets are on sale.

If you don't know the drill, the 2013 Ballard Classic Home Tour features seven vintage Ballard residences of "unique character and modern livability." Built by skilled craftsmen decades ago, the homes exemplify lasting quality that continues to support generations of Ballard families.

The Ballard Classic Home Tour is BHS’ biggest fundraiser, which enables the organization to take part in community projects; present free informative lectures related to Ballard’s History and maintain its archives.

When: Sunday June 23, 2013 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. All tickets are will-call only. Exchange your tickets beginning at 9:30 a.m. day of tour for a brochure with locations.

Where: Tour starts at Sunset Hill Community Clubhouse, 3003 NW 66th St, Ballard.

How: Tickets can be purchased at local businesses, including Secret Garden Books, and on Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/356011

More info: ballardhistory.wordpress.com

Ballard Boat Works, now Sagstad Marina, was started by Norwegian immigrant Silvert Sagstad as a boat building company that gained fame by building a Viking boat replica for the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition in 1909. In 1916 the company was moved to its current site off Shilshole Avenue. It built many vessels during World War II, but by 1960 the shipyard was converted to a marina for moorage and repairs. Ballard still has a vibrant boat building and marine repair industry along the Ship Canal, which can be evidenced by the busyness at the recent opening of boating season.

Scenes from Old Ballard consists of notes and photos taken from the Ballard Historical Society archives. You can follow BHS at ballardhistory.wordpress.com.

Follow Ballard News-Tribune on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ballardnewstrib

And Twitter at http://twitter.com/ballardnewstrib

Jamie Chamberlain, who has made a national name for his cinematic efforts on behalf of ZZ Top and Duff McKagan is diving deeper into the northwest talent pool with a series of live performance films.

On April 25th his company http://www.blackdahliafilms.com hosted a live video shoot at SALON 08 in West Seattle. Intimate performances by The Dolly Rottens, Mark Pickerel (Screaming Trees), Travis Bracht (Second Coming/Post Modern Heroes), Paul Passarelli (Flight to Mars), and Andrew McKeag (PUSA) were documented over the course of the evening.

This was the first chapter in a series of performances the company is planning to shoot in 2013. Chamberlain said, "I have at least 12 other acts that we will potentially shoot in the same space or possibly at different West Seattle businesses."

Clips from first film LIVE FROM SALON 08 will premiere every Tuesday at www.blackdahliafilms.com starting May 14, 2013.

A portion of a large tree that stood outside the Chandeleu Apartments just south of 116th Street SW and Ambaum Blvd, blew down in high winds on Monday afternoon. The southbound lanes of Ambaum were completely blocked and King County Sheriff's deputies arrived and detoured traffic northbound at 120th SW and southbound at 116th.

Removal crews showed up with a front loader, dump truck and chain saws and went at it removing the tree debris. The road was blocked for more than 90 minutes.