August 2013

By Maggie Nicholson

Victor Okinczyc swung his leg over the top of the horse. He studied the road with quick, brown eyes. Victor and his brother Henryk often rode their horses into the town of Stolpce to run errands for the family. They lived with their parents Anthony and Sabina on a landed estate in Eastern Poland. Sabina was an entertainer. She wore jewelry and had swards of relatives and friends over.

Victor and Henryk were close as boys. “Damn my brother,” Victor grumbled later in life. “He did well in school without even trying.” Henryk came home from parties and shed his suits, leaving them strewn in patches across the hardwood floor. Victor was his shadow, stooping to bunch the fabric in his arms. He hung and swept the suits flat with his hands.

Victor attended an industry high school in Poland, a milling faculty. The town Stolpce ran along the Niemen River. The river was used to transport lumber. It is believed that the name of the town comes from the Russian word ‘stolb,’ meaning pole. In Stolpce there is a marshy spot along the river where men tethered their barges and lumber floats to sleep overnight.

The North Delridge Neighborhood Council, along with the City of Seattle’s Department of Parks and Recreation hosted the 7th Annual Delridge Day Festival on Saturday, August 17 at the Delridge Community Center and Park (at Delridge Way S.W. and S.W. Genesee St.).

The 2nd annual Delridge Day Skatepark Skate Competition was staged, a Food Truck Chow Down and Music Stage featuring local bands, as well as a Kids’ Zone and a Vendor Zone full of local businesses, organizations, and artists were featured at the event. The Seattle Police SW Precinct also combined their annual picnic appearance with the event this year.

A portion of the sponsorships and vendor fees are gifted back to the community by providing scholarships for community center classes through the Associated Recreational Council.

By Holly Brown

There's something about a Tiki party that just makes people happy. A Tiki party is a Polynesian themed event with Asian fusion food! Lush, romantic music, and rum-based cocktails, like the Mai Tai, are also key elements to get the party started. You may not be able to guarantee an ocean breeze, but with the right combination of décor, food, and drinks, you can transport your guests to a happy place!

Tiki culture and Tiki parties were born out of the Tiki-themed restaurants, like Trader Vic’s and Don the Beachcomber, popularized in the 1930’s. Don Beach and Victor Bergeron were said to have invented the themed-restaurant concept. They borrowed from Polynesian elements to create an atmosphere of island culture. When you arrived, you felt like you’d stepped into a unique paradise, far from home. Throwing a Tiki party can make guests feel the same way. Watch our Tiki Party Video on TheBrownLounge.com and see how we do it for our friends.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is the West Seattle Outdoor Movie for Aug. 17 starring Keanu Reeves (who later went on to fame in the Matrix film series, Alex Winter and George Carlin.

The basic plot is about two slackers who travel through time to assemble a group of historical figures for their high school history presentation.

Pre-Show entertainment tonight is provided by Bob "Bobcat" Rice a singer/songwriter.

Located at in the courtyard at 4410 California Ave SW between Hotwire Coffee and Dr. Wolff.
Bring your blankets, chairs family & friends for the 9th year of the WS Outdoor Movies.
All movies start at dusk and are FREE.

UPDATE Aug. 19
Seattle Public Schools has released the schedule for move of other portables from the Boren K-5 STEM school on Delridge Way SW and from Genesee Hill Elementary.

• 8/20/13 before 6am_From Boren to Schmitz Park
• 8/21/13 before 6am_From Boren to View Ridge Elem
• 8/23/13 before 6am_From Genesse Hill to Jane Addams

Original Post Aug. 17
Seattle Public Schools, under the watchful eye of the Seattle Department of Transportation moved two double portable classrooms from the Boren STEM school site at 5950 SW Delridge Way to their new home at Schmitz Park Elementary School, 5000 SW Spokane Street. The move came after midnight and involved heading north on Delridge Way with the portables atop a trailer but they faced a serious challenge along the way.

The pedestrian overpass that links the Delridge Playfields to the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center permitted literally an inch of clearance for the load. That meant it was slow going as the trucks inched their way along keeping an eye on space to make sure no damage was done.

It was a theme party for the 34th District Democrats Friday, Aug. 16 at the West Seattle Nursery. The Fiesta, with a Tex Mex Fiesta Buffet, cold beverages and flamenco music was a fundraiser for the organization featuring both a live and silent auction. The auctioneer for the evening was Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark. King County Executive Dow Constantine also made an appearance at the event. According to Marcee Stone-Vekich, the event raised more than $20,000.

The live auction items included:

• Yachting tour of Lake Union with Dow Constantine,
• Trip for 2 to any game of the NFL, NHL, NBA or MBL in any market
• A week in Salyulita, Mexico, the surfing town by the sea,
• A week on the island of Majorca, Spain in a luxurious condo,
• Private wine tasking for 6
• Cocktail party at the home of Representative Eileen Cody and co-hosted by County Councilmember Joe McDermott

Silent auction items included:

• Many many gift cards for food and services
• Drinks with Rep. Joe Fitzgibon
• Happy hour at West 5 with Sally Clark

Seamount Girls Soccer
2013 Schedule
Wednesday, Sept. 11
Highline at Eastside Catholic, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 12
Tyee at Roosevelt, 3:30 p.m.; Evergreen at Washington, 7 p.m.; Meadowdale at Highline, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 14
Tyee at Washington, 1 p.m.; Highline at Roosevelt, 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 17
Renton at Tyee; Hazen at Evergreen, 3:30 p.m.; Highline at Kennedy; Foster at Lindbergh, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
Chief Sealth at Highline, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 19
Evergreen at Lindbergh, 5:30 p.m.; Enumclaw at Kennedy, 6 p.m.; Kennedy at Foster, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Foster at Tyee, 3:30 p.m.; Lindbergh at Kennedy; Hazen at Highline, 6 p.m.; Renton at Evergreen, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 25
Decatur at Highline, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 26
Tyee at Lindbergh, 4 p.m.; Evergreen at Kennedy, 6 p.m.; Hazen at Foster, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 1
Kennedy at Tyee, 3:30 p.m.; Foster at Renton, 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 3
Evergreen at Tyee, 3:30 p.m.; Hazen at Kennedy, 6 p.m.; Foster at Highline, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 5
Kennedy at Eastmont, 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 8
Tyee at Hazen, 5:30 p.m.; Evergreen at Foster; Lindbergh at Highline, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday is Black Cat Appreciation Day at Kitty Harbor on Harbor Ave. SW You'll find beautiful black and tuxedo cats and kittens like Ozzie (pictured) dressed to the nines.

Their adoptable black cats are going to be decked out in their finest neckwear accessories and struttin’ on the catwalk, Saturday, August 17th, from noon – 6 pm. If you adopt a black cat or kitten that day, the adoption donation will be half price.

Black Cat Appreciation Day 2013!
Kitty Harbor
3422 Harbor Ave SW, West Seattle
206-935-1919

Building a business from the ground up isn't easy and the West Seattle Brewing company is no exception. Drew Locke and Kevin Fawcett have been working for many months on what is obviously a high visibility location, the former Tervo's Market spot at the point of the triangle at 4415 Fauntleroy Way SW.

It has taken time but the two owners say it will all be worth it and they are aiming at an Oct. 1 opening date.

With seating for at least 29 people (and room for a few more standing) the location has been renovated and will have 18 brews on tap at a time.

Fawcett explained, "We can make more than 40 types but only 18 at at time will be available. We're a nano-brewery," referring to its small size," we're a barrel and a half at at time. Three kegs to a batch." That will change in their first year if things go well Fawcett said, meaning a bit more capacity for larger batches will be brought online.

They also plan to keep building the actual human capacity too. Locke said, "By next summer with outdoor seating, wrapped around to Genesee to our parking lot which is too deep we can double our capacity." That would mean they'd have the biggest outdoor seating in West Seattle.

By Jeremy Martin

It’s not always easy to forecast the weather in Seattle, but for the past six years it’s been a cinch figuring out when fall begins.

Every weekday evening in August, like clockwork, a few hundred eager kids take to the gridiron at Hiawatha Playfield in the Admiral Junction and spend a couple hours learning the nuances of playing football.

From passing and catching to three point stances, route running and most importantly safety, the proper techniques of America’s most popular game are drilled in to area youngsters by a team of dedicated, caring and knowledgeable coaches.

During a recent practice around 130 kids, all under 14 and coming from every social and economic background West Seattle has to offer worked together, setting aside any off field differences to learn the game that they love.

One thing however was different on this evening, something was new, something rather small, but highly noticeable.

“This year we are providing a smaller division for seven and six year olds,” coach Joel Gaither said.