December 2013

The Highland Park Improvement Club held its Annual New Years Eve gathering at 1116 S.W. Holden and celebrated with their 6th “Not so Silent Parade” through the neighborhood led by Dan Mullins, with a record 136 participants banging on pans, blowing on noisemakers, and generally shouting Happy New Years as other neighbors came out to porches to see the cheerful and noisy group pass by.

The slightly less than a mile route took about 20 minutes to walk out and back to the party.

Then it was time for Chris Huson and the Sage Fireball. Attended by two torch bearers, Huson, a veteran of Seattle’s original flame circus Cirque de Flambe, swung a large bale of burning sage around to the delight of the crowd. It was an impressive and in some ways a ceremonial way to welcome 2014.

Everyone then filed in to the building to enjoy food, beverages and music from the Choroloco Brazilian Jazz Band followed by DJ Rich and DJ Evan.

The Corner Bar, a regular feature at the Highland Park Improvement Club featured a Champagne Bar with liqueurs and fresh fruit.

Carol Jean Dunn whose family and husband Clyde Dunn owned the West Seattle Herald until 1974, passed away December 24, 2013 at the age of 84.

She was born in Seattle, Washington on September 7, 1929. Carol graduated West Seattle High School in 1947. She married F. Clyde Dunn on June 18, 1949.

The funeral service is Friday at Forest Lawn at 2:00 pm.

Carol had a passion for gardening, beachcombing, bridge, and bowling. She is survived by : children Debbie Morris, Pam Pohan, Lorrie Sanderson, and John Dunn; grandchildren Todd, Justin, Eric, Adam, Brianna, Kati, Erin, and Toni; great grandchildren Aliza, Aidan, Natalie, Riley, Mallory, Brennon, Tia, Morgann, Michael, Elliott, and Peyton. She is now joining her husband of 48 years Clyde and daughter Kathy Bushaw who preceded her death.

Her full obituary is found on Dignity Memorial here.

The 6th Annual West Seattle Rainbow Girls Christmas Tree Recycling Fundraiser at the Alki Masonic Center on January 4, 2014 from 10am to 2pm.

Trees can be dropped off at the Alki Masonic Center 4736 40th Ave. S.W. with a suggested donation of $5.00 per tree. All proceeds benefit the West Seattle Rainbow Girls, a 501c3 Charitable Youth Organization.

More information about the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is available at www.gorainbow.org and www.nwrainbow.org.

West Seattle will be the perfect spot to view one of the world’s largest structure-launched fireworks displays as the Space Needle presents “New Year’s at the Needle”. Typically Harbor Ave. S.W. and east facing hills and view points including Hamilton Viewpoint and the Admiral Way viewpoint and neighborhoods are crowded with spectators.

KEXP 90.3 FM, will supply the broadcast music soundtrack for the event, its the first-time ever. The eight-minute fireworks display begins just before midnight on Tuesday, December 31, and will be seen exclusively on KING 5 Television.

The fireworks show will feature the most shots fired in the history of the show, with thousands of pyrotechnic effects being fired from 72 different locations on the structure’s legs, 100′ SkyLine Level, 200′ platform, 520′ Halo, and 605′ rooftop of the Needle.

KEXP 90.3 FM's DJ Larry Rose has hand picked the music which will include:

• The xx – “Intro”
• The Ramones – “Blitzkrieg Bop”
• Band of Horses – “No One’s Gonna Love You”
• Empire of the Sun – “Alive”
• Jane’s Addiction – “Stop”

2 5 and 10 kilometer walks on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, with different routes each day are being sponsored by the Emerald City Wanderers. Plus they will offer hot soup for all participants. The walks start on New Year’s Eve anytime between 4 and 7 PM, and on New Year’s Day between 9 AM and 12 noon, at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church at 3050 California Ave S.W. in West Seattle. There is no fee for the walks, which are noncompetitive. No preregistration required.

The New Year’s Eve 5 kilometer route winds through the holiday lights in the Admiral neighborhood, and features beautiful views of the City. The 10 kilometer route heads down to Alki and features the lights on and around Puget Sound, Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle. Since it starts around sundown flashlights will be helpful.

On New Year’s Day, the 5 and 10 kilometer routes take walkers through the Alaska Junction. 5K walkers wander back to the start through quiet neighborhoods. 10K walkers walk along the Puget Sound shoreline, through a number of parks and shoreline features.

-Ann Kendall

The name says it all with the most important word right in the middle, community; a gathering place for children and seniors, a place to learn water safety skills that are useful throughout life. The Center, which reopened in March 2010 under the direction of the WhiteWater Management Group, a non-profit subsidiary of WhiteWater Aquatics SwimTeam, faces potential closure mid-January 2014 due in part to outstanding energy bills owed to Puget Sound Energy (PSE). Board member, Julie Dow, is quick to point out that the non-profit and PSE have worked together to try to conquer this outstanding debt, but there comes a time when all bills must be paid.

Sports Watch

High schools

Boys basketball
Foster visits Decatur High School of Federal Way for a 7 p.m. game Thursday and Mount Rainier returns to South Puget Sound League North Division play with a 7:30 p.m. game at Auburn-Riverside on Friday.
Saturday Foster is at Interlake and Mount Rainier at Hazen for 7 p.m. non-league action.
Girls basketball
The Mount Rainier girls will host Auburn-Riverside for a 7:30 p.m. game Friday as South Puget Sound League North Division action resumes.

Colleges

Men's basketball
The University of Washington Huskies plunge into their regular Pac-12 schedule Thursday, visiting Arizona State for a 5 p.m. game that can be seen on ESPNU. They visit Arizona at 11 a.m. Saturday in a game carried on the Pac-12 network.
Washington State University, meanwhile, is at Arizona for a 7 p.m. game Thursday on the Pac-12 network and at Arizona State for a 3 p.m. game Saturday on ESPNU.

Sports Roundup

Thursday, Dec. 26
Boys basketball
Seattle Academy 65, Kennedy 45
Kennedy Catholic opened its own Christmas tournament by taking a 20-point loss to Seattle Academy.

Friday, Dec. 27
Boys basketball
SCS 54, Riverside Chr. 32
Seattle Christian cruised to victory over Riverside Christian this past Friday.
Kent-Meridian 59, Kennedy 49
Kennedy also came up short in its second tournament game played Friday.
Edmonds-Woodway 60, Highline 28
Highline's Pirates were soundly defeated in their Bothell Christmas Tournament opener on Friday.
Mt. Lk. Terrace 65, Foster 56
Foster took a non-league loss to Mountlake Terrace in a Friday game.
Girls basketball
Todd Beamer 64, Mt. Rainier 59
No. 4-ranked Todd Beamer High School of Federal Way knocked off the No. 2-ranked Mount Rainier Lady Rams in a five-point game Friday.
Brittany McPhee scored 25 points in the non-league loss and also hauled down 10 rebounds.
Inglemoor 83, Kennedy 55
Inglemoor got the best of the Lancers in non-league action Friday.
Lake City, Id. 62, Foster 24
Foster fell to an out of state foe Friday, losing to Lake City of Idaho b a 62-24 score.
Shorecrest 68, Highine 16

By Gerardo Bolong

SEATAC - The Seattle Christian girls basketball team was in control most of the way, but had to hold off the continued charges of its Friday, Dec. 27th, opponent before claiming a non league holiday victory on its own home court.

Nisqually League 1A Seattle Christian nearly blew leads of 15 points and 16 points before claiming victory against SeaTac 2B league Crosspoint Academy (Bremerton). Six-foot senior Aly Kahler was fouled with 45.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and proceeded to the foul line. Her first attempt on a one and one chance hit the back rim, bounced straight up and back down through the hoop before Kahler swished the next attempt to stop a Crosspoint Warrior after a 10-0 charge that was part of a 14-2 uprising that nearly evaporated the entirety of a 33-17 SCS Warrior command. The homestanding Warriors then fended off the determined visitors for a 37-33 decision.

"Our defense and rebounding effort was what got us through," said Kahler who led Seattle Christian with 15 points while also being tough on the boards. "We just had to push harder and get some bodies on people."

By Cindi Rinehart

“I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in wood and I…
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”

That is the last stanza of one of my favorite poems called “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. I can recite it in my sleep but little did I know how close the last line came to defining me. And here I am, by golly, ‘ages and ages hence,’ telling you the story of how, literally choosing the road less traveled, changed the entire course of my life.
I had a show in Columbus, Ohio on Warner Qube television. The show was called “Soap Scoop” and was a one hour talk show about soap operas I loved the show but 2 years into it Warner Cable shut down the studios and I was soon living on blow up furniture, martini’s and hamburger helper. While looking for work, I would occasionally call my ex-producer/best friend, Pat in Seattle and whine about not being able to get a job.