January 2014

By Hannah Danforth

Concerned Admiral residents met with DPD participants Wednesday evening, January 29th at the West Seattle Senior Center.

What was meant to be an informative meeting for neighbors affected by the proposed added 40 feet in building height for the Admiral Urban Village at 3210 California Ave SW, quickly turned into residents passionately criticizing what could be the largest development north of The Junction.

The proposal for the five story, 149­ apartment,168­ parking­ space and retail project is compared to other Seattle residential urban villages including Wallingford, Greenlake and Upper Queen Anne. Residents were very vocal about specific details on how they believe this project will affect the charming, eclectic Admiral neighborhood. Serious worry of losing daylight altogether, traffic flow, lack of public transportation, garbage collection, and general home value of the neighborhood superseded the loss of olympic mountain and water views.

“ Eight O’Clock”!, “Showtime!” the call echoed through the back rooms of the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Heather Sincic hurried through the last touches of the long tresses her actor would need to fill the role of Nancy in “Oliver”, playing on stage.

Showtime actually began hours earlier for Heather. As full time assistant wig master at “the 5th” she heads in from her Des Moines home just before dinner on show dates, expecting to find dozens of wigs to tweak, comb, curl and fit for the variety of roles in the play. Some actors dress and re-dress a number of times during the show and each time the human hair wigs need finishing touches. Touches Heather learned just out of high school in San Diego, working for wig master Frank Bowers at the Old Globe Theatre there.

They re-use the wigs numerous times during the season, actually preparing the hair as much as one might change their hair for the holidays or a wedding. Wigs, “with care, can last 10, 20 years,” Heather said. The human hair wigs are hand tied, seven hairs to a knot in a lace foundation. The 5th Avenue Theatre has hundreds of different styles for the variety of shows they do.

By: Betty Rose Cortes

At the Kwoon Moo Hapkido Federation School of Martial Arts, Grandmaster Kim practices and teaches children and adults the most traditional form of Korean martial arts, Hapkido, which when executed properly, can take an opponent out in just one move.

The “One Move Out” motto is one of the few mantras of the dojang, where technique is emphasized and tailored to give each student the most effective training of the martial art. Children as young as five years old and adults well into their 40s practice a few days each week with the Grandmaster. During this time they learn discipline, respect, self control and most importantly, self defense that is unique to each person’s physical ability.

“Technique is applied differently for each person and their attacker,” said student Elaine Change, who holds the high honor of a black belt at the dojang, “the Grandmaster adapts the moves to the student’s abilities and its difficulty.”

Deadline for receiving items for Community Calendar is 5 p.m. Wednesday for the following weekʼs Times/News. Events are published based on timeliness and space availability. Email submissions to: calendar@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.

Please Give Blood
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall 19030 8th Ave. S. Mon., Feb. 3, 12:30-6:30 p.m. (closed 2:30-3:30 p.m.) For more information call Courtney & Nancy Steinke at (206) 878-4219. This is a walk-in blood drive, no appointment necessary. Bring a friend. Give Blood, it was meant to circulate!

Community Wide Sweetheart Dance
Normandy Park Cove 1500 S.W. Shorebrook Dr. Sat., Feb. 15, doors open at 7:30 p.m. with music from 8-11 p.m. Dance to the 20 piece Portage Bay Band. Skill at dancing is not required. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors. Advance tickets $25/ per person. Tables of 8 are available for reservation. BYOB, mixer and light appetizers provided. www.npcove.org

Information provided by the Woodland Park Zoo and Denver Park Zoo

Woodland Park Zoo and Denver Zoo have agreed to a friendly wager as a show of support for their home teams playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 2.

Should the Broncos bring home the Vince Lombardi trophy after Sunday’s win, a curator from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle will hand deliver a case of Washington apples to Denver Zoo’s Przewalski’s horses (P-horse) and spend a day working with the horses and elephants wearing a Bronco jersey.

“We have a great relationship with our colleagues at Denver Zoo so we thought it would be fun to make a bet where the animals come out as the winners with their favorite treats. We look forward to meeting Denver Zoo’s bird curator!” said Woodland Park Zoo President and CEO Dr. Deborah Jensen.

Photo courtesy of Denver Zoo

If the Seahawks win, Denver Zoo Curator of Birds John Azua will take a case of trout to Woodland Park Zoo for its sea eagles and spend a day working with the zoo’s animals while sporting a Seahawk jersey.

By Emile Monte

A family haunted by the sudden and tragic loss of the mother. A father struggling professionally. Teenagers at crossroads. Even a grinning, standard poodle. “Sounds familiar,” jokes Conrad Wesselhoeft, West Seattle author of Dirt Bikes, Drones, & Other Ways to Fly, due to release in April. It’s been eight years since the tragic loss of his wife and the mother of his three children and Wesselhoeft writes what he knows: grief, friendship, and healing.

“Themes find their writers,” said Wesselhoeft. Dirt Bikes comes after his acclaimed Young Adult (YA) debut Adios, Nirvana which also centers around the loss of a loved one. Adios is the voice of Jonathan, a seventeen-year-old West-Seattleite struggling to reclaim life after the death of his twin brother. Dirt Bikes is the voice of seventeen-year old Arlo Santiago.

By Gerardo Bolong

AUBURN - Mount Rainier continued pile driving its way toward an unbeaten SPSL 4A North girls basketball championship by body slamming Thomas Jefferson 73-29 on Tues., Jan. 28, at the Raider gym.

Spreading the ball well from the outset with swift ball movement, the Rams set up numerous high percentage shots en route to an 18-0 first quarter lead that eventually reached a game high 47 high points with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter.

At this point, an entire unit of Ram reserves entered the game, turning the starters into relaxed spectators for the duration.

Two of the substitutes had entered the game with 2:32 left in the first quarter and spent some time playing in different combinations with starting players. Normal bench players played Jefferson to a near standoff in the final quarter before the match up ended.

The running Rams brought about the advent of the continually running clock when they established a 40-point lead late in the third quarter.

Burien Arts announces its February exhibit: "Spotlight on Student Art" at the Burien Arts Gallery, located at 826 SW 152nd. St. in Old Burien. The exhibit features original art from students at 5 schools in the Highline School District. Paintings, sculptures, and ceramics will be featured throughout the month of February.

The Opening Reception for the student artists' exhibit will be Friday, Feb. 7, 2014 from 3-6 pm. Please come by the gallery to meet the artists and help celebrate the student art.

Gallery Hours are Wed. - Sat.12 pm - 6 pm and Sun.12 pm - 4 pm. Admission is always free.

The mission of Burien Arts Association is to engage, enrich and entertain all the communities, generations and visitors to the Burien and Greater Highline area through creative and innovative arts programming. The non-profit was founded in the 1960’s and for years operated a gallery in the little blue house at Dottie Harper Park.

In 2013, Burien Arts opened an exciting new gallery in historic Olde Burien at 826 S.W. 152nd St.

By Eric Mathison

Before Burien lawmakers moved on to the thorny issue of zoning for marijuana-related businesses on Jan. 27, they received the good news that Burien Actor’s Theater (BAT) has found a new home for its next production.

Interim City Manager Craig Knutson announced the group will use the old Staples building near Southwest 150th Street and 6th Avenue Southwest for its upcoming comedy, “Noises Off,” set to begin Feb. 21 and run through March 23.

BAT Managing Director Maggie Larrick said on Tuesday, Jan. 28 that there may still be some issues to be worked out concerning fire regulations.

Finding a suitable venue for “Noises Off” was challenging because the production requires a two-story set that rotates, according to Larrick.

City Manager Knutson also announced that the portion of the Burien Annex damaged in an arson fire will be repaired in time to house BAT’s production following“Noises Off.” The area damaged is used by BAT and the Hi-Liners.

Knutson noted the repair costs will be covered by the city’s insurance.

information from Mt. Rainier High School

The Mt. Rainier HS Choir is thrilled to announce its invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 13, 2014! We are one out of only 10 choirs in the nation to be chosen to join in singing Christopher Tin’s Grammy Award-winning piece “Calling All Dawns” under the direction of the composer himself.

In addition to the performance, we will visit historic and iconic landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. We also will be attending the Broadway show “Wicked” and a Yankees vs. Red Sox baseball game.

Students and families are actively and enthusiastically fundraising to ensure that each of our 74 students (nearly 50% of whom are eligible for Free or Reduced Lunch) is able to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity. Cost per student / chaperone will be approximately $1500 for a trip total of $120,000. We are facing an urgent challenge in meeting our next installment payment to the tour company on time, and need to raise $25,000 by 02/05/2014.