March 2014

Laugh ‘til you cry with hilarious late-night improv at Burien Actors Theatre’s pop-up theater at 14907 Fourth Ave. S.W. in Burien.

From 11 p.m. to midnight every Saturday through March 22 (March 8, 15 and 22), the award-winning Turbo Turkey’s fast-paced, outrageous comedy will have you howling with laughter. Admission is pass-the-hat.

Make an evening of it and arrive at 8 p.m. for Burien Actors Theatre’s comedy Noises Off, frequently called “the funniest farce ever written.…” Tickets for Noises Off range from $7 to $20.

Burien Actors Theatre is temporarily located at 14907 4th Ave. S.W. (former Staples site in same shopping center as Ace and Bartell Drugs) for Noises Off and late-night improv with Turbo Turkey. BAT’s regular performance is undergoing repairs for damage caused by the December 10, 2013, fire, with completion anticipated sometime in April.

For more information, go online to www.burienactorstheatre.org or call 206-242-5180.

In addition, here are links to video clips of Turbo Turkey's improv performance last Saturday, March 1 at BAT's pop-up theater:
http://youtu.be/COcj4kGL4QE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dfSqGNtRvM

By Eric Mathison

A Burien economic development strategic plan that calls for the city to be marketed as an “International City” was unveiled to lawmakers on March 3.

Burien’s 2013-2014 budget included $50,000 for the development of the plan. Economic Development director Dan Trimble, facilitator Brian Scott and consultant Terry Moore presented the plan. Paul Smith, chair of Burien’s Business and Economic Development Partnership advisory committee, indicated his members recommend the plan.

Once adopted by the City Council, the plan will become Burien’s strategy for economic development. Moore said the plan was divided into basic actions, preliminary actions and advanced actions.

The report noted the emerging view of economic development adds a community’s “quality of life” to the traditional view of helping to create and retain good jobs.

According to the report, Burien’s most important advantages are location and access. The city is centrally located between Seattle and Tacoma and is adjacent to major freeways.

A late model SUV heading westbound on the West Seattle Freeway Tuesday night, around 10pm made it as far as the Walking Logs sculpture before rolling over and ending up on it's side on the grass.

Emergency crews responded quickly to the scene but according to the Seattle Police the occupant emerged uninjured. It appeared that there was only one person in the vehicle.

Traffic was not blocked and the vehicle was later towed away.

The March 4 meeting of the Westwood Roxhill Arbor Heights Community Council featured SDOT's Community Traffic Liaison Jim Curtin who offered a glimpse at possible changes coming to Roxbury Street S.W. The council and others in the community have been asking for months for road improvements on the street that stretches from 35th S.W. to 4th Ave. S.W. that is still among the most dangerous roads in the Seattle area. Curtin pointed out that 13,000 cars a day use the west end of the street, near 35th, and as many as 25,000 per day are on it near 8th Ave. S.W. the scene of numerous accidents. While the volume of traffic is lower to the west, speed, "go way up" said Curtin. That means photo enforcement is coming to both school locations outside Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family Church and school. The cameras will be installed this Spring.

information from Luna Park Cafe

Named for the amusement park the once stood at the tip of Alki, the Luna Park Café will celebrate its 25th year in business this March. Luna Park Café opened on March 18th, 1989, and was an instant hit, selling out of most everything on the menu before noon. Since then, it has earned its reputation on great burgers, hand dipped milkshakes, and a hearty menu of American comfort food.

Gatewood Bed and Breakfast at 7446 Gatewood Road is now a new member of the Seattle Bed and Breakfast Association. Only open since last July the the four room B&B is located in lower Gatewood Hill, surrounded by trees in a very quiet neighborhood.

The Gatewood is a family-run inn, built in 1910 in a unique blend of traditional craftsman elements but with a wood lodge accent. It's got the comfortable and relaxing environment of a remote retreat with the benefit of easy access to many local and city attractions.

“We are very excited to finally be members of the Seattle Bed & Breakfast Association. We are ecstatic to join a group of wonderfully warm and professional innkeepers who share our desire to provide a unique and personal experience for all those who come to visit the great area of Seattle”, said Sarah Barton, the primary Gatewood innkeeper.

Barton whose background is in the service industry lives on the property and its the chef too, serving breakfast promptly at 8am each morning.

The 86th annual Blessing of the Fleet will take place at Fishermen’s Memorial site at Fishermen’s Terminal March 9 at 2 p.m.

Pastor Laurie Jones of Ballard First Lutheran Church will lead the ceremony and will offer words of hope for the fishing fleet to bring a good fishing harvest, safe travels and that the fleet be good stewards of “the creation.”

“I want to focus a little on the 100 anniversary of fishermen’s Terminal and remember those who did not come back from sea and highlight the people that have been lost.

“I think I might base the homily on the memorial site and will look for the first and last names on the plates and connect them somehow and highlight how these men and women have lost their lives, but the fishing continues and it's a blessing to all of us,” said Jones.

Erik R. Wilson Weiberg also of Ballard First Lutheran, has been doing the blessing for 18 years, but he said that that now he will be switching off every year with Jones.

by Carol Smith

Once long ago a city’s King
Declared “A tunnel’s just the thing
To get an unsuspecting town
To tear a useful roadway down”

The wise men said “Let’s retrofit
For with this option we will get
More value for the public’s dough
If through a tunnel we don’t go!”

“Impossible” would say his Grace
While out of his two sided face
He’d whisper to a privileged few
“For then I could not sell the view”

“Besides no project’s worth the price
Without a little sacrifice
And West Seattle’s just the hood
Who for too long has had it good”

So in the end the tale was spun
The road was fixed and then undone
The greedy eyes would buy the view
And in a hole leave me and you!

information from WSSO

Local musicians comprising the West Seattle Symphony Orchestra (WSSO) will gather together to perform a “Concert of Classics”, Friday, March 28 7:30PM at Chief Sealth International High School.

The concert will feature favorite classical orchestra works including Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sinfonietta on Russian Themes, enchanting music from Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdink, and Rossini’s The Barber of Seville Overture which many will recognize by its famous melodies. The evening also includes the WSCO Brass and Percussion Ensemble performing a rousing rendition of Battle Hymn.

The highlight of the evening features locally renowned musician, Jessica Polin, flute soloist, performing Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G Major.

UPDATE 9:55am
Seattle Fire has determined the cause of the fire in the early morning hours in a residence in the 8400 block of 20th Ave. S.W.

Kyle Moore of SFD wrote:

"A Seattle Fire Investigator determined an early morning West Seattle house fire was caused by a space heater placed too close to furniture.

At 12:52 a.m. a 911 call came into fire dispatcher at the Fire Alarm Center reporting smoke from a house located in the 8400 block of 20th Avenue SW. When Engine Company 11 arrived on scene they found a room on fire in the backside of a 1-story home. Neighbors informed firefighters that the occupants were not home at the time of the fire. Firefighters knocked down the fire by shooting water through an exterior window. The flames had extended into two back bedrooms and a back bathroom of the house. The fire also extended into the roof.

It took firefighters nearly 20 minutes to control the fire and nearly 50 minutes to completely extinguish the flames.

The damage estimate is $25,000 to the contents and $100,000 to the structure."

Original post at 8am