July 2014

Seattle Summer Swim League is about improvement, refinement, accompaniment and, perhaps most importantly, it's about...
Fun!

Gregory Seahurst has experienced a pretty fun change incrementally in its dual meet win total per the last three of the Seattle Summer Swim League seasons, getting one win in 2012, two in 2013 and now three in 2014 after winning its final dual meet of the summer, 385-328, over host Olympic View Tuesday.

Capping off the fun of this evening was when the Gregory Seahurst boys swimmers launched themselves off the starting blocks of the final event of the night, event 72, with the girls combining their event 71 of the 200-yard freestyle relay.

What so fun about that ending?

The boys flew off the blocks in their lane while wearing girls bikini tops and the girls themselves really had fun in their lane, doing things like cannonballs and flops off their blocks -- the senior girls being Abby DeTuerk, Brita Whisler, Kit Bruner and Kayla Loy.

The travelling Italian theatre troupe that brought The Totally True and Almost Accurate Adventures of Pinocchio to Seattle in 2013 is back! Since performing here last summer, this band of actors toured the globe performing their Pinocchio before royalty and peasantry alike on nearly every continent. Now they have returned to Seattle equipped with stories from many of the countries they visited. Be entertained by both beloved and obscure fairytales from England, Russia, India, Japan and other countries, as Teatro Minestrone serves up storytelling flavors from around the world.

Teatro Minestrone’s Around the World in 8 Stories
Written by Brendan Healy
Directed by K. Brian Neel
Featuring last summer’s stars Sharon Barto, Jordi Montes, Norah Elges, Rachel Delmar, Erin Bednarz, and Andrew Murray, plus new ensemble members Shane Regan and Ben Burris.

Schedule of performances:

Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival – Volunteer Park
July 12 & 13, 2014 @ 2:00pm

Double feature with Theater Schmeater’s Big Bad Wolf – Volunteer Park
July 19 & 20, 2014 @ 3:00pm

Paradise Theater School – Chimacum, WA

A flat bed truck, more than 50 feet long, had its load shift causing the truck to roll over, in the 4500 block of West Marginal Way SW Tuesday morning. It closed the road in both directions and required a large tow truck to come to clear it.

The driver said he was carrying a container of what police believe is dry cement, secured with ropes and chains, but as he neared the turn, the load began to shift. He attempted a correction but that made it shift the opposite direction, and caused the truck to roll on its side. He suffered minor scrapes in the incident but was otherwise not hurt.

Today partners Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz and William Freeman announce the much-anticipated opening of Ballard’s newest dining destination. Patxi’s Pizza (pronounced PAH-cheese. ‘t’ before ‘x’) opens its first Pacific Northwest location this Thursday, July 31 at 11 a.m. at 5323 Ballard Ave NW in Seattle, Wash.

Patxi’s is most well-known for its authentic signature Deep Dish pizza, topped with a thin layer of extra dough and homemade tomato sauce and baked in a traditional slow rotating pan oven. The new restaurant also offers a recently-debuted light and crispy Italian Thin pizza, featuring imported Italian Double Zero flour and baked to perfection in a 900 degree spinning Italian oven. Patxi’s guests also have the option to Build Your Own pizza, starting with whole milk mozzarella and homemade tomato sauce, and adding guests’ favorite fresh toppings.

In addition to the signature crusts, Patxi’s offers whole wheat and gluten-free options (thin only). There is no additional charge for gluten-free or vegan substitutions.

Donate cash or purchase school supplies for Pencil Me In For Kids at the Alaska Way QFC for West Seattle grade school students in need starting July 28. West Seattle Rotary volunteers will be near the elevator at the QFC next weekend, August 1 through August 4, 3 PM to 6 PM Friday and Monday and noon to 4 PM Saturday and Sunday, to accept your donations.

In 1995, "PMIFK" began as a way for us to reach out and help kids in need of basic school supplies in the West Seattle Area. With continued support from Rotary Club of West Seattle, the community, and beyond, kids around the community get the help with school supplies they need.

If you decide to purchase supplies to donate here's a good list:

• #2 Pencils
• Black & White Composition notebooks
• Pencil Pouches
• Washable Markers (large-tip -boxes of 8)
• glue Sticks (NOT liquid glue)
• Spiral notebooks
• "Safe" Scissors
• Colored Pencils (12 pack)
• Ball-point pens (blue/black ink)
• LARGE pink erasers (NOT pencil toppers)
• Rulers (6” & 12”)
• "pee-chee" style folders
• HARD 3-ring binders
• Crayons (box of 24)
• Notebook dividers

On a hot sunny afternoon Monday, July 28, 2014, two Marine Corps MV-22 B Osprey's were heard coming in from a distance and landed at Boeing Field around 12:15pm.

West Seattle Herald photojournalist David Rosen was lucky enough to go on a media flight aboard one of them. They took off to the North and circled around near Mt. Rainier and then came back over Ballard and then next to the city skyline.

"The experience was definitely a once in a lifetime and it was cool to see out of the back the entire flight, " Rosen said The flight lasted about 30 minutes.

Ballard Urban Design Advisory Group Meeting
Thursday, August 7 | 4 – 5:30pm
Location: Ballard Landmark Apartments
5433 Leary Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98107
August 7 Topic: Affordable Housing
(Subject to Change)

Ballard Partnership for Smart Growth's Urban Design and Transportation (UDaT) Committee is working with us as an advisory committee for the Ballard Urban Design Framework. They provide consistent review and advice on the direction of this project and its products. The advisory committee meets on the first Thursday of each month from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Ballard Landmark multi-purpose room (5433 Leary Avenue NW). You may attend the meetings as an observer and there is a comment period at the end of each meeting.

Website: Ballard Urban Design
Event Contact: David W. Goldberg
Event Contact Email: davidw.goldberg@seattle.gov
Event Contact Phone: (206) 615-1447

The commencement of Marine Week Seattle was celebrated with the unveiling of a mural on July 24 at Brown Bear Car Wash (1800 15th Ave. W.).

Five artists of the Marine Corps Mural Team painted the mural, which is approximately 100 feet across. The mural is inspired by the connection between community, country and the Corps.

According to the Corps, each Marine Week Mural is specialized to its host city. This year’s mural is a gift on behalf of the Marine Corps to the citizens of Seattle for their support during Marine Week.

The ceremony featured Randy Engstrom, Director of the Office of Arts and Culture, as the guest speaker. In addition, Victor Odermat, owner of Brown Bear Carwash, who donated the space for the mural, was in attendance. Sherwin Williams donated gallons of paint used to craft the mural.

Engstrom remarked that coincidently, his first job was working at a car wash.

“I’m honored to be accepting this gift on behalf of the City of Seattle, and as Director of the Office of Arts and Culture, I’m pleased wherever and whenever we are able to expand arts into new areas of our city,” said Engstrom.

Suspect makes off with goods for a gamer conference

On July 21 at the 8000 block of 21st Avenue Northwest offices were dispatched for a reported burglary. The victim told officers that she knew the suspect. After working away from home all weekend she arrived home where her roommate told her that she saw the suspect moving items into a black sedan from the downstairs window. The victim told officers that she had contacted the suspect and he had admitted to entering the house uninvited and had taken cash. Obviously going to a gamer conference in Belize, the suspect felt he could borrow several purses, jewelry, sunglasses, game consoles, a television, a laptop and cameras. Police searched the area but only found Donkey Kong footprints and PacMan tread.

Dukes of Hazzard take safe in 1970’s Chevrolet