December 2015

Santa Al’s West Seattle Schedule
Sat., Dec. 19, 10–1 p.m.: Tram’s Hair Salon, 4110 California Ave. S.W. Santa is sponsored by the businesses and all Photos that you take are free.

Daystar Toastmasters Welcomes Guests
Daystar Retirement Village
2615 S.W. Barton St.
daystarclub.toastmastersclubs.org
Sat., Dec. 19, 10–11 a.m. Arrive 10 minutes early for orientation. Come experience the safe, supportive atmosphere in which you can grow your communication and leadership skills. Improve your ability to think-on-your-feet and become more comfortable speaking to groups. Meetings: first and third Sat. morning each month. Info: Bill 206.932.6706.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206.937.7169

By Sarah Cecil
Edward Jones Financial Adviser

On September 13, we observe National Grandparents Day. If you’re a grandparent, you might get a card or a little present from the grandkids. However, you will probably get greater pleasure from the gifts you give them. And if you’d like to make a financial gift, you’ve got some attractive options. 
How you choose to make your gift depends somewhat on how you’d like the money to be used. Do you want to provide an intermittent source of income that your grandchildren can use at various points in their lives? Or would you rather designate your gift to be used exclusively for college?  

If you’re interested in the “intermittent income” type of gift, you might want to work with a legal professional to establish a trust, which offers several key benefits, including the following:

•  Wide choice of investment options – A trust can be funded with virtually any financial instrument – stocks, bonds, cash, and so on. Although the trust owns the assets, you, as trustee, control them and can decide what type of investments to make.

By Amanda Knox

This year ACT is performing its 40th Anniversary Production of a yearly holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol. It’s a bit ironic, considering that ACT is otherwise a theatre focusing on contemporary, progressive theatre productions. But that’s OK. Some stories have staying power. A Christmas Carol is a sentimental reference point for many who celebrate the Christmas holiday—that’s why there are so many iconic film versions—so why shouldn’t it be so for ACT as well?

By Amanda Knox

I remember the first time I voted. It was 1996, I was nine-years-old, and it was over the phone, to participate in the Nickelodeon Kids Pick the President telethon. At the time, I was about as political as I was religious, which is to say, vaguely aware and uninvested. All the same, I was excited to vote, because it was the first time in my life that I had the chance to implement my (albeit immature and uninformed) opinion about the greater world around me. No matter that my vote didn’t yet count. For the first time I thought, one day it would.

By Pat Cashman

It was a delight to see it on the morning TV news: Video of eager holiday shoppers pushing, shoving, gouging, scratching, clawing and garroting each other to be the first into the stores. After all, when it comes to catching an elbow in the mouth, it’s better to give than receive.

And the malls, offices, coffee shops, drug stores and dentist offices are all playing holiday songs these days---just in case we forgot what time of year it is. In fact, there’s at least one radio station around here that starts running Christmas music just prior to Thanksgiving Day---and plans to play nothing else through New Years. That ka-ching sound you hear? It’s another royalty check going to Jose Feliciano. The holiday music tact works such ratings wonders for that radio station, you can expect next year they’ll start playing the stuff just after the 4th of July.

When I was a kid, I was such a crumby singer that when time came for the school’s annual Christmas recital, the music teacher placed me in the very back row of the choir.
Even then, she could still hear me.

This morning's "Claus, Chowder and Cartoons" event, sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Duke's Chowder House, drew 120 people to the landmark Admiral Theater. Families were treated to two Christmas cartoon shorts, a show by Santa Claus, free samples of Duke's chowder and photo opportunities.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

One game wasn't over until it was over, and the other was basically over from the start.
The end result of the two was a girls/boys basketball double-header sweep of nearby rival Chief Sealth by the West Seattle Wildcats.

Friday evening opened with the West Seattle girls team jumping out to a 17-0 lead and rolling to a 70-28 victory over the Seahawks.

The second contest had the Wildcats winning the boys game, 50-48, with the game not decided until a buzzer-beating lob by Chief Sealth's Evan Moe from all the way across the court bounced just high and to the right of the net off the glass.

The twin bill in front of a packed Chief Sealth gymnasium was the only meeting of the regular season between the two area schools.

West Seattle used a balanced assault to take the girls game.

Grace Sarver led the Wildcats with 16 points as Lexi Ione hit 12, Lydia Giomi 11, Gabby Sarver nine and Izzy Turk and Jenna McPhee seven each. Jasmine Gayles threw in five and Kelsey Lenzie three.

The 500,000th rider of the King County Water Taxi of the year is West Seattle resident Mary Ballanger. She is a regular water taxi rider

3.1 million riders since inception in 2009. In addition to this milestone, we have set an all-time record for annual ridership for both the West Seattle and Vashon routes.

The previous annual record for the Water Taxi was 467,119 passengers in 2014. In addition to the Water Taxi system milestone, each route is achieving a record year for ridership.

The West Seattle route currently stands at 307,500 passengers for 2015. In addition to surpassing the 300,000 passenger mark for the first time, the total also surpasses the 282,662 passenger record set last year. The Vashon route is currently at 192,500 passengers for 2015 and will exceed 200,000 passengers later this month. The previous record on this route was 187,824 passengers set in 2013.

Tonight the Ballard High School boys basketball team opens their home schedule vs. a talented Franklin HS Quakers team at 7pm.

In addition to the game, Ezell’s Famous Chicken will have their food truck at the BHS gym from 4:30-8pm, with $1 from every purchase going back to support our program. More on our twitter feed at www.twitter.com/BallardBball.

2015-16 Ballard Boys Basketball
Beaver Basketball enters a new era this year under 1st year head coach Mike Broom, yet the program maintains continuity as Broom and Assistant Coach Jon Adams were the Beavers' top assistants over the past several years. From a first look at a practice, game, weight session, or study hall this season, you'll see a Beaver program from senior to freshman committed to the team's core values including Enthusiasm, Gratitude, Attitude, .

The renovation of the Admiral Theater is on track and set to take place most likely in March according to Entertainment Director Dinah Brein. The seats (gently used) have arrived, a cushy red velvet style and the process of installing them will take place along with the conversion to four theaters this spring.

The four-plex sections will not be equal. The front theaters will have closer to 200 seats with the screen about midway into the present depth of the building. They will be conventional seats looking down at or roughly level to the screen. The back theaters will be smaller and be stadium style seating but looking up to the screen.

New carpet, new paint and new wall coverings of course will come in but the digital projectors (state of the art Digital Laser products) have been in place for a few months now since The Admiral shows first run films.