March 2019

By Jean Godden

When I was 12 years old, I got my first newspaper job. I was a "paperboy," delivering the Lebanon, Missouri, Daily News on weekday afternoons and the St. Louis Post Dispatch on Sunday mornings. I used my brother's red wagon -- a Radio Flyer -- to cart the ad-heavy Sunday papers.

I had inherited the paperboy route from a seventh-grade classmate, Thelma Jorgenson. Her dad -- like mine -- was an army officer, stationed at nearby Fort Leonard Wood. Because her dad's battalion was headed overseas, she and her family were moving home to North Carolina. Thelma wanted me to carry on, delivering papers daily and collecting a couple of dollars bi-weekly. The job paid but not well. Some army families would leave suddenly, still owing for the paper.

By Teanna Gentry

The Shoppe Seahurst is a new and adorably quaint Lifestyle and Home Goods store with some stunning antique furniture finds in the heart of Olde Burien.  We asked to sit down with owner and Burien native Beka Atwood, to hear more about her new venture. Beka is a Mt. Rainier High school grad who participated in the Miss Burien Pageant back in 2007 and won. She was Beka Simmons then. The pageant disbanded after that year but Beka had the prize.

What is exciting about your business? Why should people come see you?

by Sarah Mackay

Approximately eleven years ago, Alki Park wasn’t what it is today. Everything has changed, even the name. Alki Park, before it became Whale Tail park consisted of a dilapidated slide (think rickety, rusty and risky), some broken spring toys, an unhinged swing set and a sandbox your cat wouldn’t want to go into.

Today, the park is a destination location one block east of Alki beach.

One day Mark took his children to the park and he was unimpressed; it just wouldn’t do for his children nor anyone else’s, so he led the charge to steadfastly transform the neighborhood play area. While the park was indeed in dire need of a rebuild, the inspiration came from Mark’s father Charlie O’Neil who years ago created a park in honor of a friend who died in a motorcycle accident.

by Georgie Bright Kunkel

       Remember that song about various times in life?  In one’s senior years, it is the season to reflect upon life and try to determine its meaning. There are so many purposes in life determining the particular stage that one is experiencing. Growing up one has to spend a lot of time just learning about the world and finding ways to cope and survive. Growing  up I was in awe of it all.  No one around me could really explain the mystery of the universe. I would think about it and try to figure it all out but many questions still remained. I close my eyes and try to visualize the creator in action. But so many questions remain and are still unanswered.

Camp Second Chance, the sober homeless camp on Myers Way SW had a open house on March 17.. The event offered food, music and art but the star of the show was the camp itself

Organizer Tomasz Biernacki said,  "Lots of people came to see the camp as it has been in the news lately. People were very interested in how the camp works and how the tiny homes are built.

People were very impressed with cleanliness, and how everything is managed. It was a great opportunity for housed folks to mee the unhoused folks and dispel many of the myths that come with homelessness."

A community design meeting on the Delridge Triangle is set for  Saturday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Highland Park Improvement Club (1116 SW Holden St, Seattle, WA 98106).

The Delridge Triangle is a triangular plot of land located at 9200 Delridge & Barton Street SW.

Doors for the meeting will open at 9:45 a.m. Snacks, professional childcare with guided activities as well as interpreters will be provided.

Take the Survey! Please take a few moments to take a survey about the Triangle here: tinyurl.com/FDT319

information from West Seattle Helpline

The West Seattle Helpline is proud to host the 14th annual “Taste of West Seattle" on May 23. 

This local, community-based food fair is the largest event of its kind in West Seattle. We will feature food and drink from over 40 different restaurants, breweries, wineries, coffee shops, bakeries, chocolatiers, specialty food stores and more!

The event has drawn a sell-out crowd of more than 500 people from West Seattle and throughout King County for the past five years in a row. All proceeds from the event go directly to support the West Seattle Helpline’s emergency assistance programs for low-income individuals and families in West Seattle who are recovering from a crisis or unexpected hardship.