by Gwen Davis

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society's (SWSHS) 2014 Champagne Gala Brunch on Sat. was chock-full of vibrance and heritage. Taking place at Salty’s on Alki, with panoramic views of the Puget Sound and bright, blue skies to boot, the day was perfect for hosting the SWSHS’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Additionally, the brunch celebrated the organization’s 30th anniversary, and commemorated the restoration of the Admiral Totem Pole. Approximately 200 people attended, which was a reported uptick from last year.

“Good morning and welcome,” said Marcy Johnsen, the president of the SWSHS. “Without you this organization would not exist.”

The event raised $56,000 total. Comparatively, $37,000 were raised last year.

Here is a summary of the gala, part by part:

Intro:

Clay Eals, executive director of SWSHS, announced that the wife of the founder of the organization was in the room, who was two months shy of her 100th birthday. He also revealed the attendance of King County Executive Dow Constantine.

“Our theme today is rebirth,” Eals said. On each of the tables was a miniature totem pole. Eals also went through a lengthy list of sponsors who each got a round of applause.

A video was shown “One Page History of West Seattle” which described tidbits about the transformation of Salty’s parking lot.

Celebrity music-scene panel:

Next up was a celebrity music-scene panel, “Why West Seattle?” with hosts Marty Riemer and Jodi Brothers. Panelists included Chris Ballew, Susan Silvers, Tim Bierman, Megan Jasper, Matt Vaughan and Nicole Vandenberg. They discussed why they chose to live in West Seattle.

Brothers: “When I moved here it was to work for The End, and when it came to buy a house, I chose West Seattle."
Silvers: “I didn't choose to live in West Seattle, I chose to not leave West Seattle.” She’s now raising her daughter here.
Jasper: “All my friends are living over here, and I like access to wildlife.” She’s been living here for 15 years.
Vaughan: “I was originally living on Capitol Hill, my folks moved out here,” he said. There was a great music scene when he was a teenager. He started working for now what’s called Easy Street and has lived here ever since.
Ballew: “West Seattle, two main themes come to mind: nature and community,” he said. "Nature is essential to my well-being.”
Bierman: “I lived in Ballard for a while,” he said, but eventually realized that West Seattle offered what other cities could not.

Live auction:

Live auction items included paintings, cupcakes, collectibles, an Easy Street Cafe package, Pearl Jam posters, a Nirvana poster, mountain photos, Seahawks jerseys, dinner at Alki Fatburger, a tour of the archives of West Seattle in City Hall with city council member, Tom Rasmussen and a cruise.

Video:

A video was presented of the recent restoration ceremony of the Admiral Totem Pole. The pole was built in 1966, and was restored recently at Long House Museum with hundreds of children from West Seattle elementary schools. “Nearly 20 years ago, Elliot proposed a resolution… our highest priority of the interests and needs of young people and this occasion today is the ultimate illustration,” said the SWSHS representative during the unveiling ceremony. “This is to remind you what a wonderful community this is,” said Dow Constantine to the kids. “Congratulations to the SWSHS for bringing it back.” Now the kids can say, “I was here when the pole was revealed."

The Schmitz Legacy:

The Schmitz family has been around for decades and has been instrumental in creating the Seattle we know today. Three Schmitz representatives addressed the crowd, describing the history of the Schmitz family, and how the Schmitz legacy touches everyone in the city. At the end of the speech, 27 Schmitz family members who were attending the brunch came to the front of the room to receive applause.

Fund-A-Dream Challenge:

For this classic gala piece, there was $10,000 in the challenge fund, which matched donations dollar for dollar.

Alaska Totem Cruise

This was a lottery for people who chose to buy golden tickets. The prize was a seven-day, round-trip, out-of-Seattle cruise. Leaves Seattle on Sept. 19, and goes to Juno and Glacier Bay on Holland American Cruise Line. It included all meals and entertainment. Participants who were not the lucky winner still had an opportunity to take the cruise — which actually was the official SWSHS Totem cruise — for another small donation.