April 2009

The Alki Masonic Lodge #152 of West Seattle will recognize the outstanding junior class students from West Seattle and Chief Sealth high school with a program at the Alki Masonic Hall on Monday, April 20, 4736 40th Ave. S.W.

Alki Lodge and the two public high schools in West Seattle have encouraged excellence in education and participation in community activities for the students of the Junior Class by a ceremony of recognition for these qualities. This program has been recognizing outstanding students for thirty consecutive years.

Each year the faculties of the high schools select outstanding students to represent the junior class in this annual ceremony. The students are introduced, their abilities and activities are read and they receive awards as a recognition of their achievements.

This year students selected by the faculty are;

Rachel Cormac, Daniel Davis, Monick Keo, Paul Duncan, Megan Korling, Duran Jones, Leilani Sommers, Dominic Napat, Michelle Tran, and Jan Nichols from Chief Sealth High School.

The building that once housed Jacobsen's Marine has been leased to another boat seller that will fill the space by the end of the month.

Bob Jacobsen Jr., owner of the property, said Maritime's Inflatable Boats of Seattle leased the property.

Maritime opened at 1210 W. Nickerson in November 2008. It will keep that location open while opening new stores in Ballard and Anacortes, said Sean Marley, Maritime sales manager.

The grand opening at 28th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street will be April 17, Marley said.

"The visibility of the Jacobsen's building is the best possible place you could be," he said. "Everyone drives by it on the way to Shilshole.

Jacobsen's, which moved to West Seattle Feb. 1, had been located in Ballard since 1951.

Maritime's Inflatable Boats specializes in Honda Marine motors and parts and sells various brands of inflatable boats.

The full Seattle City Council will hear from several panelists what the impact is of the economic recession on Seattle’s small businesses and potential
steps the council can take to keep small businesses stable.

The discussion will be held Monday, April 13, at 3:00 p.m. in Seattle City Hall Council Chambers, 600 4th Avenue, 2nd Floor.

The panelists include: Nancy Porzio, executive director of the Seattle Small Business Association, Theresa Lord Hugel of the University District Chamber of Commerce, Jose Gaitan of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce Urban Enterprise Center, UPS Store owner Teferi Gebretsadik, and Pete Hanning, co-owner of the Red Door Ale House and co-facilitator for Government Affairs of the Washington State Restaurant Association.

According to a release from the city, the discussion is a part of the city council Economic Recovery Strategy Committee’s on-going effort to understand the various effects of the recession on Seattle and identify actions that can assist in stabilizing the local economy.

Council meetings are cablecast live on Seattle Channel 21 and Webcast live on the council’s Web site here.  

The second annual Honk! Fest West, Seattle’s radical marching band festival will be taking place this weekend, Friday, April 10 through Sunday, April 12 in Ballard.

“This is our second year and it’ll be at four different venues in Ballard,” Grace Kuan, publicity coordinator of Honk! Fest Seattle said. “It has a community vibe and gets bands out and partying on the streets.”

The Honk movement occurs across the country and around the world as a new type of street band.

“Acoustic and mobile, borrowing repertoire and inspiration from a diverse set of folk music traditions-New Orleans, second line brass bands, European Klezmer, Balkan and Romani (Gypsy) music, Brazilian afro Bloc and Frevo traditions, as well as the passion and spirt of Mardi Gras Carnivale-these “honkers” all share a commitment to several core principles,” according to the Honk! Fest West’s Web site.

Honking to rile up the audience, get all ages ages, classes, ethnicities and backgrounds invovled, the Honk movement is a celebration in protest along with performing to celebrate the causes and institutions honkers support.

Celebrating their 25th anniversary of teaching children’s Nordic dance in Ballard, the Barneleikarringen of Seattle will be hosting a gathering for both new and old dance members in honor of the many years they’ve invested in the effort to get as many children as possible to learn basic nordic folk dancing.

Starting in 1984 memberS of Leikarringen, Eva Martinsen Farstad Malczewski started the children’s dance group with her children Erik and Krisit picking up many other children of Leikarringen members who got invovled with the program along the way.

A year and a half later, Obert and Marietta Ronnestad, who had been assisting Malczewski at the time, took over the program with the help of others and to this day they continue instructing children.

“We got started with the Leikarringen and were interested in the children side since we had children at the time,” said Obert Ronnestad. “We continued with the children’s group and felt that it was a worth while effort to get as many children as possible to learn basic dancing.”

The Ronnestad’s added on community dance where parents and children could get involved in dance, Obert said.

Posing for a picture backstage, Carlin Kramer gracefully lifted her arms, stretched her leg and lengthened her neck as she had done so many times before. Posing on command with such strength and precision she appeared mature well beyond her 13 years.

Later, when the young dancer followed me into a conference room I expected her to be nervous and giggly. Instead, she was remarkably well composed.

Most of all, she was confident in one thing: her deep love for dance.

Kramer has been studying at the Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) for seven years now. The Admiral resident currently takes classes six days a week for up to three and a half hours a day.

"It's really fun," said Kramer politely. "The performances, taking classes and learning new steps."

Because there are so few children's roles in Swan Lake, PNB dancers must be invited by faculty in order to perform. This is Kramer's second offer to be in the production, which she says is her favorite ballet.

"I love the music," Kramer said with a sigh. "And the sets and costumes are really gorgeous."

Seattle-area industrial firms are alive and vibrant, including those in Ballard, and the city is committed to keeping them that way, according to the city.

Brian Surratt, manager of business and workforce development for the Office of Economic Development, presented early results of studies of the basic industrial firms and maritime industrial firms in the area at the April 8 Ballard District Council meeting.

The city studied the BINMIC (Ballard Interbay Northend Manufacturing & Industrial Center) and the Duwamish industrial areas from 2000 to 2007.

Surratt said the industrial sector has shown stability over that period in that job loss was less and recovery was greater than in the nonindustrial sector.

"It brings durability in our local economy that makes us less susceptible to these wild fluctuations in the economy," Suratt said.

According to the study, there were 96,000 industrial-sector jobs in 1995. That hit a low of 78,000 in 2004, but was back up to 82,000 in the time since.

The Ballard High School softball team almost didn't need to swing a bat to earn its first win of the season in a 7-4 April 8 game against Garfield.

The team scored seven runs but only had two RBIs, both by Amry Kimmerly. The rest came on an errant pitch and four bases-loaded walks – three in the fifth inning. Take away the RBIs and that still equals a Beaver victory.

"We had a big inning where we were patient at the plate and took some walks and had timely hitting," coach Kyle Gray said.

It wasn't all walks for Ballard. Bernie Cardon, Katie Seibel, Elisa Vatn and Karissa Marshall each added hits for the Beavers.

Catcher Cardon threw out three runners, including one trying to steal third in the fourth inning that was the play of the game, Gray said.

Pitcher Sophie Overlock-Pauley, who doubled and walked in a run on offense, pitched all seven innings, throwing nine strikeouts and giving up six hits.

Gray said it was easily her best game of the season.

"Overall it was nice to get a win," Gray said. "We are trying to get these girls to play with confidence because they are very talented, and tonight they took a step in that direction."

I went clubbing with the ladies today. It’s always interesting to visit with my fellow gardeners, and today was no exception.

I was at the Mill Creek Garden Club, they have about 65 members and they meet once a month at a sit-down luncheon at the Mill Creek Country Club. Sounds great, eh? Not only were the chicken kabobs deliciously moist, there were chocolate brownies with ice cream and whip cream and chocolate sauce for dessert…. Wait a minute! Is this why they formed this club?!?

I’ve been doing the “garden club circuit” in Seattle for about six years – and you’d think I’ve met everybody by now. Well, maybe not, but I am getting to a point where everyone is starting to look familiar to me, does that count?

I remember the very first time that I did a miniature garden seminar, I was as nervous as an aphid at a ladybug-breeding farm. Marie, a member of the Dirty Girls Garden Club, saw my container display at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and called to ask me to do a presentation for her club. This was more than six years ago now.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will join other public and private aquatic facilities throughout Washington to celebrate the 16th Annual April Pools Day on Saturday, April 18, 2009.  The Southwest Pool will be free from 10:30 a.m. until noon.

More than 40 facilities throughout the state are working together to help families prepare for a safe summer by hosting free events that offer water safety tips and activities.
 
Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to learn hands-on water safety in and out of the water.  Activities may include practicing wearing and using lifejackets, learning about hypothermia, taking a boat ride, practicing reaching and throwing rescues, and learning about CPR. Participants can enter a drawing for a free Mustang lifejacket, as well as other prizes. 
 
Don’t miss this chance to get ready for fishing and boating season by participating in April Pools Day at your local Seattle Parks and Recreation swimming pool. Learn and have fun together as a family.

The Southwest Pool is located at 2801 S.W. Thistle, 684-7440.

Other locations participating:

Ballard Pool April 18 10 a.m. - noon
1471 N.W. 67th St.