June 2009

On Monday June 8, around 3 p.m., in the 13500 block of 8th Northwest, a homeowner interrupted a burglary in progress. She yelled, “Get out!” at a man standing in a hallway. (He was holding a guitar and a pillowcase containing credit cards and jewelery.) In turn, the suspect yelled, “Get out!” to an accomplice before dropping the goods and running north on 8th Northwest. The victim discovered all of the drawers and cupboards in the home had been opened with contents spilled on the floor. Residents living nearby reported seeing an unfamiliar gold American car parked on the street around the time of the burglary. The suspect was Caucasian, aged 18-21, with brown hair, a red baseball cap, a white shirt, and sagging blue jeans.

Early on June 7, a resident of the 300 block of Northwest 94th heard a loud noise. He looked out the window and saw a man sitting inside a vehicle. He got out of the car, sat inside another for a minute, and then tried the door handle of a third before running eastbound. The suspect is a slim white male in his twenties. He had straight, black shoulder-length hair.

Each year the graduating eighth grade class of Our Lady of Guadalupe follows the tradition of prior graduating classes and presents a gift to the school as a thank you for the years of education they received. This year's class of 2009 wanted to do something that was a gift to the school, the parish, and the community.

They decided to create a beautiful and inviting entrance for their school and church.

Through bingo games and other fund raisers they saved up $1,571 for their project. There are two parts to their gift. One was replacing unattractive grass and a some scraggly trees with beautiful new landscaping.

The second part of the gift was to construct a 30 square foot handmade tile mosaic sign that proudly identifies their parish and school. In addition to stating the name of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and School, the sign also includes a mosaic image of Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and Juan Diego's tilma cloak with roses tumbling out of it.

Traditional tribal dancing, story-telling, flute playing and artwork were offered at the annual Duwamish Tribe Gala Dinner and Art Auction fundraiser Saturday night, June 14, at the Longhouse Museum and Cultural Center in West Seattle.

A bit of politics were also woven in. The messages contained within the Duwamish culture that were shared at the gala, and those espoused by the Duwamish Tribal Council and Congressman Jim McDermott, told the same story, "We exist as a tribe. We are here."

The Longhouse Museum building and site, at 4705 W. Marginal Way S.W., is the only property owned by the Duwamish Tribe, and while fundraising is a priority to keep the museum running, tribal recognition is a priority to keep the Duwamish Culture afloat as well.

McDermott promised to get the ear of the new Obama administration and work toward Duwamish Tribal recognition, which came close under President Clinton, then got lost in the shuffle under President Bush, he said.

Morgan Junction Park opened Saturday, June 13, on a formal note with speakers and a ribbon-cutting. The party quickly became informal as kids and dogs meandered on the lawn and sketched with jumbo-sized colored chalk onto a series of etched sidewalk frames.

Vendors set up in the parking area around the corner behind Zeeks Pizza and the Feedback Lounge. The Beverage Place, which shares the park's southern border on California Avenue, set up a bandstand for the Slags and other performers.

The event was produced by the Morgan Community Association.

Some neighborhood organizations petitioned for the park to be named Tim St. Clair Park in honor of the West Seattle Herald's longtime reporter who died of cancer just over one year ago, but it was not to be. According to Seattle Parks rules, one must be deceased for at least three years before being considered honored.

Pete Spalding, Delridge Council chair, and Sharonn Meeks and Steve Sindiong, Southwest Council co-chairs, hoped for an exception of the rule in St. Clair's case. Sindiong is also former president of Morgan Community Association.

The South Seattle Community College's Northwest Wine Academy threw its first of two free tasting parties of their student-made wines on campus.

It took place Friday night, June 12. The wines included Riesling, Rose, Viognier and Barbera. Academy students choose one of three tracks, sale and marketings, wine production, or wine and food paring.

"Barbera is a jucier, dark color grape, purply black," explained Reggie Daigneault, the wine academy's program coordinator and fulltime faculty member. "This is the first time we vinified it. The grapes were given to us from Stan Baty of Alder Ridge Vineyard."

The vineyard is located in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (American Viticultural Area) within the Columbia Valley AVA. The grapes originated in Piedmont, Northwest Italy.

"Every bottle of wine has a story behind it," said Nancy Kedward, wine sales and marketing student at the academy. "What's neat about all our grapes is that they are donated to the college. Students pick the grapes we make wine right here."

The second tasting was Saturday, June 13, noon to 4 p.m.

The Villa Heidelberg Bed and Breakfast is celebrating the mansion's 100th year in West Seattle tomorrow, June 13, with an open house and tea service.

Original owner Jacob Mades had the home, his third in West Seattle, built in 1909. Without a West Seattle Bridge, all building materials had to be brought to the site by horse and buggy.

Mades had immigrated from Heidelberg, Germany in 1879 and later married Hester Malson in 1900. They would have nine children and lived in the mansion until it was sold to the Jackson family in 1941.

The White family later purchased the home in 1956 and Barb and John Thomspson purchased it in 1986. In 1987, they converted the home to a bed and breakfast. Meanwhile, West Seattle resident Judy Burbrink was traveling in Europe, where she first became captivated by bed and breakfast style lodging.

In 1999, when Burbrink heard the Villa Hiedelberg was for sale, she took a chance and purchased it. This year is not only the home's 100th anniversary, but her 10th year in business. Today, Burbrink said people from all around the world stay there.

Summer entices both the novice and the serious biker to abandon usual modes of transportation. Instead of driving, walking, busing, we welcome any excuse to put on our helmets (for the brave ones their spandex) to merrily pedal our way around the neighborhood.

Children gladly trail behind their parents on training wheels. Happy couples ride in sync on their tandems. Hip Ballardites sport baskets for carrying Farmer’s Market groceries. Formerly bulky bike commuters, in lieu of layers and reflective raingear, are wearing shorts and a big smile.

And with the upcoming STP (Seattle to Portland) bicycle ride on July 11 and 12, determined bikers do serious miles training for the 200-mile, two-day (some do it in one) event.

Even if you’re a beginner, summer is a great time to get into biking – it’s free (for the most part), it’s exercise, and the best part is that you get to enjoy coveted summer days.

It’s a great way to run errands around the neighborhood. Bike to nearby parks like Golden Gardens, Carkeek, or Gas Works. Cruise along the Burke-Gilman Trail to nearby neighborhood destinations like Fremont or the University District.

Two portal designs were presented at a public meeting last night, June 11, showing how a bored tunnel, which is planned to replace the aged-Alaskan Way Viaduct, would connect with city streets for northbound and southbound traffic.

Some community members were still at a loss on how the design worked and expressed concern about the possible congestion it could cause for north and southbound drivers, as well as the planned four-lane waterfront boulevard along Alaskan Way.

“We’re beginning the second supplemental draft of the EIS (environmental impact statement) that will evaluate the bored tunnel,” said Amy Grotefendt, a spokesperson for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Sewall Replacement Program said. “We’re out here tonight asking people to give us comments on what issues should be analyzed in the EIS now that we have the portal designs and know how access into and out of the tunnel will work.”

A new high-end delicatessen will be opening this summer in the West Seattle Junction.

The Swinery, a full-service delicatessen, will operate out of the Seattle Fish Company at 4435 California Ave. S.W. It will offer cured meats, a full butcher shop and some hard-to-find cheeses.

It will also carry dry goods and rare deli items, such as veal bones, salt cod and bocarones.

Business owner Gabriel Claycamps ran Culinary Communion cooking school for seven years until that business closed in March.

The Swinery Deli will feature a computer and printer running the complete Culinary Communion database of recipes and curriculum—turning the retail store into an educational cooking experience.

Please check back for further updates on this story.

The comment period for Seattle’s draft Pedestrian Master Plan has been extended to Friday, June 26. The plan is available here.

A hard copy of the plan is also available in the Seattle Room of the Central Library (1000 Fourth Ave.). Comments on the plan may be made through an online form, via email (mostwalkablecity@seattle.gov), by phone (206-733-9970), or by mail (Pedestrian Master Plan Comments, Seattle Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 34996, Seattle, WA 98124-4996).

Additionally, the Seattle City Council’s Transportation Committee and the Special Committee on Pedestrian Safety will host a public hearing on the draft plan on Tuesday, July 21, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall (600 Fourth Ave.).

This will provide an additional opportunity to comment on the draft and proposed revisions.