April 2017

By Lindsay Peyton

West Seattle pastry chef Kristina Serfass just added a new flavor to her menu of offerings at Baked, a custom cake boutique located on 2604 California Ave SW.

Her S’mores Cake is a graham cracker flavor served with toasted marshmallow crème and chocolate ganache.

It’s the winning recipe that Serfass served to judges on Food Network’s Cake Wars for the LEGO episode, which aired last month.

The show was part of a championship round – and the challenge was to honor the classic toy, LEGO.

Serfass, and Baked’s lead cake decorator Stacey Underwood, created a giant LEGO ranger, surrounded by outdoors-themed LEGO scenes out of cake and frosting. The judges recognized the bakers for superior style and flavor – and Serfass took home a $10,000 prize.

The episode was filmed in January – and aired on March 6. This was Serfass’ second appearance on the show. She also won the first time – in an episode where she created a wedding cake for a couple with a design that reflected their love story.

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Feminist Fiber Art
Traveling Exhibit
Virago Gallery
4306 S.W. Alaska St.
April 1–30; Reception April 15, 6–9 p.m. Feminist Fiber Art is a traveling art exhibit conceived by Iris Nectar in the summer of 2015 to illustrate how feminists have been using the medium to subvert its history as “women’s work” in colorful, fun, and sexually liberated ways. This is a multidisciplinary and intersectional community art project focusing primarily on the versatile medium of Fiber Art. Virago Gallery is excited to partner with FFA to bring the work of many National and International Fiber Artists to Seattle. www.viragogallery.com/artists/#/feminist-fiber-art-traveling-exhibit/.

ArtsWest Presents FROZEN
ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery
4711 California Ave. S.W.
April 20–May 14, Thurs.–Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 3 p.m. Arts West is pleased to announce FROZEN, the Tony Award-nominated play about a serial killer and two women who track him down. The play is written by Bryony Lavery, directed by Mathew Wright and starring Seattle legends Amy Thone and Peter Crook. For tickets visit www.artswest.org/theatre/buy-tickets/.

Discovery Shop

By Lindsay Peyton

White Center has officially named its unofficial leader.

Geoffrey McElroy has been a central figure in the community since he purchased and renovated the Triangle Pub in 2005. He has served as treasurer, vice president and president of the White Center Chamber of Commerce. And now he’s been voted the “Unofficial Official Honorary Mayor of White Center.”

The votes were counted on Saturday, April 1, after a debate of all the candidates, who also included Christine Spencer, Justin Cline, Brian Cooper and canine candidate Floyd Dog.

The candidates discussed a range of topics – from favorite karaoke songs and stoplight colors to changing the back-in only parking along 16th St. and the likelihood of a zombie apocalypse.

At one point, Cline encouraged the audience to vote for McElroy. “I’m not looking to win,” he said. “I just want to come on top of this dog situation. If you have any pity for a human being, I’ll take it.”

Fun and frivolity were all part of the plan for the inauguration event, which was White Center Eagles Hall, 10452 15th Ave SW.

By Jean Godden

They called it Pronto! It was Seattle's bicycle sharing system and it was a disaster. Hard to fathom why a city like Seattle, proud of being green, couldn't make a cycle sharing system work. Why did Pronto fizzle after just two and a half years of operation?

Was it Seattle's rainy climate or its steep hills?

Was it the clunky bicycles that were hard to maneuver?

Was it the cloud cast over the system by Seattle Transportation Department Director Scott Kubly's previous position with Alta Bike Share and his failure to comply with Seattle ethics laws?

Or was it station placement and the county's helmet law that discouraged ridership? (King County law requires riders to wear helmets or face a $102 ticket.)

I have repeatedly asked myself those questions because -- and here's a confession -- I was there from the beginning. When the system launched on Oct. 13, 2014, I was not only a Seattle councilmember but one of three members of the Council's Transportation Committee.

Sleeping suspect found inside stolen car

Police responded to a report of an auto theft in West Seattle around 7 a.m. on Sun., April 2. The victim, who resided on the 3500 block of S.W. Trenton Street, said he parked his 2016 Nissan in front of his home the night before and discovered it missing in the morning. About two hours later, the victim reported that the “Nissan Connect” tracking device indicated his car was parked on the 4700 block of S.W. Dakota Street. Officers went to the spot and found a 43-year-old man inside the vehicle, asleep and under the influence of an unknown substance. The vehicle was parked, and the engine was still running. The car was also full of other stolen items, including clothing, power tools and an air compressor. The officers took the suspect into custody and booked him into the King County Jail for auto theft. The victim retrieved his vehicle after the other items were removed and placed into evidence. 

Attempted robbery on 38th Avenue S.W.

By Marjorie Young

Movies have always been a happy part of my life; I often finding them inspirational as well as entertaining. Seeing my first Japanese film, ‘Seven Samurai’ as a teen began a life-long fascination with that country, which later became my home for many years.

Sometimes a film’s influence can come unexpectedly. One recent example is ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ It wasn’t something I’d typically be drawn to, but the excellent reviews made me curious. The lavish opening introduced us to a spoiled, cold-hearted, and self-indulgent prince. In the midst of an over-the-top revel, an old woman pleads for shelter from the storm raging outside. The prince responds with scorn. As it turns out, the stranger was a sorceress, who promptly cursed the prince, transforming him into a repulsive creature on the spot. The only way to break the spell, we are told, is if the newly created ‘beast’ can learn to love and be loved in return. However, the odds are against it, the narrator reminds us…because ‘who could love a monster?’

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Fluctuations in the life of Cameron Dollar and a standout senior season paid dividends for West Seattle High School point guard Nate Pryor.

The 6-foot, 1-inch star signed with Dollar at Seattle University before leading West Seattle's Wildcats to their first state boys basketball semifinal appearance since 1970 this winter.

But after Dollar was let go as the Redhawks' head coach Pryor asked for and received his release from that program.

Five days later he signed on to play across town for the University of Washington, where Dollar is now an assistant coach.

"Me and my family decided to stay home. #Go Dawgs," Pryor tweeted after Saturday's decision.
Pryor's arrival helps fill a void for the Huskies of the top flight Pac-12 Conference, who lost most of their recruiting class after Lorenzo Romar was let go as their head coach.

Romar was replaced by Mike Hopkins, who subsequently picked up Dollar as an assistant.

Pryor averaged 18.6 points per game for the Wildcats this winter, and also hauled down an average of 4.2 rebounds to go with 4.7 assists.

By Amanda Knox
 
In my pre-teens, I chose to ignore the sour tang that had crept into my relationship with my little sister Deanna. I dismissed her suddenly miserable, disdainful attitude towards me like it was nothing more than one of her frequent bouts of carsickness. She’d get over it.
 
It’s not like I had done something. In fact, from the way she seemed to be angry with me about everything, I deduced that her frustration wasn’t really directed at what I did, but at me. Me personally. And it was baffling. What happened to the kid who crawled into my bed whenever she had a nightmare? The little girl who counted on me to look after her on the playground, and be her voice when she was too shy to speak? Why didn’t she like me anymore?
 
The answer was obvious to everyone else. “It’s just sibling rivalry,” the adults said. “Don’t take it personally.” But it felt personal, and I was at turns skeptical and angry. I wasn’t competing with my sister, so why should she compete with me?
 
Now, nearly two decades later and in the thick of Deanna’s wedding planning, we texted the following exchange: