May 2019

By Jean Godden

Emmett Watson would have loved a recent banner headline: "Young Seattle Residents Find Little to Like About Seattle."

I don't know how many readers still remember the late great Emmett Watson. But, if you came from afar or are too young to recall, Watson was once Seattle's foremost newspaper columnist, appearing as often as six times a week in this city's daily papers.

Some years ago, Watson dreamed up an outfit he called Lesser Seattle. It was his response to an ad campaign pushed by the city's Chamber of Commerce. The chamber used the Greater Seattle campaign to "put Seattle on the map." But Watson claimed the push was "boosterism of a kind that would have shocked George F. Babbitt."

For the third year the West Seattle Junction Association sponsored Petal Power- Adopt a Basket in the Junction. The baskets, grown and installed by City Planters consist of Petunias, geraniums and other bedding plants and will be up until October. 

Each cost $159 to sponsor and each sponsor gets a plaque on their basket to show their support for the beautification of the neighborhood. 

information from Seattle Parks and Recreation

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to participate in the renovation of the south play area at Fairmount Playground. Please join us for a Public Meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2019 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Fairmount Park Elementary cafeteria, 3800 S.W. Findlay St.

The 500th weekly trivia night at Talaricos in the West Seattle Junction on May 15 was hosted by a man who has been part of the event for the entire ten years. West Seattle's Phil Tavel. Over the years the event has held fundraisers for West Seattle Helpline, Jazz Night School, West Seattle Be Prepared, West Seattle Senior Center and several for Westside Baby. The event holds an annual fundraiser for the YMCA, for after school children’s education programs - this year was the 5th annual and has raised close to $10,000.

On Saturday, June 1st from 9am to noon are staging an earthquake preparedness drill, "Seattle's Fault."

The Seattle Fault runs east/west under Seattle. A 6.7 magnitude quake along that fault line would disrupt power, communications, water supply, sewer, and more.

Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs are practicing their response to this “quake and tsunami” scenario.

Find your local Hub; learn how you fit into this disaster plan!

Download the map of the hubs here

www.SeattleEmergencyHubs.org

Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred (2018, Documentary Media), the 244-page coffee-table book by Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard for which Clay Eals served as editor and wrote the introduction, and which features several West Seattle-based scenes, won three awards over the past month. The three are:

— The Independent Book Publishers Association Ben Franklin Awards, Silver for Regional Books

— The Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPYs), Bronze for West Pacific / Best Regional Non-Fiction

— The Association for King County Historical Organizations (AKCHO) Virginia Marie Folkins Award

You can see details (including video of the AKCHO award presentation) here: https://pauldorpat.com/seattle-now-and-then-the-historic-hundred/the-awards/.

The Delridge Neighborhood District Council (DNDC) is sponsoring two Seattle City Council District 1 "Conversations with the candiates."

• Wednesday, May 15th - Phil Tavel and Isiah Willoughby
• Wednesday, June 19th - Lisa Herbold and Brendan Kolding

Both meetings are from 7-9pm at the High Point Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW, Seattle, WA 98126).