Beacon Hill Blog

Who named Beacon Hill?

Robert Ketcherside in the CHS Capitol Hill Seattle blog has a great historical article about the first Broadway streetcar, from the 1890s. Why am I mentioning it here on the Beacon Hill Blog, you ask? Scroll on down to the addendum to the article and you’ll find a discussion about the murky origins of the name of Seattle’s Beacon Hill:

“Someone on Beacon Hill needs to stop freakin’ and figure out who really named Beacon Hill and why.”

Apparently there isn’t any paper trail for the commonly accepted origin story — that M. Harwood Young moved to Beacon Hill from Boston and named it after the famous Boston location. It could be true. But as far as the current sources are concerned, there isn’t really anything concrete.

“At least up here we have a healthy debate about the origin of Capitol Hill,” says Ketcherside. “…Down on Beacon Hill they settle for tacit acceptance of a hole-ridden story.”

Anyone up for a research challenge?

Tags: 19th century, name of the hill, seattle history

Vegetable and herb starts for sale at Chavez Demonstration Garden

Hey, gardeners! Starting tomorrow, Saturday, May 19, Master Gardeners will start selling vegetable and herb starts at the Cesar Chavez Demonstration Garden, located at El Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave. S.

Master Gardener Mick Duggan says, “We are regularly there on Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Other times as well if you see us there in the Garden. We have so many extra Sungold tomatoes they are only $1. We also have other varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, chard, lettuce, leek, chives, chamomile. Come by and check it out.”

There will also be free gardening information handouts available.

Tags: gardening

Vintage airplanes may be loud

Kiersten Throndsen at KOMO Communities (Beacon Hill Blog news partners) reports that things may be getting loud on some parts of Beacon Hill starting on Monday:

Starting May 21 through Memorial Day weekend, the Museum of Flight is hosting B-17 Bomber tours and rides on a variety of vintage military aircraft.

According to the notice from the city, these aircraft are sanctioned by permits from the FAA and are used for enjoyment.

King County International Airport is not authorized to restrict aircraft usage 24/7.

The city says you can file a noise complaint online or by calling 206-205-5242.

Though it may be loud, it sounds like there will be some interesting sights for fans of vintage aircraft.

Tags: airplane noise

Local commute station provides Bike to Work treats, services today

Beacon Hill commuters participating in Bike to Work Day should bike by the corner of Beacon and Columbian between 6-9 a.m. this morning, where Bike Works will be hosting a Bike to Work Day commute station with free souvenirs, snacks, and bicycle advice.

Depending on your commute, you might pass other stations on your way to work, too. See the list of commute stations here.

Tags: bicycles

A busy Beacon weekend ahead

It’s a busy weekend this week, particularly on Saturday morning. Take your pick from several events, including:

Saturday:

The Seven Hills Seattle and Scandinavian history walk starts on Queen Anne Hill at 9 a.m. and finishes right here on Beacon Hill. Information here.

Fire Station #13 Open House from 11-1 p.m. will celebrate the station’s reopening after renovation. All are welcome. Information here.

Franklin Arts Festival from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m will feature music, art, and food for the whole family. Information here.

Beacon Hill animator Tess Martin’s short, Hula Hoop, will play at SIFF Cinema Uptown at 10 a.m. as part of the Seattle Times and SIFF 3 Minute Masterpiece contest. Admission is free. Information here.

Sunday:

All are invited to a Lewis Park work party to assist in improving the park. These volunteer events are every first and third Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. at the park, 12th Ave S and Golf Dr S. Tools, gloves, water, and refreshments are provided.

A bit later in the day is a cooking demo at El Centro de la Raza with chef Vincent Rivera of Jazz Alley, who will demonstrate how to cook carnitas, pozole, and ceviche. Information here.

And finally, the ROCKiT Community Arts board meeting is Sunday from 1-3 p.m. at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave. S. The meeting is open to the public.

Tags: festival, film, fire station, franklin hs, history, rockit space, seattle history, walking tour

Bike thefts aggravate North Beacon neighbors

Today is Bike to Work Day, but if you participate, don’t forget to lock up your bike! Neighbors on the Beacon Hill mailing list have reported several bike thefts recently. The thefts were from the areas of 19th and Waite, 19th and Horton, and 18th and Horton. One neighbor reported “two bikes [were] stolen from our garage while we were doing yardwork.” Another bike was stolen while parked in an alley. “I haven’t been able to keep a bike more than a season,” added another neighbor. “It’s cheap bikes and security cameras from now on for us.”

If your bicycle is stolen and its value is less than $500, you can file a police report online here. If the bicycle stolen is worth more than $500, report the theft by calling the police non-emergency number, 206-625-5011.

Tags: bicycles, theft

Beacon Hill animator tells a “whale of a tale”

Tess Martin, animator, resident of North Beacon Hill, and world traveler, decided to put visuals to a whale of a tale she initially heard over a podcast called “Animal Minds.” The story involving a whale first trapped, then freed by a caring fisherman, “It raises a lot of questions about animal consciousness,” she says. “How much do we know about it, how will we ever know? That sort of thing. The story stuck with me, and when I got the chance to work at such a large scale I thought the whale story would be perfect.”

The “large scale” turned out to be part of the large red wall around the construction for Capitol Hill’s light rail —- which became the shifting canvas for the animated images in her three-minute finished film, The Whale Story. Working in public did have its challenges, she relates: “The film was animated mainly over two days — we accomplished all of the wide shots and mid-shots then. I later went back to the wall with the actor to re-shoot some close-ups. The second day it started raining really hard and that pretty much stopped the shoot. The rain was streaking the paint as we were trying to apply it. If you look closely during the film you can tell where this starts happening. But I decided to re-shoot some of these scenes in close-up later because it was just too messy.”

She also “learned to have a confirmed ride at the end of the shoot to schlep all your equipment back to storage. I ended up with way more equipment than I could carry and hadn’t properly arranged a car to transport it, and had to scramble at the last minute. Especially if it’s raining, this is no fun!”

Always busy, Martin next plans “Some animated segments for a documentary called Barzan about an Iraqi immigrant who was accused of terrorism and deported. It’s all in sand and I’ll be working on that for a while yet. Next up I will be going away on an artist residency in August to work on my next short about human-animal relationships. It’s a similar theme as The Whale Story, except a more personal look at pets.”

(The Whale Story plays at the Seattle International Film Festival as part of the “Animations For Adults” package of animated shorts on Saturday, May 26, 9:30 p.m. at SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N. Another short by Martin, Hula Hoop, plays for free on Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. at SIFF Uptown as one of 11 winners of the Seattle Times and SIFF 3 Minute Masterpiece contest. For more information on Tess Martin and her work, visit http://www.filmandscissors.com/.)

(Photos courtesy of Tess Martin.)

Tags: local artists

Franklin Arts Festival raises funds with music, art, and food

Just down the hill, the annual Franklin Arts Festival returns this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Franklin High School, 3013 Mount Baker Blvd. The festival will feature student performances including the steel drum band, kung fu team, jazz band, Quaker band, and lion dancers, along with displays of visual art, ceramics, and wood arts. Franklin High School is celebrating its centennial this year; it opened in September 1912 as the second purpose-built high school in Seattle.

Student clubs will sell a variety of items including heirloom tomato and vegetable plants, woodcrafts, notecards featuring student art, and original ceramic “Quaker cups” hand-thrown and fired by Franklin alum and artist Francis Roque and glazed by Franklin students. Refreshments will also be for sale.

The festival raises funds to benefit Franklin’s art, drama, and music programs and student clubs.

Tags: festival, franklin hs

A walk through seven hills and Seattle history

Beacon Hill’s Jose Rizal Park is the grand finale of Saturday’s Seven Hills Walk, a guided 6.5 mile walk through Seattle (and local Scandinavian) history across the city’s seven past and present hills.

The walk is based on a traditional 20-mile hike in Seattle’s sister city of Bergen, Norway. Seattle’s shorter version starts on Queen Anne Hill at the Kerry Park viewpoint, 211 W. Highland Dr. Walkers and history guides will then visit Denny Hill (at least, what remains of it — including Denny Park and the Denny Park Lutheran Church, as well as the former Sons of Norway Hall), Capitol Hill (Cal Anderson Park and Seven Hills Park), Second Hill a.k.a. Renton Hill (Fred Lind Manor, a retirement home which features historical pieces from the old downtown Swedish Baptist Church), First Hill (lunch at Swedish Hospital), Yesler or “Profanity” Hill, and last but not least, Beacon Hill and Rizal Park.

The walk will start at 9 a.m. at Kerry Park and run until about 3 p.m. It is free and all are welcome. Walkers can purchase lunch at Swedish (there is a limited lunch menu) or bring their own lunches. Metro buses will return walkers to Kerry Park; bring a bus pass or money if you wish to ride.

The event is sponsored by the Seattle-Bergen Sister City Association and Sound Steps.

Tags: seattle history, walking tour

Fortified wines, some beers a bit harder to buy on Beacon Hill

Casey McNerthney at SeattlePI.com reports that a pilot program to voluntarily restrict sales of certain beers and fortified wines on Beacon Hill (previously discussed here) has gone into effect.

The plan addresses retailers such as convenience stores, who will receive “strong prompting” (from alcohol distributors and the mayor’s office) to prohibit sales of the problem products between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m., seven days a week. The plan does not include bars and restaurants.

According to McNerthney, the city is providing a kit of suggested options for small businesses that have previously relied on the sales of fortified wine and beer.

Some Beacon Hill neighbors have been working on creating an Alcohol Impact Area (AIA) on the Hill. In an AIA, retailers may be restricted from selling certain types of alcoholic beverages that are linked to local chronic public inebriation problems. This is the list of products currently banned in AIA areas. The current voluntary plan would not preclude the city from eventually creating an AIA if necessary.

We don’t yet know which Beacon Hill businesses are participating in the plan, but we have asked the Mayor’s office for further clarification.

Tags: alcohol, alcohol impact area