Art Chair #1, painted by Kathleen McHugh earlier this year. Photo courtesy of ROCKiT space.ROCKiT space is hosting a work party on Saturday, November 5 as part of a continuing project to decorate art chairs for community events. The “Have a Seat, Beacon” project, which began earlier this year, will create 45 chairs that are also individual works of art. This free workshop with Oaxacan and Seattle-based painter and print-maker Fulgencio Lazo will provide participants with the opportunity to transform a plain metal folding chair into a painted art chair.
Lazo, who resides on Beacon Hill with his family, will share his technique and aesthetic approach at the workshop, as well as painting two chairs himself. His work has been exhibited extensively in Mexico, Japan and the United States. Sue Peters of the Seattle Weeklywrote about him in 2005: “There’s a simplicity and joy to Fulgencio Lazo’s work that’s refreshing. His oil paintings evoke Paul Klee and Marc Chagall in their vividly whimsical celebration of family, heritage, and community in his native Oaxaca.”
Space is limited, so the free workshop is open to the public by reservation. No experience is necessary, and the workshop is bilingual. For more information or to reserve a spot in the workshop, contact Sheba Burney-Jones at shebabj@gmail.com or 206-669-4574.
Want to raise chickens like this one? There's a class for that. Photo by Wendi.[Edited at 4:06 p.m. to note that registration is required for the bicycle workshop. –Ed.]
The Seattle Public Library is hosting a series of “Urban Self-Reliance” workshops, including several here at the Beacon Hill Library branch. The workshops are free and open to the public, and registration is not required unless noted in the class description below.
These are the classes scheduled for the Beacon Hill Library (2821 Beacon Ave. S.):
“Bicycle Maintenance”: Basic bike maintenance techniques taught by instructors from The Bikery, a non-profit community bike project. Registration is required for this workshop; call 206-684-4711 to sign up. (1-3 p.m., Sunday, October 2.)
“Keeping Chickens in the City”: The basics of keeping chickens in the city, including starting with chicks, feeding and housing requirements, and more. (6-7:30 p.m., Monday, October 10.)
“Finding Edible Weeds in Your Garden and Lawn”: Local author and expert forager Langdon Cook will talk about how to use your backyard as an exotic produce aisle. (6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 26.)
Classes offered at other library branches include “DIY Seismic Home Retrofitting,” “Apartment Gardening with Amy Pennington,” “Introduction to Bike Commuting,” “Simple Sewing (Bags/Pillows/Potholders),” and more. For more information about the classes offered throughout the rest of the city, see the SPL website.
Photo courtesy of Seattle Tilth.Seattle Tilth is offering a variety of gardening classes in Southeast Seattle this summer, starting on June 22. Classes include “Go Vertical,” to learn how to grow veggies vertically to maximize your space and harvest; “Wildlife-Friendly Gardening”; “Beyond the Vegetable Garden,” which will help you add perennial edibles to your landscaping; “Be Cistern Savvy!” which will teach how to collect rainwater at home; and several more.
These cute pottery critters were made by students in a previous class at Jefferson Community Center. Photo courtesy of Molly Hueffed.Jefferson Community Center is offering pottery classes this summer in the skills of wheel throwing and handbuilding. The classes will include basic understanding and techniques of centering and throwing, as well as advanced 1-on-1 instruction.
Classes begin as early as next week, and enrollment is open now. Call 206-684-7481 for more information and to register, or register online by going to this website, clicking “Arts: Visual/Crafts,” and then “Pottery – Adult/Teen.” Classes are listed there for all community centers.
Van Asselt Community Center wants you to know about some of their upcoming programs this spring through the Healthy Parks, Healthy You Initiative. The programs will focus on physical activity and wellness, with opportunities to get a healthy 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily.
Toddler programs include a Mom and Me Creative Dance class, Busy Bees Creative Dance, and Toddler Gym Play Time. Youth will be served by the Hip Hop 101 class for kids 8-14. Adult programs include an aerobics class, and a new fitness room available for drop-in use every weekday until 8:45.
Other classes are available too. For more information, see the Spring catalog. You can register online if you like, using the SPARC system.
Parents of toddlers on South Beacon Hill, this one’s for you. Van Asselt Community Center is hosting new classes for toddlers and their parents.
In the Parent/Toddler Movement class (18 months – 3 years old), parents/caregivers and their toddlers will explore space through creative movement using props and fun music. The class is Tuesdays, March 1 – March 29, from 11:00 – 11:45 am. Cost is $25.
The Creative Movement class (3 – 5 years old) works to establish body awareness, flexibility, coordination, basic motor skills, and a positive self-image, using age-appropriate music and props while exploring dance concepts such as pathways, rhythms, space, and shapes. Students will also be introduced to basic ballet terminology and steps. This class is Tuesdays, March 1 – March 29, from Noon – 1:00 pm. Cost is $30.
Lastly, Toddler Play Time (for ages up to 5 years old) provides a gym full of children’s toys. Parental supervision is required. Play Time is on Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm; Fridays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, and on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, also from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Cost for Toddler Play Time is $2 per child.
Walking and driving have been treacherous during our recent cold snap, particularly in places like this 14th Avenue location where there seems to be some kind of water leak. Photo by Robert Kangas in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.The Friends of Cheasty Greenspace at Mt. View, together with Cascade Land Conservancy and Washington Conservation Corps, are co-hosting a Martin Luther King Jr. service day on Monday, January 17 from 10:00 am to 12 noon. All are welcome to help, including families with children (it’s a school holiday). To participate, meet at 2809 South Alaska Place, one block west of Columbia City Station. Volunteers will work on forest restoration and invasive species removal. Gloves and tools will be provided.
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Mmmmm, pancakes. MMMMMMMMmmm, all-you-can-eat pancakes for $5! The Cleveland High School softball team is hosting a pancake fundraiser on Saturday, January 9 from 9:00 – 11:00 am. Breakfast is served at the Cleveland cafeteria, the same building where the gym is located. Questions? Email Kyrsten at klpratt@seattleschools.org.
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We previously mentioned that Gage Academy of Art is offering free drop-in art classes for teens aged 13-18 in the Rainier Valley. We have more information about the classes now. January’s classes are “Imaginative Plaster Forms” with Katrina Wolfe, February’s are “Cut It Out” (cut paper in two and three dimensions) with Celeste Cooning, and March features “Explorations in Paint” with Jeanne Dodds.
Classes are on Saturdays at The 2100 Building, 2100 24th Avenue South. Classes will be from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. For more information, call 206-323-GAGE. Art materials and pizza will be provided.
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There is a new Yahoo group/listserv for Beacon Hill parents. Go here to join and chat with your fellow parents in the neighborhood.
“‘You can’t drive down a block on Beacon Hill without seeing them,’ says Joel Lee of the plant sculptures he refers to as bonsai on his popular neighborhood blog. Lee moved to the area a couple of years ago, drawn by the promise of light rail and the Jefferson Park expansion. But as soon as he started walking his dog around the neighborhood, he became fascinated by the display of sheared and shaped plants.”
Unfortunately, author Valerie Easton seemed a bit put off by the Hill’s topiary art.
The Times is also hosting a “map the potholes” project. There are a few Beacon Hill potholes already included, such as the “giant holes heading west on Holgate at approx 14th” (we hit that one a couple of weeks ago—ouch!), but if your most annoying tooth-rattler isn’t listed, please add it.
Neighbor Robert Kangas has noted some extreme water leakage along 14th Avenue South, west of Jefferson Park. The leaks caused some dangerous ice patches. He posted a series of photos here. In discussion on the Beacon Hill mailing list last week, some folks noted a history of artesian wells on the Hill, and suggested that these are the source of some of the leaks around the neighborhood. Others think it’s a leaky water main.
If you notice a potential water leak on public or private property, you can report it by calling 206-386-1800, and Seattle Public Utilities will then check it out.
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The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is hosting three free workshops to educate neighborhood groups and community organizations on the funding process and requirements for the Large Projects Fund, the matching fund that awards up to $100,000 for community projects. Next Tuesday, January 11, there’s a workshop in Southeast Seattle, at the Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Avenue South. The workshop is from 6:00-8:00 pm. More information about the Large Projects Fund and the three workshops may be found here.
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Sustainable South Seattle is hosting the third of a workshop series dedicated towards creating a climate co-op for South Seattle neighborhoods. The event is Wednesday, January 26 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Southside Commons, 3518 South Edmunds Street. Food, refreshments, and childcare will be provided. Please RSVP by emailing climate.coop@gmail.com.
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A new co-ed a cappella group is forming on Beacon Hill, with auditions this month according to a current post on craigslist.org:
We are looking for:
Men and women who are positive, fun and excited about performing and singing harmony. We will possibly be doing 1 to 2 gigs per month starting in the Spring.
We want to be:
16 in total. (We have 10 right now) Put together performances that are tight musically, visually and are funny and entertaining to most people. You don’t have to dance or want to make a fool of yourself, but it is a bonus. Diverse in anyway possible—age, race, musical background, sexuality…
A couple of changes to liquor licenses on the Hill occurred last month. The Station coffee house at 2533 16th Avenue South was approved for a license as a “direct shipment receiver – in WA only.” But every new beginning is some other beginning’s end: on the same day, the liquor license for the ill-fated Tasha’s Bistro Café was discontinued.
This fire truck at Beacon Hill's Fire Station #13 is festively attired for the holiday season. Photo by Joel Lee in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.Neighbor Peter heard sirens last week, and managed to get outside and some photos of a house fire in a boarded-up house on 25th Avenue South, behind QFC. See the photos here.
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News from El Centro de la Raza tells us that Mayor Mike McGinn will be joining them for their Holiday Latino Hot Meal tomorrow, Wednesday, December 22 from 12:00 – 1:00 pm.
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, the shirts will be re-released at Deli Seattle, 1307 First Avenue. They will have men’s and women’s shirts, as well as onesies for babies this time. Sizes are limited, and the shirts are very cool, so if you want one, don’t let it get away this time.
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Do you have an interest in Pacific Northwest ecology? Do you like to share what you know with others? Are you over 18 years of age? Are you looking for a meaningful volunteer experience? You may be interested in the Seward Park Audubon and Environmental Center Master Urban Naturalist program. The program provides free naturalist training workshops and certification in exchange for 10 hours of donated service and completion of a final project or presentation. More information here.
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The newly-revitalized ROCKiT space has a few things going on that you might want to know about.
Need a good place to wrap Christmas gifts, or want someone to wrap them for you? You can wrap your gifts at ROCKiT space, where your loved ones won’t see what you’re up to. DIY gift-wrapping is $5/day site use fee, plus a $2 supply fee. All materials are supplied. Bring your own wrap and they will waive the supply fee.
If you’re a wrapping klutz or just don’t have time, you can also drop off gifts, and they will wrap them for you to pick up later. The fee is $2 each for small packages, and $5 each for large packages.
On Tuesday, December 28 at 7:00 pm, ROCKiT space is hosting a Tuesday Folk Club with two old time/country bands: Red Dog and Dram County. The minimum donation is $7 at the door or $5 in advance. Tickets are available at Rockit Space during business hours.
The Tots Jam with Suzanne Sumi is continuing on Wednesdays, from 9:00 – 11:00 am , but there is no session on December 29.
The Department of Planning and Development has approved an application to subdivide a site at 4010 14th Avenue South into five unit lots for the purpose of allowing sale or lease of the lots. The property will continue to be zoned for duplex multifamily development. Read the decision here.
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There is at least one place to ring in the New Year nearby. The new St. Dames restaurant at Columbia City Station is hosting a party on New Year’s Eve, starting at 10:00 pm. The event will include appetizers, dessert and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door. Make reservations by calling 206-725-8879. St. Dames is located at 4525 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.
Do you know of any other Beacon Hill places that are open for New Year’s? Let us know!
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Gage Academy of Art is offering free drop in art classes for teens aged 13-18 in the Rainier Valley. Classes are on Saturdays at The 2100 Building, 2100 24th Avenue South.
Classes will be from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm. For more information, call 206-323-GAGE. Art materials and pizza will be provided.
Seattle Free School is hosting a class for prospective facilitators on Thursday, January 20 at the Beacon Hill Library. The class runs from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, and is—of course—free.
Seattle Free School runs completely free workshops and classes on a wide variety of topics. Like to make cheese? Need to learn how to tune your motorcycle? Want to learn about world travel? Seattle Free School can help! They rely on volunteer facilitators to keep their programs free, interesting, and exciting.
Here’s how they describe the upcoming facilitator class on their website:
“Is there a skill, hobby, or chunk of knowledge you are passionate about? Want to share that passion with other interested people? Curious about how many people with an aversion to public speaking have come to love being facilitators?
“Come to this class to learn how to be a facilitator with Seattle Free School, and to meet and network with other facilitators. This informal meeting covers what Seattle Free School is, tips on teaching, and how to schedule and promote your course.
“Whether you wish to facilitate a class, or just want to learn more about Seattle Free School, you are welcome to attend this meetup. We recognize that teaching others can be an intimidating task, and we are here to support you and provide assistance in making Seattle Free School a fun adventure for you.”
Judith Edwards of the North Beacon Hill Council sends this information about this month’s NBHC meeting:
Come join the North Beacon Hill Council at 6:30 pm, Thursday, December 2 in the Beacon Hill Library Community Room. No speakers, just food and a chance to meet your neighbors! We’ll do a bit of bragging about what has happened in the past year, thank the Board members for their hard work, and enjoy spending time together. Pizza, salad and water provided by the NBHC Board. Plan to join us!
St. George School is holding their annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 5, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm in the school hall, 5117 13th Avenue South. The bazaar will feature over 25 talented jewelers, artists, crafters, and Fair Trade and commercial vendors from the local community. There will be a continental breakfast available for $3.00, and entertainment will be provided by students, family, and friends of St. George. There will also be a themed gift basket raffle.
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The Pedestrian Advisory Board needs you! Photo by Wendi.The Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board is accepting applications for new members. This volunteer board plays a role in implementing Seattle’s Pedestrian Master Plan, and also advises the Mayor and City Council, participates in planning and project development, and evaluates policies and makes recommendations to all city departments including the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). Board members serve two-year terms; they must be Seattle residents who are not city employees, and should be frequent walkers of any age, level of mobility, area, or “walk of life.”
Interested? Email a resume and cover letter explaining your interest by December 17 to Brian Dougherty at brian.dougherty@seattle.gov. For more information, call Dougherty at 206-684-5124, or send e-mail to the address above.
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Registration is now open for Adult Beginner to Intermediate Spanish classes at El Centro de la Raza. The classes will run from January 11 through March 17 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Information and a registration form is here.
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A new restaurant is having their grand opening this weekend in the Valley near the eastern edge of Beacon Hill: St. Dames, a “neighborhood joint for vegetarian fare and spirited care” in the old Maki and Yaki location at 4525 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, just a block north of Columbia City Station. They promise “Food, drinks and fun for the whole family!
Friday 12/3 Happy Hour all night long! Drink specials through the weekend!”
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The Goodwill Job Training and Education Center just north of the Hill at 1400 South Lane Street is holding registration this month for free classes that will be offered in January and February. Classes will include a nine-week Retail and Customer Service Traing Program, Community College 101, English for Speakers of Other Languages, basic computer skills, writing, math, and cashiering.
Registration will be held from December 13-17 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. For class availability and enrollment information, call 206-860-5791.
