Choreographer Freya Wormus’ new work, hold, hold on anyway, go anyway, let go anyway, is completing a brief run this weekend at an unusual performance venue—Yoga on Beacon, at 3013 Beacon Avenue South. The four dancers climb and swing from the walls of the studio, using straps and buckles. Sandra Kurtz at the Seattle Weeklyreviewed it favorably: “…When they use the wall as a partner, swooping down toward the floor and then rebounding off the end of their tether to swing back up again, physics adds an extra flourish to their dynamism.”
Photo by Jason.Betty Jean Williamson of Beacon Hill Music tells us that ROCKiT space will be open in January after all. The current lease runs through January 23, and the outlook for filling the labor and financial gap is positive, though continued support from the community will still be necessary if a new lease can be negotiated.
Here is a letter to the community from Beacon Hill Music:
Twenty-four folks came to the ROCKiT space community meeting on December 5. They voiced great support for keeping ROCKiT space open and developing more programs to make it more sustainable.
Part of the plan is to raise $2000 by January 1, for a rainy day fund equal to one month’s expenses. This will be used to cover the projected $100-200 monthly deficit until new income streams can come on line. Donations can be made at www.rockitspace.org—look for the paypal button on the home page.
ROCKiT space is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 11:00 am-6:00 pm and Saturday 3:00-6:00 pm. Volunteers are staffing these hours; you can sign up to help during business hours or contact Betty Jean Williamson at bjwlmp@msn.com or 206-658-0187.
ROCKiT space Events
Beacon Hill Music Songwriter’s Circle Beacon Hill Music is starting a casual and quite affordable songwriters’ group where people come together and play songs for each other. Sundays at 4:00 pm at ROCKiT Space, starting this Sunday, December 12. $5 per session to cover costs. Contact Paul Ray through email at beaconrocks@gmail.com or 206-658-3622 or show up at ROCKiT Space on Sunday.
ROCKiT Space Supporters Meeting Tuesday, December 14, 7:00pm. Reconvene the group that met last week. Updates on fund raising, events and community networking.
Open Mic Performers come from all over Seattle and even from parts unknown to share a diverse range of music, and audience members join in whenever the mood strikes. Any given session can feature artists of all ages and from all walks of life, making each Open Mic night a completely unique experience. Saturday, December 18, 7:00-10:00 pm. $5 minimum donation at the door.
Tuesday Folk Club December 28. 7:00pm house party music event features two old time/country bands: Red Dog, a popular trio, and Dram County, a brother sister duo and guests. Minimum donation $7 at the door, $5 in advance, available at Rockit Space starting Monday 12/13 during business hours.
Tots Jam Suzanne Sumi continues this music happening for the little ones every Wednesday morning 9:00-10:00 am at ROCKiT space.
On December 6, the Levy Citizens Oversight Committee gave their final recommendations for Parks and Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund grant projects. Two North Beacon Hill projects made the final list, which will go to the City Council for approval in March.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Dee Dunbar, Vinh Nguyen, and the other Friends of Lewis Park, Lewis Park has been recommended for an Opportunity Fund grant for $260,000. These funds will be used to pay professional crews to take care of the steep slopes which are inaccessible to volunteers, as well as restoration of native plants and trees.
Santos Rodriguez Park at El Centro de la Raza, in the snow. Photo by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons.El Centro de la Raza was also recommended for a $350,000 grant for Santos Rodriguez Memorial Park on the west side of the El Centro building, to revitalize the park and increase public awareness and access to the park space. This grant would be conditional, requiring improvements in public access; the recommendation reads: “Must provide public access during non-childcare program hours. Entrances/access should be provided to make the site clearly open to the public and gates must be unlocked during non- school/program hours.”
The free bike lights today probably won't be this Christmasy. Photo by Richard Masoner via Creative Commons.Beacon Hill bicyclists can brighten up their cycling tonight, for free. Ride by the south end of the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge (the start of the I-90 trail, where 12th Avenue South becomes Sturgus Avenue South) today between 4:00 and 6:00 pm, when Cascade Bicycle Club will be distributing 420 sets of free bike lights. Look for the Cascade banner that will mark the spot.
This structure is the central feature of Daejeon Park. Photo by Keith Tyler in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.KOMO reports that an anti-North Korea protest is planned for 11 a.m. this morning at North Beacon Hill’s Daejeon Park, 1144 Sturgus Avenue South. Demonstrators, mostly from Seattle’s Korean community, will be protesting North Korea’s November shelling of the South Korean island Yeonpyeong.
We recently posted the winners of the Sights of Route 36 contest, but have been reminded that we haven’t yet posted the answers! Here they are. You can click the links to see larger photos of each location.
Photo courtesy of Jefferson Park Food Forest Steering Committee.On Wednesday, December 8, the Jefferson Park Food Forest Steering Committee is hosting a free slide show about home and community permaculture. The event invitation says, “This show will highlight many ways to make our urban homesteads more efficient and provide methods for our community to be more resilient in tough eco times.” Permaculturist Dave Boehnlein will present the slide show, which will showcase home food production, energy efficiency, food forestry and community activation.
The event is Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm, in the Beacon Hill Library meeting room, 2821 Beacon Avenue South. Food and drinks will be provided. All are welcome.
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.
Photo by Jason.by Betty Jean Williamson, Beacon Hill Music
As many of you may know, ROCKiT space, our community space for music and art, has been operating at a deficit for some time. A recent family emergency has pushed director Jessie McKenna to the breaking point; she simply can not continue to volunteer six days a week to keep ROCKiT space open, and continue to lose money on top of it.
A number of folks have stepped forward to volunteer during the month of December to keep the doors open while Jessie is not available. The lease ends January 23, 2011. The property is listed for lease on craigslist. The landlord is willing to consider working with the community to keep ROCKiT space (or something like it) in place, even if that means a co-op of a number of tenants. Contact me at bjwlmp@msn.com if you are willing to commit financial support or want to volunteer during December.
ROCKiT space supporters will meet on Sunday, December 5, at 10:00 am at ROCKiT space, 3315 Beacon Avenue South. Please join us for more info and planning. Bring your ideas and your calendars!
Two ROCKiT events have sufficient support to continue either on site or re-located to other Beacon Hill locations:
Open Mic: Beacon Hill Music will take over facilitating the event. We will continue on the first and third Fridays in December at ROCKiT space. I am currently negotiating with the Garden Club for use of their Headquarters house; other options for re-location are Jefferson Community Center or local restaurants.
Tots Jam: Suzanne Sumi is committed to keeping the music happening for the little ones every Wednesday morning from 9:00 to 10:00 am at ROCKiT for the next four weeks. She will discuss the situation with the parents and let me know what level of support they can muster. We feel the most likely relocation site is El Centro, if they have space available in that time frame.
We also agree that, what ever happens, we want to help with expenses at ROCKiT so that Jessie and Marty are not left holding the tab for the whole neighborhood. To that end we will seek funding sources and partners to develop a larger co-operative network to manage and support ROCKiT ongoing; if that support is lacking, we will donate these proceeds to ROCKiT to cover closing costs and hopefully keep these generous folks out of debt.
To that end we propose a few benefit events:
Open Mics will have a $5 suggested donation on December 4 and 18.
Robert Hinrix is working on a benefit concert at ROCKiT space, TBA in late December.
Rebecca Smithers will ask the Franklin High School Jazz Band to consider a joint fundraiser— they play at ROCKiT space, TBA. We charge admission and proceeds are split between ROCKiT and the Jazz Band.
Other suggestions for the space have included:
Shared office space for local non-profits.
A co-operative natural food store/coffee house/music venue or any part(s) of that.
I will be coordinating any volunteers who want to come in and open ROCKiT space for community use or do any cleaning, maintenance or organizing to stay or move ROCKiT out as the case may be.
Please send me any details of how and when you want to help.
Please share this letter with folks you know care about ROCKiT space and might want to help.
Caspar Babypants (Chris Ballew) will perform at the Wellspring Family Services open house on Saturday.‘Tis the season for sharing good cheer! Here are some ideas to get into the spirit of giving.
Don’t miss the Wellspring Family Services open house on Saturday, December 4, at 1900 Rainier Avenue South. The event features a free performance by Caspar Babypants (aka Chris Ballew of the Presidents of The United States of America) and other musicians. The open house is free and for all ages, but please bring a new unwrapped toy to support the holiday drive. Â You can donate your child’s outgrown clothes and gear (car seats, high chairs, etc.) now and all year-round. Why not start a new tradition and ask your child to make room in the toy box for new things?
Clean your pantry and/or pick up extra items for a Beacon Hill food bank. South Beacon Hill neighbors can donate to Beacon Avenue Food Bank, located at 6230 Beacon Avenue South.  North Beacon folks can donate to El Centro’s food bank. Mid-Beacon neighbors can flip a coin—or donate to both!
The Alleycat Acres urban farming collective relies on donations and volunteers to keep their community-run farming efforts going.
The silent auction is sold out, but you should still make a donation to Open Arms Perinatal Services, a nonprofit agency helping pregnant women.
