Monthly Archives: October 2011

History of the Hill, Life on the Hill

Beacon Lutheran Church to close

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Beacon Lutheran Church under construction in 1947. Photo courtesy of Beacon Lutheran Church archives via John Graham.
The 70-year-old Beacon Lutheran Church (1720 S. Forest St.) will close at the end of this month, with a final worship service and farewell dinner planned for Sunday, October 30. Community members are invited to the closing events.

The church was founded in 1941 by members of Hope Lutheran Church in West Seattle. For the first few years, the group met at the Garden House on 15th Avenue South, then moved into their current building on South Forest Street in 1948.

Membership numbers have been gradually declining since the early 1970s, and so in March of this year, the congregation voted to disband, as the smaller membership could no longer keep the church functioning.

Ownership of the building and its contents will be transferred to the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The Rainier Valley Cooperative Preschool, which currently rents space in the building, will continue to rent there through at least the end of this school year. Long-term plans for the site are unknown.

John Graham sent us this invitation to the community:

You, our Beacon Hill neighbors, are all invited to the closing service and farewell dinner for Beacon Lutheran Church on Sunday, October 30th, 2011. Worship will begin at 10:00 am for the event. Afterwards, about noon-ish, we’ll gather for a potluck dinner and brief program to celebrate 70 years of God’s blessings to our congregation. There will also be photographs on display and hopefully, we can get a reminiscence or two out of our older members. Please come and share in one or both parts of the event. For more info, you can e-mail me at hamburgerclan@yahoo.com.

On behalf of the congregation, I’d like to thank you all for letting us be a part of the community on Beacon Hill. God’s richest blessings to you all in the years to come.

Peace,
John Graham

Here are some photos from the 70-year history of Beacon Lutheran Church.

Music during a worship service at Beacon Lutheran in about 1970. Photo courtesy of Beacon Lutheran Church archives via John Graham.
Beacon Lutheran Church's first confirmation class at the Garden Club House, 1942. Photo courtesy of Beacon Lutheran Church archives via John Graham.
Sunday School, January 2011. Photo courtesy of Beacon Lutheran Church archives via John Graham.
Meetings

Rizal Park off-leash area changes to be discussed at 10/20 meeting

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As mentioned previously in this space, Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a public meeting this Thursday, October 20 from 6:30-8 p.m. to present and discuss possible changes to the off-leash area (OLA) at Dr. Jose Rizal Park. The meeting will be at Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave. S.

The construction of the nearby Mountains to Sound Trail has provided an opportunity to reconfigure areas of the park including the OLA. In the proposed changes, the OLA would be reduced in size and fenced, to provide a buffer between the dog area and bicycle traffic. However, all of the property within the OLA would be usable, which is not the case with the current site.

The proposal is not without controversy. “Save our off-leash area!” reads a headline on Frieda Adams’ “Friends of Jose Rizal Off-Leash Area” website, which contains commentary about the proposed changes, and a petition form to keep the OLA at its current size.

Adams is not in favor of Parks’ proposed changes to the site footprint, and suggests that the city is shrinking the site because of low attendance and perceived vulnerability to crime in the area: “Whether low attendance is due to fear, whether it’s due to neglect on the part of the Parks Department and COLA, whether it’s true that nobody is using the site—these are all considerations the City must take into account before scrapping the off-leash area’s original concept.”

Those interested in the future of the park and of the OLA should attend Thursday’s meeting, where Parks’ plan will be presented in full.

BH in the News, Food and Drink

Seattle Met chows down on Beacon Avenue

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Bar del Corso is one of the restaurants on Beacon Avenue featured in a recent Seattle Met article. Photo by Wendi.
Seattle Met’s Kathryn Robinson recently posted an article about three of Beacon Avenue’s restaurants: Bar del Corso, Travelers Thali House, and Inay’s Asian Pacific Cuisine, suggesting that with restaurants like these, Beacon Hill is now a neighborhood worth bringing your appetite to.

About Bar del Corso, Robinson says “Full of neighbors sharing wine and chatting across tables, it was a true third place from the moment it opened in July.” Travelers “now has the space to do justice” to the thali and street food its owners have served until now from a portion of a small retail store on Capitol Hill. And Inay’s food, says Robinson, is “accorded solid treatment by Inay’s son Ernie”—but she even more highly recommends eating there on Friday evenings, when waiter Louie transforms into drag queen waiter Atasha for a lip sync diva tribute.

Commenters on the article and on the Beacon Hill mailing list noted that El Quetzal was left out, as was Baja Bistro. Perhaps Robinson wanted to focus on newer restaurants, though Inay’s has been around for several years.

Arts, Local Events

Harvest Fair comes to Garden House on 10/22

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Mark your calendar for the Beacon Hill Harvest Fair, Saturday October 22 from 2-9 p.m. Activities for all ages include apple cider pressing, art, music, and dancing. On the edible side of things, there will also be a bake sale, food vendors, a Food Forest demonstration, and, to share the harvest’s bounty, a donation drive for the El Centro de la Raza food bank.

The Harvest Fair is free and will take place at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave. S.

Here’s the planned schedule of events:

  • 2 p.m. until dark:

    • Apple cider pressing with 300 pounds of apples grown here on Beacon Hill at the Jose Rizal Park orchard. If you have extra home grown apples you would like to share, bring them to be pressed.
    • El Centro de la Raza Food Bank food drive
    • Beacon Food Forest demonstrates a “fruit tree guild”
    • Beacon Hill Garden Club members talk to interested folks about membership in their organization
    • ROCKiT space bake sale
    • Food vendors
  • 2-5 p.m.: Create an Art Chair with Kathleen McHugh. For all ages, no experience required.
  • 3 p.m.: Hamanah Don plays West African Malinke harvest rhythms.
  • 5 p.m.: Aaron Hennings leads the Mercer Middle School eighth grade orchestra.
  • 6 p.m.: Jefferson Community Center-based break dance crews perform.
  • 7-9 p.m.: Harvest Fair Barn Dance featuring the Small Time String Band (Oliver Abrahamson on fiddle, Eli Abrahamson on banjo, Terrie Abrahamson on guitar, and Danny Abrahamson on bass), with Sherry Nevins calling dances that are fun for the whole family—no lessons or experience needed.
Arts, Local Events

Beacon Boogie brings art, music, and fun on 10/29

The first Beacon Boogie will celebrate food, art, and music on the Hill on October 29. Five bands will perform in five different North Beacon venues for five dollars (free for kids 12 and under). All of the venues are on Beacon Avenue South within a half block of South Hanford Street.

The festivities begin with pizza and the jazz of Trio Zazou at Bar del Corso from 5-7 p.m. Then from 7-10, the music moves to four other venues:

Quetzalcoatl Gallery will also host a community Day of the Dead altar, and a reception for a photography exhibition by Almendra Sandoval.

The Beacon Boogie is sponsored by the Beacon Hill Merchants Association.

Here’s a video of Beacon Boogie performer Greg Ruby:

Read on to see more videos and a clickable map of the event’s venues.
Continue reading Beacon Boogie brings art, music, and fun on 10/29 →

Food and Drink

El Quetzal applies for expanded liquor license

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Another liquor license application was recently filed for a Beacon Hill business. El Quetzal, the Mexican restaurant at 3209 Beacon Ave. S., filed an “Added/Change of class/In lieu” application for a license of the type “Spirits/beer/wine restaurant service bar; off-premises sale of wine.” This is an application for an additional liquor license class beyond their current license. The off-premises license would allow the restaurant to sell wine by the unopened bottle for off-premises consumption.

The applicants are listed as Juan Jose Montiel, Elena Sarmiento, Juan Jose Montiel Cardova, and Elena Sarmiento Ruiz. The license number is 405543. As usual, if you wish to make any comments on this application, whether positive or negative, e-mail customerservice@liq.wa.gov.

The brightly colored El Quetzal. Photo by Wendi.
Life on the Hill

ROCKiT space says: “Thanks for the apples!”

Betty Jean Williamson from ROCKiT space writes:

ROCKiT space would like to recognize the generous efforts of our neighbors and partners City Fruit and Jose Rizal Park Orchard for picking and delivering 300 pounds of apples to Garden House! These little beauties will be pressed into cider at the Beacon Hill Harvest Fair October 22. The cider will be shared with neighbors who attend the event. Folks should bring clean jars or containers to take some home!

The Harvest Fair will run from 2-9 p.m. on October 22 at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave. S. Stay tuned for more information later this week!

Food and Drink, News

La Esperanza de Seattle applies for new liquor license

According to the State Liquor Control Board, La Esperanza de Seattle at 2505 Beacon Ave. S. has made a new application for a liquor license of the type Grocery Store – Beer/Wine. This appears to be the same as a license application we wrote about last May; it is not uncommon for notifications to be re-announced with a new date if certain changes had to be made to the application.

The applicants are La Esperanza de Seattle GP, Geovanni Santacruz, and Omar Santacruz. The license number is 407963. If you wish to make any comments on this application, whether positive or negative, e-mail customerservice@liq.wa.gov.

Health and Safety, Meetings

Neighbors attempt to reduce impact of alcohol on Beacon Hill

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As usual, the 10/4 North Beacon Hill Council meeting was jam-packed with a variety of topics. The majority of the meeting was dedicated to efforts to organize an Alcohol Impact Area (AIA) in North Beacon Hill. North Beacon Hill neighbors are attempting to organize an AIA to increase public safety. To learn more, visit their Facebook page at Beacon AIAI.

AIA supporters believe that implementing an Alcohol Impact Area in Beacon Hill will increase public safety and lower costs to taxpayers by decreasing the need for first responders (Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department, etc) called to assist those incapacitated by alcohol. A first step to implement an AIA is to report all incidents of public inebriation and collecting/taking photographs of all alcohol related litter (especially cans/bottles of restricted brands).

Per the WA State Liquor Control Board: “The purpose of an Alcohol Impact Area is for local authorities to have a process to mitigate problems with chronic public inebriation or illegal activities linked to the sale or consumption of alcohol within a geographic area of their city, town or county, but not the entire jurisdiction. An Alcohol Impact Area is designated by geographical boundaries as defined in Washington Administrative Code Chapter 314-12.”

The WA State Liquor Control Board evaluated AIAs in 2009. Results are here. One interesting conclusion: people living in Alcohol Impact Areas reported that they were happier!

“Overall, in comparison to the results of the 2006 survey, people living within the Alcohol Impact Areas are now more positive as evidenced by the following:
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  • 26% of people rate the overall quality of life in their neighborhood as excellent (20% in 2006)

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  • 60% of people say they notice chronic public inebriates in the neighborhood (69% in 2006)
  • 18% of people say that drug activity has increased (24% in 2006)
  • But, 28% of people say that crime has increased (23% in 2006)”

(Source: Seattle Alcohol Impact Area Evaluation Executive Summary, 2009.)

City of Seattle studies did not inquire whether residents within AIAs enjoyed a higher quality of life, but did discover:

“…A decrease in offenses related to chronic public inebriation: Adult Liquor Violations, Parks Exclusions, and Criminal Trespass. In addition, the sobering unit van also saw a 9% decrease in pick-ups over the same pre-mandatory AIA and post-mandatory AIA periods of time.” (Source: June 2008 Report on Mandatory Compliance Efforts in the Seattle Alcohol Impact Area.)

Department of Neighborhoods Program Manager Pamela Banks attended Tuesday’s meeting and cautioned that North Beacon Hill would face an uphill battle to implement an AIA. Resources and staff are currently stretched very thin in Seattle and the AIA process is difficult.

Other options to reduce public inebriation and increase public safety were discussed, including asking neighborhood businesses to voluntarily participate in a “Good Neighbor” agreement limiting sales of banned beverages and requesting increased enforcement of existing laws.

Beacon AIAI supporters hope to engage the community in efforts to make Beacon Hill safer. For more information, visit their Facebook page or email beaconaiai@gmail.com.

Local Events

Rainier Valley Co-Op Preschool Fall Festival, Rizal Park apple harvest are this Saturday

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, The Rainier Valley Co-Op Preschool is holding their annual Fall Festival this Saturday, October 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will be held in the 1700 block of Forest Street, in front of Beacon Lutheran Church.

The family event will include a block party, a dj dance party, live music by Eli Rosenblatt, bike parades on the hour, hot dogs, a bake sale, games for kids, a recycled toy shop, a treasure hunt in the sandbox, face painting, and more!

Neighbors of all ages are welcome to have fun and help support the preschool. Bring your bicycle if you want to be part of the bike parades.

Neighbors are invited to help with the apple harvest from Dr. Jose Rizal Park. Photo by Alessio Maffeis via Creative Commons.
Another fall activity will be taking place a bit further north on the hill at the same time (10 a.m. on October 8), where neighbors are invited to help harvest apples from the orchard at Dr. Jose Rizal Park. Most of the apples will become cider for the Beacon Hill Harvest Festival later this month, but some apples will also be available for your own baking. Craig Thompson writes:

Please come down to harvest the second crop of apples (tiny, tiny one last year, this year is much bigger); these apples are destined for the City Fruit apple press at the Oct. 22 Beacon Hill Harvest Festival, but there should be enough for your baking needs.

Now, these apples may have some bugs, but last year the winesaps I picked were still good for a significant pie.

We’ll have three fruit basket pickers (whatever they’re really called), plus some orchard ladders. We’ll also have all the containers necessary to hold the apples and transport them over to the Garden House, where the cider destined will cool in the basement until the Harvest Festival.

Forecast says it should be pretty nice in the late morning, too! So please take a wee bit to pick some fruit and, also, to check out the park. It’s really pretty magnificent now, and it will only get better!