Monthly Archives: May 2012

Arts

Beacon Hill animator tells a “whale of a tale”

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Beacon Hill animator Tess Martin.
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.)

A still from The Whale Story.
Education, Local Events

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

Painting by Franklin student Aren Roberson, courtesy of Franklin PTSA.

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.

Other Neighborhoods, Recreation

A walk through seven hills and Seattle history

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This 1909 photo shows the Denny Regrade in progress; the regrade is the reason we no longer have a Denny Hill. Photo courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives.

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.

BH in the News, Local Business

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

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Photo (not of Beacon Hill, as far as we know) by Steve Snodgrass via Creative Commons/Flickr.

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.

History of the Hill

97 years ago today…

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Sherwood Gillespy (1853-1912) was an early advocate for municipal golf in Seattle, and is commemorated by a statue in front of the golf clubhouse in Jefferson Park. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
On May 12, 1915, the Jefferson Park Municipal Golf Course opened here on Beacon Hill. It was the first municipal golf course in Seattle. 97 years later, the golf course still operates, and still draws golfers from throughout the area to enjoy a bit of Beacon Hill.

You can read a HistoryLink.org essay about the course here. Here’s another essay with more detail about the course.

Thanks to neighbor Corinna Laughlin for pointing out this anniversary to us.

Recreation

Women wanted for Wednesday lawn bowling league

Neighbor Heather sent this invitation:

‘Tis the season for Wednesday evening summer lawn bowling. This is a call out to all the ladies of Seattle who might want to consider joining this fabulous, but little known, summer outdoor activity on Beacon Hill. We are the Beacon Hill Bowl Busters — a women’s league at the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club working hard to walk the friendly line between social and competitive. The season goes from June 6 to August 1.

Things to know:

  • We are an eclectic group of women lawn bowlers.
  • We bowl every Wednesday evening from 7 til you pretty much feel done or we get kicked off the greens.
  • We have created a light-hearted, socially-competitive environment.
  • We like to get our drink on and have a permit to do so on Wednesday evenings.
  • We like to get our drink on.
  • We welcome people who don’t want to get their drink on.
  • We love our community.
  • We fire up the grill and welcome food.
  • We have a blast bowling together.
  • We have an amazing million-dollar view.

You:

For questions about joining the club contact info@seattlebowls.org
For questions about the league contact Kat Marriner at katmarriner@comcast.net

Education, Food and Drink

Learn how to cook carnitas, pozole, and ceviche at El Centro

Pork carnitas, pozole, and halibut ceviche are on the menu May 20 for a cooking demo at El Centro de la Raza with local chef Vincent Rivera of Jazz Alley. Cost to attend is $40, and for that fee, you’ll observe and learn how to cook a three-course meal along with side dishes. Recipes will be provided.

The demo will include hands-on cooking opportunities, so wear an apron if possible. Be prepared to observe, learn, and take notes.

Tickets are available here. The event is Sunday, May 20, from 1-2:30 p.m. at El Centro’s kitchen, 2524 16th Ave. S. Proceeds from the demo will benefit the El Centro de la Raza Senior Nutrition and Wellness program.

Pork carnitas. Photo by Mike McCune via Creative Commons/Flickr.
Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

Taste of Van Asselt needs vendors, musicians

The folks organizing the Taste of Van Asselt event this summer have issued a call for vendors and musicians. The event is Saturday, July 21 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle St. on South Beacon Hill.

The cost is $35 per food or arts and crafts vendor, and each vendor must have a Seattle business license. The deadline for registering is Wednesday, July 11. Sound like something you’re interested in? Call 206-386-1921 for more information or to register.

Volunteer musicians are also needed for the event. Interested musicians should call 206-512-5281.

Local Events

New, improved fire station reopens with public celebration

Station 13 in 2010. Photo by Jason Simpson.

Mark your calendars for a family celebration on Saturday, May 19 from 11-1 p.m., when the newly-remodeled Fire Station #13 holds a dedication and open house, sponsored by the Seattle Fire Department and by the Seattle Fire Fighters Union, Local 27. The event will include tours of the fire station, a chance to meet your local firefighters, activities for children, and refreshments.

The station, a Mission Revival-style building constructed in 1928, is a designated Seattle Landmark. From the outside, it looks much the same as it has for 84 years. But inside, it now has expanded square footage, improved decontamination facilities, increased equipment storage, an improved fire alarm and sprinkler system, and a new kitchen. It also has a new roof, an emergency generator, and it has been given a seismic upgrade. Fire crews were temporarily relocated to Station 14 in Sodo for several months during the remodeling project.

The building was previously renovated and expanded in 1987, and received emergency seismic repairs after the 2001 Nisqually earthquake.

Station 13 is located on the southwest corner of Beacon and Spokane, at 3601 Beacon Ave. S.

Opinion

Letter to the editor: Watch out for driveways when parking

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To the BHB:

Recently I have heard about several people in the North Beacon Hill area getting parking tickets for parking where they normally park every day. Some people were complaining about not having permits in a permit area; others didn’t know what they were ticketed for.

The one I heard quite a bit about at the store was a guy who got a ticket for “…nothing. I was just parked there. Tight against the curb and everything.” He then added that he was between two driveways, but he insisted that he was clearly not in front of either one. When I asked him what they cited him for, he did not know. He claimed it was not “clearly stated on the ticket.”

Tickets are supposed to tell you the Seattle Municipal Code violation number. And since they are printed out on little computer slips, I am sure they do. He just didn’t know how to read the ticket, or it did not read “You were cited because of this reason…”

My guess: SMC 11.72.110 – Driveway or alley entrance. Which says it is illegal to park within five feet of a driveway. (It reads: “No person shall stand or park a vehicle in front of a public or private driveway within a street or alley or in front of or in an alley entrance or within five feet (5′) of the end of a constructed driveway return or alley entrance return, or if none, within five feet (5′) of the projection of the edge of the driveway or alley.” — Ed.) Which means if our guy had a car 15 feet long, the space between the two driveways would have had to have been 25 feet to leave room for his car, and he would have to be parked perfectly.

Here is the Seattle Department of Transportation blog post on the subject.

Parking too close to a driveway makes it so the resident can not turn into, or pull out of, their driveway — effectively blocking them in. It is not their responsibility to try and “squeeze” around someone else’s bad parking habits.

–Todd Simpson, North Beacon Hill

Don't do what this driver in Ravenna did. Photo by Josh Larios via Flickr/Creative Commons.