Photo by energyandintensity via Creative Commons/Flickr.ROCKit Community Arts and the Beacon Hill Garden Club invite neighbors to help plant a demonstration garden at El Centro de la Raza later this week. The garden is planned to feature 24 cedar planters with over 20 varieties of beans, creating “the neighborhood’s first free veggie u-pick.”
Planting starts on Thursday, May 23 from 4-6:30 p.m. and continues on Friday, May 24 at the same time. On Saturday, May 25, the planting party takes place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers should bring a trowel and gloves; everything else will be provided. El Centro de la Raza is located at 2524 16th Ave. S.
Sorry for the late notice — we’ve been dealing with some technical issues earlier today, and after receiving this announcement this afternoon, weren’t able to post this until now. There is a meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.) on Environmental Programs, Open Space and Maintenance in Seattle Parks.
At Parks we’re nearing the end of two consecutive levies, primarily for capital projects, that have expanded our park system. We’re at a crossroads. We’ve created the first draft of a Parks Legacy Plan that will take us into the future. This is the time when the public can have the greatest impact in shaping the future of Seattle Parks and Recreation.
The draft includes information on our city’s changing demographics, our current budget and basic services, what people think about our current parks system based on a series of recent surveys, national and regional trends in recreation, and information on costs, attendance and community benefit. It poses policy questions we’re asking the public to answer at the six meetings and/or by email.
Lion dancer photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lowry.Elizabeth Lowry, co-chair of the Franklin High School Arts Festival, sends this announcement:
Imagination. Swagger. Creativity. Culture. Intensity. Irony. Empathy. Everything comes together in the visual art and performances that Franklin High School students will present this week during the school’s yearly arts festival and talent show.
“The Mt. Baker Quakermaker Shaker†is the theme of this year’s festival, which begins with an art opening at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 16, at Mioposto, 3601 S. McClellan St. The FHS talent show is the main attraction Friday, May 17, starting at 7 p.m. in the school’s auditorium, 3013 S. Mount Baker Blvd. The arts festival will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 18, on the plaza in front of FHS.
The events, which are open to the public, bring together students, their families, teachers and staff and Mount Baker neighbors. The festival raises money to benefit Franklin’s art, drama and music programs and student clubs, while the talent show raises money for the senior class of 2015. Tickets to the talent show are $3 for FHS students and $5 for others. The art opening and the arts festival are free.
The festival will feature student performances, including the steel drum band, fashion club, jazz band, Quaker band and lion dancers, along with displays of visual art, ceramics and wood arts. Student clubs will sell heirloom tomato and vegetable plants, treats and handmade crafts. Also for sale are woodcrafts, such as cutting boards, created by students and notecards featuring student art. Vietnamese sandwiches, chips and soft drinks also will be for sale. 

The arts festival is sponsored by the Franklin High School PTSA and the Franklin High student body.


Jenny Mears of the Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club writes:
Photo by Jenny MearsHello ladies! Come spend your sunny summer Wednesday nights in beautiful Jefferson Park with a fabulous group of women learning how to lawn bowl! What’s lawn bowling, you say? It’s an amazingly fun outdoor sport in which you and your team compete to see who can roll their bowls closest to the white ball at the end of the green, all while drinking gin and tonics (or a beverage of your choice). In other words, it’s a completely civilized way to spend a summer weeknight!
Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club has a great assortment of member events, tournaments, and leagues, including Bowl Busters, a league for women. We get together on Wednesday nights throughout the summer, sharing food and drink, and rolling bowls in the summer sun. All skill and experience levels are welcome; lawn bowling is one of those “moment to learn, lifetime to master” things! New Bowl Busters can try out the league with a special introductory rate of $40 for the Bowl Busters season. The first night of Bowl Busters is June 5th and the league runs Wednesday nights through the end of July. For more information or to sign up, see the Bowl Busters page on Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club’s website.
New bowlers do need to get a lesson on the basics before league begins. You’ll learn things like how to hold and roll a bowl, the objective of the game, and small tips to make you a good teammate your first game. Lessons are offered May 22 and May 29 at 7 pm. Sign up for a lesson by contacting BB@seattlebowls.org. Learn all about Jefferson Park Lawn Bowling Club at seattlebowls.org.
The Seattle Department of Transportation wants you to know that streetcar construction will force some lane closures on 12th Avenue South from May 18 through 20. This will affect vehicles traveling from the International District to North Beacon Hill. Here’s the announcement:
Next weekend (May 18 to 20) the southbound lane of 12th Avenue South will be closed at South Jackson Street in the Little Saigon neighborhood for First Hill Streetcar track construction.
SDOT’s contractor will close the street from 7 a.m. on Saturday, May 18 until Monday morning. Southbound vehicles will be able to turn east or west onto South Jackson Street. For vehicles traveling to Beacon Hill, the detour will be eastbound on S Jackson Street to southbound Rainier Avenue South, and then westbound on South College Street.
The detour will be signed to assist drivers traveling through this intersection. Local access, pedestrian access, and access to businesses will be maintained.
Uniformed police officers will be on-site to keep traffic moving at the South Jackson Street and 12th Avenue South intersection.
The Friends of the Beacon Food Forest have sent out an announcement of an upcoming work party and communal art project, along with some status updates about the project. Read on:
Community Work Party and Communal Soft Sculpture Art project
When: Saturday May 18th, 10am- 2pm
Where: BFF Site, 15th Ave S and S. Dakota St
What: Family farm and art event all people welcomed and appreciated. We’ll be doing a variety of farm building projects suitable for all ages. Some of the tasks we’ll do are: organize the plant nursery and repot larger plants, fill in the hose bib and irrigation trenches, build more forest floor by sheet mulching, plant beneficial plants around our trees, broadcast some seeds, build retaining walls for the P-Patches, build community and share a meal.
Dress appropriately for the weather, wear sturdy shoes and bring your work gloves. We need tools and wheel barrows. Please bring an item of clothing to donate to our community sculpture project, see description below.
Food: There will be a Biochar stove demonstration that will cook some pizza for lunch and create nutritious soil amendment at the same time. Never heard of a Biochar stove? come by on the 18th and check it out. We’ll also have pasta and sauces, bread etc and hopefully some desserts if anyone offers to make some. If you contribute a food item lunch is on us, for all others we ask 2$ suggested donation. Please contact Judi at foodforestvolunteer@gmail.com if you have questions.
BFF Fence Line Clothing Project and You Community Fabric Sculpture Project
We would like to turn our construction fencing into a soft sculpture symbol of community power. Please bring one or more items of clothing to donate to the May 18th Work Party to decorate the fence.
Strung up on a long fence, long sleeve shirts will look like they are holding hands, pants will be their legs, and hats may be their heads. Farmer’s overalls and uniforms are one complete package. Long sleeved children’s clothing will look like they are holding and swinging from the arms of their family. We would love to see over 100 linear feet of community cloth decoratively surrounding the BFF.
And we share, if you are walking by and need a little more warmth (or style baby) you can gather it, you can practice your Beacon Food Forest ethical harvesting skills!
Please bring at least one, ARTicle of clothing to decorate/donate to your fence as a massive symbol of community support. If you have sturdy safety pins bring those too we’ll also have some. This is a temporary installment but hopes to be effective while up. All clothes will be donated to Goodwill when they come down. Questions about this project contact glennherlihy@speakeasy.net.
BFF Quick Updates:
Juniper Timber ADA bed retaining walls are complete. Thank you Timber Team.
Lower bench food forest area water system is up and running. Thank You Irrigation Team
Two Bee Hives have been installed by our bee keeper Bob Redmond. Bee Keeping workshops coming soon. Thanks Bob
UW Design build program is building our gather plaza structures off site to be installed late May early June. Thank You UW
Sign Project is progressing beautifully, soon we will have a world class self guided tour of the scientific and social benefits of food forestry on site.
Thanks Molly and Mathew of mdml.co
Steering Committee (SteerCo) is working hard on governance and guiding principles. Go Steerco!
Site Development Committee meets every Tuesday at the BH Library 6:30pm. Absolutely persistent power!
We are continuing to experience country wide media attention and massive Face Book participation.
BFF is positive change, by acting local and effecting the global. Remember that bumper sticker? you are achieving it.
We don’t get a lot of parades on Beacon Hill, but this Saturday, May 11, a Mother’s Day parade will start at Stevens Place Park (otherwise known as the triangle park) at 2 p.m. and parade for about six blocks, ending at Roberto Maestes Festival Street next to Beacon Hill Station.
According to the organizers, the parade is all-ages fun, with this message:
Honor moms and highlight the need for:
Comprehensive state-funded childcare for working and poor families
End domestic violence – Free Marissa Alexander
Stop deportations – Keep immigrant families together
Increase funding for jobs, public schools, Social Security and human services
Tax the rich – End U.S. militarism
All who want to participate are welcome, and should gather at Stevens Place Park at Beacon Avenue South and South Stevens at 1:30 p.m. Bring strollers, tricycles, banners, signs and festive attire. The event will also feature an information fair, speakers, face-painting, balloons and music.
The parade is sponsored by Sisters Organize for Survival and the Pacific Northwest Alliance to Free Marissa Alexander. For more information, contact Helen Gilbert at (206)722-6057, or at Sis4Survival@gmail.com.
Not very appetizing! Photo courtesy of Greg Martinez.Last Sunday we started getting tweets and emails about discolored drinking water in part of North Beacon Hill in an area including 18th and Massachusetts and 18th and College.
The water did clear up after some hours, but Andy Ryan at Seattle Public Utilities tells us:
Discolored water has been reported in recent days in some areas of Seattle, including Beacon Hill. A likely cause is testing of fire hydrants by the Seattle Fire Departments. The water is safe to drink, but it may be unappealing, so we recommend that you wait until it clears before drinking it.
The water should clear on its own. Try running the cold water for a few minutes to see if it is clearing or still discolored. If the water does not clear, let the water sit for an hour. Then run the water for a few minutes and flush the toilet a couple of times.
If your water remains discolored, please contact Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service at (206) 684-3000.
The agenda for tonight’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting has been revised. Here’s the new agenda for the meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Beacon Hill Library:
7:00-7:10 Introductions, Greater Duwamish Council and Department of Neighborhood updates, raffle sales
7:10-7:25 Plaza Roberto Maestas update (Kate de la Garza)
7:25-7:50 Red Cross Emergency Preparedness
7:50-8:00 NBHC revised bylaws
8:00-8:15 Nominate and elect new NBHC Board of Directors
8:15-8:20 Raffle drawing
8:20-8:30 Happening on the Hill/Community Calendar
Happening on the Hill: Mother’s Day Parade between Stevens Park and Festival Street May 11, Pacific Medical Center Tower rental, Food Forest, Jefferson Park playground, Beacon Hill Festival June 1, ROCKiT events (Beacon: Hill of Beans), Beacon Hill Merchants Events
8:30-8:55 NBHC Board meets in Beacon Hill Resource Center (open to the public)
Missing kitty Buddy looks like this famous Lolcat.Neighbor Jeannie writes:
“Buddy is gone! Buddy is a very large feral/stray/neighborhood gray male cat that has been fixed and had his ear clipped by the feral cat folks. He also has a non-fixed/clipped evil twin I have seen around. I haven’t seen Buddy for over a week now and I’m a bit worried. Last seen at the end of 17th Ave S (right before Swift/Albro bridge). Please email if you have seen him. His feral female sidekick is in my tub with her new babies and she misses him. (They all have homes when they are bigger! Woohoo!) She will be fixed and clipped when the babies are weaned. He looks like the lolcat (pictured right), but a bit scruffier.”
The Friends of the Beacon Food Forest have sent out an announcement of an upcoming work party and communal art project, along with some status updates about the project. Read on:
