A neighbor writes:
“I’ve lost my female malamute near 33rd Ave South and Othello. She is tan and white with a black stripe on her back. She answers to Delilah.
Please contact me at STUPOR@gmail.com if you’ve seen her.”
All posts by Wendi Dunlap
String returns to the Garden House
String, a dance and object theatre show for children ages 2-6, returns to Beacon Hill on December 27 and 30, with daytime performances at the Garden House (2336 15th Ave. S.).
Showtimes will be 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 27, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 30. The 35-minute show will be followed by a Q&A session with performer Mary Margaret Moore. All ages are welcome to attend.
The show’s website describes String thusly:
“Every time that we witness 40 children focusing on the noise of a paper bag, we are deeply touched. Their deep concentration is truly magical.
“To create for children is to challenge them. In String, we stretch their capacity to decipher emotions. Small details, a raised eyebrow, a pinky movement, is enough to convey an emotion.”
Seats are limited; tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets.
Merry Christmas from the Beacon Hill Blog.
We wish you the merriest of Christmases from the Beacon Hill Blog! We’ve had a bit of an unplanned break here at the BHB for the last few days. But fear not — the blog is still here, and more posts are coming.
Please stay warm and cozy today — there is a slight possibility of snow, though it’s likely to be too warm. Seattle snow forecasts are often flaky (see what I did there?), because it’s difficult to predict snow in our climate, but even without the white stuff, it will be chilly.
Happy Holidays to all Beaconians and friends!
Save the date: Seattle Mochitsuki 2012
Blaine Memorial United Methodist Church at 3001 24th Ave. S. invites the community to Seattle Mochitsuki 2012 on Saturday, December 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mochitsuki is a Japanese tradition of preparing mochi (餅, pounded rice cakes), which is a vital part of the New Year’s Day celebration. Making mochi is a lengthy and strenuous process, but it’s also a time for socializing with friends and family.
The church says:
“It is said that rice or gohan translates to “honorable food†and it therefore purifies the body and encourages wealth for the New Year. Come and take part in this cool Seattle cultural celebration and enjoy good health and wealth wishes while learning about historical and current mochi making!”
The event is free (except for the food truck at the site) and open to all ages. Besides hands-on mochi making, there will also be taiko (Japanese drumming) performances, kids’ activities, samples, and a display of historic mochi-making tools.
Mochi made during the Mochitsuki will be rolled into bite-size pieces and sold. Due to the strenuous 24-hour labor involved with making mochi, it will only be available through preorder through December 25 at the website or by calling 206-568-7114. One dozen mochi are $6, and a half-dozen are $3.
Franklin HS seeks JV Volleyball coach
From Jim Hardy at Franklin High School:
First I want to wish the entire Community a Happy Holiday Season. My return to the area as the Head Volleyball Coach at Franklin HS has been wonderful!!
We are looking for a Coach to work with our JV and C team programs. My first choice is to fill the position from within the community. We are looking for candidates with some background in the game, and a positive experience teaching or coaching 15 and 16 year old young women.
New coaches will attend the Gold Medal Squared coaching clinic in May. This is the premier coaching training program in the country, and covers the methods we use to teach fundamental skills. So a little dust on the scrapbook is ok!
I know it sounds early, but the School District process can be lengthy and I hope to have the staff in place for the Summer program. If you, or anyone you know might be interested, contact me at jphardy@email.com or through the team’s Facebook page.
Thanks!!
Jim Hardy
Franklin HS Volleyball
Have you seen this cat?
This very pretty blue-eyed Siamese cat is missing, and was last seen on December 12 near Walker and 19th Avenue South. We are told that the cat is three years old, neutered, and cautiously friendly. If you have any information, please email saya@me.com.
City announces ‘ultra high-speed’ broadband demonstration project to include Beacon Hill
The City of Seattle today announced an agreement with broadband developer Gigabit Squared that plans to use the city’s excess fiber-optic capacity to provide an “ultra high-speed” fiber-to-the-home/business broadband network starting in Fall 2013 with demonstration projects in 12 Seattle neighborhoods, including portions of North Beacon Hill and other Southeast Seattle neighborhoods. An additional part of the project is the development of dedicated broadband wireless connections to multifamily housing and offices, and “next generation” mobile wireless Internet.
The City, the University of Washington, and Gigabit Squared have signed a memorandum of understanding and a letter of intent that allows Gigabit Squared to begin raising the capital needed for the first phase of the project.
That’s the good news. The bad news is: only a small part of Beacon Hill is included in the demonstration project (see this map or this map), so this will only improve things for a limited number of residents. However, Gigabit Seattle asks that you sign up on their website to show your interest in having the service so they can determine where to expand next.
Here’s how the city described the plan today in a press release:
1. Fiber to the home and business: Gigabit Seattle plans to build out a fiber-to-the-home/fiber-to-the-business (FTTH/FTTB) network to more than 50,000 households and businesses in 12 demonstration neighborhoods, connected together with the excess capacity that Gigabit Seattle will lease from the City’s own fiber network. Gigabit Seattle’s technology intends to offer gigabit speeds that are up to 1,000 times faster than the typical high-speed connection.
The initial 12 neighborhoods include: Area 1: the University of Washington’s West Campus District, Area 2: South Lake Union, Area 3: First Hill/Capitol Hill/Central Area, Area 4: the University of Washington’s Metropolitan Tract in downtown Seattle, Area 5: the University of Washington’s Family Housing at Sand Point, Area 6: Northgate, Area 7: Volunteer Park Area, Area 8: Beacon Hill and SODO Light Rail Station and Areas 9-12: Mount Baker, Columbia City, Othello, and Rainier Beach.
2. Dedicated gigabit to multifamily housing and offices: To provide initial coverage beyond the 12 demonstration neighborhoods, Gigabit Seattle intends to build a dedicated gigabit broadband wireless umbrella to cover Seattle providing point-to-point radio access up to one gigabit per second. This will be achieved by placing fiber transmitters on top of 38 buildings across Seattle. These transmitters can beam fiber internet to multifamily housing and offices across Seattle, even those outside the twelve demonstration neighborhoods, as long as they are in a line of sight. Internet service would be delivered to individual units within a building through existing wiring. This wireless coverage can provide network and Internet services to customers that do not have immediate access to fiber in the city.
3. Next generation mobile wireless internet: Gigabit Seattle will provide next generation wireless cloud services in its 12 neighborhoods to provide customers with mobile access.
See more about today’s announcement at the Seattle Times, which points out that parts of the East Side already have fiber broadband, and residents of Ephrata in Grant County have “one of the world’s fastest broadband services” — for $45 per month. Some parts of Seattle already have access to this speed as well, including the South Lake Union neighborhood through CondoInternet, which charges $200 per month for their “up-to-gigabit-speed” service. Gigabit Seattle has yet to finalize the rates for their service.
According to the Gigabit Seattle website, “the more interest we have in your area, the higher priority your neighborhood will become.” They ask that all interested people sign up at their website to show interest in receiving this service to their neighborhoods.
Beacon Hill businesses, people honored by Seattle magazine
The December “Best of 2012” issue of Seattle magazine (unfortunately, not fully available online — you’ll have to buy a copy) gives Beacon Hill some city-wide love for our food, as well as taking note of a variety of Beacon Hill neighborhood “bests.”
Bar del Corso (3057 Beacon Ave. S.) was named “Best Pizza” in the city: “Tradition and creativity have never been so happy together as they are at Jerry Corso and Gina Tolentino Corso’s year-and-a-half-old Beacon Hill pizzeria.” The pizza crusts are singled out for mention: “simply perfection.”
In the “Best of the Neighborhoods” Beacon Hill category, Bar del Corso took another prize: “Best Restaurant.” “Best Bar” is El Quetzal (3209 Beacon Ave. S.), and the El Sabroso food wagon (corner of 16th Ave. S. and Roberto Maestas Festival Street) next to Beacon Hill Station earned accolades as “Best Takeout/Delivery.” The Station (2533 16th Ave. S.), just a few steps away, is “Best Coffee Shop,” while the Hilltop Red Apple (2701 Beacon Ave. S.) is, unsurprisingly, the “Best Grocery Store.” (The Promenade Red Apple at 23rd and Jackson likewise won that honor for the Central District.)
Not all the awards are food-related. The “Best Hair Salon” is Hair Skill Design (3226 Beacon Ave. S.), and the “Best Kids’ Activity” is the Beacon Mountain playground at Jefferson Park (3801 Beacon Ave. S.).
The “Best Live Music Venue” in the neighborhood is the Garden House (2336 15th Ave. S.), home of ROCKiT Community Arts events. Betty Jean Williamson, the current ROCKiT director, was named “Neighborhood Hero.”
Congratulations to all of the Beacon Hill neighbors, businesses, and organizations who have been honored. They all help make this neighborhood the great place to live that it is.
Wednesday: Las Posadas with food, music, piñatas, poetry, and Christmas lights
This Wednesday, December 12, is El Centro de la Raza’s community celebration of
El DÃa de la VÃrgen de Guadalupe y Las Posadas, with holiday music, food, and the annual tree-lighting ceremony. All are invited and welcome, and the event is free for the whole family.
The event starts at 5:00 p.m. at nearby culinary establishments The Station, Travelers Thali House, and El Sabroso, who will serve hot holiday beverages such as cider, chocolate Mexicano, and Champurrado to enjoy. The Station will also have piñatas made by the Jefferson Community Center Teen Program. Inay’s and Baja Bistro will have samples of food including Filipino pastries and chicken soup. The restaurants will also feature performances by the Seattle Fandango Project and A La Carte.
See a map of all the neighborhood events here.
From 5:30 until 7:30, El Centro opens up with their own selection of free holiday food, a nativity scene, Las Posadas, and a visit from Santa Claus.
Starting at 7 p.m., The Station will remain open for the monthly Beacon Bards poetry event.
The Las Posadas event is sponsored by El Centro de la Raza and ROCKiT Community Arts with support from Beacon Hill Merchants’ Association, Verity Credit Union, Sysco, and El Quetzal.
Parking conflict leads to garbage dumping
A neighbor wrote to tell us about a disturbing experience she had on Friday evening. I’ll let her tell the story (posted anonymously by her request):
Today I was arriving home from work shortly before 5pm, heading north on 14th Ave (near Atlantic). I noticed an available street parking spot near our house, on the right side of the street, so I slowed down and pulled into it. A car in the southbound lane was stopped with a left blinker on, presumably turning into a driveway. When I pulled into the parking spot, I could hear yelling from the guy in the turning car. I didn’t really figure out why until he turned into the driveway directly behind me, turned around and drove off. Apparently he wanted that parking spot and was trying to claim it. I recognized his car from seeing it parked in the vicinity, including when it was parked in a street spot for 5 straight days and eventually got towed.
Later on this evening, one of our neighbors knocked on our door to tell us they noticed someone had dumped trash onto the hood of my car. I went out to see for myself, and sure enough, there was gross garbage strewn all over my car — including compost waste and diapers. Lovely. I can only imagine he brought this garbage from his home, since our garbage pick up happened yesterday morning and most people’s cans aren’t on the sidewalks.
I attached a picture I took of my car with the garbage surprise. I’m hoping you post this anonymously, but wanted to send fair warning to my other neighbors about our sociopathic neighbor, and to tell others to keep an eye out for any foul play going on.
This is Beacon Hill, not Capitol Hill. Are any parking spots really that hard to come by?