All posts by Wendi Dunlap

Editor of the Beacon Hill Blog.

Get Off the Hill: Blue Scholars, World on a Wire

This is the first of an occasional series of “Get Off the Hill” posts, in which the BHB will mention some entertainment options that aren’t in the neighborhood. We love spending time on Beacon Hill, but we can’t spend all our time here. Occasionally it’s worth leaving the hill for a good movie or a concert.

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Beacon Hill hip-hop duo Blue Scholars have just started their first nationwide tour and will be playing in front of the hometown crowd in an all-ages show at the Showbox at the Market, Saturday night, September 17. The tour will take them all the way to New York City, where they’ll wrap up the whole shebang on November 11.

The Showbox show is sold out. We hope you have tickets. If not, perhaps you can catch them in Portland, Olympia, or Bellingham. (Tickets are cheaper there anyway.)

In the meantime, check out this discussion between Sabzi of Blue Scholars and Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes of Tarboo Inc., and enjoy this song:

Continue reading Get Off the Hill: Blue Scholars, World on a Wire

Neighbors invited to celebrate Beacon Food Forest final design

Beacon Food Forest organizers are hosting a final design celebration next Tuesday, September 20, from 6:30-8:30 pm at the Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.). Those who attend can see the final schematic design, enjoy free food, tour the garden site by flashlight, and celebrate the end of this phase of the project.

Nearly 100 community members and other local advocates of urban agriculture worked together with the Harrison Design Team on a design for up to 7 acres of land located directly west of Jefferson Park. The Food Forest will include a variety of crops, a community gathering space, and a children’s area.

The Food Forest organizers have a Facebook page with further information about the project.

Cars rifled through on S. Forest St.

Neighbor Kimberly wrote this weekend:

“Just wanted to report some weird activity on Forest near the Red Apple. For the last two nights our car parked on the street, which doesn’t lock all the way, has been searched in the middle of the night. They opened the trunk, pulled everything out of the glove box and left it, but took nothing. There was some loose change and an iPod car converter that were not touched. Last night the same thing happened to our neighbor’s car, with the same result, nothing taken.

“Seems like whoever is doing it is looking for something specific, but not finding it on our street yet!”

Any ideas what might be happening here? And has anyone else in the area noticed similar activity?

Songwriters’ Circle tonight

Working on a song? The Songwriters' Circle welcomes you. Photo by Delwin Steven Campbell via Creative Commons.
If the recent musical activity of Beacon Rocks! and the NEPO 5K Don’t Run inspired you, you may want to attend tonight’s monthly installment of the Beacon Hill Songwriters’ Circle. It’s a casual group for songwriters at all levels to get feedback and support from other songwriters.

The Songwriters’ Circle is held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month (including tonight, September 13), at Betty Jean and Jay’s house, 5919 Shaffer Ave. S. There is a $5 suggested donation, free to members of ROCKiT space.

For more information, contact beaconrocks@gmail.com, or call Paul at 206-658-3622.

Don’t Run fun on Saturday night

The NEPO 5K Don’t Run brought a lot of activity to North Beacon Hill on Saturday night. Melissa Jonas took some photos of the event and added them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr. You can also see more of her photos in this Flickr set.

Other photographers capturing the event included Ella Dorband and Dan Bennett. Dan in particular posted an extensive set of pictures, including photos of the Bavarian Village Band at the German Garden, performers at The Station’s hip-hop show, and colorful projections on the outside of NEPO House.

ROCKiT space volunteers brought "Horus the Hawk" to life.

Estela Ortega included Roberto Maestas' lovingly-maintained Mercedes in the car show organized by The Station.

Arsonist burns cars at 14th and Nevada

An arsonist torched multiple cars on 14th Ave. S. just west of Jefferson Park early Sunday morning.

Beacon Hill Blog news partner KOMO reported yesterday:

Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson said that officers and firefighters were called to the 4100 block of 14th Avenue South, just north of Nevada, around 5:15 a.m. on a report of a car fire. As they arrived, they learned of a second fire near 14th and Nevada.

As firefighters were putting those fires out, a third vehicle fire was reported on Nevada, near 16th. Jamieson said a resident with a garden hose quickly put that fire out.

Jamieson said that two other cars were targeted by the arsonist. One had burned papers inside, but it never spread beyond that. The fifth car had its doors open, was ransacked inside, but it was never ignited.

SPD’s Arson/Bomb Squad has taken over the investigation, Jamieson said. There were no injuries reported.

The KOMO report also includes photos and video.

Neighbor George V. Reilly also took some photos of the damaged vehicles. You can see them here.

Save the date: Rizal Off-Leash Area public meeting 10/20

The proposed reconfiguration of the Jose Rizal Park Off-Leash Area was not presented at last night’s North Beacon Hill Council meeting as was previously scheduled. Instead, Brenda Kramer from Seattle Parks and Recreation announced that there will be a public meeting held on October 20 at Jefferson Community Center to discuss the new plan.

Kramer told the neighbors in attendance, including a quite a few who were there to protest the proposed park shrinkage, that the plan for the Off-Leash Area (OLA) is currently being redesigned and Parks wants input from park users.

Several neighbors did speak up at the meeting to express their wish to keep the Off-Leash Area large. One neighbor said that other OLAs are small, and the Jose Rizal Park OLA is “a jewel” for the city because of its larger size. She added that dog parks are amenities to a neighborhood that are equivalent to light rail stations or grocery stores.

Another neighbor added: “You have a duty as a city to provide canine infrastructure. Unfortunately, the Olmsted Brothers did not forsee that need.”

Kramer, Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, and other city representatives in attendance emphasized that those interested in the dog park should attend the October 20 meeting to provide input. The meeting will most likely be from 7-8 p.m., but stay tuned to the Beacon Hill Blog for further information as the date draws closer.