Category Archives: Local Events

Local Events, Recreation

Tony Hawk brings Birdhouse Left Coast Tour to Jefferson Park Skatepark

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Big news for Beacon Hill skateboarders: Tony Hawk and his Birdhouse Crew are coming to the Hill for a demo of world-class skating on Thursday, July 26 as part of the Birdhouse Left Coast Tour. The event will be at 4 p.m. at the Jefferson Park Skate Park (3801 Beacon Ave. S., in Jefferson Park behind the driving range).

Here’s a preview of the tour:

And here’s a recap of the first three days of the tour so far:

The tour is presented by Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD game, which makes its debut on the Xbox Live Arcade today. So if you can’t wait until the 26th for some skateboarding action, you can keep yourself busy with the game.

Local Events

P-Patchers plan party this weekend

A view of the Beacon Bluff P-Patch from 15th Avenue South. Photo by Melissa Jonas in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

The gardening neighbors at the Beacon Bluff P-Patch are having a community gathering this Sunday, July 22, from 3-7 p.m. There will be food (including a visit by the Mexidog cart), music from acoustic trio the Lunabees, hatmaking, and general neighborly fun. All are welcome!

The Beacon Bluff P-Patch is located between 14th and 15th Avenues South at South Massachusetts Street.

Local Events, Neighborhood Pride, Photos

A busy day at the Jefferson Park Jubilee

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By all accounts, the Jefferson Park Jubilee on Saturday was a success. The neighborhood came out in force to celebrate Jefferson Park’s centennial as well as the completion of the park’s remodeling. Here are some photos from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool to give you a taste of the day’s events. (Did you take some photos? You are invited to post them to the pool.)

Kiritiki (Samoan cricket) bats await the start of a game. Photo by Freeman Mester.
The event began with a procession. Photo by K. Shuyler.
A tiny skater. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Members of the Greg Ruby Quartet perform. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Skateboard lessons for all ages at the Jefferson Park skate park. Photo by Melissa Jonas.
Kids enjoy the fountains at Beacon Mountain Playground. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
I wish I could show you video for this one. The kiritiki player in front was waving his arms in a victory dance. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Waiting in line for food at El Sabroso. The other food carts had all run out of food by this time. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.

Continue reading A busy day at the Jefferson Park Jubilee →

Local Events

Shredding, gardening, and fighting foreclosures this Saturday

Saturday, July 14, is a busy day. Along with the Jefferson Park Jubilee, there are three other events on the Hill you should know about.

From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., Verity Credit Union is hosting its annual community Shred-a-Thon on at their Beacon Hill location, 1660 S. Columbian Way on the VA hospital campus. All are welcome to bring sensitive documents such as old checks or pay stubs to be shredded on site as you watch. A minimum $10 donation of money or nonperishable food items is suggested, to benefit the Beacon Avenue Food Bank. If you need to shred more than six grocery-size bags of documents, please consider an additional donation.

Also starting at 10 a.m. is the third in a series of “Growing Your Own Groceries” gardening classes at El Centro de la Raza. Topics of this month’s class include:

  • What to plant now?
  • Powder mildew
  • When and how to water
  • Internet information
  • Home orchard and berries
  • Herbs

The class is led by Master Gardener Mick Duggan, in El Centro’s room 310 at 2524 16th Ave. S. Mark your calendar for next month’s class on August 11.

The last event is at 3 p.m. on Saturday, when SAFE (Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction) hosts a community meeting of “Neighbors Fed Up with the Banks and the Foreclosure Crisis!” at Bethany United Church. There will be testimonials, referrals for free legal counseling, help with foreclosure resistance, and food.

Bethany United Church is located at 6230 Beacon Ave. S.

Local Events, Volunteering and Giving

Volunteers needed for Jefferson Park Jubilee

Volunteers are needed for the Jefferson Park Jubilee, an all-day celebration at the park on July 14 from 11-9 p.m. Help is needed in a variety of roles throughout the event. Volunteer shifts may start as early as 8 a.m. to help set up or run as late as 10 p.m. when cleanup is done.

Interested and willing? Fill out the “Contact Us” form on the Beacon Hill Merchants website. Please include the subject line “Volunteer for Jubilee,” and provide your contact information.

Among the things to celebrate at the Jefferson Park Jubilee will be the completion of the Beacon Mountain playground, shown here as it was a few days ago, approaching completion. Photo by Melissa Jonas in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
Local Events

Family Fun Night tonight at Van Asselt Community Center

Tonight is the fourth Friday of the month, which means it’s Van Asselt Community Center Family Fun Night for kids 10 and under and their parents. Tonight’s event will include activities with an Independence Day theme.

There will be a bounce house set up to use up some of that excess kid energy, July 4th arts and crafts, ping pong, foosball, a toddler gym, food, a movie, and more for the family to enjoy.

The event is tonight (June 29) from 6-8 p.m. at Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S. Myrtle St. Admission is $3 per child, with parents getting in free. Two more Family Fun Nights this summer will be held on July 27 and August 24. For more information, contact Carl Bergquist at 206-386-1921 or carl.bergquist@seattle.gov.

Local Events

Jillions of things to do at Jefferson Park Jubilee

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The Jefferson Skatepark is one of the improvements to celebrate at the Jefferson Park Jubilee. Photo by Joel Lee in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

The schedule is up for next month’s Jefferson Park Jubilee, a day of festivities from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on July 14 to celebrate the park’s revitalization and its 100-year history. See the schedule here. The day’s activities will include kiritiki (Samoan cricket), kite flying, skating, lawnbowling, Japanese games, circus arts, Ultimate Frisbee, tours of the Beacon Food Forest site, an Olmsted walking tour and more. Performers scheduled include Wayne Horvitz and Sweeter Than the Day, Mango Son, Blvd Park, Greg Ruby Quartet, the Beaconettes, and more. There will also be a tour and ribbon cutting of the brand-new Beacon Mountain playground.

Among the park improvements to celebrate are the Jefferson Park expansion, the new Jefferson Skatepark, Jefferson Playfield, cherry tree plantings in the park, Beacon Mountain Playground, and solar picnic shelters. All of these were completed in 2011 or 2012.

The Jubilee still has openings for food vendors, but the deadline to apply is tomorrow, Friday, June 29. See here for more information.

For more information about the Jubilee, see jeffersonparkjubilee.com or the event’s Facebook page.

Clean and Green, Local Events

Friends of Food Forest wanted for workshop

Beacon Food Forest fans and friends are invited to come out this Saturday (June 30) from 10 a.m. until noon, to the workshop “Permaculture and the Beacon Food Forest: Building skills and leaders for the food forest planting and care.” The workshop will be held at El Centro De La Raza, room 310, 2524 16th Ave. S.

Topics covered will include permaculture concepts, soil building, plant guilds, and leading a team in planting the first stages of the Beacon Food Forest. Attendees will begin to design plant communities and plan productive work parties.

Interested in attending? RSVP to Jacqueline Cramer, cramerjacqueline99@gmail.com.

Local Events, Photos

Music, food, and color at yesterday’s Beacon Rocks!

Yesterday’s Beacon Rocks! was one of the biggest yet, with multiple food carts and vendors on site to complement the music and poetry on the stage. The theme was Transportation (of all kinds), so representatives were there as well from Sound Transit, Feet First, and Beacon B.I.K.E.S. The weather stayed good, and by all accounts, the day was a success.

Here are some photos of the event. All photos are by Wendi Dunlap unless marked otherwise. Did you take photos yesterday? We’d love to see them. You can submit them to the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.

The Feet First giant chicken helped pedestrians cross busy Beacon Avenue.
The new art chairs painted by neighbors last year made the site colorful and welcoming as the event opened to the public. Photo by Melissa Jonas in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
Bassist Anton Beck of the group Nigel Mustafa plays at Beacon Rocks!
Neighborhood kids enjoy climbing around on a fire truck under the watchful eyes of parents and firefighters.
There were several food vendors at this event, including the taco truck that is usually at 16th and Festival Street, a hot dog cart, an ice cream cart, and this crepe truck, serving both savory and sweet crepes.
Joanne Klein sings. We are told she was a last minute substitute performer when the group Audio Couture had to cancel, but she did a fine job stepping in on short notice.
Continue reading Music, food, and color at yesterday’s Beacon Rocks! →

Local Events, Meetings

Mayor to host town hall at Van Asselt Community Center 7/18

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Mark your calendar: neighbors in the 98108, 98118, amd 98144 area codes are invited to attend a Mayor’s Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, July 18 from 5:30-8 p.m. at Van Asselt Community Center (2820 S. Myrtle St.).

The event starts with a community information fair from 5:30-6:30, followed by a youth performance from 6:30-6:40, then the open Q&A session with Mayor McGinn and City staff.

The town hall is another in a series of town halls throughout Seattle, through the Engage Seattle initiative, designed to “to provide concrete ways for Seattleites to help make our city a better place.” Find out more at the website.