Beacon Hill graduates, send us your names
Juneteenth gathering to celebrate African American Academy
The Academy program first opened as a K-5 school in 1991 at the new Colman School (now Thurgood Marshall) and eventually became a K-8 at Sharples (now Aki Kurose). The current AAA building was specifically designed for K-8 use and opened in 2000.
The Juneteenth event, “Celebrating the Life of the Academy”, is on Friday, June 19 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the African American Academy, 8311 Beacon Avenue South.
As we mentioned in an earlier post, Van Asselt is also celebrating their history this month, with a 100th Anniversary celebration and reunion this Friday.
Shred it at the Shred-a-thon, help a local food bank
Identity theft is on the rise which means shredding sensitive documentation is critical. This Saturday, June 13th, 10am – 2pm, Verity Credit Union’s VA Hospital/Beacon Hill branch is sponsoring a community shred-a-thon. Everyone is welcome. A minimum $5 donation is requested. All proceeds benefit the Beacon Hill Food Bank. For more information, contact Courtney Ilsley, (206) 315-6717 or CourtneyI@Veritycu.com. On the day of the event, call (206) 762-0410
Thanks, Vivian!
Parks supe to hear Beacon neighbors at community meetings
Seattle Parks and Recreation is holding community meetings on Beacon Hill next week. At the events, neighbors will have a chance to meet with the Superintendent, Tim Gallagher, and have a dialog with Parks and Recreation about how the department is serving the needs of the community. This is intended to be an opportunity to meet the local Parks staff, discuss with the staff what is working, and what can be improved, and talk with the Superintendent about your ideas to make the parks serve the community better. All are welcome.
The meetings are scheduled for Monday, June 15, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 South Myrtle Street; and Tuesday, June 16
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Avenue South.
Memories of this year’s Beacon Hill Festival
Some shots from yesterday’s Beacon Hill Festival, at the Jefferson Park Community Center:
BHIS awarded $20,000 in new books
Each year, schools compete for the MVP Award by developing program proposals to enhance student achievement. BHIS developed the “Heroes at Home” program, which empowers parents, especially non-native English speakers, to assume a more active role in supporting their child’s literacy learning.
The MVP Award funds have been used to purchase hundreds of new books and audio recordings in languages such as Chinese, English, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese for this program.
Heroes at Home will also feature new weekly Family Library Days, in which parents will be invited to volunteer in the library to help children with book selection and check out.
Congratulations to Beacon Hill International School!
Beacon Bits: Chekhov, snakes, and liquor
- Performances of Anton Chekhov’s The Lost Highway are tonight (June 6) and next Thursday through Saturday, June 11-13, at 8:00 pm. The venue is Art’s on Beacon Hill, 4951 13th Avenue South. (Thanks to Audrey Chesnutt for letting us know.)
- Craig Thompson reports that, as part of today’s Seattle Works Day event, a team of folks was to help build a herpetarium (an environment for garter snakes) near the northwest side of the off-leash area at Dr. Jose Rizal Park. Additionally, volunteers picked up rocks and debris in the off-leash area to make it easier for Seattle Parks and Recreation to mow the meadow. (Garter snakes are not poisonous, so have no fear of the snakes!)
- Inay’s beer/spirits/wine application has been approved. Inay’s Asian Pacific Cuisine is at 2503 Beacon Avenue South and the food is quite tasty. In other liquor license news, two local businesses have liquor license renewals coming up on August 30: Thai Recipe at 2609 South McClellan Street and Dahlak Eritrean Cuisine at 2007 South State Street. If you have comments or concerns about either of these renewals, send them to John McGoodwin at john.mcgoodwin@seattle.gov. (Thanks to Shelly Bates for the report.)
- Can’t wait to see the inside of the Beacon Hill light rail station? Sound Transit has posted a photo of the recently-installed artwork inside the underground station. A couple of weeks before that, they posted a photo of air-flow testing within the station.
New column: Walking with Tica
Howdy neighbors! I’m starting a new project on the blog, loosely based on my observations and adventures as I walk around Beacon Hill. We moved to Beacon Hill from the Central District in 2003. I grew up in Walla Walla and settled in Seattle in 1997. Our household includes me, my sweetheart, two cats, and a somewhat cranky 10 year old mutt named Tica. She’s been a major ice breaker in getting to know our neighbors. We’ve also met other dogs and the people who walk them from all around the neighborhood; there are lots of folks out there holding leashes and scoop bags. (There are also lots of cats watching all these dogs warily from living room windows, porch railings, and behind bushes.)
For six years, Tica and I have explored the neighborhood, from Pac Med to the stairs on Lucile Street, but we spend the most time between College and Spokane. The north-south streets are more gently sloped, but I also enjoy the east-west hills and stairs for the incredible views and great workout. We also frequently visit Blue Dog Pond (an off leash area on Massachusetts) and occasionally stop at the dog park at Jose Rizal or the informal dog run at Pac Med/Amazon.
Taking Tica for a walk is more than just exercise, for both of us. It’s a chance to check on construction progress at the light rail station, notice “for sale” signs, and admire gardens. It’s also a fantastic socialization opportunity for both of us. Often — especially on these sunny days — we wander slowly around a few blocks and stop to see neighbors in their yards. Tica is getting older and slower, and appreciates a chance to lounge in someone else’s parking strip while I stand at the gate and gab. She also looks forward to the treats and belly scratches many of our neighbors generously dispense.
When I’m with Tica, people smile and say hello. They ask what kind of dog she is (I don’t know, probably a Blue Heeler mix), where we live (McClellan), and how progress is going on our house (it’s coming along). These basic conversations helped established relationships in a neighborhood evenly mixed between old-timers and people who just moved in. Sharing pet stories opened doors — often literally. People will invite us in to see the latest progress on a project, or ask if Tica needs some water. Slowly, over time, these sidewalk conversations are turning into invitations to dinner and exchanges of phone numbers.
Walking the dog has given me the chance to see and appreciate my neighborhood in a way that I don’t take for granted. It’s a chance to catch up on the latest news (I get the latest void updates fresh from the source), get restaurant reviews, and celebrate (or commiserate) what’s going on in the lives of our neighbors. Even if you don’t have a dog, I encourage you to get out and walk a few blocks. Especially right now — all the flowers are blooming and everyone’s yard looks great!
I’m looking forward to sharing my pedestrian experiences on the blog. Thanks to Wendi and Jason for the opportunity!
Beacon Bits: Tunnel trip, park priorities, planning photos
- A bunch of folks were able to ride the Link light rail through the Beacon Hill tunnel and down to Tukwila on Wednesday. Here’s a liveblogged description of the trip from the Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate blog. Dominic Holden from The Stranger rode it, too, and loved it.
- The community discussed what to prioritize in the Jefferson Park expansion, at a community meeting on April 21 and also via an online poll. The results have now been tallied and are posted here. The city is using this process to set priorities since the funding for the project is not all available at once. (Thanks to Joel Lee for forwarding us this document to host.)
- Jason has posted a photo set of the the North Beacon Hill neighborhood planning update meeting which was held on May 30. The set shows many of the discussion points that were brought up at the meeting.
- The Seattle Public Library system, including the Beacon Hill branch, will be closed from August 31 through September 6, due to citywide budget cuts. The library will also be closed September 7 for the Labor Day holiday. During the closed week, no materials will be due, nor will any fines be accrued. None of the library’s website services, such as the book catalog, will be accessible either. (Can’t they find a way to at least allow us to use the website during that week?)
15th Ave S closed, will reopen by 5:00 pm; Beacon Ave partially closed on Saturday
We reported a couple of days ago that 15th Avenue South would be closed between South Atlantic Street and South College Street for repair this Saturday.
However, Marybeth Turner from SDOT reports that the plan was changed, and if you live in that area, you might already have noticed:
The plan for performing the paving work on 15th Avenue South this weekend fell through. When the crew chief found that he had the crews and equipment available today, he seized the opportunity and went ahead with the work. They expect to have the street completely open by 5:00 p.m. I apologize for the lack of warning about the schedule change.
In further street construction news, paving crews will work in the 5300 block of Beacon Avenue South on Saturday, starting at 8:00 a.m. The street will be closed to southbound traffic between South Bennett Street and South Brandon Street until 8:00 a.m on Sunday. A detour will be provided. The crews will repair pavement that was previously excavated for work on underground utilities.
Thanks for the updates, Marybeth!