The folks opening Bar del Corso in the old Beacon Pub space have posted a few photos of the work they are doing on the building. Looks like it will be a bit brighter inside, now that they are stripping paint off the old transom windows.
Apologies to everyone. We are way behind on posts this week. Here’s a catch-up edition of Beacon Bits to fill you in on the latest.
* * *
Notice the newspaper up in the windows of the old Beacon Pub? According to the Bar del Corso blog, they have started work on the building, where their pizzeria will be opening later this year.
* * *
Just south of the former pub, another change is about to take place: ROCKiT space is moving. Betty Jean Williamson reports that ROCKiT will continue regular hours of operation at the current location, 3315 Beacon Avenue South, through January 31. After that, Open Mic moves to Kusina Filipina (3201 Beacon Avenue South) on Saturday, February 5. The event starts at 8:00 pm and costs $5. Tots Jam is moving to El Centro de la Raza room 310 (2524 16th Avenue South) on February 2 at 9:00 am. Classes are $7.
In the meantime, the ROCKiTeers have a lot of work ahead before vacating the building at 3315 Beacon and moving their activities into other locations. It sounds like they will need some volunteer help, including cleaning, repair, and moving. Contact Betty Jean at 206-658-0187 or bjwlmp@msn.com if you can help.
There will be a ROCKiT space moving sale on January 29 from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm. If you have loaned ROCKiT anything, please pick it up soon or let them know if you want to donate to the sale.
* * *
Travis Mayfield at KOMO points out that Edwin Lee, the new mayor of San Francisco and the first Asian-American mayor of that city, was born on Beacon Hill!
* * *
On the less-happy side of things, you may have heard that some very bad people were out and about last week, posing as Water Department workers to convince neighbors on Beacon Hill and in Columbia City to let them in their homes for a “water quality check,” but stealing their stuff instead. Here’s a Seattle Times (BHB news partners) report. The Seattle Police South Precinct Email Community Newsletter went out yesterday with their own take on the subject:
“For those of you who are ‘seasoned’ enough to remember the song ‘Let ’Em In’ by Paul McCartney & Wings from 1976 (I know, so last century), it should not be a surprise that we disagree with Sir Paul. Just because someone knocks or rings at the door does not mean that you let them in.”
The SPD reminds you that City employees will have laminated picture ID that includes a name, department, and serial number. If you see a suspicious person come to your house, and that person can’t produce a City of Seattle picture ID, call 911 to report the situation immediately.
* * *
The Nova High School Book Night is coming on January 26. We are told it’s a “book fair/book exchange with books of all kinds, free for all!” Beacon Hill neighbor Levecke Mas is collecting books for the the book exchange; contact Levecke at leveckeinseattle@gmail.com. You can also drop off your book donations at the Nova office, in the Meany school building on East Capitol Hill (300 20th Avenue East).
The event is from 6:30-8:30 pm on Wednesday, January 26, and it is open to all.
Learn more about Nova and the Book Night at http://novaproject.my-pta.org.
* * *
Rainier Valley Cooperative Preschool invites the community to learn about the school at an open house on Saturday, February 5, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, and Thursday, February 10, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
The parent-run preschool is located in Beacon Hill Lutheran Church at 1720 South Forest Street. More info at their website.
* * *
Cass Turnbull of Plant Amnesty doesn’t approve of Beacon Hill-style yard topiaries. Joel Lee begs to differ:
“I can certainly appreciate wanting to protect plants from senseless mutilation but Plant Amnesty seems to have nominated themselves the arbiters of taste with comments like ‘When the inherent beauty of a plant is compromised, it’s painful for those of us who know what it should look like.’ Who gave Plant Amnesty the authority to decide what plants should look like?”
* * *
While it’s not Beacon Hill-specific, I can’t resist posting this link to a photo of former City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck with a man in a heron costume. Thank you, Seattle Municipal Archives.
The Station coffee shop at 2533 16th Ave South is currently displaying paintings by Angelina Tolentino. There will be an opening reception for the exhibit from 1:00 to 3:00 pm on Sunday, November 21.
The artist’s biography:
I am a designer, illustrator and painter. I was born and raised in California but have called Seattle home for fourteen years. I love to draw and I am happiest with a little paint in my hair. I am inspired by a great number of things: old cartoons, firecracker packaging, bicycles, photo-booths, Japanese packaging design, street art, windup toys, antique stores, gardens, high-fashion, 60s soul music, dinosaur exhibits, old signs, chefs, flowers, sea creatures… just to name a few.
I paint because it’s what I love to do. I describe my painting style as whimsical, colorful, and playful. I have been known to paint women with fantastically long necks who live on tropical islands. I am specifically inspired by the natural world especially the the worlds under the sea. I find water to be a unifying element in my work. I’ve been working lately with other materials like sand and creating three-dimensional altars, exploring death and rebirth, but in a colorful, celebratory way.
One of my most recent projects was a mural on the side of a bridge in the Southpark neighborhood of Seattle. This mural will live for another year before the bridge is taken down and replaced with a new one.
Gina is also the co-owner ofa partner in the Bar del Corso pizza restaurant, currently scheduled to open at the Beacon Pub site next June.
Here is an example of her artwork:
(Photos courtesy of the artist.)
(Ed.: Correction made of Tolentino’s involvement in Bar del Corso, 11/16/10.)
“This past Saturday at around 4:00 am I was just south of South College and 15th South when I heard some noises in some bushes of an apartment on the west side of the street. All of a sudden, and I kid you not, a deer jumped out of the bushes, crossed over 15th and into the yard of a house across the street. I could not believe my eyes.”
* * *
Kerrie Carbary at Volunteer Chore Services sent us an appeal for volunteers:
“Volunteer Chore Services, a program of Catholic Community Services, is a “safety net” for elders and adults living with disabilities who are unable or ineligible for state/paid chore services. All recipients are low-income, have health problems or difficulty with mobility, and most live alone. A growing volunteer opportunity in your neighborhood consists of driving clients to doctor appointments, grocery shopping or other chores. We carefully match volunteers to opportunities based on their personalities, neighborhood, and preferences.
“Currently, volunteers are donating over 3000 hours a month in the Seattle area. However, there is still a huge number of people waiting for help, and a shortage of volunteers. Volunteers are needed all over Seattle and South King County, but especially in areas like South Seattle.”
For more information on volunteering through this agency, call Kerrie at 206-328-6858, Volunteer Chore Services main intake line at 206-328-5787, or email kerriec@ccsww.org.
* * *
There is another fundraiser scheduled for the Bar del Corso pizza restaurant on August 1 from 3:00 – 7:00 pm. Jerry and Gina say, “If you are from Beacon Hill and are curious about us, please come to this event if you can. We’d love to meet more of our neighbors!”
There will be antipasti, brick oven pizzas, and more. There will also be a special musical guest, King Corso.
The event is “pay what you can,” but suggested donation is $100. Those who attended the first fundraiser are invited to come without obligation to donate again. To reserve your spot and get the address of the event, email info@bardelcorso (please put RSVP in the subject line).
* * *
As part of Seattle Night Out on Tuesday, August 3, the Jun Hong Kung Fu and Sports Association is hosting an event that evening from 7:00 until 9:00. There will be a Lion Dance performance, a Kung Fu demonstration, and coconut ice cream. Please bring a dessert to share. All are welcome! The Jun Hong Kung Fu and Sports Association is located at 4878 Beacon Avenue South.
* * *
Application has been made to the city’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to subdivide two sites, at 4010 and 4012 14th Avenue South, into five unit lots each. For more information, see the website here and here. The commenting deadline is August 1.
We recently talked to Kris Coty and Laurie Lusko, who run the pub, and they confirmed that they are moving the business to Hillman City, where it will reopen as the nautical-themed “Orcas Landing.” (Lusko’s Hillman City goal is “to make Columbia City jealous,” she told Seattle Met.) They expect the last day in business on Beacon Avenue to be in October or November. Basically, they say, they lost their lease because the landlord situation changed recently with the death of the building’s owner, and the current landlord is not interested in having a pub in that space.