Cotton candy vendors sell their wares at the 2011 Beacon Hill Festival. Photo by Wendi Dunlap/Beacon Hill Blog.
Early warning! Mark your calendar for a couple of the Hill’s major summer events.
On June 2, the Jefferson Community Center is hosting the 20th Annual Beacon Hill Festival, with entertainment, local food, carnival games, bounce toys, and a silent auction. Proceeds of the event will go to support programs and scholarships offered at the center. All ages are welcome.
Vendors, non-profits, schools, and others: for booth information, contact Doreen Deaver at 206-684-7481 or doreen.deaver@seattle.gov. Registration deadline for vendors is May 4.
On July 21, festival fun comes to South Beacon Hill with the Taste of Van Asselt. There will be food, live music, arts and crafts, face painting, and a 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Event organizers are are looking for local restaurants to participate in this event
as vendors to sell their unique culture foods. Jewelry and craft artists are welcome to sell handmade jewelry and crafts as well. All vendors will be required to have a City of Seattle business license. Musicians are also sought to perform. For more information,
call 206-386-1921.
Jefferson Community Center will be haunted on October 28. Photo by Wendi.Both community centers on Beacon Hill have scheduled Halloween festivities for Friday, October 28, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Van Asselt Community Center (2820 S. Myrtle St.) is hosting a free Halloween Carnival that evening for kids aged 12 and under. Games and goodies are promised for the carnival guests. Wear a costume, and bring a bag or basket to collect treats and prizes. Refreshments will be available for sale.
Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave. S.) is holding their own Fall Festival and Haunted House for kids 11 and under (the haunted house is for older kids, per parents’ judgment). Games will be 25 cents each or 5/$1, and the haunted house admission is $1. As at the Van Asselt festival, guests should dress in their best costumes and bring a bag or basket for treats.
ROCKiT space would like to recognize the generous efforts of our neighbors and partners City Fruit and Jose Rizal Park Orchard for picking and delivering 300 pounds of apples to Garden House! These little beauties will be pressed into cider at the Beacon Hill Harvest Fair October 22. The cider will be shared with neighbors who attend the event. Folks should bring clean jars or containers to take some home!
The Harvest Fair will run from 2-9 p.m. on October 22 at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave. S. Stay tuned for more information later this week!
The Rainier Valley Co-Op Preschool (which, despite the name, is not in the Valley at all, but up on top of Beacon Hill) is holding their annual Fall Festival on Saturday, October 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will be held in the 1700 block of Forest Street, in front of Beacon Lutheran Church.
The family event will include a block party, a dj dance party, live music by Eli Rosenblatt, bike parades on the hour, hot dogs, a bake sale, games for kids, a recycled toy shop, a treasure hunt in the sandbox, face painting, and more!
Neighbors of all ages are welcome to have fun and help support the preschool. Bring your bicycle if you want to be part of the bike parades.
Van Asselt Community Center hosts the first Taste of Van Asselt on Saturday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The family-friendly event will include food, entertainment, kids’ activities, and the opportunity to meet old and new neighbors and friends.
The community center is located at 2820 S. Myrtle St. For more information about the event, call 206-386-1921.
Van Asselt Community Center is hosting a Taste of Van Asselt event on Saturday, July 23, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Food and arts/crafts vendors are needed for the event. The vendor fee is $45, and all vendors must have a City of Seattle business license and register for the event by July 11. If you are interested, contact the community center at 206-386-1921.
We heard that some folks showed up to buy heirloom tomato starts on Sunday and were disappointed, because the tomato sellers from Feed were already gone. However, we hear they will be back at 19th and Lander from 2-4 pm this Sunday with more tomatoes, but you should check their website for the latest info.
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Steel drummers will play at the Franklin High School Arts Festival on May 14. Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lowry. Heirloom tomato plants are also one of the attractions to be found at this weekend’s Franklin High School Arts Festival, on Saturday, May 14 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Elizabeth Lowry writes:
This year, Francis Roque, a Franklin alum and ceramicist, has worked with FHS art students to create approximately 100 mugs called Quaker Cups, which we will sell at the festival for just $15 each. And, Principal Dr. Jennifer Wiley’s steel drum band will perform, along with the lion dancers, jazz band and other groups. Habesha, a group of East African students, will present a fashion show.
The National Honor Society will sell heirloom tomato plants (the best deal in town!), and other student clubs will have games, rummage sales, sno cones and so on.
May 14 also is the Orca Plant Sale and the open house for Fire Station 30 just down the street from Franklin – oh, and the Mt. Baker yard sales! Big weekend!
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A quick reminder—save the date of June 4 on your calendar for the Beacon Hill Festival at Jefferson Park, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. As usual, there will be music and other entertainment, food, booths showcasing local groups, and more. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
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You should also save a date for the annual Beacon Hill Piñata Party, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 16 from 12-3 p.m. at Stevens Place Park (sometimes known as Triangle Park). The event will include live entertainment, music, food, dancing, and piñatas. All ages are welcome. The event is free. Please stay tuned for more information as the date approaches.
The event organizers are seeking neighbors to make or donate six piñatas for the event. If you would like to be a part of the planning process or have a donation, please contact Jon Gould at: jon@childrensalliance.org.
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Hello Bicycle at 3067 Beacon Ave. S. has recently remodeled, so they are having a Grand Re-opening sale throughout this week. To celebrate, they are giving out free ice cream on Saturday, May 14 (while it lasts). The folks there also want you to know that the shop’s hours are changing; they will be closed on Mondays instead of Tuesdays, but open every other day from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
It’s been a while since we posted Beacon Bits, so we’ve got some catching up to do. With no further ado, here goes!
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Beacon Hill International Elementary School will have a new principal in the fall of 2011. The current principal, Dr. Susie Murphy, is retiring and will be replaced by Kelly Aramaki, currently the principal at John Stanford International School (JSIS). While at JSIS last year, Aramaki won the $25,000 Milken Educator Award, given to promising young educators. (See this article by BHB news partners The Seattle Times for more information.) For the last two years, JSIS was named as a “School of Distinction” by the State Office of the Superintendent, an honor to mark schools that score in the top five percent on standardized math and reading tests.
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Bounce your way down to Jefferson Community Center on Friday, April 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Bounce Fest! The event promises a family fun event with bounce toys, jumping games, double dutch and more. Admission is $2 per child. Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.
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Speaking of festivals, plan ahead for El Centro de la Raza’s Sixth Annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration, to be held on Thursday, May 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at El Centro, 2524 16th Avenue South. The event will include traditional Mexican foods for sale, children’s activities, arts and crafts from local vendors, a health and services fair, and dance and musical performances. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. For more information, call 206-957-4649 or email events@elcentrodelaraza.org.
Beacon Hill artists are among those participating in Artists For Japan, an art sale to benefit relief efforts in Japan. The sale is on Saturday, March 26 from 12 noon to 8 p.m., and again on Sunday, March 27 from 12 noon until 5 p.m. All artwork has been donated, no commissions are being paid, and all event costs are donated. All funds raised will be donated directly to the International Red Cross.
For more information including a list of participating artists, see the website. (Thanks to Beacon Hill artist Elizabeth Jameson for sending us the heads-up on this one, and for helping to organize the event.)
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Your opinions are wanted! Seattle Parks and Recreation is planning for the future by updating the Parks and Recreation Development Plan. Part of this process is identifying what should be prioritized, with the input of park users. To do this, the department is holding meetings, and hosting an online survey to get your opinions.
Mea culpa, we missed that there was a meeting right here on Beacon Hill on Wednesday. But there is another, in the North End, next Wednesday evening at Bitter Lake Community Center, 13035 Linden Avenue North. For more information about the meeting and an overview of the process, see the website.
El Centro de la Raza is offering Spanish classes again from April 12 until June 9. Classes are taught by professional native Spanish speakers in an
interactive community-based setting. Class fee is $300, and class sessions will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. For information, call 206-957-4605 or email execasst@elcentrodelaraza.org.
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Last, a nice and neighborly story from Jessica De Barros we’ve been meaning to post since last month:
Just wanted to share a good BH neighbor story—this morning I accidentally left my bank card in the BofA cash machine on Beacon Ave, and returned from a long day of skiing to a Facebook message from John at Kabayan Karinderya (the Filipino restaurant across from Valero) that he’d found my card. I was able to walk just a few blocks to get it from a good neighbor! Kudos to John and Kabayan Karinderya for being such great BH neighbors.
The Beaconettes prepare to board Link for the Light Rail/Dark Rail performance on Saturday, March 5. Photo by Dan Bennett in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.
The bake sale at last year's Rainier Valley Co-operative Preschool Fall Festival had lots of tasty goods, and this year's should too. Photo by Jason.There are a few activities (and a cancellation) in the Beacon Hill Blog events calendar over the next few days you may want to take notice of.
Plant and Art Sale at ART’s on Beacon: Today through Saturday, a sale of plants, collectibles, art and antiques at ART’s (we wrote about ART’s in February). The sale runs from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm each day through Saturday. ART’s is located at 4951 13th Avenue South.
Slightly off the Hill in Rainier Beach, Mayor McGinn is hosting a public forum tonight, billed as “an opportunity for residents and business owners to discuss their concerns directly with city leaders.” Police Chief John Diaz will be there too, as will representatives from other city departments. They’ve only scheduled 90 minutes, though—will that be time enough for everyone to gripe? Find out at 6:30 pm at Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Avenue South.
Friday, October 1, the Beacon Merchants Association will meet at Baja Bistro, 2414 Beacon Avenue South. On the agenda this month: finalizing bylaws, and approving the board trainer and the date for board training. The group asks, “Please come, give us your input, and help Beacon Hill business grow strong!”
Saturday the Rainier Valley Co-op Preschool, which is actually up on the Hill at 1720 South Forest Street (near the Library), is holding their Fall Festival and Rummage Sale from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm. There will be a DJ Dance Party for kids, a bike parade, a bake sale, a treasure hunt, face painting, and more merriment.
Unfortunately, the Kai-Lan story time which was scheduled for the Beacon Hill Library on Saturday afternoon has been cancelled.
Don’t forget ROCKiT space has an Open Mic on the first and third Saturdays of each month.
The Second Annual Rizal Park Music and Arts Fest is this Sunday, August 15, 12:00 noon, at Dr. Jose Rizal Park on the north tip of Beacon Hill. The festival’s website describes the event as “a community event organized to bring awareness to the Dr. Jose Rizal Park and Bridge (the first bridge in the Nation to be named after a Filipino National Hero). This is a day event that will showcase local talent in music and fine arts.”
