Luckily, during this period, fines will not accrue and items will not come due. The crazy part is that even the functions that don’t require staff will be inaccessible for the week. This includes the spl.org website and book drops at branches — keep your books until they re-open after the 7th. Also, there will be no library-hosted meetings.
This last item impacts the September North Beacon Hill Council meeting, which will have to be moved and/or rescheduled. (We’ve not yet seen official notice of when or where, and the NBHC website does not say. The usual alternate location is the Beacon Hill Lutheran church at 18th and Forest. The official time, location, and agenda will be posted as soon as it’s available.)
The documentary film It Might Get Loud features Beacon Hill resident Randy Parsons.Massive Monkees, who sometimes drop in at the Jefferson Park community center, demonstrated their dance moves to Beyonce’s “Work It Out” on this week’s episode of America’s Best Dance Crew — with the added bonus of hula hoops.
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Andrew Matson at the Times is interviewing Beacon Hill’s own Blue Scholars about their new EP OOF! later this week, and to whet your appetite, he’s posted a link to the video for “Coffee and Snow”, filmed and released during last December’s Snowpocalypse. The video features shots of Beacon Avenue, the VA hospital, and possibly the Othello Safeway, all covered in a thick layer of white. What other locations can you spot?
Mike Cheney is looking to create a South Beacon Hill block watch for neighbors in and around New Holly and areas nearby. This effort would be completely unrelated to the Citizens for the 2nd Amendment group or Mike’s own informal neighborhood patrols. Whether you agree or disagree politically, Mike’s aim here is simply to help make Beacon Hill a safer place to live. If you’re interested in helping get a block watch organized, contact Mike: redboneshadow@yahoo.com.
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Amber Swim, Program Coordinator for Girls on the Run of Puget Sound is looking for female volunteer coaches to help deliver “an after-noon school prevention program that uses the power of running to educate and prepare preteen girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living.”
Girls on the Run coaches do NOT need to be elite runners. Any woman who lives a healthy lifestyle and is committed to improving the lives of girls can be a GOTR coach. Details at http://www.girlsrun.org/coaching.html.
Amber can be reached by phone at 206-528-2118, or by email at amber@girlsrun.org. The deadline to apply is September 4th.
Found dog 8/4, near 39th Ave S.Do you recognize this dog? Know where he belongs? He’s a rather timid and skittish and probably really wants to be home. Contact pateb@foster.com if you can help get him there.
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On the flip side of “found”, Kazi the orange tabby cat has been missing from his home near the Jefferson Park golf course since Sunday. He may be wearing a blue “stinky cat”-labeled collar. If you’ve seen him, please contact his owner through this Craigslist posting.
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Dayna P writes with a question about organizing a trash pickup effort on her block:
Hi. I’m a neighbor on 13th Ave S by Maple Park and recently walked to a friend’s house on 12th Ave, towards downtown. I just couldn’t believe the amount of trash on the street… really awful! I’m wondering if anyone out there is interested in helping me organize a neighborhood trash pickup day. I’ve never done anything like this, so don’t know the best way to go about it. Anyone out there want to help get this going? Does anyone know if the city/parks dept has any programs that help this kind of effort?
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The Seattle Public Library is seeking Homework Helpers for the 2009-2010 school year. Homework Helpers assist elementary, middle and high school students with understanding homework assignments, developing study skills and learning approaches for solving math problems. English is a second language for the majority of the students. Homework Helpers are asked to assist students for just two hours per week throughout the school year, some time Monday through Thursday, between 4 and 8pm. Openings are available at many south-end branches, including the Beacon Hill branch. For more information and to request a volunteer application, please contact Anne Vedella, Volunteer Services Coordinator, at anne.vedella@spl.org by Friday, August 14. Interviews will take place in August. They’re also looking for “Talk Time facilitators” at the Beacon Hill branch — contact Anne about that, as well.
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Local south-end hip-hop duo Blue Scholars turns the music biz on its head: the band signs a label to distribute their album. (Sabzi from the band lives on Beacon Hill. Also, catch their CurrentTV video featuring footage around town, including a stop at Jose Rizal Park.)
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Some strange things are afoot on 14th. Kara on the mailing list wrote yesterday:
We seem to have some suspicious activity going on at 14th Ave S and S Nevada. There is a red Toyota Corolla that waits at the intersection for a “delivery” from someone on foot or in a black extended cab Toyota Tacoma. They make an exchange and away they go. We’ve seen it twice in the last month, most recently this evening (Monday) around 9pm.
I suspect that it is drugs. We have reported it to SPD. If anyone else sees these vehicles hanging around PLEASE report to 911.
Three burglary suspects were caught (and one remains at large) following a break-in at a home in the 4100 block of 13th Avenue South on Friday, reports the SPD Blotter. That didn’t make much of an impact, however. Hazel mentioned on the mailing list and in a post on her blog about another break-in which occurred not too far away at her home, 20th and Spokane on Saturday. Any recommendations for security companies? The question has come up on the list since.
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Wilson Chin, candidate for Seattle School Board. Photo courtesy wilson chin for schools.comWilson Chin joins fellow Beacon Hillian Charlie Mas in the race for Seattle School Board. The Seattle Times has a backgrounder article on all of the candidates for District 7.
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Travis posted several interesting neighborhood-related blog entries over the weekend, including a firsthand account of attempted plant theft from the landscaping around the new Beacon Hill light rail station and the strange appearance of an SPU trailer near Daejeon Park.
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An apprehension at gunpoint (with photo of cops with guns drawn!) was posted by Laura at the Beacon Hill Bungalow blog.
I wonder if we’ll see anything like this with our new Residential (or Restricted) Parking Zone: A comparison of what it’s like just inside and outside the RPZ near Swedish Cherry Hill from Central District News.
(Updated 8/5 to correct attribution. Sorry, Laura and Travis!)
A real frosty pitcher of beer. While the ice just waters down the beer and the extreme cold kills the taste, it looks rather inviting nonetheless. Photo by Ubi Desperare Nescio.The heat is getting to our computer equipment, even. Wendi’s monitor is flickering on and off (mostly off), my little cheap netbook has locked up several times, and the oppressive heat doesn’t make the prospect of sitting with the laptop terribly attractive either.
If you’re not lucky enough to have air conditioning, or if you’re getting a bit stir-crazy being trapped at home by your A/C, what are some places to head to, easily accessible from the hill, where you can hang out for a bit in a cooler atmosphere?
Wandering around inside Red Apple is refreshing, particularly near meats and in the frozen food aisle, lazily pondering which frozen fudge bar or ice cream sandwich would be best, but mostly chilling in the flood of cold air while standing there with the freezer door open.
Last night, we wanted to get out and get a meal somewhere cool with good food and drinks. I recalled the Collins Pub is just a half-block from the Pioneer Square tunnel station. A few blocks walk and we were in the elevator at Beacon Hill station. Once on the platform, it was a very pleasant temperature. A few minutes later, the air conditioned train stopped and we made our way to the Pioneer Square station and then up, out of the 3rd & Yesler entrance. Downhill and around the corner of the Smith Tower and we were at the comfortably cool Collins Pub. (I had a burger, impulsively with Field Roast instead of beef, with fries and tartar sauce. The burger was good, and the fries great. Wendi had a polenta dish with zucchini, broccoli, and a rustic tomato sauce. The polenta was good. The tomato sauce was a bit acid-y, and the broccoli was a surprise — Wendi hates broccoli. Luckily, I love it. Collins Pub offers a good selection of interesting craft beers. I had a pint of 21st Amendment‘s “Hell or High Watermelon Wheat” — surprisingly tasty and refreshing — and one of Ninkasi‘s “Radiant Summer Pale”, which grew on me the lower it got in the glass.)
What we’d like to know is: Where are you going and what are you doing to beat the heat?
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.)
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?)
Most of these photos are from the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr, which has tons of photos of our neighborhood. Want to contribute, or just browse the pool? Go here. Thanks to all the pool members who have contributed such wonderful images!
Going green with reusable shopping bags. Photo by Ruthie Ruth.Levecke Mas writes:
“Without declaring it a ‘new year’s resolution’ but rather a lifetime goal, our family of four is trying to say ‘no’ to the plastic bags. So far this year, we have been successful! From the way in which we shop, we estimate that to be about 100 bags we have not taken!
“Part of the success is being ready; we have amassed tons of great totes and the trick is remembering to bring them into the store or being willing to run back to the car because you forgot — again.
“I just want to share with all my neighbors, that the Beacon Hill Library is selling awesome reusable bright green totes for only $1. They are perfect for stacks of books so also perfect for all grocery items. Sales of the totes benefit Friends of the Beacon Hill library so everyone wins.
“Try ‘going reusable’ as often as you can or all the time!”
Speaking of the Beacon Hill Library, they have a monthly book group meeting. This month’s meeting is next Wednesday, November 19, at 6:30 pm, to discuss the book Heart, You Bully, You Punk by Leah Hager Cohen. The group is free, and of course, you can get the book at the library.
If you want to get a head start on next month’s book, it’s Hanna’s Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson.
A Chinese-language workshop for Medicare beneficiaries and their family members to learn about plan changes in 2009 is this Thursday afternoon from 1:30 – 3:00 pm at the Beacon Hill Library branch. The workshop is free and everyone is welcome; registration is not required. For more information, please call the Beacon Hill Branch at 206-684-4711.
A couple of weeks ago we mentioned that Nancy Leson was looking for comments on “old-school” Chinese restaurants. Now she’s posted a review of several, including the former Beacon Hill landmark, Perry Ko’s South China Restaurant. (If you count Perry Ko’s old location, we’ve eaten at every one of these restaurants.) — Seattle Times
Blogging Georgetown brings us news of a new grocery store at Carleton & Warsaw, rather closer for our west-slope Mid-Beacon Hill neighbors than Red Apple or Safeway, and perhaps worth a trip from further out.
