Next Thursday, April 7, a Beacon Hill neighborhood mixer will take place at The Station, 2533 16th Ave. S. Photo by Wendi.Don’t forget to check the BHB Events page for information on events this weekend and beyond, including this month’s Maple School Natural Area volunteer work party today at 10 a.m., Beacon Rocks! performer auditions tonight at 8 p.m., a Lewis Park work party tomorrow at 9 a.m., and a ROCKiT space swing dance party at the Garden House on Tuesday night at 7:30.
We also want to give some advance notice of two Thursday evening events scheduled for April 7. At 5:30 p.m., neighbor Tess Martin will be hosting a neighborhood mixer at The Station, 2533 16th Ave. S. All are welcome. Come meet your neighbors and enjoy an extended Happy Hour or just some coffee. Then at 7 p.m., head over to the Beacon Hill Library a couple of blocks away for the monthly meeting of the North Beacon Hill Council. Stay tuned to the blog for information on this month’s NBHC meeting agenda.
Stuff is happening this weekend! There’s art, music, dancing, and more happening on (or even through) the Hill today. Here are a few of the things you might want to check out.
First, get out of bed and get over to the Maple School Natural Area work party at 10 a.m. today. This is a monthly event, held every first Saturday. Volunteers will help improve the parkland, then have a community potluck. More info here.
After the hard work, it’s time to enjoy some art, music, or dance. You have several choices tonight.
NEPO Little Treats presents Trotter, an exhibition of works by Amanda Manitach. The opening is tonight, Saturday March 5, from 6 until 8 p.m. Bacon-wrapped dates will be served, and there will be a screening of Cremaster 4 at 8 p.m.
Klara Glosova of NEPO House, smiling at last month's NEPO opening while holding a gun-shaped glass bottle. Photo by Dan Bennett in the Beacon Hill Blog photo pool on Flickr.NEPO Little Treats is a series of monthly shows that focus on presenting new work by individual artists and small groups at NEPO House, 1723 South Lander. Regular open hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays 12 to 2 p.m. and by appointment. More information about NEPO House and the show here. Some photos from last month’s opening are here.
If a musical trip is more your speed, Light Rail, Dark Rail is for you. Live performers including the Beaconettes, Cafe Racer Sessions, Jordan O’ Jordan, Tahoe Jackson, and more will liven up Link Light Rail trains.
Start at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the International District/Chinatown Station for a “summoning performance” by Prawnyxx. Then at 6 p.m., enjoy a “Musical Tour Guide and Overture” on southbound trains to SeaTac. At SeaTac, you’ll deboard, then board a northbound train. One is Dark Rail, and the other is Light Rail—you don’t know which you’ll get. Head to Sodo Station for the after party at Radar Hair + Records, 2721 First Avenue South, at 7:30 p.m.
If you prefer swing dancing, stay up on top of the Hill for the Beacon Rocks!swing dancing fundraiser, from 8 until 11 p.m. tonight at the Garden House, 2336 15th Ave South. There will be a live swing dancing performance and swing-dance lesson by Savoy Swing at 8:15 p.m., a live cake raffle, and more. Suggested donations start at $10.
On Sunday at 3:30 p.m., visit our neighbors in Mount Baker to see the Medieval Women’s Choir perform a short concert at Mount Baker Community Clubhouse, 2811 Mount Rainier Drive South. The choir will sing medieval music with soloist Linda Strandberg, accompanied by period instruments played by percussionist Peggy Monroe and harpist Bill McJohn.
After the weekend’s over, don’t forget the UPTUN quarterly meeting, Nightmares and Opportunities: Broadstripe and City Underserving Neighbors on Monday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Beacon Lutheran Church, 1720 Forest Street South. See our earlier post for more info.
If you plan to volunteer, you should wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Gloves and tools will be provided. Meet at the entrance located at the top of the stairs at 20th Avenue South and South Lucile Street. Bring a dish to share for the potluck, too.
Lewis Park volunteers are also starting up for the year this Sunday, February 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Gloves, tools, and snacks are provided. Neighbor Lenny promises hot coffee and hot chocolate this week, too. If you plan to volunteer, please notify Vinh at vngyen.green@yahoo.com. Lewis Park is located at Golf Drive South and South Charles Street, near the Amazon/Pac Med building.
On MLK Day weekend last month, many volunteers worked in Beacon Hill parks, including a large group at the Cheasty Greenbelt. The crew was organized by EarthCorps and included volunteers from Starbucks and elsewhere who worked on planting trees and clearing out invasive ivy and blackberry vines. See a post and photos at the City Year Seattle Blog.
Starting today and running through the 15th, the Goodwill Job Training and Education Center, just below the north tip of Beacon Hill on Lane Street, will register people for free classes in the eight-week session that runs from October 18 through December 9.
Classes include a Retail and Customer Service Training Program, Community College 101, the National External Diploma Program, and Adult Basic Education classes covering English, computers, reading, writing, math, and cashiering.
Additional classes may be available. For class availability and enrollment information, call (206) 860-5791.
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The performance space at Art's on Beacon. Photo by Wendi.ART’s on Beacon is hosting a Culture Forum Acting Workshop from October 11 through December 19, for “actors and non-actors alike focusing on the healing aspects of performance.” Workshop participants will have the opportunity to share their work in a three-night performance to be held at the ART’s on Beacon theater.
Workshop participation is limited. Workshop sessions will run Mondays through Thursdays from 6:30 through 9:30 pm. For more information, contact Michael Perrone at 206-861-6260 or email him at egodd1@msn.com.
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There are a couple of volunteer work parties scheduled on October 10 to improve local parks. We previously posted about the Maple School Natural Area Invasive Species Removal and Native Planting work party from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on Sunday. Find out more about that event and RSVP at the website.
Elsewhere on the Hill, the Friends of Lewis Park are also holding a work party at the same time on Sunday. The work will involve planting native trees and shrubs, and removal of invasive plant species such as English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry. Afterwards, the volunteers will gather for a celebratory party. To find out more and RSVP, see the website.
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Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 16 from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm for a North Beacon Town Center Action Team meeting at Beacon Lutheran Church, to help plan the North Beacon Urban Design Framework for the Town Center. We will post more about the meeting as the information becomes available.
Click this to see a larger version of the event poster.This Saturday you can meet your local police officers, tour the precinct building, and enjoy music, dancing, and free food at this year’s Picnic at the Precinct. All South Precinct residents are invited to this free community event, which will be held from 1:00 – 4:00 pm in the South Precinct parking lot, 3001 South Myrtle Street.
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Nearby in the South Beacon Hill area, Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a meeting for the Othello Playground Safety and Lighting Improvement project on Monday, September 20 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm at the Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 South Myrtle Street.
At this meeting, the design team will present schematic designs for the project, based on information gathered at the first meeting in May and at the August Othello Park International Music and Art Festival.
The Beacon Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library will host a special story time for children on Saturday, October 2 at 3:30 pm featuring an actor in costume as the television character Kai-lan from Ni Hao, Kai-lan. The story time is free and registration is not required. Kai-lan will read from one of her Mandarin Chinese/English bilingual books, and giveaways and photo opportunities will be available. The story time is presented in partnership with the Seattle Theatre Group in promotion of the upcoming stage show Storytime Live! at the Paramount Theatre.
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Neighbor Julie writes, “This very friendly cat appeared at our door last night (9/8/10). It is a small, black and white, with an interesting tail. We live in the 19th Ave S. and Horton neighborhood. Please call Julie at 206-999-9231 to claim it.”
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You still have time to submit an application with the Seattle Releaf “Trees for Neighborhoods” program. The application deadline has been extended to October 4 for the program, in which participants receive free trees, training, and some supplies to get started caring for their trees. Trees may be planted along the street or in your yard. To find out more and to get your application, check out the website.
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Another way to help green-up your neighborhood is coming on October 10, with a Maple School Natural Area Invasive Species Removal and Native Planting work party. The work party is from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, followed by a social party until 6:00 pm. All you need to bring is yourself—refreshments, tools, and gloves will be provided.
Urban farmers may soon be able to keep eight chickens like this fat and sassy Beacon Hill hen, if DPD's proposed amendments are approved. Fresh eggs for everyone! Photo by Wendi.The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is proposing amendments to the Land Use Code that concern urban agriculture, including urban farms and community gardens. The proposed amendments would allow such uses in all zones, though there would be some limitations in industrial zones. Additionally, farmers’ markets would be permitted outright in commercial zones, and the number of chickens permitted on a lot would increase from three to eight. Roosters, however, would specifically be banned. (Despite popular belief, they aren’t currently.) See more about the proposals here, and plan to attend a public hearing on July 21 at 5:30 pm if you’d like to comment on these changes. The hearing will be in Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue. A sign-up sheet will be available outside the Chamber at 5:00 pm. If you can’t attend the meeting, comments can be sent to City Councilmember Richard Conlin.
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Speaking of Councilmember Conlin, he’ll be a guest speaker at Happenin’ on the Hill, a neighborhood “green space celebration” hosted by the Environmental Outreach and Stewardship Alliance (EOS Alliance) at the Maple School Natural Area, 20th Avenue South and South Lucile Street, on Saturday, July 10. The event will include food, music, art, and speakers including Conlin and Erick McWayne (former EOS Alliance Executive Director). The event starts at 12 noon and runs until 4:00 pm, with a rededication of the Maple School Natural Area at 3:00 pm.
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The Touch of Sweden garage sale we mentioned a couple of weeks ago was postponed (due to cold and rainy weather) until Saturday, July 3, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at 12th Avenue South and South Judkins Street. Kajsa and PopTop are moving away on Sunday, first to PopTop’s home in Minneapolis and then to Sweden where Kajsa’s father is suffering from cancer. Kajsa sent us a message to the community with an appeal for help; we added it in its entirety to our earlier post. See it there.
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Wellspring Family Services on Rainier Avenue South and South Plum Street is holding a “Kids Helping Kids” fundraising drive this summer. The drive benefits programs for homeless kids, including the Baby Boutique (a free boutique where homeless families can shop) and Morningsong (a childcare center for homeless children).
Wellspring and “Kids Helping Kids” will be at the Columbia City Farmers’ Market on South Edmunds Street on Wednesday, July 21 with Caspar Babypants from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.
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The Seattle City Light Powerful Neighborhoods pilot program is helping South Seattle residents install energy- and water-saving technology in their homes. Since April, more than 800 homes have been served by the program, in which trained installers come to customers’ homes and install free light bulbs, showerheads, faucet aerators, and smoke detectors. Yes, free. (The installation is free, too.)
To qualify, you must live in a single-family home or 2 to 4-unit building in the zip codes 98144, 98118, 98178, 98108, 98126, 98106, and 98134. If you would like to participate in the program please call the Powerful Neighborhoods multilingual phone line at 206-449-1132, or email scl_install@seattle.gov.
According to the EOS website, the “plan of action will be mulching around native plants that were planted this past winter and doing some quality control by removing invasive plants such as English Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry. EOS Alliance team members will also be offering information on the natural history of the area and about habitat restoration efforts in Seattle. Gloves, tools and refreshments will be provided. Just bring yourselves and a reusable cup for refreshments, and get ready to get in touch with nature!”
To join the work party on Saturday morning, meet at 20th Avenue South and South Lucile Street, at the top of the stairs, at 10:00 am. Please RSVP to Ben Kantner at bkantner@eosalliance.org. Don’t forget to dress for the weather and for nature, and bring a reusable cup for refreshments.
If you would like to help, please meet at the base of the stairs at South Lucile Street and 18th Avenue South at 10:00 am on January 19 (MLK Jr. Day). Wear work clothes. Tools, gloves, snacks and instruction will be provided.
