Kendra October 7th, 2008
Many people are watching the Presidential debate tonight as I type this. That’s good, people should exercise their right to vote and most importantly make their vote an informed one. I have to admit that I haven’t been following national politics as much as I once did. I admit that I grew frustrated with politics at the national level a while back, it was sometimes hard to feel that I, as one person, could truly make a difference. So I turned my attention and energy to politics and issues at the local level. The Ballard District Council meeting tomorrow night gives you a taste of politics both on the national and local level as the agenda includes a speaker from the Seattle League of Women voters as well as a local vote for officers for the Executive Committee of the Ballard District Council.
BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Ballard Library - 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building - accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 - 8:30 PM
Chairperson: Andy MacDonald (VP)
AGENDA
7 PM Short Announcements by Member Organization Representatives
Please hold announcements to not more than one minute.
7:15 Your Ballard Branch Library - How are we doing serving the
community and how should we plan for future enhancements to library
services?, Barbara Knight, Friends of the Seattle Public Library
7:30 Understanding What’s at Stake on the November 4th Ballot, Betty
Sullivan, Seattle League of Women’s Voters
Betty will provide a briefing on the November 4 general election
ballot, upcoming changes to the voting process, and informational
resources to the …
Cameron September 24th, 2008
The 5th Annual Sustainable Ballard Festival is coming up this weekend (September 27th and 28th at Ballard Commons Park), brought to us for free by Sustainable Ballard, a local non-profit organization developing a grassroots vision of sustainability for the community of Ballard (www.sustainableballard.org).
From Saturday to Sunday (11-5pm), the Festival will feature a variety of progressive organizations who are at the forefront of discovering and implementing sustainable, green solutions, such as Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and the Sunyata Group. The festival will include various lectures and workshops from eco-gurus and authors on ways to incorporate sustainable living through alternative (but affordable!) transportation, gardening, eating, home/decor remodeling, art and products and the local business where you can find them. They also have fun art projects, puppet shows and “baby oragami” for kids.
Insider tip– Mainstage Festival Sponsor, Earthues (www.earthues.com), a Ballard fair-trade, women-owned textile and eco-friendly natural dye workroom, will host a demo on dying with indigo powders onto fabrics from 10-5pm on Saturday. Seriously, when else would you ever get to do this? Call Weaving Works to reserve your space 206-524-1221.
Come early to the Sustainable Ballard Festival either day and you could be one of the first 200 people that receive a free copy of Chinook Book, full of local event and shopping savings of up to $3,000!
BallardGuy September 18th, 2008
The Ballard High School 30 Year Reunion Is Happening.
Drum roll please: IS THERE A “FRIDAY NIGHT REUNION THING ALSO”…YES! It is an un-sponsored, casual get-together at Rock Salt on Lake Union. (the old Latitude 47) Even if only 2 people show, it is still happening.
We know for sure that there will be a Beaver sighting at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19.
There is also a formal reunion at Emerald Downs Saturday night. But it needed to be paid for in advance (last Tuesday).
BallardGuy September 18th, 2008
This was sent to us from a reader:
Were you outside yesterday morning? I live in the Whittier neighborhood, around 13th and 75th NW. Smelled it everywhere.
A year ago I smelled it (kind of a mix between a paper mill and garbage). A friend who used to work in the City Council told me it was the Discovery Park plant’s air cleaning scrubbers off line (which would be quite a distance for the odor to travel), and that they occasionally go off line and this is the smell. I also smelled it the day before, but yesterday was wicked bad. I could almost taste it.
BallardGuy writes:
Did anyone else notice it?
Let us know.
Cameron September 17th, 2008
A few weeks ago, we wrote about Archie McPhee’s and the people who go there. Today, we learned that our beloved landmark is moving out of Ballard after the property owner decided to let the building lease expire.
The multi-block property, owned by the Jacobsen estate, stretches from Market Street to 24th Avenue Northwest and another block north to 56th Street. Apparently, the landlords offered a month to month option for commercial tenants, but Mcphee’s declined the offer and is looking to relocate in Seattle.
There is no word yet on what the property owners will do with the space. The estate trustee, Bob Jacobsen Jr, was quoted in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer saying, “It’s in my best interest to do what’s best for the interests of the rest of the people in the estate–I’ve got brothers and sisters. I can’t encumber the property with a long-term lease. Maybe the best thing to do is to keep it. Maybe it isn’t. But it’s not for sale now, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
But we all know what happens when leases expire and businesses move out; condos move in.
Cameron September 16th, 2008
Wayne Wichern and Daria Wheatley are bringing their designer hats to Ballard. Their work has been featured in galleries and special events all over the west coast, such as the Seattle Opera, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, MOHAI and the San Francisco Fine Art Museum. They will exhibit their fall line of handmade millinery, available for purchase, and of course to ogle over, at the upcoming October Art-Walk weekend at the home of New York Fashion Academy (www.newyorkfashionacademy.com).
Friday, October 10, 10am-6pm
Saturday, October 11, 10am-9pm
www.hats2008.com
Cameron September 12th, 2008
Let’s face it, this Saturday’s Art-Walk event will probably be the last dry and relatively warm Art-Walk night for the next, oh, I don’t know… nine months? So we are rolling off the couch, and from 5-9pm we will enjoy the cool, descending summer evening on Market Street.
Here are some of the options for this Saturday’s Art-Walk:
Opening Celebration at Monster Art and Clothing
Join the Monster crew to celebrate the very recent opening of the newest clothing and accessory storefront in Ballard with savory delectables, music and maybe even some trapeze action. (Corner of Ballard Avenue and 20th in the Cors and Wegener Building).
Glassblowing at Art By Fire
Pretend to have talent like Dale Chihuly and go to the Art By Fire Gallery at 5465 Leary Ave. NW. For $29 and 15 minutes of inflated, molten glass, you can blow like the pros. Call in advance for reservations (206-789-1490).
Beats at Triple
Did you even know that there was probably the coolest shoe store outside of San Francisco in the space above Rudy’s Barbershop and King’s Hardware? Triple features an array of beat-boy (and girl) styled sneakers and usually hosts DJs to spin records while you shop on Art-Walk nights(www.tripleseattle.com). Check it.
SeattleMeg September 10th, 2008
Things to do, people to see… This fall is shaping up to be a delightful time with delightful weather. Let’s see what’s coming up!
June Carter Cash tribute, Live Girls! Theater, 2220 N.W. Market St.
Sept. 12 - Oct. 4, Fri. at 8 p.m., Sat. at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets prices for 8 p.m. shows- $15/$12 student/senior, Saturday 4 p.m. shows- All tickets $7, $5 under 18 with ID. Live Girls! commissioned three one-act plays from local and national playwrights. Each writer was asked to choose a song recorded by June Carter Cash and create a play inspired by that song. These three new plays will be produced together in one evening as a tribute to this legendary singer, writer and humanitarian. The plays include “Red Velvet Cake,” “Burn the Houseplants,” “Run Away with Me to a Lonely Spot on the Edge of a Cliff,” and “Jackson.” Visit www.livegirlstheater.org for info.
‘Susan and God’, Senior Matinee, Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St.
Oct. 1, 2 p.m. In “Susan and God,” Lisa Peretti plays Susan-a bright, charming, intelligent woman at the center of the gossipy, fun social set lazing their summers away in the Hamptons. And now, darling, she’s found God. Or at least her version of him. Susan’s newest fad becomes everyone else’s newest headache until Susan receives a startling revelation of her own. Senior tickets are $20, available at the box office at 781-9707 …
Cameron September 8th, 2008
The New York Fashion Academy is gearing up for it’s 5th annual fashion show, with multiple lines expected to hit the runway sometime in April of next year. But fashion shows cost money. Money that broke-ass students don’t have, which will pay for things like pipe and drape, runway construction, lighting, photographers, advertising and promotion, among many other details that go into 15 minutes of fabulousness.
The students of New York Fashion Academy will host a silent auction/parlor party on November 8th, coinciding with the November Art-Walk night. They are currently seeking donations (products or services) that will be auctioned off to fundraise for the 2009 NYFA fashion show. If you’re a proprietor of a local business, consider donating a gift certificate– it’s promo for your business on a bustling Art-Walk night– and you’ll help support little fashionistas in their quest to “work-it-out” and be “fierce”. Or just come to shop– I hear a select group of students will be showcasing some of their pieces, and you won’t want to miss it. It’s kind of a big deal.
Please direct all donation inquiries to:
Newyorkfashionacademy@hotmail.com
(206) 352-2636
Kendra September 7th, 2008
Last week I wrote a post about the fact that the Ballard bus lines, already dealing with increased ridership due to the “Ballard Boom” is also being hit with the double whammy of the influx of students with the start of the school year. Adults have been left standing at bus stops unable to board the bus in either direction when commuting due to the overcrowding. Excited to see the headline in today’s Sunday Seattle Times, “Region’s buses overflow, squeezing riders, system” I was fully expecting to see Ballard commutes sited in the article, particularly in a sidebar called “Where riders get passed by.” However, Ballard routes #15 and #18 failed to nab a place in the Hall of Shame. Has anyone from Metro ever ridden these routes at rush hour? Do the good folks at Metro not pull reports, which can be produced by the swiping of bus passes, which would detail the ridership woes from these routes?
The only time Ballard’s bus routes were mentioned in the article was in the following statement, “But it’s not clear if Metro can provide everything it promised voters in Transit Now, including new bus rapid transit lines serving Overlake, West Seattle, Ballard, Aurora and Federal Way by the early 2010’s.” Does this mean when I purchase something I will get a refund of the portion of my sales tax that goes to Transit Now if they will not be fulfilling the transit needs promised?
It’s interesting that this week’s Ballard District Council Meeting …
