Ballardblog.com

The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle will host an evening of uproarious laughter, delectable desserts and community fun for their annual Community Celebration and Campaign Kick-off, September 16 at Benaroya Hall (I know, NOT Ballard, but they’re are Jews in Ballard, right? And people that dig comedy, right?). 

The Federation’s Campaign Kick-off will feature the hilarious comedy act, World of Jewtopia, and a dessert reception. Tickets are just $36.

World of Jewtopia is a one-act show starring Bryan and Sam that combines scenes from their original show Jewtopia, re-enactments from their bestselling book, “Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People”, interactive audience participation (i.e. the Jewish “Apollo”), stand-up comedy, and a dazzling multimedia presentation for an  funny, one-of-a-kind-event.

Seattle’s premier program of study courses for older adults is coming to Ballard.

The Lifetime Learning Center, which offers courses from James Joyce and Opera to current events and watercolor, originated in lower Queen Anne in the 70s and moved to the Magnuson Park area a decade ago, will begin teaching classes at the Loyal Heights Community Center this fall.

With the support of Seattle Parks & Recreation, LLC presents The Civil War—Beyond the Battles. Taught by Pete Mazza, the class is scheduled for Tuesdays 11-12 beginning September 29 for eight weeks. Bill Taylor teaches Islam and the West on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:45 beginning October 6 for eight weeks.

Studies show that for a fulfilled life in retirement, staying mentally sharp and making friends with shared interests are invaluable. For more details about these classes, go to www.lifetimelearningseattle.org or call (206) 524-3778.

On Monday, September 7th, Monster Art & Clothing will be celebrating its one year anniversary.  For a year, now, owner Holly Gummelt has added her unique taste in art and fashion to the Ballard landscape.

With a rotating list of featured artists every month, most from the Northwest region, as well as local clothing designers, she has helped expose many to these talented  individuals in one convenient location.

As an all day promotion, she will be offering a free pair of Sock it to Me socks with every $25 purchase, as well as a promise of cake.  Monster Art & Clothing is located on the corner of Ballard Ave. and 20th.

5000 20th Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107-4807
(206) 789-0037

If you’re heading to the free concert series at The Locks today or spending your Saturday at Golden Gardens, head up the hill and check out Parfait Organic Artisan Ice Cream.  It is a mobile operation, run out of a retrofitted UPS bus and serves up some of the best ice cream I have ever tasted.  Made entirely from scratch, the flavors include Meyer Lemon Bar and Butter Toffee Crunch.  Even the butter toffee is homemade!  The bus is parked outside of the Sunset Hill Cafe Fiore location on Saturdays, at the corner of 85th and 32nd, from 1-5pm.  Yummm…

For those of you who are looking to take advantage of the last days of summer (and who can’t afford Bumbershoot or can’t handle the crowds), look no further than the Summer Concerts at the Locks series. This is the last weekend for this free concert series, which takes place at the Ballard Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. Cascadia Jazz Band plays at 2pm today. The Dissonance, a jazz group, at 2pm on Sunday. The last concert will be Michael Clune and Sleep till Noon Band, 2pm on Monday. This group is self-described as “Funky, groovin’, soulful rock.”

Bring the family, pack a picnic, blanket and lawn chairs (and umbrella just in case), watch the boats passing through, watch the salmon navigate the fish ladder, and enjoy a free outdoor concert on the lawn in the Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Gardens at the Locks. Located at 3015 NW 54th Street.

When the chips are down and you’re low on cash, don’t let that stop you from enjoying pure entertainment. Cash’d Out, “the next best thing to Johnny Cash,” will be performing on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 7:00 PM (Doors @ 6:30 PM) at Ballard’s Tractor Tavern 5213 Ballard Ave NW. Tickets are $15 adv/18 door with a Special Two Show Ticket Offer-only $20 for both shows!

Judging by the lint-to-chip ratio in our metaphorical pockets, it was “accidentally on purpose” that the Tractor tailored these shows back to back at a nifty, economic rate. The other performing artist is Moorea Malatt, a singer/songwriter whose lyrics are of modern perplexity, ranging from her love of soy milk to being jaded. To put it simply, this evening will be filled with musical notes sweeter than cherry pie, stronger than black coffee and much stiffer than a pomade pomp.

 About Cash’d Out:

 -The lead singer (Douglas G. Benson) bears a striking resemblance to the Man in Black himself.

-They are the premier Johnny Cash tribute band in the world and they are endorsed on the official Johnny Cash website.

-Band was born in 2004.

-Some band members enjoy karate, smoking cigarettes and boogie woogie-ing.

Tractor Tavern

5213 Ballard Ave NW | Seattle, WA 98107 | Info line: 206.789.3599  TRACTORTAVERN.COM

 Step one foot inside 20 Twenty clothing and shoe shop and the faint mingling of Aqua Velva and shoe polish recoils your memories of: the male dorm room, grandpa’s closet, your first boyfriend’s bedroom. 20 Twenty is Ballard’s kitschy shop that has a clear vision, offering gently used men’s and women’s  wardrobe and accessories. Curiosity draws your attention to the little embellishments on some of their recycled clothing and trimmings-such as their vintage 1970′s ties in brown, cornflower blue and maize–black silk-screen stencils of old-timey bicycles, gramophones–each one applied as uniquely as the individual sporting it. Lines of men and women’s shoes stretch along the rim of the floor and in the window displays. Their quantity of gold shoes is noteworthy; more gold than Cleopatra’s headdresses that shone and sparkled in her prime!  They also have an abundance of T-shirts (including a New Kids on the Block tee!) in an array of colors and styles, running shorts that are coming back in style and a collection of old Polaroid cameras. Everything in the shop is conveniently priced at around $20, making it affordable to be dressed in style.

Adorning the walls are wonderful and reasonably priced pieces of art from local artists; this month are talented & contemporary artists Laura Kinney and Joey Bates.

 20 Twenty

5208 Ballard Ave NW

(between N 20th Ave & Vernon Pl)

Seattle, WA 98107

(206) 706-0969

Hours:
Mon-Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Downtown Ballard supplies us with many delights; we can acquire fluffy cupcakes, visit bookstores, coffee shops  and sip suds in bars all in a one-block radius. Yet, if one is craving artistic stimulation or a little creative inspiration, Venue Work Studios + Boutique, an urban loft-style work space for artists who create and display their work, is right around the corner.

Most recently on display from Augusts Art Walk was photographer Lynn Cameron, whose fine art work is sophisticated, elegant and captures a quite stillness like a mysterious trunk in the attic. Her Polaroid transfers displayed on panes of glass in shadow boxes allow light to shine through the wavering and delicate image, revealing luminescence and vibrancy and act as portals to far away lands. Some locations she has travelled to and documented are: Austria, England, Croatia, Portugal and the Netherlands. You can see her work at lynncameronphotography.com

Columbian artist Alison Mackey creates unique jewelry pieces using color photographs which are abstracted and placed under clear resin. At a glance, one might think the colors are from a mineral or stone, but they are actual scenes from nature captured with a camera. For example, a pair of earrings, circular in shape, has a photograph of a blue sky with clouds and a single power line that breaks up the serene. To view her work or to inquire how to purchase personalized jewelry, visit mackeysmark.com.

Other artists include but are not limited to, New Zealander Alex Bixby, whose tarnished copper jewelry and recycled silver pieces still reflect a beautiful purity although they have been through many rough life cycles, and jewelry artist Ashley Paulina, who uses only the most precious stones as a shopper in a market would choose fruit-plucking the ripest ruminated quartzes and green garnet clusters to create her masterpieces  to adorn your neck, ears and wrist.

A center piece for the Venue Work Studios + Boutique is its glorious  Art-O-Mat, a machine that dispenses original works of art, but only in miniature. For an alternative to smoking, now you can push a button and enjoy art, music, writings, concepts and unique ideas for only $5.00 + tax! Examples of the cellophane wrapped wonders are: Key West silks by Janet Whalen, 2×2 paintings (with little easels!) by Sarah Whittington, road warrior hand crafted soap (so you don’t smell like Mad Max), wearable bottle cap artwork, postage stamp earrings and the elusive favorite-the button with a red question mark. For more information about Art-O-Mat, call “Artists in Cellophane” at 1 + 336 774 0717.

 The Venue also offers a variety of classes each month:

9/14 Felted Soap and Rocks

9/17 Needle felting

9/20 Bookbinding: make a journal

Venue Work Studios + Boutique

5408 22nd Avenue NW

Ballard WA 98107

t: 206 789 3335

e: info@venueballard.com

w: www.venueballard.com

Now would you imagine that: a thrift store that donates all of its proceeds to a good cause? Well, I’ll be! Imagine That! is a quaint not-for-profit thrift store located on NW 24th in Ballard. Carol Faucette, owner, and business partner Dianne Riva, recently celebrated their 4th anniversary on July 30th. These two ladies are always excited to meet new people and  have fun while  contributing to the local charities and therefore, to the  supportive Ballard community. Like any thrift store, it is packed full of treasures and trinkets. They have an array of books (mostly paper-back), clothing, jewelry, kitchen ware (i.e. martini glasses, drinking glasses, and any other kind of glass  receptacle), and tons of other items that often times, no one really needs but desperately wants. Sometimes nostalgia tends to push its way through the door and before we know it we are ringing our debit card for a velvet painting of a frowning clown. Now that you are informed about Imagine That!, we have a good reason to pull out our wallets during these tough economic times. Whether we are searching for a new piece of art for our bare wall or a pair of Jordache jeans (yes, they are in style!) or perhaps a faux pearl necklace, there’s no better way to give back to our local community!

Carol’s mission is to reinstate the word GIVE as she spends her free time locating and selling newly acquired old goodies and proceeding that charity directly to others in need.

Imagine That! donates to the following:

The Antioch Bible Church Mission, Medical Relief International, World Vision & Mercy Corps.

Imagine That! Thrift Store

Hours:

M-Sa-10-6pm

Su-closed

Address: 7739 24th N.W.

Ballard, WA 98117

t: 206 783 0975

Homelessness to housing, parks and transit improvements are all on the agenda  for the Ballard District Council meeting next week.

AGENDA

Proposed Ballard Mixed Use Development by Seattle Compass Center, Greg
Elkerton – Common Ground and M.J. Kiser – Program Director, Compass
Center
Compass Center plans to construct an 80-unit residential facility at
1753 NW 56 Street which will provide affordable housing for persons
transiting from homelessness.

Update on 2008 Seattle Parks Green Space Levy & Opportunity to Develop
a New Park in Ballard, Lise Ward – Seattle Parks Dept Property
Management

Market/45th Street Transit Corridor Improvements, Bill Bryant, Seattle
DOT
This recently initiated effort will address east west transit
efficiency between Ballard and U District.

2009/2010 Ballard DC Election of Officers, Mary Hurley – Chair,
Nominating Committee
A slate of four candidates will be presented. The election of officers
will occur at the October 14 council meeting. DC member organization
reps are eligible to serve in one of the four officer positions.

Executive Committee
1. Application for Ballard DC membership by Ballard Rotary Club,
Catherine Weatbrook
2. Volunteers are needed to serve on a district level committee to
review work related to the Deep Bored Tunnel/SR 99 project, Steve Cohn
3. October 5th Candidates Forum, Andy MacDonald
BALLARD DISTRICT COUNCIL
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Ballard Library – 5614 22nd NW
(Free parking below building – accessed from NW 56th)
7:00 – 8:30 PM