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West Seattle weekend scene: Sorting ‘Stamp Out Hunger’ donations
May 14, 2011 4:56 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

While checking back in on the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard sale during West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, we spotted this work under way next door at the Junction Post Office – with bins of donations for the Stamp Out Hunger one-day door-to-door food drive. Haven’t heard any local totals yet but we’ll be checking. And if you missed it, no worries, both food banks that serve West Seattle will be happy to take your donation another time (or even an online $ donation right now) – West Seattle Food Bank information is here, and White Center Food Bank (which also serves WS south of Myrtle) is here.

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Groundbreaking tomorrow for Barton Street P-Patch gardens
May 13, 2011 8:33 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news | Westwood

There’s a fence around the big birch tree to protect it as work is about to begin to turn the big lot at 34th/Barton into West Seattle’s next P-Patch community-gardening area. After months of planning and preparation, the official “groundbreaking” is tomorrow – albeit a low-key one; the landscaping consultant will install “the official web marking post” at 9:30 am. That’s a reference to the final design chosen for the site after 3 community meetings – WSB coverage here – which resembles a web.

(Courtesy Barker Landscape Architects)
You’re invited to come celebrate and to sign up for work parties; sign-up sheets are available 9 am-11 am, and garden plots will be assigned “based on volunteer hours,” so if you want a garden, you’ll have to work for it! The city’s webpage for the project is here; on Facebook, there’s a Barton Street P-Patch group here. The project is funded through the Parks and Green Spaces Levy.

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Also tomorrow: Stamp Out Hunger food drive, with an extra dropoff spot
May 13, 2011 3:43 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

In addition to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, among many other events, tomorrow is also the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Leave a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox or front door (if you get mail through a slot) in the morning, and your letter carrier will pick it up – what could be easier than a door-to-door food drive? If it’s not convenient to leave the bag outside, or if you want to save your letter carrier a little work, owner Andrea at Café Osita in Sunrise Heights (northwest side of 35th/Webster) says her coffee shop is now an official dropoff spot: 8 am-2 pm tomorrow, take your bag of food there, and she’ll give you free flavoring (or a free extra shot) if you order a drink while you’re there.

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Help a garden grow: Genesee-Schmitz hopes you’ll pitch in tomorrow
May 13, 2011 2:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Help a garden grow: Genesee-Schmitz hopes you’ll pitch in tomorrow
 |   Gardening | Genesee Hill | How to help | West Seattle news

One day last week in the rain, we caught up with Kerrie, Janet and Karen at the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Garden. It’s in its first season growing on the grounds of the shuttered Genesee Hill Elementary School, where there were gardens when Pathfinder K-8 used the campus.

It’s part of an ongoing effort by the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council to make sure the vacant school doesn’t fall into disrepair; they’ve also arranged for art on the side of some of the buildings, to discourage vandalism. Individual gardeners have signed up for plots but they still need overall volunteer help for the first gardening event of the season – not just in the beds, but also in other areas. So just show up on the north side of the playground at 51st and Dakota, 9 am-1 pm tomorrow. Help tend the beds, distribute wood chips, and pull ivy. Seattle Public Schools (which continues to hold the property for potential future use) is providing tools, gloves, and a “weed wrench.” (GSNC acknowledges donations including wood chips from Seattle Tree Preservation, Zoo-Doo from Woodland Park Zoo, and art murals from Van Asselt Elementary.)

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Northwest Hope & Healing’s Style ’11 celebrates fashion, survival
May 13, 2011 12:08 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Stephanie Chacharon
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

As guests streamed through the doors of Showbox SODO last night, a school bus full of cheering, waving models — all breast-cancer survivors — pulled up to the venue. STYLE ’11, the 9th annual fashion -how benefit for Northwest Hope & Healing, had just begun.

Inside, the SoDo space was elegantly decorated, dimly lit and accented with pink. Guests greeted friends while waiting in line for a drink. The catwalk was illuminated with bold pink lighting, framed by candlelit VIP tables. The screen behind the runway flashed candid images of smiling women and past fashion show shots intermixed with sponsors’ logos. The women’s larger-than-life faces were proof that bald is beautiful, just as beautiful as a stage filled with more than three dozen breast cancer survivors.

The annual benefit is the brainchild of Carmilia’s Linda Sabee (shown above with NWHH executive director Shari Sewell) and Ola Salon & Spa. Sabee told us the original intent was just to have some fun, and then it quickly evolved into a fundraiser for Northwest Hope & Healing. For the first few years the event was held at Ola, but once it began to grow they moved the event to Showbox SODO. The event is a chance to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors and fashion in the Seattle area.

(Story continues, with more photos, ahead)Read More

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Join Alki Community Council, Seal Sitters for beach cleanup Monday
May 13, 2011 11:16 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

From the Alki Community Council – a chance to lend a hand (or two) this Monday, 9 am-noon:

With the coming of warmer weather, litter seems to sprout from our beaches and parks. This is going to be a particularly bad year, due to the impact of Seattle Parks & Recreation’s recent budget cutbacks on park maintenance. Working together as a community, we can all make a contribution in the effort to keep our parks litter free.

In cooperation with AmeriCorps volunteers, the Alki Community Council and Seal Sitters are co-sponsoring a cleanup of Alki Beach. If you have some free time on Monday morning, you are invited to participate. The litter on our beaches makes its way into Puget Sound and has a negative impact on marine life. Beginning at 9:00 am, Kristin Wilkinson, NOAA NW Stranding Expert, will be briefing us on the hazards that our misplaced trash creates.

Be sure and check the Seal Sitters Blubberblog for more details and a photo of the stomach contents of the Gray Whale that stranded and died on a West Seattle Beach in April of 2010.

We want to thank Pioneer Coffee, Tully’s, and Starbucks for providing coffee. Seattle Parks & Recreation will be supplying the necessary tools and trash bags.

The Alki Community Council has an ongoing volunteer program with Seattle Parks & Recreation. The ACC “Friends of Alki Beach” are responsible for picking up litter in Alki Park between 59th Ave SW and 63rd Ave SW. If you would like more information on this program or the cleanup event on Monday, please contact Larry Carpenter at 206-938-0887.

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Log House Museum spring cleaning, with help from Keller Williams
May 12, 2011 4:15 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

A beautiful day for some spring cleaning – and that’s what Keller Williams Realty staffers helped with at West Seattle’s Log House Museum today, as part of a nationwide day of service for the real-estate company. We caught up with them in their last hour of six hours of work – dressed in their company-colors white-on-red – during which they handled tasks including cleaning donor bricks, oiling logs, and refreshing garden beds.

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West Seattle Helpline asking for a helping hand
May 11, 2011 6:43 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Their mission is to help those in dire need of emergency assistance – and right now, they’re sending up a flare on their own behalf. Expenses have gone up for West Seattle Helpline, and in order to keep helping the number of families for whom they’ve been able to offer assistance, they have to raise $3,500 by month’s end. Board vice president Brooks Riendl explains:

I am issuing a challenge to our Board, Advisory Board and the West Seattle community to raise $3000 and I will match $500. Our Board President, Katie Plett has offered $250 in matching funds as well. … We have secured a total of $1850 in donations for this challenge to date and need help with the remaining $1650. Donations can be made through our website or by contacting Anna Fern at: (206) 932-2746.

Helpline programs also include Clothesline, which helps match families in need with donated clothing. While this is a cash-donation request from Helpline right now, you can also help by attending their annual fundraiser, the Taste of West Seattle, with dozens of local restaurants donating tasty treats – that’s coming up a week from tomorrow, Thursday 5/19, and you can buy your tickets online right now by going here.

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West Seattle Be Prepared: New ‘hub’ joins in successful quake drill
May 9, 2011 10:30 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Preparedness | West Seattle news

(First two photos courtesy Karrie Kohlhaas)
A hub is born! The new North Delridge Emergency Communication Hub made its debut as part of the Saturday morning earthquake drill with groups like theirs from around the city. Volunteers gathered at the site – which joins the roster of other “hubs” around West Seattle where communication efforts will be coordinated in case catastrophe takes out the regular channels – at the Delridge P-Patch, to go through role-playing scenarios:

Karrie Kohlhaas described some of those scenarios in a note to her neighborhood mailing list (quoted here with permission):

–Family trapped in basement—138 people needing shelter—gas leak at the 76 station–water has been rationed by the city–looting at the Super 24–no fire fighters able to reach us–pack of dogs forming–lost child–Longfellow Creek flooded–another 6.8 aftershock–need rope and generator–heli-drop of water bottles on the way–another hub needs nurses–do they have a generator to loan to us? How can we get it from them?

If the hubs ever have to swing into real action, that’s the sort of thing they may find themselves dealing with.

Delridge was one of two hubs participating in citywide radio communications during Saturday morning’s drill. The other was one that’s been on the list since the program began three years ago, for the Fairmount neighborhood (south of The Triangle). At that site on the Providence Mount St. Vincent grounds, Chas Redmond was among the volunteers equipped with radio and other tools (pencil and paper played a big role):

(That Fairmount photo and the next one are by Patrick Sand for WSB)
WSBP co-founder Karen Berge tells WSB that the exercise overall “went very well, and that the North Delridge hub team “hit the ground running. … Those of us at the Fairmount hub enjoyed hearing their enthusiasm, as well as their professionalism & resourcefulness.” Karen says Highland Park hub leader Dave Brown worked with the new Delridge hub volunteers and, “To us listening from the Fairmount hub, they all sounded like they knew what they were doing & had done it before.” Just so you get an idea of how this might all work – the scenarios include reports of major problems, which are all noted and tracked – this board at the Fairmount hub showed some of them:

Karen adds, “The improvements to the forms & processes that we’d made since the last drill were effective.” Here’s a diagram she included in her response to our questions about how it went:

She continues, “A key improvement is that we realized at the last drill that it is very important to have the radio operator away from other activities and noise. … This drill was more realistic in that we had considerable issues with radio interference & garbled signals – as we might during a real emergency. Still, we managed to effectively communicate – since many of us regularly participate in periodic drills as well as radio tests each Monday evening, it was easier to ‘fill in the blanks’. Our process also has some redundancy; at times that can seem tedious, but in this situation it was helpful. One key takeaway, from this morning drill in chilly spring weather, was that the ground temperature had an effect over time. By the end of the drill, all of us had very cold feet!” She has more photos from the Fairmount site on the WSBP blog-format update site.

Again, the intention of all this is to make sure that West Seattleites can help take care of each other in case of disaster – since authorities have repeatedly warned that they will be overwhelmed, and it may take days for any sort of official help to arrive. There is plenty of room for more volunteer participation in West Seattle Be Prepared – here’s a place to start. And even if you’re not ready to volunteer yet, know your nearest Communication Hub’s location, and make sure your family/neighbors know about it too. You’re also invited to the next WSBP training/education session, with a focus, again, on earthquakes – it’s coming up one week from tonight.

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Happening now in West Seattle: Blood drive in The Junction
May 8, 2011 12:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now in West Seattle: Blood drive in The Junction
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

Got late word from Puget Sound Blood Center that their Bloodmobile is in The Junction right now – till 3 pm. 42nd/Alaska, if you are able to stop by and give.

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Duwamish River cleanup: Comments sought on Boeing Plant 2
May 8, 2011 11:57 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Today we’re sharing a reminder from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition about an important chance for you to have a voice in a big piece of the Duwamish cleanup plan. The plant shown in the September 1940 Boeing photo above made a lot of history, but also a lot of pollution, that’s finally about to be cleaned up. From DRCC:

The Boeing Plant 2 toxic cleanup is in progress!

You may have noticed that some of the old Boeing Plant 2 building along the Duwamish River has already been demolished. This is the first step towards cleanup and restoration of the site. The Boeing Company will pay to remove the contaminated mud from the river and in the upland areas below the old facility. This is currently the river’s most toxic site, and its cleanup will be a huge step forward for the river’s cleanup and restoration progress. Your comments are needed!

DRCC/TAG is reviewing the proposed cleanup plan, and will submit formal comments by the deadline on May 28th.

We want to hear your comments and questions: james@duwamishcleanup.org / 206-954-0218

We will have this information translated into Spanish by next week and work with local bilingual & Latino community organizations to educate the community about the cleanup plan, and receive comments from Spanish-speakers, and other language groups. Please help us spread the word!

EPA will accept written comments from the public on their cleanup plans for Boeing plant 2 until May 28, 2011. This is the only opportunity for the public to give opinions on plans for the cleanup at the Boeing Plant 2 site.

* Comments can be sent to EPA via email to: blocker.shawn@epa.gov.
* Please cc: DRCC/TAG on emails at: contact@duwamishcleanup.org
* Standard postal mail comments can be sent to:

U.S. EPA, Region 10
ATTN: Shawn Blocker
1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, AWT-121
Seattle WA, 98101

Click ahead to read what DRCC has recommended and is commenting:Read More

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Happening now: Pre-Mother’s Day plant (and more) sales
May 7, 2011 12:35 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Pre-Mother’s Day plant (and more) sales
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

At West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy (WSB sponsor), the halls are lined with plants and gift items for today’s annual sale – and it’s not just a shopping opportunity; edible-gardening expert and author Amy Pennington will be there at 2 pm, and a few seats were left when we checked. Angela, Delores and Dakota already have her books on hand (“Urban Pantry” and “Apartment Gardening”):

The sale continues till 3 at 11215 15th SW; WSMS says Village Green Perennial Nursery donated plants too and wants to send out a hearty thanks for that.

Meantime, a Relay for Life-West Seattle team has a fundraising plant sale under way at Ginomai (SW corner of 42nd/Genesee) in The Junction – look for the sign-waving at Genesee/California and head east:

Besides plants, they’re selling luminarias for the moving ceremony during the June 10th-11th all-night American Cancer Society fundraiser, as well as birdhouses big and small.

The sale’s under way till 4; Relay for Life is June 10-11.

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West Seattle Food Bank: How to help, with just a click
May 6, 2011 8:38 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Big night for the West Seattle Food Bank, with its annual benefit dinner. And this can be a big day for them too, if you can help with a one-day-only quest to build the Food Bank’s following on Facebook. WS Food Bank director Fran Yeatts explains:

Reminder: Tonight, Friday May 6th The West Seattle Food Bank is hosting the 4th annual Instruments of Change benefit dinner at The Hall at Fauntleroy.

The event is sold out, but don’t worry, there is still a way to participate and be an instrument of change in our community: All day today, until midnight, participating WS Food Bank board members will donate $1 for every new “like” for the West Seattle Food Bank Facebook page (up to $1000.). Help us get the word out – “like” the West Seattle Food Bank Facebook page and spread the word. http://www.facebook.com/westseattlefoodbank

Attending Instruments of Change? Don’t forget, check-in is at 6:00 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California Ave SW.

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Less than one week till Northwest Hope & Healing ‘Style ’11’
May 6, 2011 7:51 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | Health | How to help | West Seattle news

That video made for Northwest Hope and Healing by West Seattle’s Captive Eye Media gives you a taste of the fashion, fun, and inspiration at NWHH’s annual “Style ’11” benefit fashion show to raise money for its mission: Helping breast-cancer patients – not with the treatment itself, but with the sudden turmoil and upheaval it causes in patients’ lives; that kind of help provides “hope and healing” too. “Style ’11” is now less than a week away – happening next Thursday night, May 12th, at Showbox SODO. Lots of West Seattle involvement again this year – including West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), Carmilia’s, Coastal, Ola, and Sweetie. Tickets will cost you less online than at the door; get yours by going here.

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West Seattle Relay for Life update: Goals in sight!
May 4, 2011 3:00 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from luminaria ceremony during 2009 Relay for Life – West Seattle)
Five weeks may sound like a long time, but for an event like Relay for Life-West Seattle, which involves assembling a team and making plans for the all-night walk, it’s not much – Rebecca sends this update:

…Tiime to get your team signed up today!!!

We are so close to surpassing all our goals and we need your help. We already have 19 teams signed up from all over West Seattle– schools, churches, businesses – this community wide event will be a great way to meet others in your local area. Help us reach our goal of 25 teams and raising more than $75,000 for the American Cancer Society.

Mark your calendar for June 10th at West Seattle Stadium.

Even if you can’t spend the night with us, plan to come by for some great community fun, fundraising, and local bands! Or donate to this great cause, here! Questions? Please ask Rebecca today – bec@busstop.org

Relay for Life is both a festive and contemplative event over the course of the evening and morning that it runs, and at times moving for spectators as well as participants. WSB is proud to have joined the sponsor lineup for this year’s Relay – if you’re interested in sponsorship, Rebecca would be able to handle those inquiries too.

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Happening now: West Seattle High School baseball car wash
May 1, 2011 10:52 am
|    Comments Off on Happening now: West Seattle High School baseball car wash
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Thanks to Meredith for the photo confirming that the West Seattle High School baseball team’s benefit car wash is up and running on this spectacular day. They’re scheduled to be at Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor; 7901 35th SW) till 3 pm – and as previewed here, a $10 donation gets you a ticket to next Thursday’s M’s game!

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Champagne brunch fundraiser draws a crowd to The Kenney
April 30, 2011 8:10 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | The Kenney | West Seattle news

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
From the annual spring champagne brunch/auction fundraiser at The Kenney today: Former Mayor Greg Nickels keynoted, and posed with (from left) State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, Kenney CEO Kevin McFeely, and City Councilmember Sally Clark. More after the jump:Read More

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Reservations now open for first Chief Sealth Athletics golf tourney
April 30, 2011 3:17 pm
|    Comments Off on Reservations now open for first Chief Sealth Athletics golf tourney
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Maybe the sunshine has you in the mood for golf. Here’s a chance to play in a month for a local cause – reservations have just gone on sale. From the Chief Sealth International High School Athletics Department, the official announcement:

– Rainier Golf and Country Club will host the first Chief Sealth Athletics Golf Tournament on June 3, 2011 with all proceeds benefiting the student-athletes at Chief Sealth International High School. Reservations for foursomes and individuals are now on sale and can be purchased here.

More after the jump:Read More

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Rebuilding Together volunteers fix up Highland Park home
April 30, 2011 1:21 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | How to help | West Seattle news

Around the metro area today, Rebuilding Together Seattle has more than 1,000 volunteers out restoring and repairing more than two dozen homes whose owners are unable to do the work, or hire someone to do it, themselves. And one of the worksites is in West Seattle’s Highland Park neighborhood.

RTS’s Margie Thirlby explains that today is “National Rebuilding Day,” with hundreds of other RT affiliates around the country joining forces to fix up more than 3,000 homes in all. The volunteers at this site were so busy, they couldn’t stop to share specifics of the homeowner’s situation, but RT’s mission is to help more people stay in their own homes longer than they’d be able to do if repairs and maintenance went undone. Look at everything they’ve cleaned out at this particular site:

Thirlby says they would love to see more people apply for help from, or be referred to, RTS – their website explains how. (And if you would like to volunteer – here’s how to do that.)

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Girl Scouts’ donation drive semi-rained-out – till tomorrow!
April 28, 2011 1:42 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Local Brownies’ donation drive yesterday afternoon outside West Side Presbyterian Church – to “stuff the van” for two local charities – ran into a bit of a weather snag (remember the pounding downpour?). Rosina Geary shared the photo and a reminder that they’ll be back tomorrow:

Yesterday our 16 Girl Scouts (Troop #40890) held their STUFF THE VAN event. The girls stood outside for 40 minutes, in the rain. They took turns holding signs. They chanted “Stuff The Van!!” But after 40 minutes, we couldn’t take the rain anymore. So we took the girls inside and cut our event short by 30 minutes.

Hopefully the weather will be nicer to us on Friday. Come by and see us. Even if you don’t have a donation, HONK to support these 2nd Grade Girl Scouts.

WHAT TO DONATE:
Gently used, clean blankets, children’s PJs & children’s DVDs.

WHEN:
4-5p, Friday, April 29th

WHERE:
West Side Presbyterian Church (On California and Spokane). Look for the black EuroVan.

All to benefit critically ill children at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the homeless through Wellspring Family Services.

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Seahawks’ Babineaux returning as Alki lupus-fighting walk MC
April 27, 2011 8:05 pm
|    Comments Off on Seahawks’ Babineaux returning as Alki lupus-fighting walk MC
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2010 Walk With Us to Cure Lupus on Alki)
The annual Walk With Us to Cure Lupus is returning to Alki Beach next month, and organizers are excited to have just secured the same emcee as last year – Seahawks player and lupus-fighting advocate Jordan Babineaux is returning, according to Laurie Gray from the Alliance for Lupus Research. 500 people joined in last year’s walk, raising $40,000 to fight the autoimmune disorder, which affects more than 1 million people in the U.S. alone. The walk starts at 10 am Saturday, May 14th, from the Alki Bathhouse; you can sign up in advance, and/or make a pledge, by going to the official website.

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4 West Seattle restaurants in ‘Dining Out for Life’ Thursday
April 27, 2011 3:48 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Before it’s too late to make or change plans – here’s a look ahead to Dining Out for Life tomorrow night around Seattle, with a percentage of proceeds going to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance, four West Seattle venues are on the participant list: Buddha Ruksa, Fresh Bistro, Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), and Talarico’s are all participating for dinner, and Fresh Bistro is in for lunch, too. (P.S. Longtime WSB sponsor M3 Bodyworks Massage Clinic invites you to join them at Talarico’s at 10 tomorrow night with special guest Precious Cargo.) ADDED 9:04 PM: Via Facebook, Skylark points out this coincides with their monthly Westside Burlesque Revue – though dinner service is over when burlesque begins at 9, they are contributing to the cause with drink specials.

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ArtsWest: ‘Shipwrecked!’ opens tomorrow; gala set for June 11
April 26, 2011 9:11 am
|    Comments Off on ArtsWest: ‘Shipwrecked!’ opens tomorrow; gala set for June 11
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Photo by Michael Brunk; courtesy ArtsWest)
Big week for ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. Tomorrow night, the next theater production opens: “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment…,” which ArtsWest describes as a “raucous fantasy”; it’s written by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies and directed by AW’s Christopher Zinovitch. Read more about “Shipwrecked!” here. It’ll run through May 21st. And ArtsWest has just announced perhaps its biggest production of the year – the annual gala fundraiser dinner and auction, this year themed “Come Fly With Us” since it’ll be staged at the Museum of Flight, on Saturday, June 11th. Ticket information – and a preview of auction items including luxury getaways – is also on the ArtsWest website.

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