South Park Arts’ 5th Annual “Art Under $100” sale will take place on Saturday, Dec. 5th at the Old Fire Station at 8201 10th Ave South, in South Park (of course).

Here are the details:

WHAT: South Park Arts’ 5th Annual “Art Under $100″ Event

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 5th from 4pm – 10pm

WHERE: South Park’s Old Fire Station at 8201 Tenth Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98108

INFO:

“South Park is not a cartoon or a gritty industrial neighborhood–South Park is where artists live and art gets made.”

COST: FREE Entry.  Art Raffle every 30 minutes.

Here’s a photo from last year’s event:

For more information, visit: http://www.southparkarts.org

Follow South Parks Arts on Facebook here.

Dubsea Coffee (get it – “Dub C,” as in W.C.?), an independent coffeehouse serving organic and direct trade coffees and teas, will open its doors at its location (9910 8th Ave SW) at Greenbridge at 7am on Saturday, Nov. 14th.

The café will be the first retail business to open at Greenbridge, the 96-acre master-planned community being developed by the King County Housing Authority.

“What better way to build on the vision of Greenbridge than to offer a warm, comfortable destination where people from all walks of life can share great coffee and conversation,” said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority. “Dubsea Coffee will also provide much-needed jobs in this community.”

Dubsea Coffee is located on south side of the Greenbridge plaza in the newly constructed Salmon Creek apartment building and across the street from Nia Apartments, an 82-unit complex that houses seniors and people with disabilities. To celebrate, the first 250 customers will receive a free 12-ounce drink, courtesy of Synergy Construction, Inc., the company that built the Salmon Creek building.

The café is the brainchild of Sibelle Nguyen, who sees her shop as a place where civic interaction can take place. She hopes Dubsea Coffee will be a hub for coffee, art and inspiration at Greenbridge and in the White Center community.

“Being open and loving — and inspiring each other to be that way — is what I hope this space will achieve,” Nguyen said. “There’s so much going on in this community that I want Dubsea to be a catalyst for fostering connections and friendships. I want to offer a place that fills residents with a sense of pride.”

The space is a reflection of this sentiment. With its simple, clean lines, cerulean blue ceiling, celadon green concrete floor, scored oak bar, and tall window banks defining its perimeter, the interior of the coffee shop evokes an airy, natural vibe. It’s also consistent with the attributes of the award-winning Greenbridge community, which has been certified as Three-Star Built Green™ by the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties and features a number of creative approaches to environmental sustainability.

Dubsea Coffee will serve organic and direct trade (even more socially responsible than fair trade) Stumptown coffee, organic Rishi teas, hot chocolate and chai. A variety of baked goods from Little Rae’s Bakery, Macrina Bakery & Café, and High Five Pies will be featured as well as breakfast items including bagels, granola, and yogurt. Sandwiches and Boylan sodas will also be offered.

“Stumptown looks to source and roast the best quality coffee in a socially and environmentally responsible way,” said Luke Dirks, sales and wholesale account manager at Stumptown Coffee. “We’re delighted to provide our products to Dubsea Coffee, which embodies an enviable business model: It’s an approachable café where fabulous, high quality drinks will be served, and it’s a place that will create a lasting, uplifting impact in its local community.”

Beyond coffee and comestibles, the coffeehouse features gallery space for local artists. Dubsea Coffee will debut with “Fractured Parables” by Joerael Elliott, Dubsea’s art director, and plans to feature the work of about a dozen artists per year. Free wireless Internet will also be available.

Though she grew up in Edmonds, Wash., Nguyen has strong ties to the neighborhood. As a toddler, she lived for a brief time at Park Lake Homes, the now demolished former public housing community that Greenbridge has since replaced. As a young woman, Nguyen returned to work as an AmeriCorps volunteer at Neighborhood House at Park Lake Homes. Now a resident of White Center once again, she is eager to fulfill her dream of owning a coffee shop here.

Even the name Dubsea Coffee is a kind of homage to the neighborhood residents. At one time, White Center was considered by many outside the area to be an undesirable place to live. Those living in White Center often felt otherwise. To overcome its (unfair) negative reputation yet still identify with their neighborhood, residents took to calling their community “W” (Dub) “C” (Sea) – an affectionate nickname for White Center.

Nguyen is already making a difference in the community; she has hired a Greenbridge resident and a White Center resident as baristas-in-training.

Bryant Sim, the Greenbridge resident, is a 16-year-old Evergreen High School student who will work part-time at the café.

“Coffee is really interesting to me – and this job is really close to home, so I can walk to work,” Sim said. “This is also my first paid work experience. It’s a great opportunity because it will help prep me financially for college.”

Greenbridge residents are excited by the prospect of a coffee shop in their neighborhood, said Tim Locke, president of the Greenbridge Association.

“Dubsea Coffee is an ideal business for Greenbridge,” said Locke. “It will offer a fantastic product, local jobs, and a lively environment with art and music. It’s a perfect fit.”

Calendar of Events for Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, Nov. 14th:

• 7am: Doors open. Any 12-ounce drink will be free to the first 250 customers, courtesy of Synergy Construction, Inc. The bottom of each cup will be numbered. Numbers will be drawn in a random raffle; winners receive a 1-pound bag of Stumptown coffee.
• Noon: Program begins with Laudan Espinoza and Sean Larson on Spanish guitar.
• 1:30pm: Program concludes. Music by DJ Jon Lemmon and DJ Murdoc commences.

Dubsea Coffee will be open from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and from 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

We like the joint already, just ‘cuz of the name “Dub-C“, which we’ve used for a long time.

The White Center Blog, along with our sister site The B-Town Blog, look forward to seeing as many of our Readers and Neighbors as possible this coming Saturday, Nov. 14th, at the White Center Albertsons for a special Thanksgiving-related food drive: our 2nd Annual Turkeys N’ Diapers Fundraiser!

It’ll run from 10am to 4pm, and all donations will go to the White Center Food Bank (food) and WestSide Baby (diapers & baby stuff).

Albertsons is located at 16th Avenue SW and SW 106th Street in White Center.

We’ll be collecting turkeys and diapers (yes, that’s correct: turkeys and diapers!).

Important note about the diapers – says Nancy Woodland, Executive Director of WestSide Baby:

“We only need diapers in large sizes, Size 5 or 6 or Pull-ups in size 4T. Thanks!”

Stuffing and canned vegetables and other Thanksgiving-related food items would be greatly appreciated.

Donations in the form of cash and checks (made out to “White Center Food Bank”) will also be gratefully accepted.

The crew will be lead again this year by the blog’s own Bart Bryan, host of the recurring interview segments “Whaddaya Think?”

“We raised over $1,100 last year. Let’s double that this year!” said Bart. “Folks around here can really use the help!”

The White Center Food Bank will make available the food, as they do year-round, to nearby families in need.

The Food Bank works hand-in-hand with WestSide Baby, a nonprofit organization that collects previously-owned items for children and babies and distributes them free of charge to South King County families in need.

In 2008 WestSide Baby served more than 12,000 children.

“See you all Saturday at the White Center Albertsons!” says Bart.

Here’s year-round contact information:

White Center Food Bank
10829 8th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98146
www.whitecenterfoodbank.org
Phone: 206-762-2848

And:

WestSide Baby
10032 15th Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98146
(206) 767-1662
www.westsidebaby.org

Click image (or here) to download a printable PDF poster (feel free to print & post!)

King County Public Health announced Friday (Nov. 6th) that it is now offering a limited supply (15,000 for now) of H1N1 vaccines to qualified people at area pharmacies, including two in White Center.

To get vaccinated, you have to make an appointment by telephone, and meet the criteria listed below:

• Pregnant women
• People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age
• People between the ages of 6 months and 24 years old
• People between 25 through 64 years of age with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems
• Healthcare and emergency workers with direct patient contact

Area pharmacies with the vaccine include:

• Walgreens
  9456 16th Ave SW
  Seattle, WA 98106
  (206) 767-2294
• Albertsons-Sav-On
  10616 16th Avenue S.W.
  Seattle, WA 98146
  (206) 242-6310

The nearest other pharmacy is the Albertsons-Sav-On at 12725 First Ave. South in Burien (206-439-7212).

Many of the 44 participating pharmacies are taking appointments by phone starting today (Fri. Nov. 6th); some will be holding walk-up clinics without appointment starting next week. The full list of participating pharmacies, including hours, types of vaccine available, vaccination age ranges and administrative fee, is posted at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu/swineflu/locations.aspx. This site will be updated Monday through Friday by noon; people should contact pharmacies directly for the most up-to-date information.

With limited national vaccine supplies, Public Health – Seattle & King County has had to delay its plan to make vaccine widely available through community venues. As more vaccine becomes available, there will be additional sites for getting vaccinated, including community clinics.

“Making vaccine available through pharmacies is an important next step in protecting our community, but supplies at both pharmacies and health care providers will continue to be limited for at least several weeks,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County. “Eventually there will be enough vaccine for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but we are still dealing with limited vaccine supplies.”

With the latest deliveries this week, King County has received approximately 142,000 doses of vaccine. A new allocation of approximately 71,000 doses is being ordered for delivery to the county. Most of the vaccine is being made available through health care providers.

The amount of H1N1 vaccine at pharmacies will be limited, with each pharmacy receiving a few hundred doses each. Vaccine will be re-supplied to pharmacies as more becomes available over the coming weeks, so people should regularly check Public Health’s website for updates.

Many pharmacies are unable to vaccinate babies and young children because their staff is not licensed and/or trained for these age groups. Residents trying to vaccinate children should check with pharmacies directly and with their health care providers since vaccine is continuing to arrive.

Pharmacies may charge a fee for administering the vaccine, typically between $12 and $22 (not to exceed $22). This fee is covered by most health insurance. People should bring their health insurance information to the pharmacy, and they may need to submit a receipt to their insurance company for reimbursement.

Visit the Public Health H1N1 influenza website at www.kingcounty.gov/health/H1N1 for updates on vaccine availability in the community or call the Flu Hotline at 1-877-903-KING (5464), which is staffed with operators from 9am to 5pm weekdays to answer questions from residents about H1N1 influenza. There is also a special 24-hour nurse line service extended over this weekend for people with flu seeking medical care advice. Recorded information will be available 24 hours a day.

We’d like to welcome back Advertiser Center Tool Rental Center to The White Center Blog!

We stopped in recently to say Hi to our friends right here in White Center. While there we picked up on tips to keep in mind in preparing for and dealing with the coming seasonal shift in our Northwest weather.

“When the rains and winds come, we’ll be ready to assist you,” said Center Tool’s Doug Stevens. “We’re here to help you meet all your winter weather needs.

“We have generators, pumps, dehumidifiers and wet vacuums,” he said. “We have log splitters, chippers and chain saws, too.

“We’re open seven days a week and our slogan is ‘We Rent Most Anything’.”

Doug and his crew are located in the bustling Delridge Triangle, where West Seattle meets White Center at Roxbury (see map below).

Doug began working at Center Tool Rental when his parents, Jack and Stella, started the business in the 1970’s.

Zoe is "still doing her Zoe thing" at Center Tool Rental Center.

“My parents were really good at the personal touch, asking people about their kids, and giving them advice on how to complete a project,” he said. “Some of my current customers are the grandkids of Mom and Dad’s first customers.”

And Zoe, Doug’s friendly German Shorthaired Pointer, is doing great as usual, happily greeting all comers to Center Tools.

“Yes, Zoe is still doing her Zoe thing!”

Center Tool Rentals
9444 Delridge Way SW (at Roxbury)

Phone: 206-762-5057

Hours:

• Monday through Saturday:
  • 9am to 5pm
• Sunday:
  • 10am to 4pm

[Would you like to have a "Blogvertorial" story and Ad like this for your Business on a popular, fast-growing website seen by thousands of interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

Robin Hoof, longtime swim coach and teacher for the Highline School District (including at Evergreen High School), lost her battle against cancer and passed away Oct. 22nd.

A Memorial Service is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8th at 1pm at the Highline Performing Arts Center, located next to Highline High School in Burien.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence or the “Pay for Play” sports program in memory of Robin.

Her mother has asked that people wear purple to the service, since that was Robin’s favorite color.

Donations can be sent to:

Highline Schools Foundation
245 Southwest 152nd Street, Suite D.
Burien, WA 98166
206-248-5196

Robin Hoof was a teacher and swim coach with the Highline School District for 20 years. At Evergreen High School she taught French, and also served as swim coach for the boys and girls teams at Highline High School.

Previously, our sister site The B-Town Blog reported on a fundraiser car wash held by Advertiser Vision Collision in early October.

There is also a Facebook page called “Hope For Robin,” set up in Robin’s honor.

If you haven’t yet mailed your ballot in, since today (Tuesday, Nov. 3rd) is election day, King County has drop boxes throughout the county that provide voters with a way to securely return ballots without the cost of postage.

The nearest drop box is located at the White Center Library, which is at 11220 16th SW. Drop boxes are open 24 hours a day, there’s no charge, but they close at 8pm tonight (Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3rd).

Of course, you can also just make sure your ballot is postmarked Nov. 3rd by going to the post office before it closes, but that’ll cost you 42 cents; plus, ya never know if your ballot will be lost…

Here’s more info on the ballot drop boxes from King County Elections:

How do I use a ballot drop box?
Carefully follow the instructions on the ballot envelope. Place the ballot in the security envelope, seal all envelopes, sign the outer envelope, and deposit your ballot packet into the box.

How do I know my ballot is secure?
Ballots are collected regularly from each drop box by King County Elections. Two official elections workers will use a chain of custody process to transport all ballots.

Ballot packets are delivered to the Elections facility where they are processed with other returned mail ballots. The signature on every ballot is checked against the voter’s registration file and if it matches, the ballot moves forward.

Here’s the list of nearby drop-off boxes (more are listed at the King County Elections website):

• White Center Library: 11220 16th S.W., Seattle, 98146
• Delridge: 5405 Delridge Way SW, 98106
• Tukwila, King County Elections Headquarters: 9010 East Marginal Way S, 98108
• Des Moines Library: 21620 11th Avenue S., 98198
• Federal Way Library: 848 S 320th St, 98003

If you’ve mailed your ballot in and want to check on its progress, you can do so online by clicking here and following instructions.

[Original Artwork by Danielle Burton.]

The White Center Blog welcomes its latest Advertiser: The Yard Sale, located at 14017 First Avenue South #101 in Burien!

You don’t have to wait until summer anymore to find those hidden treasures by driving all over town, wasting your time and gas – you’ll find them waiting for you at this new store, which had its grand opening today (Nov. 2nd).

Owned by The Cross Church and Discipleship Center of White Center, The Yard Sale’s proceeds go to sustaining the ministry Pastor Jerry Wilson started at the church in 2003. The ministry is dedicated to helping people who have become distressed through crisis in their lives. For information about this life changing program, go to www.crosschurchseattle.com.

Here is a list of some of the products you’ll find at The Yard Sale:

• New and used clothes
• Electronics
• Ceramics
• Paintings
• Jewelry
• Games and toys
• Collectibles
• Appliances
• Furniture
• Books
• Cards
• Kitchenware

Also on site every Saturday through November will be Scat the Cat!

This past spring, Scat, who has been the pet therapy cat at the church for the past several years, suffered several wounds, including a seven-inch gash on its side, three broken ribs and severe internal injuries (a local man has been charged in the attack. He plead Not Guilty to a first degree animal cruelty charge in King County Superior Court.)

Pasado’s Safe Haven, a local non-profit animal rescue organization, covered Scat’s medical expenses.

Church members said when Scat first came to the church, he was very leery of people. But over time, he became more socialized and eventually grew into a lovable therapy cat.

Donations are gladly accepted at the Yard Sale store or at the Cross Church & Discipleship Center located 1320 SW 102nd Street in White Center.

The Cross Church can also provide hard working people with a variety of skills to help you with projects around your house or business if you are looking for some hired helping hands.

So stop by and help support this wonderful new branch of their ministry and say Hi to everybody.

The Yard Sale
14017 1st Avenue South #101
Burien, WA

Hours:

• 10am – 6pm Monday through Saturday

Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, event listing and/or Ad like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by nearly 40,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

North Highline Fire District Commissioner Barb Peters passed away Oct. 25th after a brave battle with cancer. Barb served as a fire commissioner for over five years, and during that time made a positive difference not only at the North Highline Fire District but in the entire community.

A memorial for her will be held at 1:30pm on Monday, Nov. 2nd at Riverton Crest Cemetery (3400 S.140th in Tukwila) with a reception following at Rainier Golf and Country Club (11133 Des Moines Memorial Drive).

Some of Commissioner Peters’ passions were the yearly Boulevard Park Bike Rodeo (aimed at keeping the children of our community safer), National Night out Against Crime (she coordinated the block watch program), and the annual Christmas Outreach Program (she donated both her time and gifts).

She also volunteered her time on many community committees, serving on the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council for many years.

Commissioner Peters also made a tremendous difference with code enforcement actions and volunteered at the Boulevard Park King County Sheriff’s store front.

Although Barb has left us, the impact she made on the entire community will live on forever, and she will be missed by many.

Here’s her official obituary:

Barbara Jean PETERS Passed away from cancer at home surrounded by her family on October 25th, 2009. Barbara was born in Seattle, Washington on April 1, 1937 to Henry and Florence Colella and grew up with her younger sister, Janice. When she was eleven years old, Barbara started working at Pike Place Market to help her grandparents, Emilio and Angelina Galliano, sell their produce. Barbara graduated from Cleveland High School in 1955 and worked for Western Electric Phone Company until she married William Peters on November 22, 1957. Barbara stayed home to care for their three daughters and she was always involved in the girls’ school and church activities. She was known as an excellent cook, organizer and adviser. Once the girls were grown, Barbara became involved in community activities: volunteering with the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, a15 year volunteer with the King County Sheriff’s Department, serving on the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, and serving as a Fire Commissioner for the North Highline Fire District. Without a doubt though, Barb was most proud of her two grandchildren and she cherished the time she spent with both of them.

She is survived by her husband of nearly 52 years, Bill; her sister Janice; daughter Valerie (Jim) and granddaughter Victoria; daughter Cynthia; daughter Natalie (Jack) and grandson Jack. Everyone who knew Barbara was touched by her generosity, determination and her ability to speak her mind and get things done. Her dedication to children was endless and her accomplishments are too numerous to list and too far reaching to know. Barbara will be greatly missed by her family, friends, neighbors and the community she tirelessly supported. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Virginia Mason and everyone at Highline Home Care Services and Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Barbara’s name to: North Highline Fire District Aid Car Fund, 1243 Southwest 112th Street, Seattle, WA 98146. In her memory, Barbara asked to please spend time with a child that is close to you. That time spent and your love for that child will be with Barbara forever.

A graveside service will be held at 1:30 PM on Monday, November 2nd at Riverton Crest Cemetery, 3400 S.140th, Tukwila 98168 with a reception following at Rainier Golf and Country Club, 11133 Des Moines Memorial Dr. S., Seattle 98168.

Our friends at White Center for the Arts want to be sure that everyone knows about a Community Artist Meeting that will be held this Thursday, Oct. 29th at 7pm at Full Tilt Ice Cream (at 9629 16th SW).

Here are the details:

WHAT: Community Artist Meeting, facilitated by White Center for the Arts

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 29th at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Full Tilt Ice Cream Shop Extraordinaire, located 9629 16th Ave SW, Seattle (206-767-4811)

INFO: Who is invited? Artists who live in and those who love the GREATER White Center Area/ Unincorporated King County, and a little bit outside that line. That means ALL artists. Music, dance, film, theatre, visual, 3-D, photography, written, mixed-media, young, old, in-between, student, emerging, established, etc.

What is this about? This is about creating your opportunities. What do you want/need from your community in order to further your work/goals? What can you give to your community to help strengthen it? White Center for the Arts is opening the line of communication. This is not a formal, stuffy meeting, but the first meeting of many where your voice can be heard, new alliances can be created, and we can figure out how to best accommodate you, the artist, in our own neighborhood.

If you can, please RSVP to Shelli (crimsonpark@whitecenterforthearts.org) so that Justin knows how many people will be taking over his shop!