White Center Now: The blog about White Center

About an hour ago, White Center business-community leaders and other helpers put up the official White Center Christmas Tree, the second year for a tree to be displayed in the Delridge Triangle mini-park.

Lighting is set for 5 pm Sunday, everybody welcome – Santa and carolers will be on hand, we’re told. Here’s the video (wait for the cheering!) as the tree goes up.

That’s our video (by visual journalist Cliff DesPeaux) from last year’s White Center Christmas Tree Lighting. As reported here earlier this week, we’re now just one week away from this year’s ceremony, 5 pm Sunday, December 11th. And we have new details tonight of help that’s needed, plus a few other fun events ahead: Aileen Sison of WC B.O.S.S. says the organizations coordinating the tree lighting (also including the White Center Chamber of Commerce and White Center Merchants Alliance) are calling for artists to help with a tree topper and other decor; they’re also looking for musicians, singers, and choirs for the event. An organizational meeting is planned for Tuesday night, 6 pm, at Uncle Mike’s Superlicious BBQ; tree installation/trimming is expected to happen around 10 next Friday morning. Also next weekend, an Ugly Sweater Party/Contest is planned at Company, 7 pm. And a door-decorating contest is under way in the White Center business district – get those doors decorated by December 23rd!

Just spotted this on Aileen Sison‘s WC B.O.S.S. Facebook page:

Happy Holidays White Center! Join us! Second Annual White Center Tree Lighting Ceremony is Sunday, Dec 11th, 5 pm. Veteran’s Triangle Park 16th & Roxbury The Cross Carollers and Santa will be joining our celebration.

See you there!

That’s our photo from last year’s White Center Chamber of Commerce Heroes Awards/Toys for Tots Christmas Luncheon, and this year’s edition has just been announced. From Chamber president Mark Ufkes:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its White Center Heroes Awards and Toys for Tots Christmas Luncheon at the Salvation Army, on Tuesday, Dec. 6, from noon until 1:30 pm. The Seattle/White Center Salvation Army is located at 9050 16th Ave. SW.

Annually, the White Center Chamber board recognizes three “White Center Heroes” who have gone beyond the call of duty to serve our community. We will also be collecting “Toys for Tots” (new, packaged, unwrapped toy) that will be given to at-risk families. Attendees are asked to make a $10 contribution to the Salvation Army to help cover luncheon food costs.

Guests include King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, as well as three White Center Heroes who will be recognized, and we will discuss Chamber plans for greater cleanup and graffiti removal within the business district and expanded business district marketing in 2012.

White Center Chamber of Commerce
White Center Heroes Award Luncheon and Toys for Tots Drive
Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011 (Noon to 1:30)
Salvation Army – 9050 16th Ave. SW

Everyone is welcome.

Please RSVP the number attending to Jimie at (206) 619-1029 or by email to markufkes@comcast.net.

One week till Thanksgiving! Here’s one place you might consider spending yours:

On Thanksgiving day (November 24, 2011), The Good News Christian Fellowship Church will serve a Thanksgiving Day Dinner with all the trimmings.

The dinner and fellowship will be held from 1:30 to 5:00 pm, at St. James Church, 9421-18th Avenue SW, in White Center, Everyone is cordially invited to attend, share a meal with neighbors and to give thanks.

Donations of food, cash, and clothing are welcome. Please contact Michael Spann at 206-854-2245 or michaelspann206@gmail.com to make contributions or to request additional information.

Last night, the pumpkins … tonight, the little punkins! Or, dinosaurs. This guy in green was moving along 16th SW with his adult chaperones during White Center merchants’ trick-or-treat event tonight – we caught up with him at Full Tilt Ice Cream, where proprietor Justin Cline, costumed as, well, an indie ice-cream mogul, had candy waiting:

Across the street, it was a trick-or-treating lull, but we caught two businesses with cool jack-o-lanterns – first, you’ll recognize the “power to the people” Proletariat Pizza fist:

And over at the T-shirt place, we couldn’t get the entirety of the carved “RAT CITY” in a single shot, but here’s the first half – and the obligatory rat:

Happy Halloween!

Right outside Mac’s Triangle Pub in the Delridge Triangle, the first-ever White Center Pumpkin Carving Contest brought in a smattering of spirited entries tonight. Including that one with the Mac’s logo! Judging is still under way as we write this, but we’ll admit to a soft spot for the “Angry Birds” pumpkin, whose carver John Tarrant agreed to pose with his creation:

Two more of the entries glowing in the not-that-chilly air under a canopy in front of the pub:

The pumpkins will be on display during White Center business-district trick-or-treating Halloween night, 5-8 pm.

Bring your carved pumpkin(s) to Triangle Park at 16th and Roxbury starting at 6 tonight – judging starts at 7 – prizes! It’s the first-ever White Center Pumpkin Carving Contest, and do note that entries will be displayed in the park on Halloween night. More details on Facebook – here’s the event page.

Metro’s on a Sunday schedule. All the usual major-holiday closures are in effect. No official White Center fireworks show, but there’s the 3 pm parade in Burien, fireworks off Three Tree Point tonight, and the WC Jubilee Days July 13th fireworks show isn’t that far away. If you buy fireworks in the unincorporated area, they’re legal to use 9 am-midnight tonight – and that’s it, you’re done for the year. Have a safe and fun day!

That’s one of the fireworks stands that officially opened Tuesday – as of today, they can be open 9 am-11 pm through Monday, but fireworks can only be used 9 am-midnight ***on*** Monday. More details in our story from earlier this week. (And remember, fireworks are banned on both sides of the unincorporated area – Burien and Seattle.)

Just a week till the 4th of July – and we noticed fireworks stands are up and waiting in the unincorporated areas (White Center, Top Hat, etc.). So it’s a good time to remind you: In the unincorporated areas, fireworks can be sold starting noon-11 pm Tuesday, and then 9 am-11 pm daily through July 4th – but even though you can BUY them before the holiday, you can only USE them on the 4th, 9 am-midnight.

As for official professional fireworks displays – there’s the Seattle show over Lake Union, visible from north-facing West Seattle, and Three Tree Point, offshore. But you might just decide to wait for the sure-to-be-spectacular-again Jubilee Days fireworks at Steve Cox Memorial Park on July 13th.

Looking for lunch? White Center’s all-day Cambodian New Year celebration is one place to find it. WCN contributor Deanie Schwarz sent that photo and explained that it’s “Kim of Samway Market serving up a spectacular array of food for a spectacularly great price today in the open-air vendor booth on 98th. Grills are smoking and already drawing in a crowd enticed by the fragrant grilling meats. $5.00 will get a sampling of all of the following somehow loaded onto one impossibly heaping plate: grilled fresh corn on the cob, fish patties, beef skewers, chicken wings, egg rolls, fried squid, pickled fresh veggie salad, papaya salad, fried rice with fresh vegetables and stir fry noodles with, of course, fresh vegetables.”

And if you’re thirsty? Here are Sophanny and cousins at the Thai iced-tea stand (and pineapple on a stick):

The festival continues till 5.

ADDED 2:16 PM: That’s the “Blessing Dance” by the Rainier Vista Dancers, as the festival continues. Description: “A traditional classical Khmer dance … the lyrics and fine hand gestures of the Roban Choun Por describe wishes of happiness, good health, prosperity and success to guests.” Some of what’s ahead before the festival wraps up:

2:30 Traditional Games Demonstration

3:30 Live Music (Chaiya Band) with Audience Dancing encouraged

4:50 Closing Remarks

8:39 AM: Big party in downtown White Center today – Cambodian New Year, with SW 98th closed off east of 16th SW for the occasion, events are scheduled to start at 10:30 am.

11:07 AM UPDATE: From Deanie Schwarz at the celebration – we added her video of the benediction above; here’s the schedule for the next few hours:

11:30 Rappers SJ and Princy
11:50 Dance Troupes: Coconut Dance and Rice Dance
12:00 Traditional Games and Banana Eating Contest
12:30 Healthy Cooking Demos
1:00 Dance Troupe: Scarf and Karp Dance

Then tonight, it’s Roller Derby at Southgate Roller Rink! Details here.

The White Center Community Development Association published that video to YouTube today, accompanying its report on the Lunar New Year ceremony outside Café Tam Thanh in the Delridge Triangle – see photos here.

Metro’s on a “reduced-weekday” schedule for the holiday. Most government offices/facilities are closed – no school, no mail; banks are closed too. MLK Day is also a Day of Service for many, and King County United Way tells us White Center-headquartered WestSide Baby is one of those places, with volunteers helping out at its newly expanded HQ today.

Big field trip for young singers from White Center’s Holy Family School – they were at Harborview Medical Center downtown on Thursday for its 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration. Third from left in the back row, that’s Eileen Whalen, executive director of HMC. The Holy Family Youth Choir members sang during the celebration, under the direction of Anca Wilson:

Thanks to Harborview for sharing the photos!

Yes, the power that was hooked up just the other day worked perfectly tonight for the lighting of the White Center Community Christmas Tree in the Delridge Triangle. It’s only been a week since White Center Chamber of Commerce announced plans for the tree. Video/photojournalist Cliff DesPeaux was there for WCN and partner site West Seattle Blog. If you haven’t followed the backstory, the “power” to which nearby pub owner “Mac” McElroy refers in the clip is electric power – with the help of Seattle City Light, the area got connected earlier this week, which also makes lighting possible for the flag that flies over the triangle as part of a veterans’ memorial.

White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz sent word this afternoon that the hoped-for power has arrived in the Delridge Triangle mini-park area, in plenty of time for Wednesday’s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony (7 pm): “City Light crews just completed installation of GFCI outlet and a breaker.” She also shared the photo. This is supposed to also help provide light to the flag that flies over the veterans’ memorial that’s in the same spot, as White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes had said while making the tree announcement.

(Photos by Deanie Schwarz for White Center Now/West Seattle Blog)
As White Center Chamber of Commerce president Mark Ufkes promised during last Wednesday’s Chamber holiday luncheon (WCN coverage here), the first community Christmas tree in a very long time went up this morning in the Delridge Triangle – and a lighting ceremony is now planned for this Wednesday. White Center Now was there to get photos as lots of volunteers made it happen:

More about them, the tree, and the lighting, in this news release just sent by the WC Chamber:

The White Center Chamber of Commerce, working in partnership with many White Center businesses and families, installed the first White Center Christmas tree in decades in Seattle’s Triangle Park, on the corner of Roxbury, 16th Ave. SW, and Delridge. The Chamber will install a tree annually as a result of the positive community response to this effort.

The idea came from a Chamber discussion about encouraging White Center businesses to install Christmas lights in their windows during the holiday season. Vary Jackson, King County Sheriff Community Service Officer (CSO), suggested that a Christmas tree would look great at the park. Mac McElroy, owner of Mac’s Triangle Pub and a Chamber board member, expressed a need to secure lighting for the American flag on the park flag pole that was installed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mac, who is also a vet, has been raising his personal American flag on the pole for several years. American flags flown at night must be lit, so Mac has been eager to solve this issue as well.

Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation that owns the land, have been working to resolve the access to electricity issue. White Center Chamber member McLendon Hardware (Sandy Vaughn, manager) donated $250 in Christmas lights. A White Center Buddhist family (Many, Merda and Budd Chhim) donated a beautiful 22-foot Northern pine tree from their backyard “to bring good karma to White Center.” White Center attorney Dennis Pflug and resident Jimie Martin arranged to have the tree professionally cut down. Boy Scout Troop 375, with scouts from White Center, Burien and West Seattle helped install the tree with help from the King County Department of Corrections crew.

Due to the severe rain predicted through Tuesday, December 14, the official lighting for the tree will occur at 7 pm, on Wednesday night, December 15, by White Center Chamber of Commerce members.

Note the tree’s not the only new sign of holiday cheer in the Triangle’s little park:

Meantime, more information from contributor Deanie Schwarz on the power issue, affecting both the tree and the veterans’ memorial:

Ufkes says lights will be turned on soon, hopefully only temporarily, by borrowing power,perhaps from the Triangle Pub, until the responsible agency either repairs the failed fixture on the flag pole and/or a breaker is found, or both. Normally, City light poles have identifying serial numbers located near two horizontal black bands, but somewhere along the installation process years ago, this island was not assigned an ID. Or if it was assigned some other way to track it, it ostensibly has been lost. It is not a standard streetlight, but rather a lit flagpole. Whether that is the reason no department or agency has yet found any reliable data on a city installation or its maintenance remains a bit of a mystery.

According to Mac, owner of Mac’s Triangle Pub and a Navy veteran, and Ufkes, there are few places which are even allowed to fly a flag unlit in the entire country. Beyond providing an exterior power source for the community’s future use, both are hopeful that the city repairs the flagpole power to bring it into compliance with long-standing, national, flag-displaying codes and traditions for year-round honoring of the Stars and Stripes in White Center.

Again, the tree lighting is set for Wednesday – see you there!

If you remember “Seinfeld” – or maybe even if you don’t – you know about the spoofy holiday “Festivus, for the rest of us.” This Saturday in White Center, you can join in a Festivus celebration for real – an auction, dinner, and dance, 5 pm at White Center Eagles, 10452 15th SW. See the official flyer on Facebook, where you can RSVP through the page for White Center Jubilee Days, which benefits from this Saturday’s celebration.