White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Thanks to Gill Loring for the photos from today’s big fiesta at Holy Family – billed as a Gran Kermes Fiesta Mexicana. (Kermes is a type of culture-celebration festival that churches often present as fundraisers.) Lots of live music, and even equestrian performers:

Vendors, including food.

And plenty of opportunities for kids to play:

Gill reports it was well-attended, with hundreds of people there when he visited.

Need food? Tomorrow, you can get it at Holy Family. Here’s the announcement:

Catholic Community Services of Western Washington (CCSWW) is partnering with United States Department of Agriculture contract awardee Pacific Coast Fruit Company to distribute over 200,000 lbs. of Farmers to Families Food Boxes weekly through the end of June. CCSWW will partner with parishes across Western Washington to disseminate the food via 25lb boxes of dairy, produce, and protein across 17 sites.

On Saturday, May 30, Holy Family Parish at 9622 20th Ave SW in White Center will host a pop-up pantry and
provide 2,250 boxes from 10 am – 2 pm to the general public. Holy Family Parish is partnering with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in West Seattle, local faith communities, schools as well as multiple St. Vincent de Paul Conferences to organize volunteers and ensure that families experiencing food insecurity are aware of the pantry.

Holy Family Parish serves 1,100 families across Greater Seattle. Pastor Fr. Alvarez expressed the profound need for the food boxes, “At Holy Family Parish, we are in the middle of the community that has been most affected by unemployment and we are happy to host the pop-up pantry. Due to the pandemic, many people lost their jobs or have had their hours of work reduced and are having difficulty paying their bills. Food is the last thing they should worry about and the distribution of food will help tremendously to improve their quality of life.”

With over 170 programs, CCSWW is the largest private social service provider in the state, serving nearly 100,000 people in need each year. Organizer and Network Builder at CCSWW, Erin Maguire expressed her deepest gratitude for all the partners that have made the event happen, “With great compassion our partners have enthusiastically united in service to their communities. We know that the need is great and I am proud that so many organizations have responded with even greater love.”

Physical distancing practices and masking will be followed during delivery and distribution.

Holy Family is at 20th/Roxbury.

School-shopping for next year? Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School invites you to its open house on Sunday (January 27th), 10:30 am-2 pm, at 9615 20th SW. Their announcement:

Looking for an affordable, safe, academics- and language-focused school?

Come see what we are all about, learn about our programs and enjoy food, raffles, and fun activities with your family.

You are invited! Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School welcomes everyone to Charlie Brown Bingo Night, 6-9 pm tonight in the school gym. HF says, “This is a great opportunity to help our school to buy resources while you are enjoying delicious food and winning great prizes.” The school is just north of the church, at 20th SW and SW Roxbury.

The annual Street Fair at Holy Family Church and School starts at 11:30 am today and continues through 8 tonight, then on Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. On the west side of the church, 20th SW will be closed south of SW Roxbury, and that’s where you’ll find vendors, entertainment, and more. No charge for admission – but bring $ for food/drink and raffles, among other things.

ADDED 4:38 PM: Stopped by for a few photos! Above, that’s Gabe Alisna from Dignity Memorial. Below, a familiar sight on the Holy Family grounds:

We also found the Seattle Fire Department’s Engine 11 visiting – popular with kids:

From Audrey Zemke:

White Center Kiwanis is holding its pancake breakfast on Sunday, July 19th from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm at Holy Family School (9615 20th Ave SW). Tickets are available at the door for $7.00 per person or $5.00 for tickets purchased before July 19 or at the door with a coupon. Kids 5 and under eat free.

Purchase tickets at the breakfast to win one of a dozen baskets. The pancake breakfast will be a collection point for diapers for WestSide Baby as well. White Center Kiwanis helps kids and youth in the White Center area by supporting Key Clubs at New Start and Evergreen High Schools, Highline Exchange Club, Salvation Army, Southwest Boys & Girls Club, Westside Baby and White Center Food Bank. If you wish to purchase table sponsorships or advertise on the placemat, please contact Bill Tracy at 248-2441 or billnancytracy@aol.com.

If you’re shopping for a school for next year, you’re invited to this afternoon’s open house at Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School at 20th/Roxbury in White Center:

Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School (Pre-K to 8) welcomes all parents to our Open House on Thursday, 1/29. Three sessions are scheduled, and each session includes a short presentation and brief school tour.

We are pleased to describe the Spanish language immersion program and answer questions regarding our school community.

Thank you for your consideration in sending your student(s) to Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School. We believe the educational and emotional experience will be positive for your student(s) and positive for the entire family.

You’re welcome to visit today between 1:30 pm and 3 pm.

At 20th and Roxbury, you’re invited to check out this year’s Holy Family School Street Fair, happening today and tomorrow. We don’t have a list of activities but we did notice pony rides being set up on the north end of the street. The sign outside HF says it’s open 11 am-8 pm today, 9 am-4 pm tomorrow (Sunday). Have fun!

We’re continuing to collect holiday information – e-mail us at whitecenternow@gmail.com! – for reporting here as well as inclusion in the Holiday Guide published through our partner site West Seattle Blog (with WS, WC, and South Park info, updated daily as new additions come in). The latest announcement from White Center is from Holy Family Bilingual School, where Christmas trees will be sold again this year to benefit the school. First scheduled day is November 30th – the Saturday after Thanksgiving, starting at 10 am – and sales will continue through Christmas Eve, December 24th. Holy Family is at 18th/Roxbury.

A funeral Mass is planned at Holy Family this Wednesday morning for 84-year-old Theodore (Ted) John Wiese:

Ted went home to the Lord 9-19-13 at the age of 84. Born in Woodburn, Oregon, in 1929, he married Doris Marie Prinslow on October 2, 1954, after being honorably discharged as a corporal from the Marine Corps and attending OSU. He retired from The Boeing Company after 26 years and was ordained to the Diaconate, serving the Archdiocese of Seattle for the past 24 years at Holy Family Parish in White Center.

He is survived by his wife Doris, sister Jeanette Moore, his children Connie (Richard) Sanders, Larry Wiese, Greg Wiese, Julie (Bruce) Hanson, Lisa (Karl) Hansen, Tom (Wendy) Wiese, Margaret (Jeff Haack) Wiese, and Paul Wiese, 10 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. Mass of the Christian Burial will be at Holy Family Church at 11:00 am September 25. To leave an online condolence, please visit Yaringtons.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ted’s memory to Catholic Community Services or Holy Family Parish.

(WCN publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to whitecenternow@gmail.com)

Thanks to both Gill and Christine for suggesting we republish this story – KING 5 coverage of White Center’s Holy Family Parish School watching, and learning during, this week’s installation of Pope Francis.

If you can give – consider stopping by 10 am-4 pm (except for the noon-1 pm break time) – this time of year has a higher demand and lower donation rate, so Puget Sound Blood Center is at Holy Family‘s Tice Hall (20th/Roxbury).

(Photos by Katie Meyer for WCN)
If you haven’t already noticed: White Center has a new Christmas-tree lot this season – at Holy Family, benefiting HF’s Parish School. It’s being run by HF parishioners the Calderons: Carlos, Tracy, and kids Andres and Tahlia, who are in our photo, and Marco (who was off at a sports practice when we stopped by).

Carlos says the idea came up at a Holy Family School board meeting – fundraising ideas were being brainstormed, and Carlos suggested a Christmas tree lot, recalling one run by an acquaintance in South King County. The idea was enthusiastically approved. Carlos was put in charge. He and his family bought the tree inventory, added fencing to the lot at 18th and Roxbury, built the wooden framework for the trees, and opened within days.

The Calderons are helping tree-shoppers in Spanish as well as English, and they’re open long hours – 9 am till 10 pm. P.S. Delivery’s available.

You’ve been invited to dinner on Saturday, 5-8 pm at Holy Family School:

Bring the family for a spaghetti dinner and raffle at Holy Family School in White Center (9615 20th Ave SW). Adults $12, children 11 and under are $5. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and ice cream. Seating from 5:00 until 8:00pm. Live entertainment will feature local celebrities, and the raffle will include crafts and gift certificates from local establishments. All proceeds will benefit tuition assistance for eligible boys and girls at Holy Family School.

Holy Family is at Roxbury/20th.

Brightening up our first gray day in a while – cups of fresh fruit are among the treats you’ll find at the Holy Family Street Fair on 20th SW (which is closed for the occasion) south of Roxbury. Fun for kids includes the pony rides:

And a bouncy house:

And for all ages, entertainment – Gary Benson was performing while we dropped by:

It’s continuing till 4 pm today.

Big smile from Holy Family Parish School principal Frank Cantwell – it’s the first day of school and the first day of a new program that will continue growing over the years. Holy Family is debuting its dual-language program. The principal explains, “We have hired seven bilingual teachers from Mexico, South America and Spain. Our Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students will be learning half their subjects in Spanish and half in English. Each year, we will include the next grade up. For now, all the students in Grades 1 through 8 will be taught in English, but learning Spanish in the more traditional approach.” One of the new teachers is Flori Muñoz from Argentina:

Here’s her kindergarten classroom from another angle:

Assistant principal Anca Wilson was conducting parent orientation:

Also happening this week at Holy Family – the annual Street Fair is coming up Saturday and Sunday (September 8-9). Principal Cantwell says, “We will be having Mexican, Filipino and Vietnamese foods, as well as hot dogs and hamburgers. We will have pony rides again this year, and we have built a water slide that I am sure will be a big hit with the kids. We will also be having a variety of ethnic music and dancing. We expect it to be bigger and better than ever.”

The Pledge of Allegiance, led by 9/11 first-responder Rudy Alvarado, and the national anthem, led by Holy Family School assistant principal Anca Wilson, started this morning’s tribute at the HF Community Street Fair. Alvarado then said the Firefighters’ Prayer:

Alvarado is a retired Redmond fire captain; his memories were featured in a Redmond Reporter story last week – note the bandanna around his neck in today’s video is like the one he was shown wearing during his work at Ground Zero ten years ago.

P.S. The Holy Family fair continues until four this afternoon:

It’s at 20th/Roxbury, on the south side of the school/church campus.

SATURDAY MORNING: Under way now! Pony rides are just part of the fun!

ORIGINAL FRIDAY MORNING NOTE: Tomorrow and Sunday, 20th/Roxbury is the place to be – and the weather will remain perfect, forecasters say.

(Click the image to see a full-size version!)

Last month, at the annual auction for West Seattle’s Holy Rosary Catholic School, attendees not only raised money for their own school’s needs, they also reached deep to help out White Center’s Holy Family School – as we reported in this story on West Seattle Blog, courtesy of journalist Gregg Hersholt, who emceed the HR auction that night. A followup: In WS last night, HF’s principal Frank Cantwell was invited to the Holy Rosary Parents Club‘s meeting for a check presentation. And it turned out to be not just the $20,000 announced the night of the auction – but a total of $25,000.

6:04 AM: Holy Family School is closed; Metro has some buses on snow routing (the latest list is here). More info as we get it.

6:44 AM: Kennedy High School in Burien is closed.

8:56 AM: The weather is supposed to improve, though since it’s going to be really cold – teens, potentially – tonight and tomorrow night, the snow that’s here may linger a while.