First Thursday of the month is usually when the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council convenes an information-filled community gathering. But not this week, nor the rest of the winter. Here’s the announcement NHUAC sent us to share with you:
North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will not be holding a November meeting. We will be taking a winter break and will resume meetings in February 2026.
In the meantime:
Thanks to everyone who attended the informative Oct 2nd NHUAC meeting with guests, King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall and King County Executive candidates Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay. If you missed the meeting, please see the excellent report and video from whitecenternow.
Election Day is November 4th. The ballot drop box has moved from the White Center Library to Steve Cox Memorial Park.
Road Concerns: Contact King County 24/7 Road Helpline @ 206.296.8100
To report Illegal Dumping: Contact King County Illegal Dumping Hotline @ 206.296.7483
White Center’s only community pool, Evergreen Aquatic Center, continues to appreciate your support! Its annual fundraiser, the Fall Harvest Bingo Bash, is happening Saturday, November 15. Ticket sales are on right now for the event, which organizers tell us “will feature bingo games, refreshments, an auction, and more, with all proceeds supporting Evergreen Aquatic Center and its continued service to the community.” That means free or lower-cost swim lessons for hundreds of local families! The Bingo Bash is 6-9 pm at Seahurst Banquet Hall (14700 6th SW, Burien), and you can get your ticket(s) right now by going here.
Just take an umbrella along with your trick-or-treat bag, and you’ll be fine! White Center’s trick-or-treat-and-more block party is defying the wet weather.
Smiles and treats abounded during our visit. Even pets were in costume.
Creative decorations, too.
And a reminder that Halloween is followed immediately by Dia de los Muertos:
We’ve been showing reader photos of Halloween displays all month on partner site West Seattle Blog – and this one is in White Center:
Lacey sent the photos and info for tonight’s spotlight Halloween display!
I wanted to let you all know about my display The Last Resort Hotel. I am planning on having my yard open to walk through on Thursday Oct. 30 from 4-8 pm and on Friday Oct. 31 from 4-9 pm. White Center Trick or Treat goes from 4-7 pm, so that is a great time to come and visit! We are located on 18th Ave SW between Roxbury and SW 98th St. I will have a bin for people to drop off nonperishable items for White Center Food Bank as well as a link for people who would like to donate online. I would really love to make this an annual tradition. It is a lot of work to set this up and I want to share it with people and find a way to give back.
Every year I decorate the inside of my yard for my son’s birthday, and this year we have taken on a new theme The Last Resort Hotel. Inside the yard you will find The Last Gasp Gift Shop with zombie snacks and tombstones for sale. The Witch Way Cafe hosts a bubbling cauldron and a creepy doll party. You can visit Zombie Place on the way to the Morgue, but watch out for dangling body parts!
It is definitely more fun to visit at night with all of the lighting on, but during the day there is still lots to enjoy and may feel less scary for the little ones.
Story and photos by Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for White Center Now
Fall was in the air at the October Rat City Art and Food Walk, and Halloween was front and center. Almost every artist there paid Halloween homage in some way or other. Here were some of the spooky sights we managed to catch a glimpse of:
The highlight of the night was “Madame B’s Dark Bazaar” at Mr. B’s Mead Center – 13 separate vendors both inside and outside the meadery, all offering a unique selection of goods. DJ StarTropic also played a long set for Mr. B’s. Here were some highlights:
Trusty John of Trusty John’s Junk Shop made an appearance as a swashbuckling buccaneer, even offering to play liar’s dice with anyone stopping by. He is a local artist, working mostly in ceramics. Part of his display were these lovely ‘dragon eggs’ done in the style of Japanese Raku ceramics. He’ll be hosting an event where you can get one of these eggs custom-made at Mr. B’s next month.
Christy Badillois a local terrarium designer. She was offering a wide variety of her self-contained glass terrariums for sale.
Eli Wolff is a pop artist who had a whole host of pop culture and horror-adjacent work available. His process, he said, was mostly acrylic paint on wood, often then copying over to stickers – but he also had some full art on display as well. If you’d like another chance to get his work, he said he also regularly appears at the year-round Haunted Farmers Market in Tacoma.
Misfit Strength Studio offered aerial silk performances from students in their own studio, as well as hosting belly dancing. The bellydancers were from the Seattle group ‘Sirens of Serpentine‘ [], as one of the troupe members also teaches at the studio.
Outside the Lariat Bar, Joseph Hill had interesting offerings for anyone still looking for a costume. He had leather caps and medieval garb for sale, which he said were old costume stock from his days performing with the Seattle Knights, a local medieval-theater troupe. He also had a variety of chain-mail goods, ranging from purses to keychains, all hand-made.
Appropriately, the recently opened Trove of Treasure also had artists with a distinctively macabre theme.
Danni Maika’i was there with a selection of their more horror-themed sketches and prints. Danni primarily works as a tattoo artist. If you’d like to see more of their work, you can find them here.
Arpeggio Romiti offered a selection of dark bead-embroidery work, with a rendition of the elephant man from David Lynch‘s eponymous movie, and a series of skulls and flowers. They also had pieces from their series “Swimming with the Fishes,” featuring the faces of unidentified persons attached to various sea creatures. If you’d like to see more of their work, you can find their website here; they also mentioned that they have some of their embroidery on display currently at Doll Parts Collective in West Seattle.
Even though the weather is getting colder, many participating artists were on the street. Moony of Kitty’s Kandis had a display of impressive bead work for sale, inspired by rave culture.
Naomi Benson, sporting season-appropriate vampire fangs, was offering various pieces ranging from psychedelic collage to nature-inspired prints. She said she’ll be at the West Seattle Art Walk in December, featured at Canna.
Even with much of the art walk focusing on the holiday, there were still many artists there with a focus on social justice in between their more seasonal work.
Kristel Chua of Centipede Zines was in the lobby of Misfit Strength Studio with a selection of her zines available for sale. Much of her work focuses on contemporary political critique, tackling larger issues of decolonization and resistance against capitalism. She said also that there’s a visual component to it as well, hand-designing the artistic assets for her zines. If you’d like another chance to get some of her work, she’ll be at the Zine Fest at Woodland Theater on December 6th.
The Rat City Art Walk occurs on the third Thursday of every month. The next one will be on November 20th. If you’d like more information, visit their website here.
15 days remain to vote in the general election. If you hadn’t heard, you need to know that King County Elections has moved the White Center ballot drop box. Above is our photo of its new location on SW 102nd outside Steve Cox Memorial Park; previously, it was outside the White Center Library. We asked KCE spokesperson Halei Watkins about the reason for the move; she replied, “Due to its popularity! We are so grateful to KCLS and the White Center Library for hosting that location for many years. However, we’ve heard that in busy elections in particular, the parking lot just couldn’t safely accommodate the number of voters looking to use that box. That’s a great problem to have – we needed more space for folks returning their ballot!” Here’s the county map of all drop box locations; they’re open until exactly 8 pm Tuesday, November 4. Meantime, as noted after ballots were mailed last week, KCE says you should get yours by today, so if you don’t, call 206-296-VOTE.
October 7th, 2025 Tracy Posted in Libraries, White Center newsComments Off on White Center Library hosts Pride Family Book Club
The White Center Library says the Pride Family Book Club is coming up later this month – here’s the announcement we were asked to share:
Join your local children’s librarian and members of the White Center Pride Committee to socialize with other rainbow families and allies. Play board games, make a craft, and share your favorite children’s books celebrating LGBTQ+ pride at a fun family book club. October 18, 2025 – 2:30 pm-4 pm.
KING COUNTY SHERIFF: Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall was first up. Regarding the storefront deputy, she said KCSO staffing is still “challenged – 100 vacancies out of 805.” They’re doing some “creative recruiting” with “incentives,” currently focused on in-state laterals, “people who can get up and running very quickly,” two to four months. She mentioned the recent 40-40-40, $40,000 signing bonud, 40 hours sick leave and 40 hours vacation from the day they start. Recruits also get to ask for specific work locations. If they’re trained in a specialty, they can compete for similar jobs. “We’re trying to incentivize these experienced officers to come.” As of two weeks ago they had 16 applicants: “We’ve got a hill to climb” … and once there are some new hires , then they can talk about a storefront deputy. Major Koby Hamill of the Southwest Precinct says he’s at 70 percent staffing, short about 12 deputies. He’s approaching two years at the precinct and has lost the storefront deputy in Skyway. He said they train people so well that theirs get poached, both internally and externally. Filling the White Center storefront spot “remains high on my list” but he has to be fully staffed for 911 calls as first priority. One thing: “I did carve our a traffic deputy” for this area, one at day, one at night, but they serve Skyway, Vashon, and WC.
Attendee question: Has the restriping of 16th affected things? “I was impressed,” said Hamill.
Cole-Tindall reiterated that the storefront deputy position will be filled, “we’re just looking at when.” The sheriff then mentioned the sales-tax increase that the Legislature is allowing localities to involve. The charging starts in January. If not for the tax, they would have had to cut 80 deputes – “you would have been gutted.” This covers the next two years but “2028-2029, that’s going to be a problem … Public safety is very expensive. Vehicles. Body cameras. Training.” She also noted that, for example, Burien pays them for police services – they have “customers who pay us for police service … 56 percent” of what they do is for “paying customers.” Those officers sometimes have access to different training and tools, if the contract city/tribe provides them.
Will potential federal recruiting for ICE affect KCSO? Cole-Tindall talked a bit about the restrictions on police tactics here, saying she has a friend in the South who says his officers “chase them till the wheels all off,” and some prefer to work without those restrictions. She says people elsewhere in the country still have a CHOP/CHAZ view of this area even though that’s years outdated and also, “We’re not Seattle.” As for how KCSO might interact with ICE, Sheriff Cole-Tindall mentioned a video they’d made. Discussion of fear and commitment among immigrant communities ensued. They try to stay under the radar out of distrust, others said.
Maj. Hamill talked about working with the Language Line so they have access to a long list of languages, helping them communicate better with members of the community. He also mentioned tech under development to incorporate that into body cameras. “In 25 years on the job for me, we’ve come leaps and bounds in the past few years.”
Also, they’ve been getting some exposure via a reality TV show, “Police 24/7.” It’s their second season of participating now, although Cole-Tindall wasn’t sure how much longer it will last.
Various other issues were discussed briefly – like traffic complaints, which you can make online or via phone. Various other car-related topics came up, including the illegality of license-plate covers.
What about the Citizens’ Academy? Major Hamiil said that hadn’t really gotten going again after the pandemic.
Another attendee brought up the effect that non-prosecution of arrestees can have on officers. Cole-Tindall said, “Public safety is a continuum … We’re on the front end.” But things evolve. Major Hamill added, he’s in it for the “front end,” stopping or arresting or jailing someone and keeping them from further harming someone, and that’s how he feels he make a difference. He further said that when he says he’s from Seattle, people from elsewhere raise their eyebrows and say, how do you even do it there?
Before the sheriff and major left, attendees and NHUAC board members expressed gratitude for community service officer Nate.
KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE RACE: Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay, both King County Councilmembers, are the contenders for the seat that Dow Constantine left to become Sound Transit CEO. We recorded this on video so our notes will be simple. (Update: Here’s the video in its entirety:)
First question was, tell us about yourselves. Balducci, a former Bellevue mayor, said she got her start by “showing up for the neighborhood.” She said that you’d be wrong to think she’s rich because she comes from Bellevue. She has worked for King County 25+ years and has been a labor lawyer. She is running for county executive because KC has a $10 billion annual budget “and we have a lot of service needs we’re not meeting today.” She said the county could do better for unincorporated North Highline. She has seen “very clearly” the investments made in a city vs. what’s invested in the unincorporated area. They were also asked how often they get out this way – Balducci admitted, “Not often.”
Zahilay spoke next. His district is east of here. He lives in the Allentown area of Tukwila. He hopes to “build a region of safety and opportunity for everyone.” His family fled Ethiopia, and he was born in Sudan, coming here when he was 3, raised by his mom after his parents divorce. His family lived in public housing when he was a kid. He said he knows firsthand that strong social safety nets can help someone like him succeed. He’s worked as a lawyer. He wants his “American Dream story” to be available to everyone. He is dad of a 1-year-old girl. But, he warned, there are “forces” trying to make that story not available to everyone. His priorities include building (not just housing), boots on the ground, and better government. He didn’t answer the question of how often he visits this area.
First question, asked by NHUAC’s Barbara Dobkin, was about infrastructure to support densifying development. Are the candidates willing to improve it? Zahilay answered first: He didn’t really know what underserved meant till his family moved out of public housing and into Skyway. They felt isolated. He said when he first got on the County Council, urban unincorporated areas were his priority. He said he got a lot done for Skyway, including a community center, in the early going. He mentioned “participatory budgeting to,” support programs for small projects, and declared that he understands how the County Council has to serve the unincorporated hours – “We’ll be your mayor.” He promised an “authentic, collaborative relationship,” and to focus on issues.
Balducci said both voted on the Sub-Area Plan in 2022. But the “underlying problem” when you talk about some of the infrastructure, the price tags are daunting. “There is not a dedicated ongoing funding stream” for what’s needed. She declared herself a longtime champion of affordable housing. But she said the infrastructure questions need to be answered when the development is approved. She said it’s a “systemic problem.” She said annexation can be one path to funding. To make a choice, she said, “ask yourself, who do you think is going to be able to deliver these things?” She touted light rail expansion (she’s also on the Sound Transit board).
Next question, how do you help middle-aged people who don’t have access to resources for youth and seniors, particularly regarding mental health? Balducci said a looming problem is that people are going to lose their coverage because of federal action. “We have this tremendous need” – and might be able to address some of it via an existing county levy. “Reprioritizing” and “honesty and transparency” can go a long way.
Zahilay harkened back to the “devastation of the pandemic” and the needs that rose over those years. He said he organized a panel of health-care experts to discuss “what’s going to happen” because of the federal cuts. One hospital CEO envisioned overrun hospitals. Reproductive health care losses don’t just mean abortion care but also STI screening among other things. “We have a big crisis ahead.” He also talked about the Behavioral Health Levy and the facilities that will be built as a result of that. Other levy renewals are ahead, like the veterans and human services level. “We have to continue working to keep our public-health clinics alive.”
Then the floor opened for attendee questions. “Should we have another Western State (type) Hospital?” Zahilay talked about various types of funding, as well as the declining number of residential beds for mental-health treatment. He said there’s definitely a need for residential involuntary care, but it has to be rare, and culturally competent. Balducci said she’s been “working on a proposal” regarding all this, acknowledging there are some people who just are in no xhape to make decisions. She said there’s some space in jail facilities where perhaps there’s a diversion program to connect people – “really troubled people” – who need connection to housing and care.
Next attendee question, “How much time have you spent in North Highline or White Center, to know what it’s like?” Balducci said she’d like to come here some weekend, walk around and see what it’s like. Dobkin said she could arrange that. Zahilay said he’d been here many times, including restaurants and Southgate Roller Rink.
Next attendee question started with sorting out how much of budget was spent on public safety. 70 percent of the general fund. The attendee clarified that she was wondering about whether efficiencies like Seattle’s Community Service Officers. “You start wth what is the level of service you need,” said Balducci. “But you gotta set the service level.” She said knowing that level is more important than working toward a specific service level.” And, she said, besides setting a level, accountability is important.
Talk from there got rather bureaucratic, about contracts and oversight, recently the subject of a major county scandal. “Frankly, we fail the community and the providers” when they don’t oversee things properly. The count has more than 600 contracts. She suggests a full audit once the new Executive takes over.
Zahilay said, to the original question, yes, there are ways to provide policing services less expensively. He talked about alternative safety strategies like violence disrupters. “I definitely believe in the ‘presence’ model of public safety.” Even corner greeters can make a difference.
Next attendee wondered about COVID money and tax money. Balducci again said, “We shouldn’t be judged by how much money we spend, but are we getting the outcome we want?” She said they focused on getting pandemic money to people in need. She said they need more financial experts in the county, and need to put more money into administration and less into services – so they have to find the people who can provide the oversight. And, “we have to do it very publicly so people can see that we’re doing it.”
The recent uproar over contract audits came up and the quest for accurate numbers. Right now, Zahilay said, they’re figuring out how to resolve it. He said he’s developed a plan that calls for an internal audit and quarterly audits, and that, as they’d both said, it needs to be focused on outcomes. “We should release it the same way a public company does.”
What went wrong, Balducci said – “we don’t know” because of the lack of oversight. “Without controls we’re inevitably going to lose money.”
Then, someone asked about homelessness. “My impression is that a lot of money is being spent but the number (of homeless people) keeps increasing. .. It seems to me like we’re spending a lot o money and not getting anywhere.”
Zahilay began, “We could discuss this one for an hour. … We start by saying we absolutely have a housing crisis.” But more behavioral-care facilities are needed. “At the same time, we know there’s a great nexus with our criminal-justice system.” He listed a long list of things needed “upstream” before cutting to what’s needed “downstream” – “Even if King County Regional Homelessness Authority was operating (perfectly), we would not solve our homelessness problem,” because there’s still not enough housing and other resources.” And they need to collaborate better with both government officials and NGOs, and “we need a strong continuum of care.” And there needs to be more accountability for what’s being budgeted and spent … If this regional model’s going to be successful, we’re going to have to have buy-in from the whole region.”
Balducci said they know how to move a person out of homelessness. and talked about her collaboration on a regional level. She also talked about the places where they require people to be indoors. “The problem in our region is there are so many people on the streets, to resolve it for everyone (is a tall order). She said they could target specific sectors – “we could eradicate homelessness among veterans,” for example.
One woman asked about the motels etc. the county bought for shelter/housing. Balducci said the services the county can provide are not enough for the people in those buildings. “A lot of those people are just sick,” she said, permanently disabled, etc. Zahilay said he agreed with everything she said but “permanent supportive housing does work when done well.”
The meeting ran past 9 pm and could have gone longer – lots of questions for the candidates. But they adjourned, and it’s on to the next meeting, likely first Thursday in November.
North Highline Unincorporated Council Invites You to Our October 2, 2025 Meeting
The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!
When? Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 7 pm
Where? Norh Highline Fire Station Meeting Room, 1243 SW 112th Street, White Center
(Parking and Entrance Are Behind the Station)
Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. It is always hard to say goodbye to summer. Fortunately, there are plenty of long days and good weather to enjoy as we move into fall.
NHUAC’s meeting on Thursday, October 2nd at 7 pm at the White Center Fire Station is sure to be interesting. Because North Highline is an unincorporated area (not part of a city), King County serves both our regional (county) and municipal governments.
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) is an essential part of our community. This month, NHUAC will be joined by Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall. Sheriff Cole-Tindall was appointed in May of 2022 by King County Executive Dow Constantine and confirmed by the King County Council as the 35th Sheriff of King County. Don’t miss this opportunity to get her perspective and share yours.
Many of the decisions that will form our future will be made by the next King County Executive and King County Council. King County government’s impacts include: “public health to economic and ethnic justice to segregation and discrimination to displacement, fair housing and opportunity, to schools, parks and open spaces to density and permitting to roads to infrastructure, police, and public safety to fireworks and cannabis shops to taxes and the budget….”
NHUAC is pleased that our October 2nd meeting will feature a candidate forum with King County Councilmembers Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay. They are running for the position previously held by Dow Constantine – King County Executive. If you have attended any of our past forums, you know there will be plenty of time to ask your questions.
Noticed a need for more trees in North Highline? Sandy Hunt will share her perspective on Thursday night. Don’t miss it!
Knowledge Is Power.
Learn, share, and help make North Highline a healthier community.
Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 7 pm – Invite Your Neighbors!
Featured musicians Dax Millian, Sally Phnouk, Drew Martin, and Young Chayylee performed tonight on the stage set up at the east end of the closed section of SW 98th. We were able to catch some of Dax Millian‘s [/] set:
Many community groups were also in attendance. Health advocates were there to promote the “Fun To Catch, Toxic To Eat” program, raising public awareness about the dangers of consuming non-salmon fish from the Duwamish River. The Cambodian American Community Council, besides hosting the event, was also there to provide information to the public and promote their project of building a local Khmer-American cultural center. The White Center Community Development Association also had a booth for community engagement.
Tomorrow is the second and final night of the White Center Night Market, and will feature even more vendors, booths, and performances, as they will have an additional part of 16th street blocked off for the event. They will start off the day with a car show from the Eazy Duz It Car Club at 2 PM, and the event will then go until 10 PM. If you’d like to find out more information about the event, as well as a list of tomorrow’s performers, go here.
September 24th, 2025 Tracy Posted in How to Help, Parks, White Center newsComments Off on YOU CAN HELP: Plant trees in White Center Heights Park!
King County Parks wants to get early word out about this:
It’s all coming together! Saturday, October 4th 10 am-1 pm at White Center Heights Park, the King County Volunteer program will be planting 80 conifer trees. These will be bigger trees than we usually plant at our volunteer events and the Parks Operations Staff from the Sunset District will be helping pre-dig holes. These larger trees were purchased through a Washington State Department of Ecology grant supported by funding from the Climate Commitment Act. This grant is focused on planting trees to reduce airport-related pollution impacts in south King County neighborhoods. Department of Ecology identified these communities as affected by fine particulates and generally worse air quality than most other parts of the state.
The evergreen tree species selected for this park are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, long lived and will provide great shade in the old house sites. They will provide year-round canopies. Not only will they improve air quality, but they will also create beauty, slow stormwater, provide wildlife habitat, and improve park visitors’ mental health. We’re excited for so many reasons to add these large conifers to White Center Heights Park. We hope you can join us.
Story and photos by Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for White Center Now
Last night was the monthly Rat City Art and Food Walk, with plenty of vendors lining the streets of the main business district of White Center, and many exhibitions inside local businesses. The work spanned a large variety of themes, including art highlighting the Pacific Northwest environment, queer identity, political issues, local horror filmmaking, handmade crafts, and even an artist presenting reproductions of art that was stolen from the Alki Art Fair last year. Here’s some of what we saw last night:
With a focus of portraying the Pacific Northwest, artists Amelia Serafin, Arin Rae, Erin Harris, and Richard Jahn all offered their own distinctive takes on the subject.
Amelia Serafin is a local underwater photographer who had her photos on display at Búho. She often dives off Alki and takes photos there, as well as teaching at local dive shops. She says she wants her photography to highlight the life under the water that might not be ordinarily visible to us, and the fact that it coexists with us in what appears to be an otherwise urban environment. “A lot of people don’t know that we have these colorful animals next to us, it isn’t just something reserved for the tropics.” she said. You can find more of her photography here.
Long-time friends Arin Rae and Erin Harris shared a booth outside Tim’s Tavern. They said that their art was uniquely intertwined, as they have known each other since they were around 7 or 8 years old, and had grown up in and shared a passion for the local Pacific Northwest environment. Arin has a background in science and continues to teach that, which she said is one of the main goals in her art – to show environmental themes in both an instructive and aesthetic way. Both said they were interested in their art showing “how we can respect nature, see the beauty of it, and how a depiction of the same subject in nature came come out in different ways.” You can find more of Arin’s art here and here, and more of Erin’s art here.
Richard Jahn made an appearance with an exhibit inside recently opened Wolfpack Cellars. As a life-long local resident, he creates art that also centers on themes of the Northwest environment among others, with an expressionist flair that he says was inspired by artists such as Gustav Klimpt, Pieter Bruegel, Thomas Hart Benton, and Vincent van Gogh. As mentioned above, he was a victim of theft at the Alki Art Fair last year, and was presenting reproductions of the art that was stolen.
He noted it was “heartbreaking, the way something so personal from you was stolen” and that he was glad to once again present something near and dear to him to the public again. You can find more of his art here [/] and here.
Artists Mónica Mendoza-Cawthon and Tate Eric offered art with an eye toward queer identity.
Mónica Mendoza-Cawthon (artist name Móni la Artivista, a portmanteau of both artist and activist) presented her work at Salvadorean Bakery. Mónica has a long background in both law and local political organization and activism. She is pictured here with portraits of two figures she says highlight her interest in both Hispanic and Queer identity: Frida Kahlo, the well-known 20th-century queer and feminist painter from Mexico, and Walter Mercado, an astrologer and television personality from Puerto Rico whose appearance often defied gender norms. Her other work also focuses on contemporary political issues, spanning from domestic to international. She says her art always aims to represent the theme of “A cry from the unseen and the unheard – wanting to be seen, and wanting to be heard.” You can find more of her artwork here and here.
Tate Eric (artist name tot) was outside the Crawfish House restaurant. They work predominantly on linoleum prints, with an interest in queer iconography and giving voice to transgender issues in art. For the art walk, they offered a chance to make a beaded rat lanyard in honor of “Rat City” for anyone stopping by.
Representing local film-making, Ean Tallent and Sam Mostovoy appeared outside the recently opened Tomb of Treasure [/] to promote their show “The Hallow Ian Horror Hour.” They said the main goal of their show is to present a variety of independent horror and horror comedy short films; they said more than 75 percent of the filmmakers they present are local to the Pacific Northwest. Their show appears on channel 28 SSCTV (Seattle Colleges Cable Television) every Friday at 8 PM. If you want to find out more about their show, you can look here and here.
Local artists Alma, Georgia Lynn, and Nora Davis were also part of this month’s Art and Food Walk, with other local arts and crafts.
Alma (artist name almanzobean) presented her work outside the Puffy Pandy pastry shop. Her work is focused on a variety of pop-art subjects, heavily influenced by anime aesthetics and fashion. You can find more of her art here.
Nora Davis offered a wide variety of sewn plush animals and other handmade goods inside Big Mario’s Pizza. Her eccentric mixture of plush animals ranged from bats, to moths, to slugs. She said, “The bats sell better than you expect. At the start of this year, I set a goal to sell 100 bats – last year I sold only 90. By July this year, I already sold 150.” She showed us that she even got a bat tattoo to celebrate meeting this goal. You can find more about her future appearances as a vendor on her Instagram page here.
Georgia Lynn Bean offered her work outside Wolfpack Cellars. Her work is predominantly acrylic on canvas, with a focus on animals and fantasy imagery. Recently, she has been working on a series of “dapper monsters.”
Pictured above is her take on the mythical Greek figure of Medusa, re-imagined here as a 1920s flapper with a fitting Art Deco inspired background. If you’d like to see more of her art, you can find her here or here.
The Rat City Art Walk takes place on the third Thursday of every month, between 5 to 8 PM in White Center. If you’d like to know more, please visit them at their website or check their Instagram @ratcityartwalk. The next one will be on October 16th.
September 17th, 2025 Tracy Posted in Arts, White Center newsComments Off on THURSDAY: More than two dozen locations for September 2025 Rat City Art and Food Walk
Here’s where to go Thursday night (September 18), 5-8 pm, from South Delridge southward, for the September 2025 Rat City Art and Food Walk!
September 17th, 2025 Tracy Posted in King County, White Center newsComments Off on If your organization needs money, this might be the opportunity you’re looking for: King County’s Alan M. Painter grants
From King County Local Services:
Alan M. Painter Grants: Community project organizers in unincorporated King County have until Dec. 5 to apply for 2026 funds
This popular program supports projects and investments that promote inclusivity and enhance unincorporated communities. Funded projects benefit all community members, regardless of race, income, or language spoken. Funds may not be used for political activities.
A total of $90,000 will be awarded for projects in 2026, in individual grants of less than $5,000 per project. Funding for chosen projects will begin in March 2026.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, December 5.
“The Alan M. Painter Grant Program reflects the spirit of the Department of Local Services: bringing communities together,” said Department Director Leon Richardson. “Connecting with our neighbors makes our communities stronger, and it’s especially meaningful in a large, diverse area like unincorporated King County. Whether we’re funding vibrant community festivals, National Night Out gatherings, or youth cultural signage and celebrations, these grants give local organizations the tools to bring people together and create lasting, positive change where we live.
This year, 45 projects and programs received money, including:
-Design and installation of a “Welcome to Skyway” sign
-Fall City Days cultural activities and signs
-Tours, workshops, and education gatherings connecting the public and local farms in the Snoqualmie Valley
-Chairs for the Federal Way Senior Center
-Support for Japan Festival at the historic Mukai Farm and Garden on Vashon Island
The King County Council approved renaming the grants program to honor Alan M. Painter, the founding director of King County’s Community Service Areas program. Alan was a long-time public servant who also worked in the City of Seattle and served communities across King County.
The grant program that now bears his name supports projects that advance the King County Strategic Plan and achieve one or more of the following goals:
-Promote the engagement of unincorporated area residents in community or civic activities
-Educate local residents about issues that affect them
-Enhance a community
-Identify and gather community needs and priorities
-Meet King County’s equity and social justice goals of increasing fairness and opportunity for all people, particularly people of color and those with low incomes and/or limited English.
Since the program began, King County has awarded more than $1 million in grant money to community organizations.
It’s all coming together! Saturday, October 4th 10 am-1 pm at White Center Heights Park, the King County Volunteer program will be planting 80 conifer trees. These will be bigger trees than we usually plant at our volunteer events and the Parks Operations Staff from the Sunset District will be helping pre-dig holes. These larger trees were purchased through a Washington State Department of Ecology grant supported by funding from the Climate Commitment Act. This grant is focused on planting trees to reduce airport-related pollution impacts in south King County neighborhoods. Department of Ecology identified these communities as affected by fine particulates and generally worse air quality than most other parts of the state.
