White Center Now: The blog about White Center

1:57 PM: WCN is live at White Center Jubilee Days for the first time ever – and Tina Holmes, who’s managing the vendors this year, just stopped by with a vendor who just received a big acknowledgment: At left in our top photo (with Tina at right) is Jean Remington of Remi E Jewelry, who’s been coming here for 20 years, all the way from Bonney Lake. She received the certificate on stage a little while ago (and is still selling her jewelry this afternoon).

3:10 PM: The music continues for a while longer – earlier this afternoon, the popular kindie-rockers The Not-Its played on the south stage:

That was right after the Jubilee Days parade – we’ll be adding some visuals from that in a separate story. Vendors are scheduled to be here till 5 pm; it’s been a bit breezy but there are sunbreaks and blue-sky breaks, and a pleasant stroll for all the folks passing through.

4:44 PM: The sun even came out! So did this robot – operated by a team with members from Highline, Evergreen, Kennedy, and Renton, meeting in Tukwila:

The visitors keep coming – and the vendors keep smiling – Lonjina and Jenny from Center Studio are here, with Jenny doing massage to raise money for WestSide Baby:

And the SWAC Football/Cheer booth has been offering free face-painting:

There’s been good food and fun all afternoon. And plenty of bubbles. Random bubble generators have been sending streams this way off and on – and that’s added to the cheery atmosphere. The vendors are scheduled to fold up soon but the carnival over at Steve Cox Memorial Park continues till 9 tonight, so the fun’s not over yet.

White Center Jubilee Days‘ grand finale today – highlighted by the parade (11:30 am) and the second day of the street fair – and did we mention the Zippy’s Giant Burgers burger-eating contest this afternoon? The WC Library Guild sale, too! Complete rundown after some scenes from Saturday:

(Photos by Patrick Sand for WCN)
That ’57 BelAir was part of Saturday’s Jubilee Days car show – these, too:

Unfortunately the car show does not continue today. But you’ll find vendors, entertainment, and community groups, like your North Highline Unincorporated Area Council:

NHUAC’s Richard Miller, by the way, told us that their next Public Safety Forum on September 13th will include the two candidates for King County Sheriff, current sheriff Steve Strachan and recently retired longtime sergeant John Urquhart. Speaking of public safety, North Highline Fire District is at Jubilee Days too:

By next year, depending on results of this November’s vote, White Center Jubilee Days might also be technically North Burien Jubilee Days. Local supporters of Burien annexation were on hand:

(P.S. in terms of equal coverage – we didn’t see a “no” booth or we would have photographed them too – we’ll look again today.) You also have a chance to support many hard-working White Center nonprofits, like the Food Bank, which again offers the chance for you to be photographed on a classic motorcycle – suggested donation $4:

If your taste in vehicles runs toward buses – check out King County’s RapidRide bus – though the C Line is ending in nearby Westwood instead of running all the way to WC as the current 54 does – the big red-and-yellow bus is there with “RapidRide Man”:

We’ll be at Jubilee Days today on behalf of WCN, noon-5 pm in a booth, covering it live. So here’s how everything unfolds today:

*10 am-2 pm – WC Library Guild rummage sale in the Muffler Shoppe parking lot
*11:30 am – White Center Jubilee Days parade (info including the route on 16th SW, here)
*Noon – Street Fair begins (entertainment lineup here)
*Noon-9 pm – last day of the Jubilee Days carnival at Steve Cox Memorial Park
*2 pm – Zippy’s Giant Burgers burger-eating contest (signups start at 10)

Day 1 of big fun – with live music starting at 11 and continuing late into the night – the schedule’s here. See you there!

(Photos by Nick Adams for WCN)
If you didn’t know the White Center Jubilee Days festival was in full swing, last night’s fireworks show announced it loud and clear.It was visible beyond Steve Cox Memorial Park as well as a thrill for those who watched from closer-up, including Arnie Lopez and 3-year-old son Simon:

The bright lights weren’t all in the sky; the first night of the Jubilee Days Carnival filled the park with colorful sights closer to the ground – here’s a view of the StarTrooper ride:

Classic carnival games abound:

They can take some concentration! Leon Falco gave the Clown Water Gun Balloon Game his best shot:

Jordan Brown and his 2-year-old son Zander were spotted duck-watching:

Along with traditional fair-style food, the Taco Time Traveler truck fed Jubilee Days-goers – offering free tacos:

(Its crew was tweeting from the carnival and fireworks show – see their tweets/photos here.) But the main dish is excitement.

That’s Johnny Huyan and Laura Rubles on the StarTrooper. The Dragon Wagon was a huge hit with younger festivalgoers:

Some braved the StarTrooper too – like 8-year-old Jordain Webber:

The carnival continues through Sunday – today, it begins with armband sales at 1 pm; on Friday, at noon; Saturday, 11 am; Sunday, noon (when closing time will be 9 pm – it’s flexible the other nights, depending on how late carnivalgoers keep showing up!).

Just dropped by Steve Cox Memorial Park to check on carnival setup – the rides are in place and everyone’s getting ready to go. Armbands for the rides go on sale at 3 pm today. And at dusk, it’s another big Jubilee Days fireworks show, also from Steve Cox Park (though you will see and hear it from the streets around the park, too). The carnival continues through Sunday; the street fair is Saturday and Sunday, and the parade is Sunday – lots of info on the official website.

(Photos by Nick Adams for WCN)
This year’s White Center Garden Tour is a wrap! Coordinator Vera Johnson of Village Green Perennial Nursery (one of the tour stops) says today’s tour participants voted on their favorites, which won prizes as a result, and the one garden photographed for WCN came in first – #7, Russell Hodgkinson and Shelley Poncy‘s garden in White Center near 17th and 106th.

They get a $15 Village Green gift certificate and a 4-pound bag of fertilizer. Here’s one more view:

(The vintage trailer, we’re told, is a recent addition.) In third place, receiving a $10 gift certificate, was the Barton Street P-Patch; and in second place, with a $15 gift certificate, was garden #6 on the tour map.

The Village Green Perennial Nursery-organized White Center Garden Tour is today – 10 am-4 pm, free! The map, first linked here July 5th, includes locations in south West Seattle as well as White Center; download it here, and/or get a printed copy at locations including Village Green, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and Proletariat Pizza.

Next White Center Jubilee Days event is today – though it’s happening a bit south of town. Glen Acres Country Club and Golf Course is the scene of the Jubilee Days Golf Tournament, starting at noon. There’s some info on the WCJD website – and lots more in this photo caption on the WCJD Facebook page.

Village Green Perennial Nursery, sponsor of this year’s White Center Garden Tour, sends word that the map is available! The tour is part of White Center Jubilee Days; it’s free, self-guided, and coming up on July 15th – 10 am to 4 pm – just one week from this Sunday. The map includes locations in south West Seattle as well as White Center; download it here, and/or pick up a copy at locations including Village Green, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and Proletariat Pizza. P.S. The Garden Tour has a Facebook page; see it here.

Though the date hasn’t been widely publicized yet, we’ve confirmed that a fireworks show will again be part of Jubilee Days this year – we were wondering, while writing our previous report about personal-fireworks laws, and Justin from Full Tilt Ice Cream confirms the show will be at dusk July 18th, opening night of the carnival. (Here’s our coverage from last year.)

It’s the calm before the storm … of summer activities. Another White Center Jubilee Days fundraiser is coming up, though, if you haven’t heard already: The 2nd annual Pinewood Derby at Big Al Brewing, all ages welcome, on June 23rd; doors open at noon, $10 per entry, which gets you a car kit. Food trucks, beer, prizes, trophies all promised, as well as live music featuring Rats in the Grass – more details on this Facebook event page.

We stopped by Saturday night’s White Center Jubilee Days gala at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in the early going. Among the people already there, above from left, Vera Johnson of Village Green Perennial Nursery and Pat Price and Barbara Dobkin from the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council; below, Matt Tilton of Tilton Fine Metasmithing and Jesse Lovell of Company:

Among the auction items … a baseball bearing the autograph of Mariners’ legend Edgar Martinez!

We’ll be keeping watch for reports on how the night went. Jubilee Days is set for July 14-21 this year, and you can find the latest and greatest info any time at jubileedays.org.

Three events you won’t want to miss on Saturday:

MCLENDON HARDWARE PANCAKE BREAKFAST: The tasty tradition arrives at the store again on Saturday morning. 7:30-10 am, free.

WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI PLANT SALE: 9 am-3 pm, at the campus (11215 15th SW) – with a bake sale, organic soil, student vegetable starts, plants from Village Green Perennial Nursery, and more – read about it on the school’s website.

WHITE CENTER JUBILEE DAYS GALA: Saturday’s the night, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle) is the place, 6:30 pm – the ticket link and more details are on the Jubilee Days website.

Got your tickets yet? The White Center Jubilee Days Spring Gala/Auction is just days away. Here’s the Facebook invite; you can buy tickets online here. It’s this Saturday night, 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle).

ADDED TUESDAY: More info – in an official media-release announcement:

Jubilee Days! White Center’s annual summer festival, which has been running for more than 80 years, is a celebration of our great neighborhood and is the result of true community effort. The production of Jubilee Days is ongoing. It takes about a year to organize, raise the funds, book the bands and vendors, and to manage all the behind-the-scenes business to get the festival off the ground, just in time to do it all again.

We are currently in the throes of raising crucial dollars for what we believe will be the best White Center Jubilee Days ever. We have approached this year’s event with great ambition to reflect our feelings for the neighborhood and its amazing potential. Which brings us to JUBILEE DAYS SILENT AUCTION AND SPRING GALA, THIS SATURDAY! This fundraising extravaganza will feature fabulous entertainment, food from White Center businesses, a cash bar, a raffle, and wonderful items for your bidding pleasure. Here are a few details:

Our MC, Sarah Rudinoff, Stranger Genius Award recipient, is an all-around superstar, always entertaining and will certainly put the F U N in fundraiser!

Entertainment will include a performance by aerialist Jenna Lutton, a Capoeira exhibition from Capoeira Malês, crowd mover DJ Dr. Lehl, and we may have a surprise or two up our sleeve.

Big-ticket auction items include a pontoon boat for the avid fly fisherman and a ride-along with White Center’s own Deputy BJ Myers!

House-made hors d’oeuvres and small plates from Uncle Mike’s Barbeque, the Salvadorean Bakery, and El Paisano will be provided.

50/50 raffle with cash prize!

And did we mention cash bar with expert bartenders? Full Bar available.

Fundraiser within a fundraiser! What? That’s right. We will have Big Al’s Hi-Yu Bru Pale Ale available for purchase, proceeds of which will be donated to a local charity.

Raising money for a good cause has never been so easy.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased in the heart of White Center at Company Bar, Full Tilt Ice Cream and Proletariat Pizza, or online at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/230535

Sunday night – why wind down from the weekend when you can keep it going? Southgate Roller Rink is the site for a White Center Jubilee Days fundraiser tonight. From the Facebook event page:

Ok, folks! It is go time to raise some funds for White Center Jubilee Days, our annual getting-awesomer-every-year-street-festival! The money we raise at this event will go toward our entertainment budget. We want to get killer bands this year and your contribution (and willingness to party with a purpose) will truly help with our efforts.

This Sunday we are going to start the skate session early and go late with a cash bar set up at the rink. That’s right. Drinking on wheels never made so much sense. Come on down and have some fun with us.

Sunday, April 22
Southgate Roller Rink
9646 17th Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98106
7:00 pm-11:00 pm
$12

There’s also a big fundraising gala coming up May 5th – details on the revamped Jubilee Days website.

The summertime White Center Jubilee Days festival has a long and proud history – but now organizers are trying to get it beyond “good” – they’re aiming for “awesome.” And that’s the mission of a new fundraising campaign; you can donate right now online by going here. And there’s a fundraising gala on May 5th:

You can buy tickets right now – go here.

(Photos by Patrick Sand for WCN)
Lots of great people to see (and meet, if you don’t know them already) at the White Center Jubilee Days Street Fair along 17th SW – like the Evergreen Cheer team members, there with a fundraiser, and big smiles! Despite the sun-clouds-sun-clouds weather, we saw lots of smiles – North Highline Unincorporated Area Council members Jessica Stoneback and president Barb Dobkin were at the NHUAC booth when we stopped:

Just a few booths to the north, you’ll find White Center Community Development Association team members, making sure you know all about the big White Center Promise celebration, 4-6:30 pm next Friday:

At the White Center Food Bank booth, you can get your photo taken with a classic motorcycle, for a donation:

At the 34th District Democrats’ booth, they’ll sign you up to vote:

Businesses are on hand too – including Alaska USA Credit Union, visiting from nearby Westwood Village:

And vehicles to admire, like the North Highline Fire District’s ladder truck:

Plus the cars at the Jubilee Days Show ‘n’ Shine:

And that barely scratches the surface.

Live music, food, oh – and vendors – need to keep your head and neck warm in this crazy weather?

Then there’s the White Center Art Walk tonight, the carnival over at Steve Cox Memorial Park … All the Jubilee Days info you could possibly want is on the official website.

Rain? What rain? We’re in denial. The Jubilee Days Street Festival is still on, and so’s tonight’s Art Walk. We’ll be checking out both. Jubilee Days info here; Art Walk info here.

Great show over Steve Cox Memorial Park tonight – the White Center Jubilee Days fireworks, bursting in air over Mel Olson Stadium. We watched from north of the fieldhouse, which provided a unique view – the almost-full moon hanging in the sky right behind the fireworks. Our clip features three minutes from the second half of the show. Much more Jubilee Days excitement to come, including the street fair and parade this weekend, plus the annual pancake breakfast – we received this announcement:

The Jubilee Days Kiwanis Pancake breakfast is being held again this year on Saturday, July 16th, from 8 am to noon.

The cost is $5 for adults and free for kids under 5 years old. There will be pancakes, sausage, and Juice. Raffle tickets are available. All proceeded got to the Kiwanis Club of White Center (Helping Children of the World)

The Pancake breakfast will be at:
Holy Family School:
9615 20th SW

Early this evening, we strolled through the White Center Jubilee Days carnival, to see the sights – classic rides as always, like the Tilt-A-Whirl, above, and the Zipper:

The poster lists tonight’s end time as simply “closing.” So before, during, after the fireworks (500 shells at dusk!), look for the bright lights, loud music, and classic fair/festival/carnival food at Steve Cox Memorial Park.