JEN WALLERICH"Pulling out of Iraq. Bringing some people home, especially now that the holidays are coming."LORRIE McKAY"Besides resign? Not providing tax breaks to corporations would be a good place to start. Putting money back into human services and domestic needs - building a stronger infrastructure here."MARILYN HEIMAN"No!"
Plans to replace the Seattle Center skateboard park with one on Elliott Avenue West are on hold and may be scuttled, according to several city sources.The development follows months of work and two public planning meetings over the design for a park next to a King County Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) facility on Elliott. The change also imperils a relatively tight timeline that calls for having a replacement in place before the old skateboard park is demolished to make way for the world headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.However, contrary to a recent story in an alternative weekly, the change of heart is not based on a county demand that the city buy the land outright instead of leasing it, according to Pam Bissonnette, director of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. Instead, the Seattle City Council and Mayor Greg Nickels have directed the Seattle Center to look again for a location on Center grounds or - alternatively - to have Seattle Parks and Recreation find one on Parks-owned property closer to the campus than the Elliott Avenue site, said Parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter.
Waves of immigration built this country, yet each wave stands isolate and alone - one of the deep and abiding ironies at the heart of the American dream. It's almost impossible these days for young people living in the United States, now generations removed from the experience of their great-grandparents, to comprehend the monumental trials faced by these immigrants, their ancestors. The early uprooting from family and native soil, the difficulties of confronting a foreign language and alien culture, the grinding, up-from-the-bootstraps struggle to make-do is a journey that amounts to a rite of passage. It's a path laden with lethal pitfalls, soul-shattering dead ends, and public misperceptions.Nowhere in Seattle is this drama played out with more gritty reality than the sidewalk in front of CASA Latina's worksite in Belltown. For the casual observer walking or driving slowly down Western Avenue near the day labor facility, the gathering of men in the block surrounding the worksite appears to have more than its share of ragged, seemingly homeless people hanging about - folks that may be spending too much time cuddled up next to their favorite drug.
Queen Anne playwright Steven Dietz's "Lonely Planet" is comedy-drama about fear and friendship in the era of AIDS that is so well crafted it snagged the Pen USA West Award in Drama. The play is the story of Jody, who refuses to leave the confines of the map store he runs, and his friend Carl, who hauls an ever-growing menagerie of chairs into the shop to remind Jody of the outside world.Such an intimate play, set within the claustrophobic walls of a modern-day map store, doesn't at first glance appear compatible with what Absurd Reality Productions bills as "a fresh and inventive approach" incorporating Kabuki, swashbuckling swordplay and contemporary dance. In fact, the combination sounds like an unholy trinity primed for disaster. Surprisingly, under the direction of Nathan Hicks, it isn't.
Sing hail to the conquering corps! After a rough start earlier this season with George Balanchine's "Duo Concertant," Pacific Northwest Ballet's corps de ballet triumphed on opening night of PNB's "Past, Present and Future" program. In Balanchine's "Concerto Barocco," PNB dancers Alison Basford, Kari Brunson, Lindsi Dec, Laura Gilbreath, Rebecca Johnston, Kylee Kitchens, Stacy Lowenberg and Brittany Reid performed with precision and grace. All, except Johnston (who debuted in 1998) and Lowenberg (who debuted in 1994), are 21st-century PNB dancers, having joined the company in 2000 or later. All these ladies have the potential to move up the ladder over the next decade to become soloists and principals for the company. All showed a true appreciation of Balanchine's translation of Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D Minor into pure dance.
"Purgatorio" offers an uninterrupted head-trip into two psyches. Now running at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Ariel Dorfman's drama unfolds like a one-act that has been stretched to 90 minutes. Somewhere in the middle, your attention wanders. Although there are moments of engagement, you keep forcing yourself to pay attention. Inspired by the Greek myth of Jason and Medea, playwright Dorfman, a Chilean-American writer and human-rights activist, pares the ancient drama down to two characters. Then he shifts the action to modern times and suspends the couple in their own special prison. Just a man and a woman bound together by hatred, lust and love, now forced to trade turns as prosecutor and defendant. Dorfman poses a rhetorical question: If you put two people who have wronged each other in the same room, will they ever be able to win salvation from the one they have most harmed? And the answer is No. Not in this lifetime. But Dorfman wants to make us think.  In a sense, he creates a theatrical purgatory for the audience.
114th Avenue N.E. design input soughtDid you know that the intersection at N.E. 85th Street and 114th Avenue N.E. is being redesigned? Don't miss your chance to see the design proposal and give your input. Will this design meet our neighborhood's needs? Will it really help reduce traffic backups? Will it still include that hairy "S" curve? Please join us on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Maintenance Center on 8th Street. Gina Hortillosa from the Kirkland Public Works Department will present the design proposal for the intersection improvements. The project includes an additional left turn lane from southbound 114th Avenue N.E. to eastbound N.E. 85th Street. For more information about this project, you can contact Gina at ghortillosa@ci.kirkland.wa.us or 587-3828.
'Lost' no more!Have you wanted to take a walk in Bridle Trails State Park but were worried about getting lost? Or maybe you tried it and did get lost? Well, there are brand new trail signs within the park. The new signs are a result of a small committee formed by Bridle Trails State Park ranger Mary Welborn.Bridle Trails State Park has approximately 25 miles of trails that weave and intersect throughout the park. The committee determined that it was not feasible, nor desirable, to post signs on every trail at every intersection. Although such dense signage might ensure users could navigate every trail, such signage would be unsightly and would diminish significantly the wilderness appeal and natural atmosphere of the park.Those attributes are unique and valuable and need to be maintained.
There are some loose ends to tie up before we round the corner into the holiday season at the end of this month. I hope you will make time to attend your neighborhood meetings and perhaps some of the upcoming other public meetings on topics that are of particular interest to you. The following is a list of all of them. I understand from the grapevine that attendance is down, so come one, come all and bring a friend!
Father Mackay retiresFather Donald Mackay of St. John's Episcopal Church on State Street has retired after 40 years of ministry. Father Mackay spent the last 15 years shepherding his Kirkland congregation. He recently finished guiding the reconstruction of the church after its disastrous fire. While he will not say it, he often speaks of this project in tones that reveal his satisfaction with its completion.Father Mackay and wife, Rosemary, made their home here in Kirkland and will stay in the city. During our conversation I discovered they are big Mariner's fans and have season tickets. Now they have to stay!
Hello neighbors! ...and welcome to the abbreviated November issue for and about events in around and North Rose Hill. It is abbreviated because I am off in Toronto on business travel.Woodlands Park playground projectWe always knew the kids would have a huge impact on the design and constructin of the playground. I would like to share three examples of kids helping to make the playground a reality. Thanks to Kevin Miller for sharing this information so I could include it in this column.Young Devon Grove set up a concession stand and added his own savings toward a chess paver. With matching funds from his dad, he was able to contribute a total of $316 to the project.
In November, giant boxes full of tulle, cotton, silk and even spandex will arrive from Ukraine. These boxes contain the costumes for the International Ballet Theatre's (IBT) production of "The Nutcracker."The costumes were designed by Treva Putsche and were created by the Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet in the Ukraine. The costumes reflect the Russian tradition, elegance, and inspired choreography we've come to expect from Vera Altunina, IBT's artistic director.The Nutcracker ballet will run from Dec. 9-11 at the Kirkland Performance Center and from December 16-23 at Meydenbauer Theatre in Bellevue.
t's time for more wackiness and fun with StoryBook Theater. The first production of the 2005-06 season is the wacky adaptation of "The Ugly Duckling," which will be at Kirkland Performance Center Nov. 12-20.Filled with delightful songs and madcap shenanigans, this musical comedy is designed to engage and delight very young audiences - ages 3 through 9 - and to entertain adults in the audience as well.
Luciana Souza Brazilian Duos with Romero LubamboNov. 3, 7:30 p.m.Adults $25, Seniors $22.50, Youth $10, Groups $22.50Whether singing traditional favorites from her native Brazil or jazz standards like "All of Me," this rising star will hold you transfixed with the clarity and depth of each and every note. Presented in partnership with the Earshot Jazz Festival, Souza will perform in concert with brilliant guitarist - and fellow Brazilian - Romero Lubambo. N*GGER WETB*CK CH*NK Nov. 4 and 5, 8 p.m.Adults $24, Seniors $21.50, Youth $12, Groups $21.50N*W*C*, aka "the smash comedy with the name nobody wants to say," is a clever, nimble, three-man show that takes shot after empowering shot at racial stereotypes. The co-writer/director/stars were a sensation in their Los Angeles run with comedic vignettes and touching monologues, vehicles for the "vision of the world they'd like to see." Not recommended for youths under 13. This program includes World of Arts educational outreach - please contact KPC's client services manager at 828-0422 for details.
Fifteen years of presenting The Annual Invitational Miniature Show will be celebrated with special awards, prizes and other changes at Howard/Mandville Gallery this month."This show has become an exciting tradition for us and has gained a reputation as one of best small-painting shows in the country," said Pat Howard, owner with her husband, Dan, of the gallery in Kirkland.More than 125 artists from across the United States and other countries will be exhibiting more than 250 paintings and sculptures to compete, for the first time, a $1,000 cash prize for Best of Show selected by a jury. <