What started out merely as a hobby for 15-year-old Roger Ligrano has become, 25 years later, a full-grown neon-sign business. Ligrano owns and runs the Neon & Electric Sign business at 1617 15th Ave. W. with his father, Roger Ligrano, Sr. "We're pretty much a team," says Ligrano the junior.It was a neon sign of a woman's head in the window of his dad's antique store, along with a later visit to a neon business, that really got him hooked on the medium when he was a teenager, Ligrano says.It was something about how the glowing light fluctuates and pulses, he remembers, as his dog, Becker, scurries around underfoot in the sign studio near the Magnolia Bridge.So Ligrano got some tools and built a neon-sign shop in his basement.
A longtime Magnolia resident, commercial photographer and a parent whose pictures of Magnolia Little League games have run in this newspaper, Michael Ramey recently returned from what sounds like the ultimate in location shoots. Also a photography instructor on a mini-sabbatical from the Art Institute of Seattle, Ramey spent 17 days in India, China, Vietnam and Russia taking digital pictures and shooting digital video of orphans and foster children for the World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), a Renton-based, non-profit adoption agency. "The whole thing was very intense," Ramey said of spending long hours for only one or two days in each city he visited.The photos and video will be used for a DVD that WACAP will send to potential donors, Ramey said of an organization that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. "They paid for all my expenses, and I charged my fee," he said. Ramey also came away with a wealth of experiences as someone whose only previous travel overseas had been to Bermuda and Hawaii. "There was a tremendous initial culture shock," he said.
Biotech giant Amgen has announced plans for a major expansion of its campus on the shores of Elliott Bay, following through on the original master plan of Immunex, the Seattle company Amgen, a California-based company, bought in 2002.But unlike the land-use uproar caused by the original Immunex plans for an R&D; complex northwest of the grain terminal, the latest announcement has caused hardly a ripple of neighborhood discontent.
The weather was cold and wet and not the least bit conducive to playing baseball ... or to fooling, even if Queen Anne Little League Opening Day fell on April 1. Nevertheless, our man Bradley Enghaus dutifully made his way to Big Howe Park, and so did the boys - and girls, and faithful parents, coaches and sponsors - of presummer.
Two years ago, a group of Catholic middle school parents and teachers seeking to enrich science education in their schools decided it would be good to establish an annual science fair in which their students could participate. On March 23, Our Lady of Fatima School hosted the Second Annual Alliance of North Seattle Deanery of Cath-olic Middle Schools Science Fair. Two of the 13 schools eligible to participate were St. Anne School, in Queen Anne, and Magnolia's Our Lady of Fatima.
All those incorrect clocks staring at me the other morning made me want to pull the covers over my head! Tiny little buttons to push, and all needing a different sequence. Et voilà! - success, and without resorting to reading any directions. A few moments of smugness blissfully descended around my head. Then it was time to escape to the garden. Many new and wondrous shrubs were waiting to be planted.For bare-root plants, it is a good idea to soak the roots overnight. The planting instructions with mail-ordered plants just advise to plant as quickly as possible upon receipt. I have had many more successes with the overnight soaking method.
Working backstage and onstage since sixth grade, Courtney Kessler, a 12th-grader at Bishop Blanchet High School, is taking on a new aspect of the theater - this time with a notepad in her hand.A self-proclaimed "drama nerd," Kessler enjoys all types of theater. She has acted in productions of "Romeo and Juliet," "The Music Man" and "Feiffer's America." And, just recently, she worked backstage on costumes for her school's production of "Das Barbecue" at the Moore Theater.Kessler is also an avid writer and works as an editor for her school's literary arts magazine, "Voices." Interested in combining both her theater and writing skills, she applied for Seattle Repertory Theatre's new education program, Emerging Critics Circle.The program allows middle school and high school students to connect with theater through critical writing. The students also have the opportunity to grow as writers and extend their involvement in theater.
In between the raindrops, the daffodils have bloomed and the tulips are all budding. Spring has finally begun to make its glorious presence known in the Northwest. And, of course, along with spring comes Easter.Easter preparations, as usual, began at least a couple of weeks before the holiday itself. Easter clothes must be selected, a lily plant must be picked up for your grandmother and eggs must be dyed.When I was growing up (sometimes I think it was around the Paleozoic era,) the way the "traditional" story went was that the Easter Bunny circulated around the neighborhood, and somehow the colored eggs would act as "bait" for him. He would then show up at each house either at night or when we were away and trade our brightly colored eggs for chocolate ones.Ol' Mr. Bunny would then take the eggs out into the back yard and hide them in the long grass and under the bushes. I never did figure out exactly why.
Other than the fact that I don't sign up for store credit cards so I can Save 10% Today! - and then carry a healthy monthly balance - I'm a relatively attractive customer. If I decide not to purchase an item, I put it neatly back where I found it. I don't complain about waiting in line, and rarely return merchandise. I'm an even better customer at restaurants. If the food is edible, I consume it and then tip well.There are only a few things I expect in exchange for my legal tender: to be given accurate information, to be able to speak with a live person if I call with a question and to be acknowledged when I'm conducting a transaction rather than be stared at as if I'm an imposition.I'm hardly old-school, but lately I've found fewer and fewer businesses providing these simple courtesies.
All the flowers coming up and the trees breaking into bloom are a sure sign that Easter is just around the corner. But have you ever wondered, like me, how bunnies and eggs got mixed up with Easter lilies?Easter, as a celebration of spring, was a holiday long before the advent of Christianity. Throughout history, people have always noticed and found some way to celebrate the return of life and light after the dark and dreary days of winter.
The next time you buy a T-shirt you could be planting a tree. This unusual gift-with-purchase is the concept behind local clothing line Casual Industrees. Dan and Brendan Reid, owners of the brand, hope Seattleites will sport their duds in order to sprout new trees. "For every product we sell, we are going to plant a tree," explained Dan Reid. This program began Friday, April 7.When looking for "a benefit besides satisfying fashion appeal," Reid discovered that "there are a lot of sites in Seattle that are in need of reforesting."Hoping to replenish Seattle's vanishing urban forests, the Reids teamed up with the Green Seattle Partnership.According to Katie Moller, an urban forester with Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Green Seattle Partnership was formed in 2004 between Cascade Land Conservancy and the city of Seattle.
When the Odeonquartet performs Wayne Horvitz's piece "These Hills of Glory" at the Gallery 1412 on Sunday, April 16, the piece will never sound the same again. With a strong emphasis on improvisation, the presentation will be a unique performance that will only live on in the minds of those in attendance.The piece, written specifically for the Odeonquartet, has been performed with a string quartet and a guest improviser. As with some of the best new music, the piece combines experimentation and improvisational techniques with a high level of musicianship.
Washington state Rep. Jim McDermott delivered the following remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives Thursday, April 6.The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has quietly ushered in a new form of government in America called Repocracy. For those who believe that Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the people, Repocracy is the antithesis of this. Repocracy is government where open debate is replaced by lockstep discipline, and where the rewards for the few become the burden carried on the backs of the many. Repocracy puts a price on American values and deals only in hard currency. One need only look at what's not on C-Span to begin to understand the threat Repocracy poses.
With the advent of daffodils, tulips and longer days, spring is finally here. Walking around the Hill, I'm taking time to notice the earth waking up from its long winter's nap and coming alive. The blooming trees and flowers are a reminder that despite the tragic killings in our neighborhood several weeks ago, an ongoing bloody war across the globe and a president out of touch with his country, seeds of inspiration and hope lie everywhere. Beauty still surrounds us. My own euphoria and sense of possibility emerged from a playreading I attended last week at ACT Theatre, where I work. Rehearsals began for "Miss Witherspoon." The staff, cast and crew gathered for an initial "meet and greet" followed by a complete read through of Christopher Durang's new comic fable about a middle-aged dead woman named Veronica who is continually reincarnated against her will, despite hopes for an easier existence. After returning to earth as a too-smart-for-her-own-good infant, a pill-popping teenager and a sprightly golden retriever, she discovers with the help of a kooky Hindu spirit guide how all actions cause reactions often with lasting personal and global consequences. We can't hide from conflict or bury our heads in the sand, if we want to progress and move society forward. The spirit guide's advice: pick one thing, work at improving it, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
On a recent Friday afternoon the Miller Community Center was bustling with activity. Young adults played tennis and school buses let off kids for after-school activities. A buzz of excitement was in the air as the children looked forward to the weekend.But one of the most popular parts of the center was not visible from the street. It was a new computer lab, nestled in the lower level of the main building.Students from nearby Meany Middle School look forward on a daily basis to using the newly refurbished computer lab. The lab opened on March 26, and already it has sparked a lot of interest, both among adults and children.