Looking for something to do this weekend? Here’s a round up of events happening around the area:

• Saturday – Saturday Morning Jazz Set at Dubsea Coffee
• Saturday – Fantastic Fruits & Vegetables At This Week’s Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market!
• Sunday – Mark Your Calendar For This Sunday’s B-Patch Garden Day!
• Sunday – Advertiser E.B. Foote Winery Hosting Jazz Night On Sunday, August 29
• Sunday – El Tianguis Latino Market at Burien Town Square
• Sunday – Free Music at Marvista Park Featuring Blue Ringer

Know about an event we missed? Feel free to share the details in a comment!

For decades, Americans have taken their coffee with jazz.  The fusion has helped give rise to poems, friendships, and cultural collaborations that have defined American music, art, and literature.  With such a rich tradition behind them, coffee and jazz make the perfect combination for a relaxing morning.

Starting this Saturday, White Center’s Dubsea Coffee is inaugurating a jazz and java tradition for our community, one which White Center residents can partake in on the fourth Saturday of every month.  The event will be hosted by jazz DJ Michael Olson, who often provides the music for Dubsea art openings.  Folks interested in a preview can check out Olson’s radio show, Freedom Sounds, at http://www.freedomsoundsradio.blogspot.com.

WHAT: Saturday morning Jazz set at Dubsea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, August 28, 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, and the fourth Saturday of every month thereafter.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Check out the DJ’s website or call Dubsea at (206) 708-6806 for more info.

Here’s the lineup for Saturday’s White Center Third Saturday Art Walk, which goes from 6pm – 9pm Saturday night, Aug. 21st:

August 21, 6 PM – 9 PM
White Center Third Saturday Art Walk

Dubsea Coffee (9910 8th Ave SW): Jeannette Jones – oil paintings. Jeannette’s oil paintings are a complex tapestry of images that require second and third looks to discover the hidden portraits contained within.

Proletariat Pizza (9622-A 16th ave SW): Terry Peart – acrylic paintings. “17th and Roxbury”. Come see this series of paintings of a local landmark in White Center. have you tried the tiramisu?

Salvadorean Bakery (1719 Roxbury): Heather Mathias – Photographing Color and Design: An Exhibit by Heather Mathias
Heather Mathias’s artwork is an exploration of color and design. She photographs everyday objects, then through “reverse process” discovers their essence – their visual essence; whether it be a specific color, a specific design, or both.

Dzul Tattoo (9622-B 16th Ave SW): The Dzul Family – Tattoo, airbrush, cool urban art. Check out the shop, get that long-desired tattoo!

Cafe Rozella (9434 Delridge Way SW): Another month of good ART!!

Full Tilt Ice Cream (9629 16th Ave SW): Check for updates.

Big Al Brewing (9832 14th Ave SW): Adam Schmidt – Metal Art -Precision-cut metal art.

White Center’s Dubsea Coffee has new art going up on the walls on August 15, and it looks to be another fantastic show.  Jeanette Jones creates dynamic and colorful paintings that are easy to get lost in.

Many of her works blend abstract shapes with artful, classic portraits, creating numerous layers for the viewer to peruse.  After watching an online slideshow of Jones’s paintings, its hard not to get excited about seeing her works on canvas and up close. Her art will be on display at Dubsea through September 14.  Stop by Dubsea between 7 and 9 pm on Saturday, August 21 to peruse the installation and discuss the works on display with Jeanette Jones herself.

WHAT: Artist reception with Jeanette Jones.

WHEN: Saturday, August 21, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Check out Jeanette Jones’s website for more info.

The White Community Development Association (WCCDA) is holding two “Social Media” seminars – the first will be Friday, Aug. 20th at the Greenbridge YMCA’s Learning Center’s Computer Lab from 1pm – 4pm.

If you’re a small business owner in the Dub-C and you don’t know what this newfangled “social media” thingy is, then these are for you. If you do know what it is, but aren’t sure what it can do for you, then these seminars are for you as well. And if you use it now but want to get better, then these are for you too.

Here’s what the WCCDA says about the seminars:

What is social media and how does it help your business? It is an online medium of which you use to connect to potential customers/clients/general public for the purpose of putting out the words and advertise your business.

It is like a simple internet’s website. In our business district, we already have some savvy social media users such as Full Tilt, Proletariat Pizza, Dubsea Coffee, and they will tell you that it helps them tremendously with their marketing and sale.

Social media accounts such as Facebook, Yelp, Group-on, etc. are all free of charge to set up and use.

This workshop will cover:

• Gain knowledge and awareness about online social networking
• Gain online social networking tools and resources
• Practice dissemination of information via online social networking
• Share tips and experiences on the internet that have worked for them
• Build a stronger community through online interactions

Teachers for the first seminar will be Ian Dapiaoen and Virgil Domaoan. Jessica Estrada of Banyan Branch Marketing will teach the second (date and time to be announced).

Here are the details:

WHAT: White Center CDA’s “Social Media” seminars.

WHEN: The first seminar is Friday, Aug. 20th from 1pm – 4pm.

WHERE: Greenbridge YMCA’s Learning Center Computer Lab,  located at 9720 8th Ave SW.

INFO: From an email:

Hello everyone,

Based on popular request, we are bringing you free social media training seminars.

What is social media and how does it help your business? It is an online medium of which you use to connect to potential customers/clients/general public for the purpose of putting out the words and advertise your business. It is like a simple internet’s website. In our business district, we already have some savvy social media users such as Full Tilt, Proletariat Pizza, Dubsea Coffee, and they will tell you that it helps them tremendously with their marketing and sale. Social media accounts such as Facebook, Yelp, Group-on, etc. are all free of charge to set up and use.

If you think learning and using this kind of marketing is difficult, it is EASY but do require some time to sit down and learn.  We have two seminars for you. The first one is:

• Friday, August 20, 2010; Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
  Trainer: Ian Dapiaoen and Virgil Domaoan
  Location:
  Greenbridge YMCA’s Learning Center Computer Lab, 9720 8th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106

The CDA’s very own social media experts Ian Dapiaoen and Virgil Domaoan will be on hand to facilitate and lead the workshop. Space is limited so YOU HAVE TO REGISTER! PLEASE SEE THE ATTACHED FLYER ON HOW TO DO THAT!

The second social media training workshop will be facilitated by Jessica Estrada of Banyan Branch Marketing. Time and date to be announced later.

Wednesday evening, White Center residents can join their Greenbridge neighbors for a sampling of Russian and Hispanic music, art, and food in the Greenbridge Plaza, from 4 to 6 pm.

“Music in the Plaza” has been monthly event in Greenbridge this summer.  Tonight’s Russian and Hispanic music night promises to be a wonderful opportunity for White Center residents to meet their neighbors and learn a little bit about the rich diversity of cultural traditions rooted right here in our neighborhood.  What better way to spend a few hours on a warm summer northwest evening?

WHAT: “Music in the Plaza” shared by the Russian and Hispanic communities of Greenbridge.

WHEN: Wednesday August 4, from 4 to 6 pm.

WHERE: The Greenbridge plaza, located in between the Jim Wiley Community Center and Dub Sea Coffee, around 9800 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: This is a free community event.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Here’s a round up of events happening around the area:

• Friday/Saturday/Sunday – “Withering Heights” at the E.B. Foote Winery
• Friday/Saturday – Advertiser Lavina Mays To Host Grand Opening Event This Weekend
• Saturday – Normandy Park Hoop Fest Basketball Tournament Is Saturday, July 31st
• Saturday – Coffee “Cupping” at Dubsea Coffee in White Center
• Saturday – Elder Care & Safety Day at the Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market
• Saturday – Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” in Des Moines Beach Park
• Sunday – “El Tianguis Mercado Latino” street market in Burien Town Square
• Sunday – Normandy Park’s Free Concert at Marvista Park Featuring Recess Monkey & the Normandy Park Youth Orchestra

Know about an event we missed? Feel free to share the details in a comment!

For years, the city of Seattle has been synonymous with good coffee.  Maybe its the gray days, or the longstanding tradition of local coffee roasting.  Either way, there’s no question that the majority of Sea-town residents love a good cuppa joe.  This coming Saturday, White Center residents will have the chance to partake in a coffee-lovers tradition: a cupping, (aka a gourmet coffee tasting) hosted at White Center’s own Dubsea Coffee.

Coffee professionals have employed the technique of cupping for years, as a method of evaluating the flavor profiles of various coffees and the subtle differences between coffees grown in various regions around the world.  Multiple varieties of coffee are prepared and set out in cups next to corresponding coffee beans.  Samplers then deliberately taste each brew, much like wine-tasters, endeavoring to describe the aroma, mouthfeel, and taste of each variety.  Sampling a selection of coffees from around the world alongside one another is said to enhance one’s ability to appreciate each coffee’s flavor, and some professional cuppers are even able to identify the region in which a coffee was grown from tasting alone.

Generally, cuppings are the province of professionals, but in recent years, northwest coffeehouses have begun to offer cuppings to the public.  Portland’s Stumptown Coffee pioneered this practice, and this coming Saturday, Stumptown’s experts will be on hand at White Center’s very own Dubsea Coffee, hosting a cupping with single-origin coffees from around the world for White Center’s coffee-curious and coffee-connoisseurs alike.  Space is limited, so email Dubsea to reserve your spot.

WHAT: Coffee cupping with the experts from Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

WHEN: Saturday, July 31, 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: This free event has limited space available, so email Dubsea at info@dubseacoffee.com, or call Dubsea at (206) 708-6806 for more info.

The next White Center Business District Mixer meeting is Tuesday night, July 20th, starting at 6pm at Chase Bank, located at 1616 SW 100th Street.

There is no cost to attend, and according to a flier, there will be a light dinner provided.

On the agenda this week are two items:

1. Sibelle from White Center’s Dubsea Coffee and a StartZone representative will report on the fantastic results of a StartZone’s pilot project that connects Highline Community College students to help small business build and maintain an attractive and practical website. There will also be an announcement of a free social media seminar that the CDA will organize to teach WC businesses easy steps on how to set up online marketing accounts (Facebook, Yelp, Groupon, etc.) to attract more customers.
2. Mr. Javier Valdez from the City of Seattle and Luis Navarro from the Port of Seattle will talk about the process of how small businesses can register to become vendors/contractors for government’s businesses.

If you have any questions, or would like more info, contact Nhan Ngyung at (206) 694-1082.

This month’s Third Saturday Art Walk happens Saturday night (July 17th) during White Center Jubilee Days, which means there’s TONS of fun, artsy stuff going on in our ‘hood, from street parties to art and more.

It runs from 6pm – 9pm, and here’s the schedule:

WHAT: White Center Third Saturday Art Walk.

WHEN: Saturday, July 17th, from 6pm – 9pm.

WHERE: Numerous spots in the Dub-C, including:

• Dubsea Coffee (9910 8th Ave SW): Anne Jennings – photography. “A to Zambia”. The beautiful collection of photos Anne has chosen to share is a glimpse of her and her family’s life in Zambia.
• Proletariat Pizza (9622-A 16th Avenue SW ): Grant Wilds – photography.  Lovely documentation of patterns of light and color in nature.
• Salvadorean Bakery (1719 SW Roxbury): Madeline Cain – charcoal drawings.  A fascinating look into the mind of a twelve year-old girl with vision! Expect to be wowed.
• Café Rozella (9434 Delridge Way SW): Patrick Cosman – ceramic sculpture. A nice show of smaller ceramic pieces.
• Dzul Tattoo (9622-B 16th Ave SW):  The Dzul Family – Tattoo, airbrush, cool urban art.  Check out the shop, get that long-desired tattoo!
• Full Tilt Ice Cream (9629 16th Ave Sw): Justin Cline – Life as art. No really!  Still wonderful art on the walls, but it is the ICE CREAM!!!
• Big Al Brewing (9832 14th Avenue SW): Paul Schlossman/ PAS – Drawings. The gist of Paul’s drawing is symoblism alternating with representationalism in pen and ink; in a process to revisualize places.

For more info on Jubilee Days, check out thier website: http://www.jubileedays.org/.

This coming Saturday evening, White Centerites will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on a stunning collection of photographs at Dubsea Coffee, where photographer Anne Jennings will host the opening reception for “A to Zambia,” a sampling of some of the astonishing images she and her husband have captured while living in Zambia with their two children over the past two years.

The Jennings, formerly of West Seattle, headed to Zambia in 2008 to throw their weight behind the “War on Malaria.”  They took along a digital camera gifted by their children’s grandparents, who provided it so as not to miss out on the special moments in their grandchildren’s lives.  As it turned out, they got more than they expected; the Jennings have produced a wealth of exceptional photographs of the people, wildlife, and countryside of Zambia, documenting everything from giraffe knees to coffee plantations to portraits of their new neighbors and friends.  The family keeps an absorbing blog of their adventures and selected photographs; check it out if you’d like a preview of the art you can see at Dubsea.

Artist Anne Jennings will be on hand at Dubsea this Saturday evening to answer questions about her photographs and her family’s work and adventures in Africa.  Come out for a cup of good coffee and some wonderful art.

WHAT: Artist reception with Anne Jennings at Dubsea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Visit the artist’s blog or the Dubsea blog for additional info.

It’s hard to say no to pancakes, particularly when they’re being served up for a good cause.  On Saturday July 17, head on down to the Holy Family Church for a full stack served up by the White Center Kiwanis Club.

While you chow down on pancakes, you’ll be able to enjoy a cup of fresh Stumptown Roasters coffee, donated and served up by the folks at DubSea Coffee.  18 raffle prizes will be given out over the course of the breakfast, which starts bright and early at 7:30 am and runs till 12:00 pm.  Tickets are $5.00 at the door for adults, and kids five and under eat for free.  All proceeds benefit the Kiwanis Club, which dedicates itself to helping children locally and around the world.

WHAT: Annual White Center Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast and Raffle Fundraiser

WHEN: Saturday, July 17, 7:30 am to 12:00 pm.

WHERE: Holy Family Church, 9622 20th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Tickets are $5.00 for adults at the door. Kids five and under eat for free. For more information, call Bill Tracy at (206) 248-2441.

This coming Saturday night, White Center residents will have the opportunity to meet artist Amanda Kay Helmick at the opening reception for her installation at Dubsea Coffee.

Inspired by nature photography, jewelry-making and sewing, Helmick creates visually arresting canvases that blend multiple medias and techniques, often incorporating found objects with backdrops of altered canvas and acrylic paint.  “The paintings are vessels,” Helmick explains, “holding discarded and repurposed objects and transforming their existence to a life of beauty and admiration.”

Come out to Dubsea this Saturday evening for what promises to be another stimulating night in the White Center arts scene.

WHAT: Artist reception at Dubsea featuring the work of Amanda Kay Helmick

WHEN: Saturday, June 19, from 7 to 9 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: For more info, visit Dubsea online, or check more of Helmick’s work online.

This coming Wednesday, White Center residents can join their Greenbridge neighbors for a sampling of Somali and Vietnamese music, art, and food in the Greenbridge Plaza, from 4 to 6 pm.

“Music in the Plaza” will be a monthly event in Greenbridge this coming summer.  The Somali and Vietnamese communities in the Greenbridge neighborhood will host the inaugural Music on the Plaza night, followed by the Cambodian and English communities in July and the Russian and Hispanic communities in August.  These events promise to be a wonderful opportunity for White Center residents to meet their neighbors and learn a little bit about the rich diversity of cultural traditions rooted right here in our neighborhood.  What better way to spend a few hours on a warm summer northwest evening?

WHAT: “Music in the Plaza” shared by the Somali and Vietnamese communities of Greenbridge.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 16, from 4 to 6 pm.

WHERE: The Greenbridge plaza, located in between the Jim Wiley Community Center and Dub Sea Coffee, around 9800 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: This is a free community event.

It’s a warm and sunlit Saturday evening in White Center, and hip hop and electronica beats are drifting out of the open doors of Dub Sea Coffee in the Greenbridge neighborhood.  People are trickling in off the sidewalk, drawn by the music and the promise of an evening of worthwhile entertainment.  Four young Somali girls are racing around the Greenbridge plaza next door on tricycles, headscarves flying behind them as they pedal after one another, with younger siblings toddling unsteadily along behind.

Inside Dub Sea, there’s an array of eclectic and vibrant art for sale, in mediums ranging from photography to pastels to oil paintings.  There’s a table covered in brightly colored yarn, surrounded by crafty folks fashioning bracelets and headbands for each other, and a cadre of energetic young artists and activists on hand.

Everyone is here to support the Seattle Youth Alliance, or Sea YA, in their fundraising efforts to send a delegation of young activists to the U.S. Social Forum, coming up at the end of the month in Detroit, Michigan.  One by one, poets take to the open-mic to give vent to their anger, their passion, their histories and their visions.  As those of us in attendance sip our iced teas and our coffees, we are washed over by eloquent, artfully delivered words on memory, patriarchy, and oil spills, on immigration, family trees, identity politics, and revolution.  When there is a lull in poetry, a young teacher takes to the microphone and gets the crowd going in a group song, snapping our fingers and chanting “we got the power” as she beatboxes behind our voices.

In about a week, Sea YA’s delegation of youth activists—some of whom are in attendance at the open-mic tonight—will join an estimated 10,000 other participants in Detroit at the U.S. Social Forum.  According to their website, the U.S. Social Forum is dedicated to “providing a space to build relationships, learn from each other’s experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. It will help develop leadership, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.”  Sea YA explains that their “youth delegation is going to ensure that young people’s voices and their empowerment [are] part of this movement building process.”

The palpable enthusiasm and passion coursing through the room at Dub Sea tonight was a testament, not only to the desire for change in American society, but to the inevitability of that change.  These young people are awake, informed, and inspired, and they will represent White Center and Seattle eloquently at the forum in Detroit.  Stay tuned for their impressions of the World Social Forum, some of which we hope to report here on the White Center Blog when they return from Detroit.

Coming up this Saturday, June 12, White Center coffeehouse Dub Sea will host an open mic/art show fundraiser put on by the Seattle Youth Alliance (Sea YA).  Sea YA is raising funds to send a delegation of young Seattle community activists to the upcoming U.S. Social Forum, which is being held at the end of this month in Detroit, Michigan.

Dub Sea is keeping their doors open late for the event, which will take place from 6 to 9 pm.  Admission at the door is $7 for adults and $4 for youth, and an assortment of art will be for sale for $15.00 to $50.00  Attendees can peruse the art, sip some coffee, and enjoy the creative talents of those participating in the open-mic night, while supporting a worthy cause.  Those in the community who’d like to take their turn at the mic can sign up at 6:30 pm, and performances will begin at 7.

According to their website, the U.S. Social Forum is dedicated to “providing a space to build relationships, learn from each other’s experiences, and share analysis of the problems our communities face. It will help develop leadership, vision, and strategy needed to realize another world.”  Sea YA explains that their “youth delegation is going to ensure that young people’s voices and their empowerment [are] part of this movement building process.”   By coming out to support this event, White Center residents can do their part to help empower these dedicated young activists, and ensure that voices from our community are represented at the upcoming U.S. Social Forum.

WHAT: Seattle Youth Alliance Open Mic/Art Show Fundraiser at Dub Sea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, June 12, from 6 pm to 9 pm.

WHERE: Dub Sea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Admission is $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for youth. Open mic sign-up starts at 6:30 pm, performances start at 7 pm.