On Friday, September 3, Southwest Youth and Family Services and South Pacific Youth Connections are hosting a public celebration in honor of the youth in our community who participated in their South Pacific Youth Connections Summer Program.  Through dance, poetry, and song, “Fia Fia” will showcase the talents and hard work of the youth who made the program such a notable success this year.

Young people of South Pacific ancestry in our community face daunting challenges as they navigate their way to adulthood.  They tend to experience higher than average failure rates in school and excessive referrals into the juvenile court system.  The South Pacific Youth Connections Summer Program was designed to help youth meet these challenges “through building self-confidence and cultural pride,” according to SYFS’s Joseph Seia.  The summer program offered participants “Pacific Islander-centric social studies and history courses, a fitness program, Pacific dance workshops, and anti-racist organizing.”

By all accounts, the South Pacific Youth Connections program is succeeding in its mission.  In an August 27 press release, Seia highlighted some of the students’ accomplishments.

•    Washington Strongest School Competition: South Pacific Youth Connections students took second place this year in the first annual competition that focused on fitness and strength.
•    Pacific Dance: South Pacific Youth Connections students performed cultural dance at 20 different venues this year.
•    Pacific Islander Social Studies Class: South Pacific Youth Connections students completed a social studies class for high school credit.
•    Community Forum: South Pacific Youth Connections students helped organize a successful forum to address the recent injustices with the police and the youth community.

“Fia Fia” is used in Pacific Island cultures such as Samoa and Tonga to mean “celebration,” “get-together,” or “happy.”  The event of that name this Friday promises to be all three, not to mention a great opportunity for our community to celebrate these young people’s hard work, while enjoying what promises to be an exciting display of their talent.

WHAT: “Fia Fia,” a celebration of the South Pacific Youth Connections Summer Program. Featuring dance, song, poetry, and more.

WHEN: Friday, September 3, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

WHERE: South Seattle Community College, JMB A, 6000 16 Avenue S.W., Seattle, 98106.

INFO: See flier below or contact Joseph Seia at 206.937.7680 ext. 210 or JSeia@swyfs.org for more information.

The final day of the White Center Jubilee celebration starts off with gray skies and cool temperatures, but the promise of sunshine later today still lingers.

Despite events wrapping up today, there’s a full slate of entertainment for residents to enjoy. The street fair is in full swing on 17th Avenue SW, between 98th and 102nd, adjacent to the musical stage and beer garden, and will run until 6 PM tonight.

There is also live music on the stage near the street fair all day long, wrapping up with headliners The Dusty 45s performing from 5PM to 6PM.

Those looking for a little more excitement will find the carnival up and running until midnight tonight over at Steve Cox Memorial Park on SW 102nd Street.

Photographer Michael Brunk visited the White Center Jubilee Days carnival last night and shot these photos. Click on the images to advance through the slideshow.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

Story by Janet Grella with photos by Michael Brunk

Over 300 supporters of the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence gathered at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Southcenter on Friday, May 21st to celebrate the Tenth Annual Gold Star Awards for the Highline School District.

The highly supportive audience was also told that the foundation has raised over $1 million in its 10-year history. These donations have funded many opportunities for teachers and students that they may not have had otherwise.

Honored Gold Star recipients were:

Outstanding Administrator – Rick Harwood, Principal at Global Connections High School. Mr. Harwood was honored as he “embodies all the traits of a knowledgeable, dedicated, caring and hard-working principal. All his actions and energies are centered around creating kind, intelligent, thoughtful and action-oriented young adults.”

Outstanding Classified Employee – Jacqueline Faundez, Cedarhurst Elementary. The Gold Star committee found Ms. Faundez “an especially effective advocate for our students most in need, regardless of home language or background. As an ELL tutor, Jacqueline is a professional in every sense – good at what she does and continually striving to improve.”

Outstanding Teacher – Carlyn Roedell, Bow Lake Elementary. Ms Roedell was chosen as she is “the paragon of an effective teacher. She loves to learn and she loves to teach. Her students are inspired by her enthusiasm, joy, and hard work. The test results back up her success.”

Outstanding Volunteers – Klara & Braxton Dunn, Gregory Heights Elementary were selected due to “their dedication, belief in children, and high standards, which led them to introduce themselves and ask to help out ten years ago. They have a passion for inspiring youngsters.”

The last award in this annual fund raising event was for Lifetime Achievement and was awarded to Reba Gilman, CEO/Principal of Aviation High School. Ms. Gilman spent 16 years at Seatac’s Occupational Skills Center prior to becoming the first Principal of Highline’s Aviation High School. The award was presented by Tom Russell, Emeritus Trustee for the Foundation.

Musical entertainment included harpist Clara McMichael from Pacific Middle School and Mt. Rainier High School’s “Music Company” directed by Sara Stricherz. The guests enjoyed a wide variety of song and dance from this award winning choir during lunch.

The Master of Ceremonies was Peter Fewing. Besides being a proud Pirate and Highline High School graduate. Mr. Fewing is known around the Northwest for Peter Fewing Soccer Camps and his broadcast on 710 ESPN radio, talking about what else, but Soccer. He is also coach of the Kitsap Pumas.

Boeing was the Executive Event Sponsor. Event Sponsors included Rogers and Norman, Saint-Gobain Containers and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

Photographer Michael Brunk assembled this slideshow with additional scenes from the awards luncheon.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

This past Saturday White Center residents witnessed an invasion of purple-shirted volunteers as the White Center Community Development Association kicked off their 8th annual “Spring Clean” event.

This year’s event broke records for attendance as over 550 volunteers registered. Projects included street clean up, flower planting, mural painting, park maintenance, and more.

After a long day of work under beautiful, sunny skies volunteers were treated to entertainment and lunch back at King County Housing Authority’s Greenbridge Plaza.

Photographer Michael Brunk was on hand at several of the project sites and captured scenes from Saturday’s efforts in this slideshow.

Click to Play Michael Brunk’s Photo Slideshow

UPDATE: Tết (or Lunar New Year) will be celebrated this Saturday, Feb. 13th beginning at 10am at Pho My Loi, which is located at 10439 16th Ave SW .

The Lieu Quan Lion Dance Group will be performing, and while there apparently will be no firecrackers at this performance, we’re sure it’ll be exciting nonetheless – in fact, our Photographer Michael Brunk will be there to take pics!

2010 will be the Year of the Tiger, and according to Wikipedia:

Tết is celebrated on the same day as Chinese New Year though exceptions arise due to the one-hour time difference between Hanoi and Beijing. It takes place from the first day of the first month of the Lunar calendar (around late January or early February) until at least the third day. Tết shares many of the same customs of its Chinese counterpart, having been derived from it. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking special holiday foods and cleaning the house. There are a lot of customs practiced during Tết, like visiting a person’s house on the first day of the new year (xông nhà), ancestral worshipping, wishing New Year’s greetings, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, and opening a shop.

Tết is also an occasion for pilgrims and family reunions. During Tết, Vietnamese visit their relatives and temples, forgetting about the troubles of the past year and hoping for a better upcoming year. They consider Tết to be the first day of spring and the festival is often called Hội xuân (spring festival).

And for those who think of the Tết Offensive when we hear this word, here are some things NOT to do on Feb. 14th:

• One shouldn’t say or do bad things during Tết.
• One shouldn’t hurt or kill animals or plants but should set them free. The reason for this originates from Buddhism’s causality.
• One shouldn’t sweep the house or empty out the rubbish to avoid luck and benefits going with it, especially on the first day of the new year. One shouldn’t let the broom in confusion if people don’t want it to be stolen.
• One shouldn’t give these presents to others: clock or watch (the recipient’s time is going to pass), cats (mèo in Vietnamese language pronounced like nghèo, poverty), medicine (the receiver will get ill), cuttle fish (its ink is black, an unlucky colour), writing ink (for the same reason), scissors or knives (they bring incompatibility).
• One shouldn’t have duck meat because it brings unluckiness.
• One shouldn’t have shrimp in case one would move backwards like shrimp, in other words, one would not succeed.
• One shouldn’t buy or wear white clothes because white is the colour of funerals in Vietnam.
• One shouldn’t let the rice-hulling mill go empty because it symbolizes failed crops.
• One shouldn’t refuse anything others give or wish you during Tết.

Here are two videos from last year’s performance from the Lieu Quan Lion Dance Group:

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We hope we didn't offend anyone with our original posting, which included the red-star North Vietnamese flag; we have since corrected it!]

White Center’s 21st Annual “Jubilee Days” Street Fair is coming Saturday and Sunday July 18th and 19th, celebrating our community this year with the theme, “Living The Dream.”

Here are the details:

WHAT: White Center’s 21st Annual “Jubilee Days” 2-day Street Fair

WHEN: Saturday, July 18th from 10am – 11pm and Sunday, July 19th from 10am to 6pm

WHERE: 16th Avenue SouthWest between Southwest Roxbury Street and Southwest 100th Street White Center, WA. 98108

COST: It’s FREE! Lots of FREE PARKING!

Saturday, July 11th at Noon: A Golf Event at Foster Golf Links in Tukwila

SATURDAY, JULY 18th – 10am to 11pm & SUNDAY, JULY 19th 10am to 6pm:

• Sat. at 1:30pm: A 1K “Microthon” Fun Run
• Saturday at 2pm: Parade, starting at SW 112th St, Heading North to SW 100th St
  • Check In: Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 12:30 to 1:00
  • Assembly Staging: at McDonalds in White Center
  • Award Categories – Classic and antique Cars, Specialty, Novelty, Drill Teams, Marching Bands, and commercial groups.
  • Walking, Marching and Dancing units (carried by the forward left-sided person)
  • Distribution of objects, such as candy, flyers, etc.: Must be handed out curbside. Please do not drop objects in the street where children may be tempted to retrieve them. No silly string. Please use litter containers.
  • FOR ENTRY FORMS CONTACT: AMANDA AMEND (253) 592-2048 or email your entry at amend2@comcast.net
• An Art Show. Wonderful Arts and Great Crafts
• Information and Food booths
• Beer Garden
• Two Stages with Entertainment!
• A Kids Center with free hands-on activities
• FREE PARKING!

INFO:

• Cleanliness – Please keep the area clean. Local businesses have supported this fun activity and with everyone’s help we can leave it as good as, or better, than we found it.
• Manners – Rude or threatening behavior will not be tolerated. Please be courteous to one another and volunteer staff as well.
• Food – Food is available in the parade staging area at Mc Donalds and from the Street Fair Food Court at the end of the parade route.
• Parade Route – Starting at SW 112th St, Heading North, to SW 100th St. Leave the area via 15th for easiest departure. You can leave your car at the beginning or end of the parade route to avoid any unnecessary walking. Please do not leave valuables in your car and lock your doors. Jubilee days is not responsible for lost or stolen items.
• Announcer’s Stage – Hosted by First Choice Espresso.
• Awards – Amanda Amend will contact the winners and send out the awards accordingly
• Activities – The Street Fair offers food, crafts, the Kid’s Center, entertainment on two stages, and the carnival.
• HAVE FUN!

If you’d like to volunteer, click here: http://www.jubileedays.org/Volunteer.htm

If you’d like to become a sponsor, click here: http://www.jubileedays.org/2.htm

Maps/Directions: http://www.jubileedays.org/6.htm

More information available at www.jubileedays.org.

Tuesday, May 5th is Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday that gives everyone an excuse to take a shot of tequila on a weekday.

Oh, and it’s also the celebration of the Mexican army’s defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. However, it is not Mexican Independence Day, nor is it a national holiday in Mexico, but rather a day that can be observed voluntarily.

And no, we’re not going to mention swine flu in this story just to increase our Google pagerank.

Oops…we just did. Dang.

Here’s what’s going on:

WHITE CENTER:
McMurphy’s: 11069 16th Ave SW: Karaoke & Drink Specials

Marv’s Broiler: 9808 16th Ave SW: Appetizer & Drink Specials

Triangle Pub: 9454 Delridge Way SW: Beer & Tequila Specials

Viva Mexico: 10601 16th Ave SW: Beer & Tequila & Appetizer Specials

Cafe Rozella: 9434 Delridge Way SW: Music of Trio Lucero del Norte, specializing in Son Huasteca, 6pm

BURIEN:
Azteca: 153 SW 157th: Happy Hour All Day 32oz Beer Special

La Costa: 206 SW 152nd: BIG PARTY 9pm-2am Drink Specials & Jello Shots NO COVER

El Rinconsito: 15101 Ambaum Blvd SW: Taco Plate Special

Vino Bello: 636 SW 152nd: 2pm-9pm Beer & Sangria Specials

Tin Room: 923 SW 152nd St: All Mexican Menu & Drink Specials

Sunnydale Tavern: 14404 Des Moines Memorial Drive: Live Music, Beer & Tequila Specials. Jello Shots

Twiggs: 12803 Ambaum Blvd SW: $3 Corona’s

Breaktime Lounge: 635 SW 152nd: $1.00 Taco’s

Barrel Tavern: 11051 1st Ave South: Beer & Food Specials, Regular Jam session. No Cover

Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009 for everyone in/near the White Center area and beyond!

Thanks for your support in 2008, and please don’t hesitate to email us your suggestions as to how we can improve this website!

Here’s a list of some New Year’s Eve parties and events going on in the White Center area tonight (if you think we missed something, please email us ASAP and we’ll add it!):

TRIANGLE TAVERN: 9454 Delridge Way SW, White Center • (206) 763-0714‎:

• Potluck dinner around 6pm
• Karaoke starts at 9pm
• No cover

BREWSKY’S BAR & GRILL: 9635 16th Ave SW White Center • (206) 764-3946‎:

• Live Band 9pm+
• No cover

WAYNE’S WORLD: 1832 S 120th Street Boulevard Park • (206) 433-8658‎:

• Band “Sister Ray” starts at 9pm
• No cover
• Drink specials
• Midnight toast

MCMURPHY’S: 11069 16th Ave SW, White Center • (206) 431-1916‎:

• Karaoke starts at 9pm
• No cover charge
• Drink specials
• Jello shots
• Free appetizers

BENZ RESTAURANT & SPORTS LOUNGE: 12004 14th Ave South • (206) 444-0720‎:

• Party 8pm+
• No cover
• “Might have Karaoke” starting at 9pm
• Midnight toast
• Free appetizers

Have fun, drive safely (or better yet, don’t drive at all), and Happy New Year from the original White Center Blog!

A special Dia de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead” celebration will take place this weekend (Sat. and Sun. Nov. 1-2) from 10am to 6pm at the Burien Community Center, which is about three miles south of the Dub-C at 425 SW 144th Street (map below).

This is a first-time collaboration between Burien Parks, the Highline Historical Society and Para los Ninos, and it should be a fun and interesting time for all, both living and dead.

Everyone is invited to help commemorate their deceased loved ones with “offrendas,” or offerings through alters that include fanciful foods, symbols, photos and even artifacts that honor that person’s life.

According to Mexican legend:

Many people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living.

People will go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and will build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, and photos and memorabilia, of the departed.

The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them.

Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

You can get more information on this celebration at the Highline Historical Society’s website.

Here’s an interesting video that shows some of what this fascinating day is all about:

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