Western Swing Honky Tonk Concert & Dance

Titans of Twang

Saturday, November 24 - 7:30 - 10PM

Phinney Neighborhood Center

Community Hall (lower bldg)

The Seattle Folklore Society presents a post-Thanksgiving dance/concert with two great bands: The Jangles and The Titans of Twang. The Jangles specialize in Western Swing (also called Texas Swing) while The Titans of Twang favor Honky Tonk and Country. Both bands feature strong vocals and their music is perfectly suited for dancing or listening.
The Jangles are, Mike Faast/lead vocals/guitar, Paul Anastasio/fiddle, Roger Ferguson/guitar/fiddle, Lance and Laurie Haslund/vocals/bass/ukulele, Toby Hanson on accordion and Mark Drake on drums.. You’ll enjoy their hot picking and three part harmony western swing. The Titans are an all-star band with a big sound: steel guitar, electric & acoustic guitar, harmonica, bass, and drums. They are Lisa Theo, Kim Field, Bob Knetzger, Terry Kingen, Bill Shaw, Robin Cady.
Come enjoy some classics from the old-school country/western duet tradition, then kick up your heels and dance off that Thanksgiving dinner! If you’re not a dancer, there will be seats for you to enjoy wathching the musicians and the dancers! $15 ($13 SFS/PNA, seniors, students; $7 youth 6-17)
More info & reservations: http://www.seafolklore.org/folksche.html or 206-528-8523

The Jangles

An Elevator in the School House

An Elevator in the School House

a short story by PNA volunteer Charles Forsher inspired by the construction of the Blue Building elevator

THE SPANISH FLU WAS RAGING WORLD WIDE.

Ten year old Susan Bower of Phinney Ridge had been one of those struck down, and had lain on top of her bed sweating profusely as well as being in a delirium. Mrs. Bower had been sitting in her grandmother’s rocking chair in the same room keeping a vigil, and unable to sleep reciting prayers for her daughters recovery all through the night before, the illness beyond the help of aspirin. 

Mrs. Bower was quite exhausted now, her Gibson Girl appearance frazzled, but having a confidence her daughter would live. Patience now was what the grown woman needed.  About the tenth hour of the morning little Susan Bower suddenly took two deep breaths and then opened her eyes. Her mom half shrieked and then loudly summoned ‘papa’.

The husband entered his daughter’s bedroom. He was a burly man, hair parted down the middle and sporting a handle bar mustache. He walked over to his daughter and looked down at her sternly, then to his wife, who was standing next to him.

“The fever’s broken, Ellie.” Mrs. Bower nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. A two car train of the Seattle Everett Interurban rumbled by outside on Greenwood Avenue.

 “Oh papa! It was so strange!”

 “What was strange my child.” Mr. Bower asked as he looked back down at his daughter, her voice softening his heart.

“I had gone back to the school house, where I knew I would be safe, and entered by the north side. Everything looked different in a way, much older somehow, and there was an elevator in the schoolhouse.

“You were in a delirium my child!” Mr. Bower insisted lovingly.

“Honestly, papa. It was so real, all of it, and it made no sense. The door to the elevator was not made of glass like the one in the department store downtown; mama’s favorite.”

 Mrs. Bower nodded her head, agreeing with Susan. “That’s your favorite part of our shopping.”

“Besides the street car ride!” Susan added, color returning to her cheeks.

“Oh mama! The door to the elevator in the schoolhouse was made of polished steel! It slid open and some strangely dressed children walked out. I became so frightened that I fainted dead away!”

 Mrs. Bower started to swoon, but her husband came to her rescue.

“Now Susan, you know the schoolhouse doesn’t have an elevator.”

Mr. Bower reached down now and picking up the pitcher of water on the small table next to Susan’s bed, then picked up the tin cup that had been placed next to the pitcher, and poured some water into it. The small chain of Mr. Bower’s pocket watch lurched as the man bent down and offered his daughter the cup. Susan didn’t realize how thirsty she was, and quickly drained the cup of its contents. Then Susan settled back, pushing her head against the many pillows her parents had provided, a few days before at the onset of the symptoms.

“Papa, do you think there will ever be an elevator in the schoolhouse?”
 The burly man put down the pitcher and the tin cup handed back to him by his daughter, reflected on her question, and then smiled.

“Surely my daughter, in the Age rockets really carries men to the Moon and back!”

At that the Bower family had a good laugh.

They Keep The Food Coming--Meal Program Volunteers

Planning menus, procuring food, preparing dishes and serving meals: this is the ongoing work of hundreds of volunteers who support the PNA's meal programs. They work on different teams at different sites, but they all warmly welcome and nourish the community. The PNA is grateful for the reliable, time-honored support of many dedicated volunteers at these meals.

Greenwood Senior Center Lunch Program: The daily lunch program at the GSC is possible only with the dedication of our fabulous weekly volunteers: they plan and shop, prep and serve, and best of all, clean up after each meal! Together, they offer a three-course, balanced meal from a variety of cuisines – and all on a budget. Special thanks to Neil Banta-Blacker, Esther Dean, Inga Ilich, Fannie Jin, Cindi Kozai, Keiko LaPoint, Maria Marabella, Candace Mathes, Chet Nachtegal, Suzie Paulson, Dixie Rae and the many more volunteers who aren't afraid to cook up a storm.

Hot Meal Program: Committed volunteers such as Anne and Dick Harrison, Ida Hamilton, Jack Herndon, Jim Osness, Janet Recher, Sharon Swift, Tom Vincent, Hilde Wilson and dozens of other committed volunteers have formed a dependable, compassionate community that is the foundation of this program.

Together they serve more than 350 meals weekly at three meal times. These competent and caring people move comfortably through their kitchen space, fluidly sharing responsibilities and welcoming and training newer volunteers.

"While it's rewarding to be helping out, it's most inspiring to work with long-term volunteers who have so much dedication to service," reflects one volunteer. Another says, "It is a joy to work with such a fun, dedicated, skilled, caring group!"

Thank you to all of the reliable volunteers who support the meal programs!

Do unto others: The Platinum Rule?

As a mother of a preschool aged son, I have been reflecting on what values I most want to instill in our family ethic. What were the seminal values of my own upbringing? Respect for authority, helping wherever possible, neighborliness, frugality, work before play. These were the expectations in my New England-based family, and thankfully I mostly agree with them, because they are deeply ingrained in who I am and how I live today. I couldn’t completely eschew them if I tried.

The Golden Rule is one of those values. Of course we should treat others the way we’d want to be treated, right? To me, this was axiomatic—until recently, when the PNA encouraged me to attend a workshop about leading in a multicultural organization. My attendance, along with two coworkers, was part of my work with the PNA Cultural Engagement Workgroup, focused on social justice and equity issues in our community. The training was led by two fabulous presenters from Cultures Connecting, which provides professional development to help organizations enter into conversations about race, culture, and social justice. The facilitators challenged us to consider that to respectfully connect with people from cultures other than our own, we need to take the Golden Rule and make it even better. Instead, they said, we should consider trying to do unto others as they would have done unto them! I later learned that the business management sector has named this concept the Platinum Rule.

It’s important to me that my son learn to feel empathy for others. We talk a lot about feelings, and I’m helping him learn to name his own and others’. Often I have asked, after he yanks my carefully folded laundry and tosses it onto the floor (or some such destructive act), “How do you think you would feel if someone took apart your train set and threw it all over the floor (or some such analogy)?” I’m honestly not sure if this is even a legitimate parenting technique. But now I wonder, does this feedback miss the point entirely? Does this help him imagine how I am feeling? And more importantly, am I taking the opportunity to imagine how he is feeling? Separated in our different stages of life and brain development, we will never really know. But the journey is in trying to imagine.

Putting myself in other people’s shoes at home, at work as Volunteer Coordinator, and in the greater community involves carefully listening to their words and paying close attention to their body language. It also requires a level of understanding of the ingrained cultural values they might hold and the family history in the background—and how they may differ from my own cultural values and history. I realize that I still have a lot to learn about the diverse cultures of the people I live and work alongside in Seattle and the community we build at the PNA. The more I can learn about our community’s multicultural history and the ethics different groups tend to impart on their children, the more empathy and respect I can hope to share. My son at age 3 is wired to observe with exquisite sensitivity the reactions that follow after his every attempt to communicate with someone (these are not always as vexing as knocking the laundry on the floor). Can I as an adult, well marinated in white, middle-class, Puritan-based, college-educated culture, be so attentive and learn so astutely from my interactions with others?

I’m proud to be part of an organization that openly seeks to be inclusive and welcoming to people from all backgrounds. The Cultural Engagement Workgroup regularly hosts events featuring works such as Seattle in Black and White, Put This on the Map, and Looking Like the Enemy. These books, films, and discussions have expanded my awareness of how others in my community may view themselves and why they may hold different values than my own. Each event brings people together to exchange perspectives openly and honestly and leaves me feeling better equipped to try to treat others the way they may wish to be treated.

Many people are fearful of conversations about diversity, race, power, and inequality. Beyond the jargon of politically correct or taboo phrases, the fear of insulting someone or being judged, and the specter of deeply rooted social inequities, the heart of this work for me is learning and deep empathy. If I expect my son to respect all people equally, I have a lifelong journey of learning the Platinum Rule along with him.

If you’re interested in the work we are doing to be more culturally competent and inclusive, we welcome your input or resources. Please comment here, visit our webpage, or contact the Cultural Engagement Workgroup chair.

Ali Saperstein, PNA Volunteer Coordinator

Help Students Be Spiffy!

Headed to the store to buy a few things for a child you know who is headed to school in a few weeks? Consider buying a few extra things to help a child in need start the school year off on the right foot, too.

Phinney Neighbors in Action is hosting its annual Back to School Donation Drive from now through mid-September. Whitman Middle School has asked mainly for newly purchased school supplies such as flash drives, highlighters, 2" binders, pencils and erasers, and colored pencil or pen sets. Treehouse has asked for newly purchased jeans, hoodies, t-shirts, and backpacks.

Having snappy new supplies and clothing goes a long way to help a child start the school year feeling confident and ready to learn and make friends.

Donations can be dropped off in the Blue Building of the Phinney Neighborhood Center through mid-September. 

Thanks for your generosity!

Wipe Out Graffiti in Greenwood!

Graffiti is a growing concern in Greenwood.

A community meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 6/19, 7-9 pm at the Greenwood Senior Center. Join us to discuss the problem, brainstorm solutions, and plan an initial neighborhood paint-out party this summer.

Seattle Police Officer Penelope Fulmer will discuss the connection between graffiti and other crime. Local business and property owners, neighbors and concerned citizens are all welcome.

To join the effort, sign up online, email AliS@phinneycenter.org, or just show up to the meeting!

New Sculpture Coming to Heart of Phinney Park

 

Local artist Matt Babcock will be installing a new sculpture in the Heart of Phinney Park this Friday, May 25th. The sculpture's pedestal is located in the Heart of Phinney Park, in front of the Francine Seders Gallery. The sculpture, titled Curtsy, will replace his current sculpture titled Samaras. Both sculptures are for sale. If interested, please contact Pamela Jaynes, the Arts Coordinator at arts@phinneycenter.org 

Sales benefit the Phinney Neighborhood Association Arts Program and the local artist who created the work.

For more information on the artist, see www.mattbabcock.com

Greenwood Elementary School Garden

Greenwood Elementary School is breaking ground on a beautiful and inviting community and school garden and they are looking for your participation. Bring your green thumb and passion! Groundbreaking will take place on Saturday, April 28, at 9 am. There will be a community meeting with refreshments at 9:30 am and work parties from 9 am to noon and 1-3 pm.

Greenwood School Garden goals are to create a garden so all children at Greenwood Elementary can participate, partner with local food banks and senior centers, teach students about contributing to their community, and create a space that will become a popular locale for school and neighborhood events.

Phase 1 Garden Project Includes:
• Six natural cedar raised beds that students can participate in assembling.
• Cedar garden shed and cedar fence and trellis.
• A central "outdoor classroom" complete with benches and tables for student learning.
• Cedar-chip-lined pathways to suppress weeds and reduce mud.
• Compost spinners and worm bins.

This garden will grow with the ideas you bring. The project is sponsored by the Greenwood School PTA, Seattle School District and the Seattle City Department of Neighborhoods. Community members can contribute as a volunteer, donor or sponsor. Follow the project at greenwoodschoolgarden.wordpress.com.

For questions or more information contact Jessyca Poole or Stephanie Magill at gwoodschoolgarden@gmail.com.

PNA Superstar Volunteer - Jeanne Barwick

“Jeanne is one of the most community-minded people I have ever met,” states Cecily Kaplan, Director of the Greenwood Senior Center. As an active participant in the local community, Jeanne Barwick was invited to join the Greenwood Senior Center Board of Directors in 2005 by Jim Moore, a longtime leader at the Center. Jeanne, who has owned and managed Mae’s Phinney Ridge Café for 23 years, believes community volunteer work is good for business, good for the community and good for the soul.

Over the years, her work with the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce, the Phinney Neighborhood Association and the Greenwood Arts Council brought her a certain degree of recognition among the locals. Now, all of that has changed. Now, whenever she finds herself out and about in the neighborhood, she is not necessarily recognized as “Mae,” but more often as the “Bingo Lady” from the Senior Center!

“I love it!” says Jeanne with a warm smile and a mischievous glance.

Ed Medeiros, former Executive Director of the PNA, loves to tell stories about the first couple of times Jeanne stood in front of a crowd in her role as Chamber President. “She was so nervous and shy!” It seems she’s found her comfort in the role of “Jeanne, Jeanne the Bingo Queen” on the last Friday of the month at The Greenwood Senior Center. Until recently, Lauren Sisto (aka “The Sisto Kid”) shared the stage and Marilyn Shulman is the “Karaoke Queen.”

“So many wonderful volunteers have made this event a very successful fundraiser for the Center. Fundraising has never been so much fun!” Jeanne says.

Jeanne has generously shared her creativity and incredible energy with the Greenwood Senior Center, bringing vitality to events like Bingo Karaoke Night and projects like the Alzheimer’s Café.

Jeanne’s partnership in supporting one of the Greenwood Senior Center’s most exciting new programs, The Alzheimer’s Café, has been truly amazing. Center staff are grateful to Jeanne for her willingness to open her doors for this monthly gathering, held the second Tuesday monthly from 3:30-5 p.m.

The Phinney Ridge Café had been a long-time fixture on the Ridge when Jeanne Mae Barwick moved to Seattle from her native Wisconsin. Jeanne took one look at the homey neighborhood diner and fell in love. Her enthusiasm, warmth and calm demeanor add the perfect ingredients for the success of the Alzheimer’s Cafe.

“Her monthly menu varies but the offerings are always simple, delicious comfort foods that mark the season. We could not ask for a better venue or host for this event.” says GSC Social Worker Carin Mack.

If you haven’t met Jeanne, she’s hard to miss! Her cheerful demeanor and genuine smile can be found often at Mae’s Phinney Ridge Café, a great spot for a family celebration or a get-together with friends, as well as monthly at the Greenwood Senior Center’s Bingo Karaoke Night. A big thank you to Jeanne for all that she has done at the Greenwood Senior Center, the Phinney Neighborhood Center and our entire community as a whole.

Dialogues with Cloth by artist Peggy O'Heron

DIALOGUES WITH CLOTH
Peggy O’Heron
The work of local artist Peggy O'Heron is featured in the Phinney Center Gallery this month. The opening reception is Friday, April 13th from 7:00-9:00 pm. To learn more about the artist, see her artist statement featured below.

STATEMENT
April 2012
The spark of my artist-self ignited when I took leave from my business to raise my family. As I knitted a baby sweater for my young daughter, I discovered a deep and dormant desire to make art. Today, time in my studio is a daily meditation and it’s where I experience my most authentic self. I look through the lens of my history and examine our humanness with an insatiable curiosity. In the peacefulness of solitude, I strive for intimacy - with my materials and with myself.

This body of work began as a question - How can I capture the essence of relationships and the tone of conversations on the surface of a piece of cloth? I use the simple marks of circles, squares and grid patterns all uniquely expressed by hand-made tools and hand-mixed colors. The process of building multiple layers of mark and color is exciting to me. The marks and colors and an expanse of white silk take on identities and converse with one another. These dialogues--dye to cloth, circles to squares, light to dark, thread to mark and ultimately self to self--are punctuated with hand stitching.

I welcome you into these conversations. I hope you are intrigued, engaged and delighted.