Thanks to CHS readers for the pictures from the clean-up
Last week’s “severe thunderstorm” forecast turned into a spectacular — and rare — lightning show over Seattle but Sunday’s winds did the real damage on Capitol Hill.
As gusts approached 40 MPH Sunday night, a massive American Elm toppled at 18th and Howell around 6:45 PM taking a utility pole and associated lines with it and smashing a few cars parked below.
Saturday morning will bring crowds to Capitol Hill for the People’s March, a rally and march organized by the Women’s March Seattle folks to stand up for civil rights as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House.
Saturday afternoon will bring a crowd, too — for soup.
Capitol Hill’s Polish Home will host a first-ever event Saturday celebrating Seattle’s sister cities with a free soup tasting featuring flavors from our ten sibling municipalities around the world. Continue reading
(Image: Tougo Coffee)
Tougo Coffee, a second home for many and a hotspot for community gatherings on Yesler Terrace, closed shop this summer after 17 years serving Seattle. Owner Berhanu βBrianβ Wells plans to move to Japan next year to reunite with his son, Tougo.
βTougo Coffee has been a fabric that has been woven together by the locals to Seattle, and global community,β Wells told CHS. βWe are grateful to have served Seattle families and friends for 17 years. Itβs been our absolute pleasure and honor that you allowed us to be your bodega.β
Wells recently launched a GoFundMe, and donations will help pay for legal, governmental and intermediaries hired to assist with the visa process, like the translation of documents and any challenges related to obtaining a visa.
βThe ultimate goal here is for me to reunite with my son, Tougo, and I really need your help,β Wells said in the GoFundMe. Continue reading
(Image: St. Joseph School)
The kids at Capitol Hill’s St. Joseph School sometimes probably can’t wait to go home and get out of the place but they joined together recently to mark a big milestone. The school marked the 100 year anniversary of its 18th Ave building by recreating a historical photograph of the student body across the ages.
The school has continued to grow with an expansion to the campus about ten years ago and plans for a new playfield structure in the works.
The photographic celebration came on the 100th anniversary of the school building but a few years short of the present-day church structure’s centennial. They’ll mark that milestone in 2030. Continue reading
Capitol Hill community center the Polish Home and a neighborhood p-patch have been selected for $75,000 in support from the city’s Neighborhood Matching Fund.
The grants are part of $818,698 supporting 21 different community-initiated projects in neighborhoods across the city part of the latest matching fund awards.
The Polish Cultural Center was awarded $48,875 to upgrade 18th Ave’s Dom Polski with a new HVAC system “to enable the community to continue to use this special space for Polish cultural events and community gatherings like National Night Out, Neighborhood Block Parties, and other programs.” Continue reading
Thanks to CHS readers for the pictures and reports from the scene
Seattle Fire quickly knocked down a garage fire in the 300 block of 18th Ave E Sunday morning. There were also downed wires reported and a small power outage in the area.
Crews responded just after 7 AM to the detached garage and began efforts to protect surrounding houses and structures, SFD reports.
The fire was brought under control without further damage.
Downed wires in the area left around 30 customers without power as of 8 AM, Seattle City Light reports.
There were no reported injuries.
UPDATE 9/12/2022 9:30 AM: SFD reports that the cause of the fire remains under investigation. UPDATE x2: Investigators were not able to definitively identify a cause, classifying the fire’s source as “undetermined.” Damage was estimated at $115,000.
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Theater in the park is one way to enjoy the arts in a pandemic-safe way. Friday night, it will be theater in a parking lot as Capitol Hill’s Polish Home hosts the touring Dacha Theatre’s drive-in play Dears in Headlights:
Dachaβs summertime spectacular, DEARS IN HEADLIGHTS, invites audiences back to the drive-in theatre for an evening of movie magicβonly this time, with a troupe of live actors instead of a silver screen. Accompanied by an FM radio soundtrack, this fully devised and larger-than-life love letter to classic cinema combines pastiche, clowning, vignettes, and physical theatre to create a playful immersive experience for viewers with and without cars. Whether youβd rather scare yourself silly with a horror movie or laugh along to a rom-com, youβll be delighted by this original new take on a beloved summer pastime. Intended for audiences aged 10+, DEARS IN HEADLIGHTS asks you to keep your arms, legs, and laughter inside the vehicle at all times.
The show’s soundtrack is broadcast by low-powered FM radio. You’ll get the frequency when you arrive so you can tune in.
Tickets for Friday night’s 8:30 PM show at the 1714 18th Ave Polish Home are a suggested $70 per vehicle but are also available on pay what you can basis. You can also purchase chair/blanket tickets — though the car option sounds more fun.
“Car seats will offer an extra bit of immersion,” Dacha promises. “We’ll bring the action right to your windshield and rearview mirror.”
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Capitol Hill’s Polish Home is planning to honor its neighbor
The King County Medical Examiner has identified the man who died in last week’s house fire as Michael Gross.
Friends and neighbors who knew Gross or were familiar with the 18th Ave resident and his dog and cat Vince and Max are making plans to remember his remarkable life.
The 70-year-old died last Wednesday in the fire which has been ruled an accident. Investigators say the deadly blaze was started by “a portable space heater placed too close to combustible materials.” The dog and cat were reported to have safely escaped.
Gross’s house neighbors the street’s Polish Home. The community group is planning to honor gross with a gathering: Continue reading
Thanks to @tygraham for the picture from the scene
One person was found dead as firefighters battled an early evening fire in a house near 18th and Madison Wednesday.
Seattle Fire confirmed a person was found dead inside the two-story house as crews continued to battle the blaze first reported in the 1600 block of 18th Ave just before 5:30 PM.
Neighbors reported a non-ambulatory elderly male lived at the residence with pets. Continue reading
(Image: Alexandra’s)
Born in a hot pink Volkswagen van turned cookie truck and a familiar part of area farmers markets and coffee shops, Alexandra’s Macarons and Cafe is joining the community at 18th and Union.
βI feel really honored to be stepping into that place,” Alexandra Greenwald tells CHS, “Especially in these times of COVID and the social justice movements.”
Greenwald’s new cafe will be filling the space left empty by the closure of Tougo Coffee and giving the coffee shop owner Brian Wells a successful exit as he sells the business to Greenwald and focuses on his other ventures including his Yesler cafe. Continue reading
