Sal Celis sent in these shots, with the accompanying story:

Last week I did a quick run to Stoneway Hardware in Wallingford. I took my camera with me since I’m always looking to find something of interest to document in our area.

As I was leaving the store notice the Seahawks wheelbarrows at at the front of the store and thought to myself how great these guys supporting the Seattle Seahawks. Then I turned the corner and ran into Joel, who was in the middle of doing a little cleanup for their amazingly cool Seahawks Wall. He put it together last year by making prints at Kinkos and posting a Skittles on the wall every time Marshawn scored. The most interesting part of the story was that their wall used to get tagged constantly and sprayed until they came up with this concept one year ago. People in Seattle love the team so much that they will not tag a wall with our unofficial flag on it.

Billy Dee Williams, best known for his role as the dashing Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars series, will be gracing the Cloudy City with his presence this Saturday, including a stop at Scarecrow Video from noon to 2 pm:

Scarecrow Video is honored to welcome the legendary BILLY DEE WILLIAMS to our store on Saturday, January 31st course one of the stars of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as well as films like Lady Sings the Blues and Nighthawks. He is also currently revisiting his iconic role as Lando Calrissian in the hit ABC Family animated series Star Wars: Rebels. He’ll be in Seattle for a Star Wars-related event at the EMP Museum, and is also swinging by Scarecrow to sign autographs.

Mr. Williams is not currently scheduled to appear in the Seattle area again this year, so you don’t want to miss your chance to meet this icon!

Please Note: Billy Dee Williams will be charging between $30 and $40 per autograph. He will have a variety of photos for sale at his table (included in the autograph fee). The price is the same if you bring your own items to get signed. He will pose for pics at his table only with those fans that make an autograph purchase.

Quickie reminder: Cometa Playschool, a Wallingford Spanish immersion preschool, is having an open house this Saturday, January 31st. More details here.

Join us at Wallingford COMMUNITY Senior Center for these programs brought to you with lots of heart in February! (NOTE: All programs listed here take place at Wallingford Community Senior Center, unless otherwise noted.)

Pancake Breakfast with Heart
Celebrate Valentine’s Day by sharing a hot, freshly prepared breakfast with others in the community! Pancakes made with heart designs, French toast, ham, vegetarian sausage, beverages and more! Advance registration appreciated, drop-ins also welcome.

Sunday, February 8, 2015, 9 am – 12 pm
$5 Adults / $3 Kids

United Way Free Tax Help
Tax help is coming to WCSC! If your household makes less than $60,000, come to WCSC on one of two Mondays in February (2/9 or 2/23) for free help filing your taxes. Advance registration appreciated.

Mondays, February 9th & February 23rd, 10 am – 2 pm
Free, 45-minutes appointments

Art by Savvy Dani

Echoes of a Lifetime – Portrait Sessions
Spend half an hour in a photo shoot and interview session with local artist Savvy Dani who will then paint a portrait of you for her project “Echoes of a Lifetime”, in conjunction with the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture. When the portrait is completed, you will receive prints of your portrait and a copy of your interview answer, and you’ll have the option to purchase the original portrait at a reduced price. Donations support WCSC’s programs. Advance registration required.

Thursdays, February 12th & February 19th, 1 – 4 pm; 30 minute sessions
$3 members/$5 public suggested donation

Food, Food, Food! – Discovering the Landscape of Food
Learn the what, where, and how of Seattle’s food resources so you can eat healthy, tasty food economically! Including information on community gardening, food banks, farmers markets, community kitchens, and more. A light lunch will be served at 12:30. A collaboration between Seattle Parks and Recreation and Wallingford Community Senior Center. Advance registration required.

Thursday, February 19, 2015, 12:30 – 3 pm

Free, donations accepted for lunch
At Northgate Community Center: 10510 5th Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98125

What to do When the Grandkids Come Out and Other LGBT Questions
Would you like to better understand LGBT issues? Learn to support someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender? Hear the personal stories of LGBT individuals and family members? A panel from PFLAG, an organization of parents, families, and allies united with members of the LGBT community to move equality forward, will share their lived experiences. There will be time reserved for questions and dialogue as well. Presented by PFLAG Speaker’s Bureau of Greater Seattle. Advance registration appreciated.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015, 2 – 3 pm
Free

Weekly Meditation Guided Practice
Learn to be in the NOW. Research points to the many health benefits of meditation. Beginning and experienced meditators welcome. It’s never too late to start! Drop-ins welcome.

Fridays, February 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th, 2-3 PM
$3 members/$5 public suggested donation

For more information about these and other great programs at Wallingford Community Senior Center, visit our web site: www.wallingfordseniors.org , email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 206-461-7825.

David writes:

For two years, our band hosted a monthly community square dance at the Gypsy Cafe. Now that it has become the newly updated Stone Way Cafe (3510 Stone Way Ave N), we are starting up the event again, last Saturday of the month (starting this Saturday, January 31) from 7 – 9:30 pm. It’s $5 / person (under 18 always free) and all ages are welcome. It’s a really fun time. It would be great to include more neighbors.

Henry Weinhard’s is owned by SBMiller (who also produce Miller Beer, along with a number of other brands). Red Hook is owned is by the Craft Brew Alliance, which in turn is 32% owned by Anheuser Busch. But the PNW brew pub tradition lives on, right?

Less so. On Friday, the Elysian Brewing Company, owner of four brew pubs, including the Elysian Tangletown, confirmed it was being acquired by Anheuser Busch. The announcement quotes CEO and co-founder Joe Bisacca, saying “after a lot of hard work, we’ve grown from one Seattle brewpub to four pub locations and a production brewery. With the support of Anheuser-Busch, we will build on past successes and share our beers with more beer lovers moving forward.”

The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Terms have not been disclosed, nor have details of what the move will mean for the individual brewpubs.

However, the Capitol Hill Seattle blog notes that employees were surprised, and not in a good way, quoting several Twitter messages, including:

I feel sick to my stomach. I never saw this coming…I'm sorry guys.

— Derting (@ElysianDerting) January 23, 2015

Somewhat hilariously, CHS also grabbed this tweet from CraftBeerMonger, who found a bit of promotional material back from before the Elysian contemplated this particular move:

A little irony from @ElysianBrewing. Hey, THEY said it. Cheers! pic.twitter.com/HX9z9MEPuB

— Craft Beer Monger (@CraftBeerMonger) January 23, 2015

(Thanks for the tip, DOUG.)

David Perk writes: