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Category: Just for Fun

Front and back covers of A Complete Guide to Non-Tourist Seattle, 1962.
BARRED FROM THE BAR: HOW WOMEN WON THE RIGHT TO SIT AT THE BAR

BARRED FROM THE BAR: HOW WOMEN WON THE RIGHT TO SIT AT THE BAR

While perusing material in response to a research question about Seattle in the 1950s and 1960s, Washington State research librarian Kathryn Devine read A Complete Guide to Non-Tourist Seattle (1962). Intended as a pocket guide for visitors who wanted to see the “real” Seattle, it’s a very entertaining read.   In the chapter titled “What to Know and Where to Go,” author Wayne Carter offers some fine print for visitors who need a stiff drink: “A cocktail lounge may sell…

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OSOS front lobby then and now

OSOS front lobby then and now

(Photo courtesy of Washington State Archives) We have good reason to think that our office’s front lobby is the best one in the Legislative Building. After all, our lobby’s walls typically are adorned with panels from an eye-catching historical exhibit created by our Legacy Washington team. But our front lobby wasn’t always so visitor friendly. The photo above was taken from the back our office, looking toward the front door. According to a co-worker with extensive knowledge of the Legislative…

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12th Man rally draws crowd at Capitol

12th Man rally draws crowd at Capitol

Secretary Wyman and former Seahawk Lawyer Milloy at the 12th Man rally (Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle) Not much can stop the Capitol from preparing for the 2016 Legislative Session, except a visit from a former Seahawk, the team’s mascot and two Sea Gals. Lawyer Milloy, a strong safety for the Hawks in 2009 and 2010, helped whip up the crowd at a rally outside the Capitol Thursday ahead of Sunday’s (very cold) playoff game in Minnesota. Along with the…

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Time’s running out for Capitol botanical tour

Time’s running out for Capitol botanical tour

Every day, the Washington State Capitol is open to the public for tours of the Legislative Building. Beginning in the middle of August, a cool new tour was added – a botanical tour of the whole lush campus. In a state known for its abundance of trees and plantings, it only makes sense that the Capitol Campus would be a shining example of Washington’s love of nature. The Olmsted Brothers of Central Park fame were the original designers after all….

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Gotta beef with that?

Gotta beef with that?

The first sign is the sight and smell of smoke wafting up behind the Washington Capitol. Then you notice a small group of men wearing Stetsons getting a large grill ready for cooking. Could it be? Yes, Thursday is Beef Day! For Capitol Campus carnivores, it’s a highlight of any legislative session. For one thing, you get a free and tasty lunch. The annual event, hosted by the Washington Cattlemen’s Association, was scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. between the…

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12th Man lets loose at Seahawks’ homestate Capitol

12th Man lets loose at Seahawks’ homestate Capitol

(Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle) Although hundreds of thousands of  fans converged on Downtown Seattle and CenturyLink Field and Safeco Field Wednesday for the parade honoring the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win over the Broncos, many fans around the Capitol couldn’t go north because they work for the Legislature, which is in the middle of its 60-day session. But that didn’t stop a large contingent of the 12th Man from gathering on the north steps of the Legislative Building to cheer…

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Great day for the 12th Man

Great day for the 12th Man

Walking toward the Legislative Building on the way to work usually is inspiring on its own. But when you see the 12th Man flag flying high outside the Lege on the same day as the Seahawks’ Super Bowl parade in Seattle, well, it can give anyone a jolt on this chilly morning. Even the glass doors on the north side of the building show a reflection of the 12th Man flag fluttering in the cold breeze. Congrats to the NFL…

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Congrats to Seahawks great Walter Jones on HOF selection

Congrats to Seahawks great Walter Jones on HOF selection

Secretary Wyman talks with Seahawks great Walter Jones in her office after the 12th Man rally in January. (Photo courtesy of Benjamin Helle) Secretary of State Kim Wyman and her staff congratulate retired Seattle Seahawks All-Pro left tackle (and friend of our office) Walter Jones for being elected to the Pro  Football Hall of Fame last weekend, in his first year of eligibility. Jones was named to the Pro Bowl nine times, the most in Seahawks history. He also was…

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12th Man is in the (Lege) Building

12th Man is in the (Lege) Building

(Photo courtesy Heather Lucas) With the Super Bowl matchup between Seattle and Denver now just almost here, 12th Man pride  has been running rampant at the Secretary of State’s Office in the Capitol. Many of us are donning Seahawks attire, and a few OSOS employees are even wearing blue and green face paint. Seahawks fever even spilled outside our office, as Secretary of State Wyman and many of her staffers gathered around a 12th Man flag hanging on the north…

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