day : 30/05/2009 12 results

This weekend, we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Desiree Loughlin from Windermere Real Estate in The Junction. She is currently showing 5057 35th Ave SW in West Seattle. Desiree’s been at the Junction office since 2001; that’s where she teams with Domenica Lovaglia and Jessica Tavares. During this time she has learned not only that there is “fair market value” for every home but that how the home is presented is also key — see how this all comes together, Sunday from 1 pm to 4 pm, at the open house for 5057 35th SW. She believes that real estate is financial AND emotional and when done properly is about building sustainable neighborhoods and communities. Desiree says this business philosophy is especially relevant in the current real estate market. “Right now, real estate needs sound judgment. Many clients are looking for overly optimistic assessments that are not warranted. My responsibility is to convey good information. I develop close relationships with my clients. Because I level with them, they know that they can make their decisions with confidence.” For a little background on Desiree, know that she’s mom to Jackson, a first-grader at Alki, and Ruby, a kindergartener at Lafayette. She laughs large, loves music and often plays at West Seattle’s many parks. This summer she’s looking forward to blue skies and the upcoming Hiawatha Summer Concerts (where she might even be performing). Here’s a map to Sunday’s open house site at 5057 35th SW.

Thanks to Desiree Loughlin for supporting community news, information and discussion on WSB; our current team of sponsors is on this page, along with information on how to join them!

Another reminder: Alki Summer Streets (“car-free day”) tomorrow

May 30, 2009 7:01 pm

| 22 COMMENTS

| Environment | Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

During our interview with Mayor Nickels this morning (more on that later), he even referred to it as “car-free day” – its name last year – at which time we offered the suggestion that maybe next year it could revert to something simpler like that, as opposed to the current “Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets.” No matter what you call it, TOMORROW is the shutdown day on Alki. And while we’ve been discussing it here since our very first report of that date four months ago, the motto now is “no surprises” – so again, the basics: West Seattle’s main waterfront boulevard will be closed to most vehicle traffic 9 am-5 pm tomorrow. The parking restrictions kick in an hour earlier. The day starts with the West Seattle 5K (WSB sponsor) from the Alki Bathhouse at 9 am (you can register on-site starting at 8 if you’re not already signed up); then activities kick in around 11:30 am. There’s a general list on the city’s CSS website; Cascade Bicycle Club is sponsoring a full slate of activities, with the timeline here; Coastal is presenting live music and a mini-skate ramp; Bamboo Bar and Grill is planning live music 1:30-5:30 pm and a pig roast; and you’ll no doubt find other activities along the stretch, organized and ad-hoc (as we did in our as-it-happened coverage last year – tomorrow, by the way, our plan is similar to last year, with morning coverage checking out closure points and other details, as well as the as-it-happened report/s).

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Followup: Today’s march for health-care reform:

May 30, 2009 5:29 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Health | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

After spending most of the day at the Delridge Day festival, we haven’t been off the peninsula today, so we didn’t cover it in person, but Team Soapbox – a PR firm – sent the above photo of the health-care-reform march from Pratt Park to downtown earlier today. We know some West Seattleites were planning to take part; we previewed it in our coverage of the documentary screening and discussion at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) earlier this week. (West Seattle participants whom we’ve seen mention it on Facebook – where you can friend us as WS Blog – included King County Council Chair Dow Constantine and Brian Allen of Sustainable West Seattle.) More on the march’s purpose, and participants, at its official website, may30thmarch.org.

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Also happening now: West Seattle Rock Club’s show

May 30, 2009 4:12 pm

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| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

Looking for someplace to take a break out of the sunshine? The West Seattle Rock Club (WSB sponsor)’s annual Rock and Gem Show continues til 5 pm today, then 10 am-5 pm again tomorrow, at the Masonic Hall in The Junction (40th/Edmunds). Good turnout when we stopped by earlier this afternoon. Kids’ activities as well as rock/gem displays, demonstrations and sales.

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Delridge Day, report #2: Playtime!

May 30, 2009 1:10 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Delridge | Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

Here at Delridge Day at Youngstown Arts Center, playtime is what the North Delridge Neighborhood Council booth is all about – selling plants to raise the money needed to finish the contribution toward the fab new playground that KaBOOM! will build at Delridge Community Center in mid-July. (You can also sign up to help with the bulid-it-in-a-day project.) Then just steps away, you can borrow a hula hoop and hoop it up:

Rather create art? Multiple ways to do that — including indoor work with recycled materials, starting shortly, but out here it’s sidewalk chalk, among other things:

Part of the celebration is about food, since Delridge is involved with the King County Food and Fitness Initiative — besides the Delridge Produce Cooperative display, which we mentioned earlier, there are free apples available from Tiny’s (which you’ve probably seen at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on Sundays), and right next door, it’s a taco truck!

Just up the slope behind us, you can even help the Nature Consortium build organic garden beds. This is all happening at Youngstown Arts Center till 5 pm; part of Team WSB is out checking out some of today’s other events, too, including the West Seattle Rock Club’s Rock and Gem Show (the Masonic Hall at 40th/Edmunds, also till 5 pm) – more to come! (A bald eagale just flew overhead, good sign.) ADDED 1:46 PM: Quick video clip of a contestant in the skateboarding competition:

Another competition’s under way right now – battle of the chefs – with the secret ingredient, Iron Chef style: Top Ramen! We’ll add a clip of that as soon as it’s uploaded. (added 2:46 pm – here’s the video:)

Speaking of food, talked with Galena White of the Delridge Produce Cooperative – they’ve been awarded the $15,000 city grant they were seeking for a mobile produce-providing setup – more details on that as they develop. 4:12 PM UPDATE: The festival’s wrapping up. We have some great video to share a little later – performances including breakdancers. Randy Engstrom, director of Youngstown Arts Center, just gave a closing speech of sorts saying this has been an “amazing” day.

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Interview with Mayor Nickels, first report: Park trash cans

May 30, 2009 12:23 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics | West Seattle video

Going to do anything about the “fewer trash cans in parks” policy that the Parks Department is pursuing? That’s the first WSBer-suggested question we asked Mayor Nickels this morning, and the answer is in the :45 video clip above. Backstory: As noted here last night, we were offered a half-hour to interview Mayor Nickels, as he prepares to officially kick off his campaign for a third term by filing paperwork this Monday. This morning, we got about 25 minutes with him at Admiral Starbucks (they chose the location); he appeared with his wife Sharon Nickels and their dog Edgar – saying they walk there every morning – as well as the folks who helped arrange the interview, including campaign spokesperson Sandeep Kaushik. We sat outdoors on the east side of the coffee shop, and we asked some of the many questions WSBers kindly sent in response to our request for suggested questions – many more than we could squeeze in, and we hope to get a chance to ask more later in the campaign. Meantime, we’ll share more from this interview later – just wanted to get out the park/trash answer, for starters.

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Happening now: Delridge Day, first report

May 30, 2009 11:14 am

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| Delridge | Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

Gorgeous day at Youngstown Arts Center as the Delridge Day festival gets under way. We’re actually outside, east side of the north parking lot, where performances will be happening in a bit, and lots of cool folks are tabling already – we’re right across from Girls Rock! and a couple tables down from Mandy Greer, who’s crocheting a fiber river to be installed at Camp Long next month. Adding first photos in a moment. The event’s happening inside and outside at Youngstown (across from Delridge Community Center) till 5 today. Political candidates are making the rounds too – City Council hopeful David Miller stopped by the Delridge Produce Cooperative display, which is kitty-corner from us:

More to come – we’re going to drop by the North Delridge Neighborhood Council plant sale raising money for the new Delridge CC playground, just two booths over and drawing lots of attention! They’re raising money to make a relatively small community contribution to the project that will build a playground in a day this July. Also out here in the breezy sunshine, Cari Simson from the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (she also visited the last Highland Park Action Committee meeting) – kids can drop by and get an “Awesome Animals of the Duwamish” coloring book:

Full program for the day is on the Youngstown home page at youngstownarts.org.

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West Seattle scene: Saturday morning fog

May 30, 2009 10:25 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle weather

Beautiful day, but it started in unusual fashion. Charley Biggs shared that photo from Alki.

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WSB on NPR, as “On the Media” looks at the Seattle news world

May 30, 2009 10:17 am

| 9 COMMENTS

| West Seattle online | West Seattle people

We try not to take up much time and space here on the main page talking about panels we’re on and outside-media mentions we’ve gotten for being among the first nationwide to truly succeed as a respectable, commercial, online-only neighborhood-news operation. It would be boring to prattle on about ourselves, since WSB is about you. But this is a rare bit of national exposure, so we’re breaking our rule, and linking to it here: Two weeks ago we spent a few minutes at the KUOW Radio studios in the U-District taping an interview for the weekly NPR show “On the Media,” which was putting together a look at the Seattle news world, post-paper-P-I. The finished product is on this week’s program – which airs on KUOW at 7 pm Sunday, but is online now, and you can listen (via the embedded player above, or go to the OTM site here) if you’re interested. Your editor here is featured for about four minutes, starting five and a half minutes into the piece (after Eli Sanders from The Stranger). Now, back to the news … and thanks again for your support, your sharing of news tips and stories and photos, and for just being there.

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Your West Seattle Saturday: Big fun

May 30, 2009 7:51 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

Rather than recap it all, here’s the direct link to the Saturday section of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup. The biggest events include the West Seattle Rock Club (WSB sponsor) presenting its free annual Rock and Gem Show (10 am-5 pm, Masonic Hall) — and there’s a huge slate of outdoor and indoor fun at Delridge Day (11 am-5 pm, Youngstown Arts Center), where we hope you’ll stop by the WSB table to say hi (check back here later for our live coverage). And on the beach, the Alki Volleyball Association opens its season this weekend. Whatever you do, have a great time (and remember that TOMORROW is the day Alki is closed to most traffic, 9 am-5 pm, for Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets).

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Tour and volunteer cleanup ahead for Seattle Chinese Garden

May 30, 2009 1:15 am

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| Announcements

The folks behind the Seattle Chinese Garden in West Seattle have announced two events for next month:

The Seattle Chinese Garden
Offers Monthly Tours

Seattle, WA-The Seattle Chinese Garden at South Seattle Community College will offer free, guided tours the second Saturday of every month, March-October; the next tour will be on Saturday, June 13, 2009.

Tours begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Chan Education Center at South Seattle Community College (6000 16th Avenue SW, north parking lot entrance) with a slide presentation and discussion of the significance of gardens in Chinese culture. The tour then moves outside to the garden site where construction is under way for Knowing the Spring Courtyard and to Song Mei Pavilion, where tour guides discuss the construction of the pavilion and demonstration garden, describe the plans for the six-acre garden and point out the wide variety of plants on display.

These public tours last approximately 1½ hours, and no reservation is necessary. Groups of ten or more can arrange a private tour with two weeks advance notice. For membership, special event and guided tour information, call (206) 282-8040 or visit www.seattlechinesegarden.org.

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Seattle Chinese Garden
Volunteer Garden Work Party

The Seattle Chinese Garden Society is hosting a volunteer garden clean-up party on Saturday, June 6th from 10 AM – 2 PM! Grab a friend, roll up your sleeves and help us prepare the garden for summer. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. Activities include: cleanup, landscaping, planting, pruning, and weeding.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact us at info@seattlechinesegarden.org or (206) 282-8040.

We hope to see you there!

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Early-registration discount for basketball camp at West Seattle High School

May 30, 2009 1:11 am

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| Announcements

Here’s the official announcement:

1st Annual PRIDE Hoop Camp-
Kick off the summer with a fun-filled week of hoops, June 22-26, 2009, with local professional player, Husky standout and West Seattle Boys Basketball Head Coach, Donald Watts, his coaching staff and players. For Boys and Girls, Grades 3-8 at West Seattle High School, 9 am-4 pm. $210.00. Register NOW for only $185.00!

Register online @ www.wattsbasketball.com “Watts Happening” section.
All proceeds benefit the WSHS Basketball Program

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