When Nancy Driver and the Walking on Logs Landscape Restoration Group got out to the famous bridge-side sculptures for cleanup work this morning, they made a startling discovery – one of the sculptures is missing, apparently stolen, nothing left behind but its foot, the rest of the sculpture cleanly sawed off:

Nancy reported it to police, and is hoping someone saw something – perhaps a resident in one of the nearby homes on the other side of the fence, along the spur of Fauntleroy. She and the other volunteers who maintain the area hope to get the city to keep the area clearer for line-of-sight reasons too. But in the meantime, the question is – who stole one of the dancing-children sculptures by Phillip Levine that have been at the site for 18 years? Here’s a WSB file photo by Christopher Boffoli:

Call 911 if you think you’ve seen it.

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Update: Search over for Karen Sykes, West Seattle author/ photographer lost while hiking Mount Rainier

June 21, 2014 7:07 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

At Mount Rainier, the search for West Seattleite Karen Sykes, a prolific hiking writer and nature photographer, is reported to be over. Regional media says it was called off about three hours ago; posts on NWhikers.net pointed to Karen’s daughter Annette Shirey reporting on Facebook that she had been told her mother was found dead. She had commented on WSB last night that she was on her way here after getting word of the search.

No formal confirmation from Mount Rainier yet but KIRO TV’s Chris Legeros tweeted that “the medical examiner is here.” As noted in our first report Friday, Karen was an expert hiker who had written books about hiking and had been an outdoor columnist for multiple publications. We knew her mostly through her photographs – posted to Flickr with the handle “old desolate,” by which she asked to be identified when we published her photos on WSB. She was reported to have been hiking on the east side of Rainier on Wednesday with her partner Bob, with whom she lived in eastern West Seattle, when she went ahead on Wednesday but never returned to rendezvous with him. Search-and-rescue crews have looked on the ground and from the air these past three days. We will add official information when it becomes available.

SUNDAY MORNING: Authorities have reported recovering a body on Rainier and saying the person was female. This morning, Ms. Sykes’s daughter posted this comment on our previous story saying it was her mom.

MONDAY NOTE: The Pierce County Medical Examiner says Ms. Sykes, 70, died of hypothermia.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Motorcycle stolen, then found

June 21, 2014 6:28 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

6:28 PM: From Jessica via the WSB Facebook page:

Our 2002 Suzuki Hayabusa was just stolen in the last 3 hours from the back alley of 35th Ave between Andover and Dakota. License plate 0A5253. Waiting on officers now, please be on the lookout!

If you spot it, call 911.

7:27 PM: An update from Jessica – they found it:

My husband found it stashed on 34th Ave just a block from our house. It had been stolen, rolled, and parked right on the street, presumably until the thief could come back with a truck. Many thanks to Officer Nicholson for coming out so quickly and taking the report!

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As-it-happened coverage: Morgan Junction Community Festival 2014!

June 21, 2014 11:21 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Festival infolinks: Music schedule * Food * Pet parade/contests * Vendors * Nonprofits

(Early pan of part of the vendor zone)
The 9th annual Morgan Junction Community Festival, presented by the Morgan Community Association, is under way! Live music, dozens of vendors, food – Bubbleman is performing at 11:30 am in Morgan Junction Park; the Bark of Morgan pet parade (and contests) is coming up at 2 pm; just head for California/Fauntleroy. We’re in the vendor zone behind Feedback Lounge and Zeeks Pizza (both WSB sponsors). Vendors are here until 5, musicians until 7.

11:52 AM: Bubbleman’s delighting the kids in the park right now:

He creates his bubbly experiences with a variety of implements:

More to come – we’ll continue updating “live.”

12:46 PM: Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske promised he’d have officers on bikes at summer events and hotspots for gatherings – we’ve just spotted two at the festival:

Up to a dozen SW Precinct officers are being equipped with bikes so they can ride in the spots where they make sense – like this. Meantime, it’s lunchtime – go over to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), where today’s benefit barbecue is raising money to support the festival:

That’s Michele, grilling pineapple because today’s barbecue theme is ALOHA! Back alongside Morgan Junction Park, chalk art welcomes the season:

1:41 PM: Some dogs are already set for the Bark of Morgan parade and contests coming up at 2 pm:

That’s Sunny, who happens to belong to the Higuera family from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) – their booth here at the festival is almost directly across from ours again this year, next to City Dog Magazine (West Seattleite-founded and operated) and next to them, Furry Faces Foundation, with Madrid Frame holding down the north edge of this part of the festival. Back to the food:

Those are two of the three trucks in the Washington Federal parking lot on the northeast corner of Fauntleroy/California – Hungry Me and Fez – also there, Curb Jumper Street Eats (which has tweeted it’s here until 6).

2:21 PM: The festival has gone to the dogs! Here’s a quick Instagram clip of the Bark of Morgan parade as a placeholder until official video later. (Added – our “official” clip, as promised):

Excellent turnout – more than last year – and definitely more than the first year in 2012, when the Bark of Morgan was dampened by a downpour that cut the festival short. No weather trouble this year – everyone is delighted with the sunshine and just-right temps.

3:24 PM: If you haven’t come down yet – vendors and nonprofits will be breaking down their booths/tables after 5, so come see us all by then. If you see Seal Sitters in the park, for example, you might just get a sticker:

Go see Seal Sitters in the park at #morganfestival and get an adorable sticker pic.twitter.com/NjtRApy3Oh

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 21, 2014

Right now on the stage in the park, the Tongan Church performers are onstage, with dancing and music. (added) Video:

4:41 PM: While the music continues until about 7, the vendor zone is about to fold up. We have a few more photos of some of the people who’ve been here talking with festivalgoers all day – for starters, the West Seattle Food Bank team:

7:42 PM: Adding more images inline and also here as a postscript, starting with a video clip shared by Clay Eals, executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which had a booth at the festival. He talked with two young volunteers, both of whom just finished seventh grade at Madison Middle School, Adele Arutunian (left) and Sofie Phillips:

Clay says the girls “participated in our ‘Telling Our Westside Stories’ interviewing project over the past year and today completed their first volunteer stint, working our booth at the
Morgan Junction Festival for three hours.” P.S. SWSHS has a big event tomorrow (Sunday) – touring the Gatewood Bed & Breakfast; details here.

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Update: West Seattleites run 80 Seattle stairways in 1 day!

June 21, 2014 10:05 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | WS & Sports

This makes the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon sound like a walk in the park! From Jake Jaramillo of Seattle Stairway Walks:

West Seattleites Michael Yadrick, Doug Beyerlein, and others are running the stairways of Seattle today! Their route covers 100 km and gains more than 11,000 feet of elevation as it traverses 80 of Seattle’s major, 100+ step stairways. They started at Summer Solstice sunrise, 5:12 am in West Seattle at Brace Point. They hope to finish before 10 tonight in Queen Anne.

That’s Michael at right, leading the pack up the Thistle Street stairs in Gatewood/Upper Fauntleroy. Jake adds, “Andrew Lichtman, a stairway trekker from Los Angeles, has come up to walk the same route in two days, camping out along the way.” There’s a Facebook page about the event – see it here.

After hearing from Jake but before writing this, we also heard from Creighton, a friend of Michael, who he notes is a city ecologist mentioned here this spring for consulting on a Fairmount Ravine cleanup. Creighton adds that Michael is tweeting about this at twitter.com/yadrick and that there’s even GPS tracking, expected to work until 4 pm or so. We’ll keep an eye on it for potential updates here. Good luck!

9:56 PM NOTE: Jake reports in comments that Michael, Doug, and company made it within the past hour or so!

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West Seattle Saturday: Summer arrives with Morgan Junction Community Festival and much more – including traffic alerts

June 21, 2014 6:34 am

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Happy summer (as of 3:51 am)! We start our Saturday calendar-highlights list with a traffic reminder:

99/VIADUCT HALF-CLOSURE: Northbound 99 (left side of “live” cam view above) is closed from here to the Battery Street Tunnel, all weekend. WSDOT is realigning the lanes west of the stadium zone, as it did on the southbound side two weeks ago, and for part of today, the road will be in use for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon/Half-Marathon (which has other closures around the city – see the full list here.) *added* P.S. We should mention the 520 bridge is closed too – here’s the regional overview.

ALSO, AN AIRBORNE NOTE: Since we so often answer questions about unusual (and/or noisy) aircraft, we’re mentioning something pointed out recently by Bob (thanks!) – the Wings of Freedom Tour is at the Museum of Flight this weekend with three classic types of warplane, so you might see/hear them overheard, especially if you’re on the Boeing Field flight path in southern West Seattle.

Now, as for what’s happening – we start with the spotlight event:

MORGAN JUNCTION COMMUNITY FESTIVAL: Today’s the day! The live music starts around 10:15 am and ends around 7 pm, and inbetween, you’ll find other entertainment – Bubbleman at 11:30! – plus activities like the Bark of Morgan dog parade/contests at 2 pm, food including Bite of Morgan samples and the festival-benefiting barbecue at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), plus dozens of community groups/vendors waiting to meet/talk with you. We’ll be covering the festival “live” from our booth (we’re a co-sponsor) as always. Come on down to Morgan Junction and roam the festival sites around the California/Fauntleroy intersection.

Also happening today/tonight:

BIG RUMMAGE SALE, DAY 2: 8:30 am-4 pm, Shorewood Christian School‘s “Massive Parking Lot Sale” is happening in Arbor Heights. 100+ families have contributed items to the sale. (35th and Roxbury)

HIAWATHA PLAYFIELD WALKING TOUR: This isn’t just any playfield – Hiawatha was the first in the city, and it is a historic Olmsted Park. See and hear about the history in a free two-hour walking tour with Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks, starting at 10 am. Details here. (Meet at Walnut/Forest)

BENEFIT CAR WASH: 10 am-4 pm at Les Schwab in The Triangle, the cheer squad for West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer is having a fundraising car wash. (Fauntleroy/Alaska)

CHAMPAGNE GALA BRUNCH AND ART AUCTION: 11 am at the Duwamish Tribe‘s Longhouse in West Seattle, with proceeds benefiting Duwamish Tribal Services. Details in our listing. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)

WADING POOL SEASON BEGINS: Lincoln Park wading pool (central upper park, walk in from the central parking lot off Fauntleroy Way) is the first Seattle Parks-operated wading pool in West Seattle to open for the season, 11 am-8 pm today. Here’s the full citywide schedule of dates and times. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)

FREE WORKSHOP FOR PET OWNERS: 11 am-1 pm at Muttley Crew Cuts in The Admiral District, check out a free workshop by ACCES with information about pet first aid and CPR, as explained here. (42nd/Admiral)

ALKI LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: The season continues for free weekend tours with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary at Alki Point Lighthouse, 1-4 pm. (3200 Point Place)

LUCHADORES AT THE LIBRARY! Story time with lucha libre wrestlers at South Park Library, 2:30 pm. (8604 8th Avenue S.)

SOCCER TEAM ON NETWORK TV: As noted here earlier this week, the West Seattle Soccer Club‘s Valkyries will appear in a CBS show that is scheduled to air at 3:30 pm today on KIRO Channel 7.

FREE COMMUNITY BARBECUE: The three fitness studios at 3270 California SW (including WSB sponsor Equilibrium Fitness) are hosting a free barbecue – just bring yourself and your appetite, starting at 4 pm; details in our calendar listing.

SUMMER SOLSTICE FESTIVAL … at Twilight Gallery and Boutique, 4-10 pm (and continuing Sunday), with art, performance, food/drink, more. Details in our calendar listing. (4306 SW Alaska)

DUWAMISH ROWING CLUB DEDICATION: At 5 pm, West Seattleites welcome too (along with everyone interested) as the club dedicates its “newest racing 4+, honoring Robert L. McNeil … Join us as we celebrate at our boat house, with a great pot luck. Don’t be shy, bring your favorite dish to share with us. We are a family oriented rowing club. We can be found at S. Elmgrove between 10th Ave S and 12th Ave S., South Park.”

‘PENCIL ME IN FOR KIDS’ BENEFIT DINNER: 5:30 pm-8 pm at the West Seattle Eagles, delicious dinner for a good cause – PMIFK, which gets school supplies to kids who need them. Details in our calendar listing – you can bring the types of supplies described in the listing as well as donating the dinner price. (4426 California SW)

ROCK PAPER GARY: Acoustic/folk duo plays C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

SAY HI … live in-store at Easy Street Records in The Junction, celebrating the release of a new album, 7 pm, all ages, free. (California/Alaska)

CD RELEASE PARTY: Del Rey and Suzy Thompson have a new CD, and they’re celebrating with a performance at historic Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm. Details in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)

SOLSTICE SUNSET: As previewed here, you’re invited to end the first day of summer by watching the sunset with Alice Enevoldsen at Solstice Park. Arrive by 8:45 and prepare to learn and enjoy. (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, uphill past the tennis courts)

MORE NIGHTLIFE … and other events, on our calendar!

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