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  • Alert

    SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT: This week’s schedule

  • Schools

    SCHOOL CLOSURES? District now ‘retooling’

  • Football

    HULING BOWL 2024: Sealth wins trophy

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday on the move
July 16, 2013 6:55 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
6:55 AM: Another very warm day in the works! So far, all’s well with the morning commute.

8:24 AM UPDATE: Multiple reports say the approaches to the Fauntleroy end of the bridge are backed up worse than usual. No obvious reason why – possibly an earlier problem on eastbound I-90, near the I-5 exit, blocking a lane?

ALERT FOR THIS WEEKEND: Just in from Washington State Ferries:

Expect heavy traffic Friday, July 19-Sunday, July 21 due to Vashon Island’s popular annual Strawberry Festival. Please plan ahead and arrive at the terminal early in order to make your desired sailing.

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Congratulations to West Seattle Baseball’s 11u All-Stars: Regional champions!
July 16, 2013 6:52 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

West Seattle is full of baseball talent! Another team has won a regional championship – as announced by West Seattle Baseball:

On Sunday, West Seattle Baseball‘s 11u all-star team team defeated the Spokane all-stars twice to win the PONY Northwest Regional Championship. As champions, West Seattle will represent the Northwest Region at PONY’s West Zone tournament in Walnut California beginning on Thursday. Victory in California leads to the PONY World Series in Virginia in August.

Above, from left to right, are: Jackson Sullivan, Cristian Eastey-Toledo, Joe Sullivan, Kellen Carr, Dominic Pangelinan, Aidan McCann, Isaiah Running, Reuben Gut, Isaac Ajeto, Isaac Renz, Max Debiec, Tom Gut, Will Gard, Peter Eastey. Not pictured: Nuh’kosi Roberson, Brandon Lick.

West Seattle’s tournament run also included victories over all-star teams from North Seattle, Maltby, Enumclaw, and South Sound. West Seattle fought through the loser’s bracket after an early loss to South Sound, 5-3. The rematch on Saturday night was one of the best baseball games that many parents have seen, featuring a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th inning by Isaac Ajeto to score Jackson Sullivan from second. Sullivan slid under the tag at the plate.

“It was hands-down the most exciting youth baseball game that I have seen,” said Marc McCann, parent and WS Baseball board member. “Of course, it helps to know each of these kids and to have watched them grow as people and players. It is a very special group.”

West Seattle Baseball was founded in 1958. It serves more than 500 players, ages 4-17, and their families each year. Programs include league play, all-star programs, summer developmental leagues, summer night sandlot games, winter training programs, and a variety of camps and clinics year-round. Follow the 11-y-o team in California on West Seattle Baseball’s Twitter feed: @westseabaseball.

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West Seattle Grand Parade 2013 countdown: Visitors from afar
July 15, 2013 11:01 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

We’re counting down all week to Saturday’s West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade (preceded again this year by two events in which you’re welcome to participate BEFORE watching the big parade – the Float Dodger 5K [registration info here] and the Rotary Club of West Seattle Kiddie Parade [participation info here]).

Tonight, parade coordinators – all volunteers – met at Post 160 to rough out the parade lineup. We observed for a while to pick up some tidbits about this year’s parade. For starters: Three far-flung participating groups are among the 70-plus entries. From 700 miles away, the Calgary Roundup Band, which won “Best Marching Band” in this parade two years ago, is returning.

(2011 Sequim float in Grand Parade, framegrab from WSB video)
From 70 miles away, the Sequim Irrigation Festival float will roll down California SW during the Grand Parade for the first time in a few years.

And once again this year, from 140 miles away, the Vancouver (B.C.) Police Motorcycle Drill Team will roar along the parade route, right after SPD’s own drill team.

The parade starts at 11 am Saturday; here’s the route. More previews as the countdown continues all week! And a reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday) night, one of this year’s community honorees, Orville Rummel Community Service Award winner Judy Pickens, will be formally feted during the West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park, a free event featuring the West Seattle Big Band, 7 pm Tuesday on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center/Park.

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City Council OKs money for 47th/Admiral signal, Fauntleroy ‘green boulevard’ design, 2 more school-zone speed cams
July 15, 2013 7:04 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. rallying at 47th/Admiral in 2011, with Councilmember Tom Rasmussen)
Money for a full traffic signal at 47th/Admiral, long sought by neighborhood leaders/advocates, won final approval from the City Council in a vote this afternoon, according to this announcement. It’s part of a spending plan for money saved from other projects; as reported here last month, the council made some changes in the original spending proposal from the mayor, who had proposed a technical study of a possible signal. The plan approved today also includes another $200,000 to continue designing the Fauntleroy Green Boulevard plan. And it includes money for added school-zone speed cameras on SW Roxbury, announced last month, near Roxhill Elementary and Holy Family School.

In a related action, a proposal to formalize the policy for spending speed-camera revenue on safety improvements was referred to a council committee. And it appears there’ll be a lot of that revenue unless people start slowing down; the text of the bill notes that while it was at one point projected the existing cameras, including the one for Fauntleroy Way SW near Gatewood Elementary, might bring in $800,000 this year, the projection has been revised to about $5 million. The policy is scheduled to be discussed and possibly voted on by the Government Performance and Finance Committee at City Hall this Wednesday morning at 9:30 am. Meantime, we’ll be checking with SDOT about the timeline for the 47th/Admiral signal now that the money’s apparently on the way.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 35th SW hit-run driver sought
July 15, 2013 4:14 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

If you’ve driven along 35th SW in the Westwood area today, you might have seen the aftermath of a hit-run crash early this morning: Around 3 am, four parked vehicles were hit in the 8800 block, just north of the Gasco station at SW Henderson, by what was described as a white SUV. It was last seen going eastbound on Henderson, according to police, who searched but didn’t find it. We photographed two of the hit vehicles (above) after hearing from area residents; then while writing this story, we heard directly from Nicole, who shared the photo of a third vehicle below, explaining all four belonged to members of her family (including one who was housesitting), and hoping someone can help solve the crime:

My niece’s KIA was hit first and then pushed up and along the rest of our vehicles, a large Ford pickup truck, white Toyota wagon, and a silver Isuzu pickup truck. Unfortunately most of our closest neighbors were also out of town. We are looking for any witnesses that didn’t come forward to the police when they were here this am.

Call 911 if you have any information about the hit-and-run vehicle and/or who was in it.

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Love Lincoln Park? Volunteer to be part of ‘Love Parks Day’
July 15, 2013 4:09 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Out of the WSB inbox – Seattle Parks is hoping for a big volunteer turnout at Lincoln Park on July 26th, less than two weeks away:

Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Parks Foundation, Green Seattle Partnership, EarthCorps and six corporate sponsors, including REI, have teamed up to host Love Parks Day on Friday, July 26, at Lincoln Park. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., volunteers will clean the park and remove invasive vegetation species.

The goal is to have 200 volunteers who will work with Seattle Parks and Recreation crews and Friends of Lincoln Park who have identified projects throughout this 135-acre park.

There will be incentives – read on:

Read More

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2 meetings tonight: Gatewood Elementary; West Seattle Women in Charge
July 15, 2013 3:32 pm
|    Comments Off on 2 meetings tonight: Gatewood Elementary; West Seattle Women in Charge
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

We didn’t get to publish a daily preview today, but here are two meetings of note:

GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY PRINCIPAL-HIRING PROCESS: 6:30 pm tonight at the school, a representative from Seattle Public Schools HR will lead a meeting about community input and priorities regarding the hiring of the school’s next principal. SPS’s Nathan Fitzpatrick “will lead our dialogue as well as give us information/answer questions about the hiring process, the make-up of the hiring team, etc.,” according to the meeting announcement. Gatewood parents are urged to attend. (If you missed the news, here’s our July 3rd story about principal Rhonda Claytor‘s move to a school outside West Seattle.)

WEST SEATTLE WOMEN IN CHARGE: This networking group for local business owners will meet at West Seattle Office Junction (5230-B California SW) at 7 pm tonight. “We will have wine & healthy snacks ready … so bring your business cards and more snacks to share, if you’d like,” says WSOJ proprietor Christine Bartels. Here’s the Facebook event page.

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Video: Mayor tours West Seattle with SPD, meets media for Q/A at Southwest Precinct
July 15, 2013 12:49 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle politics

(With the mayor: SW Precinct Capt. Joe Kessler, center, and Lt. Ron Smith, right)
After a tour of West Seattle with Seattle Police‘s West Seattle leadership, Mayor McGinn met the media (WSB and three TV stations showed up) this morning for a Q/A session outside the Southwest Precinct. He’s been doing this at every precinct; West Seattle was originally scheduled for July 5th, but breaking news that day elsewhere in the city forced a postponement to today. First, here’s our video of today’s entire 32-minute briefing/Q-A session with the mayor and precinct commander Capt. Joe Kessler:

We asked about something that was a hot topic on the post-Independence Day Friday when this event was originally scheduled – this year’s fireworks craziness, which was not just a West Seattle hot topic (we saw it come up on multiple neighborhood sites around the city, as well as sparking regional-media coverage). The mayor agreed there would need to be “a dialogue” before next Fourth of July, but also insisted “the community” would have to step up here, since it was beyond SPD’s ability to deal with possibly thousands of violations. We also asked about the status of the SPD surveillance cameras installed from Fauntleroy to Alki to Harbor Island and beyond (our coverage archive is here), which the mayor had said would not be activated until a “thorough public vetting” had taken place. The next step, he said, would be for “protocols” to go to the City Council, at which time there would be more public vetting; no timetable so far, though originally, when we first reported on this almost six months ago, SPD was working toward a March 31 target for activation.

While robbery and burglary numbers for the Southwest Precinct were higher in the first half of this year than a year earlier, Capt. Kessler said they had dropped in recent weeks due to some key arrests. Having reported some of those arrests here, we asked the mayor if his administration works with King County on issues such as prosecution of the suspects; he said they do. (No specifics.) Capt. Kessler also mentioned that SPD has changed up its Alki patroling strategy to some degree this summer, focusing on nighttime rather than daytime, and so far, no major problems. Alki was part of the tour the mayor took before the precinct Q/A; he said he also had visited High Point to talk about issues such as those raised at last week’s community meeting (WSB coverage here) and had been to the “Nickelsville” encampment – where, he said, the population has been going up, not down (we have heard a recent estimate of 170). On our video, you’ll also hear the mayor answering some non-WS questions asked by the TV crews.

The entire visit was pegged to a followup on the Safe Communities initiative, which included a meeting here in West Seattle nine months ago (WSB coverage here). A city staffer handed out paper copies of a handout with West Seattle-specific toplines on how concerns raised at that time had been dealt with since; we’re checking to see if we can get a digital copy to attach here.

ADDED: Here’s the aforementioned report.

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Admiralty House Antiques readies for liquidation sale July 26-28
July 15, 2013 10:35 am
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Every so often, we get a question about whether Admiralty House Antiques in The Admiral District is open or closed. Our somewhat tongue-in-cheek answer has usually been “yes.” But soon, the answer will be definitively “closed.” Chris Foss from Foss Estate Sales has announced that Admiralty House’s owner Fred Dau is retiring at age 97 after more than 45 years in business, and “has hired Foss Estate Sales to liquidate the inventory and all the store fixtures.” We stopped by Admiralty House (2141 California SW) this morning as Foss prepared for the sale, for a quick peek at some of the items (like those above) that Foss is cataloging. He says his photos and info will start appearing on this special webpage soon. The sale will run 8 am-4 pm Friday, July 26th, and 9 am-4 pm each of the following two days.

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Update: Carmela Dellino leaving Seattle Public Schools for city job
July 15, 2013 8:52 am
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

8:52 AM: Another West Seattle leadership change for Seattle Public Schools. In addition to six principal changes for the coming school year, all of the district’s West Seattle/South Park principals will have a new supervisor – Carmela Dellino (right) is leaving her job as the Executive Director of Schools for the Southwest Region after one year.

News of this first emerged in an open discussion on the Seattle Schools Community Forum website over the weekend (thanks to the WSB’ers who called that to our attention!); we have just confirmed it with Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Teresa Wippel. She tells WSB that Dellino, who was principal of West Seattle’s Roxhill Elementary School before taking the district management job, announced it in a note to co-workers. Here is an excerpt Wippel shared:

It is with mixed emotions that I send this email to all of you. After much reflection and discussion with my family, I have made the decision to pursue the opportunity to work for the City of Seattle and support the elementary schools that are the Family and Education Levy recipients.

Throughout the last five years I have truly enjoyed working with and learning from you. I feel honored to have worked with such an outstanding group of educators who are dedicated to closing the opportunity and achievement gaps. I experienced a great deal of joy over the last 5 years, serving the children, families, principals, staff, and communities of West Seattle and the southeast region. Additionally, my central office colleagues were always there for me and I am deeply appreciative of the support and guidance I received. Without a doubt, I learned so much from everyone. I look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with outstanding principals and educational teams in the committed efforts for ALL students’ success. I feel lucky that I can continue to be affiliated with many of you.

Thank you for your support, partnership and dedication to serving our students. I wish each and every one of you the very best.

Dellino’s appointment as this area’s Executive Director was announced almost exactly one year ago. That was one month after her predecessor in the role, Aurora Lora, announced she was leaving, after two years, for a job in Texas. SPS has not yet announced the plan for a replacement (or search for one). In each of the “regions” served by Seattle Public Schools, principals report to an Executive Director; here in what the district considers the Southwest Region, six of the 16 schools are changing principals for next year – Chief Sealth International High School, Madison Middle School, and Alki, Gatewood, Lafayette, and Sanislo Elementary Schools.

ADDED 4:42 PM: We sought more information about Dellino’s new job. We learned from the city that it’s a position as an Elementary School Innovation Consultant for the city’s Office for Education, working with schools that are receiving Innovation funds under the Families and Education Levy, and she’s expected to start in early August; it’s an existing position that became open when someone left recently.

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West Seattle Junction Neighborhood Organization to re-launch
July 15, 2013 8:24 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news


(Click image for full-size PDF view)
The neighborhood council for the areas at the epicenter of West Seattle’s major changes is getting ready to re-launch. The Junction Neighborhood Organization – JuNO – has been dormant a while for a variety of reasons, but is getting ready to re-launch – and making this call for involvement:

Do you live in the West Seattle Urban Hub? Do you love West Seattle and envision a beautiful Junction and Triangle community?

If yes, then you can join your West Seattle Junction Neighborhood Organization: JuNO!

JuNO is a community group from the Alaska Junction and Triangle neighborhoods who volunteer to make this neighborhood the best to live, work, and play in!

In 5 years, will we still have parades, street fairs, and Halloween at the Junction? Will we have enough parks and green space with the new developments? How can parking and beautification be addressed with the City? Can we preserve our community feel and manage density and development? JuNO is a neighborhood advocacy group that provides a voice for sensible growth. Join JuNO and be a part of shaping our growing community!

7/16 – Pre-Launch Meeting
Seeking interested individuals to be actively involved on the board and on committees … we will be forming a new leadership team for 2013!

7/23 – First Juno Meeting of 2013
Hot topics you want to discuss? Attend and let us know what matters most to you.

Both meetings will be held at the West Seattle Senior Center, 4217 SW Oregon, from 6:30-7:30 pm in the Alhadeff room.

We look forward to seeing you!

René Commons
Interim Director
wsjuno@yahoo.com

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-Summer Fest Monday
July 15, 2013 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-Summer Fest Monday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Junction streets and bus stops are back open after three spectacular days of fun at West Seattle Summer Fest – thanks yet again to everyone who made it happen, visitors included! Now, back to something resembling a routine … No announced closures/road work this week – but remember that next Saturday (July 20th) brings the Float Dodger 5K, Rotary Kiddie Parade, and West Seattle Grand Parade; we’ll talk about the accompanying changes/closures starting tomorrow.

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Outdoor music Tuesday: West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park
July 14, 2013 10:28 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival | West Seattle news

More major summer events ahead this week – starting with Tuesday night’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park. Bring a chair/blanket to the east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center/Park (the Walnut Avenue side) and enjoy the West Seattle Big Band at 7 pm Tuesday (July 16th). Hi-Yu royalty will be there – so, though the concert’s free, bring a few dollars if you can and buy a button to support the city’s last traveling community float (which you’ll subsequently see in next Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade). During a break in the music on Tuesday, you’ll also get a chance to applaud this year’s Orville Rummel Community Service Award honoree, local watershed advocate (and more) Judy Pickens, who will also be in the parade, with the trophy that’s being presented Tuesday. Hope to see you at the concert Tuesday – it’ll be a great way to cool down after a day that just might make it into the mid-80s.

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West Seattle weekend scene: ‘Mini STP’ bicycle ride
July 14, 2013 9:54 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to Don Brubeck from West Seattle Bike Connections for sharing photos from today’s “Mini-STP” bicycle ride – a family-friendly ride for those who didn’t make it to the Seattle-to-Portland megaride this weekend. Above, they gathered at Hamilton Viewpoint Park, near the Seattle (Street) start in North Admiral; below, the Portland (Street) stop in Gatewood:

Don reports, “About 30 riders made it from SW Seattle St to SW Portland Street in about an hour, and were at West Seattle Summer Fest in another 45 minutes and a nice easy pace.” Once there, a transportation discussion ensued at the GreenLife zone. You can see more photos on the WSBC Facebook page.

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Followup: Citizen-requested meeting on Alki ‘rowhouses’ Wednesday
July 14, 2013 8:03 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

The date is now set for a public meeting focusing on a proposed development project in Alki that would not have been the subject of a meeting if area residents hadn’t requested one. We first reported in April on neighbors gathering signatures to convince the city to schedule a meeting about 11 residential “rowhouse” units proposed at 2414 55th SW; then in May, we published a followup with word that the city agreed to host a meeting. Now, neighbor Marie McKinsey says the meeting is set for 6:30 pm this coming Wednesday, July 17th, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, “to give residents an opportunity to comment on the environmental impacts of the rowhouse project proposed … Comments can be written, oral or both. All will become part of the public record on this project.” McKinsey’s been researching the situation and writing about it online; she even maps out an alternative for the site. Everyone’s welcome at the Wednesday meeting, by the way; Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.

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West Seattle traffic-alert update: Bonair pole problem
July 14, 2013 5:51 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Photo courtesy Scott Taylor – thanks!)
5:51 PM: A power-pole problem – reported a few hours ago as “wires down” – has led police to block off Bonair just south of Alki Avenue (map), so you can’t turn onto Bonair from Alki, and you can’t get to Alki from Bonair. No ETA for a fix; we’ll check back at the scene later.

10:48 PM UPDATE: As of about half an hour ago, Luke Trier reports – sharing the photo below – the crew’s still “working tirelessly”:

11:14 PM UPDATE: An update from Luke – the crews are gone and it appears the pole’s fixed and the road’s open.

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West Seattle Summer Fest 2013: Sunday afternoon updates
July 14, 2013 12:41 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Even if you’ve already been to West Seattle Summer Fest this year, come on down one more time before it’s over! Thanks to Krista for sharing the top photo – “beautiful day in The Junction,” she noted; so true! Music, shopping, food, art, and more – it’s all here, until 5 pm. Art, by the way, is here to observe, to purchase, and to create – Jessie shared this photo from the kids’ area by Wells Fargo, where youth can create along with Young At Art:

For our quick links to info – see our first morning report. And we would love to share your festival photos too – share them by e-mail at editor@westseattleblog.com, or via the WSB Facebook page.

1:38 PM NOTE: From Don Bereiter at Prudential NW Realty (WSB sponsor), whose booth has a fun game to check out: “For every child that participates, we are donating a can of food to the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks. 979 so far. Come on out and help a great cause!” (added) Here’s Tom Root and Chariti McEndoe photographed late in the day – note the counter’s gone up:

2:40 PM UPDATE: The last musical act of the day, The Jellyrollers, is scheduled to start right about now. Earlier, we caught Jazzberry with a young fan up front:

Summer Fest has been a bit lighter on political visitors than past years, but we’ve seen two mayoral candidates so far at the Info Booth – Mayor Mike McGinn, talking with, at right, Dave Montoure and Nancy Woodland from the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce:

And State Sen. Ed Murray, photographed talking with Susan Melrose from the West Seattle Junction Association:

WSJA, by the way, presents Summer Fest every year. Meantime, outside West Seattle Optix, balloon-making was in full swing earlier:

And there’s still time to get down and meet representatives of businesses, organizations, and service providers – we photographed Lisa at the Highline Medical (WSB sponsor) booth, handing out reusable bags.

More to come in the final few hours!

3:42 PM UPDATE: Just got a chance to upload video from today’s first performance onstage – that’s Rat City Brass! The festival is still crowded yet mellow. SPD Lt. Ron Smith, who heads up the on-site Summer Fest patrol, tells us there have been no major problems (and few minor ones) throughout the three days. As for the rest of West Seattle – we’ll get an update tomorrow, when the Southwest Precinct hosts the mayor, as the precincts around the city have been doing, for the latest on the Safe Communities project.

4:35 PM UPDATE: Down to the last half-hour, already. Another politician visited a little while ago:

With County Executive Dow Constantine – who said he had been making the rounds of festivals, including Kent Cornucopia Days earlier in the day – that’s Hamilton Gardiner and Jerome Cohen with him, both in the Info Booth today as community volunteers representing the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce.

5:04 PM UPDATE: And Summer Fest is a wrap for 2013. Thanks to everyone who’s been part of it – whether visitor, vendor, exhibitor, performer, staffer, local year-round merchant, volunteer, law enforcer, sponsor, etc. … it’s been awesome. We’ll have an update later tonight when the streets reopen – it’ll take a few hours for cleanup/breakdown/loadout.

P.S. Just for fun, we have a photo album on the WSB Facebook page with some of the dogs spotted at Summer Fest – see it here.

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West Seattle Sunday: Summer Fest day 3; Farmers’ Market; more
July 14, 2013 9:13 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

11 am is the official start time today for the final day of West Seattle’s biggest event of the year, Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB). And there’s more on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for today. Here are the Sunday highlights, starting with festival-info links:

WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST, DAY 3: Toplines:

*Hours today – 11 am-5 pm

*Metro bus-stop changes, linked route-by-route here

*Music – Here’s (the lineup) – today’s first act is bound to be a highlight, Rat City Brass at 11:50 am; last scheduled act on the California stage is The Jellyrollers at 2:40 pm, but you’ll find musicians elsewhere during the day too – maybe even these two who were performing outside La Romanza Bistro (WSB sponsor) on Saturday (or catch them during La Romanza’s regularly scheduled musical meals):

*GreenLife: Find GreenLife on the south side of the festival zone; see the demonstration/event schedule here, with an encore of “Illuminatio – ‘Slavery of the System'” at 4 pm – here’s our Friday video snippet:

The GreenLife day begins with “Cooking in Season,” 11 am.

*Vendors/exhibitors: Here’s the directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)

*Map to booths: Vendors/exhibitors map is here (PDF; we’re not listed because WSB is headquartered in the Information Booth for the 6th consecutive year)

*Kid Zone: On Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be; $20 for unlimited rides all day; same hours as festival, 11 am-5 pm

*Food: On Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note “Sidewalk Cafes” too at )

*Art Dive: North side of the zone, north of SW Oregon

ALSO HAPPENING TODAY…

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Same hours, same spot! 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska – enjoy Summer Fest AND the market.

MINI-“STP” BIKE RIDE: Family-friendly, fun, AND headed for Summer Fest! Meet at Hamilton Viewpoint Park at 9:45 am; ride starts at 10 am. Traveling California SW from Seattle (Street) to Portland (Street). Then at 11 am, join a discussion about local greenways and more with West Seattle Bike Connections at the GreenLife zone at Summer Fest! Details in our calendar listing.

More on the WSB calendar!

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: Open for free tours, 1-4 pm today.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Sunday road/bus changes
July 14, 2013 7:03 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Sunday road/bus changes
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

It’s the third and final day of West Seattle Summer Fest, so, here again for quick reference are the road/bus-stop changes, as well as what’s up if you’re leaving the peninsula:

ROAD CLOSURES: For the festival, California SW is closed between Genesee and Edmunds (except for through traffic on SW Oregon) and along SW Alaska between 44th and 42nd.

METRO BUS CHANGES: All listed here; also, here are direct links to Metro’s PDFs with individual routes’ reroute info:
*RapidRide C Line
*Route 22
*Route 37
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)

While the festival is officially over at 5 pm, it takes hours more to get everything cleared, so the road/bus changes are officially scheduled until almost midnight (though things might get back to normal sooner, and we’ll be monitoring).

****

OFF-PENINSULA: The 520 Bridge/Highway 405 closure info is here; alerts for big events around the city are here.

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Congratulations to AC-Seattle: Soccer team makes finals
July 13, 2013 10:41 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

The women’s-soccer team that’s played its home games in Seattle this summer has made it to the finals of the Northwest playoffs! Thanks to Jissy for the photo and first word that AC Seattle won its match tonight, 1-0, over Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, to make it into the championship game, which will be played tomorrow (Sunday) night against Issaquah in Duvall. P.S.

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West Seattle Summer Fest 2013: Saturday night updates
July 13, 2013 6:54 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

We recorded Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands around 5 pm, just as West Seattle Summer Fest, night 2, began. Once again tonight, 8 pm is the official end time for booths and most activities), but some, like the community groups, have rolled up for the night. It’s been sunny all day and on into the evening, not too hot, a perfect Seattle summer Saturday.

ADDED 7:20 PM: Thanks to Will Wharton for sharing this photo via the WSB Facebook page – a police officer handing out stickers to kids at Summer Fest:

When you get 10,000 people in one place at one time, it’s no small task to help make sure things stay lively but peaceful. Meantime, speaking of lively, our crew is just back from recording some video during Hobosexual‘s performance. (added – here it is):

More big smiles we saw today – Anna was selling LED light-up bows at Forsythe Studio:

We have a few more Saturday scenes to add later. But it’s after 8 pm, and the booths are closing up – music continues until about 11, with the Street Dance, featuring Whisky River at 10 pm.

Two Sunday notes: Yes, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on as usual tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm; Summer Fest itself does not officially open until 11 am, and closes at 5 pm.

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About the police response near Lincoln Park
July 13, 2013 6:39 pm
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 |   West Seattle news

Thanks to Anne and Lawrence for the tips on a police response between Morgan Junction and Lincoln Park. We’ve talked to police here at West Seattle Summer Fest and they say there was a report of someone seen with what looked like a gun, going into the park, so police were searching at last report.

(Postscript – we asked about it on Sunday; it was determined to have been someone with an Airsoft gun.)

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Happening now: ‘Big Benefit for Big L’ at Skylark Café
July 13, 2013 5:04 pm
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 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Still time to get to Skylark Café to help friends and family raise money for Logan Wicker‘s recovery, post-crash (backstory in our report from earlier), continuing until 6 pm. Big turnout, and they were taking group shots displaying “L” for Logan.

Skylark proprietor Jessie SK tells us there’ll be a nighttime benefit later this month, with karaoke – watch for more details on that. There’s also donation information online at getrightlogan.com.

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