Since the Alki Statue of Liberty has been a touchstone on 9/11 ever since that first night-after in 2001, we visited late this morning to look for tributes. On the side visible from the street, a few bouquets had been placed, plus a small creation from stones; on the water side, a note, and stones arranged in the shape of a heart:

The note is a prayer, reading in part, “Help us to live with love rather than hate. Help us to forgive.” Meantime, we’ll check back this evening. While there was an organized, well-attended vigil last year (WSB coverage here) on the 10th anniversary of the deadly East Coast attacks, we haven’t heard of any official plans this year (please let us know if you have).

ADDED 4:00 PM: Photos and video – the troupe did a great job in a tough setting! Here’s the teacher/director with a few of his students just before the (invisible) curtain rose on “Midsummer Night’s Dream”:

We didn’t fire up the video camera fast enough to hear him shout the announcement of the “flash mob,” but here’s some video from the first few moments (as he explained to them on the sideline, lots of “ambient” noise):

No costumes or set – but a few props:

Well, OK, there was ONE bit of costumery:

The play was performed recently at school – one performance for their fellow students, one in the evening for parents/community.

Shakespeare has been a tradition in Mr. Parsley’s classes at Schmitz Park; he’s moving to K-5 STEM at Boren next year and told us recently he was hoping to take the tradition along.

Just wanna give you guys heads up that this afternoon between 4 & 4:30 my boyfriend working outside came in to find a note around our door knob giving us IMPORTANT notice that our “Chase” account needed attention. The notice was in both Spanish and English. The person walking door to door made not effort to speak with him as he was in the yard working thus leaving us to believe this is not a true important notice along with the fact that this was a at home printed note with no chase logo anywhere.

They arranged for last night’s vigil to happen at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza (here’s our as-it-happened coverage) – and this morning, Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum volunteers are literally picking up after it. While the flowers will remain, they’re collecting unretrieved keepsakes/tributes, as the museum is keeping an ongoing collection (including John Loftus‘s 9/11/01 photos) regarding the statue’s role as a touchstone in 9/11 mourning and memorializing. (Regular museum hours are Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, by the way, if you haven’t been lately.)

ORIGINAL 7:13 PM REPORT: Hundreds have gathered at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza as the day ends and the 9/11 10th anniversary vigil begins, at the site of so many vigils in the first few weeks after the attacks. Though it’s not dark yet, candles are being lit:

At right, looking at the tributes and memorials that have accumulated at the statue’s base during the day (our earlier report is here), is Vicki Schmitz-Block from Fauntleroy. We’re told there is no formal program – you can just come down to remember and look back, as this solemn anniversary makes way to night. At least two TV stations are here too.

7:24 PM: A round of “America the Beautiful” has broken out – and then applause. This event was organized by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, whose Clay Eals has been showing their 9/11 memory album to visitors:

And now, they’re singing the national anthem, loudly, proudly. Some are waving small flags. One woman is wrapped in a flag-pattern sweater. … “Amazing Grace” followed, as did other songs, including “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” (update: here’s the video):

7:48 PM: It’s getting dark enough for the candlelight to stand out, ringing the base of the statue (which was recast four years ago and unveiled here on September 11, 2007; the plaza was built around it the following year, and dedicated in September 2008). Rev. Randy Leskovar of West Seattle’s Calvary Chapel offered a prayer. Absent a formal program, people are coming and going, and probably will for a while.

8:10 PM: Still at least 60 or 70 people gathered. More candles, and quiet tributes, and a luminaria bearing a wish:

ADDED LATE SUNDAY NIGHT: More photos:

A memorable sunset graced the event:

Some attendees wore their tributes:

The tributes were considered by young and old:

There was always room for another candle:

And in the end, there were dozens:

These first two photos are from September 11th, 2001, when the first night after the 9/11 attacks brought the first gathering at Alki’s Statue of Liberty, and they are by John Loftus. He thinks he might have been the only person to take photos that night.

John tells WSB, “I had an early (2 megapixel) digital camera and was able to shoot discreetly without using flash. The objects left at the Statue of Liberty have been extensively photographed, but I don’t know that there are other photos capturing the images and mood of the people at the shrine that same night it happened. When the Log House Museum did a show on the 1st anniversary, one of my photos was blown up 6 feet long, I recall.” Today, John placed a framed poster at Liberty Plaza, with a collage of his photos. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand captured an image of it this morning, even before we heard from him about it; we published a wide shot this morning, but here’s a closer view:

He says he visited the Log House Museum 9/11 display this afternoon and that his photos were indeed the only ones in the album from that first night. Meantime, tonight’s vigil, organized by the museum, is coming up at the top of the hour (7 pm).

Tonight, the Alki Statue of Liberty will again be a gathering place, to remember, and to hope, as it was a decade ago. This morning, tributes are already there – including this poem:

As shown here earlier this week, Alki’s Lady Liberty is holding a flag for the occasion. Across the street, a large flag went up this morning:

Tonight’s vigil is at 7 pm, sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, whose 9/11 exhibit is viewable today from noon till 7, just a block south at 61st/Stevens. (photo added 1:48 pm)

Other West Seattle/White Center commemorations are on this list.

(September 2001 photo by David Hutchinson)
If you were here in September 2001, it is an indelible memory – the gatherings, the tributes, the luminaria at the Alki Statue of Liberty. Right around this time tomorrow, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, a candlelight vigil (organized by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum) will again bring people together to pay tribute, to remember, and to look ahead. But that is not the only West Seattle/White Center event tomorrow commemorating the anniversary; in case you haven’t seen it yet, we wanted to call your attention one more time to the running list we’ve been keeping of all the events we know of, tomorrow morning, afternoon and evening. See the list here; please let us know if you notice something missing, so that we can add it before it’s too late (editor@westseattleblog.com) – thank you.

With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 just a few days away, the West Seattle spot that became a regional touchstone is ready for candlelight-vigil visitors on Sunday night. David Hutchinson shares a new photo of the Alki Statue of Liberty, with this update:

The Alki Community Council would like to thank Seattle Parks & Recreation for completing the fall maintenance of the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza in time for this weekend’s 9/11 10th anniversary memorial. This afternoon, Tiffany Hedrick, of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, completed cleaning and waxing the statue and hung the flag provided by the SW Seattle Historical Society.

As previously noted, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum is hosting a candlelight vigil at the plaza starting at 7 pm Sunday night. Our partners at the Seattle Times have just published a preview, noting that the museum plans to bring to the plaza, just for the occasion, some of what it collected from the hundreds of tribute/memorial items left there in the days/nights after the attack. Several other tribute/memorial/remembrance events are planned in West Seattle/White Center; we have just added two more to the list (see it here, and please let us know if you have something to add – thank you).

P.S. WSB Forums members are sharing their 9/11/2001 memories in this thread, if you’re interested in contributing.

The sun is setting on the Alki Community Council Brick & Plaque Sale. Orders have been placed for an additional 154 engraved bricks and 2 bronze Tribute Plaques. Seattle Parks & Recreation will be installing these by late May or early June. Donations from this portion of the sale totaled $20,410. The ACC is allowed to retain a small fiscal sponsor fee and is responsible for paying for the engraving of the bricks and casting of the plaques. The remaining amount will be turned over to Seattle Parks & Recreation, to be placed in a dedicated maintenance fund for the future upkeep of the Alki Statue of Liberty and the surrounding plaza. Last year, $35,566.22 was transferred to Parks for this fund.

An additional 22 bricks have been sold for installation this fall. This means that less than 30 bricks and only 2 plaques are available. When these are sold, the sale will be concluded. Be sure and stop by the ACC table at today’s Summer Streets event. Order forms for the remaining bricks and plaques will be available. The Council would like to thank those who have supported this effort over the years.

David & Eilene Hutchinson
ACC Brick & Plaque Sales

Alki Community Council‘s volunteer work party at Statue of Liberty Plaza, featured in this morning’s preview, is now a case of “mission accomplished,” reports David Hutchinson (who also shared the photo):

The Alki Community Council wants to thank the dedicated volunteers who came this morning to the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. The Council sponsored this event to assist Seattle Parks & Recreation in replanting the landscaped areas surrounding the Plaza. Fortunately, the rain held off and, working under the direction of Parks Senior Gardener Phil Renfrow, the planting was completed by 10 am. Parks will be adding mulch in the next few weeks. The new plants were purchased with money from the Parks-administered maintenance fund, created with the proceeds from the ongoing ACC sale of engraved bricks and bronze plaques.

The plaza itself came to life thanks to a lot of volunteer power 2 1/2 years ago!

(Photo by Eilene Hutchinson)
Over the weekend, Alki’s David Hutchinson shared a photo of the debris tossed onto the Alki park and shore by the wild wind-whipped waves (second-to-last image here). Tonight, he sends word of a cleanup at the plaza – and the latest on brick sales, which help pay for maintenance:

Today, volunteers from the Alki Community Council removed sand and other materials deposited on the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza by Saturday’s windstorm. The ACC agreement with Seattle Parks & Recreation makes a commitment to provide volunteer work parties to help with the maintenance of the Plaza. Parks will be replanting the landscape beds surrounding the Plaza in the coming months making use of funds from the sale of bricks and plaques the ACC has turned over to the City. Only 90 additional bricks are available and orders received by April 1st will be installed by Parks in late May or early June. Orders received after that date will be installed in the fall. Go to www.sealady.org or e-mail libertyplaza@msn.com for additional information.

The Alki Community Council would like to thank all those who have supported the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza this past year through the purchase of engraved bricks and plaques. Seattle Parks & Recreation has notified us that our most recent order for 168 additional bricks arrived at their warehouse in West Seattle last week. Now that the recent cold weather has moderated, Parks will be determining a date for installing them in the Plaza. This will bring the total number of engraved bricks installed to over 2,700. In accordance with our agreement with the Plaza designers, to preserve the spiral pattern on the main plaza floor, only about 130 bricks remain available for sale. Bricks will be installed each spring and fall until this supply is exhausted.

Order forms may be picked up from the info boxes at the Plaza or downloaded from the Sealady website at: www.sealady.org/brickform.pdf

There are also 4 bronze Tribute Plaques available for sale. Information on these can be obtained at: www.sealady.org

Proceeds from the sale of the bricks and plaques are turned over to Seattle Parks & Recreation, and are placed in a dedicated fund that is used to maintain the Statue and Plaza. By the end of this year, the ACC will have raised almost $40,000 for this fund.

Thanks again for your support, and we wish everyone a happy holiday season.