(File photo, courtesy West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails)

This year’s series of free guided hikes hosted by the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group starts one week from today! Here’s their invitation for you:

Hike nearby in the largest contiguous forest in Seattle. The West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group will resume our popular guided hikes in the greenbelt on third Saturday mornings during the spring, summer, and fall. The first one is April 20. All meet and start at 9:30 a.m. at the south parking lot of Pathfinder K-8 School, 1901 SW Genesee Street.

Hike up to three miles and/or two hours based on group ability and trail conditions. The choice of trails may vary each month, usually on a mixture of maintained and less maintained trails. For more information, see wdgtrails.com.

A favorite springtime family event is coming up fast – one week from tomorrow, the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) presents this year’s Healthy Kids Day. Just out of the WSB inbox, this year’s official announcement:

The YMCA of Greater Seattle is thrilled to announce its annual Healthy Kids Day® event, which will be held on April 20, beginning at 10 a.m. This event will be held across 12 locations throughout Greater Seattle [including West Seattle]. As a free event open to the public, the Healthy Kids Day® event provides many family-friendly activities to foster healthy kids and families and ensure a vibrant and healthy kickoff to the upcoming summer season.

The sponsors of this year’s event are centered around transforming fun and play into lasting memories. Attendees can look forward to engaging in activities that promote health and wellness among children and their families. The activities vary by location. Families can expect snack ideas, water safety, sports challenges, bounce houses, and arts and crafts.

Loria Yeadon, CEO of YMCA Greater Seattle, shared her thoughts on this event: ” Children must remain engaged in physical and mental activities throughout the summer months. At the YMCA, we’re passionate about providing families with the resources to develop and maintain healthy habits all year. Healthy Kids Day is a signature free event encouraging families to explore and participate in many fun, healthful Y activities, fostering community connection and wellness. If you don’t have a Y membership, this is a perfect time to join and get the entire family moving and connected with your neighbors in the community. Join us!”

The West Seattle Y is at 36th/Snoqualmie [map], and Healthy Kids Day events are usually indoor and outdoor, depending on the weather; membership is not required to participate.

(Course map, from Emerald City Ride website)

Planning to join the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Emerald City Ride across the West Seattle Bridge and beyond on May 5, but haven’t registered yet? If you sign up by Thursday (April 11th), you can get your packet by mail instead of having to pick it up. We first told you one month ago about the Emerald City Ride, which will close the westbound side of the high bridge for a few hours that Sunday morning so riders can cross as part of a route that starts and ends in SODO, with other West Seattle streets along the way. See the course map here; the full ride is 20 miles, but there are shorter options. You can go here to register.

(Photos by Jason Grotelueschen)

As we’ve been previewing, this is the biggest day on the calendar for egg hunts – and perhaps the biggest every year is the one sponsored by Eastridge Church in Lincoln Park‘s south meadow. It drew a crowd as usual:

Along with the eggs, the church brought inflatables, for post-hunt bouncing:

Pics to come later from the High Point Community Center egg hunt. And there’s still one hunt to go on today’s calendar – at Ounces, 3 pm, 3809 Delridge Way SW. Tomorrow, as featured on our list, several local churches offer egg hunts adjacent to their Easter Sunday services, too.

(Course map, from Emerald City Ride website)

While we’re talking about the West Seattle Bridge, here’s a reminder – you can see it up close and personal from a bicycle in just six weeks. We first told you two weeks ago about the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Emerald City Ride, which will close the westbound side of the high bridge for a few hours on Sunday morning, May 5, so riders can cross as part of a route that starts and ends in SODO, with other West Seattle streets along the way. (See the course map here. The full ride is 20 miles, but there are shorter options.) Cascade is sponsoring WSB right now to advertise the ride, with registration still open – go here to sign up! Register by April 11 to get your packet by mail instead of having to pick it up.

(File photo)

Another look ahead to the weekend – Sunday (March 24) brings the first community egg hunt of the season. This one is presented by the Fauntleroy Community Association, which is doing it a bit differently this year – be at the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW) playground at 1 pm Sunday; the hunting will happen in waves, with the littlest ones (4 and under) going first. At last report FCA is still looking for volunteers to help fill and hide the eggs earlier on Sunday, so if you might be able to help with that, email coordinator Candace Blue at the address you’ll find here.

All the rest of the community egg hunts are next weekend – Saturday, March 30, and Easter Sunday, March 31 – and we’ve updated the full list here. (If you know of one that’s not listed, please send us the info – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!)

Two weeks from today, school gets out for spring break for many local kids. For families still looking at options, here’s a nonprofit West Seattle day camp with room: DNDA is offering EcoArts Spring Nature Camp for students ages 7-12.

(DNDA images from camp flyer)

It will run 9 am-3 pm daily, Monday, April 8, through Friday, April 12, with before- and/or after-care options. The camp will be based at DNDA’s Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), with a field trip to Camp Long to learn rock climbing. You can register here – the deadline is March 31.

(Last year’s spring-equinox event)

After a record-for-the-date high temperature Saturday (74) and more 70-degree weather today, you might feel like spring has already arrived. But it’s not here officially until the equinox moment – 8:06 pm Tuesday (March 19) – which will be immediately preceded by an only-in-West Seattle way to celebrate: Change-of-seasons sunset watch with expert skywatcher/educator Alice Enevoldsen. Alice will be at Solstice Park (uphill from the tennis courts at 7400 Fauntleroy Way SW) starting at 6:30 pm Tuesday; the official sunset time is 7:22 pm, but the sun is likely to vanish behind the Olympics around 7 pm. Alice has been leading these gatherings for 15+ years, and it’s a fun way both to find out what exactly “equinox” (or solstice, during winter/summer) means, as well as seeing why Solstice Park has its name (being there right at sunset – providing the sun’s not obscured by clouds – is a must).

(2022 photo of eggs awaiting Fauntleroy Community Association hunt – photo from volunteer Al)

Almost time for a spring tradition. From Fauntleroy to North Delridge, this year families have at least six West Seattle egg hunts to choose from. One even has a chaser of legendary burgers. Here’s what we have so far:

SUNDAY, MARCH 24 – FAUNTLEROY: The Fauntleroy Community Association starts the season on the playground at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW), 1-2 pm Sunday, March 24. This one will happen in two waves – first the little ones 4 and under, then the older kids. Eggs will contain non-candy “treasures,” promises FCA. And if you can help – “join coordinator Candace Blue and Scott Wiesemann at an egg-stuffing party or help hide the eggs. Email her at blueyvette47@gmail.com for specifics and to volunteer.”

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – LINCOLN PARK: Eastridge Church is again promising thousands of eggs and inflatables for bouncing when it takes over the park’s south meadow, 10 am. (Fauntleroy Way SW/SW Cloverdale)

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS (4001 44th SW): 10 am, “come enjoy an Easter egg hunt, spring-themed activities, and an Easter Message!”

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – SEATTLE PARKS & REC: The city is offering three West Seattle egg hunts this year:
–Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW), March 30, 10 am
–High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), March 30, 10 am
–Roxhill Park field (29th SW/SW Barton), March 30, noon

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – OUNCES + DICK’S TRUCK (3809 Delridge Way SW): The annual Beer Garden Easter Egg Hunt is back at Ounces at 3 pm, followed by the Dick’s Drive In burgers-and-shakes truck 4-7 pm. (Update: Ounces says truck canceled – a hot-dog food truck will be there instead)

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 – CHURCHES WITH EGG HUNTS: See our services list for church-by-church specifics and locations:
-Admiral Church
-Alki UCC
-Bethany Community Church
-Fauntleroy UCC
-St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church
-West Side Presbyterian Church

Anyone else? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – so we can add you to the list!

(Course map, from Emerald City Ride website)

The westbound West Seattle Bridge will be briefly bicycles-only one morning in May as part of the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Emerald City Ride. This big in-city ride is returning this year for the first time since pre-pandemic 2019. It usually includes a stretch of major highway infrastructure – past examples have included the Highway 520 floating bridge and I-5 express lanes – and this year for the first time, that’ll be the high bridge. This is set for Sunday, May 5th, a 20-mile route that starts (at 7 am) and ends in the SODO Stadium District, outbound over the West Seattle Bridge and around Alki, to Fauntleroy, through Delridge, then returning over the low bridge. (See the course map here.)

We just talked to Cascade’s executive director Lee Lambert and media-relations manager Paul Tolmé about the ride plan. On the morning of the ride, they’ll close the bridge, plus southbound 99 from the stadium zone to the bridge onramp, from starting at 5:30. Riders start at 7, in waves, and bridge access closes at 8; all riders have to be off the bridge by 9, and the bridge will reopen by 9:30. Those are the only road closures – once off the bridge, Lambert says, it’s “rules of the road,” though he notes, “There’ll be a LOT of bicycles.” How many? Tolmé says they’re expecting at least 2,000 riders; Lambert says they’re capped at 4,000. In addition to the full 20-mile route, there’ll be shorter options, too, 7 to 10 miles. Registration opens next Tuesday (March 12) at 10 am.

Both of these West Seattle Sunday events are before The Big Game, so you can go to one or both and watch football too:

FAMILY DISCO PARTY: 10 am Sunday at South Seattle College‘s Brockey Center (6000 16th SW), the West Seattle Cooperative Preschools present a community “Family Disco Party.” It’s a full hour of all-ages dancing with DJ Baby Van Beezly (and glow sticks!). Tickets are $10/person; all proceeds go to the Co-op Preschool Scholarship Fund and community parent-education programming. The campus café will be open special hours before and after the dance party for breakfast/brunch treats and coffee/beverages. Tickets are available online – go here.

FAT SUNDAY PARTY: Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill) invites everyone to come celebrate the Sunday before Fat Tuesday with a New Orleans lunch and jazz concert – free! Lunch is at 11:30 am, music with Tobi Stone and friends is at 12:30 pm. On the menu: make-your-own muffaletta bar, red beans and rice (sausage optional), virgin hurricanes, and King Cake. No admission charge but do RSVP here.