West Seattle Blog... » Fun stuff to do

Video: Seattle Summer Streets, & spring showers, at Alki

WSB — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:51:56 +0000

(Have we ever had a sunny “car-free day”? Our archive check, at end of this story)

The summery weather we’ve seen recently did not stick around for the 2012 edition of Seattle Summer Streets (“car-free day”) on Alki. But if Sarah from the Log House Museum can brave the showers to answer your questions about West Seattle history and museum happenings, you can certainly come down, with umbrella if necessary, and check out what’s up between 63rd and 56th SW, closed all day – right? Here’s the list of events, performances, and activities.

ADDED 1:03 PM: Another reason to come down – bring canned food to donate to the Seattle’s Healthiest Canned-Food Pyramid!

At right, with volunteers, that’s Fran Yeatts of the West Seattle Food Bank. The pyramid started with donations from Metropolitan Market and PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsors) among other businesses. It’s right in front of Tully’s on Alki. Meantime, if you find the Seal Sitters west of 61st, you can enter the raffle for this little guy:

Summer Streets continues till 5 pm; upcoming events include a bike parade at 2.

2:16 PM UPDATE: The rain has stopped – perfect time to come down. Still overcast but very bright. We arrived back at the beach to find a pickup ballgame in the street:

And then the bike parade!

Music in two places – Alki Arts (where proprietor Diane Venti has artists doing live demonstrations, too).

That’s The Brian and Janie Show – till 3. There’s also a stage in the bike lane at 61st and Alki. And more community groups – we think the Morgan Community Association banner, shown off by president Deb Barker, is the best we’ve seen, given today’s weather:

Just east of 62nd SW, Cindi Barker (no relation to Deb) is at the West Seattle Be Prepared tent – never too young for kids to start learning about preparedness!

2:56 PM UPDATE: At the east end of the closure zone, you’ll find activities including basketball:

At the 61st stage, Sarey Savy is singing, with DJ accompaniment (concluding with a cover of Justin Bieber’s “Boyfriend”). And the SPD parking enforcement officers are goofing off by drawing a chalk outline in the street – no wait, it’s something more:

The big yellow MaxMobile is here now, too, by the west end of the 63rd-56th closure zone, with adoptable pets.

4:49 PM: Minutes to go till this year’s event ends. Near the parking officers’ chalk creation, others drew a word full of optimism:

By and by!

5:17 PM P.S. Since the gray, damp weather was the big story, we checked back on coverage of previous years (since we have always published “as-it-happens” coverage for this event), and here’s what our photos show:
*May 22, 2011 – cloudy
*May 23, 2010 - started cloudy, some clearing later in the day
*May 31, 2009 – cloudy till the last hour
*The only truly sun-soaked “car-free day” was the first one – before SDOT changed the name to “Summer Streets” – September 7, 2008 – here’s the proof

Reminder: West Seattle 5K Sunday morning, Summer Streets all day – see the activity list!

WSB — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:59:03 +0000

(Till the morning preview is published, this reminder will stay atop the home page)

One more reminder – Harbor and Alki Avenues will be closed from Don Armeni to 63rd SW all Sunday morning because of the West Seattle 5K (co-sponsored by WSB), and then afterward, starting around 11 am, traffic will remain restricted to residents from Don Armeni to the start of the actual Seattle Summer Streets closure at 56th. That lasts until 5 pm. And the city now has an extensive list of what activities you’ll find tomorrow and where – see it here (PDF). There’s also an Alki bus detour map – see that here (PDF). And even if you’re not signed up for the West Seattle 5K, just show up at the Alki Bathhouse starting at 8 am for last-minute registration.

West Seattle weekend scene: Pack 793′s derby & ‘dogs

WSB — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:01:46 +0000

West Seattle’s Cub Scout Pack 793 was on the fast track to fun Saturday evening at Holy Rosary, with its annual Pinewood Derby – which troop leaders also hoped to use as a springboard to wider community involvement in a bigger derby later this year. Check out the vehicle lineup:

And it wasn’t just a derby, it was dinner too – here are Dylan and Daniel, on the hot-dog crew:

Interested community members/businesses were offered the chance to sign up for the bigger event ahead – once there’s more information to share about that, we’ll publish an update. Pack 793, by the way, is online – here.

Summer Concerts at Hiawatha’s 2012 lineup, and other Admiral Neighborhood Association notes

WSB — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:37:01 +0000

(The crowd for 2011′s appearance by Caspar Babypants, who’s in the concert series again this year)
The big news from tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, led by vice president Karl de Jong – the music lineup for this year’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha. As announced at the meeting (held as usual in the lower-level meeting room of Admiral Congregational Church), chosen from more than 60 applicants, by ANA president Katy Walum with help from ANA treasurer Ann Limbaugh and Hiawatha Community Center’s Tiffani Melake – “We listened to a LOT of music,” said Ann:

JULY 26 – The Local Strangers

AUGUST 2 – Mark Dufresne

AUGUST 9 – Reilly and Maloney

AUGUST 16 – The Braxmatics (this show is at Alki Beach)

AUGUST 23 – Caspar Babypants

AUGUST 30 - Curtains For You

The ANA’s website will have even more information about the concert series soon (if it’s not already there by the time you see this).

More on this topic and others, including this year’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade and local park issues, ahead:

There was some discussion of how many banners promoting the series should be put up around Admiral, and where. The concerts are so popular, some wondered if banners were needed, especially considering the cost. Others pointed out that it’s a “point of pride” to announce, even to those passing through Admiral on the way to Alki, that Admiral is home to this series.

FOURTH OF JULY KIDS’ PARADE IS ON! Longtime parade organizer Sherri Chun came to the meeting to say they have their permits (for both briefly closing streets along the route in North Admiral, and for using Hamilton Viewpoint Park for games and concessions afterward) – two porta-potties, popsicles (ANA has that concession), good weather, nothing’s changing! West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival royalty will be there as always. They haven’t locked in a keynote speaker yet.

ADMIRAL DISTRICT BUSINESS ASSOCIATION: David Whiting, who was ANA’s catalyst liaison in working with local merchants to get the association off the ground, reported on last night’s meeting. He said about eight business reps were in attendance and talked about, among other things, what other events the group might be involved with, beyond the annual trick-or-treating event and having worked with Life Care Center of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) on this year’s well-attended Easter-egg hunt.

SPEAKING OF PARKS … PARKS Q/A: Carol Baker from Seattle Parks was invited for an informal Q/A. She talked about cleanup/restoration operations at Hamilton Viewpoint and landscaping that’s “in transition” as they strive for permanent plantings that won’t block the view. She was asked about litter problems at the park, and she talked about how Parks is trying to “balance” its litter/recycling operations – minimizing the amount of cans doesn’t necessarily mean more litter outside cans, she explained – sometimes the cans themselves become litter magnet in ways you wouldn’t expect. Asked why Parks didn’t have more recycle-only cans, she said budget cuts – last year, 20 percent reduction in maintenance – mean they can’t afford to keep sending out the separate truck runs that it would take for both trash and recycling pickup. Regarding litter problems, even putting out extra bags didn’t turn out to be a solution, Baker explained – “they started disappearing.” Security issues were discussed too. One attendee asked why some private citizens have keys to park gates; there are some park volunteers who have taken on that role, according to Baker. After she left, ANA members discussed some ways of possibly helping out – such as, when they have Adopt-A-Street events, if there are enough volunteers, sending some to Hamilton Viewpoint.

OTHER TOPICS: There were recaps of this month’s Southwest District Council meeting and the April 21st Gathering of Neighbors. We also were invited to speak for a few minutes about this Saturday’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day; your editor here, speaking with WSCGSD organizer hat on, pointed out that the event was “born” in Admiral – the now-shuttered nonprofit Megawatt was based in a California SW storefront across from Hiawatha when, inspired by the longrunning Greenwood Garage Sale Day, it was inspired to start one for West Seattle. Megawatt presented it three times before closing in fall of 2007; WSB took it over and has been presenting WSCGSD since May 2008 – this is “our” fifth one! We also noted that the Admiral area alone has at least 60 sales, including benefits such as the West Seattle High School Girls’ Basketball Team fundraising sale and Muttley Crew Cuts’ sale to raise money for English Springer Rescue (including hot dogs!). If you haven’t already checked out the maps (clickable/zoomable and printable versions), just go here – the big day is 9 am-3 pm this Saturday (May 12th).

Admiral Neighborhood Association meets on second Tuesdays, 7 pm, at Admiral Congregational Church.

Happening now: Healthy Kids Day at West Seattle Y HQ

WSB — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:43:41 +0000

It’s the kids who are supposed to be having all of the fun … but you’re never too old to be a kid, we guess, like the West Seattle Y‘s Josh Sutton in the dunk tank in the early going at the Y’s Healthy Kids Day funfest, till 1 pm at their 36th/Snoqualmie HQ in The Triangle. The inflatable obstacle course is up and running too:

Though this year’s theme is Western – and we did hear a lot of hootin’ and hollerin’ – we also bumped into … Space Ghost?

West Seattle is one of 10 area Y’s celebrating Healthy Kids Day today, and as part of it, joining fees are waived all weekend – if you’re thinking about joining the Y (which we should note is a longtime WSB sponsor), keep in mind that they’re offering facility tours during HKD too (and other indoor activities, so what you see outside the Y today is just part of what’s happening).

West Seattle 5K: Sign up before discount rate runs out!

WSB — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:54:39 +0000

(WSB photo from 2011 West Seattle 5K)
Run with your dog! Run with your kids! Your parents! (You can walk too, of course …) Three weeks from Sunday, the West Seattle 5K steps up to the starting line in Alki as the first half of an always-fun day, followed by car-free Seattle Summer Streets along a few blocks of beachfront Alki Avenue SW. WSB is proud to have co-sponsored the West Seattle 5K since its very first year, and it’s always cool to cover, too, especially if YOU are there. If you haven’t already registered, the earlybird rate expires next Thursday, so you might as well sign up now – then join the fun at 9 am Sunday, May 20th.

Continuing tomorrow: Rock and Gem Show; Green Home Tour

WSB — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 02:37:34 +0000

That’s Logan, and he’s proof the West Seattle Rock Club‘s annual Rock and Gem Show is for all ages – whether you’re helping out, as he is, or just visiting. Interactive, too. If you missed it today, the show (no admission charge!) continues 10 am-6 pm tomorrow at the Alki Masonic Lodge, 40th/Edmunds.

Activities as well as exhibits – and a silent auction, too, according to the official show info. Another free event you can enjoy in its second day tomorrow, the Seattle Green Home Tour, with four West Seattle stops, including the LD Arch Design (WSB sponsor) “Lemon Drop Addition”:

That’s architect Parie Hines and landscape designer Keri DeTore (yes, same KDT who also writes for WSB!), who is working on a “green roof” for the chicken coop. Here’s the Green Home Tour map with all four West Seattle sites (and one not too far away):

If you want to check out tour sites outside West Seattle, our preview story has a link to the Seattle-wide site, as well as lots more info on the WS stops. Tomorrow’s hours are 10 am-4 pm.

West Seattle Easter weekend: Saturday egg-hunt lineup

WSB — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:58:04 +0000

in case you haven’t seen them all on the remodeled WSB West Seattle Events calendar, there are FIVE egg hunts tomorrow, including the big new combined West Seattle Community Centers mega-event- remember that big combined event REPLACES the individual centers’ egg hunts from past years:

(Louisa, photographed at the 2011 Thriftway egg hunt)
West Seattle Thriftway Easter Egg Hunt, 9 am Saturday, ages 1-10. More than 50,000 eggs. Free; 4201 SW Morgan (California/Fauntleroy).

Life Care Center of West Seattle Easter Egg Hunt, 11 am Saturday. Easter Bunny photos too, and they’re expecting to have a local fire engine as well! Free; 4700 SW Admiral Way.

Eastridge Church Easter Egg Hunt at Lincoln Park, 11 am Saturday. Also includes games, bouncy slide. Free.

West Seattle Community Centers’ Spring Egg Hunt (and more!) event (follow that link for the COMPLETE schedule), 11:30 am-3 pm Saturday. Egg hunts for all ages, bouncy rides, Caspar Babypants concert. New this year – a West Seattle-wide event replacing the previous years’ concurrent egg hunts at multiple centers. $3/person in advance (buy wristband at West Seattle/South Park community centers), $5 same-day (yes, we and readers have been told, a wristband is needed for adults as well as kids), Southwest Athletic Complex, 2801 SW Thistle.

Villa Heidelberg Easter Tea and Children’s Egg Hunt, 2 pm Saturday. Reservations required – call 206-938-3658 (4845 45th SW).

‘Think Outside the Car’ launch April 28: Bike rodeo, food trucks…

WSB — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:15:26 +0000

The local family-oriented sustainability group CoolMom has been working on this for months, and now it’s about to launch – its Think Outside the Car project. They’re planning an event at Westside School (WSB sponsor) on April 28th that will have a festival flavor, with a kids’ bicycle rodeo, live music, and even food trucks. Read on for the announcement:

When you put Earth Day together with a neighborhood matching grant, you get a whole lot of fun! On Saturday, April 28th from 10 am-2 pm, Westside Elementary School will be the center of the car-free universe in an event designed to get West Seattleites using their bike pedals instead of their gas pedals.

The Cascade Bicycle Club will challenge kids to a bike rodeo in which children will get to show off their mad biking skills while learning bicycle safety tips. Children of all ages will have the chance to use the solar-powered Undriving license station where they can get their very own undriver’s license with a promise to try the bus or walk to school. Children will also decorate their bikes and have the opportunity to participate in two parades. Bike Works will be collecting bikes for donation and providing some ‘how tos’ on bike maintenance. Lumpia World and Athena’s food trucks will be selling their delicious food and Bottlerocket will provide live musical entertainment and serenade our kid parades!

CoolMom will be on hand to showcase their Think Outside the Car project, arriving in West Seattle by bike, walking school bus and mass transit this Spring. Think Outside the Car, funded by a City of Seattle Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, is designed to build community, improve air quality and save West Seattleites money. Festival attendees can learn more about this project from the participating organizations, including CoolMom, Feet First, BikeWorks, the Cascade Bicycle Club, Sustainable West Seattle and Undriving.

The event’s page on the CoolMom website is here.

Happening now, continuing tomorrow: Tibbetts, WSPC sales

WSB — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:01:12 +0000

Garage/rummage-sale fans converged on West Seattle’s two mega-sales as soon as the doors opened at nine this morning. Above, the wide view of just one of the rooms full of stuff on sale at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), 3940 41st SW – you’ll also find items like sports gear and furniture outside, including this eye-catching chair:

Tibbetts’ sale continues till 4 pm today, and will run again 9 am-3 pm tomorrow. (If you like to plan ahead, check out the Christmas-decorations table by the stage!)

Just a few blocks away, at 3601 California SW, West Side Presbyterian Church is in full sale swing too:

Theirs also spans multiple rooms – you will be offered a map as you step inside. And as is always the case with rummage/garage sales, you can find “they don’t make ‘em like that” type finds – reel-to-reel, anyone?

WSPC’s sale continues till 5 today, and runs 9 am-2 pm tomorrow (it even has its own Facebook page). Be sure to look for the extensive bake-sale area inside the north side of the church.

Side note: Registration for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, presented and coordinated again this year by WSB, will start Monday, April 2nd … more to come. WS Garage Sale Day itself is Saturday, May 12th, 9 am-3 pm.

Rummage sale countdown: Tibbetts UMC’s Friday-Saturday details

WSB — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:12:09 +0000

(WSB photo from 2010 Tibbetts sale)
It’s rummage-sale mania this Friday and Saturday, as two local churches . In our previous preview, we included some early details West Side Presbyterian had shared; now we have some highlights from Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor):

“A” is for Appliances, “B” is for Baby stuff, “C” is for Cookware, “D” is for Dresses, “E” is for EVERYTHING … you get the idea – it’s time for the Tibbetts Spring Rummage Sale!! Everything you could possibly want or need, all at prices “not of this century.” This wice-yearly event is coming right up and will feature the usual bargains galore! Furniture, bikes, barbecues and garden items outside, plenty of clothing for all ages, jewelry, toys, games and other great stuff inside. Please join us on Friday March 9th from 9 am – 4 pm and Saturday, March 10th from 9 am – 3 pm. Tibbetts UMC is located at 3940 41st Avenue SW in West Seattle. See you there!

P.S. Note that we’re just four weeks away from opening registration for this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (the big day is May 12th; signups will start April 2nd).

Seafair Commodores want to bowl with you in West Seattle

WSB — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 07:34:27 +0000

The photo of Miss Seafair and young fans is shared by Kathryn Bohot of the Seattle Seafair Commodores. They’re inviting you to be part of the Commodores’ 20th annual Bowl-A-Thon, raising scholarship money in West Seattle on St. Patrick’s Day. Kathryn writes:

Once again the Seattle Seafair Commodores will host their Annual Bowl-A-Thon, their largest fundraiser of the year, at West Seattle Bowl. What better way to start your St Patrick’s Day! Come on out and bowl for a cause. The bowl-a-thon begins at 9:30 am on Saturday, March 17th, ending at 11:30 am.

The West Seattle Bowl has supported the Seafair Commodores and the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women for 20 years. Because of their dedication and commitment, we continue to host the Bowl-A-Thon in West Seattle. Ms. Hi-Yu and many young women across the greater Seattle area become participants in the Seafair Scholarship program for women and compete for a chance to be the next Miss Seafair. The Seafair Commodores and the Seafair Foundation together provide over $20,000 in scholarship funds to these young women each year. There was a slogan once that a mind is a terrible thing to waste. We agree and will continue to diligently support and raise funds for the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women.

In the past, they’ve usually had about 14 teams – this year, they’re going for 20. You can sign up as an individual for $50, team of 5 for $250, $20 for kids 12/under. That includes shoes, two games, and a ticket for a prize drawing. Not to mention, says Kathryn, you can compete for the titles of Best Bowler or Worst Bowler. You can register by contacting her at chiefofstaff@seattlecommodores.com – and you can download the registration form here.

Sale season soon! Tibbetts, West Side coming up (WSCGS Day too)

WSB — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:54:20 +0000

Today’s sunshine was a tantalizing taste of approaching spring – which also means sale season! Yard sale, rummage sale, garage sale, etc. The two concurrent West Seattle church sales with a friendly rivalry are less than two weeks away – Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor) on March 9th (9 am-4 pm) and 10th (9 am-3 pm), and West Side Presbyterian Church also on March 9th (9 am-5 pm) and 10th (9 am-2 pm). From West Side, Kristin Pimblett e-mailed to say, “I wanted to let folks know that we also have a Bake Sale area inside the church .It’s like a community coffee shop! We sell lots of wonderful home baked goods; cookies, cakes, bars, you name it.” (Kristin is bake-sale coordinator.) And looking further down the road, West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coordinated again this year by WSB, is now just two and a half months away – it’s always the second Saturday in May, which this year is May 12th, 9 am-3 pm, and we’ll announce registration details next month. P.S. If you have your own sale, any time of year, you are invited to post it for free in the WSB Forums‘ Freebies/Deals/Sales section – just go here. (2011 WSPC sale photo by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)

WestSide Baby already making history with expected Tea turnout

WSB — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:55:13 +0000

Glass-art “babycakes” like that one, created and donated by Avalon Glassworks, will be part of the fundraising fun on Sunday, when WestSide Baby takes its annual Benefit Tea to the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center for the first time. WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland confirms there’s still some room left if you haven’t already procured your ticket – but she also says the expected turnout so far already has made history – more than 500! Want to join them, 2-4:30 pm Sunday, for tea, treats, auction fun, and guest speaker Kathy LeMay? The WestSide Baby website has ticket info. (Never been before? Here’s our coverage, with photos and video, from last year.)

West Seattle 5K (& car-free day) May 20th: 5K registration open!

WSB — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:11:30 +0000

(May 2011 photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
Again this year, the West Seattle 5K and “car-free day” Seattle Summer Streets events will be on the same day at Alki – and this year, that day is May 20th. May sound far away, but registration for the fundraising run/walk is open now! Denise Lathrop shares the news:

West Seattle High School PTSA is proud to sponsor the fourth annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk on May 20, 2012 at Alki Beach. Funds raised from the West Seattle 5K will support music, arts, communications and other emerging needs at West Seattle High School. This is a great community event and provides an opportunity for everyone to participate.

Online registration is now OPEN! For more information or to register for the West Seattle 5K or donate go to: http://westseattle5k.com/

If you are interested in helping to plan or sponsor our event contact Denise Lathrop at: delathrop@comcast.net or 206-941-3924

(WSB is a 5K co-sponsor again this year.)