We missed today’s window for the daily events preview – you can always check the WSB West Seattle Events calendar on the rare occasions we skip a daily list – but just back from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market and vicinity. Eric Freeman is playing on the west side of the market today; while we photographed him, a man came up and informed us that he’s “the best busker in West Seattle.” As always, the market otherwise is brimming with everything – literally) from soup to nuts; we came home with a giant purple cabbage, $3 any size, from Alm Hill Gardens in the southwest corner, where they’re also selling tulips:

As always, the Farmers’ Market is open till 2. Nearby, it’s the second Sunday at California/Edmunds for a new food truck operated by two West Seattleites, Erik Gust and David Rodriguez, Contigo, which offers “modern Mexican”:

The Contigo owners’ announcement also mentioned that their food is gluten-free.

Just a few notes from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, as we settle into a day that seems destined to be punctuated by snow showers/flurries (morning coverage here):

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Yes, market managers have confirmed they’re open. 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska. The illness-delayed debut of Honest Biscuits is promised (see this tweet), too. (Added: West 5 is there selling soup – check the pic in this tweet!)

BENEFIT ADOPT-A-THON CONTINUES: At Kitty Harbor (3422 Harbor SW), it’s the second day of a special offseason cat adopt-a-thon – also a benefit for fire victim Teri Ensley and Furry Faces Foundation, noon-6 pm. “Moto,” above, is one of the two-dozen-plus cats who were still awaiting a home by late Saturday afternoon, after more than 30 others were adopted! Here’s our Saturday night story.

BOOK SIGNING: Metropolitan Market says LaDonna Rose Gundersen, who fishes in Alaska as well as writes, will be at the Admiral store today from 12-2 pm to sign her new cookbook “Salmon, Desserts, & Friends.”

Before sunset, we stopped by Junction Plaza Park to see how setup for tonight’s nighttime edition of the West Seattle Farmers’ Market was going. 5-8 pm tonight, you’ll find everything from roasted chestnuts (courtesy of Sustainable West Seattle) to fresh food for your holiday dinner, with familiar vendors:

And many Junction shops will be participating in one more Shop Late Thursday before Christmas, till 9 pm. Some have deals in the WSB Holiday Shopping Guide (find it here). More to come!

ADDED 8:28 PM: Lights adorned the nighttime market, and not only from the official Junction Christmas Tree:

On the WSB Facebook wall, Tina mentioned that she’s from Germany and said, “The Christmas markets in my country are magical places, bordered by booths of every kind of holiday cheer, supported by ample supply of ‘gluehwein’ (hot & spiced cider). Tonight looked to me like a seed of something special like that.

One more reminder – since the next two Sundays are Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, there will be no West Seattle Farmers’ Market until Sunday, January 8th.

As of a little more than an hour ago, Sustainable West Seattle was already on its fifth box of Christmas lights brought in for recycling at its West Seattle Farmers’ Market booth. Till 2 pm, you’ll find them there – along with the meters comparing LED lights to incandescent:

Just around the corner from the Farmers’ Market, the Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) Belgian-mule-drawn carriage rides (free!) – we caught up with them as they headed north on 44th before turning onto Alaska by the market:

The carriage rides continue till 3, as do take-it-yourself Santa photos at City Mouse. One Farmers’ Market reminder – NO market the next two Sundays, since it’s Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, BUT there’s a special nighttime edition at Junction Plaza Park this Thursday (December 22), 5-8 pm. (Sustainable WS plans to roast chestnuts, providing leader Christina Hahs’ test run tonight goes well!)

4:23 PM UPDATE: Got the final tally from the Christmas-lights-recycling collection:

That photo’s courtesy of Chas Redmond, who staffed the SWS booth today with Hahs (in the photo) and Patrick Dunn (best known as award-winning manager of the WS Tool Library). By 2 pm, he says, they had filled the pickup-truck bed with boxes of ready-to-recycle lights, and they had finished the old-vs.-new lights comparison: “The results of our demo showing the electricity draw of conventional, incandescent mini’s and the LEDs – with a string of 100 LED lights and another string of 75 incandescent mini lights running for three hours, the LED lights drew 3 watts and the incandescents (even though there were fewer) drew 300 watts – roughly 1 watt/hour for the LED string and 100 watts/hour for the incandescent string.” One more sustainability P.S. – for Christmas-giving/stocking-stuffing, the Tool Library is suggesting gift memberships (raffle ticket included!).

Yet another West Seattle holiday tradition – handmade wreaths from Pathfinder K-8. Their booth made its WS Farmers’ Market debut today, with Yumi and Willow displaying two of this year’s creations. You can find them under a canopy by the KeyBank west-side doors (right next to the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, selling tickets for next Saturday’s pancake breakfast – more on that later).

P.S. Yes, they’ll be selling wreaths every Sunday between now and Christmas (12/4, 12/11, 12/18) – as long as supplies last! As the school website points out, the wreath sales have been going on for almost 20 years.

Though it’s not out of the 30s yet, it’s sunny, and it’s a lively morning at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. Above, City Councilmembers Sally Clark and Sally Bagshaw, making another stop on their citywide conversation tour as “The Sallys.” They’ll pour you a free cup of Rockridge Orchards cider (while supplies last!). As for topics, you don’t have to stick to these, but – Clark chairs the Committee on the Built Environment, which tackles issues like zoning and development, and Bagshaw chairs the Parks Committee. Meantime, you’ll also find the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle at the market today, promoting their upcoming holiday Pancake Breakfast:

It’s 7-11 am Saturday, December 3rd, at the Masonic Hall (40th/Edmunds) and you can buy your tickets at their booth today for the discount price of $5 adults, $3 kids (adults will be $6 at the door). Santa photos are included in the price – and you’re asked to bring new, unwrapped Toys for Tots donations.

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Bagshaw are on the DNDC meeting agenda tomorrow night (7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way SW) for a discussion about the “boulevard” concept for Delridge Way SW.

‘THE SALLYS’ AT THE FARMERS’ MARKET: Councilmembers Bagshaw and Sally Clark have been visiting neighborhoods in tandem as “The Sallys,” in community-conversation format, and just announced a West Seattle stop this Sunday: 10-11:30 am at the WS Farmers’ Market (44th/Alaska). The announcement says they “will host a booth and hope Seattleites will stop by to talk about local issues.” Free cider while it lasts. You’re invited to RSVP, though it’s not required (here’s the link).

(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
At the top of the “hill,” that’s Mike LaFranchi from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, during today’s Zucchini 500, an annual tradition at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. Kids got the chance to make their own “racers” and then try them out. More photos ahead:

First, came the creating:

Then of course you have to take a closer look at what you came up with:

See how it looks on the course …

And finally … everybody’s rolling!

The Farmers’ Market had chef demonstrations today too – photos from those (and the lone entrant in the odd/ugly squash contest), a bit later.

9:13 AM MONDAY: The squash:

Farmers’ Market folks tell us that if you’re a home food grower, keep this contest in mind NEXT year, and grow something to enter! Meantime, some chef photos from Sunday are still in the hopper.

Sights and sounds, we should say – Pourquoi Pas is playing at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market today. Warm melodies for a day that’s warmer than it looks, if you haven’t been out yet. And to get into an even-more-tropical mood, notice the parrots atop the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle tent:

However, Mike LaFranchi is pouring coffee beneath the tent, not piña coladas. (You can find granitas at the Rockridge Orchards booth, though.) More colorful sights – plants that don’t need blossoms to show color:

But of course flowers are available too. Even tulips, at this relatively late date:

As for today’s veggies – if there’s still some left, we highly recommend the giant romaine heads ($3) at Willie Green’s! The market’s open till 2 pm, as always on Sundays, 44th/Alaska in The Junction.

(Photo added 11:58 am – Kate awaiting would-be egg-decorators in the Kids’ Tent)
Just in case you weren’t sure – when they say the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is year-round, they mean it, including Easter Sunday. Till 2 pm today, 44th/Alaska. Market manager Catherine Burke shared advance word this week that today’s highlights include egg-coloring for kids (hosted by West Seattle Helpline – bought your tickets for their Taste of West Seattle fundraiser yet?) and growers selling asparagus, rhubarb, early greens, and plant starts.

VALENTINE’S DAY AT WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: That’s the sign at last week’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market promoting what you will find there today – a whole lotta love (explained here). 10 am-2 pm, 44th/Alaska.

NOT SO VALENTINE-INCLINED? Tonight you can enjoy “Anti-Valentine” dinner at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) (details here)

GET YOUR GAME ON: An informal weekly “adult/big-kid pickup soccer game” is scheduled at 10:30 am Sundays at Hiawatha Playfield – same place you’ll find West Seattle Family Ultimate Frisbee every 2nd Sunday at 11 am (southeast corner).

PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT FOR SILENT FILMS: At Kenyon Hall, 7 pm: Pianist extraordinaire Donald Sosin plays silent shorts by request, To make a reservation, please e-mail kenyonhall@earthlink.net.

ARTSWEST TRUNK SHOW: A special one-day-only jewelry trunk show 11 am – 3 pm in the newly renovated gallery at ArtsWest.

OPEN HOUSE: Little Pilgrim School, a program for 2 – 5 year old children that’s in the Fauntleroy Church building (9140 California SW), has an open house 11 am-1 pm today.. Stop by to tour school spaces, meet the teachers, ask questions and pick up enrollment information for fall classes.

ALSO IN FAUNTLEROY: Filming of the independent movie “After the Ghost” is scheduled to continue at a home north of the ferry dock today/tonight (details here).

HERE, KITTY, KITTY: Second day of county-presented cat adopt-a-thon at Kitty Harbor, noon-4 pm (3422 Harbor Avenue).

MEMORIAL: Memorial for 14-year-old Carter Allen, killed in a crash last month in Shorewood; it’s at the Evergreen High School gym (map), 2 pm (details here including how to help his family)

More on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.

(WSB photo of promotional sign at West Seattle Farmers’ Market last Sunday)
There’s a whole lot of after-Christmas shopping to be done right here on the peninsula. (We’re compiling a list of sales/specials to publish tomorrow morning, so if you have or know of one, share the news!) One place you might be surprised to find specials, West Seattle Farmers’ Market. It’s open 10 am-2 pm tomorrow as always, and the market will observe Boxing Day in a unique way. Explains Chris Curtis: “Farmers have been encouraged to provide good deals in boxes all day long to market shoppers.” One more bonus: Stop by the information booth to ask about free Market Bucks to “spend on the spot … while supplies last,” according to the Seattle Farmers Markets page on Facebook. (If you’re new or visiting, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is at 44th/Alaska.)

The headline comes from the subject line of the e-mail in which Shelley shared the photo. As we had tweeted from the West Seattle Farmers’ Market earlier, violinist Pasquale was serenading shoppers today – and Shelley caught this scene of young fans who decided to savor the concert. (We last saw him in The Junction in June, when he played at the dedication of Junction Plaza Park – which by the way will be the site of this year’s West Seattle Junction Christmas Tree Lighting on December 4th, first time since 2006 that the official tree’s been on that site.)