(WSB photo from August 2012)
Another season of West Seattle Outdoor Movies is on the way (July/August, dates TBA). Last year, not only were there record crowds, according to organizer Lora Swift of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor and movie coordinator – the screen’s in the courtyard by her shop), but also a fundraising total of more than $1,500 for local nonprofits, via the raffle tickets sold on movie nights. So now it’s time to ask – what would YOU like to see this year? Please note, the movies need to be relatively family-friendly, since it’s an all-ages crowd, and not something shown in the past few years:

2012′s movie lineup was Pretty in Pink, Young Frankenstein, Lion King, Iron Man, Yellow Submarine, Top Gun

2010′s movie lineup was Mamma Mia, War Games, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wayne’s World, Up, Star Trek

And there are a few other caveats – the “Star Wars” movies aren’t available for this kind of outdoor showing, for example.

But Lora and the WSOM committee would love to hear your suggestions – just post a comment! Thanks!

(Crowd at the final WS Outdoor Movies screening this season, “Top Gun” on August 25th)
If you were part of the record crowds for this summer’s free West Seattle Outdoor Movies and bought raffle tickets and/or concessions, you were part of a season of giving, as well as a season of fun. Five local nonprofits benefited from this year’s donations, which totaled $1,599: WestSide Baby, West Seattle Helpline, Seattle Lutheran High School Key Club, Furry Faces Foundation, Make It Better Project. Also, movie-series host Lora Swift (of 10th-anniversary-celebrating Hotwire Online Coffeehouse [WSB sponsor]!) sends props to West Seattle Christian Church for donating time to run the projector, PB&J Textiles (WSB sponsor) for donating their time/$ to buy and run the popcorn machine, and to the West Seattle Junction Association. And WSB was proud to be the official WSOM media sponsor again this year. On behalf of all the series sponsors, we also want to thank the businesses who in turn donated raffle prizes! Soon enough, it’ll be springtime again and time to talk about the next edition; Lora says,”We look forward to another fun movie series in 2013.”

Tomorrow night, “Top Gun” is on the big screen in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard (4410 California SW) as the grand finale to this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies season, and the weather’s looking good. We featured the movie’s trailer earlier this week – so the clip above is a different preview, the official music video for the big love song from the 1986 hit, Berlin‘s “Take My Breath Away” (with movie scenes as well as the musicians in a vaguely relevant setting). The movie’s co-sponsors are bringing something extra – Pagliacci Pizza will have free pizza; Jackson, Morgan & Hunt PLLC (WSB sponsor) has put together a “Top Gun” basket for the raffle benefiting WestSide Baby – including tickets to the Museum of Flight! – and there’ll be live preshow music by Jeremy Serwer and the Spaghetti Benders. The movie’s expected to start around 8:15 pm; come early, stake out your spot, get your pizza, buy raffle tickets (concessions will benefit WS Baby too), and enjoy summer’s last movie night.

(Click to see map full size in Delridge Day brochure, with vendor list)
DELRIDGE DAY: Tons of fun packed into a four-hour festival, 11 am-3 pm Saturday in the park between Delridge Community Center and Delridge Skatepark. We’re sponsoring the Kids’ Zone, with a bouncy house, face-painting, picnic games, and balloon art. You’ll also find live music (the schedule’s in the official brochure), dozens of booths (come say hi!), two food trucks, the Alki Bike and Board skate competitions, and more.

WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: Second-to-last Saturday for the year (!) … The Beatles’ animated “Yellow Submarine” is the movie; trivia with Jessie from Skylark Café and Club is the preshow fun; the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) is the place. You’ll also find Furry Faces Foundation there selling/making pet tags (read about the program here) starting around 6 pm. Movie’s at dusk – it’s free, but bring $ for pet tags and nonprofit-benefiting raffles and concessions!

As of right now – about 8 pm – there’s still some room in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard (4410 California SW) for tonight’s upcoming free West Seattle Outdoor Movies show, “Iron Man” – that’s Hotwire’s Lora with preshow announcements. Local band Wrecking Yard is in the middle of its pre-show set:

Concessions and raffle tickets are on sale to raise $ for charity – cool pile of raffle items (including a couple we gathered as one of tonight’s spotlight sponsors – all donated by local merchants – candy from Atomic Boys, which also donated the bag that holds it along with classic comic books; plus a $20 certificate for Full Tilt Ice Cream and a certificate to get out on the lanes at West Seattle Bowl; and a $20 certificate from Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) in a handy reusable shopping bag. Even more raffle items from other spotlight sponsors, including a Sonicare toothbrush from dentist Dr. Wolff, Hotwire’s courtyard neighbor. Movie’s at dusk, so get down here if you’re not here already.

The crowd continues to grow in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), home to West Seattle Outdoor Movies, which opens its 2012 season tonight at dusk (an hour and a quarter or so away) with “Pretty in Pink.” Admission is free but bring $ for raffles and concessions, which always have a beneficiary – tonight, WestSide Baby:

Yes, that’s WS Baby’s executive director Nancy Woodland handling the popcorn machine, hours after a fun ride in the West Seattle Grand Parade as its Grand Marshal (see video in our first parade report). Tomorrow’s a huge day for WS Baby too – its annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive; bring diaper donations to the AmericanWest Bank lot at 41st and Alaska between 10 am and 2 pm. Back to movie night … the team from longtime WSB sponsor Dream Dinners is serving up jambalaya:

Always a fun time. West Seattle Outdoor Movies (with co-sponsors including WSB) continue every Saturday night for five more weeks after this – see the schedule at wsmovies.org.

This year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies poster is out – one of the fun summer promotional posters you’ll see around town over the next few months. And it gives us a chance to remind you of the lineup. It starts with a special pre-season, adults-only Friday night benefit event on July 20th – “50/50,” admission with a suggested donation to support Thrive Through Cancer, a West Seattle-headquartered nonprofit. The following six movie nights are free, all ages, Saturday night showings, as always:

JULY 21: “Pretty in Pink“; preshow entertainment by “Bobcat Bob” Rice

JULY 28: “Young Frankenstein”; preshow entertainment by jump-rope ace Rene Bibaud

AUGUST 4: “Lion King“; preshow entertainment by Louie Foxx Magic Show (plus a free community barbecue)

AUGUST 11: “Iron Man“; preshow entertainment “secret musical guests” (!)

AUGUST 18: “Yellow Submarine“; preshow entertainment “Trivia With Jessie” (from Skylark Café and Club)

AUGUST 25: “Top Gun“; preshow entertainment “secret musical guests” (plus free pizza)

These events all happen in the courtyard between Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) and the dental building that’s home to Dr. Heidi Horwitz, DDS (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Gerald Wolff. Movies start at dusk, with the gates opening a couple hours ahead of time – don’t show up at the last minute, it’s usually a hot ticket! (P.S. The poster is by Riverbed Design.)

Only two months till you can bring your glowstick, picnic, whatever, to West Seattle Outdoor Movies in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse – and we have first word of this year’s planned movie lineup, just decided at a WSOM planning meeting:

7/21 – Pretty in Pink

7/28 – Young Frankenstein

8/4 – Lion King

8/11 – Iron Man

8/18 – Yellow Submarine

8/25 – Top Gun

Thanks to everybody who offered suggestions, both here on WSB – we’re a co-sponsor again this year – and on the WSOM and WSB Facebook pages. The movies are always free, and they start at dusk; there’s still a lot to be determined, including pre-movie activities, and other fun stuff – updates to come!

(WSB photo from August 2011)
On this sunny day with the temperature headed for the 70s, it’s a perfect time to dream of summer … a time for getting out of the house as much as possible, even on those summer nights, which six times a year bring the much-awaited West Seattle Outdoor Movies to the big screen in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) – fun FREE events with food, music, and benefit raffles throughout the season, too, with community co-sponsors including WSB. Movie time is a little over two months away, and planning has begun, so movie mastermind and Hotwire proprietor Lora Swift wants to hear which movies you would like to see this summer. Keep in mind that the movies need to be family-friendly – doesn’t mean just “kid stuff,” but nothing TOO adult – and you might want to take a minute to consult the lists from previous years before offering your suggestion:

2011′s movie lineup: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Airplane, Despicable Me, Jurassic Park (1), Toy Story 3

2010′s movie lineup: Mamma Mia, War Games, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wayne’s World, Up, Star Trek

Any further back, and it’s probably fair game to come around again if there’s a demand for it, so suggest away, by posting a comment here!

The free barbecue before tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of “Toy Story 3″ was a hot ticket, according to BBQ-sponsoring West Seattle Christian Church‘s Pastor Dan Jacobs - he says two dozen people were already camped out waiting for the barbecue, and free movie, half an hour before the gates officially opened and the BBQ officially started. On this beautiful night following the hottest day so far this year, the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) was filling fast:

Among the families, Tracy Corey (below right) of Nurturing Expressions (one of our newest WSB sponsors) and daughter Kayleigh, with her team member Magy Hamilton and Magy’s kids Joel and Sophia:

If you were planning to head to the movie and haven’t left yet, don’t wait; it’ll start at dusk, but space is at a premium. One more reminder – WS Outdoor Movies will stretch out an extra week BEYOND tonight, since the original season opener, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” was more like “Ferris Bueller’s Rainout” back in mid-June. So that’s the movie NEXT Saturday, wrapping up the series.

SWEETIE:

Our Big Bonanza special at Sweetie couldn’t happen at a better time of the year – 50-70% off all summer fashion – get it while it’s hot!

And we’re kicking off our fall fashion preview the same day, with 10% off all new fall fashion, Saturday, August 20 only.

CURIOUS KIDSTUFF:

25% off all purchases over $100, and up to 50% off selected items

CARMILIA’S:

Offering sale items at 50-85% off and all new fall merchandise will be 20% off 8/20 through 8/25……a five day jump on fall!

SHADOWLAND:

Cowboy Chicken Fried Steak on special and wet your whistle with a tall, frosty one.

Then tomorrow night in The Junction:

“Toy Story 3” is the feature at West Seattle Outdoor Movies, on the big screen in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). Gates open at 6:30, and though the (free!) movie isn’t till dusk, stake out your spot early. If you bring some $, you can get in on bargain-priced concessions and great raffle prizes – all benefiting local nonprofits. Plus – FREE BARBECUE, starting at 6:30, courtesy of West Seattle Christian Church, whose Pastor Dan Jacobs (who’s also the regular projectionist for the movies, little-known fact) announces: “We will be serving the free BBQ from 6:30 to 7:30 or when we run out of food. We have hot dogs, hamburgers and veggie burgers, chips, and drinks for 225 people.”

(An early reminder – though the posters and schedules show tomorrow as the final movie, there’s another one a week later, on August 27th, the movie that got rained out on what was supposed to be Outdoor Movies’ opening night, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”)

If you’re not already at the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), hurry – this week’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation, “Despicable Me,” is about 20 minutes away, and it’s the biggest crowd so far this summer – Hotwire’s Lora Swift estimates about 300 so far. MoZo, featuring Bob “Bobcat Bob” Rice, was the opening act (we’ll add video later), and the pre-movie drawing raising money for West Seattle Food Bank and Northwest Hope and Healing is coming up. Check the full season schedule at wsmovies.org (and remember there’s an extra Saturday, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on August 27, making up for the rainout back on July 16).

ADDED: As promised, video of “Bobcat Bob” playing in MoZo, with Aimee Zoe Tubbs on drums and Moe Provencher on bass:

Love the Seafair/”closest thing we have to Mardi Gras” observation. Moviegoers also heard briefly from two reps on behalf of Hope Lutheran, one of the sponsors on this particular night – newly arrived Pastor Peter Mueller (profiled here on Thursday) and principal Kristen Okabayashi. Next week, the movie is the original “Jurassic Park”; gates open at 6:30 pm and the movie will start at dusk (this week, that meant right about 9, so it’ll be a little earlier) after preshow entertainment and raffles to raise money for local nonprofits.

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Another fun Saturday night in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), as this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies season continued with the still-funny-after-all-these-years “Airplane!”, preceded by the magic of Louie Foxx. Next week – the animated “Despicable Me“:

The movie’s free; concessions are budget-priced and, like the pre-movie raffles, raise money for local charities. (Tonight’s raffle prizes, for example, included several gift cards – $20 for Elliott Bay Brewing, $20 for Hotwire, $25 for Curious Kidstuff, $50 for Pagliacci – they vary each week – and tickets are only $1, or 3 for $2.) Gates open at 6:30 pm, with preshow entertainment 8-ish – next week, it’s “Bobcat Bob” Rice – the movie at 9-ish (times will shift earlier as the weeks go by);

This year, West Seattle Outdoor Movies (Saturday nights in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse [WSB sponsor] at 4410 California SW) have something extra – an opening act. Last Saturday, local comic/juggler Matt Baker wowed the crowd (our report includes video); tomorrow night, it’s magician Louie Foxx, who shows off one big, quick trick in the short video clip above. Oh, and of course, there’s a movie too: “Airplane!” (Here’s the trailer.) Weather looks good; show’s free (bring $ for concessions and raffle items that raise money for local nonprofits, and also be sure to bring a chair or blanket to sit on); gates open at 6:30 pm – last week the movie started about quarter past 9, so 9 pm is likely tomorrow.

The newest forecast suggests clear skies Thursday night through Saturday night (and maybe beyond) – good news for two major (and free!) outdoor entertainment events coming up: Thursday night, the 6-week Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, starts its third season. Above, the Gothard Sisters are the kickoff act. 6:30 pm Thursday, east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center, BYO blankets/chairs (and some $ for concessions if you want – we’re doublechecking on the final lineup for that), family-friendly. (Full season lineup here.)

Then Saturday night – a comedy classic is the second West Seattle Outdoor Movies event of the summer:

On the big screen in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), it’s “Airplane!” – with magician Louie Foxx as preshow entertainment. Gates open 6:30 pm Saturday, movie starts around 9 (it was 9:15 pm last Sat.), free but concessions and raffle tickets benefit local nonprofits, so bring a few bucks if you can. (Full season lineup here – and add August 27th, the rescheduled night for rained-out “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.) P.S. Both the movies and concerts are free thanks to community sponsors (including WSB).