West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle High School’s All-School Reunion, inside & out

At tonight’s West Seattle High School All-School Reunion, hundreds of alumni were on hand from nine decades. But the spotlight shone brightest on the Class of 1963, celebrating its golden anniversary. While we were there, class members were posing for photos grouped by the elementaries they had attended – as you’ve probably guessed from the sign, the people in our picture had gone to nearby Lafayette Elementary. All around the WSHS Commons, where the Class of ’63 met, there were displays with historical photos:

Other classes met in various locations around the school, before attendees gathered in the theater for the program to announce scholarships and Hall of Fame inductions. Outside, for the first few hours, the traditional display of classic cars, like this gleaming Ford Mustang:

Thanks to reunion chair Jim Biava of the WSHS Alumni Association for sharing this electronic copy of the program – it includes the names of tonight’s honorees. Keep a eye on the association’s new website for future alumni events.

Happening now: 2-location Alki Lighthouse centennial celebration

Big day at the Alki Point Lighthouse – its 100th anniversary, and the first day of this year’s summer season of free 1-4 pm tours on Saturday and Sunday. Local US Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are the people who staff the lighthouse for those tours. Today, you can even see knot-tying demonstrated outside the gate:

Also till 4 pm, a celebration at the Log House Museum just half a mile away – including lighthouse coloring sheets for kids, which are being put up as they’re completed:

The now-famous handmade lighthouse cookies are ready and waiting at the museum too, while they last:

More photos and info to come, including our conversation with RADM Keith Taylor, who, as USCG 13th District commander, lives on the lighthouse grounds, but not for much longer, as he’s retiring later this month. (This’ll be a separate story on Sunday.)

Followup: Alki Point Lighthouse’s two-site centennial celebration, cookies and all

(Photo by Joan Stover; courtesy Southwest Seattle Historical Society)
It’s not a party without cookies – and this Saturday’s Alki Point Lighthouse centennial celebration will have them, provided you stop by the Log House Museum as well as the lighthouse during the two-location celebration. Above, that’s Carol Vincent, membership secretary for the museum’s parent organization, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, taking a break after leading a baking team in creating the first batch of Alki Lighthouse cookies to be given away there on Saturday afternoon. (Not pictured, but just as busy: Marcy Johnsen, board president; Joan Stover, board treasurer, and Kerry Korsgaard, board trustee.)

We first reported on the centennial celebration back on May 21st. Now that it’s almost here, the final details are in. SWSHS executive director Clay Eals says the “prime candidates” to get the cookies are kids who stop by the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens, just half a mile from the lighthouse) to color a special Alki Lighthouse coloring sheet; they’re hoping for a hundred.

A special exhibit is debuting at the museum, “Alki Centennial Summer: From Lantern to Lighthouse,” celebrating the lighthouse’s 100th anniversary. It’s an expansion of a pre-existing “mini-exhibit” about the lighthouse that’s been in the museum’s smaller gallery, expanding now to the big gallery with, according to the LHM’s official announcement, “newly displayed artifacts, rare vintage photos, artwork and other memorabilia to tell the inspiring story of how the lighthouse came to be, how it has operated as an aid to navigation over the years and how it continues to be a symbol of hope for all of West Seattle and beyond. The exhibit also will cover the decades prior to the construction of the lighthouse, when a single lantern provided the same function of aiding the navigation of sailing ships and steering them away from danger.”

Museum manager Sarah Baylinson curated the exhibit with SWSHS collection/exhibit volunteers, and it’ll be on display all summer long, with some new items, activities, and interpretive programs added from time to time.

But for Saturday – the schedule goes like this:
*Noon – Log House Museum opens
*1 pm – Lighthouse opens (first weekend tour day of the season, too)
*2 pm – Special program at the Log House Museum, with speakers including former SWSHS president Merrilee Hagen and West Seattle maritime author Joe Follansbee
*4 pm – Lighthouse and museum both close

By closing time, all 100 or more of the coloring creations will be on display at the museum. Questions? loghousemuseum.info or 206-938-5293.

West Seattle’s Villa Heidelberg sold; ‘estate sale’ starts Thursday

Last night, Judy Burbrink (above left) hosted her final guests as operator of the Villa Heidelberg bed and breakfast southwest of The Junction. Three years after first listing it, she has finally sold the stately century-old view home, with the help of Prudential Northwest Realty‘s Jeralee Knittel (above right).

(King County Archives photo)
But the new owners will not be operating it as a B&B; it will go back to its origins as a family home. Judy is moving into a condo that just doesn’t have enough room for everything she’s built up over 14 years of operating the B&B – considering, as she says, she moved in with 23 years of stuff from her previous home on Gatewood Hill – so a big three-day “estate sale” (“living estate sale,” Judy jokes, “since nobody died”) starts later this week. When we stopped by this afternoon, the packing and sale preparations were already under way, but we were invited to look around:

Furniture – including six bedrooms’ worth! – serving ware, even Christmas decorations will be on sale

Some items are already gone – Burbrink says some of the guests have snapped up certain items and traveled back home with them, so “little bits (of Villa Heidelberg) are all over the country.”

40 lawn chairs and even appliances and rugs are part of the sale, scheduled for 10 am-6 pm Thursday and Friday (May 30-31), then skipping a day and concluding noon-6 pm Sunday (June 2nd).

As a small sign out front notes, whatever you buy, you have to take away the same day. This closes 27 years of B&B operation on this site, according to Burbrink, who adds that it’s almost exactly 14 years since she took it over – her purchase closed on June 10th of 1999; she will be handing the house over on June 5th. “I’ll miss all the nice people,” she says wistfully. She was only the fifth owner of the home in its century-plus existence; it was built, as the history is told online, as a home for a family, which Judy says had eight kids, noting that the buyers have children too. P.S. If you plan to check out the sale, the house is at 4845 45th SW.

Alki Point Lighthouse celebrating centennial as tours resume June 1st; Log House Museum part of the party

(April 2011 photo by Long Bach Nguyen, over Alki Lighthouse)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Every year, you get just a few chances for a close-up look at one of West Seattle’s true gems – the Alki Point Lighthouse.

This year, those chances start June 1st, when weekend afternoon tours resume. But that first day comes with something extra – a celebration of the lighthouse’s centennial.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary member and area resident Will Winter talked about it at last Thursday’s Alki Community Council meeting. (He’s at right in the photo below, taken by Liesbet T. and published here as the tour season wrapped up in 2011:)

The USCG Auxiliary volunteers staff the lighthouse for tours, and that’s why Winter joined.

He presented an overview of its history, as well as mentioning the low-key celebration that’s ahead, planned in conjunction with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which has a “complementary celebration” on deck that day:

Click to read the rest of Alki Point Lighthouse celebrating centennial as tours resume June 1st; Log House Museum part of the party…

West Seattle Crime Watch: Then, now, and tomorrow

First – before two reader reports – here’s something that likely would have topped West Seattle Crime Watch 52 years ago:

Anne Higuera from longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction was working on a project in Ballard when that West Seattle story from a 1961 edition of the Seattle P-I, stuffed in the walls, caught her eye. It tells the tale of how a West Seattle family nabbed a would-be burglar. Click here for a larger, readable version (you might have to click it to zoom in when it opens in your browser – that’s what happened with ours).

Ahead, the current cases:

Click to read the rest of West Seattle Crime Watch: Then, now, and tomorrow…

West Seattle scene: Not the ‘sold’ sign you thought it was

This story is from the “looks can be deceiving” file. Messages/questions we’ve received suggest that more than a few people who have seen those two real-estate shingles in the 4800 block of Beach Drive believe the “sold” sign means the historic-landmark Satterlee House/”Painted Lady of Beach Drive” finally has a buyer, after years on the market. No, the 107-year-old Satterlee House has NOT been sold; it is still on the market. The “sold” sign is for the house to the south, 4872 Beach Drive; we confirmed that with its selling agent, Dan Mullins, who tells WSB that while that house is not an official landmark, it has a long history of its own: “It was built about 100 years ago for the Chinese consulate.” He says the family buying it wants to “restore it to its original beauty.”

Meantime, a couple of people who e-mailed us also wondered about the work crew you see on the Satterlee House’s front lawn in the background of our photo, recalling that the “lawn” is actually on the books as three separate lots (which was part of the subject of the long court fight that ended at the state Supreme Court’s doorstep three years ago). According to the permit shown in online city records, it’s side-sewer-repair work.

P.S. Here’s the current listing for the Satterlee House, on the market right now for $1,595,000 (down more than $600,000 from its 2008-2009 listing price).

Speaking of history … More chances to help honor it

Big day at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s Log House Museum this Saturday – the LHM is participating in West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (sale #70 on the map) 9 am-3 pm, and from 11 am-1 pm will be hosting its monthly informational event for prospective volunteers. And from SWSHS executive director Clay Eals – some specific ways you can help:

Just in time for the warmth of late spring and summer, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is ramping up its tour schedule and native-plant garden — and volunteers are welcome to help out.

Volunteer committees have formed to focus on tours and gardening. The leaders are Mark Lewis for tours and Carol Vincent for gardening. Here are details on both:

Click to read the rest of Speaking of history … More chances to help honor it…

West Seattle weekend scenes: Touring historic Colman Estate

(Photos courtesy SWSHS executive director Clay Eals)
The sun came out for the Colman Estate tour presented Sunday afternoon by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Historic Seattle. Also out: 135 visitors!

Thanks to SWSHS executive director Clay Eals for sharing photos – see half a dozen more, ahead:
Click to read the rest of West Seattle weekend scenes: Touring historic Colman Estate…

Tour historic Colman Estate Sunday – if you sign up by Thursday

(Photo courtesy Historic Seattle)
Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals sends a reminder – if you want to join this Sunday’s rare tour of the historic Colman Estate in West Seattle, you need to sign up by Thursday!

The Laurence Colman Estate Tour is right around the corner, on Sunday, April 28. What better way to spend a spring afternoon in West Seattle?

Organized by Historic Seattle and co-sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, this rare opportunity provides an in-person glimpse of the home of one of the legendary families of the Fauntleroy neighborhood, West Seattle and Seattle as a whole.

Under new ownership, the four-floor Colman Estate sparkles with panoramic views and a vivid rhododendron garden.

Southwest Seattle Historical Society members can register for the tour at a discount. Sign up now, while there are still slots available. The deadline is Thursday, April 25.

You don’t have to be a member to take the tour, though. For details and registration, go here.

They’re all about time, and they need yours: Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s next volunteer session Saturday

(Volunteer Kathi Ishimaru in action! SWSHS photo)
Everything old is new again – or can be, if it gets some TLC – and that’s the mission of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which is welcoming prospective volunteers to an informational session this Saturday at its Log House Museum. Volunteers have been busy lately at events including the Alki Elementary centennial celebration last week, and will be vital at upcoming events such as the Colman Estate tour on April 28, Alki Lighthouse centennial on June 1, and the All-West Seattle High School Reunion on June 7. Here’s the SWSHS pitch for you to get involved, starting with attendance at Saturday’s session:

Got time to volunteer? The Southwest Seattle Historical Society needs you! Like to interact with people? Fix computers? Update databases? Make small repairs? Transcribe interviews? Shoot videos and still photos? Plan events? Get a glimpse of our community’s past? Whether you have lived here one year or 50, come learn about how to turn your desires and skills into meaningful tasks that will help preserve and promote the heritage of West Seattle and the greater Duwamish peninsula. Here’s a way to look to the future helping others explore West Seattle’s past.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which operates the Log House Museum, offers this introduction to volunteering, led by Clay Eals, executive director. It will include a brief primer on West Seattle history. The museum is one block from Alki Beach, at 61st and Stevens. More info: 206-938-5293 or loghousemuseum.info.

The session for prospective volunteers is 11 am-1 pm on Saturday (April 6th).

Update: Alki Elementary’s centennial celebration

(UPDATED FRIDAY MORNING with more photos, including the “official” one!)

(First 5 photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
6:43 PM: Beautiful afternoon for photography – especially if you’re up on a ladder for a photograph to document history, as was Jean Sherrard along 59th SW this afternoon!

Hundreds of Alki Elementary students and staff past and present gathered for a group shot as the school’s centennial celebration began, co-sponsored by the Alki Elementary PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, whose executive director Clay Eals helped get hundreds of participants in place:

Lots of unofficial photographers too – even TV – that’s KING 5′s Lori Matsukawa in the yellow jacket toward the left, with her crew (and on the ladder, it’s official photographer Sherrard):

And inside, lots of memory-sharing and fun:

The celebration continues till 8, and everyone’s welcome.

ADDED 10:10 PM: More photos:

From left, Pathfinder K-8 principal David Dockendorf, who’s a former Alki principal; Chanda Oatis, the current Alki principal; Seattle Public Schools superintendent José Banda; executive director of schools for the district’s Southwest Region, Carmela Dellino. Next, a fun view as a timeless game of marbles was played:

We’re awaiting the official version of the centennial photo and will add when it’s in.

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Here it is!

(Photo by Jean Sherrard; click image for larger view)
We also have four more photos from the event, courtesy of John Hinkey - if you’re reading from the home page, click ahead to see them:

Click to read the rest of Update: Alki Elementary’s centennial celebration…

Tomorrow’s the night! Alki Elementary centennial celebration

If you’ve ever been a student or staffer at Alki Elementary – one more reminder that tomorrow (Thursday, March 28) is the big night – its centennial celebration, presented by the Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. First big reminder is to be there no later than 5 pm so you can be part of the group photo outside the school’s main entrance; you’ll be able to sign up to get a copy of the photo via e-mail. And speaking of photos, bring any photos of yourself/the school from your days there; be ready to share stories if you wish (including in a video booth that will be set up!). Of course, you don’t have to have ties to Alki Elementary to attend – neighbors, community members, anyone and everyone interested is welcome too. After the 5 pm gathering for the photo, indoor activities are planned 6-8 pm. The SWSHS website has more info; if you want a reminder via Facebook, “join” the official event page here.

Reunion time for West Seattle High School Class of 1963

If you or someone you know was part of the West Seattle High School Class of 1963, this short announcement just out of the WSB inbox is for you!

Please join us at West Seattle High School, Friday evening, June 7, at 5 pm to celebrate our 50th Reunion.

Also, register in advance for a fantastic buffet dinner at the Rainier Golf and Country Club, Saturday, June 8 at 6 pm.

For registration forms, contact jelmer63@comcast.net

Alki Elementary centennial nearing: Go find those photos!

With the Alki Elementary School centennial celebration a little more than one week away, Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals shares this reminder about something you don’t want to leave till the last minute:

Did you ever attend or teach at Alki Elementary School? Are you coming to the school’s 100th birthday on Thursday evening, March 28? Make sure to dig up photos of yourself and your school for sharing at the event!

The Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, co-sponsors of the celebration, are planning a variety of activities to engage students and community members of all ages. One is a sharing area, where people can share stories from their time at Alki with others. We’ll also have a video booth so we can capture memories on video.

“This will be a fun way to tell the stories and preserve the rich history of our school,” says Amy Bannister, who chairs the event for Alki PTA.”

The event will start with a group shot outside the school at 5 pm. You can stay connected with other event updates through this Facebook event page.

Video – Last call at Alki Tavern: ‘There’ll never be another place like this’

(Video and photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
The Alki Tavern‘s long farewell – dating back to the January announcement of its plan to close – ended late last night, with the last “last call” after 38 years. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there; his video includes final thoughts from proprietor Gill McLynne, and scenes from the final night and weekend. We’ll be adding one last round of photos; in the meantime, if you missed any of these galleries from the final days/nights:
*Seafair Pirates’ visit
*Last ‘Taco Thursday’
*Wednesday night memorabilia auction

ADDED 10:16 AM: The last look at last night, in photos:

Click to read the rest of Video – Last call at Alki Tavern: ‘There’ll never be another place like this’…

West Seattle scene: Seafair Pirates’ post-parade Alki Tavern visit

After sailing their landlubbing vessel Moby Duck right behind the West Seattle High School Marching Band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown (as shown in our parade coverage), the Seafair Pirates brought it to this side of the bay for a visit to the Alki Tavern. Thanks to Don Brubeck for catching the scene as the Pirates reboarded and prepared to sail away before sunset. Tomorrow, as announced in January, is the tavern’s final day; the farewell festivities this past week have included a memorabilia auction Wednesday night (photos here) and the final Taco Thursday, motorcycle lineup and all (photos here). The site including the tavern and neighboring parcels has been sold and is expected to be redeveloped, though no formal proposal is filed with the city so far.

ADDED 9:32 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was inside the tavern with the Pirates:

(added) … and outside:

(Pirates Lance English, left, and Shane Faucher)
Six more scenes of revelry – ahead:

Click to read the rest of West Seattle scene: Seafair Pirates’ post-parade Alki Tavern visit…

Alki Tavern closure countdown: The last Taco Thursday

(Photo by Don Brubeck)
One last time, motorcycles lined the street outside Alki Tavern on Thursday night. A sign set aside the parking just for them:

(Photo by Cami MacNamara)
A wider view shows how many had arrived even before sunset, for one last tribute:

(Photo by Russ Walker)
One last … taco:

(This photo and others below by Cami MacNamara)
With the tavern closing after Sunday night, it was one more tradition to say farewell to.

Click to read the rest of Alki Tavern closure countdown: The last Taco Thursday…

Alki Tavern closure countdown: Scenes from the auction

(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Most business-fixture auctions are anti-climactic … days or weeks after the shutdown, with the business space a near-empty echo of its past. But Alki Tavern, ending its 38-year run this Sunday, decided not to do it that way. Tavern owner Gill McLynne (above) decided to auction off the memorabilia last night – in a raucous atmosphere among friends, with the tavern still open and rocking. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there. No surprise, it drew a crowd:

Adam Price served as auctioneer:

Any winning bid was cause for celebration – here’s Marshall Thomas to celebrate:

Ahead, some of what was bid on – no, not all beer signs!

Click to read the rest of Alki Tavern closure countdown: Scenes from the auction…

Japanese -American Day of Remembrance at SSCC

(Photos by Glenn Gauthier)
A day to remember – and for remembering – at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor). From communications director Kevin Maloney:

71 years ago today, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order that will never be forgotten. In 1942, Roosevelt signed executive order 9066, which authorized evacuation and incarceration of 120,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, living on the West Coast; most of whom were U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.

Today, SSCC hosted a series of events dedicated to that historic day that is known as Japanese-American Day of Remembrance. Above, actress Narea Kang starred in “Within the Silence.” The performance captured a first-hand account of a Seattle family affected by the order. Here’s Kang with SSCC’s May Lukens (left) and Chanda Ishisaka:

In addition to today’s events, South Seattle’s library will feature a collection of photos from the National Archives through the end of the month that captures life in the internment camps during World War II.

At the campus art gallery, you’ll find the exhibit “Meet Me at Higo”:

It includes artifacts from what Maloney explains was “a well-known dime store that served as a community meeting place for the Japanese community in the Seattle area.”

Centennial celebration announced for Alki Elementary School

(From Southwest Seattle Historical Society collection: Alki Elementary School 5th graders line up for a group photo in May 1928)
Big birthday ahead for Alki Elementary – and all of its alums (along with the rest of the community) are invited to the party. Here’s the official announcement:

Calling everyone who has ever attended Alki Elementary School: Mark your calendars to come celebrate the school’s 100th birthday on March 28.

The Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, co-sponsors of the celebration, are planning a slate of activities to engage students and community members of all ages.

Click to read the rest of Centennial celebration announced for Alki Elementary School…

Neighbor Appreciation Day: Chili afternoon at Log House Museum

Log House Museum volunteers Bonnie and Andrew were among those enjoying free chili and cornbread on the museum’s porch this afternoon, during the Neighbor Appreciation Day celebration. (They turned out to be something of a Valentine’s Day story too – their love of West Seattle brought them together online, and now they’re married – as well as expressing their community caring through volunteering!) Right before serving chili, the Museum had hosted one of its monthly volunteer briefings, and new Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals reports another good turnout. He mingled with museum visitors and volunteers this afternoon:

You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to visit the museum – it’s open noon-4 pm, Thursdays through Sundays, 61st and Stevens.

West Seattle weekend scenes: Celebrating the future of the past

Now that author/historian Clay Eals has taken over as the first-ever executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – parent organization to the Log House Museum – he has a theme: Telling stories. And that’s exactly what he and museum visitors did during Sunday afternoon’s reception celebrating the start of his new role. SWSHS and the museum, after all, are all about the stories of our area’s past, and how to be sure they’re not lost as we hurtle into the future. You can visit the museum Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, by the way (61st and Stevens, a block inland from Alki Beach).

Time to volunteer in the New Year? Log House Museum needs you

On the brink of a new year, many are looking to the future – including those who help others explore West Seattle’s past. The Log House Museum has a volunteer-training session coming up January 5th and needs “more helpers, as many as we can get!” according to museum manager Sarah Baylinson. She says that longtime volunteer Carol Vincent will lead the training at 11 am on the 5th (next Saturday), including a “brief historical tutorial” as well as the basics of being a docent. The museum’s in Alki, at 61st and Stevens.

‘Seattle’s First Christmas’: Imagining the 1851 holiday at Alki

Tweeted early today by HistoryLink.org: A tale of what “Seattle’s First Christmas” might have been like for the Denny Party settlers, 161 years ago. One feature the story has in common with today: Pouring rain. Read it here.

Clay Eals to be Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s first executive director

Author, advocate, and historian Clay Eals will make history at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society as its first executive director. Here’s the announcement from SWSHS:

The board of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society has hired veteran heritage advocate Clay Eals as the organization’s first executive director.

Eals is perhaps best known locally as editor of the “West Side Story” history book about the Duwamish peninsula and a leader of the successful drive to secure city landmark status for the Admiral Theater. He will begin work in the new half-time position on Jan. 1, 2013.
As part of oversight of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s programs and projects, including the Log House Museum, Eals will be responsible for volunteer recruitment, fundraising and outreach. The organization also plans to retain the part-time position of museum manager, which reports to the executive director.

Click to read the rest of Clay Eals to be Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s first executive director…

As-it-happened coverage: History! Same-sex marriage licensing in King County

(Entrance to the building – head of the line – and media area)
10:21 PM: We’re at the King County Administration Building downtown with hundreds of people – both engaged couples and media – looking ahead to 12:01 am, when County Executive Dow Constantine will sign the county’s first licenses for same-sex marriages. It’s a jubilant atmosphere. Whooping and hollering can be heard every few minutes from somewhere down the line. More to come.

10:35 PM: Above are Jason and Shannon Mullett-Bowlsby, West Seattleites who are #84 in line for their license, after 18 years together. Here’s a better shot of the line – and bubbles!

Overhead, there’s now a helicopter. Assuming it’s TV, but not entirely sure. Maybe Guardian One is doing something fun for once. We did see new Sheriff John Urquhart working the line as we arrived just after 10 pm. County staff here tell us as of a few minutes ago, they have 189 couples waiting in line for licenses. Good thing the county put up a canopy for the couples – it’s starting to rain lightly. We’ve ducked just under the overhang on the east edge of the media area.

10:48 PM: You might recognize Marley Blonsky and Whitney Young- also West Seattleites – they have been featured in various publications, and we published their announcement on WSB a while back. They are thrilled beyond belief and are somewhere around #20, according to WSB team members Katie and Torin, who are roving. This group, meantime, is serenading everyone:

At 11:20, those of us who are credentialed to go into the recorder’s office for the signing ceremony at 12:01 will have to go wait in line ourselves – if we go silent for any period of time, check the WSB Twitter account, here.

11:00 PM: One hour to go. People of course are here with signs, like Jeaneane Hill:

The other side of her sign says “for my gay son.” A guy named Scott is handing out buttons in celebration of his sister and her partner – he says they have been together 43 years. The buttons are rainbow colored with the Washington state logo and December 6, 2012.

Meantime, more couples have shown up – 205 now, according to county reps.

11:13 PM: County Councilmember Joe McDermott (with fiancé Michael Culpepper in the foreground at left – McDermott says they’ll marry sometime next year):

More music – a group has just shown up near the door and is singing a spiritual, a cappella. Again, if we can’t get photos on the web once it’s time to go in, check our Twitter feed.

11:43 PM: We’re in the County Recorder’s Office with a media and dignitary crowd. The first couple to get a license, Jane and Pete-e, have arrived for photo ops too:

Others who are in the first licensing group have arrived too. Wider view:

Lots of staging going on – the actual event will start at 11:59, we’re hearing it explained.

11:56 PM: The ceremony starts in one minute – leading up to 12:01 am issuances. The room hushes.

MIDNIGHT: The crowd counted down, as County Executive Constantine, with County Councilmember McDermott at his side – both West Seattleites – paused his speech. All applauded, and yelled HAPPY MARRIAGE! (Added – our clip including that, and the first few license signings:)

12:06 AM: And – the first to be licensed!

Among the couples who have followed – famed writer/editor Dan Savage and partner Terry:

12:11 AM: Wrapping up the ceremonial first round of couples, County Executive Constantine pays tribute to those who went before – to the years it took to get to this point. Applause followed, and then “Let’s go have a party!” (But first, a group photo.)

12:27 AM: Down toward the street level now. Those in line outside are cheering wildly as each licensed couple emerges. (Added video – Jane and Pete-e, greeted like rockstars as they departed, escorted by West Seattleite Anne Levinson, former judge and deputy mayor, a key organizer of the marriage-equality campaign, and of the logistics for this celebratory day:)

2:21 AM: Back at HQ, adding some more of the visuals and info (added the entire midnight-signing-ceremony clip inline). Thanks to Katie Meyer and Torin Record-Sand for assisting with on-the-scene coverage. For continuing coverage, King County’s social-media team is on the beat all night. Just tweeted a few minutes ago:

Also tweeting: Jason and Shannon, featured earlier in our story:

Congratulations to all. We’ll be reviewing more of our photos a bit later this morning to see if there’s more to add. And again, since there’s a waiting period, the weddings don’t start till Sunday.

7:12 AM NOTE: The county is continuing to tweet updates at @kcnews. More than 300 licenses so far.