West Seattle, Washington
29 Tuesday
(Scouts and volunteers at Camp Long – photo by Erik Bell)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Camp Long got TLC Sunday from more than 70 volunteers and Girl Scouts from 11 troops, pulling up invasive weeds, picking up trash, and helping spread fresh wood chips across a handful of campsites as part of a yearly Earth Day cleanup event.
“This year has been easier,” said Maya, one of the Scouts in attendance. Maya and fellow Girl
Scout Izzy attended the first cleanup last year, but this year they’re acting as youth leaders, helping younger Girl Scouts participate in the event.
Camp Long is traditionally the location of the local West Seattle Girl Scout Summer Day Camp. When deciding what they would do for Earth Day last year, event organizer Alexa Huggins said the park seemed like the perfect choice. Huggins is with Service Unit 550, which encompasses all Girl Scout troops in West Seattle and Vashon.
The help has an impact beyond just cleaning up the park. In November of last year, historic Camp Long Lodge was the target of an arson attack which caused an estimated $1.2 million in damages, and led to the loss of many historical documents. So this was heartening. “We really appreciate the love and support, especially right now,” said Camp Long supervisor Matt Kostle, who was there to help organize and assist volunteers on his day off.
(WSB photo by Hayden Andersen)
“(The Girl Scouts) get very excited, because they care about this camp. Especially after the fire, a lot of them want to know what they can do to help,” Huggins said.
(Scouts hold up their finds – WSB photo by Hayden Andersen)
The younger scouts were especially excited, seeking out the most interesting pieces of trash to show off. The highlight of the day by far was Troop 42886’s Eleonore and Dela, who managed to find an old bucket, broken baseball bat and a plastic easter egg which they theorized was “eaten by a squirrel”.
(Huggins speaking to scouts and volunteers – photo by Erik Bell)
Next year, Huggins said, they’ll have to set up a reward for the most interesting piece of garbage picked up by the scouts.
The tools for the event were supplied by Erik Bell of our area’s most prolific volunteer cleanup group, A Cleaner Alki. Bell says it’s a good experience for everyone to get involved in cleaning local parks, especially younger people. “It helps to get them out here, and show them that they can make a difference.”
If you’re interested in supporting cleanups like these, Bell says you can support A Cleaner Alki here. To get involved with Girl Scouts by volunteering or joining, find out more here.
Three food biznotes tonight:
(Hajime Sato at Mashiko in 2009 WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
MASHIKO FOUNDER HEADING BACK WESTWARD: Thanks for the tips! The original chef and owner of Mashiko in The Junction says he is heading back to the Pacific Northwest after closing Sozai, the Detroit-area restaurant he opened in 2021. Just where Hajime Sato will land is not yet public, but reaction to his announcement on social media had dozens of commenters hoping it would be near them. The fact that he’s won a James Beard Award in the interim is likely adding to the interest in his next venture.
Three employees purchased Mashiko when Sato left for the Midwest in 2019. With a focus on sustainable seafood at Mashiko for the final 10 years of the 25 he ran the restaurant here, it wasn’t a stretch for Sato to continue those values when opening Sozai. The positive feedback in the suburban city of Clawson was immediate, and in the years that followed, Sato was honored with a number of awards, including the James Beard Award last year for Best Chef Great Lakes, which includes a 5-state area. He had been a James Beard finalist the previous year. Sato’s post on social media says:
After an extended time of reflection, it is clear that the best thing for my family is for us to return to the Pacific Northwest.
It will be extremely difficult to leave Sozai behind. I put everything I had into building something special for my customers and to further my work as a sustainable seafood advocate. Thank you to everyone who has shared wonderful times with me at Sozai. I will cherish those memories. My sincerest hope is that you will continue to try new things!
We have inquiries out about where in this region he’s headed and will update with any new information we get. (8:46 PM: He messaged us back to say he has no further comment right now.)
SAKE DINNER AT UPWELL: A couple blocks south of Mashiko, a one-of-a-kind dining and drinking experience is two nights away – Upwell Wine and Coffee sent us the announcement that they’re teaming with Maison V for a multi-course sake dinner this Wednesday (April 30), three seatings, $185 per person (gratuity included), with curated food and sake pairings courtesy of Upwell’s Chef Rosanne and Maison V’s team. Interested? Get your seat at the table by going here.
NEW PIZZA: Yes, West Seattle is getting a new pizza option. Thanks to Ian for the tip on this, after he saw the sign in the window at KBM Commissary Kitchen, 5604 Delridge Way SW (home to other popular pick-up eateries). Pizza Ritual, whih promises “naturally leavened wood-fired pizza,” says it’ll be serving up its pies a day or two week starting next month.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo of city and contractor crews along the east end of Sylvan Way (north of The Home Depot) earlier today. They were there for an encampment on Longfellow Creek. Not long after receiving the photo/tip, we went over for a firsthand look, but the last crew was leaving. The nearby Vietnamese Cultural Center and others have voiced concerns about the encampment; we checked with the city Unified Care Team to find out exactly what was happening today, and spokesperson Kate Jacobs replied, “The Unified Care Team deep-cleaned an area today in Longfellow Creek Greenspace at Sylvan Way SW by removing accumulated trash and debris related to an unauthorized encampment. UCT will provide ongoing trash mitigation to reduce the public impact of this site until a full resolution can be completed. Simultaneously, outreach teams continue engagement efforts as they work to connect individuals with shelter and supportive services that meet their needs.”
(WSB photo, 2023 Loop the ‘Lupe)
Are you looped in yet? We’re a little more than a month away from this year’s Loop the ‘Lupe at Walt Hundley Playfield, but we’re just days away from the current registration deal expiring! Here’s an update with some other news from organizer Brian Callanan:
Loop the ‘Lupe — the ONLY obstacle-course race in Seattle city limits–is coming up on June 7, and time is running out for you to get your best deal! We have options for participants age 3 to 93, and we’re asking everyone to get signed up before May 1 (this Thursday) to save $10 on your registration fees (compared to race-day prices). Team discounts with 4+ entrants!
Plus, new this year, we’re teaming up with West Seattle Junction FC and Rhodies FC (our local pre-professional soccer teams) to present a free exposition match at 1:30 p.m., after our final event of the day. Then, at 2:00 p.m., we’re featuring a Penalty Kick Shootout event for Loop the ‘Lupe entrants age 16+! Only 20 tickets, at a price of $25, are available to entrants age 16+. All entrants in the shootout will receive free tickets to a West Seattle Junction FC/Rhodies match, and our shootout winner will receive a special West Seattle soccer prize pack!
Junction FC and the Rhodies start their seasons even before Loop the ‘Lupe – they take the field in mid-May. Loop the ‘Lupe, meantime – with community co-sponsors also including WSB – raises money for the intensive community social work done by Our Lady of Guadalupe. And even if you don’t want to try the obstacle course, you’ve got options – including a Fun Run, Youth Dash, and Senior Saunter – go here. (Fast!)
(Salmon hats and a salmon song gave fry a festive send-off)
Story by Judy Pickens
Photos by John Sturtevant
Special to West Seattle Blog
Preschoolers from The Cove School in the Admiral District opened salmon-release season today on Fauntleroy Creek. Teachers brought the coho fry the 22 students had helped rear through the Salmon in the Schools program, and a like number of parents, grandparents, and others came to celebrate with the children. Volunteers with the Fauntleroy Watershed Council gave a hand to be sure the inch-long fish had a gentle entry into the water.
(Dennis Hinton has been helping students put fish in the creek for 15 years)
Twenty two seems to be the number this spring – 22 volunteers to staff 22 school releases on the schedule (a record number), plus an all-ages community release on Sunday, June 1, 1:00-3:00 pm at the big bridge in Fauntleroy Park. By then, nearly 800 students will have come and roughly 2,000 fry will have started their year-long stay in the creek.
(Young, elder, and in between hands released 134 healthy coho fry)
Since late March, fry released last spring have been leaving the creek as smolts for their two years in saltwater. Volunteers will continue to check net traps in the upper and lower creek twice daily through most of May. So far, they have documented 18 smolts headed for nearshore habitat in Fauntleroy Cove to fatten up before moving into open water.
A West Seattle ATM and convenience store were both hit in a short period of time early Saturday morning. Today we’ve obtained police-report narrative on both incidents:
ATM BREAK-IN: One incident involved the freestanding BECU ATM in the 6500 block of California SW. Police responded to a “tracking alarm” at 5 am Saturday pointing to a location outside the city. At the ATM itself, they discovered its rear door had been forced open, as had a metal/concrete security panel inside, possibly with a “jaws of life” (the type of tool typically used by firefighters to rescue trapped people from vehicles). Meantime, SPD says the “tracking alarm” led officers from other agencies to a location in Bonney Lake where they found a stolen vehicle “possibly involved” in the ATM incident. The vehicle, and a suspect possibly seen in security video from the incident, took off but was later recovered; police subsequently got a search warrant for a storage unit they say was linked to the suspect. Inside they found “several items of evidence” including two “jaws of life.” No arrest(s) reported yet. This incident is 25-111240 if you have any information.
STORE BREAK-IN: Also around 5 am Saturday, police got word of a break-in that happened an hour or so earlier at the El Quetzal mini-mart at Arrowhead Gardens in southeast West Seattle. They were told that someone saw two people in a “black Roadster” trying to pull open the doors with a chain, and that “a male was seen taking items from the store.” They were unable to get into the store to check on what had been taken but noted that they could see “the cigarette display had been disturbed.” The same two people were reported also to have been trying to kick in a parking-garage door. If you have any information on this incident, the number is 25-111217.
(File photo via SPU)
It’s prime time for mulching, soil-enriching, etc., and you’ve got the opportunity this Saturday to do that with FREE compost that’s being given away at a West Seattle event. GROW just sent us the announcement to be sure you know they’re partnering with Seattle Public Utilities to offer up to a half-yard of compost, 9 am until 1 pm (or until it runs out, if sooner) on Saturday, May 3, at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW – near the P-Patch, per GROW). Bring your own container and shovel!
(Be careful when working outdoors! Robin’s eggs spotted by Janelle Otterholt)
Here’s our “what’s happening” list for this murky Monday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LOW-LOW TIDE: -2.9 feet at 11:57 am, and even lower the next two days (here’s the tide chart).
BABY STORY TIME: Southwest Library’s noontime event is not happening today.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: See City Councilmembers preview what’s ahead for the week, 2 pm. The agenda explains how to watch (no public-comment period at this meeting).
SPORTS: Busy day/night for local high-school competition – Chief Sealth IHS plays softball vs. Franklin at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), 3:30 pm; West Seattle HS boys’soccer has a match at 4 pm vs. Seattle Academy at Delridge Playfield and a baseball game vs. Blanchet at 7 at NCSWAC.
HOMEWORK HELP: K-12 students can get free drop-in help at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), 4-5:45 pm.
DINE-OUT FUNDRAISER: Your dinner dollars can help the West Seattle HS Boys’ Soccer program if you get food tonight from Due Cucina (4437 California SW), 5-9 pm – tell them you’re there for the soccer fundraiser!
GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday is “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
D&D: Long-running weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, first-time players too!
LISTENING TO GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: Be seen and heard in your sorrow. 6:30 pm at Mama Be Well Healing Studio with Listening to Grief. Registration/fee info here. (4034A California SW).
MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA: Four Three places you can play tonight! … 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander) … 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW), 21+ … 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MEDITATION AT ALKI UCC: Every Monday – doors open at Alki UCC at 6:45, meeting is from 7-8:30. (6115 SW Hinds)
MEDITATION IN FAUNTLEROY: More Monday night calming – free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: The Alley presents live music on Monday nights – jazz with The Westside Jazz Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
MONDAY KARAOKE 9 pm Monday nights, singers welcome for karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).
Thanks to everyone who sends info for our calendar – if you have something to add or cancel (or otherwise update), please send the info to we*************@***il.com – thank you!
Thanks for the tip. Seattle School Board members are hosting events around the city for general “community engagement,” not just linked to one specific issue or program, and the next one is at Denny International Middle School in West Seattle on Wednesday. All are welcome to attend in the library at Denny (2601 SW Kenyon) 5:30-7 pm Wednesday (April 30). The district hasn’t announced which School Board directors plan to attend – we’re checking – but you can count on this area’s elected representative Gina Topp, who currently serves as the board’s president.
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, April 28, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Clouds and likely showers, high near 60. Today’s sunrise/sunset – 5:56 am and 8:18 pm.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, which means later-evening sailings Fridays and Saturdays.
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish is serving as the “bonus boat”.
ROAD WORK
-The Admiral Way Bridge’s outside lane on the eastbound/southbound side is still closed.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
With an 11-1 rout of Rainier Beach at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex on Friday night, the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks became the Metro League’s 2A and Valley Division champs. CSIHS athletic director Ernest Policarpio forwarded info with photos, including the seniors who were celebrated at the game:
(L-R, seniors Luis Toledo Walls, Micah Policarpio, Marko Woelfle, Peter Sketchley, Teo Perala, Brady Murphy, Seth Clark, Rocco Batterson-Ecton)
Two big scoring bursts for the Seahawks: In the bottom of the second, Chief Sealth racked up five runs on three hits. Then they scored another five runs on six hits in the bottom of the third. Senior Teo Perala had three of those runs, four RBI total in the game:
Eleven hits and nine walks factored into the Sealth win, as well as starter Sam Popelka‘s six strikeouts plus four relievers’ strong performances. The Seahawks are now 13-7.
Story, photos and video by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Students and staff from West Seattle High School hosted a Multicultural Night celebration on Friday night, with neighbors and area families invited to join in the fun.
The evening featured arts and crafts, informational displays and resources from community partners, student performances including dance, music and poetry, and a potluck dinner with samples of cuisines from around the world.
The two primary organizers of the event (and emcees for the evening) were student Afra Mirza and school activities director Angela Ferda:
As guests arrived, they were welcomed by a variety of signs:
Read MoreTwo more wildlife sightings (thanks as always for sending them!):
BACKYARD OTTER: From Bill L:
Spotted this guy walking through our yard. First time we’ve noticed any here. We’re a block east of Fauntleroy near the Lincoln Park North parking lot.
As we’ve reported/shown before, river otters (which actually live in the salt water around here) may have dens relatively far inland, so be careful when driving along streets near the water (like Alki Avenue, Beach Drive, and in this case, Fauntleroy Way). Here’s a state fact sheet about them.
SIDEWALK COYOTE: Julia sent this video of a daylight coyote sighting in Sunrise Heights, near 31st/Othello, last Thursday:
Another reader sent a photo of a coyote in what appeared to be the same area of Sunrise Heights, around the same time, and said two others were in the area. Here’s state advice on coexisting with them.
ORIGINAL SUNDAY STORY: Sebastian is hoping for help recovering his stolen kayak:
I’m really upset I had my very lovely sea kayak stolen out of my driveway last night and it’s quite alarming – I live at the Tracy Ann Apartments right by Lowman Beach, 6790 Murray Avenue SW. It was an 18 ft Wilderness Concepts sea kayak, Polar Star model, quite expensive, and I believe that it might have been taken after 5:00 a.m. (when) I let my very sick dog out. It was blue, it has a rudder on it, tandem as well – two seater. It was in my parking spot in my driveway.
Sebastian is working on filing a police report; meantime, if you happen to find it, we can connect you with him.
MONDAY UPDATE: As you can see via comments below, a reader spotted it, and Sebastian says that as a result he has his kayak back.
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Coast to coast, “resisters” opposed to recent federal actions and orders have gathered on streetcorners, among other places, in recent weeks.
For Highland Park resident and West Seattle artist Sheila Lengle, protest took a different form.
With the help of graphic artist Gretchen Flickinger and Christy Hosler, she decided to start the group Victory Gardeners HP. “I am past my limit of endurance about feeling angry, and powerless about what’s happening in this country,” Lengle said. “This is my own quiet way to resist.”
(Photo courtesy Sheila Lengle, shown holding Victory Gardeners HP flyer at recent event, with another volunteer)
“The HP stands for Highland Park,” she explained, with the intent that others could take the Victory Gardeners model and use it in their own neighborhoods, with a slight tweak to their title.
The name is taken from the the historical Victory Gardens, originally called “War Gardens” or “Liberty Gardens.” In World War I and II days, people were encouraged to grow their own food, as a way to alleviate pressure on the national food supply, boost morale, and support the community.
Lengle’s Victory Gardens seek to serve much the same purpose, especially with increasing concerns about food security amid tariffs and other economic concerns. Furthermore, Lengle says, any additional produce grown throughout the project will be donated to local food banks.
Beyond just addressing food concerns, gardens also serve as a way to connect the community. “The essence, other than providing the food, is that people meet each other,” Lengle said. “It’s about the spirit of sharing with the community, taking something as easy and common as gardening and finding a way to share it with your neighbors.”
(The Victory Gardeners HP Flyer, Designed by Sheila Lengle, Gretchen Flickinger and Christy Hosler)
The project has only just begun, but Lengle said she is excited to see it grow, after sharing it with the community at a recent event held by the Highland Park Improvement Club. She plans to focus her garden on carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic, but there are dozens of options to choose from. The important thing isn’t the quality or quantity, but the spirit of being involved, she said. “The bottom line is, I did something. Everybody can do one little something.”
If you have questions about Victory Gardens, or would like to reach out to Sheila, you can do so through the project’s email address, vg**********@***il.com.
Been working on your garden and/or planter(s) and have a question or discovery you’d really rather talk about with an expert, rather than just digging around online? These are the people who can help – King County Master Gardeners – and they’re back in action, not only at the regular spots, but also with pop-ups. At center above, photographed with fellow MGs at today’s West Seattle Farmers’ Market, is Beth, who sent us the announcement you might have seen in our Event Calendar:
The WSU Extension King County Master Gardeners will again be offering plant diagnostic clinics in the West Seattle area. Master Gardeners provide research-based home gardening information focused on environmentally friendly and sustainable practices. The clinic schedule is:
Delridge Home Depot – Saturdays, 10 AM – 2 PM – through September 6 (No clinic on Saturday, July 5)
West Seattle Farmers Market – Sundays, 10 AM – 2 PM – through September 7 (No clinics on Sunday, July 6 and Sunday, July 13)
South Park branch of Seattle Public Library – Saturday, May 3, 10 AM – 2 PM
West Seattle Bee Festival – Saturday, May 17 – 12 PM – 3PM
West Seattle Nursery – Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, July 13 – 10AM – 2PMHave a home gardening question but can’t get to a clinic? The Master Gardeners have an email clinic – as****************@****mg.org
You’ll find them at the south end of the market (California/Alaska) until 2 today.
Family and friends will gather later this week to remember Randy Maguire, and are sharing this with the community:
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Dennis (Randy) Maguire on April 14, 2025.
Randy was preceded in death by his parents, Pat and Frank Maguire, and his two brothers Jack and Marshall. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Belen, his son Mark, his sisters Mary Kathleen (Richard) Lohrman and Patricia Eilleen Maguire, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Born in Port Angeles, Washington, Randy spent his childhood in West Seattle, recalling fond memories of Alki Beach. He spent his school days in West Seattle growing up between the two beaches which was forever in his heart.
He spoke of his idyllic childhood on Alki collecting pop bottles for pennies to buy pickles at Spud’s, to climbing the roofs at Alki Fieldhouse to retrieve balls, playing in Schmitz Park swinging from the infamous rope swing, and “skimming” at the beach from morning to dusk.
He was an avid reader, loved history, and his dedication to the Bible is what he’d want to be remembered by. His ability to quote scripture was impressive.
Randy will be greatly missed.
Services will be held May 3, 2025 in Banning, California, where he resided with his wife, Belen.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to we*************@***il.com)
(Photo by Bucky Hayes-McQueen)
Not as incredibly busy a day as Saturday was, but you have options, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and previously published previews:
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Today’s Sunday Funday run leaves from Dough Joy Donuts (4310 SW Oregon), 9 am.
AMERICAN MAH JONGG: Meet up with other players – all levels – 9:30-11:30 am at The Missing Piece. (35th/Roxbury)
(Saturday WSB photo)
ART MARKET AT THE LONGHOUSE: Spring edition of the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse‘s popular art market with Native artists, second of two days, 10 am-5 pm. (4705 West Marginal Way SW)
(Saturday WSB photo)
WEST SEATTLE ROCK AND GEM SHOW: Also open again today 10 am-5 pm – activities, displays, vendors, also at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds), admission and parking free!
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, with spring produce (lots of greens! asparagus too) plus beverages, flowers, cheese, yogurt, fish, meat, prepared hot food, baked goods, nuts, dried peppers, garlic, candy, condiments, more. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)
MASTER GARDENERS: While you’re at the market, look for Master Gardeners, ready to answer your questions! Sundays this spring and summer, they’re back at the market, 10 am-2 pm.
KINDIE WEST CONCERT SERIES: The Highlight Quartet performs this family-music concert at 10:30 am, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW).
GRIEF CIRCLE: Any kind of grief is welcome. 10:30 am-noon, with Listening to Grief, at Nurture Wellbeing (6307 California SW).
FREE NIA CLASS: 10:30 am Sundays, first class free if you pre-register. At Inner Alchemy Sanctuary/Studio (3618 SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool to get your project going? Borrow it from the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
HER INK, HER VOICE: 2 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW):
A story of persistence, legacy, and the power of the pen! Meet Susie Revels Cayton — daughter of the first Black U.S. Senator, Associate Editor of The Seattle Republican, writer and activist at the turn of the 20thcentury — as she fights for justice with ink and fire! The program will be followed by an interactive audience Q&A/Discussion.
Free.
WELCOME ROAD WINERY: Enjoy your Sunday afternoon at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)
JAZZ GUITAR JAM! 2-4 pm at Bonjour Vietnam in The Junction.
CLASSIC NOVELS (AND MOVIES) BOOK CLUB: Monthly gathering at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 3 pm. “Madame Bovary” is this month’s title.
‘ATHENA’ MATINEE: “Theater plus fencing!” is what ArtsWest (4711 California SW) promises with its production “Athena“; our calendar listing has play info plus the ticket link for today’s 3 pm performance.
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL: 5:30-6:30 pm at Bethany Community Church in Highland Park (8600 9th SW), all welcome.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: End your weekend with Sunday night music provided by the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW) – 8-10 pm.
Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basic details – we*************@***il.com – thank you!
A solemn commemoration in West Seattle today marked half a century since a difficult day in history.
This week will bring the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. Today’s attendees and participants at the Vietnamese Cultural Center included South Vietnamese and U.S. military veterans.
Speakers talked about the “complicated” and painful feelings stirred by the anniversary.
The ceremony also included a chapter of the Patriot Guard Riders, who stood with flags throughout the program. The focus was on honoring fallen soldiers. Incense and food offerings were made. Attendees chanted “long live the Republic of Vietnam” and “Down with communism” in both Vietnamese and English.
One speaker who had served in the U.S. military during the war, 81-year-old U.S. Navy veteran Samuel Perkins, offered words in honor of the thousands of refugees rescued from Saigon who came to the U.S. and have worked hard for decades. “You came here with nothing and now you are more than great,” he said. (You can read some of the history of Southeast Asian refugees settling in our state after the war by going here.)
The Vietnamese Cultural Center is at 2236 SW Orchard, usually open to the public on Saturday afternoons. They also welcome community members during multiple cultural events each year, such as Vietnamese New Year and the Children’s Moonlight Festival.k
For the second time in less than a month, the West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School boys’ soccer teams faced off last night, this time at Walt Hundley Playfield. And again last night, the Wildcats won. Final score was WSHS 3, CSIHS 2 (last month, West Seattle won 2-0). It was also Senior Night for graduating WSHS seniors:
(L-R: Hollis Johnson, Finn White, Cole Heinrichs., Collin Temme, Jacob Stevens, Kingston Darocy, Arjun Rajaratnam, Pa Njie. Photo by Brandon Faloona)
You can see photographer Brandon Faloona‘s game gallery here. WSHS is now 9-3, #2 in the Metro League, while Sealth is 5-9. The Wildcats have a 4 pm Monday game against Seattle Academy at Delridge Playfield; the Seahawks’ next local game is on Friday, 4:30 pm vs. Cleveland at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex.
(WSB photo by Anne Higuera)
Of the many groups and organizations presenting events in West Seattle today, this one was unique – Renton-based Progress Pushers, focusing on youth empowerment. They presented a resource fair at Delridge Community Center, geared to their mission “to guide, educate, and empower Black and brown youth and those most impacted by societal systems by connecting them to mentors and much-needed skills and opportunities so they can live in their greatness.” They mentor youth with trained “Credible Messengers” and told us that many of those involved have changed their lives from a path they want to help youth avoid – some have been in the incarceration system, for example. Mentors help youth through teaching life skills, leadership development, and job readiness, as well as working with them on results-based projects. Interested in getting involved? ad***@*************rs.org
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
There’s still one more day to stop in at the West Seattle Rock Club’s Rock and Gem Show, which is open again Sunday from 10 am-5 pm at the Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th Ave SW, free to the public and with some tantalizing door prizes. But the true gems of the show may just be hiding in plain sight.
The Rock Club is celebrating its 60th year with 100 members, 30 of whom are juniors. Members get to show off their finds, their work and their knowledge via displays at the annual show. This year’s show also has 5 stone craftspeople demonstrating their skills and the machinery required to make things like beads, creating facets, and shaping cabochons. There are also a few sellers with rocks and gems in a finished form.
Show visitors have the chance to bid on rocks and minerals in a silent auction; there’s a “people’s choice” award for the best displays, and a chance at a prize just for walking in the door. It’s the group’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and it’s the 57th show.
That is also coincidentally the number of years that Audrey and Lyle Vogelpohl have been members of the club, joining in 1968. They have humbly stewarded the organization practically ever since, adding a Juniors group to the roster along the way. Often, those younger members will get the rockhounding bug after going on one of the club’s field trips and then start going to monthly meetings to learn more.
The Vogelpohls have consistently made the West Seattle Rock Club a priority through most of their married life, while providing an educational opportunity for the entire community. They’re also involved with statewide and national organizations devoted to mineralogy. As the club website says, it is, “dedicated to the advancement of the lapidary arts and to enjoying the great outdoors.”
Audrey says they’ve both relished the work they’ve done with the club, particularly in the 27 years they’ve been retired. “You can’t just sit in a rocker,” she said. Lyle’s specialty is shaping cabochons, and Audrey was wearing a necklace today that she made out of one by adding beading to it. It’s work that takes patience and dedication, something the Vogelpohls have in spades.
Admission to the show is free, and so is parking in the Masonic Center’s lot for showgoers.
2:32 PM: SFD and SPD are on the scene of a crash that’s brought down a utility pole and wires in the 4800 block of Beach Drive [vicinity map] and report the entire street is blocked as a result. One person is reported injured. The Seattle City Light outage map says 58 customers are out of electricity, too.
3:26 PM: The photos are from WSB’s Jason Grotelueschen, who says the pickup truck in the photo below is the vehicle whose driver is reported to have hit the pole.
City Light is on scene and the street is still closed, though SFD has departed.
4:21 PM: The photo above is from Lura, showing City Light crews working at the scene. (Added below, a photo from Asher:)
6:34 PM: After four hours, Beach Drive is still closed, and if you’re going northbound from Lowman Beach you won’t know that until there’s finally a sign at Shore Place.
10:21 PM: Still closed after 8 hours. But a texter says “City Light team arrived in full force … Chainsawing the old pole out, getting ready to add the new pole and transformer.” They texted this photo too:
11 AM SUNDAY: Just went down to confirm, the work is done and road reopened. Meantime, the police data map confirms the driver was taken into custody for investigation of DUI.
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