West Seattle, Washington
13 Tuesday
They’re by no means rare, but when coyote sightings are brought to our attention, we pass them along as a reminder that you’ll want to make sure your pets are inside, etc. Just got a call from Pam, who lives along lower Lincoln Park Way, north of Lincoln Park, east of Lowman Beach (vicinity map), and says a coyote’s been hanging around behind her house for going on an hour now, so she wanted to make sure others got the word. (Past coyote reports, some with photos, are archived here.)
We’ve received a flurry of notes/texts asking about those fireworks a bit earlier tonight; here’s what they were all about – a wedding, per Magnolia Voice.
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli covered today’s Great Cross-Sound Race from Alki to Blakely Rock and back — an annual tradition for Sound Rowers — with video and photos. Here’s his shot of the nautical chart of the course:
And a still shot of the winners, in #4, Rainer Storb and Todd Silver, who finished in 52:24:
In second, 16 seconds behind (according to the published results), the rower who’s finished first as a solo the past two years, Evan Jacobs; third place, 29 seconds behind 1st place, Tyler Peterson; fourth, at 54:36, race directors Jeff and Theresa Knakal. The competitors spanned a wide age range; here’s Jack Fleming emerging from Elliott Bay:
Also, a diverse range of watercraft:
In addition to Christopher’s video, photos and reporting above — Greg Wright e-mailed photos to share – here’s the always-impressive crowd shot, looking out from shore:
For Sound Rowers’ full-season race schedule, go here. (Added early Sunday – link to full results from Saturday’s race.)
The WSB Forums have been abuzz about this – and we finally have a link to share from one of the photographers who caught it on camera: An (apparently) old Ivar’s sign fished out of Elliott Bay off West Seattle shores last night. See it here at seattletimes.com. Whether it’s history … is for now a mystery.
WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli reports from the Nature Consortium‘s Arts-in-Nature Festival – which continues through 9 tonight (with evening performers including fire dancing by The Cabiri, shown above in an aerial performance earlier) and again 11-6 tomorrow:
Beautiful weather for the 11th Annual Arts in Nature Festival going on at Camp Long this weekend. I stopped in for an hour around noon on Saturday and each event going on had a healthy audience though it definitely wasn’t crowded. I’d advise people to park on 35th though as open spaces in the Camp Long parking were scarce.
More photos from Christopher, before his report continues:
Lots of crafts for the kids. Coloring, painting, printmaking and face-painting, etc. Music and performance shows inside the geodesic dome on the meadow and down by the pond. The cabins are featuring art installations, including multimedia presentations in some of them.
Christopher also recorded video of one performance, by Lelavision:
For the full Arts-in-Nature Festival schedule, tonight AND tomorrow, go here. Admission is by donation, $5; the Nature Consortium is a West Seattle-based nonprofit whose major work involves restoration of the West Duwamish Greenbelt, the largest remaining stretch of contiguous forest within the city limits.
We’ve got an update on the West Seattle Helpline back-to-school backpack drive (sponsoring WSB right now to help get the word out) from Helpline director Anna Fern – including information on how you can help, not just with backpacks, but also with clothing donations:
We have collected about 130 backpacks towards our goal of 200. Along with the backpacks, people are donating lots of school supplies. The community response has been overwhelming. The West Seattle Rotary made a large contribution towards the program and the Helpline. A local attorney donated money for over 20 backpacks. Members of the First Lutheran Church of West Seattle donated over 60 backpacks. And individual donations from West Seattle residents are still coming in!
We have over 150 requests for backpacks with appointments for picking them up (including) next Tuesday and Thursday. (But we are receiving over 10 requests a day…so we will end up having more than 200 requests by the middle of next week. We have limited it to just families in the West Seattle area–98106, 98126, 98136 and 98146 zip codes.) …
We still need more backpacks, but even more than that we really need “gently used or new clothing” for school age children. Most families will be picking up the backpacks and then shopping at the Clothesline at the same time.
You can donate backpacks by dropping them off at Capers in The Junction (map/address), Coffee at the Heights (WSB sponsor) in Sunrise Heights (map/address), or Helpline HQ (map/address). To donate money so Helpline can buy more backpacks, use the button atop its website. And to find out how to donate clothes for Clothesline (we’ve reported on this “clothing bank,” here and here), here’s how to contact them.
Just got a phone call from a resident in a neighborhood southwest of The Junction – saying two young woman are selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door, claiming to be raising money for a “trip to Holland” (a destination also mentioned in this recent alert). He says neighbors gave them money, then looked up the information online and found claims of a suspected scam, and “ran after them to get their checks back.” Past door-to-door alerts (including comments, where more stories usually emerge) are here; city rules for door-to-door solicitors are here.
As mentioned earlier, it’s “Big Bonanza” end-of-summer sale day in The Junction. Kathy Mulady is covering it for WSB with updates and photos, and sends this vignette:
Balloons brighten the West Seattle Junction Saturday morning as the Big Bonanza event gets underway. Rob Wastman with the Skate Church (in the red shirt), and a member of the merchants’ association, delivered balloons to businesses and had an extra one in his bunch for Sam “Samster-the-Hamster” Seidl, 4, who was out and about with her dad, Mark Seidl. More than 30 businesses in The Junction have sales and special events planned today. We will be standing by for the Junction Showdown at high noon.
More later!
Several West Seattle churches have celebrated their 100th anniversaries in the past year; among them, Tibbetts United Methodist Church, whose Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown is shown in the top photo, shovel in hand, as she and church members worked to help spruce up Lincoln Park earlier this month. All ages pitched in:
(Kathryn Ushimaru and Nora Hallmon)
Sara Carter shared the photos, explaining, “As part of (our) centennial celebration, we wanted to give back to our community.”
(Amy Hallmon and Howard Bogie)
She added, “Tibbetts is proud to have been living the Way of Jesus in West Seattle for 100 years and we’re looking forward to the next 100 years.” They invite anyone interested in finding out more about their church to check them out online at tibbettsumchurch.org; the church is at 3940 41st SW (map). Other West Seattle churches that have recently celebrated their centennials — or are still in the midst of festivities now — include Fauntleroy Church, Alki UCC and Holy Rosary. And by the way, you don’t have to be part of a group to help beautify a West Seattle park – there are work parties every weekend, always listed in our West Seattle Weekend Lineup, and browsable even sooner at greenseattle.org.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Carole:
At 9am on 8/22 (Sat) I received a robocall indicating it was from Cardmember Services and informing me I was eligible for a reduced rate (as low as 6%!) on my credit card and all I had to do to take advantage was press “9.” I do have a Chase card managed by Cardmember Services, but wary of a scam and not about to give out personal info over the phone, I hung up and called the number on the back of my Chase card. Customer service informed me that they are not offering rate reductions and are not making these robocalls. IF YOU GET A CALL LIKE THIS DO NOT PRESS “9.” Call your credit card company directly and inform them. I have sent a similar message to the AG’s office asking them to confirm the scam and put out a consumer alert.
“BIG BONANZA” DAY IN THE JUNCTION: Saddle up and gallop to The Junction for Western-themed fun spotlighting a multi-merchant end-of-summer sale – more than two dozen participants, many with deals you’ll find listed here; WSB sponsors on the participant list include Brunette Mix, Dream Dinners (discount on orders placed today at the store OR online – if the latter, note “Junction Bonanza”), Hotwire Coffee (drink specials), Mural Apartments (fees/deposits waived if you sign an agreement today), Square 1 Books (15% off), Wallflower Custom Framing (kids’ art special), Pharmaca – just get on down to The Junction and support your neighborhood businesses (and check out the Junction Association’s booth at Walk-All-Ways for extra fun, including the high noon water fight).
FINAL “MOVIES ON THE WALL” TONIGHT: That’s the trailer for “Cars,” the summer’s last West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation, tonight in the courtyard by Hotwire/Dr. Wolff. West Seattle Christian is tonight’s presenting sponsor and they’re grilling up FREE burgers and hot dogs before the movie, starting at 7 pm; the show’s free but bring a few bucks for charity-benefiting concessions and raffles.
ARTS-IN-NATURE FESTIVAL: Found that YouTube video of Nyamuziwa Marimba Ensemble – just one of dozens of groups, artists, dancers, performers and others coming together at the Nature Consortium‘s Arts-in-Nature Festival (WSB sponsor) today at Camp Long – 11 am-9 pm (and tomorrow 11-6) – schedule and much more info here.
(WSB photo from 2007)
GREAT CROSS-SOUND RACE: This morning at 9, you’ll see dozens of rowers off Alki, heading toward Bainbridge in the annual Great Cross-Sound Race; the winner is likely to be back in less than an hour. It’s fun to watch from shore and cheer when announcers call out the finishers as they cross the line.
MORE! And the Me-Kwa-Mooks history talk, Washington IPA Challenge, dozens of other events, all in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
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