Click above to listen to “Killingsworth Street” by Sue Quigley, a counselor at West Seattle High School. Her co-worker Linda forwarded the link with a copy of a school e-mail asking people to help her win a contest to perform at a major festival:

Sue Quigley, is a counselor at West Seattle High School who is a solo artist and has a chance to perform at Lilith this summer! Every vote counts! You can help make it happen by voting via the Ourstage link and asking others to vote for Quigley! Voting requires a bit of effort to sign up but just to listen to her song it is worth it! Listen to Killingsworth Street and place your vote! Only a couple of days left to cast your VOTE…the deadline for voting is midnight May 23, 2010.

It was indeed a bit of a challenge to figure out how to vote, but if you can spare a few minutes, you’ll be giving a West Seattleite a boost. Click ahead for the specific instructions as explained by supporters:Read More

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Crowd blooms for Ed Hume at Bridge Park in West Seattle

May 21, 2010 10:26 pm

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| Gardening | High Point | West Seattle news

Full house in the Bridge Park Retirement Community (WSB sponsor) great room this afternoon as a Northwest gardening luminary came to High Point to share his secrets: Gardening expert/writer/seed-seller/TV personality Ed Hume. Topic of the day: Container gardening.

It’s hotter than ever now because you can do it anywhere – you don’t have to have a big chunk of land to turn into a garden. (West Seattle Nursery co-promoted today’s event and provided plants.) Hume’s been sharing gardening knowledge for more than 30 years, and continues to maintain a busy public-appearance calendar – if you missed him at Bridge Park today, here’s where to find him next.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Westwood Fair & WS 5K edition

May 21, 2010 6:00 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

The banners are up – tomorrow’s the day for the Westwood Village Street Fair (WSB sponsor), first big outdoor festival of the season, 11-7 pm with live music, bouncy toys, magicians, JP PATCHES! and a dog show (flyer here with all the categories and how to sign up). And that’s just Saturday – then Sunday, it’s the second annual West Seattle 5K Run/Walk (co-sponsored by WSB), which kicks off the Seattle Summer Streets “car-free day” on Alki. In the meantime, the KEXP Hood-to-Hood victory party continues tonight, with live performances at multiple venues – Seattle International Film Festival is at Admiral Theater for a second year – and all this is just the start of a weekend so amazing, you’d think it’s summer already. The WSWL is sponsored by Skylark Cafe and Club, where you’ll find FREE live music, bodacious brunches, plus lunch ‘n’ dinner:Read More

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Fun things to do in West Seattle: June programs at Camp Long

May 21, 2010 4:36 pm

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| Announcements

From Sheila Brown at Camp Long:

Special Event – June 5

Delridge WALKS – Exploring our Community on Foot (and the chance to win great prizes) Start at Camp Long at 9:00 a.m. on June 5.

Get in Step With reFRESH Southwest!
Join “Delridge WALKS” on Saturday, June 5th from 9am-1pm to explore, walk, & win! Take steps towards building a safe and healthy Delridge by arriving to the reFRESH Southwest event by foot. Community members are leading walks from various locations around Delridge Community Center (South Seattle Community College, Delridge Neighborhood Service Center, Highland Park Improvement Club AND CAMP LONG (led by Naturalist Gretchen Graber). Arrive by foot at the reFRESH Southwest event and hit up Delridge Neighborhood Points of Interest along the way to be entered to win one or more of dozens of great prizes. Additional CA$H prizes will be awarded for Delridge WALKS participants who enter to win the photo contest. To join a walk, or for more info, email info@feetfirst.info or call 206.652.2310.

Announcing reFRESH SOUTHWEST: A Fun, Family-friendly Community Event Focused on Activating Community Spaces & Resources, June 5th FREE & ALL AGES! 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

REFRESH SOUTHWEST: DELRIDGE DAY & SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE FESTIVAL is a free community celebration featuring live performance, creative arts and environmentally-minded workshops, speakers, family activities, and over 100+ community organizations and resources for Southwest Seattle.

Hosted at the Delridge Community Center and Playfield, the event will feature two music stages with noted community performers and will connect residents with the initiatives and programs that are working to provide better access to a healthy, active lifestyle.

4501 Delridge Way SW, 98106

Metro Bus Lines 120, 125

Refresh Southwest is presented by the Delridge Neighborhood Development Association in partnership with Seattle Parks & Recreation, Sustainable West Seattle, and the King County Food and Fitness Initiative, and funded through the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods, Neighborhood Matching Fund Program.

Nature Programs

Camp Long Owl Hoot

Ages 5 and older

Join us for a dusk-to-dark owl prowl through Camp Long’s woodland. Will there be babies? Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. Please register by June 18 by calling 206-684-7434.

June 19 Sat 8:30-10:30 p.m.

Course #52945 Activity Fee: Adult $8 / Child $6

Full Moon Celebration!

Ages 5 and older

Watch as the moon ascends above the Cascade Mountains in the east to reveal her beauty to the not quite dark, night sky. As the sunsets in the west behind the Olympic Mountains the light will linger long enough to taint the moon’s glow. Please register by June 25 by calling 206-684-7434.

June 26 Sat 8:30-10:30 p.m.

Course #52947 Activity Fee: Adult $8 / Child $6

Salamander Search

Ages 1 and older

Search: under logs, in the pond and the woods for all the cool varieties of salamanders that call Camp Long home. Long-toed, Northwestern, Red-backed and Ensatina are all possible to see if you have good Salamander searching eyes! Please register by June 11 by calling 206-684-7434.

Instructor: Stewart Wechsler

June 12 Sat 2-3:30 p.m.

Course #52916 Activity Fee: Adult $8 / Child $6

Beach Day!

Ages 4 and older

Beach life is revealed during minus tides. Give yourself a chance to ‘sea’ the diversity of life forms that the ocean has created over millions of years’ time. Bring a healthy lunch to munch after exploring! Please register by June 11 by calling 206-684-7434.

Location: Me-Kwa-Mooks Park -3.4 tide

June 12 Sat 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Course #52940 Activity Fee: Adult $8 / Child $6

Beaver Life on Longfellow Creek

Ages 1 and older

Did you realize we have beaver living in our own backyards? Yup, they are doing their beaver thing on Longfellow Creek. After many years’ absence they have returned to fill their role in nature. Come and learn how beavers actually improve the habitat that they live in, naturally. Please register by June 18 by calling 206-684-7434.

Location: Longfellow Creek at the trailhead of Juneau and 25th Ave SW

June 19 Sat 8-9:30 p.m.

Course #52943 Activity Fee: Adult $8 / Child $6

Preschool/Tots

Ages 2-3 w/adult

Adults, explore the wonders of nature with your 2-3 year old tots. Discover life in the pond, forest, and field. Make new friends. Please arrive 10 minutes before class time and wear weatherproof clothing. Up to two children can be registered with one adult. No strollers please.

Wings and Things

June 8 Tue 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Please register by June 6 by calling 206-684-7434.

Course #52923 Activity Fee: $7 for child/adult and $3.50 for each additional person.

Tide Pool Treasures

Meet at Me-Kwa-Mooks

June 15 Tue 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Please register by June 14 by calling 206-684-7434.

Course #52924 Activity Fee: $7 for child/adult and $3.50 for each additional person.

Animal Daddies!

June 20 Sun 1-2 p.m.

Please register by June 19 by calling 206-684-7434.

Course #52926 Activity Fee: $7 for child/adult and $3.50 for each additional person.

Volunteer

Camp Long Third Saturday Work Parties

Ages 8 and older

Begin a family legacy at Camp Long by restoring native habitat in the park. Spring is a perfect time for restoration and cleanup. Make new friends while preserving the future for yourselves, your children, the animals and the native plants. Reserve your place by calling 206-684-7434 or 206-423-0762

Construct a Brush and Rock Habitat Pile FREE

Create a nice condo for many of our native animals: garter snakes, salamanders, ground-nesting birds and butterflies. Later, come back to visit the creatures that take up residence. This plan can be adapted to any backyard space.

June 19 Sat 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Police searching for Admiral burglars

May 21, 2010 4:13 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks to those who’ve contacted us to ask about a police search under way in North Admiral. We checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James, who says it started as a 911 call about “2 suspicious males” spotted behind a house in the 1500 block of 44th SW (map). Police made one arrest at the scene after discovering a house had been burglarized; Lt. James says a male and female fled and haven’t been arrested yet, but “the suspects are known to the officers.”

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First Fauntleroy, now Admiral? SDOT studying ‘rechannelization’

May 21, 2010 3:53 pm

| 35 COMMENTS

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

In the comment section following our original coverage of Thursday’s bicycle-car collision on Admiral Way by The Bridge, Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board wrote that this week’s Sustainable West Seattle Community Forum on bicycling had been told a “road diet” is in the works for that stretch of Admiral – a “rechannelization” as happened last year along Fauntleroy Way between Morgan Junction and The Triangle. We followed up with SDOT, whose communications director Rick Sheridan confirms that a study is under way:

SDOT is currently reviewing SW Admiral Way between SW Olga St and SW Spokane St for a possible reconfiguration of its lanes. Our primary goal is to find a way to make the roadway safer for all users, especially with the high rates of speed currently seen on Admiral. We are seeking to determine whether a rechannelization would enhance safety and also maintain current traffic volumes. Changes to the lane configuration might also provide SDOT the opportunity to better support pedestrians, bicycles and transit along this street.

Our comprehensive study of the roadway should be completed this summer. We will share additional information about this effort with roadway users, area residents and community groups once the study is complete.

If the cross-street names aren’t familiar, that’s the entire stretch that was closed during yesterday’s investigation – the Admiral Way “hill” from The Bridge to just before the hilltop curve.

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Alki pump-station project aftermath: Bus-stop changes

May 21, 2010 1:10 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

A WSB’er e-mailed to ask if we’d heard anything about the fate of the bus stops lost during the 2 years of 53rd Avenue Pump Station expansion on Alki. We checked with King County Department of Transportation‘s Linda Thielke, who replied:

The SDOT will reinstall the bus stops on Alki Avenue Southwest at 53rd Avenue Southwest for Metro. This work is estimated to be completed at the end of June when SDOT crews will be available to restore the stops. In the interim, temporary bus stops will be placed at Alki Avenue SW & 53rd Avenue SW by Metro as soon as possible and before the end of the month of May.

In conjunction with the permanent reinstallation of the stops at 53rd, SDOT has asked Metro to permanently close the (Alki) bus stops at 55th Avenue Southwest and (at) Bonair Drive Southwest. This is to conform with Metro & SDOT’s bus stop spacing standards of one-quarter mile between bus stops. Rider Alerts will be posted at 55th & Bonair prior to the closure.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Tale of two stolen cars

May 21, 2010 12:07 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Just out of the WSB inbox, from a crime victim who wants to be anonymous:

Our light blue, four door, 1994 Honda Accord (plate # 581-VNC) was stolen out of our driveway last night between 11pm and 8 am this morning. Reported to SPD. We live in 3700 block of Thistle [map].

There is some hope – earlier this week, Heidi posted on our Facebook wall that her car had been stolen from 25th SW/Cloverdale (map), in a “gated” lot; before we could mention it here, she got word it had been found: “It was found in Burien off 122nd, apparently reported in the neighborhood as suspiciously circling several times and was called in, and they got him.”

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Update: KEXP Hood-to-Hood West Seattle party, midday edition

May 21, 2010 10:58 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The Chief Sealth International High School Marching Band has taken the stage at Easy Street Records in The Junction as the KEXP Hood-to-Hood Challenge victory party powers through hour 5.
(added 1:42 pm – video of the CSIHS band doing “Tainted Love”)

Right across the street at Cupcake Royale (WSB sponsor), it’s family-activities HQ, and families are waiting eagerly for The Not-Its to start their performance at 11 am:

(added 1:39 pm, Not-Its video – wait for the jumping!)

Later in the day at Cupcake Royale, it’s The Board of Education at 1 pm and Caspar Babypants at 4:30; the Easy Street website has the full details on everything happening there. Here’s our morning report, including schedule links and highlights for the entire day/night.

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West Seattle scene: Bike-To-Work Day ‘station’ by The Bridge

May 21, 2010 8:05 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

As of 7:30 am, 209 bicyclists had checked in at Cascade Bicycle Club‘s official Bike-To-Work Day commute station by the west end of the “low bridge” – close to last year’s pace, we’re told. Matt from sponsoring BECU demonstrated the clicker being used to check riders in:

The station is up and running till 9 am, offering riders refreshments and information. It’s one of many around the city; then 4-7 pm, Cascade is presenting a citywide Bike-To-Work Day afterparty in Ballard – part of Seattle Summer Streets, which returns to West Seattle on Sunday with the main Alki roadway closed from SW Maryland to 63rd SW, 9 am-5 pm (the West Seattle 5K Run/Walk [co-sponsored by WSB] kicks off the day). P.S. There’s also a BTW Day rally downtown this morning – Cascade has photo links on its Twitter feed.

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Happening now: KEXP Hood-to-Hood ‘on the air’ in West Seattle

May 21, 2010 7:11 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Photos by Evan Miglorie)
In June of last year, KEXP Radio announced that West Seattle listeners had donated more money than any other neighborhood in their Hood-to-Hood Challenge – and therefore would get a victory party. As of about an hour ago, that party is finally under way, with the radio station broadcasting live from Easy Street Records in The Junction all day (that’s John Richards in our photo), and live music in a variety of venues, starting with Motopony at Easy Street at 7:30 am (photo added 8:41 am – keyboardist Buddy Ross and vocalist/guitarist Daniel Blue):

At 10:30 am, it’s the Chief Sealth International High School marching band. The full schedule is on KEXP’s site; venues include three WSB sponsors – family activities at Cupcake Royale including live music with The Not-Its at 11 am, The Board of Education at 1 pm, and Caspar Babypants at 4:30 pm, as well as the first-ever live-music performance at Feedback Lounge (7-11 pm) with Kandi Coded and Memphis Radio Kings; and at Skylark Café and Club, the music starts at 9 pm, with Hotels, The F***ing Eagles and The Tripwires. KEXP DJs are at those venues and others including Prost, Shadowland (featuring Brent Amaker and The Rodeo live at 10:15 pm), West 5 and Youngstown Arts Center; again, today/tonight’s full schedule is here. KEXP also is collecting food for the West Seattle Food Bank 10 am-4 pm at a tent by KeyBank.

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Theme night @ Alki Community Council – ACC goes wild(life)

May 21, 2010 2:45 am

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| Environment | West Seattle news | Wildlife

That’s Seal Sitters founder Brenda Peterson, showing photos on her iPad at Thursday night’s Alki Community Council meeting. After an overview of the group’s volunteer work protecting (and educating people about) marine mammals, she mentioned they’re looking for more help as spring/summer pup season arrives, continuing through September. (And as reported here, there’s a training session coming up – June 1.) In addition to seeking volunteer Seal Sitters, Peterson also says they’re hoping more Alki-area folks will build rafts for the seals (remember this one?) since those are the safest places for them to haul out and avoid the potential dangers awaiting ashore. Peterson also told the crowd a bit about her best-selling book “I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth,” and mentioned she’s featured in an audio interview you can listen to for free through June 2 – just go here.

Next guest, Dolly Vinal from the West Seattle Wildlife Habitat Project – talking about how to get your yard/home certified by the National Wildlife Federation. Advice: Keep native plants, vary your landscape, make water available for the birds and animals that will find their way in. Ensuring habitat for birds is particularly important, Vinal says, because Seattle is on a flyway, and birds that are “just passing through” can benefit as well as residents. (She also gave thumbs-up to Peterson’s ramp-building request, saying those count as wildlife habitat too.)

Then came Steve Richmond from GardenCycles, with advice about preventing slides via ground-cover choices – he stressed that you want to beat back invasives like ivy and blackberries, since they can choke out the plants that could keep the ground covered and stable. Then, it was on to matters of crime, safety and more – click ahead:Read More

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Photos: West Seattle Democratic Women enjoying the art of politics

May 21, 2010 2:04 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| 34th District State House 2 | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
Snapshots from West Seattle Democratic Women‘s “Rubbing Elbows” event Thursday night at Woodside/Braseth Gallery (co-owned by West Seattleite John Braseth) downtown, as many of the invited dignitaries took time out to share their thoughts about the group’s work: State Sen. and County Council candidate Joe McDermott is shown above with WSDW’s Karen Chilcutt and Carol Frillman, plus Rep. Eileen Cody, and Rep. Sharon Nelson. He said of the WSDW: “In so many places in the community they’re really engaging and at the same time carrying on great conversations, amongst themselves and throughout the community, about what Democratic values mean.” Next, from the legislator who hopes to succeed McDermott in the Senate:

Rep. and State Senate candidate Sharon Nelson said: “When we’re down in Olympia, it is really easy just to listen to the lobbyists and to have a different perspective. But coming home when you’re really seeing an organization that helps poor families, working families, and food banks….staffing the White Center Food Bank one night a month… I really appreciate everything this group does and the fact that their values are really reflected in their work.”

West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen joked that, since the WSDW were fundraising for worthy causes, he wondered if maybe they could also pass the hat for the South Park Bridge. And his fellow Councilmember Sally Clark jokingly jumped with “pass the hat” as some members of the audience suggested a bake sale. What Clark (and others) had to say – and more photos – after the jump:Read More

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