West Seattle, Washington

19 Friday

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day : 13/05/2011 18 results

West Seattle Crime Watch: Car casing house?
May 13, 2011 11:38 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Crime | West Seattle news

Andy wonders if anyone else has seen the car that appeared to be casing his house in Arbor Heights – read on:Read More

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Hours till West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2011
May 13, 2011 10:24 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

That pile of stuff is from what just might be the sale with the most participants – more than 100 families donating to Sale #251 at 10404 34th Avenue SW in Arbor Heights, to raise money for Arbor Heights Co-operative Preschool. It’s one of a dozen-plus benefit (fundraiser) sales registered among the 256 sales on the map for Saturday’s 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, 9 am-3 pm all over West Seattle. Explore the online version of the map here (where you’ll also find the link to print your own list/map if you haven’t already). And then there are the individual sales, where you never know what you might find – Dana sent a photo from hers, Sale #193, at 5617 Beach Drive:

This one’s an “estate sale,” with antiques, furniture, vintage dishes. Whatever you are looking for, you just might find it out there somewhere tomorrow. We’ve sent up the flares and invited the rest of the metro area, so we hope there will be plenty of buyers/browsers to go around. The forecast so far sounds cloudy, but the forecasters say the main rain threat isn’t till tomorrow night, so here’s hoping we will avoid soggy selling/shopping. The pre-sale chat goes on at the WSCGSD Facebook page; feel free to share photos there during the sale too (and/or postmortems afterward), or e-mail them to us, as we’ll be covering the goings-on best as we can.

P.S. Still indoor sale room at the VFW Hall, 3601 SW Alaska, just show up, in case you decide you want to be indoors; other group-sale sites where you’ll find multiple sellers are Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor; 4410 California SW), C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW), and the bike-swap site at Cycle U (4550 Fauntleroy Way). Have fun!

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West Seattle schools: Schmitz Park’s Global Ambassador Day
May 13, 2011 9:47 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Schmitz Park’s Global Ambassador Day
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools


Tonight, a photo (click the pic for a larger version) and report shared by Schmitz Park Elementary principal Gerrit Kischner (thank you!):

I’m attaching a picture taken this afternoon at Schmitz Park of Principal-for-the-Day Chloe Simmons (fourth-grader, in white dress) joined by 45 international students from the University of Washington. This was our second annual Global Ambassador Day during which UW students teach Schmitz Park students about their home countries and cultures. Every year, Schmitz Park students learn global geography through the Passport Program. Today, students met real people who live in the countries they study. After welcoming the UW students with a fifth grade drum circle and an all school performance of the Schmitz Park “anthem,” a version of “Under One Sky,” Schmitz Park students learned languages, sang songs, played games, and did crafts from 20 different countries, all thanks to the Foundation for International Understanding through Students (FIUTS, the international student support organization at the University of Washington). The picture shows students showing their “quiet banana slug” signal.

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High-school baseball: West Seattle beats Sealth, plays Saturday
May 13, 2011 8:45 pm
|    Comments Off on High-school baseball: West Seattle beats Sealth, plays Saturday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Postseason for many high-school sports, and tonight we checked on baseball, since it was West Seattle High School against Chief Sealth International High School. Final score: WSHS 3, Sealth 0. The Wildcats are hoping to see a good turnout for their game against Blanchet at 11 am tomorrow, Steve Cox Memorial Field in White Center (1321 SW 102nd).

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Groundbreaking tomorrow for Barton Street P-Patch gardens
May 13, 2011 8:33 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news | Westwood

There’s a fence around the big birch tree to protect it as work is about to begin to turn the big lot at 34th/Barton into West Seattle’s next P-Patch community-gardening area. After months of planning and preparation, the official “groundbreaking” is tomorrow – albeit a low-key one; the landscaping consultant will install “the official web marking post” at 9:30 am. That’s a reference to the final design chosen for the site after 3 community meetings – WSB coverage here – which resembles a web.

(Courtesy Barker Landscape Architects)
You’re invited to come celebrate and to sign up for work parties; sign-up sheets are available 9 am-11 am, and garden plots will be assigned “based on volunteer hours,” so if you want a garden, you’ll have to work for it! The city’s webpage for the project is here; on Facebook, there’s a Barton Street P-Patch group here. The project is funded through the Parks and Green Spaces Levy.

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OutWest owners announce LGBT-friendly plans: ‘A safe place’
May 13, 2011 5:05 pm
|      49 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | WS beverages

By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The owners of OutWest – the new bar in the works for the former Westside Pharmacy building at California/Brandon, south of West Seattle Nursery, first reported here last December – are finally ready to discuss details.

After months of working through permitting processes, Bob Lunke and business partner Chad Gabelein are announcing their plans for OutWest Bar to be a LGBT-community-friendly establishment. We reported its name back in February, but even then they weren’t ready to comment beyond saying they were working on a “small, comfortable neighborhood (establishment).”

OutWest Bar will include a full kitchen, open for dinner and initially serving appetizers and entrees such as burgers and Caesar salad. They plan to adapt the menu to the clientele’s tastes as they go.

The owners are both West Seattle residents who love it here.

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First West Seattle Summer Fest music news: Fastbacks reunion
May 13, 2011 4:08 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The first musical act for West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) has just been announced – and promoter Jason Fitzgerald says it’s a biggie:

The 29th annual West Seattle Summer Fest will take place on July 8th, 9th and 10th. The team is hard at work planning and finalizing all of the great things we have in store for everyone this year.

Programming for Summer Fest has gotten bigger and better every year. Two years ago, we welcomed a huge crowd for Mudhoney. Last year, it was record numbers for Hells Belles.

And now – we have a special performance announcement that we can’t wait to share…

A one-time-only, Summer Fest exclusive: a reunion of the legendary Seattle band The Fastbacks. Yes, that’s right; Kurt Bloch, Lulu Gargiulo, Kim Warnick and Mike Musburger will play together for the first time in nearly 10 years. Right here in the streets of West Seattle on Friday, July 8th.

And the band couldn’t be more excited:

Mike Musburger – “I never thought I’d get the chance to play these songs again with Kurt, Lulu AND Kim. They have about 15 other drummers they could’ve asked to be a part of this reunion. It will be an absolute joy and an honor to be on stage with The Fastbacks at the West Seattle Summer Fest.”

Kim Warnick: “I still cherish those songs of ours so much….so much so that I am willing to re-learn them all. School starts now! I think it goes without saying that we are all really excited about this show. Sounds ultra fun and punk. Otherwise, what’s the point? Nada.”

As always, all concerts at Summer Fest, including The Fastbacks, are FREE and ALL AGES. The West Seattle Summer Fest is brought to you by the West Seattle Junction Association. …

Further line up announcements will follow in the coming weeks.

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Update: ‘Nickelsville’ encampment returns to West Seattle
May 13, 2011 3:58 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   Nickelsville encampment | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

3:58 PM: After another faceoff with the city over a permanent site, the homeless encampment that still calls itself “Nickelsville“ has packed up and moved again, and just sent an announcement that its new location is on West Marginal Way in West Seattle, near the intersection with Highland Park Way (map), where the camp had put down stakes before. They’ve been headquartered at the former Fire Station 39 in Lake City, and the city reportedly was ready to let them stay there at least a few more months, but their news release proclaims, “We moved anyway!” for a variety of reasons, including that they needed more space, and they think city leaders are just stringing them along. The address is the same as the one where the camp first set up in September 2008 (WSB coverage here).

7:06 PM: We went over about an hour and a half ago to see what’s happening at the site, and took the photos we have just added (above, 3 of the 4 trucks a camp manager told us they’re using – one was still in transit from Lake City when we stopped by). There were about 50 people in view, and the piles of belongings, pallets and other materials you see in our top photo; one person was wondering aloud when spaces would be assigned. The camp manager told us they should be all set up by tomorrow. No word thus far from the city – who owned this site last time we checked (which is why Seattle Police were used to evict campers back in 2008) – on how this will be dealt with, if at all.

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First-ever West Seattle Starbucks getting a face lift, and then some
May 13, 2011 3:51 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS beverages

From the just-in-case-you-were-wondering-too files: After a few notes asking if we know what Starbucks is doing with the remodel of its original West Seattle store, we stopped by for a photo today and e-mailed Starbucks PR, which answered our questions as follows:

Our store at 4101 SW Admiral Way is getting both an interior and external refresh. When work is finished, customers will see an expanded patio area with bench and table seating, as well as a new modern awning to replace the previous canvas version.

The interior of the store will also be updated and will feature a wood-paneled espresso bar, new furniture, a remodeled restroom and a new mural on the North wall. We think it’s going to be gorgeous and can’t wait for West Seattle to see the finished product when work is complete at the end of the month.

Remodeling is standard course of business for Starbucks stores and typically done on a regular basis in order to provide the best experience to customers. There are no other remodels in the West Seattle area to announce at this time.

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Also tomorrow: Stamp Out Hunger food drive, with an extra dropoff spot
May 13, 2011 3:43 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

In addition to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, among many other events, tomorrow is also the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Leave a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox or front door (if you get mail through a slot) in the morning, and your letter carrier will pick it up – what could be easier than a door-to-door food drive? If it’s not convenient to leave the bag outside, or if you want to save your letter carrier a little work, owner Andrea at Café Osita in Sunrise Heights (northwest side of 35th/Webster) says her coffee shop is now an official dropoff spot: 8 am-2 pm tomorrow, take your bag of food there, and she’ll give you free flavoring (or a free extra shot) if you order a drink while you’re there.

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Help a garden grow: Genesee-Schmitz hopes you’ll pitch in tomorrow
May 13, 2011 2:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Help a garden grow: Genesee-Schmitz hopes you’ll pitch in tomorrow
 |   Gardening | Genesee Hill | How to help | West Seattle news

One day last week in the rain, we caught up with Kerrie, Janet and Karen at the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Garden. It’s in its first season growing on the grounds of the shuttered Genesee Hill Elementary School, where there were gardens when Pathfinder K-8 used the campus.

It’s part of an ongoing effort by the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council to make sure the vacant school doesn’t fall into disrepair; they’ve also arranged for art on the side of some of the buildings, to discourage vandalism. Individual gardeners have signed up for plots but they still need overall volunteer help for the first gardening event of the season – not just in the beds, but also in other areas. So just show up on the north side of the playground at 51st and Dakota, 9 am-1 pm tomorrow. Help tend the beds, distribute wood chips, and pull ivy. Seattle Public Schools (which continues to hold the property for potential future use) is providing tools, gloves, and a “weed wrench.” (GSNC acknowledges donations including wood chips from Seattle Tree Preservation, Zoo-Doo from Woodland Park Zoo, and art murals from Van Asselt Elementary.)

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Speed bumps on 48th SW in Seaview: Meeting next Thursday
May 13, 2011 1:21 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Seaview | Transportation | West Seattle news

It’s a straightaway from Seaview toward Genesee – and many neighbors say drivers tend to treat that section of 48th SW like a drag strip. They asked the city for help, and now four sets of speed bumps between Brandon and Graham (map) are closer to reality. SDOT says they are slated for installation in September, provided they work out the details with the neighborhood. Next step, a community meeting at 7 pm Thursday (May 19th) at Seaview Methodist Church (thanks to Barb for sharing the official flyer distributed to neighbors – see it, with a photo of the proposed bumps, here).

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West Seattle traffic alert: Crash takes out Delridge/Andover lights
May 13, 2011 12:20 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thanks to Sally for the alert – she says the lights are out at Delridge/Andover (map) because of a crash. (It’s on 911 as a motor-vehicle accident with no medic dispatch, so hopefully not too serious, but we’re en route to check.)

1 PM: All clear, lights back on. We don’t have official info on the crash but one unofficial report says it was a single car and the driver appeared OK.

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Northwest Hope & Healing’s Style ’11 celebrates fashion, survival
May 13, 2011 12:08 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Health | How to help | West Seattle news

Story and photos by Stephanie Chacharon
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

As guests streamed through the doors of Showbox SODO last night, a school bus full of cheering, waving models — all breast-cancer survivors — pulled up to the venue. STYLE ’11, the 9th annual fashion -how benefit for Northwest Hope & Healing, had just begun.

Inside, the SoDo space was elegantly decorated, dimly lit and accented with pink. Guests greeted friends while waiting in line for a drink. The catwalk was illuminated with bold pink lighting, framed by candlelit VIP tables. The screen behind the runway flashed candid images of smiling women and past fashion show shots intermixed with sponsors’ logos. The women’s larger-than-life faces were proof that bald is beautiful, just as beautiful as a stage filled with more than three dozen breast cancer survivors.

The annual benefit is the brainchild of Carmilia’s Linda Sabee (shown above with NWHH executive director Shari Sewell) and Ola Salon & Spa. Sabee told us the original intent was just to have some fun, and then it quickly evolved into a fundraiser for Northwest Hope & Healing. For the first few years the event was held at Ola, but once it began to grow they moved the event to Showbox SODO. The event is a chance to honor and celebrate breast cancer survivors and fashion in the Seattle area.

(Story continues, with more photos, ahead)Read More

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Join Alki Community Council, Seal Sitters for beach cleanup Monday
May 13, 2011 11:16 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

From the Alki Community Council – a chance to lend a hand (or two) this Monday, 9 am-noon:

With the coming of warmer weather, litter seems to sprout from our beaches and parks. This is going to be a particularly bad year, due to the impact of Seattle Parks & Recreation’s recent budget cutbacks on park maintenance. Working together as a community, we can all make a contribution in the effort to keep our parks litter free.

In cooperation with AmeriCorps volunteers, the Alki Community Council and Seal Sitters are co-sponsoring a cleanup of Alki Beach. If you have some free time on Monday morning, you are invited to participate. The litter on our beaches makes its way into Puget Sound and has a negative impact on marine life. Beginning at 9:00 am, Kristin Wilkinson, NOAA NW Stranding Expert, will be briefing us on the hazards that our misplaced trash creates.

Be sure and check the Seal Sitters Blubberblog for more details and a photo of the stomach contents of the Gray Whale that stranded and died on a West Seattle Beach in April of 2010.

We want to thank Pioneer Coffee, Tully’s, and Starbucks for providing coffee. Seattle Parks & Recreation will be supplying the necessary tools and trash bags.

The Alki Community Council has an ongoing volunteer program with Seattle Parks & Recreation. The ACC “Friends of Alki Beach” are responsible for picking up litter in Alki Park between 59th Ave SW and 63rd Ave SW. If you would like more information on this program or the cleanup event on Monday, please contact Larry Carpenter at 206-938-0887.

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256 sales tomorrow for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day
May 13, 2011 9:57 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

Tomorrow’s the day: 256 sales are on the list and ready to go for the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (coordinated/presented by WSB since year four). So far as we can tell, this is the region’s biggest Community Garage Sale Day, so get your friends/co-workers/relatives to come on over and shop.

You can browse the sale locations and listings through two versions of the official map, both available here — the online map works just like a Google Map, with panning/zooming; click on any individual sale marker, or line on the list at right, to see the exact address and a few sale details. Also linked atop that page, the printable (12-page PDF) sale list/map. (From the online map, you can also print an individual sale’s address/description via the icon on the info-bubble that opens if you click the marker or listing.)

There are sales in just about every neighborhood on the peninsula – check the map to see who’s having a sale near you. And if you’re looking for something in particular (or if you’re a seller looking to spotlight something extra), head on over to the WSCGSD Facebook page NOW for pre-sale chat that’s been under way for a few days (scroll through to see what’s already there). Then on sale day, SHARE PHOTOS! We’ll be out and about but no matter how fast we move, we won’t get to them all. However you want to send ’em – e-mail, Facebook (including the WSCGSD wall), Twitter – thanks in advance!

P.S. The group seller sites – with lots of individual tables – are Hotwire Coffee, C & P Coffee (both WSB sponsors, 4410 and 5612 California SW respectively), VFW Hall (which expects to have room for sellers to just show up tomorrow, 3601 SW Alaska), and Cycle U – which is having a bike swap too (4550 Fauntleroy Way).

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West Seattle Friday: Rock, pirates, bluegrass, and more
May 13, 2011 9:30 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Friday: Rock, pirates, bluegrass, and more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

That’s a new video by My Goodness, a local rock duo playing Easy Street Records in The Junction at 9 tonight (all ages, $5 cover). A few other highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

PIRATE PARTY AT ‘SHIPWRECKED’: It’s not just a play, it’s a Pirate Party tonight at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) for the last special event of the year. Be ye Jack Sparrow or Blackbeard, ye’re welcome to partake in the festivities! Tickets are $50 and that includes food, drink, and entertainment before Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis De Rougemont (As Told By Himself). Call the ArtsWest box office for details: (206) 938-0339.

OKLAHOMA! CONTINUES: West Seattle High School Drama Club and Music Department present “Oklahoma!” (Rodgers and Hammerstein) at the WSHS Theater (3000 California Ave SW) at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $7 in advance or $12 at the door. Tonight before the show, by donation, you can get your photo taken with Jeb, the Admiral District’s miniature horse.

AT KENYON HALL: Hearth Music presents acoustic bluegrass songwriters Kevin Brown & The Beloved Country and Jim Faddis and Friends. Kenyon Hall (7904 35th Ave SW), 7 pm. Tickets are $12 general admission.

HIP-HOP CELEBRATION: West Seattle Youth Arts Charity Unified Outreach 2011 “Seattle City Breaker’s Reunion” and 30 year anniversary celebration featuring the return of the 1980’s premier break dancer “Ziggy Zig Zag”. Three decades of break dancers will celebrate 30 years of hip hop in Seattle. This special ALL AGES and FREE event takes place 6 – 9 pm at West Seattle Christian Church Performance Hall (4400 42nd Ave SW). Doors open at 6 pm. General information is available at the Facebook Event page here where you can RSVP and talk about the upcoming event.

ST. JOHN’S RUMMAGE SALE and other dates: 9 am-3 pm today, you can practice up for tomorrow’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day by checking out the first day of the church’s multi-day rummage sale, 3050 California Ave SW.

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Celebration at Link, the building that went up when the market was down
May 13, 2011 9:14 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Triangle | West Seattle news

The new Triangle building Link (WSB sponsor) was celebrated as the development that beat the odds – and bucked a trend – at an invitation-only reception on its sweeping-view rooftop last night. In our photo above, you’ll note West Seattle’s highest-ranking elected officials – King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen. Neighborhood leaders and local businesspeople were there too, admiring the view and the rooftop herb/vegetable gardens, pausing briefly to hear speeches. West Seattle Chamber of Commerce board chair and West 5 owner Dave Montoure (below left) hailed the 60 jobs the new development is estimated to have created; after the jubilant opening remarks from Harbor executive vice president Denny Onslow (below right):

Barely a year and a half earlier, a short distance to the east, Onslow had stood at a meeting of the Fairmount Community Association and announced that Harbor had secured financing for Link – at a time when almost nothing else of its kind was being built in the city, since the commercial-market dive was so fresh. Seattle Department of Planning and Development director Diane Sugimura spoke too, describing Harbor as “bold” for moving ahead at the time.

And now, less than 2 months after its first move-ins, Onslow said 85 of its 200 units are leased. And as of yesterday, all three of its ground-floor businesses are open, with Breathe Hot Yoga‘s first classes, next door to one-month-open Chaco Canyon Organic Café, and recently opened Bright Horizons. If you’re interested in a first-hand look at Link, its next public open house is scheduled for Saturday, May 21st (one week from tomorrow).

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