West Seattle, Washington

16 Wednesday

56℉

month : 06/2011 381 results

Peninsula participants in today’s one-day online-donation GiveBIG
June 23, 2011 11:26 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Lots of buzz today about the one-day online-fundraising drive for hundreds of nonprofits around the region, through the Seattle Foundation. Their online list of who’s eligible is overwhelmingly long, but we reviewed it to cull the West Seattle/White Center-based names we recognized, in case you haven’t already found your favorite nonprofit to donate to. And yes, we know many, many, many more groups operate IN this area as part of regional operations – wherever you choose to donate, just donate, regional or local or wherever! Once you see a name, find it on this Seattle Foundation page to get the direct link for their page. List ahead:Read More

Share This

Morgan Junction Community Festival: Volunteer power, please!
June 23, 2011 10:32 am
|    Comments Off on Morgan Junction Community Festival: Volunteer power, please!
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Just two days till the Morgan Junction Community Festival, 10:30 am-7 pm Saturday in and around Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW), with free music, food, kids’ activities, neighbors to meet (we’re co-sponsors and we look forward to seeing you there) … It’s presented by the Morgan Community Association, an all-volunteer community council, and they are looking for a bit more volunteer assistance to set up and take down. From Becky, the volunteer coordinator:

We need 1-2 strong bodies to assist with stage set-up at 6:45 – 8:00 am and stage take-down from 7:30 to 8:30 pm … 4-6 people to assist with traffic control between 10 am and 6:00 pm (assigning people to 1.5 hr shifts) and another 4-6 people to help with trash pick-up, and breaking down tables, chairs and tents between 6:00 and 8:00 pm.

Can you help with any of that – or think you might be able to, but have questions? Please contact Becky ASAP at beckbick@yahoo.com or 206-407-7618.

Share This

West Seattle Thursday: Mayor; candidates; Junction ‘Shop Late’
June 23, 2011 6:07 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Nucor, photographed from West Seattle Corporate Center)
Summer REALLY starts this afternoon, when Seattle Public Schools middle- and high-school students get out for the year. Here’s more from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:

ART AT SSCC: Workshop and opening reception for artist Dahlia Elsayed at the South Seattle Community College Art Gallery (Jerry Brockey Student Center, 6000 16th SW). Workshop with the artist: 12 – 2 pm, reception 2 – 4 pm. More info on the Art Gallery website.

SEREVI RUGBY INTRODUCTORY CAMP: 4 pm at Hiawatha Playfield – details here.

FIRST ‘SHOP LATE THURSDAY’: The West Seattle Junction Association lists 19 merchants as participating as “Shop Late Thursdays in The Junction” begins tonight, including WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits. Shop till 9 pm.

MAYOR’S TOWN HALL: Mayor McGinn awaits your Q/A at a Town Hall meeting at Hiawatha Community Center (2700 California SW), 5:30 pm community info fair, 6;30 pm youth performance, 6:40 pm Q/A with mayor/staffers, more details in our preview from last night.

BOOK SIGNING: 40th anniversary celebration continues at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor, 2320 42nd Ave SW), 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Fit By Nature book signing with John Colver

CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES @ WSDW: Evening meeting for the West Seattle Democratic Women, 7 pm at the West Seattle Golf Course, with Seattle City Council Position 1 candidates Jean Godden, Maurice Classen, Bobby Forch, and Michael Taylor-Judd, and Position 9 candidates Sally Clark and Dian Ferguson. If you have a question or want to make a reservation, please contact WSDW ASAP at (206) 935-3216 or wsdwomen@yahoo.com.

SEATTLE FOUNDATION “GIVE BIG” DONATION EVENT: More than a few local nonprofits are part of a one-day donation drive through the Seattle Foundation, which is offering some matching/stretching donations for whatever you give between 7 am and midnight today. The full list is here – for a donation to qualify, you have to make it through your chosen recipient’s page on that site. We’ll have an update later with a full breakout on local participants.

Share This

New West Seattle Junction liquor store: ‘High-volume specialty’
June 23, 2011 5:22 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

When the state Liquor Control Board announced on Wednesday that it will expand and standardize store hours statewide, it also sneaked in a few words about the new West Seattle Junction liquor store. As first reported here in February, the store is moving from its California SW location to a new space in Capco Plaza (the QFC/Altamira Apartments building at 41st/42nd/Alaska). In the LCB’s Wednesday news release, the new West Seattle store is described as a “High-Volume Specialty Store,” which “will offer an upscale environment and an expanded and unique spirit selection complimented by regional wines and Northwest craft beers.” The state says it will open “later this summer.” Meantime, liquor stores’ hours will change July 1st to 10 am-9 pm Mondays-Thursdays and 10 am-10 pm Fridays-Saturdays (noon-5 Sundays for those that are open on Sunday, like this one).

Share This

Election 2011: West Seattle Chamber’s ‘networking’ event
June 23, 2011 4:58 am
|    Comments Off on Election 2011: West Seattle Chamber’s ‘networking’ event
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Two types of networking were in evidence at Wednesday’s monthly West Seattle Chamber of Commerce lunch, and the top photo is proof of one: Regional collaboration between business-advocacy groups. At left is Susan Davis, executive director of the Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce, which teamed up for the event with the WS C of C, whose CEO Patti Mullen is at center, and those on hand included, at right, April Thanos from the Greater Seattle Business Association (which is having an event in WS soon – more on that later.)

With less than two months till the August 16 primary, the guests in the spotlight at West Seattle Corporate Center (Delridge/Andover – with the giant flag) were most of the candidates running for the five Seattle City Council seats on this year’s ballot, including all but one of the incumbents, on hand for what was billed as “speed networking.”

Read More

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 hit-and-runs vs. parked cars
June 23, 2011 2:54 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two more hit-run crashes in the past several days – one in Admiral, one in Highland Park – read on:Read More

Share This

WSB Forums-organized potluck brings feast to ‘Nickelsville’
June 22, 2011 11:49 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Nickelsville encampment | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Before last weekend is too much further in the rear-view mirror, an acknowledgment of an event that WSB Forums members made happen: The potluck that wrapped up an open-house afternoon at the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville,” now back on a previously vacant city-owned site on the southeastern edge of West Seattle. Forums member Kevin McClintic, who collaborated with member Joanne Brayden on three previous reports about the camp (here, here, and here), shares the photos, and this report:

Despite gray skies and intermittent rain, the Nickelsville Potluck was a great success thanks to everyone who helped make it happen. The camp had set up several open rain shelters, but they were not needed. The rain managed to stay away for the duration of the event.

This was no hot-dog-and-hamburger event. The food was first class. There were more than two dozen individual contributors who brought some outstanding homemade entrees. One generous contributor brought several dozen steaks, intended specifically for the residents.

According to Nickelsville resident/WSB Forums member Mike (miws), they were still eating leftovers on Sunday, and still snacking on homemade cookies and treats into the first of the week.

Pictured in the group photo from left to right (Scott and Peggy are Nickelsville staff. Everyone else, Nickelsville friends): Scott Morrow, JoB, Peggy Hotes, Linda, miws, the jamjets, EmmyJane, Rod Clark, angelescrest and her daughter, and Dennis Reilly (kneeling in front row)

Thanks to Kevin for the report/photos. Meantime, Nickelsville discussion, and lists of donated items the camp is seeking, can be found, ongoing, along with other topics, in the WSB Forums.

Share This

Second ‘Hands Across the Sand’ on Alki Beach this Saturday
June 22, 2011 11:05 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2010 ‘Hands Across the Sand’)
Once again this year, “Hands Across the Sand” demonstrations are planned on shorelines around the country, including Alki Beach, where we photographed the inaugural local event a year ago. The Sierra Club says it’s intended “to champion clean energy solutions that will move us beyond oil — and protect our coastal economies and marine wildlife.” Alki’s “Hands Across the Sand” is scheduled for noon this Saturday, just east of Alki Bathhouse; more here.

Share This

Trailers at Boren for Denny’s move, with big event ahead at SWAC
June 22, 2011 8:44 pm
|    Comments Off on Trailers at Boren for Denny’s move, with big event ahead at SWAC
 |   Denny-Sealth | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

No, the semi-truck trailers lined up in the parking lot at vacant Boren School on Delridge don’t mean anyone’s moving in. They’re staging for a move involving two other campuses – the big migration, starting tomorrow afternoon, from the old Denny International Middle School to the new one alongside nearby Chief Sealth International High School.

When we asked Seattle Public Schools about the truck trailers, suspecting they had something to do with the Denny move – which precedes abatement work to prepare for demolition, as explained at last week’s informational meeting – we learned something else: Boren, 2+ miles from Denny, is being used as staging because of a big sporting event at the Southwest Athletic Complex east of Denny this weekend, so that parking lot is off-limits. That’s according to SPS spokesperson Teresa Wippel, who says this notice went to Denny-area residents today:

Denny International Middle School will be relocating, beginning this Thursday, June 23rd. School District staff will be moving furniture and equipment to the new building, continuing into early next week. “No Parking” signs will be posted along the west and south sides of the building as well as along 29th AVE SW between SW Cloverdale St and SW Trenton St. and you will see moving trailers on these streets.

On Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, the Southwest Athletic Complex will be the site of the Pacific Northwest Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships. A large crowd is expected.

Information about, and the schedule for, the track/field meet is on its website.

Share This

Mayor’s Town Hall in West Seattle tomorrow: Who’ll be there
June 22, 2011 7:59 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Vicious Puppies Crew 2010 clip from YouTube)
Even if you’re NOT interested in asking Mayor McGinn a question or hearing what he has to say, you might consider going to his Town Hall at Hiawatha Community Center tomorrow (Thursday) night. For one – there will be a short entertainment break around 6:30 pm, with two West Seattle-based youth groups performing for a few minutes each: the breakdancing Vicious Puppies Crew and the synchronized dancers of Defined Movement. Before that, from 5:30 till 6:30 pm, the community-information fair will include your chance to meet people from, and find out about, a wide variety of groups and issues. As mentioned here yesterday, the West Seattle Triangle planning team will be represented – the two draft proposals for that area’s future have just gone public, including major zoning changes, and they’re seeking public comment, as well as ready to answer questions. Today, Ed Pottharst from the Department of Neighborhoods shared a list of other participants in the information fair:

Admiral Neighborhood Association
Alki Community Council
Whale Trail Project
Seal Sitters
Alki Wildlife Habitat
Alki Community Center Advisory Council
Barton P-Patch
Concord International Elementary School
Delridge P-Patch
Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council
Lincoln Park P-Patch
Morgan Community Association
Nature Consortium
Southwest Seattle Historical Society & Log House Museum
Sustainable West Seattle
West Seattle Be Prepared
West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network
West Seattle Chamber of Commerce
West Seattle Food Bank
West Seattle Helpline

(If you’ll be tabling there and aren’t listed, leave a comment!) Again – 5:30 pm info fair, 6:30 pm performers, 6:40 pm mayor/others Q/A. Hiawatha is at 2700 California SW, probably best to park at West Seattle High School’s California-facing lot if you’re driving, since Hiawatha’s own lot is fairly small.

Share This

West Seattle’s made-over motel The Grove gets ready to reopen
June 22, 2011 5:04 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle news

By the 4th of July weekend, The Grove/West Seattle Inn – our peninsula’s only motel – plans to reopen, two months after closing for the first phase of extensive renovations. We’ve been chronicling the renovation plans since the motel’s new owners, longtime West Seattleites, announced them back in December. They’re having a community open house next Monday, and they have reservations for their first guests, starting with the pre-4th of July weekend. But to put it bluntly, some wonder how they will keep out the seedy clientele that kept many legitimate visitors away in recent years. That’s one of the questions we asked Lynn Sweeney, spokesperson for the owners, who granted our request for a tour this week – read on:Read More

Share This

Midweek reminder: Saturday Viaduct (etc.) closure
June 22, 2011 3:51 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts


View Dodge Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & 1/2 Marathon Interactive Road Closure Map in a larger map

It’s been atop our BIG STORIES list on the sidebar all week, just for easy reference, but in case you’ve missed it somehow, a midweek reminder: The Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed for much of Saturday because of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. And since the event starts in Tukwila, there are other road closures within miles of West Seattle that might affect you too (including, in SODO, part of 1st Avenue S.). The information is all on the marathon website, where we got the map shown above. Of course, with the Morgan Junction Community Festival and the Northwest Paddling Festival, you might not want to leave West Seattle on Saturday anyway – but if you do, consider yourself forewarned. Again.

Share This

‘The Hole’ court settlement: More details emerge
June 22, 2011 2:14 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(WSB photo of ‘The Hole,’ taken last month)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Some details remain elusive, but new court documents reveal some of what’s in the settlement that canceled plans for another trial in the longrunning legal fight over the stalled West Seattle development site dubbed “The Hole” (fully excavated for a parking garage between a once-planned Whole Foods/Hancock Fabrics/apartment building, then fenced off when it became clear things had fallen apart and gone to court).

To recap: We first reported news of a settlement on June 3rd. No one would comment on its details. Last week, King County Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead‘s bailiff Jennie Cowan told WSB they were expecting some kind of documents to be filed in the ensuing week or so – and bit by bit, that is now happening.

Read More

Share This

Bike to dinner next Tuesday: 2 local Spoke & Food participants
June 22, 2011 12:43 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | White Center

Next Tuesday is this year’s Spoke and Food benefit event – to encourage people to bicycle to local restaurants. In West Seattle, Chaco Canyon Organic Café is participating, and in neighboring White Center, Proletariat Pizza is participating. 20 percent of that night’s proceeds from all participants go to the Seattle Tilth Children’s Garden. Both restaurants have bicycle racks, of course! It’s 5-10 pm next Tuesday (June 28).

Share This

West Seattle Wednesday: 5 quick highlights for tonight
June 22, 2011 11:13 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Wednesday: 5 quick highlights for tonight
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Five quick mentions (sorry, later than usual as we were caught up in following up on this):

HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: Monthly meeting, 7 pm, HP Improvement Club (12th/Holden). Speakers scheduled to talk about West Seattle Tool Library, Community Orchard of West Seattle, and September’s Delridge Day festival.

BITE AT THE POINT: All are invited to Bite at the Point, a free community potluck and family-fun event at High Point Community Center. Details here; 6-7:30 pm.

PEPS ORIENTATION AT BRIGHT HORIZONS: Interested in PEPS – the Program for Early Parent Support? Just got word that there’s an orientation tonight for people who aren’t signed up yet or who signed up for a group that’s not meeting yet. The meeting’s at Bright Horizons (WSB sponsor), 38th/Alaska, 7 pm.

OPEN MIKE: No featured readers this time – all welcome to the monthly Poetry Bridge gathering at 7 pm at C & P Coffee, 5612 California SW, including poets, story tellers, and musicians with a poetic message.

BACKYARD COTTAGES: Free one-hour workshop on building a backyard cottage or “accessory dwelling unit” put on by Ncompass Cottage Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm at Community School of West Seattle (9450 22nd SW) at 7 pm. Check to see if there’s room – contact Stefan at 206-933-5961 or stefan@ncompass-llc.com.

Share This

Design Review meeting set for Nova and new Avalon development
June 22, 2011 8:14 am
|    Comments Off on Design Review meeting set for Nova and new Avalon development
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Just yesterday, we brought you news of a new project proposed on Avalon Way, a few lots east of 35th – six stories, 117 apartments, at 3261 Avalon. This morning, there’s word that it’s scheduled for its first Southwest Design Review Board “early design guidance” meeting. And the meeting on Thursday night, July 28th, will be a doubleheader – it also includes the second Design Review meeting for Nova, Harbor Properties‘ proposed 62-unit building at 4600 36th SW, adjacent to Merrill Gardens-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) and the motel now known as The Grove/West Seattle Inn. (Here’s our coverage of Nova’s first Design Review session.) The July 28th meeting will be at the Southwest Precinct meeting room, Delridge/Webster, with Nova at 6:30 pm, the Avalon project at 8 pm.

**7/21/11 NOTE – Since original publication, the meeting has moved to the Senior Center in The Junction, and the projects have reversed order, Avalon at 6:30, Nova at 8.**

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Junction vandalism, attack may be linked
June 22, 2011 2:16 am
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(SCROLL DOWN FOR STORY UPDATES including SPD reports, Bang Bar cleanup)

2:16 AM: We’re still trying to piece this one together but here’s what we know so far, thanks to scanner traffic as well as tips from Will (who sent photos) and Jacob: At least two businesses were hit by vandalism – broken windows – in The Junction early today – the new Bang Bar on California north of Edmunds (Will’s photo above shows fire crews dealing with the broken glass), and Elegant Nails a short distance south:

Police were talking to possible suspects at last report. Other scanner traffic suggests there’s even more to the story but we’ll wait till we can confirm with police sometime in the next several hours.

8:41 AM: We just spoke with media-response unit Det. Mark Jamieson, who has published more details on SPD Blotter. As it had sounded last night via scanner, it’s complicated – there were two Junction incidents that might be related, an assault outside Matador (detailed on SPD Blotter here – two passersby hit an employee, who wasn’t seriously hurt) and the broken-windows incident (detailed on SPD Blotter here – it appears the two businesses in our report are the only ones hit). Two 23-year-old men are in custody, and facing charges in the attack, for starters. They were caught just northwest of The Junction, one along Glenn, one along Oregon; the second arrest involved a K-9 officer who had joined the search.

9:43 AM: We can’t make a definitive match yet without seeing a more-detailed police report (not available online), but there were two 23-year-old men booked into King County Jail at 3:30 am on suspicion of misdemeanor assault; according to Seattle Municipal Court status updates, one is already out of jail, on “personal recognizance”; the other, who has a felony criminal record including robbery cases, has a court hearing at 10 am.

10:44 AM: We just went to The Junction to check on the aftermath. The nail salon is already open and doing business for the day. At Bang Bar, here’s what we found:

The owners are there, cleaning up and fixing the window (we took the photo inside, looking toward the street). They told us they will be open tonight as usual starting at 4 pm. Note that, as is posted on their door, they are only open for dinner (etc.) TFN, no relation to this, it’s just a decision they’ve made while they continue to fine-tune operations.

4:42 PM: Will shares another photo – the Bang Bar window, fixed:

We checked on the one believed-to-be suspect who was still in jail this morning; he’s still in this afternoon, in lieu of $950 bail, with a hearing now set for tomorrow morning.

Share This

Video: Solar Ambassador’s summer-solstice sunset success:
June 22, 2011 1:43 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

After the summer-solstice sunset, West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen offered her traditional explanation of solstices and equinoxes – as you’ll see in our video, above. But the evening’s suspense at Solstice Park (east of north Lincoln Park) preceded that. Would the sun finally appear for one of Alice’s quarterly viewing events, after a streak of 8 without the sun?

The answer: Yes! And at this point, we’re going to cheat and use a photo shared by JayDee from upper Alki, better than any we captured featuring the setting sun:

Back to Solstice Park – the suspense then became, would the setting sun on solstice night line up with a particular stone, as it was intended to?

Alice polled those on hand. No consensus. Maybe it did, maybe it didn’t – although if it didn’t, it was close.

Speaking of “those on hand,” at its peak, we counted close to a hundred people, spread out across the berms and slopes of the hillside park:

Those who came to watch spanned a wide age range – from Alice’s 2-month-old daughter, on up. And Alice cheerily invited them all to come back in 3 months for the fall equinox. That’ll be September 23rd – mark your calendar now! And in the meantime, keep an eye on Alice’s website, alicesastroinfo.com.

Share This

West Seattle schools: New Arbor Heights mural tells salmon story
June 21, 2011 11:05 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Photos by Ellen Cedergreen for WSB)
One more last-day-of-elementary-school West Seattle story: Arbor Heights Elementary celebrated a new artwork this morning, just before its end-of-year assembly – a mural for its playcourt. AH teacher Mark Ahlness tells WSB, “It is the culmination of months of work by all students, under the direction of artist-in-residence Jihyun Andersen.” He has a Flickr gallery up. The artist was there when WSB contributor Ellen Cedergreen stopped by:

Jihyun is also an Arbor Heights mom, with a son finishing his kindergarten year. She thought the playcourt looked rather stark, so the mural idea was born, and has been under way since May. It depicts the Fauntleroy Creek ecosystem when salmon are released – a Salmon in the Classroom activity in which AH participates.

Ellen reports that the 5th graders did a lot of the free-hand drawing and the kindergarteners used bug stamps to populate the creek. The 1st-4th graders worked on the plants and birds.

Jihyun told Ellen she plans to add a few trees, then seal the mural with varnish to protect it.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Latest trends, and more
June 21, 2011 10:15 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Latest trends, and more
 |   Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news

Low-key meeting for the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council tonight, and its last one till September (bylaws passed last year enable them to skip July and August) – but there was the usual crime-trend briefing, plus informational, albeit casual, presentations about the Seattle Police Foundation and the SPD Explorers program, as well as news of a new graffiti-paint-out program this summer – read on for summaries:Read More

Share This

West Seattle schools: Lafayette principal farewell; volunteers feted
June 21, 2011 8:26 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle schools: Lafayette principal farewell; volunteers feted
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The end of the school year for Seattle Public Schools elementaries and K-8s meant special celebrations at some schools. At Lafayette Elementary in the Admiral District, it was the last day for principal Virginia Turner after 7 years (who is moving to Coe Elementary on Queen Anne, as announced last week). WSB’er Luckie shared photos, including the special hats that 2nd graders wore in her honor, and the principal herself saying goodbye:

Luckie says Golden Acorn Award-winning volunteers Deborah Hazlegrove (below left) and Holly Grambihler (below right) were feted too – as organizers of the Play It Forward playground project, which reaches a milestone this weekend with groundbreaking for the next phase and a work party (as mentioned here).

Seattle public middle/high schools are still in session till Thursday.

Share This

West Seattle traffic alert: Bus crash in The Triangle
June 21, 2011 7:48 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Thanks to Sharonn for the photo from 37th/Alaska, where a Route 54 bus was involved in a crash. Not major, but as you can see from the ambulance in the photo, at least one person was hurt, and eastbound Alaska (by the VFW and Legion halls) will be difficult to get around until the scene is clear.

Share This

First-ever Northwest Paddling Festival in West Seattle this weekend
June 21, 2011 5:17 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Photo courtesy Paul Riek)
In addition to Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival, there’s another festival in West Seattle this weekend, and it’s a first-time event. Maybe you’ve seen the banner hanging over the entrance to Jack Block Park (a public park on Port of Seattle land off Harbor Avenue SW) – it went up a few days ago, and it’s your invitation to the Northwest Paddling Festival this Saturday and Sunday (June 25-26).

The festival is not just for the hardcore kayaker/stand-up paddleboarder. If you’ve been thinking about trying the sport – or if you prefer to be a spectator – it’s for you too. An Olympic-medalist kayaker will even be on hand. The marine-life protectors of Seal Sitters will too.

And it will kick off with a historic moment: The beach at Jack Block Park is being reopened to the public, in a ceremony on the festival’s eve.

We spoke Monday afternoon with two of the organizers, Paul Riek from Sea Kayaker Magazine and Rob Stowell from West Seattle’s Mountain to Sound Outfitters, to get more details on what you’ll see if you go:Read More

Share This