West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
Today was graduation day for our area’s two biggest high schools – both at Memorial Stadium downtown – and the first to take the field was Chief Sealth International High School, at 1 pm. Here’s our video of all the seniors walking in:
The program lists 221 graduates this year. The ceremony ran a bit shorter than planned because, according to Sealth staff, the buses didn’t show up to bring the band over. But the weather stayed dry, and all else went well:
Afterward, the traditional staff receiving line for the graduates:
But before that – a flash mob-style dance!
As denoted in the program for today’s ceremony, 2012 valedictorians are Brian Griffith, Stephanie Hernandez, and Logan Smith; salutatorian, Graham Henry. It was Chris Kinsey‘s first commencement as Chief Sealth principal:
Chief Sealth is the newer of West Seattle’s two standalone public high schools, having opened in 1957.
Thanks to Roy Kauffman for the view of tonight’s sunset – which started with a big gap in the clouds over the horizon, then morphed into swirls of different cloud formations, like the ones he captured. Spending the day outside – at the Westwood Village Street Fair and two high-school graduations (those reports are up next) – we can say it never did more than “mist” in West Seattle (though the WSHS graduation downtown got a couple showers). The sun made a cameo appearance, then retreated. Tomorrow also is forecast as cloudy with a chance of showers, per the National Weather Service.
(Updating this daily through the week to cross out what’s already happened)
Once again, looking ahead to major road closures scheduled to affect West Seattleites in the week ahead, we’re combining both sets of closure alerts – from the state, regarding the Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99, and from the city, regarding the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project – into one list for handy reference (it’ll be atop the sidebar “Biggest Stories” list throughout the week). ALSO – we’re adding in the work on the bike trail, announced a few days ago. As we write this (Saturday night), the only closure in effect is the AWV/99, scheduled for the rest of the weekend. So this picks things up tomorrow:
SUNDAY (June 17)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – Full closure continues
Spokane St. Viaduct – No closure scheduled
MONDAY (June 18)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – Reopens by 5 am
Spokane St. Viaduct – Eastbound lanes closed and one westbound lane closed 10 pm-5 am
Additional overnight surface closures in SODO (detailed here)
Daytime bike trail work near the “low bridge” – details here
TUESDAY (June 19)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – no scheduled closure
Spokane St. Viaduct – Eastbound lanes closed and one westbound lane closed 10 pm-5 am
Additional overnight surface closures in SODO (detailed here)
Daytime bike trail work near the “low bridge” – details here
WEDNESDAY (June 20 – UPDATE)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – no scheduled closure
Spokane St. Viaduct – Westbound lanes closed and one eastbound lane closed 10 pm-5 am
**Here are maps showing how to get to WS during this closure:
–From the south, here
–From the north, here
—UPDATE: 1st Avenue South offramp from eastbound bridge REOPENED EARLY
Additional overnight surface closures in SODO (detailed here)
(added) Daytime bike trail work near the “low bridge” CONTINUES
THURSDAY (June 21 – UPDATE)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – no scheduled closure
Spokane St. Viaduct – Westbound lanes closed and one eastbound lane closed 10 pm-5 am
**Here are maps showing how to get to WS during this closure:
–From the south, here
–From the north, here
Additional overnight surface closure (detailed here)
FRIDAY (June 22)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – no scheduled closure
Overnight surface closure (detailed here)
NEXT SATURDAY (June 23)
Alaskan Way Viaduct/99 – Northbound from West Seattle Bridge to Roy St., closed 5 am-3:30 pm because of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon (full race-related closure list here)
Spokane Street Viaduct – nothing scheduled
Congratulations to Axel Oxholm of West Seattle – shown above with Governor Gregoire after being chosen the Western Washington winner of WSDOT‘s “Bridging Futures Art and Essay Contest.” The challenge given to students: Write and/or draw something related to the importance of wildlife crossings; the state is building two in the Snoqualmie Pass area, to help wildlife get across I-90 safely. Here’s Axel’s winning work, which will be on a billboard in that area:
You can read more about the contest here; the awards were presented in Cle Elum this past Monday, as Gov. Gregoire presided over her last meeting as chair of the Western Governors Association. (We didn’t know about his win initially because he goes to school at Cedarhurst Elementary in Burien and so wasn’t identified in the state announcement as a West Seattleite – thanks to Axel’s dad Peter Levine for sharing the news!)
(Scroll down for the newest updates/photos)
Bounce on over to Westwood Village, where we’re live at the Street Fair, and we’re actually seeing a bit of blue between the clouds to the west. Bouncy rides (FREE!), treats, live music (School of Rock at noon!), demonstrations – like this Zumba class:
… and the beer garden, sponsored by the West Seattle Eagles JUST opened.
And bring or buy school supplies to donate at the “stuff the bus” stop:
We’ve seen at least one school among the exhibitors here, too – Seattle Lutheran High School even brought a robot!
There’s a dog contest – says the emcee – coming up at 1:30, and the blue-sky spot keeps getting bigger to the west …
12:19 PM UPDATE: You’ll meet Westwood merchants here, too – above, Curt Keppler from Wyatt’s Jewelers (longtime WSB sponsor), with Evan. And in a booth that’s a few steps from her Eats Market Café, chef Toby Matasar is selling flavored popcorn:
There’s a fire engine for the kids (and grownups!) to check out, too, along the roadway between the central Street Fair zone and the Wyatt’s/Chico’s/etc. storefronts. More to come.
1:08 PM UPDATE: Chico’s is having a fashion show right now, and dogs are showing up for the 1:30 pm competition. We also just met a dog whose person thanked us for the WSB Pets page, which helped bring the little guy home recently:
Thank you to everyone who’s stopped by to say hi – even without bright full-on sunshine, it’s definitely nicer weather than last year, when we were all out here shivering … the temps are comfortable and there’s not a raindrop in sight. At 2 pm, there’ll be a special main-stage storytime with Melissa from Barnes and Noble (who usually does storytimes in the store on Saturday mornings).
1:41 PM: Bulletin – the sun has arrived. “Partly sunny,” to be sure, but it’s sun. Also forgot to mention, the West Seattle-based food truck A Lunch in Hand is here, on the south end of the street-fair area, north of the Taco del Mar/Giannoni’s Pizzeria lot. Here’s their menu:
Another pitch for the beer garden – the proceeds go to charity! It’s right by the stage, outside BBB/Eats.
2:07 PM UPDATE: Melissa‘s onstage with a picture book now (check out her regular Saturday readings at B&N at 11 am):
Among the people who’ve stopped to say hi so far are folks we’ve written about here the past week or two – Jason from “the ex-Petco site” (Sound Ad Group’s temp home) in his West Seattle Podcast T-shirt (here’s our story about the podcast plan); Ellen Bremen, the “Chatty Professor,” who has just published “Say This, NOT That, to Your Professor …” (here’s our story). Longtime WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli stopped by to say hi – his big New York City exhibition for his internationally renowned “Big Appetites” photos is coming up this week. And even as we type … a reader who has contributed photos, Diane, stopped by … the most famous one, she reminded us, showed the inflated plastic bag that protruded from a window during last summer’s demolition of the old Denny school site.
2:22 PM UPDATE: The Seattle Fire Department‘s back – an engine was here earlier (we believe 37 but couldn’t leave our post to look) and now a ladder truck (update: it’s Ladder 13, which is currently based at Highland Park’s Station 11) – same parking spot as earlier (which is also right alongside the inflatable obstacle course). Live music is scheduled to resume at 3 pm with Gunn and The Damage Done, and in the meantime, there’s been a heavy dose of classic rock – multiple Doors hits.
3:24 PM UPDATE: BOTH units from Station 11 are here.
And the band plays on:
(added) Video:
Among those here checking out the band: Jeff Gilbert from Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction. Rest of the music schedule is here.
4:17 PM UPDATE: The NW Rivals are playing now, and the beer garden activity looks to be picking up. Those blue-sky breaks from earlier are gone, sadly, but still no rain, and the temperature’s pleasant. The bouncy house, slide, obstacle course, etc., are still up and running, but some of the tablers are folding up, particularly near the stage, where the focus is fully on the music for the rest of the event.
5:27 PM UPDATE: We’re the last booth left, but the bouncy toys are still going, and live music continues, with RAF onstage now. Couple more visitors at the booth here, including the Full Tilt Ice Cream family, and Ruth from West Seattle See Dogs, the guide-puppy-raising club, here giving future guide dog Gulliver an idea of what a street fair with live music is like.
Hoping to see you not only at today’s Westwood Village festival, but also next Saturday at the annual Morgan Junction Community Festival, presented by the Morgan Community Association, offering a brand-new event this year: The ‘Bark of Morgan’ – sponsored by 4 area pet-services businesses, including WSB sponsor The Wash Dog:
All well-behaved leashed dogs (over the age of 4 months) are invited to bring their owners and participate in the following events:
2:00 – Pooch Parade: The parade of pooches will line up starting at 2:00 pm north of Morgan Junction Park along SW Eddy Street. Look for the signs. We will parade through Festival venues to the Bank Stage. Costumes optional.
2:15 – Contests: “Bark of Morgan” contests:
1) Cutest Puppy (4 months up to 9 months),
2) Best Trick,
3) Best Dog/Owner Look-Alike
First and second place contestants will be selected via the ‘audience applause meter’ as monitored by the MC and will be awarded commemorative medallions. All “Bark of Morgan” participants will receive a special prize.Sponsors of the first “Bark of Morgan” are Pet Elements at 6701 California SW; Service Dog Academy at 6040 California SW; The Wash Dog at 6400 California Ave SW; and Wiggle Room LLC at 7001 California Ave SW.
Next Saturday’s festival runs 10:30 am-7 pm at three venues (plus the “Bite of Morgan” sampling restaurants) around California/Fauntleroy; the event lineup is on the official website.
Just in case you saw/heard the big response – the fire reported in an apartment building in the 2200 block of SW Barton was a small electrical fire that was put out fast. No injuries reported. Building’s being ventilated right now.
(Rufous hummingbird photographed by Danny McMillin, shared via the WSB Flickr-group pool)
Don’t let the clouds keep you at home. It’ll still be warm enough to have fun at the Westwood Village Street Fair, and to help 7 groups/organizations raise money at benefits today for people and pets. Plus – good luck, grads! Here’s the roundup of highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar:
ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT/99 CLOSED: Another reminder that the stretch from the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge is closed for the weekend, both directions, as crews continue reinforcing the Viaduct section that’s over the tunnel-boring route. It’s scheduled to reopen by 5 am Monday.
WESTWOOD VILLAGE STREET FAIR: 10 am-7 pm, it’s the annual free, fun event at the shopping center (2600 SW Barton) – kids’ activities, live music starting at 3 pm, and more, including a school-supplies “stuff the bus” donation drive and (noon-2 pm at Barnes and Noble) booksigning by local author Jon Wells (“Shipwrecked”). Here’s our preview from Friday.
FURRY FACES’ BENEFIT ZUMBATHON: Dance from 10 am-12:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center to benefit Furry Faces Foundation; details here.
PET BENEFIT: The “Moses’ Torn ACL” benefit at Umpqua Bank (WSB sponsor) in Admiral is not only a benefit for a pet, it’s an event for your pet – with pet photos and doggie massage, all to benefit a surgery fund. 10 am-1 pm, details here.
ART AUCTION FOR CLEAN WATER: Visit Ginomai Art Center (42nd/Genesee) 11 am-3 pm and bid on art donated to help West Seattle Christian Church‘s well-building project in El Salvador this summer; details here.
CHIEF SEALTH, WEST SEATTLE HS GRADUATIONS: Both are at Memorial Stadium downtown today – Chief Sealth International High School graduates at 1 pm, West Seattle High School graduates at 5 pm.
GO TO SHADOWLAND, HELP ROXHILL STUDENTS: From 3 pm-close, 15 percent of your bill at Shadowland in The Junction helps make sure every 5th grader at Roxhill Elementary can go to Islandwood; details here.
DOGS 4 DOGS BENEFIT: Music and more at this rescue-dog fundraiser 4-11 pm at The Bridge (4439 35th SW); details here.
VETERANS HELPING VETERANS: The new organization One Less Mountain (featured in this WSB preview) is the beneficiary of Joe Black‘s comedy/hypnosis show at Youngstown tonight, 6:45 pm – more info here.
BENEFIT FOR MELANOMA PATIENT: Tonight at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 7-11 pm, a silent/live auction and music are part of a fundraiser for Joni, a mom of two who is going through treatment for melanoma and can’t work right now because of it. More info here.
Two updates from Seattle Lutheran High School:
GOODBYE: We managed to photograph the cake for posterity before the RSVP’d crowd of 300-plus all showed up for the retirement reception celebrating Shirley Vradenburgh‘s 32 years at the school:
The Friday night celebration packed the gym where just one week earlier she and other members of the school staff and community had gathered for the graduation of Seattle Lutheran’s Class of 2012 (WSB coverage here). As an enduring tribute to her SLHS work, the Shirley Vradenburgh Scholarship was endowed at this year’s school auction.
HELLO: We learned this week that the school has announced its new principal. Dave Meyer is coming to Seattle Lutheran from Concordia Lutheran School in northeast Seattle. His appointment was announced in a letter to the SLHS school community, in which Meyer was described as “bring(ing) contagious enthusiasm overflowing with vision and a great passion for academic excellence” as well as “a renewed vitality, direction and energy to the school …” He’ll start work over the summer.
Admiral District businesses made good on their promises to crank up the volume for this month’s West Seattle Art Walk this past Thursday night. Here’s what we found at four stops along the way. Top photo is from Mind Unwind, the gallery/education/collaboration space at 2206 California SW – where Brendan Ray Fraser was working on a painting that, shall we say, was a little too nude for WSB standards, so we took our camera upstairs for the aerial view. Three more stops ahead:
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