Winter break fun: Sign up ASAP for WSHS Mini Cheer Camp
Last June, Bev Corey shared that photo from the West Seattle High School Cheerleaders‘ Mini Cheer Camp for elementary-age students – and now they’re planning another one, coming up a week from Saturday; there’s still time to sign up:
The West Seattle Cheerleaders will be holding a Mini Cheer Camp Saturday, January 5th in the West Seattle Gym from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
K-5th grade kids will have a great time learning fun cheers and making crafts with the Westside cheerleaders. Campers will receive a T-shirt, pom poms, official team hairbow, picture of themselves with the cheerleader of their choice AND perform as an honorary West Seattle Cheerleader at an upcoming home basketball game!
The cost of this camp is $40. Registration paperwork and payment are due by December 31, 2012. Space is limited so register early to ensure your spot.
Contact Bev Corey at 206-423-5450 or coreym_b@comcast.net or Christina Ruzzine at caruzzine@seattleschools.org if you have any questions.
The registration form is part of the official brochure/flyer – which you can find here.
UPDATE: The form link has changed because of some problems – so if you tried before and had trouble give it another try! – and Bev says the deadline is now extended to January 2nd.
International basketball game ahead! Nankai to visit Sealth
Big international sports event ahead: The Nankai girls’ basketball team from Chongqing, China, is coming to Seattle and will play the Chief Sealth International High School girls on January 12th. It’ll be a cultural celebration as well as a sports event, with a halftime Lion Dance and a pre-game program with Mayor Mike McGinn. Ticket sales ($5 students aged 7 and up, $7 adults, sold only at the door that night) will benefit a Seattle-Chongqing student-exchange program as well as Sealth girls’ basketball. Mark your calendar! Doors will open at 6, program will start at 6:30, then it’s tipoff time at 7.
West Seattle development: Groundbreaking soon for 101 apartments at 5020 California SW, now called The Blake
Yet another Junction-area project is getting ready for groundbreaking. It’s a site we have been tracking for more than five years – 5020 California SW, formerly known as “Spring Hill,” dating back to its time in the fold of BlueStar Development, the original developer of what became “The Hole.” When BlueStar’s West Seattle plans went awry, 5020 California SW went into foreclosure, and then was sold to a Burien-based company last year. Four months ago, we spoke with the site’s new managers, who told us nothing was likely to happen before year’s end, and that the project hadn’t changed much; today, the management company, Indigo Real Estate Services, just sent an official announcement of the site’s new name and imminent construction::
After much anticipation, groundbreaking for The Blake (formerly known as Spring Hill) at 5020 California Ave SW is slated to begin in January 2013 with a target opening of summer 2014.
Named for the most prominent island seen from the building’s expansive rooftop deck, The Blake will offer sweeping views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains for all residents to enjoy.
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WSB Holiday Guide: New Year’s Eve/Day now in the spotlight
(New Year’s 2011 Space Needle fireworks photographed from West Seattle by Cnellis Photography)
Now that Christmas is past, it’s time to get serious about New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day – next Monday and Tuesday. So we’re making sure you know that events for both occasions are listed in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, which we’ve been updating all season long since before Thanksgiving; NYE/NYD is at the top of the page now – and there’s room for more! If you’re presenting – or know of – an open-to-the-public event for either NYE/NYD that isn’t listed there yet, please let us know so we can add it – editor@westseattleblog.com. (That goes for community groups as well as businesses – if it’s a special event, party, gala dinner menu, etc., send the basic info along! Special church services, too. Thanks!)
Designing a new school: Notes on the Genesee Hill site plan
If you’re not on the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council e-mail list – or otherwise involved in the process, you might not know they’re sharing early updates from discussions about the new school to be built on the Genesee Hill Elementary site and opened in fall 2015 (assuming funding is approved by voters in the February vote on the Seattle Public Schools BEX IV levy). This morning’s GSNC update includes notes from a meeting earlier this month, outlining how the current site will be used:
On Dec. 15 (which happened to be the day after the Newtown, CT, school tragedy), the School Design Advisory Team (SDAT) met to explore possible layouts for the new elementary school to be built on the Genesee Hill site. A variety of possibilities were explored, and the design was narrowed down to one for the architects to further explore and assess from a feasibility and cost standpoint.
Here is a summary of what was included in this design (apologies that it is a text description, but no drawings or plans are currently available):
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West Seattle Wednesday: ‘Tis the day after Christmas …
(Eagles above Alki Point, 12/23/2012, by Danny McMillin, from the WSB Flickr group pool)
… and fewer non-wildlife creatures are likely to be stirring, so we’re not publishing a standalone traffic/transit tracker today. But there’s a transportation reminder here along with other notes:
TRANSIT TODAY: Metro is on a “reduced weekday” schedule for the rest of the week. The Water Taxi is back in service, regular schedule. And as of last night, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run was back to three boats (check here for updates).
TRASH ETC. PICKUP TODAY: If you have Tuesday service, you’re supposed to get pickup today – everybody’s delayed a day for the rest of this week (and next week, same thing, Tuesday-Friday pickup will be a day later).
TREE-RECYCLING PICKUPS START TOO: Today through January 13th, dropoffs or pickups – explained here.
PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: 10:30 am at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library – details here.
GET AN E-READER FOR CHRISTMAS? Drop-in clinic on e-books and audiobooks at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson), 2-4 pm.
POETRY AND STORYTELLING: Monthly event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW) is tonight, 7-9 pm, with featured readers Rayn Roberts and Ian Hegwood, followed by open-mike readings – more info here.
‘WINTER WONDERETTES’: Final week for the holiday production at ArtsWest in The Junction, 7:30 pm.
YOUR TURN: Open-mike night at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW), 9 pm.
West Seattle Christmas: ‘Random act of kindness’ on the road
Another tale of people helping people arrived in the WSB inbox this Christmas Day night. Everyone involved had West Seattle ties – but it happened many miles away:
My husband and I, Ric and Diane Ferrero of the Arroyos, wanted to share why we love West Seattleites. On Christmas Day, we were heading back home to West Seattle after spending a couple of days with our grandkids and family in Spokane. Heading over Snoqualmie Pass, chains were required so we pulled over to chain up. There were a lot of cars on the side of the road chaining up before heading over the pass. The guy behind us was done with his and he came over to help us with our chains. He said that he worked for Les Schwab and we asked where and he said he was the manager of the new West Seattle store. He didn’t want any money for his help, just thought he would lend us a hand. We just want to say thank you to our new best friend Chris Ackland, manager of Les Schwab in West Seattle. Here is a picture of Chris and Ric puttng on the chains before we head over the pass. Thanks, Chris!
West Seattle Christmas lights: One more show on the map
View West Seattle Christmas lights, 2012 in a larger map
We’re bringing out the West Seattle Christmas Lights map tonight because we just got word of one more home to add. From Ken and Cora:
We have another light show up and running. Its one that’s inspired by the Helmstetler family show and we use similar equipment, although a much more modest display (this year, at least). Our light show follows a number of Holiday songs and we broadcast on FM at 101.9 MhZ and have a small set of speakers set up, too.
We are located at 4120 38th AVE SW (just a few blocks away from the Helmstetler family display).
Currently our shows occur at 6:00PM, 6:40PM, 7:20PM, 8:00PM and 8:40PM. The program lasts about half an hour.
Merry Christmas! West Seattle holiday hours for coffee, restaurants, grocery stores, and other info
(Decorated boats accompanying the Christmas Ship at Lowman Beach, 12/8/12; photo by Nick Adams for WSB)
Merry Christmas! Here’s some info we hope will be helpful on this holiday:
TRANSIT: Metro’s on a Sunday schedule; no Water Taxi; the Fauntleroy state-ferry route is on a 2-boat schedule.
TRASH/RECYCLING ON ONE-DAY DELAY: No pickup today – everything for the rest of the week is on one-day delay, so if you usually have Tuesday service, it’s tomorrow instead.
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: Condensed from our full holiday list, here’s who told us they’d be open today:
Alki Juice and Java: 9 am– 2 pm
Caffé Delia (WSB sponsor): 9 am–12 pm
Caffé Ladro: 7 am–12 pm
Café Rozella: 8 am–2 pm
Diva Espresso: 8 am–1 pm
Freshy’s Coffee: 8 am–2 pm
Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor): 8 am–2 pm
Red Cup Espresso: 8 am–12 pm
Starbucks Admiral, Morgan Junction, 35th/Fauntleroy: 7 am–4 pm
Tully’s on Alki: 6 am–6 pm
RESTAURANTS OPEN TODAY: 13 told us they would be open today/tonight. Find them on our holiday restaurant-hours list.
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: QFC and Safeway are open today – hours are on our holiday list.
CHURCH SERVICES: There are four Christmas Day services on our holiday list – see it here.
MOVIES: West Seattle’s Admiral Theater is open this afternoon/evening – here’s the schedule
WEST SEATTLE LIGHTS: The music-synched lights at 39th/Charlestown will run till midnight tonight – full schedule (and song lists) here.
NEWS: WSB never closes. Hoping for a quiet day, but if you see/hear news, text/call as always, any time – 206-293-6302 – or, if it’s not urgent, e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
West Seattle Christmas Eve: ‘Kindness, compassion are the antidote’
Out of the WSB inbox, from a West Seattle resident:
Earlier today my husband was recipient of a random act of kindness; he found a card underneath his windshield wipers, inside was crisp new $10.00 bill with note that said “A random act to honor one of the 26 lost in Connecticut. Kindness and compassion are the antidote. Please, if you can, pay it forward. ”
I thought it was so cool, that it made my day. I hope it will do the same for you. Merry Christmas!
The e-mail doesn’t say where exactly this happened – but that really doesn’t matter, in this case.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Seen this stolen Chevy Tahoe?
Since many stolen vehicles are found close to the scene of the crime – this one may be somewhere on the peninsula: We just received an e-mail report of a green 2002 Chevy Tahoe z71 (photo above) stolen from a home near 35th/Hudson last night. License plate is 767 PXH; you’ll likely notice a broken passenger-side window. It’s SPD case 12-438190, if you see it and call 911 as SPD always advises.
West Seattle Whale Watch: Christmas Eve orca visit
11:32 AM: Earlier this morning, Jeff Hogan from Killer Whale Tales texted us about orcas sighted off Maury Island. That was a little too far south for West Seattleites to see, so we didn’t mention it here, but now he says they’re headed back north again – along Colvos Passage, on the west side of Vashon, so they might be visible a bit later off North Vashon or Blake Island. Let us know if you see them!
12:46 PM UPDATE: Commenters on the Orca Network Facebook page have seen them within the last few minutes off Olalla (map) – still a ways before they would emerge back into the open Sound off north Vashon Island.
1:37 PM UPDATE: Orca Network commenters are also talking about a DIFFERENT group heading south from Richmond Beach/Carkeek area – could be a whale of a lot of whales off West Seattle if these groups keep heading their respective ways.
West Seattle Monday: Happy Christmas Eve 2012!
(The Olympics this morning, by Nick Adams for WSB)
Happy Christmas Eve! For today’s highlights, it’s mostly a list of the lists we’ve been compiling, with (hopefully) helpful information as you wonder “who’s open and when”:
CHRISTMAS EVE CHURCH SERVICES (and a few on Christmas Day): See the list here
TRANSIT CHANGES TODAY (AND TOMORROW): See the list here
GROCERY-STORE HOURS TODAY (AND TOMORROW): See the list here
RESTAURANTS OPEN TODAY (AND TOMORROW): See the list here
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY (AND TOMORROW): See the list here
LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING? RETAILERS OPEN TODAY: See the list here (and please let us know about additions – this is a crowdsourced last-minute list, unlike our others)
****Also happening today****
GIFT WRAPPING: One last round of “Wrap It Up” with Furry Faces Foundation and AARF: These two animal-advocacy groups are wrapping gifts by donation (you decide how much), with 100 percent of the donations going to help animals. 2 – 7 pm at Beveridge Place Pub, 6413 California SW.
SANTA AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 10 am-5 pm (in the old Dress Barn space this year, if you haven’t been yet).
CHRISTMAS EVE AT WEST SEATTLE LIGHTS: The Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular features free hot chocolate 6-8 pm – it’s part of our holiday-lights list (including an updated map of spots around West Seattle) on the WSB Holiday Guide page.
Last-minute West Seattle holiday shopping: Christmas Eve hours
We’ve already put together four holiday lists – Christmas Eve church services (here), Christmas Eve/Day restaurants (here), coffee shops (here), and grocery stores (here) – 
but it didn’t occur to us until last night that you might also find it helpful to have a list of retailers’ Christmas Eve hours, if you (like me) find yourself shopping at the last minute. So we put out a call on the WSB Facebook page and did a little looking around. Results are below. Not comprehensive, but it includes those who responded and those whose holiday hours we have found so far (FB, Twitter, Web) – if you want to be on this list, please add yours in a comment, or e-mail us, and we’ll add you:
Alki Beach Tattoo (merchandise too) – 11 am-5 pm
Atomic Boys – 10 am-2 pm
Avalon Glassworks – 10 am-4 pm
Bartell Drugs (both WS locations) – 8 am-9 pm
Bin 41 – 11 am-6 pm
Capco Beverages (WSB sponsor; use this coupon!) – 10 am-7 pm
CAPERS – 10 am-4 pm
Carmilia’s – 11 am-5 pm
Chico’s – 9 am-6 pm
City Mouse Studio and Store – 10 am-3 pm
Clementine – 11 am-5 pm
Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) – 10 am-5 pm
Curious Kidstuff – 10 am-5 pm
Home Depot – 6 am-5 pm
JF Henry & Co. (WSB sponsor) – Open till 4 pm
Mind Unwind: 10 am-5 pm
Shanti Salon and Day Spa (WSB sponsor) – till 3 pm
The Beer Junction – 10 am-4 pm
The Wash Dog (WSB sponsor) – Open till 4 pm
Twilight Artist Collective – 11 am-3 pm
West Seattle Cellars (WSB sponsor) – 11 am-7 pm
West Seattle Fabric Company – 10 am-2 pm
West Seattle Nursery – 9 am-4 pm (a few trees left, WSN tells us)
Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) – 11 am-2 pm
Again, check back again later; we’ll add any other retailers who comment or e-mail. Happy Christmas Eve! (Photo credit: Junction Christmas tree by Nick Adams for WSB, 12/1/2012)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Roxhill Castle vandalized
If you live near Roxhill Park, or pass by, please take an extra-close look – especially now that Whitney McBride, co-volunteer organizer for the community-built Roxhill Castle play-area project, reports that graffiti/tagging vandals have struck: “Our wonderfully community-built park was graffiti’ed. I’m not sure when, as we haven’t been by lately. Sadly I knew it was bound to happen, just hoped it wouldn’t at least for a while. I’m sure it’ll get cleaned up way before opening, but if folks could keep an eye out & call in anything suspicious, that’d be great.” (As noted here yesterday, the opening was at one point set for this weekend, but it’s been postponed – no new date set yet.)
West Seattle Christmas lights: Map updated, if you’re headed out
For those planning to go out looking at Christmas lights, we’ve added a few more stops to the map, including the home above (3726 Belvidere – thanks to Logan for the photo), Fauntlee Hills (the west side is most brightly lit – turn onto 41st SW from Barton, and both 41st and Concord have sights to see), and the home in the 7900 block of 32nd SW that we featured last year (Kevin says it’s all lit up again).
View West Seattle Christmas lights, 2012 in a larger map
Any more updates tonight, please let us know – then the map’s a wrap for the season, since we’ve observed over the years that some turn their lights off after Christmas Eve.
P.S. One of the spots on the map, the Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular/West Seattle Lights, will have free hot chocolate 6-8 pm Christmas Eve.
West Seattle holidays: Eat, drink, be merry … and read!
We’re reminded that besides “eat, drink, and be merry,” another good holiday exhortation is: Read! Kids from Gatewood Elementary got in that spirit with a brisk stroll to a Morgan Junction coffee shop on Friday; principal Rhonda Claytor shared the photo and report:
Students from Gina Frazzini’s class at Gatewood Elementary had a reading celebration at Starbucks (Friday). The students walked to Starbucks to enjoy a book and a hot cocoa. It was a great way to start a great book for the Winter Break! Thank you, Starbucks!
Yet another reminder – we’ve compiled holiday hours (Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve/Day) for coffee shops around West Seattle (and a couple in White Center), in case you’re looking for a place to read – or just to get your favorite beverage – see the list here.
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