West Seattle, Washington
15 Thursday
10:50 PM: Big fire call to the 3700 block of California SW – but it’s being scaled back because it’s now believed to be a fire pit on a building roof.
Flames on top of 3703 California @westseattleblog pic.twitter.com/s6upeLBUU2
— Chris Burton (@CBurtonDesign) July 13, 2014
10:53 PM: Now they’re raising the call back to a full response after all. And they’re calling for police to block northbound traffic.
(Reader photo)
It’s described as a rooftop fire, about a 12 x 12 section of wooden deck, and under control.
(This photo and next two, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:13 PM: Our crews at the scene say the four-story mixed-use building – residential over ground-floor commercial – was evacuated.
But firefighters are reiterating via radio that the fire was confined to wooden decking over a section of roof and is tapped.
11:18 PM: We just talked to the incident commander, who said the residents will be allowed back in within the hour.
You’ve probably heard that tonight’s moon is not only the full moon, but is also the “supermoon,” brighter because the moon is closer to the earth. Space.com says the next two full moons also will qualify. Above, the dusk-ish view from Brian Fenske; below, the moonrise earlier, from Kayla Fenske.
If you’re going to be up early, look for the moonset just before 6 am, per the WSB Weather page.
Starting next Friday, another farmstand plans weekly sales of fresh produce in West Seattle – this one, announced today by the future Delridge Grocery:
Exciting news! Our Friday Farmstand launches this week! Finally – fresh, local, sustainable fruits and vegetables in Delridge!
Come by every Friday all summer:
4:30-7:30
5435 Delridge Way SW
Two doors south of the library, across the street from our future full-service grocery locationCelebrate our launch this Friday, July 18th, with free lemonade at the farmstand, and a fun comedy event afterward from 8-12 at the Skylark!
Want to be more involved?
Volunteer and take home free produce! Help run the produce stand and take home some leftovers! It’s easy and fun, and we’ll provide training. Sign up for volunteer shifts online.
Join the Canning Club!
Do you like canning pickles and jams to save for the winter? Join Friday Farmstand Canning Club and get first crack and discount prices on bulk quantities of leftover produce! To sign up, e-mail Farmstand Manager Ariana at taylorstanley@gmail.com with your name and phone number. You must be available to pickup produce after the farmstand, at 7:30 on Fridays.
Delridge Grocery, which has its roots in the Delridge Produce Cooperative effort launched five years ago, is working toward opening a co-op grocery store in the commercial space of the Cottage Grove Commons building at 5444 Delridge Way SW.
@westseattleblog big crowds at Bar-S today! pic.twitter.com/IU6z0tn0Ym
— Cami MacNamara (@webcami) July 12, 2014
Thanks to Cami for the updates via Twitter from the West Seattle Little League Majors (11-12) All-Stars’ first game in the state tournament WSLL is hosting at Bar-S on Alki Point – and congratulations to the team for its win:
@westseattleblog West Seattle Little League wins first game 21 to 8 with grand slam homerun at the end for 10 run rule
— Cami MacNamara (@webcami) July 12, 2014
The tournament continues through next Saturday; the WSLL team’s next game is at noon tomorrow vs. Federal Way (here’s the full bracket/schedule, updated with the scores for games played so far).
(EARLIER COVERAGE: Saturday report #1 here; Friday #1 here, #2 here)
(WSB photo by Katie Meyer)
That’s Fysah and The Soul Acoustic, performing a bit earlier this afternoon onstage at West Seattle Summer Fest 2014. Here’s the music schedule for the rest of today/tonight, including the festival headliners:
Sweet Jesus (started at 3 pm)
Charms, 4:00 pm
The Fabulous Downey Brothers, 5:00 pm
Spinning Whips, 6:00 pm
Dude York, 7:00 pm
Vox Mod, 7:40 pm
The Moondoggies, 8:00 pm
Vox Mod, 9:00 pm
The Helio Sequence, 9:30 pm
Next up on the stage at GreenLife – the sustainability-focused zone off the west side of California just north of Edmunds – instead of the previously scheduled beermaking workshop at 4 pm, which was canceled at the last minute, Sustainable West Seattle‘s Chas Redmond tells us there’ll be an environmental poetry slam. Meantime, good news – it’s not (so far) as hot as feared – though the 80s aren’t exactly a cold spell, so you might want to know about yet another booth ready to cool you off – WestSide Baby:
So what else can you do at Summer Fest? Get your face painted …
Get a caricature of yourself:
Shop for something you can’t find anywhere else …
By the way – in case you need a reminder – the festival zone will be part of the West Seattle Grand Parade one week from today (11 am start at California/Lander, heading south on California to Edmunds). P.S. Tomorrow – the West Seattle Farmers’ Market IS ON, as always, 10 am-2 pm, at 44th/Alaska, integral part of Summer Fest.
4:45 PM UPDATE: Dinnertime approaches. Yes, you can get fair food – deep-fried PB&J sandwiches, a Krispy Kreme burger, elephant ears, big tangle of french fries – and you’ll also find some local restaurants offering items in the food-stand area, along Alaska from California to 42nd. But what’s even more fun is to experience a favorite restaurant in a new way – with the temporary patios lining both blocks of California – while you’re here.
5:14 PM: Just seen headed eastbound on Alaska:
Most impressive bike rider seen at #wssummerfest pic.twitter.com/AsqQATJluo
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 13, 2014
5:37 PM: Quick clip of The Fabulous Downey Brothers, onstage right now:
And a photo:
(According to their website, you’ll see them in next Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade, too.) Back in the booths, many have games and other reasons for you to stop and say hi – including Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor):
6:25 PM: Summer Fest from the air! Courtesy of Long B. Nguyen:
It’s been fun again today talking to so many people who’ve stopped by to say hi – thank you! We’ll be in the Info Booth until just past 7; the Summer Fest focus then moves on to the stage and beer garden in the north part of the festival zone (here’s the music schedule again). If you’re planning to come tomorrow, remember that it starts an hour later than Friday/Saturday – everything revs up around 11 am on Sunday.
7:24 PM: Thanks to Diane for the reminder – there’s also live music at Elliott Bay Brewery tonight, until 10 pm with The Back Porch Apostles, celebrating EBB’s 17th anniversary.
ADDED: Thanks to Dave for the photo from Dude York‘s performance:
That’s Claire. According to the Dude York Facebook page, their upcoming gigs include the Capitol Hill Block Party later this month. And Saturday night’s last act was headliner The Helio Sequence – thanks to Leroy for this photo:
They’re due back in Seattle in August for a Tractor Tavern gig while touring with Liam Finn. Sunday music at Summer Fest starts with Carrie Akre at 2 pm.
At midday today, West Seattle’s Fire Station 36 in North Delridge welcomed visitors to an open house with tours of its upgrades and renovations:
The station recently reopened after about nine months of work – read more about it here – during which time Station 36’s crews were temporarily stationed at a spot off Harbor Avenue SW. Among those on hand today, Fire Chief Gregory Dean:
And history, courtesy of the Last Resort Fire Department:
The next West Seattle fire station to relocate for an upgrade is Station 32 in The Junction, which will be demolished and rebuilt on its current site; during the project, that station will be temporarily relocated to city-owned property on 40th SW across from the Masonic Center.
10:17 AM: Again today, we start with the SDOT traffic camera facing north on California at Alaska – right over our HQ at the Info Booth in the heart of West Seattle Summer Fest, where Day 2 continues until 8 pm (with music running later). Here’s the basic Summer Fest map:
We’ll be updating live throughout the day – with this report continuing until we launch the day’s second live chronicle at mid-afternoon. (If major/breaking West Seattle news happens, we’ll of course cover that too.) Festival music starts at noon with reggae band Two-Story Zori. Festival quicklinks are in our daily preview, for starters. More to come!
10:44 AM: Need a tote bag? Stop by the west side of the Info Booth, where Karen and Deb from the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network also have some tchotchkes courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation – hundreds of tote bags, coloring books, and more. Also in the booth with us today are volunteers from the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle. Meantime, local businesses are having sidewalk sales again today, all along the festival grounds – at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), just north of Alaska on the east side of California SW, the hammock’s the thing this weekend:
Click! co-proprietors Frances and John Smersh are in the photo (taken on Day 1), demonstrating. When you’re not resting – maybe you’re on the run. If so, be sure you have signed up for the Float Dodger 5K, preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade one week from today:
West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) is presenting the Float Dodger 5K this year – it benefits the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society – and signing up participants at their Summer Fest booth. Later in the summer, it’s the Alki Beach 5K, benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing, and you can sign up for that at Summer Fest too – here’s the temp tattoo sported by NWHH’s Shari Sewell:
11:29 AM: Teri Ensley of Furry Faces Foundation, which is in the Community Tent today – actually a double-canopied area against the south wall of Easy Street Records at California/Alaska – has a plea for pet owners, given the heat advisory for today:
Please leave your dog(s) at home, in a cool place, with lots of available water. Leaving them in a car, can kill them. Walking them on concrete can burn the pads of their feet…if the concrete is too hot for our bare feet–it’s too hot for theirs. Lastly, keep your dogs out of the sun when you are walking them—they can suffer from heat exhaustion because they are wearing a fur coat.
Here’s who you will find in the Community Tent today – meet local community groups’ reps, find out more about what they do:
10 am-2 pm
Environmental Science Center
SSCC Parent Education Program
West Seattle Be Prepared
Furry Faces Foundation2 pm -6 pm
West Seattle Community Orchestras
Seal Sitters
34th District Democrats
Furry Faces Foundation
Here are Cindi Barker and Sharonn Meeks from West Seattle Be Prepared (go ask them questions about your nearest Emergency Communication Hub!):
WSCO is bringing its Instrument Petting Zoo – don’t miss that this afternoon.
Meantime, a couple of visitors this past quarter-hour at the Info Booth – Pete Spalding, who’s on his way to volunteer at the West Seattle Food Bank booth (photo added above – don’t miss their raffle!), had a few updates about Delridge Day, which he’s helping organize, August 9th – looks like the “Picnic at the Precinct” SPD features will be combined with the festival again this year, and also, there’ll be a Delridge Day Eve outdoor movie on Friday, August 8th – “The Lego Movie.” Stay tuned for more details on that. Also saying hi, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen – first politician/elected official we’ve seen this Summer Fest.
And reps from West Seattle Hi-Yu – don’t miss their float, and a chance to buy a Hi-Yu button for just $1 to support the festival – on SW Alaska just east of California, near Junction Plaza Park.
12:57 PM: A snippet of Instagram video of today’s first band, Two-Story Zori:
Just about to start on the stage (north of SW Oregon), Sundae + Mr. Goessel, described as “a spirit reminiscent of 1930s pop.” We just returned from another stroll in that direction – noticed the Windermere sidewalk setup has a mister keeping passersby cool:
First mist-er we've seen at #wssummerfest – Windermere on the sidewalk, Calif east side btwn Oregon & Alaska pic.twitter.com/oQAhZH8eII
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 12, 2014
Today, almost every eatery on California SW has an outdoor area set up just for Summer Fest, even ones that don’t have outdoor seating otherwise. So along with the official “food court” area stretching along the south side of SW Alaska east of California – all the way to the corner of 42nd – lots of other options. We noticed that Pagliacci Pizza just north of SW Oregon is offering slices, something not usually on their West Seattle menu.
1:44 PM: Another local business that’s all in for Summer Fest, CAPERS, is grabbing attention on the sidewalk with the West Seattle T-shirt made famous by Eddie Vedder:
Don’t miss GreenLife at the southwest end of the festival zone, presented by Sustainable West Seattle in the parking lot north of Technical Analysis, with a full schedule of demonstrations and a few performances. One that was a hot ticket last year is back at 4 pm today – backyard beer making! (Update: just found out at 2:36 pm that the workshop has been canceled.) Speaking of hot … imagine having to wear a big furry costume in this weather:
Those two were wandering to promote the Sasquatch! music festival.
2:38 PM UPDATE: Other places that will be happy to “mist” you – as well as meet you – the West Seattle Fabric Company booth, for one:
And a reminder that if you are here with a baby and/or toddler and need a place to nurse, change diapers, otherwise get out of the crowd – the Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) booth by NW Art and Frame on the west side of California between Alaska and Edmunds is one place, as is City Mouse Studio and Store at 4218 SW Alaska. Meantime, we’ll be launching the day’s second round of coverage around the top of the hour, after a non-festival-related story or two.
West Seattle Crime Watch reader report today from Kallie:
My boyfriend’s car was broken into on 39th Ave SW, near 39th and Forest, last night. His laptop bag (with laptop) and gym bag were stolen out of the car. Unfortunately we believe the car may have been unlocked. We found the duffle with everything, including a $20 bill, besides his Levi jeans and polo tshirt around the corner on the sidewalk. Additionally we found some papers from his work bag on the sidewalk a half block up. Nothing else was taken out of the car and based in what they left behind I’m thinking it was some a–hole kids who were on foot. They left a half-drank bottle of pineapple vodka in my front lawn as well, which is covered in fingerprints. I left a sign in my yard requesting the laptop back with no questions asked … Police said to call back Monday-Friday and we will give the vodka bottle to them then.
My neighbor sometimes leaves her car unlocked and said she thought hers had been rifled through last night too, however the only items they have in there are kids’ toys. She doesn’t think anything was taken.
Hoping to get the word out so when the (thieves) who did this realize that a corporate, password and encrypted laptop has no value to them, they will bring it back and not throw it away.
(Summer Fest Day 1 photo by WSB’s Katie Meyer)
Our live coverage gets going again at 10 am, the start of West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction! We’re reporting live again this year from the midst of it all – the information booth at California/Alaska. Today’s full list of West Seattle events – the festival AND other highlights – is ahead, but first, the Summer Fest quick links:
SUMMER FEST MUSIC SCHEDULE – here (first band, Two-Story Zori at noon)
SUMMER FEST VENDOR LIST – here
SUMMER FEST VENDOR MAP – here (by number, per the list)
SUMMER FEST GREENLIFE SCHEDULE – here (first presentation, “Smart Home Maintenance” at 11 am
SUMMER FEST COMMUNITY TENT SCHEDULE – here (scroll down)
SUMMER FEST BUS REROUTES – here
POOL/WADING POOL/SPRAYPARK NOTES FOR TODAY: Colman Pool is closed to the public again today because of a swim meet (back open tomorrow). Southwest Pool (indoors) is open. On the wading-pool schedule, Delridge and Hiawatha are both open noon-6:45 pm; Lincoln Park is open 11 am-8 pm; and Highland Park Spraypark is open 11 am-8 pm. Addresses are on the citywide wading pool/spraypark schedule.
WORK PARTIES: Want to get out, roll up your sleeves, and help with restoration of West Seattle’s beautiful natural areas … BEFORE the heat of the afternoon? Our calendar has several options today – click any one for details: Terminal 105 (starts 9 am), Delridge Natural Area (starts 10 am), West Duwamish Greenbelt (starts 10 am), Westcrest Park (starts 10 am).
RIP-IT TOURNAMENT: As previewed here last night, Chief Sealth International High School Football is hosting the RIP-IT passing tournament, and you’re invited to watch – play continues until 4 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex. (2801 SW Thistle)
BENEFIT CAR WASH: West Seattle High School‘s 2014-2015 Cheer Squad is washing cars at West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) 10 am-3 pm to help pay for uniforms and camp – funding for which is not provided through the school. (35th/Webster)
LOW-LOW TIDE AND BEACH NATURALISTS: 10 am-2 pm, Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are out on Constellation Park and Lincoln Park (near Colman Pool) beaches, since the full moon is bringing a low-low tide – 11:21 am, -3.1.
CHICKEN COOP AND URBAN FARM TOUR: West Seattle locations are part of the Seattle Tilth Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour today, 10 am-4 pm, self-guided tour – ticket info is on the official website.
FIRE STATION 36 OPEN HOUSE: 11 am-1 pm, go see the renovated/upgraded Station 36 by the bridge! Here’s our preview. (3600 23rd SW)
SSC GARDEN CENTER OPEN: 11 am-3 pm, with discount pricing on plants; sales benefit the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) horticulture/gardening programs – details in our calendar listing. North end of campus. (6000 16th SW)
LITTLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: Starting today, West Seattle Little League hosts the state Majors’ tournament at Bar-S Playfields on Alki Point. Info – including handy tips if you’re going – is in this WSB story from earlier this week. (6425 SW Admiral Way)
REMODELING/CUSTOM HOMEBUILDING WORKSHOP: Thinking about either (or both! of those? Today at 2 pm, free workshop at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) – where you’ll find air conditioning!!! – and there’s space left. Just show up. (California/Findlay)
SALSA ON ALKI! 5:30-10 pm by the Statue of Liberty on Alki Beach – details in our calendar listing. (61st/Alki)
STRAIGHT BLAST BENEFIT: At C & P Coffee Company, there’s a beer/wine benefit tonight, 6:30-9:30 pm, for the Booster Club – youth programs and more – of North Delridge’s Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (like C & P, a WSB sponsor). More info in the calendar listing. (5612 California SW)
NIGHTLIFE! In addition to live music at Summer Fest, several local venues have bands tonight too – see the individual listings on the calendar.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This was originally published Saturday, but it all still applies Sunday)
Before we get to the big list of everything happening today – a separate list of road closure/bus reroutes, and it’s not just The Junction:
ROAD CLOSURES TODAY: West Seattle Summer Fest continues, so California SW remains closed between Edmunds and Genesee, with east-west traffic allowed through on SW Oregon; also closed, SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th. Regionally, the 520 bridge across Lake Washington is closed all weekend.
BUS REROUTES TODAY: In addition to the Summer Fest-related reroutes in West Seattle, two local buses are affected by changes this weekend downtown, so we’re including them in this list. (Thanks to @MJS1980 for pointing this out via Twitter; Metro’s full systemwide list, from which these links are taken, is here.)
Festival-related:
*RapidRide C Line
*Route 50
*Route 55
*Route 57
*Route 128
*Route 773 (Water Taxi shuttle)
Downtown-construction related:
*Route 21
*Route 120
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