West Seattle, Washington
08 Tuesday
Saturday night – the night after Halloween – brings the end of an era at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater – the last of the monthly “Rocky Horror Picture Show” events with shadow cast, after a decade. From The Admiral’s Dinah Brein:
Saturday night, November 1, will mark the final live shadow-cast performance of the Vicarious Theater Company as they shadow-cast The Rocky Horror Picture Show on the Admiral Theater stage.
The cast has performed here for over ten years and many of the original cast members are still involved.
“We have enjoyed our time with the Vicarious Theater group immensely,” said theater manager Dinah Brein. “They’ve been like a family to us. We’ve watched many of the cast members meet, fall in love, and even get married from their time here at the Admiral. I think the only one that will be sorry to see them go is the janitor. That was a lot of rice and toast to clean up over 10 years. We could have probably fed a small country.”
Come say goodbye to the cast and catch the show, this Saturday night, November 1st. Doors open at 11:30 and the ticket price is $6.00 – cash only (exact change preferred). You must be at least 17 or accompanied by an adult to attend as the pre-show and the movie are rated. R.
In case you’re wondering, we talked to Dinah while stopping by The Admiral for the “I Am Eleven” event on Tuesday night; still nothing new to report re: the theater’s future.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Members of the abruptly shuttered West Seattle (Athletic) Club are wondering when its successor, the West Seattle Health Club, will open.
We talked this afternoon with Dan Lehr, who is managing the transition for property owner John Pietromonaco, who is now the club owner too.
“Possibly as early as Sunday, maybe sooner,” Lehr told WSB in a phone conversation.
Thanks to Rachelle for calling us about an hour ago and asking what was up with the massive line outside The Skylark in North Delridge. Research ensued, and here’s what we know: An 18-year-old online-video star named Taylor Caniff is here to meet his fans. He’s famous mostly for clips on Vine (:06, endlessly looping) and YouTube. Samples in this YT compilation of some of his Vines:
According to this tweet (he has 1.5 million Twitter followers), he’s officially holding court for the next three hours:
RT if your coming to Seattle tomorrow!!! pic.twitter.com/fdjl6klJvP
— Taylor Caniff (@taylorcaniff) October 30, 2014
And if the line we found around quarter till 5 is any evidence, he’ll be busy. Listen to the fans scream as his RV rolls up:
He lives in Indiana; an online bio says he’s been posting videos to YT since 2012, Vine since 2013.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports to share:
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY TARGETED: If you have a Little Free Library in your neighborhood, have the closest neighbors keep an extra-close watch on it. Last night, somebody targeted this one in Seaview with a suspected firework/explosive. Neighbors heard a loud noise; police were called. Its sturdy craftsmanship kept the damage light. Our photographer wasn’t even sure he’d found the right one, but finally detected its door was a bit crooked.
APARTMENT BUILDING BREAK-IN: From JM:
I wanted to alert our West Seattle neighbors about a robbery that happened yesterday, October 29th around mid day maybe 1-3:PM in the heart of California Avenue at zip 98116 about 3 blocks south of PCC/West Seattle High School. The tenants of one apartment came home to find their apartment broken with their jewelry, climbing gears and laptop missing. The burglars also broke into the individual storage units cutting and twisting the padlocks in the 1st floor and emptied two suitcases full of valuable East Indian sarees. Officer J Barnes from Seattle Police Dept. was there inspecting the storage units and taking statements from tenants who were violated.
CAR PROWLERS STRIKE, AGAIN: From Kate:
Our car was broken into for the third time in recent months while parked in front of our house last night. We are near 36th Ave SW and Dakota. It sure feels like car prowls are on the rise. It doesn’t seem to matter if the car is locked or not, they are getting in regardless, but thankfully not smashing windows.
PACKAGE THEFT: From Dave in Seaview: “We had a UPS package stolen in the 5900 block of 49th. Folks should be careful with home shipping!”
Thanks again to everyone for sharing alerts that we can share communitywide. While we listen to the scanner and monitor SPD’s tweets and maps, many noteworthy incidents do NOT surface in any of those channels, for various reasons – and even if they do, there’s no info beyond an incident type/vicinity – so your tips and reports are vital. Always call the police *first* – then let us know when you can.
3:55 PM: Avoid 8th/Roxbury for a while if you’re heading out – a crash is blocking at least part of the intersection. No word yet on injuries or other circumstances; we’re en route to check.
4:06 PM: Won’t be blocked for too long, per scanner – tow trucks have been called. Northbound Metro on 8th is affected for a bit, though.
4:30 PM: The tow trucks were there when our crew arrived a short time ago. One lane on Roxbury was blocked eastbound, and 8th was blocked pending removal of the cars. No injuries, we’re told.
Will light rail for West Seattle be written into Sound Transit‘s forthcoming long-range-plan update? Two West Seattle-residing elected officials said at a ST board meeting today that they will support amending the plan to call for “high-capacity transit service” for WS in that update: County Executive Dow Constantine (who chairs the board) and County Councilmember Joe McDermott (who’s a board member). Here’s the news release:
King County Executive and Sound Transit Board Chair Dow Constantine and King County Council and Sound Transit Board member Joe McDermott today moved to add future high-capacity transit service to West Seattle and Burien to the Long-Range Plan now being prepared for Sound Transit.
(SCL OUTAGE MAP: MOBILE VERSION HERE. OUTAGE HOTLINE: 206-684-7400)
2:17 PM: Several reports that the electricity is out in multiple parts of West Seattle. This might be linked to what’s reported as an “electrical fire/explosion” near the Delridge Library. So far, we have reports from The Junction, Admiral, near Camp Long. (Here on the Upper Fauntleroy/Gatewood line, so far, we just had a flicker, power’s still on.) Let us know if it’s out where you are.
2:22 PM: Thanks to everyone who’s texting/commenting/Tweeting etc. about their power status. Some traffic signals are out – and please remember, that means when you approach one, it’s a four-way stop. Meantime, we’re headed off to check out the reported electrical fire that might be part of it. We’ve also just heard that Schmitz Park Elementary is without power. (added) Madison Middle School reported to be out too. (added) Lafayette is reported out as well.
2:25 PM: City Light says at least 4,250 homes/businesses/etc. are without power. IF your power is out – IMPORTANT ADVICE: Unplug what you can. After being out of power for 16 hours last weekend, several things around our house were damaged by the surge when it came back on. Some who didn’t lose power are reporting their cable/Internet *did* go out.
2:34 PM: See comments – some businesses are affected, too. If you haven’t already seen it on the City Light outage map, we’ve added a screengrab above showing the areas affected. Note that there are often gaps in the map – if you’re not shown, be sure they know you’re out, 206-684-7400. No estimated restoration time yet (and remember, those are ALWAYS just “guesstimates”); our crew is near the reported electrical-fire scene, trying to track down SCL.
2:44 PM: From the scanner – even police are being told they have no ETA for repairs yet, so they’re trying to figure out if they can get any help at intersections. AGAIN – if no power, it’s a four-way stop.
2:52 PM: We found a City Light truck taking a look at a transformer west of Greg Davis Park. Meantime, from SCL via Twitter:
Crews set a 6 pm initial estimate for restoration of service in West Seattle. Estimate likely to change as they learn more about the damage.
— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) October 30, 2014
Also via Twitter, Seattle Public Schools confirms the three schools we’ve mentioned as being affected are the only three:
West Seattle Power Outage at these schools: Madison, Schmitz Park, Lafayette
— Seattle Schools (@seapubschools) October 30, 2014
3:12 PM: No updates on the repairs but the cause is now listed as “equipment failure.” Remember that unlike last weekend’s outage, this one is affecting many businesses – in comments, Junction True Value says it’s letting customers in one at a time, cash only, since somebody might *really* need something. Also in The Junction:
Police are helping with traffic where they can. (That’s Community Police Team Officer Jon Flores in The Junction.)
3:17 PM: Back on!
Power has been restored in West Seattle. Crews were able to isolate a faulty piece of equipment and route around the problem.
— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) October 30, 2014
The schools that were out confirm they’re back on – they’d been getting calls from worried parents. If you are NOT back on, please make sure you call City Light; the outage hotline is 206-684-7400.
Hours until Halloween, and pre-Halloween fun is already happening:
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
West Seattle’s city-run community centers always scare up a long list of Halloween activities (as featured in their quarterly brochure). Today’s Toddler Pumpkinpalooza was for the very-little ones:
Pumpkinpalooza is held annually at High Point Community Center, where costumed cuties spent two hours this morning with crafts and games, and even a bouncy toy:
For older kids, tonight brings Delridge Community Center‘s biggest Halloween event, 5:30-7:30 pm; other centers’ spotlight events were last weekend.
TRICK-OR-TREATING TOMORROW: In addition to neighborhood trick-or-treating, three local business districts welcome you on Friday (The Junction’s trick-or-treating, you probably know, was during last Sunday’s Harvest Festival):
THE ADMIRAL DISTRICT: 3-6 pm Halloween, with participating businesses mostly on Admiral Way and California for a few blocks radiating out from where those streets meet. (Check down side streets including 42nd SW and College, too.)
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 5-7 pm Halloween, merchants at West Seattle’s only mall (WSB sponsor) are welcoming trick-or-treaters.
WHITE CENTER: 4-7 pm Halloween, businesses around WC’s sprawling business district are planning their biggest event yet. See the list of participants on our partner site White Center Now.
Along with the business-district trick-or-treating mentioned above, several local churches are having Trunk-or-Treat parking lot events and Halloween-alternative festivals. You can see ALL the aforementioned listings – and more, including several All Hallows’ Eve events – by browsing our one-page West Seattle Halloween Guide, which we’ve been updating daily. (Not too late to let us know if anything for tonight, tomorrow, Saturday is missing!)
A show of support and solidarity, requested citywide: Chief Sealth International High School activities director Sarah Martin asked if we would share this, a request that originated with the district’s athletics department:
Because of the recent tragedies in the Western Washington community, we are asking ALL FANS attending any Seattle school sporting event this weekend to wear something WHITE signifying HOPE and HEALING. This includes fans, parents, students, administrators and staff attending any and all sports contests — This includes playoff games. It is at times like these that we must come together to support one another, even if we aren’t personally affected. We express our thoughts of healing by coming together as ONE and wearing WHITE as a symbol of hope for a better tomorrow.
Tomorrow marks one week since the school shooting that ended three young lives at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in Snohomish County.
(WSB photo from 2009 – slide behind condo building in 1200 block of Alki SW)
If you live in a potential slide zone – it’s time to take note and take precautions: Seattle Public Utilities says the wet weather has brought our area to the brink of what’s considered slide season, which means time for a few important reminders:
With more than an inch of rainfall forecast for Seattle over the next two days, the city is expected to cross the official U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) landslide threshold for the first time this year.
“Historically, the end of October is the start of landslide season,” said Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) meteorologist James Rufo-Hill, who writes a blog on local weather conditions. “Despite the fact that we have yet to experience widespread flooding or soil saturation this season, October is already much wetter than normal, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that landslide season is here.”
(Tail-slapping orca photographed by Gary Jones off Alki Point on October 17th)
It’s Halloween Eve! Our highlight list begins with two events from our West Seattle Halloween Guide:
TODDLER PUMPKINPALOOZA: 10 am-noon at High Point Community Center: “Toddler dress up station, bubble station, face-painting booth, carnival games and so much more will be waiting for you and your toddler at our annual fall event.” $5 ticket. (6920 34th SW)
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION: 5:30-7:30 pm at Delridge Community Center. Free! (4501 Delridge Way SW)
KARAOKE & COSTUME CONTEST: Starting at 9 pm at Yen Wor Village in The Admiral District, it’s a Halloween party with a costume contest, karaoke, and a midnight $2 buffet. (2300 California SW)
From our regular West Seattle Event Calendar:
KALEIDOSCOPE PLAY ‘N’ LEARN: 11 am-12:30 pm, parents/caregivers are invited to bring kids 2-5 to Delridge Branch Library for a fun session promoting early learning. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
PROTECTION ZONES FOR ORCAS? 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), The Whale Trail begins its new series of Orca Talks by examining the idea of even more protection for the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales – details in our calendar listing, including a ticket link – $5 suggested donation adults/kids free. (5612 California SW)
‘DOGFIGHT,’ WEEK 2: 7:30 pm at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), it’s curtain time for the next performance of the musical “Dogfight,” described as “the romantic and heartbreaking story of three young Marines in 1963” as they prepare to deploy to Vietnam. Directed by AW’s new artistic director Mathew Wright. (4711 California SW)
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Final Thursday of the month – here we go. Notes for starters:
TUNNEL MACHINE RESCUE DIG MIGHT RESUME SOON: One day after the state announced the start of the archaeological examination of shells found in the tunnel-machine-rescue pit, the Seattle Times (WSB partner) has an update – they probably are related to settlers, not natives.
‘FALL BACK’ EARLY SUNDAY: This is the weekend that Daylight Saving Time ends – Sunday morning at 2 am, “fall back” to 1 am.
EARLY THURSDAY: “We’re a two-person company, so this truck means a lot to us.” So says BWM from Orec, the company whose logo is on a 2006 Isuzu NPR truck stolen last weekend from the 4800 block of Fauntleroy Way SW (map). It’s a lot like the truck you see above at right; it carries the logo you see above at left. BWM thinks it was likely taken during stormy Saturday night/early Sunday; it’s been reported to police, so if you see it somewhere, please call 911.
THURSDAY NIGHT: See comments – a reader spotted the truck, and we just got confirmation that truck and owner were reunited.
Thanks to Guy and Joy Smith for another unusual Alki Point sighting – a brown pelican. They report it “rested on the water just north of Alki Point (Wednesday) before it headed south around the point.” Though the photo is from a distance, it’s clear from the pelican’s coloring that it’s a mature brown pelican – the ones that are truly “brown” are juveniles, like this one that hung around West Seattle for a while in early 2013. They are more common the further south you go, but generally keep to the seacoast and aren’t often seen on inland waterways like ours.
| 3 COMMENTS