West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(WSB photo from Summer Solstice Sunset Watch 2014)
Will the sun be out at sunset Monday night, so you can see what the people in our photo saw two years ago – the sun aligning with the solstice path/marker at West Seattle’s Solstice Park? Alice Enevoldsen invites you to come find out firsthand. She’s published her official Summer Solstice Sunset Watch invitation; be there at 8:45 pm, to see the sun slip behind the Olympics about 15 minutes after that. The Solstice moment is actually 5+ hours earlier – 3:34 pm – but Alice’s quarterly season-change sunset watches are usually set for the sunset closest to the solstice/equinox, and that means, in this case, Monday night. All ages welcome; dogs too, if leashed. Not familiar with Solstice Park? Read about it on Alice’s website.
P.S. Alice says this will be her 29th solstice/equinox sunset watch. (First one we covered was the autumn equinox watch in 2009.)
Five West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
TONIGHT – RING GONE AFTER SOLICITOR LEAVES: Danielle believes her engagement ring, left on the shelf in her bathroom, was stolen by a solicitor a little over an hour ago in the Fairmount neighborhood, near 38th and Raymond. “Around 7 pm a young black male wearing a bow tie and feminine backpack came to the door to sell magazines. My fiancé naïvely let him in to use the bathroom while he wrote a $25 check. I now realize my engagement ring that I had taken off to garden and left on the bathroom shelf is missing. Please keep an eye out for this person and do not give him any money. Please call the police immediately.” We asked for further descriptive information before publishing this and she replied:
Height: probably 5’10”
Clothes: button-up shirt (white) with a bow tie with a sweatshirt on top. He was wearing a backpack that reminded me of one I’d seen at Forever 21 in the women’s section (might have been floral). May have been wearing a hat but we can’t remember so we can’t really remember what his hair looks like. Definitely black hair though.
Side note – we’ve had a few questions about door-to-door sellers in general recently. The second half of this SPD Crime Prevention newsletter from 2013 recaps the rules, as well as police’s advice.
WHEEL STOLEN: From Michael in Seaview:
We live at 46th Ave SW and Findlay. Thieves stole one wheel this morning off our car, and almost had a second (picture attached).
Removed the lug nuts from both and from all appearances the front one fell back to rest on the loose wheel since the jack was not set up well. From talking with the neighbors across the street it sounds like it happened around 10:30 this morning. Usually we have a fair amount of traffic and it sounds like people might have mistaken it for us working on the car.
HIT AND RUN: From Brad:
This morning at 1:10 am, my Jeep was hit and run by a yellow / light color medium sized pickup. This pickup truck was drifting up the corner of Spokane Street and then the corner of 58th and Hillcrest when the impact occurred. They fled the scene up Hillcrest, which turns into Charlestown.
This yellowish pickup will have front damage and a headlight out. In the broken glass debris is a ‘Made in the USA’ stamp. So, either the vehicle was made in the USA, or the headlight was. If anyone sees this damaged vehicle, please notify police (and refer to) incident # 16-216446.
3 CAR PROWLS, 2 REPORTS: Meghan reports two on Thursday in the 2100 block of Fairmount Avenue: “Luckily, there was nothing of great value in either vehicle; however, they did rifle through personal items (mail, address books, etc).” And Kristiana reported on Friday: “Reporting our second car break in 6 months. Nothing valuable to take in our car but they tossed the contents all over our seats and made off with a phone cord. Sigh. … We’re at Spokane and 48th. Car was parked on street in front of house.”
REMINDER: If you have neighborhood crime concerns to bring to police, next Tuesday (June 21st) is the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), with guest SPD Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey, focusing on questions and concerns about the 911 system.
That’s Ron Tjerandsen, and tomorrow he’ll tell “An Immigrant Family’s Story” as the next installment in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s “SouthWest Stories” series, 2 pm Sunday at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. Free, but get there early to ensure a seat!
(See the festival schedule here)
Endolyne Children's Choir onstage now at Morgan Junction Community Festival pic.twitter.com/jN37tEDtkO
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 18, 2016
11:17 AM: We’re seeing breaks in the clouds here – even a bit of sun! – in the second hour of today’s Morgan Junction Community Festival. Above, the Endolyne Children’s Choir is performing in the park right now; at 11:30 am, it’s the legendary Bubbleman, who has arrived and is getting ready for his show.
The festival layout is a little different this year – it’s all on the west side of California, as this map shows:
North to south, it stretches from SW Eddy north of Morgan Junction Park and south of the former commercial building that will soon be demolished to expand the park … to the park itself … to the food zone in the lot on the north side of Beveridge Place Pub … to the rows of vendors and nonprofits north of and behind the Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor)/Whisky West building, including the Authors Realm:
The north side is where you’ll find the plant exchange right next to Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor):
11:37 AM: The Seattle Police Mobile Precinct is here right now, parked on California, behind the purple van driven by Bubbleman
He’s just started his performance in the park. Here’s a bit of video:
Bubbleman in action at Morgan Community Festival! pic.twitter.com/9suwXpM1Sx
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 18, 2016
And if you’re feeling like it’s lunchtime, along with the festival food zone and the Morgan Junction restaurants, you also have the option of wandering over to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor):
Today’s burger barbecue goes to the fund that keeps this festival – presented by the all-volunteer Morgan Community Association – free!
12:09 PM: Hour three already! If you share your life with one or more dogs, you want to get here for the Bark of Morgan at 1:30 pm – parading around the festival grounds, and then contests here on the north side. But that aside, the festival is about people. The three-dozen plus vendors and nonprofits here include local independent businesspeople, like Anne Higuera of Ventana Construction and Parie Hines of LD Arch Design:
They are in a booth behind Zeeks/WW, ready to talk with you about construction and design of home projects including backyard cottages. (Both are WSB sponsors.) Then if you check out the row of booths here on SW Eddy north of the park, where we are, the people you can meet include Clay Eals of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. You can congratulate him for just being announced as recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community! Also here in the north row – east of the Kids’ Activities zone – are Seal Sitters, West Seattle Timebank, West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network, and the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs.
Plus – just arrived, you can meet the firefighters of Seattle Fire Department Engine 37 (headquartered in Sunrise Heights):
12:21 PM: Bubbleman just wrapped up, and live music resumes in the park, with jazz by West Seattle’s own family act The Ellis Brothers:
Then, just after 1 pm, it’ll be Comfort Food!
1:34 PM: And that’s who’s onstage now, sounding great. The weather has progressed to partly sunny. Thanks to all the folks who’ve come to the festival already – and to those who have stopped by to say hi. Be sure you make it all the way through the festival grounds to see the local businesses and groups that are behind Zeeks/Whisky West (which opens at 3, per a sign on its door), too! Meantime, the Bark of Morgan dog parade is about to pass our booth … en route to the contest zone by the ex-Short Stop:
The mellow sounds of Comfort Food continue.
At 2 pm, the musicians and dancers of the Tongan Choir will perform in the park – an annual tradition. (photo added)
And then at 3 – ever painted a building during a festival?
Between 3 and 4, be at the ex-Short Stop to take your turn “spattering” it with (water-based) paint. It’s due for demolition soon but festival organizers thought this might be a fun way to bid it farewell.
2:50 PM: Haven’t been here yet? Perfect time. Come down, get ice cream from Sweet Bumpas in the food zone, no line for face-painting. The Mobile Precinct and Engine 37 have departed but the SPD Mounted Patrol is reported to be on the way, and the “Spatter” is just about to get going. Two more musical performances, too – Broken Horses at 3, Gary Benson at 4.
3 PM: And here they are:
More to come … the festival’s on until 5.\\
4 PM: Shortly after that photo, the rain returned, briefly, and the Mounted Patrol took refuge under an overhang:
But now – sunshine!
The kids’ activities zone in that photo, however, is closing up. Other vendors and nonprofits are here, and we’ll be here until the final moments. A few more scenes:
That’s Jennifer Young from My Three Little Birds (WSB sponsor), the kids’ resale shop in south Morgan Junction, and her family. Hers is one of the dozens of businesses (including ours) that sponsored today’s festival – the kids’ zone, in this case, which was very popular, with lines almost every time we looked over!
Also done for the day – the “Spatter of Morgan” paint-splashing on the soon-to-be-torn-down Short Stop building:
4:43 PM: Festival is in its final moments. Accompanying the winding-down vibe, mellow acoustic rock by Gary Benson:
Gary Benson, musical finale at Morgan Junction Community Festival. Classic '60s-'70s tunes. pic.twitter.com/EyRMUGeRqO
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 18, 2016
Congratulations to the Morgan Community Association for another fun festival – a heroic task for an all-volunteer community council to make happen. MoCA meets quarterly – you’re invited to the next meeting, 7 pm July 20th at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW).
Happy 16th birthday to the namesake of Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor)! During today’s Westwood Village Street Fair (11 am-5 pm), Wyatt Keppler (2nd from left in our photo, with parents Kirk and Joni and sibling Ryan) is selling popcorn at his family’s shop (along the center drive, north of Barnes & Noble) to raise money for the White Center Food Bank.
9:02 AM: We hadn’t mentioned this yet because it looked for a while like the problems had been solved, but now Washington State Ferries has announced more cancellations on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run – on a day when traffic was already expected to be heavy, not just for usual weekend increases, but because it’s graduation day at Vashon Island High School. WSF cited shorthandedness as the reason for cancelling runs from Vashon and Fauntleroy last hour; check here for the latest.
10:10 AM: As noted in comments, looks like the route is back to the usual capacity now, but even before this, WSF was advising early arrivals today.
Because of this morning’s breaking news and transportation alerts, as well as our preparation to report live from the Morgan Junction Community Festival, no calendar-highlight list today – but everything (as always) is already on our calendar, which you can browse here – open any listing by clicking the plus sign, and then click the “read more” button to see the full listing, including a map. Thanks!
(WSB photo)
7:39 AM: Second big fire callout of the morning – this time, at what Seattle Fire says is a vacant house in the 9400 block of Olson Place SW [map], extinguished quickly. We’re en route to find out more.
8:13 AM: SFD has closed out this call but we talked to them before they left. The house is being remodeled. The fire damage isn’t visible from outside and was limited to some cabinetry, apparently ignited by combustible materials.
5:27 AM: Reminder – northbound Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is now closed from here to the Battery Street Tunnel for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon/Half Marathon. The official alert notes that the event could last as long as 3 pm, but the marathon’s own road-closure grid page says the 99 closure could end by late morning, so we’ll keep an eye on advisories and webcams like the one above (you can also use the city’s Travelers Information Map to check live video of the course on the Viaduct at Western – use the “downtown” section of the video camera list on the lower right area of the map page).
10:17 AM: Highway 99/AWV is open again – as verified by the aforementioned cameras. Other marathon-related road closures might still be in effect – see the “grid page” link above for potentially affected areas.
5:14 AM: Thanks for the tips and photo from the overnight fire callout in Riverview. Firefighters are reported to have extinguished a fire in the women’s restroom at Riverview Playfield in the 7300 block of 12th SW, first reported after 2 am. We’ll be following up with SFD and Parks later this morning.
8:48 AM: No one from Parks was around when we went to the scene to follow up a short time ago, but our photo, above, shows some of the damage, and that this building includes storage; the entire building is taped off.
Just out of the WSB inbox:
I wanted to report something that happened to me Friday night as I was walking on Myrtle by the playfield at 31st. It was around 11 pm and I was walking alone west on Myrtle. A red SUV (Mazda, I think) drove up 31st to Myrtle and idled at the intersection. Two young men, late teens or early 20s, slight build) got out and walked across the street and came quickly up behind me. I turned to face them and the one closest to me punched me in the face and told me to hand over my money. I fell back on the lawn of the house I was in front of and kicked out at him, screaming, “I don’t have any money, get the f— out of here! I’m calling the cops.” The two guys ran back to the car and then peeled out and turned the corner to drive south on 32nd. Although the lights were on in most of the houses and a dog started up barking, nobody came out of their house to help me. I called the police and they took down my account and escorted me home.
We asked the victim, who didn’t want to be identified, if she is physically OK; she replied, “Face hurts but he got me in the back of my jaw near my ear, so no teeth loose or anything.”
The incident number for the attack, categorized as strong-arm robbery, is in this tweet, if you have any information for police.
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