(Photos by David Hutchinson)

How did you spend YOUR Saturday? Jerome Leslie and Lauren Boilini spent most of it in 55-degree Puget Sound, swimming ten and a half miles from Bremerton to Alki Point, where they emerged just after 4 pm:

According to the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association, they completed the “Amy Hiland Swim” – named after the woman who made history doing it in 1959 – in six hours and 11 minutes. They are part of the group of distance swimmers who train in Alki waters, and they were all smiles after arrival:

Almost a year ago, you might recall, Erika Norris became the first person to complete the Amy Hiland Swim in half a century. Thanks to one of Jerome and Lauren’s fellow Alki swimmers, Andrew Malinak, for letting us know about today’s swim (as previewed here last night) – he says it’s the locals’ last big one this season.

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SEE YOU NEXT SUMMER: West Seattle Outdoor Movies 2017 finale

August 26, 2017 8:12 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

We stopped by the SW Snoqualmie festival street next to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle just before sunset, as people gathered for the final West Seattle Outdoor Movies show of summer 2017, “Beauty and the Beast.” We even found these characters:

This was the first full season at the new location of the free movie series, presented by the Y and the West Seattle Junction Association, with community business and organization sponsors including WSB.

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PHOTOS: Arts in Nature Festival 2017, day 1

August 26, 2017 3:13 pm

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| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB photos by Leda Costa @ Arts in Nature Festival today)

3:13 PM: It’s a festival in the forest … and the meadow … and the lodge … and the cabins. Day 1 of the Arts in Nature Festival, presented by Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association/Nature Consortium, is in its fifth hour at Camp Long, the spectacular park you can enter at 5200 35th SW in West Seattle. It’s on until 9 pm tonight – an evening highlight will be Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band, headline performance at 6 pm on the Nancy Stage. You can see the schedules for today and tomorrow by going here.

ADDED 9:31 PM: More scenes from the festival’s first afternoon, photographed by Leda Costa for WSB:

West Seattle artist David Johansson and Jade Wilkinson made those signs for the weekend; he’s live-painting Camp Long during the festival, at his booth.

Meantime, more music – Castletown was onstage early this afternoon:

Artists are in residence throughout the weekend – Lisa Parsons is at Cabin 3 with her installation, “Green River Gorge: The Power of Place.”

Outside her cabin, festivalgoers are invited to paint the river. (See the full list of cabins/installations here.) Interactivity also happens in the form of something as simple as writing messages of gratitude and tying them to a railing:

But the Arts in Nature Festival is not all low-tech:

That’s 7-year-old Reari Spurgin exploring Virtual Reality at Immersive Square‘s booth. Might be hard for that to compete, however, with the splendor of this installation:

That’s “Dream Hatching,” by Constance Mears. You can help build the next by adding elements to it and by creating an egg – write down your dream, and wrap the paper around a pinecone. Cecile Kummerer and Silas Hjelmstad contributed to the nest, while service dog Tali kept a watchful eye:

So much of the festival is ongoing – you just have to wander around and discover it – but for the outdoor Nancy Stage, the indoor Lodge, and the outdoor Pond performances, here’s the Sunday schedule; ticket info is toward the bottom of the festival website’s main page. See you at Camp Long!

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READER REPORTS: Know whose truck, bicycle these are?

August 26, 2017 2:34 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

The readers who spotted these are hoping for reunions or at least mystery-solving:

ABANDONED PICKUP?: Jeff sent the photo and says it “showed up on 46th St between Austin and Kenyon on Wednesday, Aug 16th. After 7 days of no movement it was called in. Hasn’t been tagged yet.” (SUNDAY UPDATE: Jeff says the pickup was gone this morning.)

ABANDONED BICYCLE: Missing a Mongoose-brand bicycle? Kersti says one was left in front of her house near Lincoln Park last night; she’s taken it in for safekeeping. Contact us if you have had one stolen and we’ll connect you.

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PHOTOS: Great Cross-Sound Race 2017 from/to Alki

August 26, 2017 1:53 pm

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| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(WSB photo by Leda Costa)

1:53 PM: Beautiful Saturday all around Puget Sound, including the route for this morning’s Great Cross-Sound Race, which takes Sound Rowers competitors from Alki to Blakely Rock (off Bainbridge Island) and back. The solo racer at right in our top photo is Greg Barton, the Olympic gold medalist, who came in first, in 55:58; Kevin Olney and Paul Clement were 11 seconds behind. Here’s the full list of results – we’ll be adding more photos later.

ADDED 11:38 PM: #31, Evan Jacobs (58:30), and #32, Tyler Peterson (59:04), were fifth and sixth, respectively, overall:

Rowing together in 2006, they set the course record.

The top quad entry was #4, T. Batty, T. Silver, A. Storb, and R. Storb (57:40):

The rest of this year’s races are listed here.

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TRAFFIC ALERT UPDATE: Crashes cleared on eastbound West Seattle Bridge, northbound Viaduct

August 26, 2017 11:56 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

11:56 AM: If you’re headed off-peninsula, be aware that a crash is blocking two eastbound lanes of the West Seattle Bridge before 4th Avenue. Thanks to Christian Harris from Sea-Town Real Estate (WSB sponsor) for first word. SDOT also reports a crash blocking a northbound lane on the Alaskan Way Viaduct before Western.

1 PM: Now there’s a second crash on the northbound Viaduct, so you really don’t want to head that way. The bridge crash was down to blocking one lane at last report. And you might not want to try 1st Avenue South as a backup – SDOT says it still has a lane closure at Lander from an earlier crash involving a utility pole, requiring repairs.

2 PM: The crashes have all cleared, per SDOT via Twitter.

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AS-IT-HAPPENED COVERAGE: Blue skies, gleaming wheels @ 10th annual West Seattle Car Show

August 26, 2017 10:46 am

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| Fun stuff to do | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

10:46 AM: Not a cloud in the sky this year as the 10th annual West Seattle Car Show cruises through its first hour on the north side of the South Seattle College campus (6000 16th SW). Reasons to visit:

-Cars of every color and size, spanning decades
-If you drive yours here, free leak and light checks – ask as you enter the campus
-Music – DJ with the classics right now, The Disco Cowboys performing live at 1 pm
–Double Up food-truck tent serving “vegetarian Trinidad street food,” next to the …
–Northwest Wine Academy, with award-winning beverages
–Seattle Chinese Garden, free admission for its open house starting at 11 am
-50/50 raffle – tickets at the info booth on the northeast side of the show (look for the bright blue canopy)
-Free raffle for a drone – get a “bingo card” and have the vendor booths check off the boxes for you
-Motorcycles on display too
-Applaud the winners at the awards ceremony (~2:30 pm, with the show wrapping by 3 pm)

The show is presented again this year by West Seattle Autoworks and Swedish Automotive (which, like SSC, are WSB sponsors – and we are one of the show’s co-sponsors). No admission charge – just come wander!

11:15 AM: Here’s a special group of cars at today’s show – Sunbeams!

And if you like pickles and jams, look for Broken Spoke Cannery from Beacon Hill, next to the orange VW camper. We asked what’s popular – it’s the hot dills:

Along with the raffle tickets at the info booth, also be sure to ask how to vote for your favorite show participant in the People’s Choice Award. Meantime, we just checked out what’s happening inside the Wine Academy building on the north side of the show grounds:

Wine, soda, coffee, snacks, and (not in our pic) an activity table for the kids. Back to the cars:

12:18 PM: Tours of the SSC Automotive Technology program – which car-show proceeds are supporting – are set for 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm. Meantime, the stream of spectators continues, gawking at classics like this one:

1:06 PM: Our portable hotspot is a little glitchy up here at the show, so we’ll add many more photos from HQ later, including the winners, now about an hour and a half away from being announced. And The Disco Cowboys are about to start playing!

Disco Cowboys mashup of Funkytown and Brick House @ West Seattle Car Show pic.twitter.com/5gmJTep8Mh

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 26, 2017

1:35 PM: And there they are, in our video clip above, with a mashup of “Funkytown” and “Brick House.” If you’re more an Abba fan, part of their “Waterloo” cover is on our Instagram feed.

2:35 PM: They’re getting ready to hand out the awards – depending on how things go, we’ll either add the list and photos here, or publish a separate story (and we’d link to it here).

8:27 PM: We don’t have a simple list matching trophies to cars, so adding to this will take some time. But first – this 1960 Chrysler Imperial was a double winner – including the “people’s choice” trophy honoring the car show’s late founder Michael Hoffman:

This Nissan Figaro won “best Asian car”:

This 1973 F-100 won “best truck”:

Still adding more winning vehicles. And here’s a group shot of the winners after the trophy ceremony:

This was the biggest show yet since the move to SSC, where, it was announced, next year’s show is already set for Saturday, August 25, 2018.

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West Seattle Saturday: Car show; Arts in Nature & Duwamish River festivals; WS Outdoor Movies finale; much more!

August 26, 2017 6:03 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Western Wood-Pewee, photographed this week at Fauntleroy Park by Mark Wangerin)

The final mega-weekend of summer is here! So is a great forecast. Many ways and places to have fun today/tonight:

GUIDED TRAIL WALK: 9 am – Learn about lesser-known West Seattle trails in the West Duwamish Greenbelt – 1.5-hour, 3-mile-loop walk, all ages welcome, more info in our calendar listing. (12th SW/SW Myrtle)

GREAT CROSS-SOUND RACE: Sound Rowers‘ big race from Alki Beach to Blakely Rock and back, 9 am start. Go cheer them on! (60th SW/Alki SW)

LOG HOUSE TO LONGHOUSE BICYCLE RIDE: 9:15 am, join the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, West Seattle Bike Connections, and Cascade Bicycle Club on a ride from the Log House Museum to the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse. 10 miles round trip. Meet at the “Birthplace of Seattle” monument. (63rd SW/Alki SW)

WEST SEATTLE CAR SHOW: 10 am-3 pm on the north side of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), it’s the 10th annual West Seattle Car Show, presented by Swedish Automotive and West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsors), with not only cool vehicles to admire, but also: Inspections for your car (leaks, bulbs); visits to nearby SSC hotspots including the Northwest Wine Academy tasting room and the Automotive Technology program (which the show supports), plus an open house (11 am-4 pm) at the Seattle Chinese Garden next door. Also: Music with a DJ plus the Disco Cowboys, live; food truck; kids’ activities. Admission is free for spectators; if you want to enter your car, find the form here – load-in starts at 8. (6000 16th SW)

PARK WALK WITH AUTHOR LINNEA WESTERLIND: 10 am, West Seattle writer Linnea Westerlind, author of the new guidebook “Discovering Seattle Parks,” leads a free exploration of WS parks:

Come along on a tour of several of West Seattle’s best parks with Linnea Westerlind, author of Discovering Seattle Parks. Enjoy a scenic walk and hear some history and interesting facts about some of the neighborhood’s best parks. Walk will be approximately 3-4 miles and take 1.5-2 hours.

– Meet at north parking lot of Lincoln Park
– Bring comfortable walking shoes and water
– Walk will be mostly on unpaved trails and involve some hills

More info here. (Fauntleroy Way SW/SW Rose)

SWIMMING FROM BREMERTON TO ALKI POINT: At 10 am, as previewed here Friday night, swimmers Jerome Leslie and Lauren Boilini plan the fabled “Amy Hiland Swim” – starting their swim at Bremerton, headed for Alki Point, with arrival around 4 pm.

(Photo added: Taken this morning – thanks to NW Open Water Swimming Association)

You can track their progress here, and cheer their arrival on the beach.

ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL, DAY ONE: As previewed here, it’s day one of the Arts in Nature Festival (co-sponsored by WSB) at Camp Long, 11 am-9 pm. See the schedule here – headliner Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band performs at 6 pm on the Nancy Stage; don’t miss the cabins, too. Ticket info is here. (5200 35th SW)

WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK BLOCK PARTY: 11 am-5 pm, music, food, carnival games, White Center Food Bank tours – all ages welcome! (10829 8th SW)

WADING POOL AND SPRAYPARK: The only West Seattle wading pool still open for the season is Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way); it’s open 11 am-8 pm today, as is Highland Park spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), both open daily through Labor Day.

BENEFIT BARBECUE & MAXMOBILE PET ADOPTIONS: 11 am barbecue, noon-3 pm Seattle Humane MaxMobile pet adoptions as West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) continues “Dog Days of Summer.” (4201 SW Morgan)

… and also as part of that special event …

CITYDOG MAGAZINE COVER DOG MODEL SEARCH: Also during “Dog Days of Summer,” the 12th annual photo shoots for CityDog Magazine‘s Cover Dog Model Search are happening today at Thriftway, noon-2 pm. Bring your dog and a $10 fee to benefit Doney Memorial Pet Clinic. More here. (4201 SW Morgan)

DUWAMISH RIVER FESTIVAL: Noon-6 pm at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park, celebrate (and learn about!) our area’s only river, with free boat and kayak trips as well as entertainment and education on shore – more info in our preview. Free! (7900 10th Ave. S.)

CORNHOLE FOR CHARITY: Starting at noon, play at The Bridge to raise money for Shamrock Charities! (California/Graham)

NO ALKI LIGHTHOUSE TOURS today … but the lighthouse will be open tomorrow (Sunday)!

‘YAPPY HOUR’: Mutts ‘n’ Martinis is a party for people AND pooches, 4-7:30 pm at Cascade Heights Veterinary Clinic in White Center, presented by Furry Faces Foundation – full details here. (9832 15th SW)

LUCHA LIBRE VOLCANICA: Right after the Duwamish River Festival, go ringside and be part of the cheering crowd for Mexican-style masked wrestling courtesy of Lucha Libre Volcánica at Duwamish Waterway Park, starting at 6 pm. Free! (7900 10th Ave. S.)

WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES’ SEASON FINALE: It’s the sixth and final Saturday night West Seattle Outdoor Movies screening of the summer already! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors to the festival street south of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) for “Beauty and the Beast” – here’s the trailer:

The movie’s free, but if you can, bring some money for nonprofit-benefiting raffles and concessions! Movie starts at dusk, which this week shouldn’t be long after 8 pm. (36th SW/SW Snoqualmie)

PAUL JENKINS: Singer-songwriter serenades you at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

CASEY MACGILL & ORVILLE JOHNSON: 7:30 pm, swing, blues, and jazz at historic Kenyon Hall. Ticket info in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)

WEST END GIRLS – A DRAG EXTRAVAGANZA: Monthly show at The Skylark, hosted by Cookie Couture – details and tickets here. 9 pm. 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

SEE WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING … today/tonight/beyond, by checking our full calendar.

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