West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
11:33 PM: Exactly one year after first word it might be saved … nine months after word it WOULD be saved … a century-plus-old “log house” is on the move. As we’ve shown you, it’s been trimmed down and jacked up in recent weeks, and now in the hours ahead, starting right after midnight, the house rescuers of Nickel Bros will be moving it north, mostly on California SW, from SW Findlay to its new east Admiral location. We’ll be updating along the way.
11:52 PM: Monitoring & escorting vehicles continue arriving. Also, Jeff McCord, the SW Seattle Historical Society executive director who had previously been with Nickel Bros, is here. He says they estimate the move will take 4 hours.
12:10 AM: Jeff (in hard hat, above)tells us the departure onto California will be closer to 12:30.
On Calif now! pic.twitter.com/3IYXs3RId6
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 3, 2017
12:35 AM: And it’s off!
NB on California.
And north of Oregon pic.twitter.com/vEJ4LPinXY
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 3, 2017
1 AM: This is moving fairly fast. Already through The Junction – our video is from California/Oregon.
Passing Andover. pic.twitter.com/QdeUjhBR7A
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 3, 2017
1:10 AM: Now approaching Charlestown. (Our video above is from just south of there, at Andover.)
1:15 AM: We’ve gone a few blocks ahead to wait at Hanford, where our understanding is that the house will make the turn eastward here.
1:35 AM: Proceeding very very slowly up this last block before Hanford.
1:51 AM: Now at Hanford, and doing some delicate maneuvering to get in position to head directly east onto the street, past St. John the Baptist.
1:56 AM: Up the hill it goes, off the California SW straightaway and into residential streets.
2:35 AM: Two hours since the departure from California/Findlay. Very slow going on Hanford because of trees in the planting strips …
Crew members are pushing them back to make room for the house’s full width.
2:57 AM: The house made it past that section and is now moving more quickly east on Hanford, Meantime, thanks to Derek for this aerial view of the house moving past Manning on California earlier:
One of the officers escorting the house tells us it will be backing into its final turn one more block from here.
3:09 AM: This last bit of movement will be an art more than a spectacle, so we’re pulling out and will come back after dawn to see the house on its new site.
11:51 AM: The house still has to be placed into its new spot off Fairmount north of Hanford – we went by a little while ago and it’s still attached to the Nickel Bros truck that carried it there overnight. That section of Fairmount is blocked off with “road closed” signage in the meantime.
West Seattle’s brightest Christmas lights went on in style tonight – to cheers, as you can hear in our video, thanks to this crowd:
Tonight’s illumination celebration featured extra elements – including Santa and a horse-drawn carriage.
As passers-by noticed and asked us about, a film crew was there too, for the big debut of this year’s display. Details forthcoming. Meantime, the lights will be on nightly from hereon out – you can go see them at 5605 Beach Drive SW. (And Santa will be back for his annual photo night – bring nonperishable food for the West Seattle Food Bank – two weeks from tonight, Saturday, December 16th, 6-10 pm.)
(WSB photos/video)
The official West Seattle Junction Christmas tree is shining bright in Junction Plaza Park tonight, after four festive hours of celebration, including the lighting ceremony and Night Market in the street. The ceremony started with music from the West Seattle High School Marching Band:
Then this year’s tree-lighting hosts Sundae + Mr. Goessl took to the stage, also performing seasonal songs, as did the Endolyne Children’s Choir, plus musical holiday humor from the The Silver Belles, before Santa led the countdown to light the tree. Here’s our video of the entire 30-minute event:
And the tree-facing view of the final countdown:
Santa lights the tree! pic.twitter.com/zi88x51l4f
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 3, 2017
Despite the rain, the park was full.
Some were first-time tree-lighting viewers, for obvious reasons:
After the tree was aglow, Sundae + Mr. Goessl stayed onstage to provide a soundtrack while people enjoyed the final hour and a half of the Night Market:
SW Alaska, by the way, is open to traffic again, reopening around 8 pm, one hour after the market closed, as planned. Hometown Holidays festivities continue through Christmas and beyond – you can go here to see what’s happening next in The Junction, including caroling tomorrow and Santa Trolley rides on December 10th and 17th, plus Shop Late Thursdays and more.
(Added: WSB photo, emergency response as visible from pedestrian overpass west of crash scene)
7:36 PM: Big Seattle Fire response on the way to 35th and Fauntleroy – it’s a “heavy rescue” callout. More as we get it.
7:39 PM: The location has just been changed to the west end of the bridge, “by the statues,” report of a car on its side.
7:42 PM: Per scanner, the westbound bridge will be closed – we haven’t heard exactly where yet – though SFD has tweeted one lane remains open for now.
8:01 PM: Most SFD units have been dismissed. One person was being “assessed” for injuries per SFD; we can’t get close enough to ask in person but are taking a look from the pedestrian overpass to the west. One person who’s gone by says it’s an SUV on its side.
8:23 PM: Since no SFD medic unit transport was required, that at least means no major injuries. Per scanner, it might be a while before a tow truck is available to get the vehicle out, so if you have to use the westbound end of the westbound bridge sometime soon, be aware you might encounter a delay in that area.
ADDED SUNDAY: As noted in comments, we checked online records and the driver, a 43-year-old woman, is accused of “speed too fast for road/conditions.”
(WSB photos/video)
Still think Santa Claus just shows up in the middle of the night? On this day every year – the first Saturday in December – hundreds of Santas rise very early, not to drop off gifts and fly away, but to escort local kids through a wonderland of dining and shopping, during the Rotary Club of West Seattle-organized Children’s Shopping Spree.
Southcenter Mall was the location again this year, since it has the nearest Sears, fourth Shopping Spree since the old location in SODO closed. Organizers and volunteers gathered long before dawn, getting their instructions from Rotarian Josh Sutton:
They cheered for each group of kids arriving on school buses from West Seattle:
More arrivals! The kids get a fun morning plus practical presents – new coats, shoes, etc. pic.twitter.com/CFPEYlNuV3
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 2, 2017
Pairs of volunteers are matched with kids:
And it’s off to breakfast:
Some shopping happens inside Sears.
Some, at tables stacked with socks and coats:
The gifts are bought via Rotary donations and fundraisers. And the time given by members and volunteers is priceless. Some of the groups represented this morning included Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Phi Beta Sigma, Kappa Alpha Psi, Zeta Phi Beta, Delta Upsilon Omega, Omega Delta Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, and UW Rotaract. Even Seattle Lutheran High School basketball players!
And as noted on the Rotary page featuring the history of the Shopping Spree – which goes back 45 years! – school administrators and counselors are a big part of the morning’s success too. Schools represented this year included Lafayette, Roxhill, Concord, Genesee Hill elementaries, and Pathfinder K-8.
(WSB photos)
As we’ve been noting, lots going on this Saturday, and one of the earliest events was a big hit: The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s 70th annual Pancake Breakfast at the Masonic Center in The Junction! Above, that’s the crowd when we stopped by in the third hour.
Everyone who breakfasted with the Kiwanians this morning helped support local youth programs, including Key Clubs and Scout troops, as well as cancer research at Children’s Hospital. The Chief Sealth International High School Key Club, in fact, was helping out this morning (at left is WS Kiwanis president-elect Shari Sewell):
And the event also is a dropoff for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots donation drive:
Sgt. Fredrick Willard and Corporal Vallory Cunningham were there on behalf of the USMC. Also on hand, Santa! If you missed it this year, set your calendar reminder for the first Saturday in December in 2018.
Thanks to the tipster who sent that photo of a sign up at Merryweather Books (4537 California SW) in The Junction, announcing it plans to close. The sign says the store will continue with regular hours through December, and then start winding down next month. The space has been a used-book store for decades, previously known as Leisure Books. No word yet what might follow in that space, but we’ll be following up.
Just in from Madison Middle School assistant soccer coach Paul Bennett:
Madison Middle School Girls Varsity won its game 5 to 1 this morning. They will be playing in the final game at Memorial Stadium at 3:30. It will be Madison Middle School vs Jane Addams Middle School. Both teams have gone undefeated this season. The winner will be the Seattle Middle School Champions.
Memorial Stadium is at Seattle Center downtown.
Several people asked us about a group seen “marching” northbound on California, through The Junction and beyond, this morning, carrying a flag and some wearing what at least two observers perceived as military-style garb. One person caught the photo shown above. We caught up with the group north of The Junction; when asked what they were about, they directed us to goruck.com. In addition to selling rucksacks and other gear, the company organizes/facilitates teambuilding-type long-distance walks; its founders include a former Green Beret, and some of its events raise money for the Green Beret Foundation. Thanks again for the tips – on many things, so far today! – 206-293-6302 any time of any day/night.
9:11 AM: Thanks to everyone who’s texted us about this, reporting that West Seattle Trader Joe’s is closed right now because of a power outage caused by the flipped-car crash we reported early this morning. Angela, whose photo is in our original report, also sent this video:
One person went to the hospital via private ambulance, indicating their injuries were not life-threatening. Meantime, the City Light map says they’re hoping for restoration around 10:30 am – as with all outages, could be sooner, could be later.
9:22 AM: We just went over to the store to find out more. Lots of crews working out front on repairs. A Trader Joe’s staffer tells us they don’t know how long it’ll take – they’ve been warned it could be several hours.
12:05 PM: Still out, per the SCL map and per driving by. No restoration estimate now. Meantime, as noted in comments, SPD classified the crash as a suspected case of DUI.
SUNDAY MORNING NOTE: The SCL outage map shows the power still out. We hope to get over there around 9:30 to verify that the closure is continuing.
10:17 AM: We haven’t made it there yet but multiple reader messages confirm the closure continues.
NOTE: Our Sunday followup is here.
The first Saturday in December always has a sizable slate of events, and this year it’s even bigger! First, from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide:
PANCAKES AND SANTA PHOTOS! Santa photos for kids up to age 10 are part of the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s 68th annual pancake breakfast, 7-11 am at Alki Masonic Hall. Tickets are $10 at the door if you didn’t buy yours in advance; kids under 10 eat free with paid adult. **Bring new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots!!** (40th SW/SW Edmunds)
FAUNTLEROY SCHOOLHOUSE HOLIDAY MARKET: The halls are decked with artists and crafters at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse Holiday Market, as previewed here last night. The market continues 9 am-3 pm today. (9131 California SW)
BAZAAR AT THE KENNEY: 10 am-3 pm, shop this year’s holiday bazaar at The Kenney. Handmade items! (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
SANTA PAWS You and your pet(s) are invited to Windermere West Seattle for photos, 10 am-1 pm. (4526 California SW)
NUTCRACKER TEA: 11:30 am-1 pm at Hiawatha Community Center: “Dress up in your favorite ballet outfit and join us for goodies, sweets, and children’s activities during this spectacular tea party kicking off the holiday season.” $5 per person. (2700 California SW)
WYATT’S JEWELERS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE: At Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village, today’s the day for their annual open house, noon-6 pm. Treats and discounts – 20 percent off your entire purchase! (2600 SW Barton)
WESTSIDE HOLIDAY BOOK FAIR: Noon-6 pm Saturday is the first day at Westside Unitarian Congregation:
“Join your neighbors for a holiday book fair featuring new and used books for children and adults. Admission is free and complimentary goodies will be served. This is a great opportunity to buy a book as a special gift or to stock up on books for your own winter reading pleasure!” (7141 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION NIGHT MARKET: 3-7 pm in the street, vendors, treats, and community activities! See the vendor list here. Here are the activity highlights, from West Seattle Junction Association executive director Lora Swift:
We’ll have the Hope Lutheran kids in a booth at the night market helping kids decorate (with markers and jewels) wooden snowflakes. The kids will be encouraged to hang their snowflake on the Christmas tree to show their off their art work! Hope will have hot cocoa to warm little hands.
Westside School will have a booth filled with crafts for our outdoor critters. Stop by to make a peanut butter and pinecone bird feeder. Everyone can have a delicious holiday.
The folks from Darigold will be serving eggnog, watch for them at the night market. Also, we’ll have Whole Foods serving cider and cookies again this year. They will be by the Christmas tree.
(WSB photo of Santa during My Macy’s Holiday Parade eight days ago)
Santa (the Macy’s Santa!) will be tucked into his Santa house listening to gift wishes. Bring your camera or handy cell phone for DIY pictures. Sharing Santa’s tent will be volunteers from WestSide Baby. Everyone is encouraged to bring a pack of diapers to drop off.
Curious Kidstuff has been kind enough to donate 250 glow in the dark necklaces! Come early to get yours! You can pick up your necklace from one of the Junction volunteers.
(SW Alaska between California and 42nd SW)
12 BARS OF CHRISTMAS-WEST SEATTLE, 3 pm start. See the list of bars/times, and how to get your wristband, via our calendar listing. (Starts at Beveridge Place Pub, 6413 California SW)
SEE THE MENASHE FAMILY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GO ON! The Menashe Family Lights are the biggest and brightest display in West Seattle. You’re invited to be there for the ceremony to turn them on, between 4 and 4:30 today. (5605 Beach Drive SW)
TREVOR RAS HOLIDAY SINGALONG: It’s a holiday music event and a West Seattle Food Bank fundraiser, 4-6 pm at C & P Coffee Company. (5612 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION TREE LIGHTING: 5 pm at Junction Plaza Park, be there for music and good cheer in this year’s tree-lighting ceremony, hosted by Sundae + Mr. Goessl, with music by Endolyne Children’s Choir and The Silver Belles. (42nd SW/SW Alaska)
TIBBETTS COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS PARTY, 5-7 pm at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor). Decorate gingerbread, eat Christmas cookies, make crafts – bring your friends and family! Chili with cornbread muffins and a spiced vegan lentil soup. All free. (3940 41st SW)
GINGERBREAD HOUSE CONTEST, 5-7 pm at West Seattle Christian Church. Cookie decorating, photo backdrop, Christmas games, ornament exchange, hot-chocolate bar, finger food, dessert. The kit to build and decorate a gingerbread house is $10. All welcome! (42nd SW/SW Genesee)
WEST SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE GIVING FAIR First session is 6-8:30 pm tonight in the Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy Church: “Make a difference through a different way of giving at the second annual West Seattle Alternative Giving Fair. A total of 19 proven non-profits are expected to be there, explaining what they do and welcoming donations in lieu of giving more stuff for Christmas, birthdays, and other occasions.” See the list here. (9140 California SW)
HOLIDAY CAST PARTY: Continuing tonight, it’s ArtsWest’s Holiday Cast Party, 7:30 pm, hosted by Mathew Wright. (4711 California SW)
And from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar and news previews:
SEATTLE JAM BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: 8 am to 5 pm, first day of the annual wheelchair-basketball tournament at the West Seattle High School Gym. Free admission. (3000 California SW)
EXPLORER WEST OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-11:30 pm, Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) welcomes prospective families to come visit. (10015 28th SW)
WEST SEATTLE MEANINGFUL MOVIE: 6:30 pm doors open, 7 pm film, “The Lost Art of Good Conversation” at Neighborhood House High Point. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
AT PARLIAMENT TAVERN: 9 pm, “Seattle rock made by grownups,” with Young Pioneers, Llama, Transient Songs. $6 cover. 21+ (4210 SW Admiral Way)
HOUSE ON THE MOVE TONIGHT: As we’ve been reporting, the old “log house” at California/Findlay is scheduled to be moved overnight tonight to its new home in the Admiral area. It’s scheduled to be on the road sometime after 11 pm, using California SW most of the way.
There’s a LOT more on the calendar! See it all here.
If you have to head out, avoid Fauntleroy/Alaska for a while. Though no major injuries are reported, a flipped-car crash there has raised some safety concerns because of a leak from the car. (Thanks to Angela for the photo.)
(Photos by Max Westerman for WSB)
West Seattle High School‘s #32 Meghan Fiso starred in Friday night’s 78-36 victory over Nathan Hale, which sent the Wildcats out to a 2-0 start, both wins by a margin of more than 40 points. Fiso racked up 30 points to lead the team.
#4 Kelsey Lenzie was next with 13 points, and #11 Jasmine Gayles with 10.
#20 Grace Sarver and #5 Rilcy Newsome contributed 8 points each. WSHS’s next two games are on the road (here’s the season schedule).
In boys-varsity basketball at West Seattle High School Friday night, the Wildcats scored a big win over the defending state champions, Nathan Hale, and are now off to a 2-0 start.
On the way to their 70-47 win, the West Seattle boys were led by #5 Abdullahi Mohamed and #2 Elijah Nnanabu, with 14 points each, followed by #23 Anthony Giomi and #24 Simon Harris with 10 each. (Full stats here.)
The Wildcats’ next three games are on the road (see the schedule here).
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