West Seattle, Washington
14 Wednesday
The Moon and Venus have added to the sky show just after sunset this weekend. Top view is from Kanit Cottrell, while Chris Frankovich contributed the planetary closeup below:
Those views were from tonight (after a day with a record high, 93 at Sea-Tac); we also have a beautiful view from last night, courtesy of Mark Dale:
Thanks as always for the photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com remains our best current address for sending them.
Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
EARLY MORNING ALLEY ARSON: Thanks to Patrick for the photo and tip that an early-morning fire callout near California/Raymond was arson.
We confirmed that tonight with SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley, who tells WSB via an e-mail response, “Investigators confirmed two recycle bins and one garbage bin were set on fire, along with two rolls of toilet paper inside a porta potty. These all occurred in an alleyway. Total estimated loss for all bins combined is $500. Case referred to SPD for followup.” Earlier in the morning, SFD responded to a dumpster fire at Westwood Village but Tinsley says that was not believed to be related.
WINDOW WARNING: From Lindsay, reporting a burglary in the Highland Park area last night:
The burglars got in the house via a semi=open window that was accidentally left open. With the weather so hot, I thought it might be good if you could broadcast a PSA reminding folks that burglars look for open windows and doors. I would really hate for anyone else to be affected in this way.
It’s a tradition every year – the “Mini-STP” bicycle ride to West Seattle Summer Fest! Don Brubeck of West Seattle Bike Connections sent these photos – from North Admiral to Gatewood and then to The Junction:
Don reports, “We did our 6th annual West Seattle STP bike ride today, riding from SW Seattle Street to SW Portland Street, and then back to Summer Fest. A great group of riders, young, old, and inbetween. The shady streets were the best!”
Thanks to Tanya Powers for this report on national-championship competition ahead for the Seattle Derby Brats‘ Galaxy Girls, a third of whom are from West Seattle:
They will be heading to Philadelphia to compete for Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) Championships this coming weekend, July 20th to the 22nd! They are currently ranked 2nd place in the country and have won championships the last 3 years.
2 skaters attend Chief Sealth: Brady aka Sophie Maskill and Anita Getcha aka Rosemary Alliston. 3 skaters attend West Seattle High School: Seven Skate Nine aka Morgayne Lawson, SchloMo aka Gaby Rose, and Fighty aka Mikki Dysart. It is Mikki’s last year with Seattle Derby Brats as she will be attending college at University of Pennsylvania next year.
Our coaches Patrice Davis and Erin Clark also have West Seattle roots. Our league was founded in West Seattle and is the largest league in the United States! Please wish them luck!!! More info about champs here. Streaming watch passes will be available here.
(QUICK INFO: Bus reroutes here … Festival music schedule here … festival food options here … kids’ ride hours and pricing here)
(COVERAGE SO FAR: Saturday night music, here … Saturday evening, here … Saturday morning/afternoon, here … Friday night, with music, here … Friday evening, here … Friday morning/afternoon, here)
West Seattle Summer Fest‘s third and final day is officially under way! The question of the day so far – “where’s the Farmers’ Market?” As seen in our top photo, it’s in its old spot in the parking lot behind KeyBank – same hours as every week, 10 am-2 pm – if you’re trying to enter off SW Alaska, just look for the gap between the kids’ rides, on the alley.
Even if you’ve already been to the festival – today’s the day to come back and take another look, or do some things you missed on your first tour. Such as – support local nonprofits! More than a few of them are selling raffle tickets – including the West Seattle Helpline, West Seattle Food Bank, and the quilters who are donating raffle proceeds from this creation to the Senior Center of West Seattle:
The crowd has grown quickly today – maybe because it’s expected to be extra-hot later – so far, though, nice breeze! Mainstage music (California north of Oregon) starts at noon, with Rat City Brass. More coverage to come!
12:19 PM: Another place to find out about, and support, some of your local nonprofits/community groups – GreenLife, headquartered at Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska), where they have a few T-shirts left:
Sustainable West Seattle presents GreenLife, where you can find out about the West Seattle TimeBank, Metro buses, registering to vote, recycling, using solar power, and more, via these booths along SW Alaska east of California:
Diver Laura‘s virtual-reality look under the Salish Sea is not to be missed, either – get to GreenLife!
Back in other booth rows, it’s a great day to learn about your local businesses (and pick up some swag). HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) is right across from us in the heart of California/Alaska and has several freebies including discs.
Meantime, up at the mainstage, we caught a bit of the zesty Rat City Brass:
Rat City Brass onstage at Summer Fest – launching Sunday music, running through The Dusty 45s at 4 pm. pic.twitter.com/0QLp6vitml
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 15, 2018
At California/Alaska, the Celtic dancers are expected to be back around 1. More coverage to come.
1:37 PM: They were, and it was a lively performance:
Another set today by the Comerford School dancers! pic.twitter.com/ju5amPWuNl
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 15, 2018
Comerford has regular sessions in West Seattle – e-mail celticartsnw@hotmail.com for info. Summer Fest isn’t just about being a spectator – you can participate too! The Giant Games continue up on the north side of California/Oregon, where you can also help paint the community mural. You can also stop by the Info Tent and ask us a question. Minutes ago: “I know Easy Street Records is famous, but WHY is it so famous?” (Our answer was long.)
3 PM: Only two hours left till the festival closes for another year – right now on the SW corner of California/Alaska, it’s the kids’ pie-eating contest.
(Junction Association executive director Lora Swift interviewing the contestants pre-contest)
Passing the Info Tent a few minutes ago, this cool canine:
Don’t miss the chance to contribute to the community mural before the festival ends – on California just north of Oregon:
The West Seattle Junction Association – the local merchants who put this festival on! – will hang the finished mural in a public space. Meantime, many of the sidewalk sales (did you know Summer Fest has its roots in a Junction-wide summer sidewalk sale?) are offering discounts – like the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop (west side of California between Alaska and Oregon), where these potted plant creations were just $4!
Some of the vendor booths are West Seattle merchants visiting from their storefronts. Longtime WSB sponsor Dream Dinners is based on the east outer side of Jefferson Square, and has a Summer Fest booth on the east side of California south of Alaska:
If you haven’t used Dream Dinners before, you can sign up for their open-house deal, for 6:30 pm Tuesday (July 17th) or August 7th – password dinner – make three dinners for $34.99!
3:25 PM: A bit of video from one of this afternoon’s bands:
Hula Bees at West Seattle Summer Fest: pic.twitter.com/i2D5wxAVRV
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 15, 2018
Onstage coming up at 4 pm – The Dusty 45s rock Summer Fest 2018 to a close.
4 PM: It’s that time! Co-publisher is up catching the start of The Dusty 45s. Meanwhile, Paul Weatherman sent more great aerials:
That’s the heart of the festival – here’s what it looked like from above the Farmers’ Market and kid zones on the west edge of the festival a bit earlier:
When the festival officially ends at 5, the cleanup/breakdown begins, and the streets generally remain closed to traffic until it’s over hours later – but everything will be back to normal by early Monday morning. Remember that NEXT Saturday, California SW is closed again for the West Seattle Grand Parade, until early afternoon – here’s our most-recent preview.
4:30 PM: A taste of The Dusty 45s:
Final band of @WSJA West Seattle Summer Fest 2018 – The Dusty 45s! pic.twitter.com/7PXLWY1gv5
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 15, 2018
We don’t start packing up until the top of the hour but right across Walk-All-Ways from us is a sign the festival’s wrapping up – the QFC booth (water, coconuts, fruit skewers all weekend) is in cleanup mode.
Big thanks to everyone who’s been in the Info Tent all weekend – it’s our 11th year of being headquartered here and helping answer questions while covering the festival as it happens – lots of great volunteers have been here, as well as The Junction’s event staff (special shoutout to “Skaty” and producer Oliver Little‘s Monumental Undertaking).
5 PM: It’s a wrap! Thanks also to the thousands who made this a mega-party again this year.
11:26 AM: Big Seattle Fire “water rescue” dispatch to the 1000 block of Harbor Avenue SW. Details as we get them.
11:28 AM: Most of the units are already being dismissed.
11:34 AM: Per scanner, the person who was in trouble – we haven’t heard the circumstances – is on shore and being tended to by SFD.
The West Seattle Little League players who’ve just won district championships are starting their quests to win state titles! The photo and update are from WSLL’s Kathy Powers:
Congratulations to West Seattle Little League 12’s for clinching the District 7 title this week. Pictured are players Blake Taft, Bobby Trigg, Caden Fahy, Eli Palmer, Jake Daily, Joe Sherick, Matthew Henning, Matthew Hazlegrove, Miles Gosztola, Parker Eley, Robbie Foisy, Simon Vance, TJ Buehring and Wyatt Glover, along with Manager Mike Fahy and Coaches Sean Eley and Brian Sherick.
Both the 11’s and 12’s will represent District 7 for the State title.
The 11’s will play their tournament at Pacwest fields in Seatac (14649 16th Ave S). Their first game is Sunday, July 15th (today!) at 12:30. Bracket link here.
The 12’s will play their tournament in Sedro-Woolley. Their first game will be Saturday July 21st at Noon. Bracket link here.
We invite the community to come cheer our players on!
We kick off your Sunday with soccer viewing!
WATCHING THE WORLD CUP’S FINAL MATCH: This is not an all-inclusive list, but if you’re looking for someplace to watch the 8 am match, here’s a few West Seattle spots we found:
–Whisky West (6451 California; WSB sponsor), open at 7 am
–Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW), open at 7:30 am
–Prost West Seattle (3407 California SW), open at 7 am
–The Bridge (6301 California SW), open at 8 am
–The Lodge Sports Grille (4209 SW Alaska)
Now on to West Seattle Summer Fest, official hours 11 am-5 pm today BUT …
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET AT THE FESTIVAL: 10 am-2 pm in the lot behind KeyBank. (44th/Alaska)
Kids’ rides: 10 am-5 pm – prices/info here (buy tickets in the booth by the rides on SW Alaska east of 44th)
Shopping: 11 am-5 pm – here’s the list of both regular Junction merchants with sales and visiting vendors with booths
GreenLife – Sustainable West Seattle‘s sustainability-and-more expo is in Junction Plaza Park off SW Alaska east of California – schedule is here
Food: More Junction restaurants are offering “extended service” this year, which for many means outdoor cafés – here’s the list, which also includes visiting vendors
Music: The main stage is on California north of Oregon), with Jennifer Cepeda and DancePowered (photo above from their Saturday “flash mob”) up first at 11 am, The Dusty 45s on last at 4 pm – here’s the schedule
Beer garden: Next to the stage
Community groups: In the Info Booth – see the list/schedule here – some also are in booths on California and at GreenLife
Pet Junction: By Next to Nature, on west side of California north of Alaska – see the list here
TRAFFIC/TRANSIT REMINDERS: Don’t forget that motorized-vehicle traffic is detoured off California and Alaska in the festival zone, and that will continue until festival breakdown/cleanup is complete late tonight. That means transit reroutes – the list is here.
GET TO SUMMER FEST VIA THE MINI-STP BIKE RIDE: Details here – meet up in North Admiral at 9:15 am, ride to Gatewood and then on to Summer Fest!
Also happening today/tonight:
WADING POOLS: Expected to be open again today. Your West Seattle wading pools will be Lincoln Park (11 am-8 pm; 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) and Delridge (noon-6:30 pm; Delridge/Genesee)
COLMAN POOL CLOSURES OVER FOR NOW: The outdoor saltwater pool at Lincoln Park reopens to the public noon-7 pm after three-days of swim-meet closures. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: The US Coast Guard Auxiliary invites you to their weekly 1 pm-4 pm tours (get there by 3:45 pm) at historic Alki Point Lighthouse. (3201 Alki SW)
SOUTHWEST STORIES: Bob Carney, guest curator of the “Fired Up” exhibit at the Log House Museum, talks about putting together the stories of the peninsula’s neighborhood fire stations. 2-4 pm at High Point Library. (3411 SW Raymond)
THE ROMVONG REMIX: A night of Cambodian music and art at The Skylark, 6-11 pm. All ages. $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
‘FLAME IN THE MIRROR’: 7 pm free “staged reading of ‘FLAME IN THE MIRROR, An Irish-American Tale’, by longtime Seattle playwright John Ruoff,” with local actors, at Parliament Tavern. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
And one more reminder …
NORTHBOUND I-5 CLOSURE: WSDOT stresses that you can still get to/from West Seattle – as explained in our original alert, with the work scheduled to end by early Monday morning.
(WSB photos/video. Above, band leader Shannon Shaw)
Up from the Bay Area to headline the second night of West Seattle Summer Fest, behold Shannon and The Clams! We recorded video of parts of the first three songs in their Summer Fest set:
The group’s bio notes they’ve toured and recorded extensively in the near-decade since they formed. They were introduced – as were Friday night’s headliners The Briefs – by West Seattle musician Brent Amaker.
No late-night concert for Summer Fest’s final day – when the festival wraps up Sunday at 5, that means everything. But it’ll be going out in style with the always-popular Dusty 45s at 4 pm (see the full schedule here).
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