West Seattle, Washington
07 Thursday
“The drumming worked!” So exults Fauntleroy Creek steward Judy Pickens after the first fall sightings of coho salmon in the creek, the day after the annual drumming/singing gathering to ceremonially call them home (WSB coverage here). Whitney Fraser provides the photo and video:
Judy first reported that fellow longtime volunteer Dennis Hinton “had the honor of spotting the first coho spawner of the season … It’s a beautiful female between the two lower bridges, which means unlike last year, we have a spawner in the natural creek upstream of the fish ladder.” Then a “jack” – a male who returned a year earlier than the usual rhythms – was spotted, and then four more. That’s already surpassed last year’s entire total of four. Salmon watch on Fauntleroy Creek will continue into mid-November – or until an entire week has passed with no fish sightings – whichever comes first.
This is it – closing day for Terjung’s Studio of Gifts in The Junction, after 50 years. We reported back in July on the family’s decision to close the shop at 4547 California SW. Two weeks ago, they set today as their final day of business. So we stopped in this afternoon and found Gregor and Gloria Terjung both there, with their daughters Gina and Gail:
Asked if he was having any second thoughts about finally retiring (at age 89), Gregor said no. Of course, we could have just taken the answer from his button:
Much of the merchandise is gone – they’ve been having sales since July – but we did spot something in the store we hadn’t seen before: A card announcing who’s moving in! Fashion entrepreneur Malika Siddiq plans to make it the “flagship store” of her West Seattle-founded business Lika Love Boutique, which currently has storefronts in Morgan Junction, Madison Valley, and Queen Anne.
That’s Seattle Channel video (click here if you can’t see it above) from last Thursday’s West Seattle meeting about some of the city surveillance technologies that are currently under review. If you missed it, you can attend one of the three meetings still ahead and/or comment online through next Monday. What the video doesn’t show you, since it only covers the meeting-opening presentations, is what we can tell you since we were there to cover it: The small-group discussion wasn’t much of a discussion. The sizable city-staff contingent was prepared to break attendees into multiple small groups, but there were only enough for one, and all but one of that handful of attendees said they were there in hopes of hearing/seeing what the general public had to say. But before we get to that – the overall toplines, including what we learned from the presentations (including one thing we weren’t aware of):
On Friday night, we reported on a robbery at the Admiral Safeway gas station and the police search that ensued. Today, we followed up with SPD and obtained the incident report. No arrest so far. But the report says police found evidence suggesting the robber might have had a getaway vehicle waiting. The incident narrative in the report is basically what we reported on Friday night – a man (same description as published that night) came in, demanded cash from the till, implied he had a gun, and left after the robbery. The report says the clerk didn’t actually see a gun but that the robber “reached toward the right side of his waistband and pulled up his sweatshirt” and kept his hand there while taking the cash. The K-9 officer who joined in the search found a “heat signature” nearby using what the report describes as a FLIR camera. According to the report, that “signature” indicated “a vehicle was parked for a long period of time while running” on the west side of 42nd SW next to the Safeway supermarket parking lot. Some sort of evidence – redacted in the report – was found there too. Surveillance video, meantime, showed the robber approaching from the north – crossing Admiral Way – and disappearing afterward into the alley between 41st and 42nd, east of the gas station. If you have any info, the SPD incident number is 2018-401639.
As reported in our as-it-happened West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival coverage Sunday, Duos Catering won the Chili Cookoff. But thanks to all nine contenders who donated and served chili, and the hundreds of people who bought tastes and voted, the real winners are the West Seattle Food Bank‘s clients – Lora Radford of the WSJA (above left) sends word via Judi Yazzolino of WSFB (above right) that the cookoff raised $3,400 to fight hunger. Plus, the Root Beer Garden raised $130 in tips for WSFB.
The folks from The Beer Junction ran the garden again this year. As a festival sponsor, we were there to cover it all – see our as-it-happened report here and bonus photo gallery here!
(Photo courtesy Alki Elementary PTA)
What a way to start the week – a surprise presentation of a big award. It happened this morning to Alki Elementary principal Rena Deese, in her third year of leading West Seattle’s northernmost elementary School. The Alliance for Education presents the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence to an outstanding Seattle Public Schools principal each year – along with a grant to her/his school; the organization made the surprise presentation during an assembly starting the school day.
(Added: Photo courtesy Alliance for Education)
Deese is the first West Seattle principal to be honored with this award since Denny International Middle School‘s Jeff Clark in 2011. (The full list of winners is here.) This comes just two weeks after the news that Alki Elementary was honored as a School of Distinction for the second consecutive year.
(Downy Woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Short list for the rest of your Monday, after a busy weekend! First, from the WSB West Seattle Halloween Etc. Guide:
“WELCOME TO NIGHTFALL ORPHANAGE”: A spooky homemade show on Alki Avenue goes live tonight, with quite a story. Read about it at nightfall1031.wordpress.com. First night tonight, 7:30-10:30 pm. Alert that it “might be too scary for younger children.” (2130 Alki SW)
And from our year-round West Seattle Event Calendar:
LIBRARY LAB – CHAIN REACTIONS: 4-7 pm at Delridge Library, “learn about chain reactions by setting up stick bombs (popsicle sticks woven in special configurations that build up tension), dominoes, and more. LibraryLab is a time for people of all ages to experiment, play, and create amazing inventions.” (5423 Delridge Way SW)
WSHS FOOTBALL DINE-OUT BENEFIT: Starting at 6:30 pm, all-you-can-eat taco bar at Pecado Bueno in The Junction, $15, benefiting the West Seattle High School football program via the Booster Club. (4523 California SW)
QUIZ NIGHT: 7:30 pm at The Skylark, all ages, no cover, prizes! (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you want to vote in the November 6th election but aren’t registered, today is your absolute last chance. You’ll have to go to the King County Elections Annex downtown or the King County Elections office in Renton to register in person. Both are open until 4:30 pm (the annex is closed 1-2 pm for a break).
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:59 AM: Good morning. SFD has one engine going to a crash reported at Delridge/Orchard.
FERRIES: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth is down to two boats so one can undergo a required inspection.
WATER TAXI: The West Seattle run starts its fall/winter five-day-a-week schedule today.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME: It ends early Sunday – we “fall back” an hour at 2 am November 4th.
7:15 AM: SFD has just closed out the Delridge/Orchard call.
8:19 AM: SDOT reports a crash at Avalon/Genesee.
Photos by Leda Costa for West Seattle Blog
As promised – more views from the West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival, which filled the streets in the heart of The Junction with four hours of fun on Sunday. (Here’s our as-it-happened coverage.) Costumed canines were part of the fun:
The festival began as a fusion of the Farmers’ Market and Junction business trick-or-treating – and has continued to grow, but both of those components are still part of it:
The Farmers’ Market can take on a sort of town-square character, where you see your friends and neighbors. The Harvest Festival, like Summer Fest, is something of a supercharged version:
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