West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
That gathering along 15th SW just south of SW Roxbury earlier this afternoon was a special Christmas meal, explains Mary Anne deVry from Westside Interfaith Network, who tells WSB it was “served jointly by a group of Jews, Muslims, and Christians for homeless and low-income people on the westside. They are part of WIN.” She continued:
A bit of background: Every Saturday for years, the WIN group of churches has been serving a hot meal and providing clothing, coats, shoes, blankets, backpacks, hygiene products — whatever is needed — for local homeless people and exceedingly low-income people. At 11:30 AM we set up our canopy tents and tables in the parking lot on south side of Bartells, SW Roxbury and 15 Ave SW; then provide food and needed items from 12-2 PM–or until we run out of food. Currently we are averaging 120-150 “guests” each Saturday. Incidentally, the majority of our guests live unsheltered 24/7–including families. Some are on Social Security or Disability and subsist on $50-100/month after paying rent; many eat only once a day and live without heat. There are a significant number of immigrants who are fearful of obtaining help from food banks or any agencies, so they come each Saturday for necessities — food/toilet paper/diapers etc. We call our meal The Welcome Table. We welcome anyone who wants to share a meal with us.
On past Christmas Days, we have served a meal and given out shopping bags filled with needed “gifts.” It took volunteers away from worship, family, and friends, but the effort was worth it.
This year I was approached by people from West Seattle’s Kol HaNeshamah synagogue saying they would like to provide the Christmas meal so their Christian friends could celebrate their sacred holiday. About the same time, Aneelah Afzali (a West Seattle resident) from the Muslim Association of Puget Sound/MAPS, offered to work with Jewish friends to give Christian friends a day off. Simultaneously, some Christian families asked if they could help with the meal … because they felt serving vulnerable neighbors expressed the real Spirit of Christmas. … It is a special blessing in this splintered society, that a bunch of Jews, Muslims, and Christians are joyfully working together. … This meal is one step — of many steps — we take together to overcome the fear and hatred of our fractured world.
(By Christopher Boffoli)
Merry Christmas! We as usual start the holiday by presenting info you might find helpful:
TRANSIT CHANGES/TRAFFIC INFO: Metro is on a Sunday schedule … No Water Taxi service … Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is on a regular weekday schedule … Sound Transit holiday-schedule info is here … Check traffic cams here, travel times here.
RESTAURANTS THAT TOLD US THEY’LL BE OPEN TODAY/TONIGHT: Go here for the list (caveat: sometimes venues change their plan after our call, so if you find a discrepancy, please let us know – 206-293-6302 text or voice – thank you!).
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: The three local Safeways are open 8 am-5 pm. Other West Seattle supermarkets are closed.
WHERE TO GET COFFEE TODAY: At least five West Seattle coffee shops are open, also noted in ourWest Seattle Holiday Guide. (You might find others – if you do, please let us know.)
CHRISTMAS DAY CHURCH SERVICES: Three churches that shared their holiday schedules have Christmas Day services; that list is also in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
FREE CHRISTMAS DINNER: The Christmas People invite anyone who needs somewhere to go for a free Christmas dinner to join them noon-4 pm today at Alki Masonic Center. Buffet and live music. And/or if you can donate homemade cookies – drop them off starting at 9 am. (4736 40th SW)
TRASH/RECYCLING PICKUP/ETC. CHANGES: No pickup today or New Year’s Day, so Tuesday collections (and the rest of the week) slide a day this week and next.
GOING TO THE MOVIES: Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) is open today, starting at midafternoon.
WHERE TO SEE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS TONIGHT: See the Holiday Guide.
Breaking-news tips? Lost/found pets? Traffic alerts? WSB continues to operate 24/7/365 – so the best way to reach us is 206-293-6302, text or voice. Have a wonderful day!
For tonight’s Christmas-lights spotlight, we visited West Seattle Lights, the music-synched display that’s in its 10th year at 3908 SW Charlestown. Since Jim Winder created West Seattle Lights in 2009, it’s inspire thousands of dollars (and thousands of pounds of food) in donations, plus it has a spinoff in Maple Valley. Since it’s Christmas Eve, the show’s running until midnight tonight (tomorrow too) – here’s the schedule. (To see other lights we’ve spotlighted, scroll through this WSB archive category.)
Three Christmas Eve views:
Barb spotted that at Alki this morning; below, a scene we happened onto in The Junction this afternoon:
Musicians from Vashon busking at Junction Plaza Park. pic.twitter.com/XsjH961hi3
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) December 24, 2018
And if you missed it … it was a glorious sunset. Several sent photos, including Marc:
He watched the sunset from the Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook area on Beach Drive. Thanks as always for sharing photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com or, if texting is easier, 206-293-6302!
Don’t leave anything out — except the milk and cookies for Santa! Mail and package thieves are also busy (minus reindeer) as the holiday season continues, this reader-recorded security video reminds us. The mail thief appears midway through the one-minute clip; this happened just after 4 am Saturday morning near 39th/Dakota. Info? Location: Near the intersection of 39th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Dakota. Info? Refer to SPD incident # 18-479040.
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
If you are a certain age, you might remember when sewing was taught in schools. (Usually just girls, though.) That time is long past – but this art classroom at White Center Heights Elementary revived the art of sewing, with the help of their teacher and the West Seattle Timebank.
For the past month, Shoshanna Cohen‘s fourth- and fifth-graders have been sewing stuffed animals. Cohen says even she didn’t know how to sew before launching the project. The kids wanted to make the toys as holiday gifts, two each – one to donate, one to take home for someone in their own family.
Basic school funding doesn’t cover much, so Cohen had to be extra-scrappy to make this happen. She got the materials crowdfunded through Donors Choose (a website particularly popular with teachers). And she got the help from Timebank members because she is one herself.
Timebank leader Tamsen Spengler (above) was one of the volunteers there when we visited one of Cohen’s classes at WCH Elementary as they wrapped up the project last Friday, before leaving for winter break. She’s also who told us about it, so we could share the story with you.
This class wants to get their stuffed animals to kids in detention – Cohen is still researching where and how they can do that. Her other class is donating to young patients at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
They’re giving – and they’re receiving. “These kids are amazing,” Cohen enthused. She also had praise for the Timebank members, saying she wished she could have their help all the time. While we were talking to her, a steady stream of students came up to her, asking for guidance, and/or a bit of validation. We even got a question: “Does this look like pepperoni?” A boy held up circles of felt, about the right color and size.
We said it did. What occurred to us is, it looked a lot like love.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Timebank)
P.S. Signing up for the West Seattle Timebank just might get you the chance to be part of an adventure like this. Here’s how.
Info for the rest of today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide (which includes events through New Year’s, and we’re still updating, so if you have something to add, westseattleblog@gmail.com):
LIBRARIES: Both Seattle and King County library systems are closed today as well as tomorrow.
RESTAURANTS: Our list of restaurants that told us they would be open today/tonight and/or Christmas Day and/or New Year’s Eve and/or Day – at least one of the four – is here. (Caveat: Sometimes plans change after we make our calls, so if you know of a change or addition, please let us know – 206-293-6302, text or voice, 24/7, thanks!)
SHOPPING: Still not done? Thunder Road Guitars (4736 California SW: WSB sponsor) is open until 1:30 pm. Several other businesses open today are on the list in our Holiday Guide, too.
GROCERY SHOPPING: Metropolitan Market (41st/42nd/Admiral; WSB sponsor) is open until 6 pm; West Seattle Thriftway (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor) is open until 9 pm. All local stores’ Christmas Eve/Day schedule is in our guide.
WRAPPING: Let somebody else do it! Furry Faces Foundation‘s Wrap It Up gift-wrapping fundraiser is 2-6 pm at Beveridge Place Pub. (6413 California SW)
CHURCH SERVICES: A dozen local churches have shared their schedules in our guide, including WSB sponsor Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW), which has a family service at 5 pm and candlelight service at 8 pm.
LIGHTS: Also in our guide. The synched-to-music West Seattle Lights display will run 5-midnight tonight. Bring nonperishable food to drop in the bin for the West Seattle Food Bank. (3908 SW Charlestown)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
7:11 AM: Good morning! No traffic incidents or transit alerts in our area so far. Metro is on “reduced weekday” service.
Maybe you’ve seen this house, driving SW Morgan from Morgan Junction to High Point? It’s on the southeast corner of 37th/Morgan. As usual, the photo captures just part of the spirit … the star is animated, and both street-facing sides of this corner house are brightly lit. Scroll through this WSB archive category to see what we have featured – and check the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide for ongoing light shows like West Seattle Lights – running until midnight on Christmas Eve!
Thanks to Lynn Hall for the moonrise/skyline view (if you weren’t watching or attending the game, the Seahawks won their Sunday Night Football faceoff against Kansas City, 38-31, which guarantees their playoff spot.)
Our annual list of restaurants that told us they’ll be open Christmas Eve and/or Day and/or New Year’s Eve and/or Day (at least one of the four) is here. It’s also linked in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, which is where to go for the info we have on wrapping, shopping, churchgoing, groceries, coffee, lights … and we continue updating it until pretty much the last minute, so if you have something to add (including Christmas Eve retail hours for shoppers), please e-mail us ASAP, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
… is that peek view of snow-capped Olympics, as photographed this morning by Chris Frankovich. The forecast isn’t completely placid — “slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening” tonight, for example — but otherwise “mostly cloudy with a chance of showers” through Christmas Eve, then a partly sunny Christmas Day with highs in the 40s. If you weren’t here last Christmas, this is what you missed:
(Admiral area on 12/25/17, photographed by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
More than 2.5″ of snow for Christmas Eve/Day 2017 – which the National Weather Service said was the “first time in over 120 years of records Seattle had at least 1″ of snow on both Christmas Eve and Christmas.”
1:14 PM: Thanks for the tips and photos – that crash is blocking a lane on the westbound West Seattle Bridge toward the Fauntleroy end. No word of major injuries, but the texter who sent that photo says the barrier is damaged, which usually means extra time to rearrange it, at the very least.
1:45 PM: Per radio communications, sounds like it’ll be a while before the barrier is replaced. SDOT says the inside eastbound lane is blocked as well as the inside westbound lane.
3:45 PM: SDOT says all’s clear now.
Quick note that the Seattle Public Library system will be closed Christmas Eve as well as Christmas Day, so if you have something you need to do at a library, get it done today – all branches in our area are open regular Sunday hours today, 1-5 pm.
(Black Turnstone, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
It’s Christmas Eve-Eve, and here are your Sunday highlights, most from the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and year-round Event Calendar:
CHRISTMAS COOKIES: You can contribute to the thousands of homemade cookies needed by The Christmas People! Bring them to Alki Masonic Center between 9 am and 3:30 pm daily, through Christmas Day. (4736 40th SW)
SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS: All Souls (WSB sponsor) invites you to the church’s Christmas Service of Lessons and Carols this morning, 10 am. All Souls meets at Madison Middle School. (3429 45th SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: The pre-Christmas WSFM is happening 10 am-2 pm, in the street, in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
SANTA PHOTOS: Second-to-last day at Westwood Village, 10 am-7 pm. (2600 SW Barton)
LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING AT THUNDER ROAD GUITARS: 11 am-4 pm, special Sunday shopping at Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor) as you finish your holiday shopping! (4736 California SW)
HOLIDAY MUSIC: At West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), Alex Baird 11 am-2 pm, Gary Benson 2:30-4:30 pm. (4201 SW Morgan)
PRAYER VIGIL FOR NATALIE: As reported here on Saturday, Hope Lutheran is having a prayer vigil at noon for Hope School graduate Natalie Gulizia. All are welcome. (4456 42nd SW)
SKYLARK ART MART: 3-7 pm, shop local artists’ wares and enjoy live music at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
No major problems are expected, but the National Weather Service has a Coastal Flood Advisory in effect this morning, warning of “minor tidal overflow for some areas near the shorelines for a couple of hours around high tide.” This comes as another round of winter “king tides” arrives, with the highest tides each day above 12 feet through New Year’s Eve, peaking with 13-foot high tides on Christmas Day and the day after. (Here’s the chart.) This morning’s high tide is 12.5 feet just before 6 am.
The montage and message are from Lisa McGinty of Friends of Lincoln Park:
A grateful thankYOU to the awesome volunteers who came out last Sunday! 100 more trees and shrubs planted and a large patch of invasive plants removed!
If you get a chance to visit the park over the holidays, don’t forget to take a deep breath and thank the forest for all the hard work it’s done for us this year! See you in 2019 🌿✌️🌲
FLiP and other organizations kindly share work-party announcements with us for the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – so you know when and where to help out!
This year, we are particularly susceptible to charming outdoor trees and stars in light displays … and this house in Gatewood has both. It’s one of several nice displays you’ll see on SW Portland; this one is on the south side of the street, west of 41st SW. Still a few nights until Christmas, so we appreciate suggestions – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and you can see what we’ve featured so far by scrolling through this WSB archive category.
Yes, you can shop on this Saturday night before Christmas! At VAIN (4513 California SW; WSB sponsor) in The Junction right now, the salon/boutique is hosting the opening for a show of hair-art prints by stylist Sam Brown. Stop in before 9 pm to celebrate “the psychedelic art of hair”!
Sam’s been at VAIN for 11 years and says she was encouraged to start making these prints after posting Instagram images of the “fantasy hair” in which she specializes.
Another suspect in a high-profile West Seattle case has been found competent to stand trial after treatment at Western State Hospital. That was the ruling in a hearing Thursday for 26-year-old Keelan T. Malone, charged with indecent liberties and burglary with sexual motivation in last June’s 13th/Roxbury break-in. He was found incompetent back in September and ordered sent to WSH. He is now back in King County Jail, held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The next hearing in his case is scheduled for January 9th.
You might have heard about the murder of 14-year-old Natalie Gulizia in regional news; her mother is charged with shooting her while Natalie was calling 911. Though it happened in Renton, Natalie has links to West Seattle, where a prayer vigil is planned tomorrow. The announcement from Hope Lutheran (which provided the photo):
Last Tuesday, former Hope School student Natalie Gulizia passed away in a tragic situation. Natalie graduated from Hope in 2016 and was attending Kennedy Catholic High School. As our community grieves, we would like to invite you to join us for a Prayer Vigil for her on Sunday, December 23, at noon in the Hope Church sanctuary. All are welcome.
The church is in The Junction, at 4456 42nd SW. A post on the Hope website describes Natalie as “a bright, talented, and extremely well-loved young lady.”
Reminder – as previewed here on Friday, the tower crane at 4754 Fauntleroy Way SW (The Foundry) is coming down today, and that’s narrowed the traffic lanes between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds – one lane each way.
The contractor said in the notice to nearby residents and businesses that they hope to be done by 5 pm. This crane’s removal leaves 2749 California SW – the mixed-use project with a new PCC Community Markets (WSB sponsor) store and Luna Apartments – as the only current West Seattle project using one.
HANDMADE ITEMS STOLEN FROM VAN: Above and below are photos showing some of what was stolen from a van parked in West Seattle, sent by Sydney:
I wish to report items stolen from my boyfriend Victor’s van between 10:30 pm and 430 am (Thursday night) on 47th SW. The culprits busted out the lock on the back doors (the end of the vehicle facing the street) and stole a large plastic bin which contained several custom handmade leather witch and pirate hats (aka tri-corners), 4 large handmade, hard-cover leathe= bound books, as well as a red roll around duffel bag which contained a generous variety of hand made pewter cloak clasps and other brooches and pins. When Victor left the house to search the neighborhood, he found the plastic bin abandoned on the side of the street south of our house, but they left nothing else.
We’ll add the police report number when it’s available. If you have any information on items like these having been dumped and/or offered for sale, we can in the meantime connect you with Sydney.
POLICE PATROL FOR PACKAGE THIEVES: From the Southwest Precinct Anti-Crime Team:
Seattle PD Southwest Anti-Crime Team has been running a special program this holiday season to make sure all the boys and girls on the “Nice List” receive their presents.
A special bonus related to this program is the chance for package thieves on the “naughty list” to spend Christmas in jail.
See something/someone suspicious? Call 911.
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