West Seattle, Washington
02 Monday
(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)
6:57 AM: Good morning! First day of July, first week that school’s out for everyone.
The cloud formation over the Olympics made June’s final sunset one to remember. Thanks for the photos! Above, from Terry; below, from Kanit:
And from Marc:
Before the weekend wraps, we have one more community meeting from this past week to recap: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s final meeting before summer hiatus. Here’s what happened when the WSBWCN gathered Tuesday at the Southwest Precinct:
PRECINCT UPDATE AND COMMUNITY Q&A: Capt. Pierre Davis said crimes against persons are up 14 percent, largely because of the string of robberies earlier in the year. Property crimes are down 13 percent. Citizen diligence remains helpful – he admits you’ve heard it many times, but, “if you see something, say something.” In the Southwest Precinct jurisdiction, South Park remains an area of emphasis – the Anti-Crime Team is there, serving warrants. Alki Beach is a West Seattle area of emphasis and they started early this year, including one group of dedicated traffic officers.
Thanks to Faye for the photo from today’s Seattle Pride Parade downtown. She photographed West Seattle synagogue Kol HaNeshamah participating. Any other West Seattleite sightings? Send a photo and we’ll add! (westseattleblog@gmail.com) Fay also sent a photo of the city’s most prominent Pride flag:
(WSB file photo from Duwamish Head during a minus-three-foot low-low tide)
The lowest low tides of summer are coming up this week. It’ll be out to -3.0 feet at 11:14 am Tuesday, -3.4 at 11:58 am Wednesday and at 12:43 pm Thursday, and -3.0 at 1:31 pm Friday. Expert advice will be available for your (careful!) exploration, with Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists at Constellation and Lincoln Parks each day – see those times here. (The only other chance this year that you’ll get to visit the shore during a minus-three-feet-or-more low tide is August 1st.)
Any of those items look familiar? From Julie: “Found these in a bag behind a bush near 21st and Delridge. Includes keys and fob. Contact at jules654 (at) gmail (dot) com if it’s yours.”
The weekend began with a big volunteer show of support at Alki Beach. If only the trash they picked up hadn’t been left behind in the first place! The photos and report are from David Hutchinson with Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
The “Sentinels of the Sound” Alki Beach cleanup Saturday morning was a great success. Over 80 volunteers showed up at the Alki Statue of Liberty before spreading out to remove litter from the beach and Park. When they returned, the material they collected was weighed and bagged for disposal. Seal Sitters would like to thank Seattle Parks & Recreation and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for providing the cleanup supplies.
Seattle Parks and concerned Alki residents always work hard to keep the area clean but a good amount of litter was removed during the 2½ hour event. This included over 100 pounds of trash and hundreds of cigarette butts as well as a discarded insulin syringe.
Volunteers from the sponsoring groups, Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, SR3 and Sno-King Marine Mammal Response, staffed display tables, talked with and answered questions from passersby.
Just a quick reminder, harbor seal pupping season is now underway in our area, so if you come across a vulnerable pup (or any marine mammal) on a West Seattle beach, please call Seal Sitters’ Hotline at 206-905-7325.
So much still to come as we head toward the heart of summer! One of the biggest days is now less than 3 weeks away. Saturday, July 20th, starts with the return of the Float Dodger 5K, presented by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) at 9:30 am (register here!), then continues with the second annual PAWrade at 10 am (you and your dog are invited to be part of it!), and then the West Seattle Grand Parade at 11 am. Just wanted to make sure those are on your radar! More specifics as we get closer.
(Saturday sunrise, photographed by David Hutchinson)
Happy Sunday! Calendar highlights:
PRIDE WEEKEND CONCLUDES: The West Seattle Junction Pride flags go back up this morning; you can join volunteers in taking them down at 5 pm – meet at Cupcake Royale (California/Alaska) … Arthur’s in Admiral (2311 California SW) is again today donating 10 percent to Camp Ten Trees … Downtown, the big Seattle Pride Parade starts at 11 am; see the route here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, it’s that time of the summer when the vegetable and fruit options are ever-more plentiful. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)
FRISBEE! 10 am at Walt Hundley Playfield, you’re invited to play with West Seattle Ultimate Family Frisbee. (34th SW/SW Myrtle)
ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL, DAY 2: 11 am-6 pm at Camp Long, this free festival offers opportunities to enjoy and engage in art in a multitude of formats and settings. Here’s the performance schedule. Just go wander the park and see what you discover! Here’s our Saturday coverage. (5200 35th SW)
COLMAN POOL: You can swim at West Seattle’s outdoor saltwater public pool, on the beach at Lincoln Park, noon-7 pm. The session-specific schedule is here. (8603 Fauntleroy Way SW)
TOUR THE ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary invites you to visit the historic lighthouse, 1-4 pm (last group enters at 3:45 pm). Free. (3201 Alki SW)
VAN HUNT LIVE AT EASY STREET: 3 pm in-store performance at Easy Street Records, free, all ages. (California/Alaska)
BLUEGRASS JAM: Come play/sing at Parliament Tavern, 7 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
12:50 AM: SFD has sent one engine to a crash reported at Orchard/Dumar, just off Delridge. According to a tipster and police radio, it involves a flipped car, in the shrubbery by the Shell station. That’s the only vehicle reported involved. One person is reported to be hurt.
2:16 PM: SPD is investigating this as possible DUI. A 24-year-old man was arrested and booked into the King County Jail, according to online records.
We mentioned this in today’s preview since it was audible here last year too. But in case you missed that: The fireworks you’re hearing are from the Bremerton Bridge Blast show, fired off the Manette Bridge in east Bremerton [map]. P.S. Here’s the full statewide list of who’s having fireworks shows, where, and when.
Kit reports a garage break-in at the 206 Apartments (California/College):
Wanted to let you know that someone entered the secure garage at my daughter‘s apartment building and ransacked her car. There was nothing valuable kept in the car but they took her garage door clicker. Police report filed, building management notified. Folks in the neighborhood should keep their cars and homes locked up, though. Prowler at work in the area.
Until 8 tonight, and again 11 am-6 pm Sunday, you are invited to be part of the 20th Arts in Nature Festival at Camp Long (5200 35th SW). You can create, and/or contemplate …
The late afternoon sun sparkled off the park’s pond, highlighting the “nature” part of the festival’s name. Nearby, Cabin 8 offered a chance to make paper cranes for peace outside …
…while inside the cabin, artist Joselynn Tokashiki Engstrom‘s installation “The Boys in the Barracks” offers a view into her Green Beret father’s everyday life during the Vietnam War.
Performing arts are a festival feature, too. We were there for Show Brazil! on the stage in the meadow:
A night full of headliners has just begun – see the schedule here. Admission is free; the festival is presented by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association.
Thanks to Regan for what might be our favorite photo yet of The West Seattle Turkey … though the second one in this May 31st post is a close second because of its background. Still no hint of its origins, as The Turkey starts its third month in West Seattle.
Beautiful afternoon to play at Highland Park (1100 SW Cloverdale), and some bonus fun is happening until 3 pm.
This is the launch event for the Free Summer Meals program involving a variety of partners, including United Way of King County and Seattle Parks, to make sure that kids/teens who rely on free/reduced-price meals at school don’t go hungry during school vacation.
Starting Monday, free food is available – no questions asked – at a variety of sites around the city, including several in West Seattle. Use this lookup to find the one nearest you.
10:57 AM: You have a little more than two hours left to get to the West Seattle Junction Association lot off 42nd SW south of SW Oregon and drop off recyclables and shreddables, courtesy of the WSJA and partners. On-site service providers include, as listed on the WSJA event-info page, Friendly Earth, Goodwill, Seadrunar Recycling (two shredding trucks – hosted by Junction Windermere) and Styro Recycle. Partners include Waste Management, there with one of its quieter new alternative-fuel-powered trucks:
Here’s WM’s list of what will and won’t be accepted. Entrance to the lot is off 42nd. Organizers told us people were waiting even before the event began at 9!
2:59 PM: WSJA executive director Lora Radford tells WSB they counted 481 participants in today’s event!
It’s Pride weekend, and the 60-plus rainbow flags that the West Seattle Junction Association offered for “adoption” are up!
They were placed in the heart of The Junction this morning, will be taken down this evening, and put back in place tomorrow. It’s the first time The Junction has displayed Pride flags; all were adopted after the April availability announcement, and adopters had the chance to have messages displayed with their flags – if you can’t walk The Junction to see for yourself, the list is here.
(Pigeon Guillemot, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Takeoff time! Here are highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, as this pre-holiday weekend begins:
PRIDE WEEKEND: The West Seattle Junction’s Pride flags go up this morning – you can help by meeting volunteers at Cupcake Royale (California/Alaska) at 8 am. Also, Arthur’s (2311 California SW) is donating 10 percent of sales all weekend to Camp Ten Trees, a nonprofit that works with LGBTQ youth. Anyone else with Pride Weekend events? Comment and/or email us!
GROUP RUN: 8 am, free, start your weekend with West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) and friends. (2743 California SW)
RECYCLE, REUSE, SHRED: 9 am-1 pm, the West Seattle Junction Association and partners invite you to drive up/walk up/ride up and drop off. Free! Details here, including what to, and not to, bring. (42nd SW/SW Oregon)
ALKI BEACH CLEANUP: Join Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network and friends to clean up Alki and protect wildlife! 9:30 am-noon. More info here. (2701 Alki SW)
ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL, DAY ONE: 11 am-9 pm, it’s day/night #1 for the 20th annual edition of the festival at Camp Long, now free. Here’s the schedule for who and what you’ll see, where and when! (5200 35th SW)
FAMILY-FUN KICKOFF FOR FREE SUMMER MEALS: Noon-3 pm at Highland Park, celebrating the start of the free summer-meals program for kids/teens:
The event will include free meals for kids and parents/guardians. Several fun activity stations will be set up in the park, including craft stations, outdoor activities such as relay races and an obstacle course, and field games such as giant Jenga and Connect Four.
(1100 SW Cloverdale)
FREE GRILLED CHEESE! Stop by Ounces noon-3 pm for yours. (3809 Delridge Way SW)
BOOKS AND BRICKS: Global Donor Appreciation and Launch Celebration, all invited, 5-7 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. (3050 California SW)
PAUL GERARD: Singer-songwriter live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. No cover. All ages. (5612 California SW)
BLUES AT KENYON HALL: 7:30 pm, “Storytelling Songwriting Blues Legend” Roy Book Binder performs at historic Kenyon Hall. (7904 35th SW)
THREE BANDS: Luna Negra, Bigfoot Accelerator, The Dust Mice – “punk rock mess fest.” 9 pm at Parliament Tavern. $5 cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
FIREWORKS FYI: The Bremerton Bridge Blast show is at 10:15 pm tonight. Last year it was quite audible here, so we’re including this FYI.
This week’s TV smash hit was the two-night Democratic presidential debate. You’ve seen the analysis of who “won” and “lost” – but days earlier, West Seattleites who went to the Morgan Junction Community Festival got a chance to “vote” at the West Seattle Democratic Women‘s booth. The group’s leader Rachel Glass just sent this report on how it turned out:
The West Seattle Democratic Women had our booth at the Morgan Junction Fair last Saturday, June 22. We had our signature interactive Penny Game, which has changing themes, but for this event, we invited attendees/passersby to vote for their choice of which candidate (out of all 24 Democratic candidates plus an Anyone But Trump option) they’d pick to be President. We displayed a hanging shoe rack and each pocket has the name of a candidate on it and the “voters” put the pennies into the pocket(s) of their choice.
We had just under 300 folks vote at our booth that day! Each “voter” received 5 pennies and they could put all their pennies into one candidate’s pocket or spread them out into the pockets of several candidates. Total: 1496 pennies cast. We had visits from older folks, teen pre-registered voters, millennials, folks of all races, ethnicities, LGBTQ, and even a deaf voter!
Here is a breakdown of the results in order of “Number of Pennies Each Candidate/Option Received”:
Anyone But Trump 387 26%
Elizabeth Warren 317 21%
Kamala Harris 182 12%
Bernie Sanders 129 9%
Pete Buttigieg 126 8%
Jay Inslee 89 6%Total 1230 votes
Joe Biden 53 4%
Cory Booker 48 3%
Beto O’Rourke 29 2%
Julian Castro 20 1%
Andrew Yang 18 1%Total 168 votes
The next 5 were Marianne Williamson, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Tim Ryan with 15, 13, and 12. Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, and Tulsi Gabbard with 8 each. The rest were less than 8.
Of course this “vote” was taken before the debates. WSDW’s next event where we do the Penny Game again will be at Delridge Day (August 10), which takes place after the second round of Debates (July 30-31). It will be interesting to see how the results change over the course of the summer!
If you’re planning a public watch party for the July debates, please let us know so we can get them in our calendar! The 34th District Democrats have already sent word of theirs – night one at The Point in Burien, night two at Arthur’s in The Admiral District.
From Andrew:
A pink Kent Terra 2.0 kids’ bike was sitting outside of our house (35th + Charlestown area) for a few days – I brought it in to get it out of the rain. I’d love to get this bike back to its owner if they want it.
It’s been abandoned at least a week – another reader reported a sighting last weekend. If it’s yours, let us know and we’ll connect you (as well as advising Andrew to check with police).
(WSB file photo, future park site at 48th/Charlestown)
Next step in the plan for another of West Seattle’s new parks – ice cream and design opinions! As announced by the city:
Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to a fun evening at 48th Ave SW and SW Charlestown St. on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. Please join us for ice cream and an opportunity to review the preferred design for the new park at 48th Ave. SW and SW Charlestown St. in West Seattle.
Community involvement has been essential in developing the new open space. SPR and the design consultant have been hard at work incorporating your input from the open house, community meeting, and on-line survey to create a preferred design for the site. We are excited to share the design with the community at this last public meeting. Please stop by to take a look and provide final design input.
SPR purchased the .33-acre site at 48th Ave. SW and SW Charlestown St. in 2014 to provide the community more open space. The design of the park will incorporate accessibility features in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and low-impact, passive recreation features with impervious surface of the park site limited to 15% or less to minimize the effect of water run-off. We anticipate park construction in 2020.
Parks unveiled three “design concepts” in early May – here’s our coverage.
FRIDAY: Reader report just in from Lorrie: “Our black 2009 Pilot was stolen last night, sometime between 1-4 am. License plate 908ZRK. We are in the Seaview area, on Raymond St.. It has tinted windows. No bumper stickers or eye-catching identifying marks to make it more noticeable. It did have a Seahawk license plate frame. Please call the police if you see this abandoned anywhere. Thanks.”
SATURDAY: Lorrie reports it’s been found – in Renton, in bad shape.
One more reminder that tomorrow – Saturday, June 29th – is your day for free recycling and/or shredding, courtesy of the West Seattle Junction Association and partners. Just drive up, ride up, walk up to the parking lot off 42nd SW south of SW Oregon, 9 am-1 pm. Two shredding trucks will be there, plus a variety of recycling options, including Goodwill donations (but please be sure those items are in good working order and resellable). Full details, including what you can and can’t bring to the event, are on this webpage.
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