day : 05/12/2022 10 results

We’re in the heart of West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays, with the next big event – Thursday’s Holiday Art Walk – just a few nights away. But first, we have followups from this past Saturday night’s festival (missed it? here’s our coverage).

LIGHT-COSTUME WINNERS: Maybe even more of a highlight than the tree lighting – the first-ever GLOWS (Glorious Lights Of West Seattle), featuring commissioned artists promenading in elaborate costumes and choosing festival attendees to take the stage for an audience vote. Tonight we know more about the winning group, all local students – Chris Mackay from the West Seattle Junction Association, who organized the festival, shared the photo and info she received from one winner’s mom on behalf of the group:

I am writing on behalf of the winter fairies who won the group costume contest on Saturday night. First, I’d like to say thank you so much [to the Junction Association] for hosting such an inspirational event! When the girls heard of this contest a few weeks ago, they became really excited and began a series of meetings to plan their costumes. These are all 6th-grade girls from Madison Middle School and costume design became their after-school focus. They did everything on their own, from self-organization to the construction of headbands, wings, and in some cases, sewing their own skirts and scarves. This was such an empowering experience for them! They probably logged 20-25 hours in total working on this project. Their goal was to make it on stage as one of the finalists but they truly hadn’t dreamed of actually winning. Needless to say, they are soooo thrilled!!

You can see them onstage during this video (which was featured in our Saturday night coverage). The girls are, from left in the photo above, Daphne Cox, Paige Bailey, Katara Andes, Manon Coffinieres, Azalea Geoghegan, Sophia Marroquin, Mikalya Holloway. WSJA plans to do it again next year, so start planning YOUR costume!

HOT-CHOCOLATE TALLY: The Hope Lutheran School Student Council served up a LOT of free hot chocolate:

The grand total – 1,000 cups!

MISSED ELVIS? We had some upload challenges with our video of Tony Colinares‘s stage-shaking performance in tribute to Elvis Presley, so it’s not in our Saturday night story, but we finally can share the video tonight:

MORE ABOUT THURSDAY NIGHT: Now looking ahead – during the Holiday Art Walk, the Silver Belles will be caroling all around The Junction, Santa will be roaming, and luminarias will add to the holiday lights – that all starts at 6 pm Thursday. Three Art of Music performances at 6 pm, too – see who’s where, here.

Check the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide for even more seasonal fun, now through New Year’s!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Deck the balconies

December 5, 2022 8:49 pm

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS: Deck the balconies

| West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

You don’t need a standalone house to put up an eye-catching display of Christmas lights. Driving along West Seattle arterials, you’ll see bright displays on balconies of apartment/condo/townhouse buildings, too. We were out scouting lights when we saw the cheery space-maximizing display above, on a building along Alki Avenue SW near 55th SW. We’d love to hear about lights you’ve seen and enjoyed – westseattleblog@gmail.com (whether your own display or someone else’s) – thanks! (See the ones we’ve already featured in this newest-to-oldest archive.)

Share This

VIDEO: Food for thought as mayor, superintendent accept invitation from ‘Lunch Lady Doree’ to serve Denny IMS students

December 5, 2022 5:32 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Story and photos by Tracy Record and Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers

Doree Fazio-Young listened to two of the most powerful people in Seattle give speeches earlier this year and decided to challenge them to do more than talk. She invited them to meet “my kids” – the hundreds of students at Denny International Middle School, where Fazio-Young is a longtime “lunch lady” (and more).

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones accepted her invitation, and came to Denny at midday today, to serve the students lunch, and, as Fazio-Young had hoped, to “look into their eyes.”

That, she figured, would give them a much better grounding in “the real world” of school than would a five-minute photo op in “some made-up pretty classroom.” So, between dishing up helpings from a menu topped by lemongrass chicken and pot stickers, the mayor and superintendent did just that, and answered a lot of questions.

This was also a bit of a showcase for city/district collaboration – one example: The city entourage that accompanied Harrell included Office of Sustainability and Environment director Jessyn Farrell, who explained the city’s grant-funded partnership with SPS helps provide “culturally relevant, fresh food.”

Examples of that were on the menu today too – persimmons and kiwis available for the taking, right next to a make-it-yourself taco/salad bar.

Our area’s school-board director Leslie Harris was there too. After the first two lunch periods, the mayor and superintendent joined Fazio-Young (a 31-year SPS veteran), the district’s culinary-services director Aaron Smith, and Denny principal Jeff Lam for a roundtable chat right in front of the cheerily decorated food-service area:

During the roundtable, everyone agreed that the food provided by schools like Denny is more than physical sustenance – it’s also emotional sustenance. Fazio-Young explained that she’s the first person that some of the students see every day, the ones who show up as early as 6:15 am and need a warm place to be inside. The superintendent and mayor, meantime, talked about city/district cooperation, and answered our question about what the students had asked them:

Smith also observed that serving breakfast and lunch is a form of education, too, giving a chance to learn where food comes from.

As the roundtable wrapped up, more students filtered into the Denny galleria, and eventually it was time for the dignitaries to depart.

What they received today was food for thought; tomorrow, they’ll be back in downtown offices, while Fazio-Young welcomes “my kids” back for another day.

Share This

HELPING: Nucor and its employees deliver another huge holiday gift to West Seattle Food Bank

December 5, 2022 3:46 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Holidays | West Seattle news

Every holiday season, Nucor Steel and its workers bring a huge gift to the West Seattle Food Bank – results of a food drive and a company cash match. Today was delivery day! Above, Melody Sarkies from Nucor sent the photo of preparations for departure from the plant by the bridge; below, Breanna Bushaw from WSFB sent the photo as they unloaded at the food bank’s HQ in High Point (with the help of Tacoma Hydraulics):

This year’s donations totaled 4,100 pounds of food – more than two tons! – and $20,473. Participating in the delivery today from Nucor were Dan Ness, Cooper Harrison, Jason Hanley, Abbie Hart, and Beth Roush; from Tacoma Hydraulics, Brad Martin, John Sawyer Sr., John Sawyer Jr., and Alex Sawyer. If you too can donate to West Seattle Food Bank (which also provides emergency assistance to keep people from becoming homeless), here’s how.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Southwest Pool back to normal operations

December 5, 2022 3:12 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

After staff illness led to limited operations and closures on some days last week, Southwest Pool is back to normal operations today, confirms its coordinator Matt Richardson: “We are open for normally scheduled programs today. On track to operate full programming tomorrow as well.”

Share This

Timeless Kitchen Design: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor

December 5, 2022 2:25 pm

| Comments Off on Timeless Kitchen Design: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we’re welcoming another local business as a WSB sponsor – Timeless Kitchen Design. It’s the time of year that many people spend even more time than usual in their kitchens, so maybe you’re thinking about overhauling yours. Here’s what Paula Kennedy of Timeless Kitchen Design wants to tell and show you:

Good design is what drives me while working with homeowners. To help their dreams come true, creating spaces that enable you to thrive is one of the most fulfilling experiences as a designer and business owner. I’ve spent the last 25 years fine-tuning my craft as I chose to specialize in Kitchen and Bath design. We all know that the kitchen is the heart of the home but it’s even being called the new living room, and our bathrooms are more than just for hygiene, they’ve become places of rejuvenation.

This Kitchen remodel in Normandy Park was a lovely Transitional-style kitchen. We moved two walls, which captured a much smaller ’80s kitchen and combined a breakfast nook, small kitchen, and dining room into a grand space to gather with the family.

It all started with custom blown-glass pendant lights found at a glass shop in Fremont. They had a large busy family and needed more storage, more countertop space and room for multiple cooks. Trends that you can find in this remodel:

· Two different colors for cabinetry
· Quartz countertops
· Speed oven
· Two sinks
· Paneled appliances
· Matching built-in’s in the dining room
· Transitional design style

There were many custom features in this kitchen but a pull-out recycle bin on locking wheels with butcher block top polished off this kitchen’s features!

I am a Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer, Certified Living in Place Professional and a Certified Architectural Color Consultant. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest my whole life and in West Seattle for 10 joyous years. I’m in love with West Seattle and am planting roots in our beloved community. It is my deepest desire to grow my business sharing my experience, knowledge and resources with my neighbors. Find Timeless Kitchen Design online here, or call 425-466-4483.

We thank Timeless Kitchen Design for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

Share This

WHALES: Orcas in view from West Seattle

December 5, 2022 11:56 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales

11:56 AM: Orcas are in the area again. Kersti Muul says they’re headed southeast in Elliott Bay and visible from Alki.

12:52 PM: Kersti via comments and Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail via text report that the orcas are now southbound past west-facing West Seattle, and that they’re Southern Residents.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Crash-and-grab burglary at Westwood Village Big 5

December 5, 2022 11:33 am

| 38 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

11:33 AM: Thanks for the tip. The Big 5 store at Westwood Village is opening late today because they’re cleaning up from what happened overnight. The staff isn’t commenting beyond saying they hope to reopen sometime this afternoon, but the police log shows an alarm dispatch just before 3:30 am. We have no other information yet on what happened, but we have a request out to police.

ADDED 12:03 PM: Just received from SPD:

Officers responded to the Big 5 Store located at the 2500 BLK of SW Barton St (Westwood Village). The suspects drove up in a Black Chevy Suburban, and a Beige or Silver sedan. The Chevy rammed the front of the store four times and caused significant damage. Two suspects stole an unknown amount of CO2 BB Guns and drove away Northbound. Evidence was recovered from the scene. The suspects wore face covering and gloves. The suspects weren’t located.

12:43 PM: The store has reopened.

Share This

NEED A TREE? West Seattle family auctioning Noble Fir to benefit Medic One in memory of loved ones

December 5, 2022 9:45 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

That Noble Fir growing outside a West Seattle home is destined to be someone’s Christmas tree, in a unique memorial and auction announced by a local family, From Kim Mickelson:

The Chris & Kim Mickelson family on 51st Pl SW in West Seattle is offering an 8-foot Noble Fir to the highest proposed donation to Medic One, in memory of Steven A. Olson, our brother, and our friend, retired City of Kirkland Fire Captain Keith Adams, both lost tragically in separate auto accidents in 2021.

HOW TO BID: The proposed donation amount should be emailed to KimberlyMickelson@icloud.com no later than Saturday, December 10, 2022 at midnight. The winning family will need to cut the tree down. It will be fresh! The top donation will be notified by 10 am on Sunday, December 11, 2022 and you’re welcome to come that day to cut and pick it up. I ask that the winner then either show the donation receipt or pay us and we will process the donation on your behalf.

The Mickelson,Olson and Adams families appreciate and thank you in advance for your support in this endeavor! Gone but not Forgotten.

The Mickelsons will plant a new Noble Fir in its place.

Share This

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Monday info

December 5, 2022 6:01 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:01 AM: Good morning. It’s Monday, December 5th.

WEATHER

Still cold, but no snow in the forecast. Today’s high should be near 40.

TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS

-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule this morning.

-WSF’s Triangle Route is too – check here for alerts/updates.

–Metro buses are on regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.

ROAD-WORK ALERT

Weather permitting, SDOT crews may be back out on Harbor and Alki Avenues today continuing the speed-hump (etc.) work.

SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS

High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).

Low Bridge: Or nearby, depending on where SDOT points the camera.

1st Ave. S. Bridge: The south route.

Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.

All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.

If you see a problem on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.

Share This