Today’s West Seattle Grand Parade was much more than floats and boats and bands – hundreds of people were part of it. That included honorees, like Grand Marshal Whitney Moore, executive director of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, above, and Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Community Service recipient Erik Bell, founder of A Cleaner Alki, below:

Accompanying his company’s entry was Gary Potter of Potter Construction (longtime WSB sponsor), whose “Our New Home” banner celebrated their recent headquarters move (the Potter truck started the parade blasting the Starship classic “We Built This City”):

And with voting under way for the August 1st primary election, no surprise that eight candidates were represented in the parade, including four of the eight running for the open City Council District 1 seat – Maren Costa:

Mia Jacobson:

Phil Tavel (with The Bubbleman)

Rob Saka walked with the 34th District Democrats, as did School Board District 6 Director candidate Gina Topp:

One of the other two School Board candidates, Maryanne Wood, also was in the parade.

So were entries supporting two County Council District 8 candidates – Sofia Aragon:

And Teresa Mosqueda:

(If you need an election refresher, here’s ours.)

This parade even had a Sasquatch sighting:

And a shout-out to the Adopt-a-Street cleanup crew who walked – with grabbers – down the parade route as the last entry:

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UPDATE: Sailboat possibly in trouble north of The Arroyos

July 22, 2023 8:22 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

8:22 PM: A sizable Seattle Fire response is headed by land and sea to a report of a sailboat possibly in trouble off the 10400 block of Maplewood Place SW [map], north of The Arroyos. Updates to come.

8:33 PM: Responders are looking for the sailboat, described as under 20 feet, blue hull, one person on board.

8:40 PM: They’re not finding any signs of someone in trouble, so they’re ending the search.

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SUNDAY: Talk with city reps about where West Seattle’s second off-leash area should be

July 22, 2023 7:50 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Reminder – tomorrow in The Junction, you can talk with Seattle Parks reps about where you think West Seattle’s second off-leash area (aka dog park) should be. Two locations are under consideration, as first reported here last month: Upper Lincoln Park or just south of West Seattle Stadium.

So far, we haven’t heard of organized opposition to the stadium-adjacent site, but wildlife advocates have been lining up against the Lincoln Park site. Whatever you think, you’re invited to drop by Parks’ pop-up 10 am-2 pm tomorrow (Sunday, July 23rd) in The Junction. Note: The original Parks announcement said they’ll be at Junction Plaza Park (42nd/Alaska), while a subsequent reminder said the Farmers’ Market – so look there if you don’t find them in the park. If you haven’t already answered the online survey, that’s supposed to stay open through the end of this month – find the link, and details of the city’s proposals, by going here.

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WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE 2023: Report #2 – the winners!

July 22, 2023 4:35 pm

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| West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy West Seattle Grand Parade coordinator Michelle Edwards)

For the eighth consecutive West Seattle Grand Parade, judges have chosen the Seattle Public Schools All-City Band, directed by Dr. Marcus Pimpleton, as the grand-prize winner. Barbara Edwards leads the judging team (above), who watched from various spots along the route, then met post-parade to make their decisions. Here’s the list (update; we’re still adding more photos and video):

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

1st Place: Seattle Schools All-City Band

2nd Place: Kennedy Catholic Marching Band and Cheer

3rd Place: Holy Rosary School

COMMUNITY ADULT

1st Place: Lions Club of West Seattle

2nd Place: West Seattle Chamber of Commerce & Battle for West Seattle Winning Softball Team

3rd Place: West Seattle Yacht Club

COMMUNITY YOUTH

1st Place: Our Lady of Guadalupe School

2nd Place: Girl Scouts Rock

3rd Place: West Seattle Jr. Football and Cheer

MARCHING BANDS

1st Place: Seattle Schools All-City Band
2nd Place: Kennedy Catholic High School Marching Band

3rd Place (Tie): Washington Scottish Pipe Band and All Star Drumline

COMMERCIAL

1st Place: Dragonfly Yoga Pilates Dance
2nd Place: Dub Sea Fish Sticks

3rd Place: “There’s No Place Like Home” Village Green Retirement

DANCE TEAMS

1st Place: Joyas Mestizas

2nd Place: Grupo Folklorico Citlali

3rd Place: Leikarringen of Leif Erikson Lodge 2-001

CHEER TEAMS

1st Place: West Seattle High School Cheer

2nd Place: Chief Sealth High School Cheer

3rd Place: Kennedy Catholic High School Cheer

PERFORMING ACTS

1st Place: Seafair Pirates

2nd Place: Nile Shriners
3rd Place: Endolyne Children’s Choir

CARS & ANTIQUE CARS

1st Place: Corvette Marque Club of Seattle
2nd Place: 1942 American LaFrance Fire Engine

3rd Place: Pacific Northwest Delorean Club

DRILL TEAMS, SR.

1st Place: Epitome Family Entertainment

CONVEYED FLOATS

1st Place: Holy Rosary School
2nd Place: Seafair Commodores
3rd Place: Pacific NW Naval Air Museum Replica Nimitz

FESTIVAL ROYALTY

1st Place: The Daffodil Festival

2nd Place: Fathoms o’ Fun Festival – Legends Around the Sound

Congratulations to all!

P.S. The award ceremony was held post-parade at the Senior Center of West Seattle. Here are two photos from the Parade Committee, showing new parade participants accepting their trophies – Prentice Family Entertainment (with parade chair Keith Hughes at left and parade coordinator Michelle Edwards at right).

And Dragonfly Yoga and Pilates:

If you want to compare, here’s the list (with photos and video) of last year’s winners. Before that, the parade, like so many things, was on pandemic hiatus in 2020 and 2021.

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WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE 2023: Report #1 – the boats

July 22, 2023 3:37 pm

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| West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

This year, as in some past years, we’ll be publishing themed groups of photos from the West Seattle Grand Parade, starting with the boats! Above, the DubSea Fish Sticks baseball team from White Center. Below, the Miss HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) hydroplane:

The Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum from Oak Harbor brought its replica of the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) aircraft carrier, which is based in Bremerton:

Another replica – the Sea Scouts’ Yankee Clipper, sponsored by the Lions Club of West Seattle:

And it’s not a Seattle parade without the Seafair Pirates‘ Moby Duck:

The Seafair Commodores‘ parade boat carried festival royalty:

Last but by no means least, parading in their home port, the West Seattle Yacht Club:

Much more to come, including the list of winners – this is a judged parade – when we get it!

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CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle rower, 14, wins national championship

July 22, 2023 1:57 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Proud mom Stephanie Jordan reports that her daughter Claire Gordon (above left) is a national champion! Claire “earned a gold medal in the U17 Women’s 4+ at the 2023 USRowing Summer National Championships last weekend – she rowed stroke seat for the U19 Selection Development team. Claire also won a bronze medal in the Women’s U23 8+, which is particularly cool because she’s just 14!” Claire will be a West Seattle High School sophomore this year, after finishing her freshman year remotely from Ohio, where she was training. Stephanie tells us more about Claire:

-She rows 6 days a week during the Fall and Spring seasons at Green Lake.

-She earned a silver medal as NW Junior Regionals in the Women’s JV 8+ in May and competed with the Green Lake Varsity 8+ boat at Junior nationals in Sarasota last month.

-Her results this season earned her one of 44 spots at the U19 Selection Development camp (part of the Olympic Development Program), where she trained for 4 weeks with rowers from across the United States

-Claire tried rowing two summers ago at the encouragement of her older brother William, who is also a NW Youth Regional gold medalist in the Men’s 4V 8+, and a junior at WSHS

William also rows for Green Lake, Stephanie tells us, a program managed through Seattle Parks. Green Lake is also the site of the next regatta on August 5th. P.S. You can see Claire’s race in this video.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: California SW open again after West Seattle Grand Parade

July 22, 2023 1:16 pm

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| West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Just in case you were wondering – the parade is over (lots of coverage to come) and California SW has reopened. It ran exactly an hour at the California/Lander start and the last entries were in the final block before Edmunds around 12:45 pm. The bus reroutes should be ending shortly if they haven’t already.

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VIDEO: 600+ run, roll, walk, stroll in 2023 West Seattle Float Dodger 5K

July 22, 2023 10:41 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

My Team Triumph – a program through which people with disabilities experience endurance events – was the first starting wave at this year’s Float Dodger 5K a little over an hour ago, preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade. New start/finish location this year for Float Dodger 5K, since the Hiawatha field is closed for turf replacement – activities moved a bit south to the West Seattle High School parking lot. The starting waves continued with the “fast runners”:

The “medium runners”:

The “casual runners”:

And the “power walkers”:

West Seattle Runner presents the Float Dodger 5K, with proceeds going to the West Seattle Food Bank. We’re told 624 people had registered by the 9:30 am start. First to cross the finish line (added) – 23-year-old Isaac Weber, in 16:22:

(Results are here – the oldest timed finisher was 81, the youngest, 6!) A free-to-participate Kids’ Dash happened half an hour before the run/walk.

Community co-sponsors helped power the Float Dodger 5K, including WSB sponsor Lake Washington Physical Therapy-West Seattle.

ADDED 2:34 PM: Here’s the actual float-dodging (featuring the Rotary “End Polio Now” float):

Your 5K cooordinators, Lori and Tim McConnell of West Seattle Runner:

On behalf of the beneficiaries, today’s West Seattle Food Bank booth crew:

And the fierce faces of the young runners as they awaited the Kids’ Dash:

The events concluded with root-beer floats for all and (for the 21+ participants) a WS Runner beer garden.

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West Seattle Grand Parade, Float Dodger 5K, Alki Art Fair, Rat City Rumble, more for your Saturday

July 22, 2023 6:03 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Latest image from SDOT camera in heart of The Junction)

One of summer’s biggest days! And that just counts what’s happening in West Seattle; there’s also that megaconcert across the bay … but first:

STREET CLOSURES/BUS REROUTES FOR 5K & PARADE The Float Dodger 5K and West Seattle Grand Parade take over California Avenue SW between Admiral Way and SW Edmunds until early afternoon. Bus rerouting for the 50, 128, and C Line starts at 5 am. Parking restrictions will be enforced starting at 7 am – move your car by then! Street closures will be phased in starting around 8 am. More info here.

FLOAT DODGER 5K West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) presents the 5K as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank. This year it starts from the West Seattle High School parking lot (3000 California SW) because of the field work at Hiawatha. Timeline: Last-minute registration opens at 8:30 am, a free kids’ dash happens at 9, and then the 5K starts at 9:30. Root-beer floats afterward!

WEST SEATTLE GRAND PARADE A tradition since 1935! More than 70 entries, as previewed here, will make their way down California (here’s the route), some on wheels, some on foot, many West Seattle neighbors, plus some of the big parade stars seen all around the city (Seafair Pirates and Clowns, All-City Band) … go grab a spot on the curb somewhere along the route (if you want to hear announcements, be near California/Charlestown or California/Alaska), and have fun waving, clapping, and cheering, The parade starts at California/Lander at 11 am and heads south

Then down at the beach:

ALKI ART FAIR, DAY 2: Second of three days for the Alki Art Fair, which happens in and around the Bathhouse (60th/Alki) and along the promenade.

*Hours today: Booths 10 am-6 pm, music until 7 pm
*Artist/vendor info here
*Music info here
*Food vendors listed here (scroll down)
*Free Kids’ Zone

Alki Art Fair community co-sponsors include WSB. And here’s what else is happening:

SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: 10 am-2 pm, the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Garden Center will be open, with a sizable selection of student-grown plants. (6000 16th SW, north end of campus)

SOUTH DELRIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET: The farmers’ market on the grounds of Hope Academy (9421 18th SW) is happening every week, 10 am-2 pm Saturday, prioritizing vendors of color and presented by African Community Housing & Development.

MORNING MUSIC: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Learn about Marco’s music here.

FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – see full details in our calendar listing.

FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at 11 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).

RAT CITY RUMBLE: Another block party in White Center! Lariat Bar is leading this one, 11 am-5 pm, with 16th SW closed between 98th and 100th, and wrestling matches – in keeping with Lariat’s theme – among the highlights. Here are the details via our partner site White Center Now.

SPRAYPARK OPEN: Highland Park Spraypark is open daily, 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale-

COLMAN POOL OPEN: The public is welcome at the city-run outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), 12-7 pm (session schedule here).

2 WADING POOLS OPEN: Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), 12-7 pm, in the upper park near the north play area; Hiawatha (2700 California SW), 12-5:30 pm, in the park northeast of the community center.

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2234 SW Orchard)

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) 12-4 pm.

VISCON CELLARS: 1-6 pm, visit the tasting room at Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) – selling wine by the glass or bottle. Learn about their wines here! (5910 California SW)

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: 1-6 pm, with student-produced wines available. North end of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. (6000 16th SW)

FREE VACCINATIONS: Looking for a COVID vaccination or booster? 2-5:30 pm, get it free – no health insurance required – at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).

S2S FEST & S2S BIKE RIDE FINISH: Peace Peloton presents a festival of food/drink, music, and arts/crafts at Seacrest Park (1660 Harbor SW), 3-10 pm, including the 5 pm finish of the S2S (Summit to Sound) bicycle ride. You can RSVP for the festival for free by going here.

SOULFEST BLOCK PARTY: Starting at 4:30 pm, music, food, and fun will fill the site of this unique celebration in Seaview. Ticket link, music lineup, and more are here.

LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: Les Ailes performs in-store, live, free, all ages, at 6 pm. (4559 California SW)

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: 7 pm at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), GreenStage presents “Henry VI, part 1.” Free.

(Thursday night’s sunset, photographed by Jen Popp. Tonight’s sunset is at 8:56 pm)

AT KENYON HALL: Doors 7, music 7:30 pm with Kurt Lindsay and Mary Win. Info and reservation link are in our calendar listing. (7904 35th SW)

HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH: 7:30 pm, second-to-last performance at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor). Our calendar listing includes the ticket link – almost sold out when last we checked!

LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: 7 pm doors, 8 pm music, Signal Flags, The Jaydogs, Calli & the Boot ‘n’ Rally, $10. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

EXTRA LATE-NIGHT WATER-TAXI RUNS: Got tix for Taylor Swift? Tonight and tomorrow, the West Seattle Water Taxi adds extra late-night runs – details here.

If you are planning a show, sale, event, meeting, seminar, reading, field trip, fundraiser, class, game, or ? … get it on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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