Someone asked us early this evening on Twitter/X, “There are a bunch of women in the Junction dressed in Lucille Ball wigs and dresses. A few men too, what is up????” Well, no, not Lucille Ball. Actually – Helen Roper.

This is, as featured in our event calendar and daily preview list, the West Seattle Roper Romp, a pub crawl for which participants were encouraged to dress up like Helen Roper, a TV sitcom character from the shows “Three’s Company” and “The Ropers,” which aired 1977-1980 but live on in Gen X hearts.

As Hollye Bondurant, who sent the above photos, pointed out, Roper Romps were featured earlier this week in a New York Times story. We suspect there’s been a run on caftans and auburn wigs ever since. If you have some standing by, you still have an hour to get in on the West Seattle Roper Romp – the 10-11 pm stops are in our calendar listing.

POWER PROBLEMS: 300+ customers in Puget Ridge area out; vault fire on West Marginal

August 26, 2023 7:29 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Puget Ridge | Utilities | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

7:29 PM: Thanks for the tips. Above is a screengrab of the Seattle City Light map showing 317 customers lost power about 10 minutes ago, mostly in the Puget Ridge area. No obvious cause yet. Let us know if you see SCL crews!

7:51 PM: We don’t know yet if it’s related but SFD is responding to a vault fire in the 6700 block of West Marginal [map]. Firefighters report “light smoke coming from an underground vault” and SFD says via Twitter/X: “Firefighters are establishing a 300-foot safety perimeter as a precaution and to protect nearby structures.” … The outage map has, since the start, included two spots off West Marginal, including one in the area of the vault fire, so that might be an indication.

8:05 PM: They’re dismissing most of the units from the vault-fire call.

9:19 PM: Power’s restored to the 300+ who were out.

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READER REPORT: Indecent exposure at Roxhill Park playground

August 26, 2023 7:25 pm

| 89 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Westwood

From a reader who wanted to be anonymous:

I think it’s important for the public to be aware of this (for lack of a better word)… insanity occurring in places that are generally considered safe.

Police Call Reference Number 23-246390.

There was a guy at the park who was either high out of his mind, or very mentally impaired. Around noon he emerged from the playground area bathroom completely naked, exposing himself to lots of kids that were present. An agitated woman who I do not know told me her son just went in the bathroom where this naked guy was just weirdly hanging out and he was pretty shaken up.

Several people called the police. We did not engage him as we weren’t sure if he was violent.

For the next hour, no police showed up. A couple of Park Services people showed up and tried to contain the guy to the bathroom area, but they were pretty helpless. Anyways, this guy continued to go in and out of the bathroom and walk by the play area, where people were trying to shield their kids.

After an hour of no police response, a few people eventually had enough of this guy, decided he wasn’t physically violent, and chased him away. He walked over to Westwood Village, still naked.

Two hours after the police were called and we left the scene, I got this text:

“The officers searched the area for your incident but were unable to locate the incident or person(s). We appreciate your help in keeping our community safe.”

It’s frustrating that a drugged-out naked guy can hang out at a playground for 2 hours before law enforcement shows up.

We were away from the scanner much of today while at the Admiral festival, so we didn’t hear the related radio traffic, and the Broadcastify audio archives are missing significant chunks of time prior to 4:15 pm today. The Twitter/X call logs did time-stamp this call – usually the time when it was received, not necessarily when it was dispatched – at 12:04 pm, and show a separate “lewd/flashing/exposing” call at Westwood Village, 23-246448, at 1:01 pm.

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PHOTOS, VIDEO: Admiral Funktion 2023 street party!

August 26, 2023 12:19 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

12:19 PM: The second annual Admiral Funktion street party is on!

(WSB photos, video unless otherwise credited)

Until 10 tonight, you can come enjoy this warm late-summer Saturday and walk/roll in the street along California SW between Admiral Way and SW College, The festival is presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, whose booth is toward the south end of the festival zone:

They’re in front of the gas-station car wash, ready to talk with you about what’s going on in north West Seattle (and as festival media sponsor, we’re on-site right next to them). Visit their booth for tchotchkes, too – and balloon animals (get here sooner rather than later to get in on those).

Admiral Neighborhood Association’s booth is also accepting $25 (or more) donations to support the festival, for which you get a special wristband good for discounts at local venues. (The ANA is an official nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible.) The music just started up, too, toward the north end of the festival zone (update – here’s video from the first band, School of Rock:)

Here’s the scheduled band lineup:

12 pm – School of Rock
1 pm – Princess Pulpit
2 pm – Michael Pearsall
3 pm – Matlock and the Keys
4 pm – Midnight Gallo
5 pm – Radium Girls
6 pm – Tennis Pro
7 pm – (update: mystery act)
8 pm – The Loveless Building
9 pm – The Ancient Robotz

More coverage to come!

1:03 PM: If you have questions for your Seattle City Council District 1 candidates – both have festival tables, so this is a great place to come meet them/talk with them in person:

The election is November 7th; voting will start when ballots are sent out in mid-October. … Other opportunities for community involvement that you can find out about during Admiral Funktion include learning about Neighborhood Emergency Communication Hubs – preparedness expert extraordinaire Cindi Barker is set up in front of (updated) Ralph’s Barber Shop (close to the festival water-filling station):

Speaking of restaurants, a fun part of the festival street closure is a chance to enjoy expanded outdoor cafés today/tonight at many of the year-round Admiral food/beverage establishments – from West Wings …:

…to Mission Cantina:

… to Arthur’s:

1:35 PM: Princess Pulpit is on stage right now (added: video courtesy Jason Grotelueschen).

Lots of people have stopped by the booth to say hi (thanks!) – and we also wanted to mention that you can learn about community organizations during Admiral Funktion as well as local businesses. Elizabeth and Clay opened the day at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society booth (where you also can find out about the Save the Stone Cottage campaign):

2:43 PM: Here’s Michael Pearsall, on stage a short time ago:

Lots of kid activities, too – Clay sent this photo from the Stone Cottage/Historical Society booth, with 4-year-old Ellie Piersall doing some stone decorating:

3:37 PM: Onstage right now – Matlock and the Keys:

We’ve taken another spin through the booths – Seattle Yarn, moving to Admiral soon, is here:

Inner Alchemy, which has a storefront in South Admiral, is here too:

Inner Alchemy’s Maari Falsetto is having a sound bath to raise money for Maui fire relief – 6 pm Wednesday (August 30th) at Me-Kwa-Mooks (more info here).

3:55 PM: We should note that “Dan the Balloon Man,” who spent hours making custom creations at the Admiral Neighborhood Association booth, has departed. But many booths/vendors are here until 6, so it’s still a great time to come down and walk around. … Another community organization you’ll see here is the West Seattle Food Bank. You can find out about the next Taste of West Seattle – returning this year to its pre-pandemic format – set for September 28th:

4:35 PM: Midnight Gallo is onstage this hour.

This festival – only in its second year and bound to be even bigger next year – is just one of the events the ANA coordinates; Summer Concerts at Hiawatha and the Admiral stops on the West Seattle Art Walk are among the others, plus they’re taking over the West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade starting next year. Regular community meetings, too – next one is on September 12th, where guests will include City Attorney Ann Davison.

5 PM: Last hour for booths (some have broken down already) – but again, the music’s on for a few hours beyond, and the street closure continues, so you might consider coming down for dinner at one of the venues with outdoor cafés.

5:31 PM: This hour’s band, Radium Girls:

ANA is about to draw the winner of its prize pack, with items donated by local merchants:

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READER REPORT: Harbor Avenue condo garage flooding

August 26, 2023 12:03 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from the garage at the condo building Point Nautica. The texter says the flooding is due to a water break. Seattle Fire has been there (1005 Harbor SW) on a call categorized as a “major water job” for more than an hour.

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READER REPORTS: Business burglary, car down park slope, laundromat theft

August 26, 2023 11:55 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three reader reports this morning:

BUSINESS BURGLARY: The photo is via Twitter/X, at the strip mall on the northeast corner of 35th/Roxbury:

We’re going by a bit later to try to find out more (and we’ll update this when we do). The police-call log shows a burglary report just before 5:30 am. The incident number is 23-246128. 2 pm update: The break-in was at Global Smoke & Vape, which hasn’t yet completed inventory of what was taken.

CAR DOWN SLOPE: Thanks for the tips and photos of this – a Hyundai down a Westcrest Park slope:

We don’t have police info on this yet but there’s been at least one past instance of a stolen car “disposed of” this way.

OLYMPIC HEIGHTS LAUNDROMAT THEFT: Via email from a customer of this laundromat on the northwest corner of 35th/Webster: “Work clothing placed in locking washer and started and when returned at the end of cycle; clothes and basket were missing. Owners of laundromat are not forthcoming with contact information in the laundromat to get a hold of them to get digital camera evidence. Submitted a report to SPD and awaiting approval but I heard from another person that there was another recent theft there.”

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Admiral Funktion, White Center Block Party, more for your West Seattle Saturday

August 26, 2023 6:16 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Two street parties top our highlight list,

ADMIRAL FUNKTION: That traffic camera shows the south end of what will be the festival zone for the second annual Admiral Funktion, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, with community co-sponsors including WSB. It’s happening on California SW between Admiral Way and SW College. See the band lineup here; see the vendor lineup here; get your wristband – good for local venue discounts – at the ANA booth on-site (south end of festival zone). It’s all happening 11 am-10 pm.

WHITE CENTER BLOCK PARTY: Also starting at 11 am, on 16th SW between Roxbury and 100th. Live music, live wrestling, vendors, more, as previewed here. This festival is scheduled to continue until midnight.

Here’s what else you need to know, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

FREEWAY CLOSURE REMINDERS: Two major closures all weekend – Highway 518 eastbound, from 509 eastward, which means you can’t take that route to the airport or Southcenter (among other destinations); plus Highway 520 both ways between Seattle and Bellevue.

VOYAGING CANOE SAILING BY: Hōkūleʻa will likely be visible from West Seattle’s Elliott Bay shores around 8 am, as explained here.

(canceled due to air quality) FREE GROUP RUN: Get your weekend off to a running start with this weekly West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW) group run, All levels welcome. Meet at the shop by 8 am.

YARD/GARAGE SALES: Several are listed for today in the WSB Community Forums.

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, presented by African Community Housing & Development.

ARTISTS’ SECONDS SALE: Go shop cool creations at 3512 SW Charlestown, 10 am-2 pm.

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).

BAGELS AND PIZZA AT THE P-PATCH: The Barton Street P-Patch Gardeners welcome you for two tasty rounds today – bagels, 11 am-1:30 pm; pizza, 4-6:30 pm, and live music with Gary Benson starting at 5 pm.

SATURDAY COOKOUTS: Highland Park Corner Store is grilling, 11 am-2 pm on Saturdays through September. (7789 Highland Park Way SW)

50TH REUNION: West Seattle High School‘s Class of 1973 is gathering today, 11 am-3 pm at Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor). If you’re in the class and haven’t heard about it until now – all the info’s here.

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

COLMAN POOL OPEN: Just one and a half more weeks to swim at the city-run outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), open noon-7 pm (session schedule here).

WADING POOL: Last one open in West Seattle is Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), 12-7 pm, in the upper park near the north play area, daily through Labor Day.

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

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: See what’s new at the home of West Seattle’s history – visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) 12-4 pm. P.S. Here’s a message from the museum:

Neighbors and visitors may notice a few changes at the Log House Museum. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is in the process of updating its signage. If you notice a missing sign or panel, please know the museum is aware! Any questions about the Historical Society can be directed to museum@loghousemuseum.org or by calling 206.350.0999.

VISCON CELLARS: 1-6 pm, visit the tasting room at Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) – offering wine by the glass or bottle. Learn about Viscon 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)

SIGNING AT EASY STREET RECORDS: 2 pm, meet Budos Band in celebration of their new EP. (4559 California SW)

WEST SEATTLE EAGLES MEMBERSHIP DRIVE & MAUI DINNER: Two reasons to visit the West Seattle Eagles‘ aerie in The Junction today/tonight – starting at 2 pm, it’s a membership-drive day, and they’re happy to talk with anyone interested in joining the organization of “People Helping People.” Example of their mission – a dinner tonight raising money for Maui fire relief. More info in our calendar listing, (4462 California SW)

WEST SEATTLE ROPER ROMP: Pub crawl paying homage to TV’s “Mrs. Roper,” starting at 5:30 pm – times and stops are in our calendar listing.

(Friday sunset, photographed from Lincoln Park by Tom Trulin)

LIVE AT C & P COFFEE: 7 pm-9 pm, Cyd Smith performs at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). No cover, all ages.

TERRY MUTTER ALBUM RELEASE: 7 pm show at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW), with special guest Carmen Ficarra. Ticket reservations here.

WEST END GIRLS: West Seattle’s monthly drag extravaganza at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), doors 7 pm, show 8 pm, $20.

OUT AT THE BOX: 9:30 pm drag show at Box Bar (5401 California SW), no cover.

Planning a concert, open house, 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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CRIME WATCH: Man shot while driving on southbound Highway 509

August 26, 2023 12:47 am

| 9 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

12:47 AM: A “scenes of violence” response is headed to a reported shooting victim in a car at Arrowhead Gardens but that’s not where he says he was shot. Dispatch was told the 21-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound to the left leg after someone in another car shot at his car on southbound Highway 509; he subsequently got off the highway and called 911.

12:52 AM: Police say this is a possible case of “road rage” involving one shot fired “just north of the Myers Way exit.” The vehicle from which the shot was fired is described only as a “black sedan.”

1:04 AM: A few more details – the victim was driving when this happened and was shot in the thigh. He’s being taken to Harborview Medical Center right now.

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