West Seattle, Washington
19 Wednesday
(WSB photo, last March – Denis Sapiro at center, presenting grant to Summit Atlas Garden Club)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When the West Seattle Grand Parade starts rolling down California Avenue SW from The Admiral District to The Junction next Saturday morning, Denis Sapiro will be riding toward the front of the parade as this year’s recipient of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community.
Denis is the president of the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, one of the local service clubs that make life better in a thousand ways you likely are not aware of. A major Kiwanis focus is to help kids and teenagers. And Denis has helped generations of them – he’s been a Kiwanian for 56 years.
The Orville Rummel Trophy is named for the man who founded the parade in 1934 as then-commander of American Legion Post 160 and chair of the Hi-Yu Committee, which staged the now-defunct West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer festival. (After many years of presenting the parade, Post 160 turned it over to the West Seattle Rotary Service Foundation.) The award dates back to the parade’s golden anniversary – the first one was presented in 1984.
Back to our current recipient: Denis had been involved with Kiwanis before he came to Seattle in the ’70s, he nonetheless found the local club by accident, when he saw a mention of the club’s pancake breakfast on a reader board maintained by the late entrepreneur and community advocate Warren Lawless. The pancake breakfast is a hallowed Kiwanis Club of West Seattle tradition to this day, a traditional start to the holiday season, often launching the day that concludes with the West Seattle Junction Hometown Holidays tree lighting, incorporating not just a hearty breakfast but also Santa photos and a Toys for Tots drive.
His career was a form of community service as well; he came to Seattle to continue work he had done in California, “working on ships for safety and regulatory compliance.” Later in his career, he moved on to biological safety, including, in the ’80s, after the research that discovered that AIDS was viral, he worked for a company that developed test kits. He later co-founded a consulting firm that helped small and medium businesses deal with chemical safety, and that firm continued until just two years ago.
So Denis has even more time to devote to volunteer work, though he was already in pretty deep over the years – including working with Scout troops, the AARP tax-assistance program, efforts to remedy health challenges such as iodine deficiency in Vietnam, student Key Clubs, the West Seattle Food Bank, fundraising for nonprofits such as Northwest Hope and Healing and WestSide Baby. They offer scholarships to students.
(WSB photo, last December’s coat drive – that’s Denis at right)
And their work can be seemingly simple, person to person – for example, if you’re a West Seattle Farmers Market visitor, you’ve probably seen the Kiwanis booth at the south end in the cooler months, with activities from hot coffee to kids’ art to involvement in The Junction’s holiday-season coat drive. He is also proud of advocating for Kiwanis to stop limiting full membership to men.
If you talk with him about any or all of this, you’ll hear the passion in his voice. One good place to find him – besides the Grand Parade route on Saturday (11 am start at California/Lander) – is the monthly Kiwanis Club of West Seattle meeting, first Wednesday of each month. (They’re looking for a new location, now that the Great American Diner has closed. You can contact the club here.
PAST ORVILLE RUMMEL TROPHY WINNERS: Denis’s predecessors:
1984: Charles and Ann Gage
1985: RB Chris Crisler Jr.
1986: Morgan and Carol McBride
1987: Margaret Miaullis
1988: Charles Jung
1989: Aurlo Bonney
1990: Katie Thorburn
1991: Dorothy Poplawski
1992: Dan Wiseman
1993: Virgil Sheppard
1994: Dorene Smith
1995: Doris Richards
1996: John Kelly
1997: Dick Kennedy
1998: Jim Edwards and Barbara Edwards
1999: Lt. David E. Cass
2000: Husky Deli/Miller Family
2001: Stephanie Haskins
2002: Forest Lawn
2003: Sue Lindblom
2004: Edgar and Ann Phipps
2005: Karen Sisson
2006: Walt DeLong
2007: David and Doreen Vague
2008: Tim St. Clair
2009: Morey Skaret
2010: West Seattle Blog
2011: Cindi Barker
2012: Shirley Vradenburgh
2013: Judy Pickens
2014: Earl Cruzen
2015: Donn Weaver
2016: Clay Eals
2017: Keith Hughes
2018: Velko Vitalich
2019: Adah Cruzen
2022: Deb Barker
2023: Erik Bell
2024: Bianca Thomka and Neil Duncan
2025: Dan and Joanie Jacobs
Again this year, Belvedere Park (3600 SW Admiral Way) is where you’ll go for the first concert of this year’s Admiral Music in the Parks series, free concerts presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association. Thursday, July 16, is the night, 6:30 pm is the time, and Steve Aliment & Annie O’Neill are the musicians, promising “rock ‘n’ roll, country, and soul.” Three free concerts, three parks, bonus activities including a knitting circle and board-game library, each of the next three Thursday nights.
10:44 AM: The Theo McGaughey Trio is opening West Seattle Summer Fest‘s third and final day with instrumental jazz at The Big Dark Corner (aka KeyBank Plaza), today’s one and only festival music stage, because the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is on the block north of Oregon where the main stage was. The corner has an eclectic lineup of performers all day:
11:00 Allwaye
11:45 Malty & The Rain (Acoustic)
12:45 J Skip
1:30 Tobi Kunkel
2:30 Melina’s Birthday Set
3:30 Better As Brass
4:00 Trombone King
We’re also told “the balloon guy” will be back at California/Alaska in the early afternoon. More sights and sounds of Summer Fest as the day goes on – get here by 5 pm, because that’s when West Seattle’s biggest party wraps till next year! Missed our as-it-happens coverage the past two days with lots of photos and video? Scroll through this archive!
11:38 AM: The Farmers’ Market, on California NORTH of Oregon this week only, has a full lineup of summer produce today – including cherries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, stone fruits – fresh flowers too:
End time is the usual 2 pm. While we were on the way up for a look, this T-shirt caught our eye:
That’s one of the local-themed T-shirts at Sweet Pea and Boy, a vendor whose booth is across from Camp West’s outdoor café. (And if you’re interested in an official Summer Fest T-shirt, head down to the Mobile Apparel booth just north of our Info Booth spot, across from Easy Street Café – they have other West Seattle-themed shirt designs too.
We’ve been talking all weeken about the year-round local businesses and their Summer Fest specials … if you have room in your life for a house plant, stop by the Discovery Shop, where the proceeds fun the fight against cancer:
12:12 PM: On the corner stage right now, an acoustic set by Malty and The Rain:
12:42 PM: If you’re playing the Fourth Emerald Games “Safari Junction” Pokémon scavenger hunt, it’s all wrapping up in less than an hour – redemption deadline is 1:30.
Josh from Fourth Emerald just told us they’ve given out more than 2,400 cards – and more than 100 complete applications so far – way more than they expected. Players have been looking for 40 different Pokémon, and for every 10 they find, they get a card pack.
1:36 PM: Another year-round Junction business that’s had something special all weekend – Jet City Labs/Revelry Room has had a long lineup of DJs. We went over for a pic just now when proprietor Derek Moon himself – DJ Mr. Moon – was delivering the beats:
Bubbles are back at Walk-All-Ways:
And if that’s not enough bubbles for the youngest festivalgoers, the foam party is back in action in the Kids Zone again today (there’s an admission charge).
You’ve got a little more than three hours left to get here – and/or get back for another look.
2:08 PM: Easy Street Records, legendary for its signage, has been displaying that one at the corner. Next Saturday, we should note, will be another happy time in The Junction (and beyond) – the West Seattle Grand Parade, on California from Lander southbound to Edmunds, starting at 11 am Saturday (July 18) – we’ll have another preview starting tonight. (And for a fun time before the parade, run/walk in the Float Dodger 5K on the parade route!). The parade is presented by the foundation arm of the Rotary Club of West Seattle (WSB sponsor), which has a booth at the south end of the festival.
2:56 PM: Just wrapped up at The Big Dark Corner stage, Melina’s Birthday Party, which drew an enthusiastic singalong crowd:
At 3:30 pm, local brass band Better As Brass is scheduled to get brassy and sassy at the corner … We’ve had fun again today meeting all the people who’ve stopped by to say hi – thank you!
3:46 PM: The band actually got going a bit early, opening with the decidedly brassy “Crazy in Love” (Beyoncé) and continuing through a set list currently on Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” Here’s what we recorded – a Wham! classic:
One more hour to try something new – maybe the non-alcoholic coladas in whole pineapples, or New Zealand style ice cream all the way from Highland Park …or something from Natalie’s, up rom Alki Beach …and if you’ve brought a furry friend, now that it’s the warmest time of the afternoon, remember they can take a break outside Next to Nature.
4:07 PM: Just in, WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen‘s video of singer-songwriter Tobi Kunkel:
And from a galaxy far, far away …
The final musical act of the day, who goes by The Trombone King, is now providing the soundtrack to the last hour of Summer Fest 2026:
We remember him from his busking at the festival in years past.
And here’s our reminder that West Seattle Summer Fest is brought to you by the West Seattle Junction Association, the nonprofit merchants’ association, and some of the year’s other events raise money to help cover the costs – other WSJA-presented events yet to come this year include the Glass Float Hunt (August 7-14), Wine Walk (next one September 18), Harvest Festival (October 25), and Hometown Holidays (this year’s tree-lighting festival will be on December 5).
5 PM: Thanks for another fun Summer Fest! The breakdown has begun …
9 AM: If you feel like exploring the shore, another round of low-low tides is starting today: -3.2 feet at 9:40 am, then tomorrow (Monday) -3.7 at 10:30 am, on Tuesday it’s out to -3.9 feet at 11:20 am, then -3.6 feet at 12:08 pm on Wednesday, and -2.8 feet at 12:54 pm on Thursday. Tread lightly!
10:30 AM: One unusual sight with the tide going out – the photo above is from Eve, who reports that at Lowman Beach, ” a boat was apparently pushed to shore overnight after a line snapped. Some neighbors are trying to help secure it ao it won’t get damaged as the tide comes back in.”
For the third and final day, West Seattle Summer Fest is the main event. Here’s the main map:
Festival hours today are 10 am to 5 pm. We’ll be on site in the Info Booth reporting on the festival again today, and that’s also where you’ll find community groups, public agencies, and festival-merch info. Also today at the festival – the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm on California north of Oregon. Here are key links:
Music lineup (one venue today, The Big Dark Corner in front of KeyBank, starting at 10 am)
Vendor lineup
Food and drink info
Kids Zone info
Traffic/transit reminders – California is closed to motor vehicles from Genesee to Edmunds, Oregon is closed between the alleys either side of California, and Alaska is closed between 42nd and 44th. Bus reroutes/stop substitutions are here.
Here’s what’s on the rest of today’s event list, mostly from our West Seattle Event Calendar:
HOW TO CREATE A PARADIGM SHIFT: “Masterclass” event at Dakota Place Park (California/Dakota), 9 am-2 pm.
NO SUNDAY FUNDAY RUNDAY: The Westies Run Club is running from Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) today, 9 am.
‘LITTLE STP RIDE’: The annual tradition, riding from SW Seattle Street to SW Portland Street with West Seattle Bike Connections – meet at 9:15 am at Hamilton Viewpoint Park (1318 Palm SW), info in our calendar listing.
AMERICAN MAH JONGG: In The Junction, weekly Sunday morning games are happening at The Missing Piece (4707 California SW), 9:30 am.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: As noted above, today it’s a block north of its usual spot – on California SW between Oregon and Genesee, 10 am-2 pm, now in summer produce-and-products season.
FREE NIA CLASS: Begins at 10:15 am; first class free if you pre-register. At Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary. (3618 SW Alaska)
MOON ROOM SALE: Day 3!
Moon Room Summer Fest Sale!
Through Sunday, July 12
15% off In Person & Online
Moon Room (WSB sponsor) is open 11 am-5 pm today at 5902 California SW.
MASTER GARDENERS CLINIC AT WS NURSERY: Today you’ll find them at West Seattle Nursery (5275 California SW; WSB sponsor), 11 am-3 pm.
SPRAYPARK SEASON: Daily splashing at the Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
MICRODOSING FOR WOMEN: Informational session at 11 am at Nurture Wellbeing (6307 California SW).
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open today! Need a tool but don’t need/want to, or can’t, buy it? You’ll probably be able to find it at, and borrow it from, the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
COLMAN POOL: Noon-7 pm, daily public sessions resume at the outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park – see the schedule here. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
WADING POOLS OPEN TODAY: Forecast is for sunny and 70+ so these two city-run wading pools should be open, both noon-7 pm: Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) and EC Hughes (2805 SW Holden).
WELCOME ROAD WINERY: You’re welcome Sunday afternoons at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)
SOCCER: Last regular-season home match for West Seattle Junction FC, vs. Portland Bangers FC, 2 pm, Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: GreenStage is back, today with two Backyard Bard shortened plays, starting at 4 pm at High Point Commons Park (behind 6400 SW Sylvan Way).
BLACK TEA AT REVELRY ROOM: Post-Summer Fest in The Junction – 7 pm-midnight, late-night tea service with host Jack Sanders, info and RSVP here. (4547 California SW)
UNDERGROUND TRIVIA AT CORNER POCKET:Also post-Summer Fest, Q&A in The Junction! Trivia starts at 7:30 pm – free to play, and you can win prizes! (4302 SW Alaska)
LIVE JAZZ AT THE ALLEY: Music to end the weekend, this too is post-Summer Fest in The Junction! 8-10 pm, jazz with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW).
JUNCTION STREETS REOPEN: This will happen late tonight, after festival breakown is complete.
Organizing, or assisting with, an event that we could add to the WSB community calendar – whether one-time or recurring? Please email the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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