West Seattle, Washington
13 Thursday
Saturday is more than Valentine’s Day … it’s Neighbor Appreciation Day in Seattle. The free city-sponsored events in West Seattle include an open house at Fire Station 37 (35th/Holden) from 11 am-1 pm, and then you can head over to Southwest Pool for a free public swim, 1-2 pm (2801 SW Thistle). One more event of note – pancake breakfast 9 am-noon at Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW) – free for 2/under but otherwise, $6/person for 13-64, $10/couple, $4/3-12 and 65+. (WSB photo from Station 37 on 2012’s Neighbor Appreciation Day)
This time next Saturday morning (February 7th), you could be out for a walk exploring some of the best views in West Seattle (or a different part of the city), during one of 14 tours that’ll be part of Seattle Stairway Walks Day, presented by Feet First. Three West Seattle routes are on the list this year:
*Longfellow/Pigeon Point tour
*Fauntleroy/Morgan tour
*Alki From Above tour
All 14 of the routes around the city are taken from West Seattleites Cathy & Jake Jaramillo‘s book, “Seattle Stairway Walks: An Up-and-Down Guide to City Neighborhoods.” The walks will all run 10 am-noon next Saturday; space is limited to 35 per walk – online signups are happening right now, so you can save your spot(s). Admission is by donation but “no one will be turned away,” says FF.
Got a winning chili recipe? Maybe you even cooked it up for tonight’s game and won raves. The upcoming Fauntleroy Chili Cookoff could be your next playing field. Planners are looking for home-based chili chefs to compete. Meat or vegetarian, if your recipe is a winner, e-mail info@fauntleroyucc.org or call 206-938-4203 for competition details; the cookoff is 6:30-8 pm January 31st in the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall. (If you’re more chili fan than chili chef, get it on your calendar now – more info here.)
(Delridge Skatepark after the rain, December photo by Laura Goodrich, shared via WSB Flickr group)
Good morning! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY SOCCER: Rain, shine, frost, fog, whatever the conditions, this pickup game hits the field, 7:30 am at Delridge Playfield. Check the FB page for updates. (Delridge/Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: First Sunday of the year, last Sunday of the year, and all the Sundays inbetween, you’ll find the market open 10 am-2 pm. WSFM says today’s new items will include another egg vendor, spot prawns, and sauerkraut. (44th/Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: 11 am is the scheduled weekly game at Walt Hundley Playfield – check here in case of changes. (34th/Myrtle)
SEATTLE GREEN SPACES COALITION: 3 pm at High Point Branch Library, you’re invited to find out what’s going on – maybe even help, if you are so moved – with the grassroots campaign to preserve greenspaces around the city, particularly surplus substations. Details in our preview. (35th/Raymond)
WEST SEATTLE YULETIDE FINALE: Tonight is the last scheduled night for the synched-to-music West Seattle Yuletide holiday-lights show, ~5-10 pm. (38th SW between Genesee and Dakota)
NIGHTLIFE: Trivia, live music, karaoke – see who and where, here.
Another outdoor event that benefited from tonight’s cleared-up weather: West Seattle Runner‘s annual Christmas Lights Run. Above, a bit of video as dozens of runners and walker left the store’s parking lot at California/Charlestown. WS Runner proprietors Lori and Tim McConnell were the hosts/leaders, for the fifth time since they launched the business (a WSB sponsor) in 2010.
The eventual destination – just a few blocks east, though the run/walk was taking a roundabout route to get there – the synched-to-music Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular/
West Seattle Lights, which you can visit any night during the holiday season (we stopped by and caught the display’s snowperson trio introducing a new addition – note they’re offering hot cocoa 6-8 pm Christmas Eve).
Next year, launch point for the Christmas Lights Run will be a ways north, since, as reported here last month, West Seattle Runner will be moving to The Admiral District. But in the meantime, they’re still at Charlestown Center, where you can Christmas-shop through Tuesday (that day they’ll be open until 8, and then closed Christmas Eve/Day).
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited)
About an hour after Winter Solstice 2014, the sun graced NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen‘s sunset-watch event at Solstice Park tonight, to the joy of skywatchers of all ages!
If you haven’t been to one yet, Alice has been leading solstice/equinox sunset watches for more than five years now:
That includes coaching on what to look for at Solstice Park, planned so the setting sun aligns with certain points in its stone-marked plaza:
Today, just after 4, with the sun’s cooperation, the ~40 in attendance were able to check the solstice-sunset alignment:
(Photo shared by Lori)
And then, the sun made its exit – still warm enough (and dry!) to linger:
Looking ahead, the spring equinox arrives at 3:45 pm our time on March 20th – watch Alice’s website and her “Skies Over West Seattle” reports here for news of the next sunset watch.
Bright lights, bright smiles! A bit blustery tonight, but still a big turnout for photos with “Santa Al” at West Seattle’s biggest and brightest holiday display, the Menashe Family Christmas Lights (5605 Beach Drive SW). He’s scheduled to be there until 10 pm; bring your camera and a non-perishable food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank.
Want to kick this year’s Santa photos up a notch in the fun department? Cocoa Cris Cringle is making his annual holiday appearance at Easy Street Records in The Junction (California/Alaska) until at least 8 pm, and he has props, hats, scarves, including some of what you see this group wearing (even the lucha libre mask). As noted on the ESR website, it’s a benefit for the West Seattle Food Bank.
(Photo credits: 1st two, WSB; third, courtesy Beer Church)
For the 16th year, the Beer Church Turkey Bowl has scored big for the West Seattle Food Bank. The big night of bowling and donating at West Seattle Bowl was last night, and Kendall Jones (below, with co-conspirator Kim Sharpe Jones) says Turkey Bowl-ers brought in “A truckload of food and $5,204. A good night.”
Here’s the truck in question – with West Seattle Food Bank team members:
Kendall and Kim also bring you the Washington Beer Blog.
Two more chances for you to put the giving in Thanksgiving:
WS FOOD BANK NEEDS 400 *MORE* TURKEYS: Tomorrow, 4-7 pm at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), it’s the West Seattle Food Bank’s 2nd Turkey Drive of the season. Says WSFB’s Judi Yazzolino, “Thriftway has plenty of 10-12 lb. turkeys for you to purchase and donate. Too busy to shop? We’ll be set up outside the store for you to just drive through, hand us your turkey or $15 and we’ll buy the turkey for you! Our goal is to collect 500 turkeys to provide to our families for their holidays and we’ve collected the equivalent of 109 turkeys so far.” Any individual or business that would like to match what we collect at Thriftway tomorrow night, please call Judi, 206-932-9023.
BOWL WITH THE BEER CHURCH ON SATURDAY: It’s the 16th annual Beer Church Turkey Bowl, and founder Kendall Jones is amazed at that number. So are we. But you’ll be even more impressed by at least one of the numbers in the official reminder:
On Saturday, November 22 at 5:30 pm at West Seattle Bowl, Beer Church hosts the 16th annual Turkey Bowl. The event is a fundraiser and food drive benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank. In the past, the event has raised as much as $6,000 and gathered over 3,000 pounds of food. Organizers hope to meet or exceed those totals this year.
There are still a limited number of lanes available for groups interested in bowling. To reserve a lane, email Kendall Jones (beerchurch@gmail.com). The cost is $180 per lane in the form of a donation to West Seattle Food Bank. Each lane can handle up to eight bowlers.
Whether you bowl or not, everyone is welcome to stop by the bowling alley and support the cause by dropping off food donations, participating in the raffle, and having a tasty beer.
“We take over West Seattle Bowl – all 32 lanes – for three hours of bowling fun,” says Kendall Jones, who has organized all 16 events. “Also, there is a target raffle, which is kind of like a silent auction without all the stress: you buy raffle tickets for $1 and decide which prizes you’re interested in winning.”
Within the larger event, local breweries bring teams and compete in the Battle of the Brewers. Local pubs and bars bring teams and compete in the Beer Church Bar Brawl. There are trophies involved and the competition is fierce. Well, not really. It’s really just about creating a fun way for people to support the Food Bank.
Beer Church is the charitable arm of the Washington Beer Blog (washingtonbeerblog.com), which Kendall and Kim Jones operate out of their West Seattle home. The blog is a leading source for news and information related to the Pacific Northwest craft beer scene.
“A decade ago, I regularly volunteered at West Seattle Food Bank,” says Kendall Jones. “Back when they were in the old location, I helped unload the truck and stock the shelves on Tuesdays. Every week we would pack that building full of food, and then within a couple of days it would all be gone. That’s when I realized how important West Seattle Food Bank is to my community. Anything Beer Church does to support the Food Bank pales in comparison to the massive, ongoing efforts of the staff and volunteers.”
Another stop for your Halloween rounds: “Nightmare on 44th,” a yard full of haunting scenes including animatronics, is a one-night-only spectacle, and awaiting your visit.
It’s a truly grave situation:
As noted in our West Seattle Halloween Guide, “Nightmare on 44th” is on the west side that very street, midblock between Charlestown and Andover (vicinity map here). Creator Dave has been tweeting behind-the-scenes pics, leading up to this one spooky night.
It’s spooky inside Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village, where storefront trick-or-treating is on until 7 pm. Unlike The Admiral District (WSB coverage here), most participants at WWV are handing out candy *inside* their stores – so you’ll just have to go in to see! Excellent costume-watching here, too:
Instead of candy at Giannoni’s Pizza, trick-or-treaters are getting bites of what the eatery is famous for:
More photos to come; more Halloween happenings are listed in our guide.
If you’re trick-or-treating at Admiral District businesses – head a bit further north and check out Trunk or Treat at Admiral Congregational Church – decorated cars and creative costumes, plus of course treats.
This is also happening until 6 pm.
The church is at 4320 SW Hill, just west of California. P.S. Remember, our list of everything happening from now until well into the night is at westseattleblog.com/halloween …
Right on cue, the rain has stopped and it’s excellent weather for trick-or-treating as The Admiral District gets things going for West Seattle’s 2014 Halloween. Almost every business we’ve stopped by/walked past on Admiral and on California is handing out treats. Get down here by 6 pm! Here’s some of who we’ve seen. At the Admiral Theater, manager Dinah is greeting trick-or-treaters:
On that same block, Don from Alki Mail and Dispatch is set up on the west side of California north of Admiral, since his business (at 47th/Admiral, and about to celebrate 25 years!) is a bit too far west otherwise:
Outside Atomic Boys, proprietors Parris and Kent are in full costume (they get to deal with candy all year long!):
At Pizzeria 22 (on SW College east of California):
At the Admiral Pub:
And the famous amazing appliance at Wiseman’s:
Lots of cool costumes:
Abiding in the Admiral Bird, where we’re temporarily stationed – The Dude:
Back to the businesspeople – insurance agent/musician Brent Amaker’s on trick-or-treat duty too:
Here’s Stu at Alki Bike and Board:
We’ll be adding more photos … see everything that’s happening around the peninsula (and a bit beyond) in our West Seattle Halloween Guide.
(Trailer for this year’s all-new Skeleton Theatre – info below)
From the WSB West Seattle Halloween Guide, where this information (and more) is organized by category, here’s a chronological-order list of what’s up this afternoon/evening – trick-or-treating, spooky displays, parties/carnivals …
HALLOWEEN OPEN HOUSE CONTINUES: Until 6 pm @ IT Headquarters and PC Mobile Help. Fresh, local apple cider and treats for adults and kids. “Have a computer question? Don’t be scared! Our friendly techs will be handing out free advice all day long.” (5631 California SW)
ADMIRAL DISTRICT TRICK-OR-TREATING: 3-6 pm at participating merchants – look for those displaying this sign:
California/Admiral and vicinity.
HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST: 3-6 pm, stop by Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor). Prize winners will be announced on November 3rd. (41st/42nd/Admiral Way)
ADMIRAL CHURCH TRUNK-OR-TREAT: 3-6 pm, the church “will be holding a parking lot party, where members will decorate their cars and create a mini-neighborhood for our neighbors to bring their kids. Free for all, come and have fun!” (4320 SW Hill)
WHITE CENTER TRICK-OR-TREATING: 4-7 pm at participating businesses. The list is being updated on this Facebook event page.
STRAIGHT BLAST GYM TRICK-OR-TREATING & MORE: “Halloween Spook Night” at Straight Blast Gym/Seattle (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge offers “not just trick or treating in a safe environment – we’ll have at least a dozen trick or treating stations – but also a ton of different activities ranging from games, relays, obstacle courses, arts and crafts, prizes!” 5-7 pm, free; one adult over 18 must accompany kids. (5050 Delridge Way SW)
WESTWOOD VILLAGE TRICK-OR-TREATING: 5-7 pm at participating merchants.
CANDY-FREE TRICK-OR-TREATING: From Twitter: Candy-free option available at “the spider house” on 18th Ave SW between Graham & Myrtle.
HAUNTED HOUSE: 5:30 until “the end,” and its owners ask you to please bring a can of food for the West Seattle Food Bank. (3011 45th SW)
SKELETON THEATRE: 6-9 pm, directions and show info here. The animatronic skeletons are back with a new show, “Beyond the Pale“ – see the trailer at the top of this story. Show runs just under 20 minutes. (36th/Hanford)
‘NIGHTMARE ON 44th’: Animatronics and more in a spooky West Seattle yard. 6-9 pm Halloween night only – check in via Twitter and Instagram to see what’s new this year. (44th SW between Charlestown and Andover)
KIDS’ KARNIVAL: 6-8 pm, for kids through 5th grade, at West Side Presbyterian Church. (3601 California SW)
GRACE CHURCH TRUNK OR TREAT: 6 pm, Grace Community Church‘s invitation: “Cars are decorated; compete for who will win the Best in Show trophy or one of the many others! Family fun for everyone. Old fashioned cupcake walk, hot food, costumes and candy.” (10323 28th SW)
HALLOWEEN PROJECTIONS/STREET PARTY: Happening at 1626 Palm SW!
That’s a preview; starts at dusk.
‘COME AS YOU AREN’T’: Skylark Café and Club‘s 8th Annual “Come as You Aren’t” battle of the bands, starting at 7 pm, free. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
COSTUME CONTEST: Plus “Nuns Go Bump,” at Outwest Bar, 7 pm. (California/Brandon)
VERY OZZY HALLOWEEN II: 9 pm, with special guest Dressed to Thrill (KISS tribute) at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor). (6451 California SW)
COSTUME EXTRAVAGANZA: 9 pm, Halloween Burlesque Costume Extravaganza at the Benbow Room. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
See the Halloween Guide for not only the full today/tonight lineup, but also post-Halloween/All Hallows’ Eve events tomorrow, and even a “candy buyback” next week. And if your Halloween fun results in a photo to share, editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Hours until Halloween, and pre-Halloween fun is already happening:
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
West Seattle’s city-run community centers always scare up a long list of Halloween activities (as featured in their quarterly brochure). Today’s Toddler Pumpkinpalooza was for the very-little ones:
Pumpkinpalooza is held annually at High Point Community Center, where costumed cuties spent two hours this morning with crafts and games, and even a bouncy toy:
For older kids, tonight brings Delridge Community Center‘s biggest Halloween event, 5:30-7:30 pm; other centers’ spotlight events were last weekend.
TRICK-OR-TREATING TOMORROW: In addition to neighborhood trick-or-treating, three local business districts welcome you on Friday (The Junction’s trick-or-treating, you probably know, was during last Sunday’s Harvest Festival):
THE ADMIRAL DISTRICT: 3-6 pm Halloween, with participating businesses mostly on Admiral Way and California for a few blocks radiating out from where those streets meet. (Check down side streets including 42nd SW and College, too.)
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 5-7 pm Halloween, merchants at West Seattle’s only mall (WSB sponsor) are welcoming trick-or-treaters.
WHITE CENTER: 4-7 pm Halloween, businesses around WC’s sprawling business district are planning their biggest event yet. See the list of participants on our partner site White Center Now.
Along with the business-district trick-or-treating mentioned above, several local churches are having Trunk-or-Treat parking lot events and Halloween-alternative festivals. You can see ALL the aforementioned listings – and more, including several All Hallows’ Eve events – by browsing our one-page West Seattle Halloween Guide, which we’ve been updating daily. (Not too late to let us know if anything for tonight, tomorrow, Saturday is missing!)
(WSB photos by Katie Meyer)
More early Halloween fun in West Seattle on Friday night, this time in The Junction, as the Halloween edition of Rainbow Bingo filled the big hall upstairs at the Senior Center of West Seattle. Hostess Sylvia O’Stayformore had more than a few costumed guests to admire:
Calendar shows she’ll be back at the West Seattle center with the Holidazzle edition of Rainbow Bingo on December 5th – and tickets are already on sale online.
With Halloween/harvest events aplenty in West Seattle for the next week-plus, tonight was the big night for local Seattle Parks facilities, including Southwest Pool, scene of an annual free family swim. Lifeguards were in costume, lights and decorations added to the atmosphere, and swimmers could play with floating pumpkins as well as the usual pool toys.
P.S. This was featured in our Halloween Guide, where you’ll find dozens more events from tomorrow through early November – and we’re adding more tonight (thanks to everyone sending theirs in).
It’s a pre-Halloween hoedown in Highland Park next Friday! From Holly with the HP Elementary PTA:
Highland Park Elementary is hosting a square dance on Friday, October 24th. This is a free event and open to the public. Dinner will be served from 6-7 and the dance will be from 7 – 9. Free pumpkins to take home, while supplies last! Donations will be accepted as a PTA fundraiser.
Highland Park Elementary is at 1012 SW Trenton.
Again this year, we’ve collected all the info we have about Halloween-related (and alternative) West Seattle events, and turned it into a one-page, by-category list of what’s happening over the next two weeks. Almost everything on it was already on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, but you might find this a more convenient way to find out what’s up. See it here. It’s linked from the WSB navigation tabs, too. If your business/ school/organization/neighborhood/etc. has a community Halloween happening that’s NOT on our list, please let us know so we can add it ASAP – editor@westseattleblog.com – we’ll be updating the page as the spooky season continues. Thanks!
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In just a few years, that little one we photographed last week with West Seattle High School cheerleaders will be old enough for their periodic Mini Cheer Camps. Next one, as announced by Melinda Fredricks, is coming up next month:
The WSHS Cheerleaders will be holding a Mini Cheer Camp Tuesday, November 11 in the West Seattle High School Gym from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.
K-5th grade kids will have a great time learning fun cheers and making crafts with the Westside cheerleaders. Campers will receive a tee shirt, pom poms, official team hairbow, picture of themselves with the cheerleaders AND perform as an honorary West Seattle Cheerleader at an upcoming home basketball game!
The cost of this camp is $55. Registration paperwork and payment are due by November 3, 2014. Space is limited, so register early to ensure your spot.
Contact Melinda Fredricks at melindafredricks@comcast.net if you have any questions.
Here’s the flyer with a few more details; here’s the registration form.
This year’s edition of the WSB Halloween (and related) event page is in the works, with numerous events/activities already in our calendar (sent your announcement yet? Hurry! editor@westseattleblog.com). In the short run, three business-district trick-or-treat events are set in West Seattle, so here’s one handy list:
THE JUNCTION: During the Harvest Festival on October 26th – business trick-or-treating starts at noon, following the 11:30 am costume parade.
THE ADMIRAL DISTRICT: 3-6 pm on Halloween (Friday, October 31st).
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 5-7 pm on Halloween.
While covering the “walkshed” tour in The Junction/Triangle this morning (story to come), we stopped by the Masonic Center to peek at preps for the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s first-ever Oktoberfest, one of the events in our preview for today/tonight. Above, Rotarians Len Burton-Hardin of Howden-Kennedy and Dotty Hughes of Washington Federal were working inside; the crew decorating outside included Gary Potter of Potter Construction (WSB sponsor):
The German food and beer, oompah music, etc. are all set to start around 6 tonight. Proceeds benefit the Rotary’s community work including the annual – not too far off! Children’s Holiday Shopping Spree and the school-supplies-collecting Pencil Me In For Kids. Ticket info for tonight’s event is here.
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