West Seattle, Washington
26 Wednesday
In the tradition of drive-in movie theaters (remember those?) doubling as swap-meet venues, the big-screen-centered courtyard outside Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is hosting a multi-seller rummage/craft sale until 3 pm. Too big for one camera lens – what you see is barely half the setup. Walking up a little while ago, we heard exclamations such as, “Did you see THIS?” (which can mean many things at a rummage sale!). Sellers tell us it’s been going well, but there’s still lots to browse. Then tonight – come back when the gates open at 6:30 pm for the last West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of the season, “This Is Spinal Tap,” with Those Guys playing live before the movie. Co-sponsors include Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and West 5, and WSB continues as this year’s media sponsor; the movie’s free, starting at dusk (8:30ish, if not slightly earlier), but bring some cash if you can for concessions and raffle prizes, all benefiting local nonprofits. Haven’t been here before? Southeast corner of California/Genesee on the north edge of The Junction.
Three weeks from Sunday, on September 15th, the sixth annual West Seattle Car Show rolls into The Junction. The poster’s now out and making its way onto windows, walls, and bulletin boards; signups are revving up too – WSCS producer Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Print and Design says more than 50 of the 100 goodie bags for the first 100 entries are already spoken for. The discount early-bird registration rate, $15, is good until September 1st – download and mail the form ASAP. For spectators, it’s free as always – the vehicles (pre-1980 cars, trucks, motorcycles) will be parked along closed California Avenue SW in the heart of The Junction, 8 am-4 pm on show day, and you can wander to your heart’s content. The West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be on as usual (10 am-2 pm) that day too. For more West Seattle Car Show details, check out the official website and our August 12th preview; we’re proud to be among the co-sponsors again this year.
Here’s what’s ahead for West Seattle’s weekly free summer entertainment events this week – two of which are season finales:
SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: Still two more shows to go in this series, with Fly Moon Royalty onstage tomorrow (Thursday) night, 6:30 pm, as the Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented concerts (with co-sponsors including WSB) continue on the east lawn at Hiawatha (along Walnut Ave. south of Lander).
CONCERTS AT THE MOUNT: It’s ’60s nostalgia at 6 pm Friday night as The Spyrographs take the stage for this year’s fourth and final outdoor concert on the south side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent (4831 35th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. On the menu for (optional) dinner at 5:30 pm – salmon or chicken Caesar salad.
WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: Saturday is the grand finale for this summer’s series (with co-sponsors including WSB), with the ’80s classic “This Is Spinal Tap” screening Saturday at dusk (around 8:30 pm; gates open at 6:30) on the big screen next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor). The movie’s free, but if you can, please bring $ for concessions and raffle supporting local nonprofits.
While many schools start up two weeks from today (!) the Seattle Public Library wants to make sure kids and their families are aware its Summer Reading Program isn’t over yet. And they can get credit for reading they’ve already done:
If you know a child who has or will read 10 books this summer, bring them to your local library branch to fill out their Reading Certificate. Each finisher receives PRIZES! They will receive a free book of their very own, a family pass to go to the Burke Museum for FREE and their name on our Wall of Champions. If they haven’t read 10 books, that’s okay. They can receive a cool window cling for reading 5 books!
Our area has four SPL branches – find the one nearest you by going here. The Summer Reading Program officially ends on August 31st, but that’s still ten days away.
(Thanks to Bruce for sharing the Alki Point-area view from Saturday – busy on the water!)
The full list of what’s up today/tonight is on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – but before the morning’s over, here’s a quick 5-point highlights list for this afternoon:
CITY DOG MAGAZINE COVER DOG SEARCH: Once again this summer, West Seattleite-founded City Dog Magazine comes to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) for its Cover Dog Search (which has had local winners in the past). Noon-3 pm; details in our calendar listing. (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan)
OUTDOOR THEATER AT WESTCREST PARK: West Seattle-based theaterSimple presents “The Adventures of Owl and the Pussycat,” 1 pm at Westcrest Park in Highland Park! Details in our calendar listing. (9000 8th SW)
‘IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK’: We’ve previewed it multiple times, including earlier today – today’s the day to tour and learn about the 100-year-old North Admiral home that former mayor Greg Nickels and family have been restoring, as a benefit for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. VIP event 1-3 pm, tours 3-5 pm. More in this morning’s preview, and on the SWSHS website. (1910 47th SW)
TOUR ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: You’re running out of chances to see the hundred-year-old lighthouse this summer – tours only continue through the end of August. 1-4 pm today. (On Alki Point, where Beach Drive and Alki Avenue meet)
‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ FINALE: 3 pm at West Seattle High School Theater, the final performance of Twelfth Night Productions‘ musical. Details in the calendar listing. (3000 California SW)
(WSB photo from our September 2012 car-show coverage)
The big event that has wrapped up summer in West Seattle the past five years is indeed coming back for a sixth. We talked today with Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Print and Design, producer of what’s now officially the West Seattle Car Show. As you’ll see on the official website at WScarshow.com, the show is set for 8 am-4 pm Sunday, September 15th, in the heart of The Junction. Registration is open now for pre-1980 cars, trucks, and motorcycles – download the form here.
Sponsors from all around West Seattle and beyond are lining up, headed up by West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) and Don Swanson Insurance returning as “best in show” sponsors; other co-sponsors include WSB again this year. Hoffman says he’s already heard from car clubs too, especially because of a recent feature about the show in the Northwest car enthusiasts’ magazine CruZin‘. Admission will again be free, and they’ll sell raffle tickets benefiting Pencil Me In For Kids, which provides school supplies to kids in need; raffle prizes include a grill donated by Junction True Value (WSB sponsor). TJ Entertainment, which has provided music the past few years, is lined up for this year again too. And helping you keep The Junction clean while attending will be Waste Management, which donates and handles the totes for recycling and trash.
P.S. First 100 cars to register get a goodie bag, and Hoffman says more than a few are already spoken for, so sign up quick. Categories are listed on the website, and there’ll be a “best West Seattle car” category again too. Stand by for more updates as the West Seattle Car Show (just under five weeks away) gets closer!
On the stage on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center, playing to hundreds of people enjoying another perfect summer evening, that’s Impossible Bird in our short Instagram video clip. (added) And here’s a full song:
Summer Concerts at Hiawatha aren’t just about the music – there’s lots happening on the sidelines, like Joyful the Clown making balloon animals for kids:
Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) is presenting Joyful tonight. Other freebies include popsicles from the Admiral Neighborhood Association, which presents the concert series – here’s past and current presidents Katy Walum and David Whiting:
Katy organizes the concert series, now in its fifth year (and we’re proud to have been a sponsor every year since the start). Yet more freebies tonight – coffee and iced tea from Starbucks, and peaches from Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), which is now in its Peach-O-Rama mode. Plus: West Seattle’s own Marty Riemer is tonight’s emcee:
He told the crowd that Impossible Bird has been on his podcast many times – they’re making beautiful music onstage while families, friends, and neighbors visit. The free concert continues until 8 or so – if you’re not here already, c’mon over.
P.S. Next week, same time/place, it’s Massy Ferguson, for the fourth of this year’s six Thursday night concerts. And there’s more outdoor music in West Seattle tomorrow – the second of four concerts on the south side of Providence Mount St. Vincent, featuring the Convergence Zone Bluegrass Band; the 6 pm concert is free, and dinner’s available for purchase (menu here).
(2010 WSB photo taken during a concert at The Mount)
Another outdoor-concert series gets going this week in West Seattle- Summer Concerts at The Mount, presented at and by Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor), four consecutive Friday nights starting August 2nd. The show’s free, presented on the south side of The Mount’s campus (4831 35th SW), with free popcorn and snow cones – but you have the option to buy dinner/drinks, to make a picnic out of it. We just procured the menu, but first, the musical lineup:
AUGUST 2: Ian McFeron – Singer/songwriter with upbeat musical styles.
AUGUST 9: Convergence Zone Bluegrass Band – 5-piece bluegrass/country acoustic group.
AUGUST 16: 85th Street Big Band – 20-piece big band featuring swing favorites from the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, including tunes made famous by Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Nat King Cole.
AUGUST 23: The Spyrographs – 5-piece band that plays the best Spy, Pop, Surf and Bossa Nova hits of the ’60s.
Read on for the full-series menu:
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No big festival or parade in West Seattle tomorrow – but fun events abound just the same. The video’s from the WSB sponsor where you’ll find one of those events – a community open house at West Seattle Fight and Fitness in North Delridge. Tomorrow from 10 am to 3 pm, you’re invited to stop by to tour the facility, where more remodeling is under way, and meet seven community vendors, including Roxbury Spine and Wellness Clinic (also a WSB sponsor), plus there’s word a food truck will be there too. Here’s the Facebook event page; WSFF is at 5050 Delridge Way SW.
(WSB/The South Park News photo from 2012 Lucha Libre)
August 17th will be another one of those HUGE days. Here in West Seattle, the Delridge Day festival (presented by the North Delridge Neighborhood Council with co-sponsors including WSB) is happening 11 am-4 pm at Delridge Community Center/Park, with this year’s Picnic at the Precinct co-locating there the same day. Meantime, our neighbors in South Park host the Duwamish River Festival noon-4 pm that day, with THIS big just-confirmed fun – a third year of Lucha Libre, Mexican-style masked wrestling following at 6 pm – read on for the official announcement:
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On the day that Paul McCartney‘s concert tour stopped in Seattle, some Beatles homage from local kids-music star Caspar Babypants. He’ll soon release an album of Beatles songs, and is selling advance copies at shows like today’s concert at Hiawatha Fun Fest – where he had the little ones hopping and bopping to a cut from the “Baby Beatles” collection, “Here Comes the Sun“:
With Caspar at Hiawatha, his CD cover artist and wife, illustrator and collage creator Kate Endle:
And after the concert, it was time for the hundreds of kids at Fun Fest to play carnival games:
They also got to check out the Kid Picks truck visiting from PCC Natural Markets (WSB sponsor):
And though this year’s Fun Fest was missing the traditional West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court coronation, royalty was there anyway:
That’s Senior Court Queen April, who you’ll see with the Hi-Yu float “Alki Deep” in tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade, and her mom. (More big events ahead at Hiawatha this summer – including the start of the Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series at 6:30 pm next Thursday (July 25)!
Even before we get to the summer’s busiest weekend – we’re reminding you that Friday brings a hot ticket: The second West Seattle concert in a week by kids-music superstar Caspar Babypants, who drew hundreds last Saturday at West Seattle Summer Fest (WSB video here). CB’s performance kicks off this year’s Hiawatha Fun Fest, noon-3 pm tomorrow (Friday, July 19th) on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center/Park (Walnut Avenue side). The concert’s free; bring money for carnival games, sno-cones, and/or hot-dog lunch.
Among the many big events happening this weekend is the region’s most storied bicycle ride – Seattle to Portland, or STP for short. For those not going, West Seattle Bike Connections has set up its own STP ride right here on the peninsula this Sunday:
That’s SW Seattle Street in North Admiral southward to SW Portland Street in Gatewood, then heading back north to The Junction and West Seattle Summer Fest, where a post-ride discussion is planned at the GreenLife stage, touching on current issues including the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update.. WSBC president Don Brubeck says they’ve “recruited Stu Hennessey and Marge Evans to be ride leaders, and made it a joint ride with West Seattle Spokespeople and Cascade Bicycle Club.” It’ll be a family-friendly, 9.5-mile, easy-pace ride – meet at Hamilton Viewpoint Park at 9:45 am Sunday. Full details on the WSBC site, including some caveats – and reasons to join the ride!
Right about this time tomorrow, hundreds of kids (and accompanying adults) will be walking/rolling along the North Admiral route of the annual 4th of July Kids’ Parade, which starts from 44th/Sunset (map) at 10 am Thursday. New parade co-coordinator Jackie Clough shares the photo from Walking on Logs, where WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” reminders are currently sharing space with a parade reminder and patriotic decorations. Jackie also has a reminder for paradegoers:
It would be great to remind folks to please not park on Atlantic Street between Sunset Ave SW and California Ave SW. This is along the parade route and would obstruct the parade (the parade route runs south on Sunset Ave SW, East on Atlantic, crossing California Ave SW, north on Palm, and ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park).
If you’re not joining or watching the parade, please note that when it gets to California and heads east across the street, vehicle traffic is stopped both ways until everyone has crossed, and that could take up to 15 minutes (by our informal measure in years past). Then remember, it’s a post-parade fun fest of games and concessions on the lawn at Hamilton Viewpoint immediately afterward. The full lineup of who/what/when/where is here. See you there (and as reiterated on the sign – bring diapers for WS Baby if you can)!
This weekend is the annual Relay for Life of West Seattle, a 2-day, 1-night event raising money to fight cancer. That overall mission is the same as ever, and the location is the same – West Seattle Stadium – but otherwise, there are big changes, including entertainment to which you’re invited to bring the family, and a timeframe change too. It starts at 2 pm Saturday (tomorrow, June 29th), continuing till midday Sunday, and here are the lineup highlights:
2 pm: Opening Ceremony
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