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Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. concert series: Help needed tonight
July 9, 2009 5:03 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. concert series: Help needed tonight
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

No, the concerts aren’t starting yet, but the promotion is: The Admiral Neighborhood Association invites anybody who can spare some time tonight to meet up at 6 pm at the Admiral Theater to fan out and put up posters for the concert series (which WSB is co-sponsoring) – first concert is two weeks from tonight, July 23rd! (Here’s the full lineup.) You can check out Art Walk stops along the way, too (map and more here).

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West Seattle Summer Fest tomorrow! More previews, more parking
July 9, 2009 4:01 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

10 am tomorrow, West Seattle Summer Fest kicks off, with three days of celebration in the heart of The Junction. Just in — Steve Huling is opening up his site along Fauntleroy, south of the Shell station, for extra Summer Fest parking. Meantime: The beer gardens are in the works, including the one by Junction Plaza Park that’ll raise money to finish its construction (photo above). And tonight at 6, the street closures kick in, which means a fun time to walk in the middle of the street – during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk (6-9 pm) and afterward – but also means detours (and Jonathan French tells us parking-enforcement officers are on the prowl already). A few more notes: When you stop by to say hi at WSB Summer Fest HQ at the northwest corner (facing Easy Street) of the big tent in the center of California/Alaska, take a minute to fill out a survey (just one page, on a laptop!) about your Summer Fest experience, and that’ll get you entered in a drawing for a $100 Junction shopping spree. … See the T-shirt at right? You’ll be able to buy it from the Delridge Playground project volunteers at Summer Fest, $15. They’ll be in the “community tent” near Super Supplements, raising money to feed volunteers during the big playground-building day July 17 (a week from tomorrow!), also raising money by selling $1 lemonade and $2 raffle tickets (prizes including a sunset sail cruise and a walk-on role for a child in the national show “BizKid$”). You can stop by and see the playground design, too … Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) will be down from the Admiral District to have a Summer Fest presence. From the Click! website: “You can come to the Click! booth and get 20% off Smersh Design Jewelry and Orla Kiely Handbags, and take home a coupon for 15% off your next purchase at Click! Design That Fits.” … Junction retailer Capers sent word of Summer Fest deals too: Owner Lisa says, “Capers encourages everyone to ‘represent’ the neighborhood with their new shipment of West Seattle hats and t-shirts. They are featuring outdoor furniture at 50% off list, selected pillows $9.99, and ‘Mary’s Deals’ all weekend. Hope to see y’all at the Festival.” Hmm, there’s two T-shirt mentions so far. Ready for a third? We may have a T-shirt announcement of our own tomorrow. Stand by. Meantime, if you’re at Summer Fest late Saturday, hang around to check out the Home Alive! benefit at Rocksport (more details on Facebook). Keep sending the Summer Fest scoop – we’ll write more tonight and we will start previewing when the sun rises tomorrow, as well as packing up to be based on site from the moment it opens at 10 am Friday. Official Summer Fest website – with vendors, music, entertainers, maps, more — is here. P.S. Just as we were finishing this, we got a note about these folks:

Jessica sent the note, saying:

I wanted to send you a quick heads up about a unique West Seattle group that will be performing at Summerfest tomorrow on the California Stage at 3 pm. They’re called Pillow Army, and they are an avant chamber-pop group that includes cello, violin, and flute. They have unusual, complicated musical parts that would be of interest to anyone curious about the merger of classical and pop sensibilities. They also have somewhat daring and unconventional lyrical content, such as the song “Chicken Wants Her Beak Back”‘ which is a fun, upbeat song with a sneaky message decrying factory farming. They also do a mean cover of the Walrus, by the Beatles (which has beautiful string parts).

“Chicken Wants Her Beak Back” is the song in the video. Pillow Army’s MySpace site is here. Live music starts 2 pm tomorrow – all listed here (including Mudhoney headlining tomorrow night at 8:10!).

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West Seattle Summer Fest countdown: Yet more sneak peeks
July 8, 2009 6:40 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | WS beverages

Yet more from the West Seattle Summer Fest preview files tonight, with the three-day festival less than two days from kickoff (10 am Friday) … At left is West Seattle’s most fashionable designer/barista, Blayne, photographed at Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) this afternoon and also among the amazing artists, merchants, performers, vendors and others you’ll find at Summer Fest. … Erin at Edie’s Shoes, which also happens to be one of four local stores in the new City Stimulus promotion, says that for Summer Fest, “We will be having a promotion for the festival. Buy one pair of full-priced shoes, get a second pair half off, of equal or lesser value (excludes sale) …” Pete Spalding from the West Seattle Food Bank board of directors sent a reminder that the always-popular WS Food Bank raffle tickets will be on sale at Summer Fest – $5 each. We mentioned the tickets when they went on sale last month – grand prize, 2 unrestricted Alaska Airlines tickets! (More in the second half of this WSB report) … Also another note about the beer garden raising money to complete the construction fund for Junction Plaza Park — it’s the beer garden AT the park site — not only is Elliott Bay Brewery making a special beer for the occasion (which Washington Beer Blog writes about here), but we’re also reminded that sales of the other beers available at that garden will chip 25% into the park fund too. And the beer cups will be compostable! … We’ve also heard from Sorensen Orthodontics in Burien, which will have a booth near the kids’ area, and says, “We will be handing out information regarding the Invisalign Orthodontic Treatment and signing up prospective new patients for our Burien and coming soon to West Seattle offices. Summer Fest patrons can also take a guess on how many retainers we have on display with a chance to win a I-Pod Nano!” Free lip balms, too … The full lineup of Summer Fest participants is here – with live music here and other entertainment here. We’ll be publishing more previews so if you’re part of Summer Fest, please e-mail to let us know what you’ll be doing/offering! We’ll be reporting live from WSSF the whole time, too, so we’ll see you there …

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West Seattle Summer Fest countdown: More sneak peeks
July 7, 2009 11:57 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

If you haven’t been to The Junction within the past week or so, you’ll notice something new when you go for West Seattle Summer Fest this Friday-Saturday-Sunday: More of the free-parking spaces converted to diagonal spaces. (Photo at left, the stripers in action last week.) That means more parking spots. One more transportation-related note – remember the streets close on Thursday night for setup in the general Summer Fest zone, Oregon to Edmunds on California, 44th to 42nd on Alaska. Also note that the music lineup – first announced here way back in May — is now in chronological order on the revamped Summer Fest website. … On the WSB Facebook page, Dawn notes that the Alki Wildlife Habitat Project (whose big celebration we covered last month) will be at Summer Fest, in a booth she says will be the place for “lots of info and to see how YOU can help out!” … Business/vendor notes: Clementine has a sidewalk sale during Summer Fest and is previewing it on Thursday (p.s. you can become a fan of Clementine on Facebook) … Donna Ryan Photography (booth 17 – you can use the zoomable Summer Fest map to find vendors and organizations) e-mailed to share the news that they’ll be selling “kitschy cool photostrip” style photos, custom-processed and sent to you, $15 for 2 (here’s the flyer). Donna adds, “Everyone who participates in this promotion will automatically be entered into a raffle for a portrait session and package with me – valued at $300.” … Speaking of raffles, when you come see us in the central tent at Alaska/California, take a minute to take a quick survey on one of two laptops that’ll be in our area, and get an entry in the West Seattle Junction Association‘s raffle for a $100 shopping spree … One more merchant note: Kathy from Authentic Home says, “We are offering our Buy 2 Get 1 Free Promotion for any gallon of Authentic Home COLOR Paint. We will also have 3 color-coordinated samples of COLOR Cups on sale for $10 plus tax. 3 COLOR Cups normally sell for $13.50 plus tax. bellydancers.jpgAuthentic Home COLOR Cups are 2 oz of paint in our Buffed or Eggshell finish.” … And another note on the Junction Plaza Park fundraising beer garden we re-mentioned this morning — in its newest e-newsletter, Elliott Bay Brewery notes that it’s brewing a special beer for the event! … Also heard from Troupe Hipnotica, which is one of the groups listed on the “Other Entertainment” rundown (2008 photo at right courtesy Donnelly Images) – check out the page for some surprises (like the video arcade)! … Are YOU selling, performing, informing, or ??? at Summer Fest? Please let us know so we can mention it ahead of time AND stop by for pix while we’re covering it live, wall to wall – see you there!

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Vacations by the Sea: Welcome to a new WSB sponsor
July 7, 2009 4:53 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do

As incredibly fabulous as West Seattle is, once in a while you might just want to head out of town. With that in mind, comes one of our newest WSB sponsors: Vacations by the Sea. They’re in Westport – on the south side of the entrance to Grays Harbor (here’s a map). Proprietor Brook says, “Jarl (my husband) and I know what it’s like to live the rat race – we both had consulting jobs before we moved out here where we were traveling 24-7. So we understand how important it is to get your family or your sweetheart and get away, and how important that time is for folks and we try to make the process as enjoyable as a lodging provider can make it. That means easy reservations, simple check ins and check outs, and a super special facility. Each of our units are individually owned, but we live full-time on property and treat each unit as though we were managing it for our favorite neighbors. People who normally go to Ocean Shores or Cannon Beach are always surprised when they get here, because Westport is typically identified as a place to go fishing. And although we do have great fishing, we also have 18 miles of sandy beach that stretch out right in front of our condos. We’re also a 5-minute walk from Washington’s tallest lighthouse, and we can arrange surf lessons in the waves right in front of our units as well. We have added value, because everyone who stays at Vacations by the Sea gets discounts to the Half Moon Bay Bar and Grill (which is owned and operated by our extended family) and also gets a complimentary wine, chocolate, and cheese tasting at the Westport Winery and Vineyards by the Sea, which is Washington’s only coastal winery.” They’ve set up a special West Seattle-geared page — with a WS-exclusive promo code — on the Vacations by the Sea website – see it here (and if you need to find it again, click to it from the ad in our right sidebar). You can also call 877-332-0090. Thanks to Vacations by the Sea for joining the WSB sponsor team, listed in full here, with info on how to join!

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West Seattle Summer Fest starts Friday: More sneak-peek tidbits
July 6, 2009 5:50 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Summer Fest starts Friday: More sneak-peek tidbits
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it’s the peninsula’s biggest party of the year – West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction (sponsoring, and co-sponsored by, WSB). For the duration, we’ll be there reporting “live” from the big tent at California/Alaska; till then, we’ll be sharing more tidbits about the highlights. (If you have something to share about what your business/group will be doing at Summer Fest, let us know ASAP!) A few miscellaneous items for starters: Artist Glenn Case – whom we caught up with for a quick photo op [left] as he worked outside Craze in The Junction late today – will be painting a mural during Summer Fest (you have seen his work all over West Seattle, including the Easy Street wall and “Zetta” on the south side of Cafe Revo [WSB sponsor]). … The kids’ area in front of Curious Kidstuff not only will include all sorts of family activities, but on Saturday, you’ll even find mini-martial-arts classes for kids, taught by Angel Kimball. … West Seattle Helpline is getting the word out that if you bring clothes to donate, you’ll find a dropoff bin at its location in the Community Tent, which will be home to a variety of other nonprofit groups along Alaska east of California … Among the many Summer Fest food choices will be Pagliacci Pizza, which e-mailed to note that its new West Seattle general manager Mine Niznik will be out meeting people and helping his team sell $2 slices, right in front of their location on California north of Oregon. … Plus, if you missed the earlier reports on this, remember that the Summer Fest music slate is getting buzz around the city, especially with headliner Mudhoney at 8:10 Friday night … Though West Seattle Summer Fest officially begins at 10 am Friday, fun in The Junction starts when the street closes on Thursday night, just before the West Seattle Art Walk (6-9 at more than 50 venues around West Seattle; get the new map here).

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Lady Washington now Alki-bound for Seafair Pirates’ Landing
July 6, 2009 9:59 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(photo by Thomas Hyde)
Our state’s official ship is headed this way for the Seafair Pirates’ Landing on Alki this Saturday — Joe Follansbee is communications director for the Lady Washington, and sends word that it’s left its seacoast homeport:

The brig Lady Washington has made sail for Seattle and the annual Seafair Pirates’ invasion of Alki Beach in Seattle, a traditional highlight of the annual city-wide celebration. The Lady Washington departed Grays Harbor today, setting a course north along the Washington coast, then through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and then south into Puget Sound. The ship is scheduled to arrive at Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle on Thursday. The stop at Shilshole Bay will include public tours. On Saturday, the vessel will move to Lake Union Park for a five-day stay, which will also feature public tours and a three-hour sailing.

This year, the Seafair Pirates’ takeover of Alki Beach is scheduled for noon on Saturday, July 11. The ship will stand by as a Seafair landing craft disgorges its piratical passengers on the beach.

Read on for the rest of the announcement about the Lady Washington’s forthcoming Seattle visit:Read More

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Bike Smart Seattle: West Seattle events about to kick off
July 5, 2009 7:26 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(4/22 photo from Sustainable West Seattle “Bike-A-Palooza” at Camp Long)
When we covered the Sustainable West Seattle “Bike-A-Palooza” meeting in April (story here), speakers included a Cascade Bicycle Club rep who mentioned that the annual Bike Smart Seattle program would include West Seattle events this summer. Postcards for this city-sponsored program have since arrived in West Seattle mailboxes, and now the events are beginning. From the Bike Smart Seattle calendar page, here’s the July list:

Tuesday 7/7, 6:30 pm: Basic Bike Maintenance Clinic, Southwest Community Center
Saturday 7/11, 11:30 am: Sweet Summer Cycle Ride, leaves from Alki Beach Park
Friday 7/17, 11 am: Helmet sale during Hiawatha Fun Festival, Hiawatha Community Center
Sunday 7/19, 10 am: Women’s ride to Olympic Sculpture Park, leaves from Alki Beach Park
Tuesday 7/21, 6:30 pm: Intro to Commuting Clinic, Southwest Community Center
Saturday 7/25, 10 am-2 pm: Helmet sale during Alki Art Fair
Saturday 7/25, 10 am: Around and Around Alki Ride, leaves from Alki Beach Park
Sunday 7/26, 10 am: Kids and Parents Ride Clinic, Southwest Community Center
Sunday 7/26: 12:30 pm: Family Ride to Lincoln Park, leaves from Alki

Browse the calendar to see the August and September events in West Seattle (and events elsewhere for the entire summer, too); you can also become a fan of Bike Smart Seattle via this page on Facebook (and be sure to look us up on FB at facebook.com/westseattleblog).

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West Seattle 4th of July afternoon scenes
July 4, 2009 4:35 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | Holidays | West Seattle news

Till 6 pm, you can enjoy the shade at the annual Fourth of July Barbecue/Potluck out back at C & P Coffee. Chicken, hot dogs and corn on the grills when we stopped by:

Earlier, we visited the Log House Museum/Southwest Seattle Historical Society membership picnic, where folks like Cal shared their personal stories of the peninsula’s past:

SWSHS director Andrea Mercado tells us the picnic turnout was great (by the way, just a few weeks till the organization presents its White Center History Tour – more info here). Not far from the Log House Museum, we saw lots of people with tents set up along the Alki/Harbor Ave waterfront – we hope they’re just there for the beautiful weather and NOT because they mistakenly believe there will be fireworks over the bay tonight:

The full list of fireworks shows that ARE happening is on our 4th of July page, but one we should single out is to the south, at Three Tree Point – folks in the very southern end of West Seattle, like Arbor Heights and the Arroyos, probably have a view without driving to that narrow beachfront neighborhood. Meantime, another of the several West Seattle shops with special 4th of July sales was Avalon Glassworks, where we stopped by to say hi to proprietor Shannon:

Among the more unusual items still left during our visit (after throngs picked up a lot of great finds earlier) – a set of goblets without bases (long story). The ultimate 4th of July scene, of course, is always the flag – here are a few of the dozens we’ve seen around town:

More coverage to come – our full report on the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade is up next, and we’re also heading over to the High Point Diversity Festival in Commons Park, which continues till 8 pm – and watch our Twitter feed for quick immediate reports (with photos!) while we’re mobile. ADDED 5:08 PM: Speaking of Twitter, that’s where this photo of a 6-person “parade” in Lincoln Park just turned up, courtesy of @vbalasubramani.

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Just hours till the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade!
July 3, 2009 9:32 pm
|    Comments Off on Just hours till the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade!
 |   Fun stuff to do | Holidays | West Seattle news

speakerhouse.jpg

That was one of our favorite sights along the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade route last year – a bunting-bedecked house with stereo speakers blasting classic patriotic Sousa marching music, to accompany the kids as they strolled and wheeled by (see video in our 2008 report). If you missed it before, or you’re new to West Seattle, reminder that all kids are welcome to join the parade — and the family fun at Hamilton Viewpoint afterward. Mayor Nickels, an Admiral resident himself, will make his traditional appearance to get the parade started. Be at 44th/Sunset (map) at 10 am, and remember to bring $1 donation per child if you can, since the neighborhood organizers’ previous fund is running out and they want to make sure they can keep this going in future years (permits cost money, among other expenses). See you there (or if you’re not going, remember there will be some traffic effects, as noted in this roundup).

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: “Happy 233rd, America” edition
July 3, 2009 10:56 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: “Happy 233rd, America” edition
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

wswllicon3.pngNo fireworks in Elliott Bay? No problem. (If somehow you haven’t heard, the 4th of Jul-Ivar’s show is no more – which means NO fireworks clearly visible from Alki, unless you count fragments of the Lake Union show.) Lots happening anyway, even before you pack up and go see fireworks somewhere else … more than three dozen events ahead in the full West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … Read More

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Countdown to Outdoor Movies on the Wall; bachelors wanted
July 1, 2009 1:41 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies


(click to see larger, zoomable PDF version)
If you missed it at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market last Sunday – that’s the eye-catching official poster for the West Seattle Junction Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall series, which kicks off in just two and a half weeks. And the head movie maven herself, Lora Lewis from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), sent along a photo of barista Kerry (photo) – who is going to be the bachelorette in the pre-movie festivities for the kickoff showing of “The Princess Bride” (Saturday night, July 18). What Lora’s looking for now is three bachelors to come forward for the “Find a True Prince Dating Game” – send your pic/contact info to lora@hotwirecoffee.com. See the full movie slate on the official Movies on the Wall site (WSB is among the series co-sponsors; we’ll be leading you in the five-note singalong before “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in August!)

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West Seattle Hi-Yu: 2 awards; Junior Court call; reception tonight
June 30, 2009 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Hi-Yu: 2 awards; Junior Court call; reception tonight
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival | West Seattle news

Before you see it in the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 18, you should know the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival float “How Sweet It Is” has been racking up awards elsewhere on the summertime community-parade circuit around Western Washington: Tim and Carol Winston from Hi-Yu just shared these photos from last weekend’s Port Orchard Fathoms O’Fun Parade, where it won the award displayed here by current Hi-Yu Queen Margo Femiano:

(The weekend before, the float won an award in the Marysville Strawberry Festival parade.) Margo’s close to the end of her reign, as are the rest of the Senior and Junior Court – here are two of the latter, Queen Zoe and Princess Elyse:

That brings us to two more items of Hi-Yu news: First, applications are still being taken for this year’s Junior Court. July 14 is the deadline; interviews and coronation are July 17. Download the official application form here. And you can meet current Junior and Senior Court members, as well as the Senior Court candidates tonight at the Hi-Yu White Rose Reception – a women-only event, Fauntleroy Church, 7 pm.

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11 days till West Seattle Summer Fest: New web site, more info
June 29, 2009 12:28 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Counting down now till the summer’s biggest West Seattle event, Summer Fest in The Junction (WSB sponsor) July 10-11-12, and we just got word its brand-new website is up, with even more details on the music, art, vendors, family fun, food, and other features we’ve been telling you about. Here’s the home page; vendors (with maps to their individual locations) here; music here; other entertainment here – and even more to explore.

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Happening now: Westwood Village Street Fair, report #1
June 27, 2009 11:31 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | Westwood

The bouncy toys are up and the Westwood Village Street Fair is officially under way, with giveaways, freebies, food, entertainment and more continuing till 7 pm tonight. We’re there too and will be adding more photos and video as the afternoon goes on – drop by to say hi! 12:01 PM UPDATE: We are here in the gorgeous sunshine right outside Dress Barn – and discovered another fun feature that’s taking kids on rides around the Westwood Village site – this train:

A workout demonstration is happening on the stage by Bed Bath and Beyond right now – video shortly. 12:17 PM: Here’s the clip:

Chico’s fashion show followed the fitness demo. By the way, there’s quite the variety of bouncy toys, including one with a Sesame Street theme over by Pier 1:

Great to meet the fine folks who’ve stopped by so far – some we’ve met before, some we haven’t. We’re about to check out what’s happening on the QFC side – food, and also pet adoptions by All the Best Pet Care – stand by for those pix! ADDED 1:12 PM: Just talked with Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby and Audrey Zemke from White Center Food Bank – both are here – two major agencies helping local families – here’s a photo of Audrey at her table, which is over on the Pier 1 end of the parking lot:

At the QFC food booth, the sausage they’re dishing out as free samples, along with the salmon bake:

Near QFC, you can check out adoptable pets:

Then up in the breezeway across from 24 Hour Fitness, our newest WSB sponsor Wyatt’s Jewelers is joining in the fun too –

You can enter a drawing for a gold/diamond pendant that Wyatt’s is giving away – the drawing’s not till 6:15 so there’s plenty of time to get here – you can get a drawing ticket with any WV purchase (be sure to drop it by the stage by BBB). And next to Wyatt’s, John L. Scott offers the chance to plant sunflowers – appropriate for this spectacularly sunny day:

Just saw Clifford the Big Red Dog still circulating, much to kids’ delight – we’ll see if we can snag a pic. We also have video of the magic show that was onstage a short time ago. (3 pm) That’ll be in the next update – going to post a bit more news first – less than an hour away from comedy and music onstage here, and the free kids’ fun (bouncy toys) continues too.

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Happening today: Westwood Village Street Fair (and more)
June 27, 2009 9:15 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today: Westwood Village Street Fair (and more)
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | Westwood

11 am-7 pm today, Westwood Village transforms into more than a shopping center – community groups and entertainers join its merchants for a daylong Street Fair. QFC‘s offering a free Salmon Bake, Wyatt’s Jewelers (a new WSB sponsor) is among the merchants offering raffles, live music starts in the late afternoon, family fun goes all day including Clifford the Big Red Dog at 11 am, free child-protection kits are available … see more on the schedule here. You can help other families, too, by donating diapers to WestSide Baby, which will be on site too (a prelude to next month’s huge annual Stuff the Bus diaper drive July 19th at West Seattle Farmers’ Market). Much of today’s activity will be in the parking lot area bounded by Bed Bath and Beyond to the north and businesses from Eats Market Cafe to Pier 1 Imports on the east; that’s where we’ll be too, reporting “live” from the WSB table all day – hope to see you there. A full slate of events around the rest of the peninsula too – the West Seattle Weekend Lineup lists all the highlights.

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Also this weekend: Sound Steps/Seafair Half-Marathon walk for 50+
June 26, 2009 9:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Also this weekend: Sound Steps/Seafair Half-Marathon walk for 50+
 |   Fun stuff to do | Health | Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway

This isn’t on the list of citywide road-closing events – and it’s not in West Seattle – but Admiral resident Dennis Ross suggested more of West Seattle’s 50+ residents might want to know about it, so here’s info he shared about a half-marathon walk around Lake Union this Sunday, part of Seattle Parks’ Sound Steps program, the Northwest Senior Games and Seafair:

Sunday, June 28th — 7:00 am arrival and registration, — 7:30 am walk

Event information: — 13.1 mile walk looping twice around Lake Union. Event includes water/snack stations, live music along the way, prizes and special athletic T-shirts (while supplies last). Invite your family and friends to walk with you or to cheer you on.

Contact Mari Becker — (206)-684-4554 or e-mail sound.steps@seattle.gov

Location: Start/Finish Gas Works Park on the north side of Lake Union, 2101 N. Northlake Way (map)

Sound Steps is a Seattle Parks and Recreation walking program for adults age 50+. The Sound Steps program includes ongoing weekly walking groups and special events for active older adults.

Northwest Senior Games represents five cities in King County that specialize in recreation and community services for adults 50+.

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West Side Music Academy students play Easy Street tonight
June 26, 2009 4:33 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

It’s on our latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup – but we got extra details courtesy of Mike – good thing tonight’s Easy Street After Hours is “all ages” because the lineup includes 9- and 10-year-old musicians! The West Side Music Academy Girl Band is from a class that’s described on the WSMA website this way:

This class is designed for the experienced girl rocker who likes a challenge. This 5 day class includes playing several instruments, working with peers, rehearsing songs, and preparing for a real rock show at the end of the week. SO FUN!

So come cheer them on, during the 9 pm “Easy Street After Hours” show tonight (also with Exploding High Fives and Black Swedes, $5 cover). 5:29 PM P.S. – Mike adds that the WSMA band performing tonight is called Pop Rox and its members are 9-12 years old: “This is the culmination of the last five days of hard rocking by Danielle Howard, Annie Murphy, Olivia Norberg, Maryellen Fleming, Oly Mosely and Erica Schwartz.”

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Have a “Field Day”: Hams need you in West Seattle this weekend
June 26, 2009 1:40 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

fieldday.jpg

That’s one of our photos from last year’s “Field Day” with ham-radio operators set up in the field on the south side of the South Seattle Community College campus on West Seattle’s Puget Ridge. They’ve always been open to having you stop by and see what their exercise is all about each year – but this time around, they’re ENCOURAGING you to visit – Jeff Cacy explains why:

Ham Radio operators will be operating a radio station from the field just south of South Seattle Community College. The event runs from 11:00 am Saturday to 11:00 am Sunday. You can’t miss us – we are in the big tent in the field by the south parking lot.

We need your help to stop by and participate in our simulated emergency. This event is put on by the Auxiliary Communication Service of the City of Seattle and we will be operating our radios from solar panels, batteries and generators.

If you are in any way interested in emergency preparedness (and you should be here in earthquake and winter-storm country) or in radio communication, please stop by. We will be operating all night, so there is no reason to let your schedule or mistaken need for sleep stop you.

This special event is called Field Day. It happens each year in June and is in the form of a contest where we see how many stations we can talk to in 24 hours. Thousands of similar stations all around the country have moved radios and batteries out in the field and erected various forms of antennas for the event. We will have a digital station, voice and satellite communications, plus some others as more people bring out their radios. You might be talking through a satellite as we will have a mobile satellite station set up as well – it all depends on the passes of the low-earth orbiting satellites we use, but there are dozens to choose from.

One of the parts of the contest is have people like you come by and try out our radios – we will coach you through and all you need is to put on some headphones and squeeze a microphone to talk to another station anywhere in the US or Canada. We need at least 20 people to stop by and participate to get some bonus points in the contest. We also need some public officials to stop by, so if you know of any in West Seattle, we sure hope to see them (I can think of several…).

Any ham radio operators who might not have been active in a while are also encouraged to stop by anytime in the 24 hour period.

Call Curt Black – 206 755-4541 for more information or more encouragement. You are allowed to feed the operators, so feel free to bring some life support, but please no alcohol since we are on South Seattle Community College property.

Hope to see everyone there!

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Your 1st full weekend of summer
June 26, 2009 11:56 am
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 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

wswllicon3.pngDaunted by that list of road closures elsewhere in the city (including The Viaduct on Saturday)? No worries – no need to leave West Seattle this weekend, with a slate of activities including the Westwood Village Street Fair on Saturday (come see us at the WSB table!) and the West Seattle Farmers’ Market 10th anniversary celebration on Sunday (including WSB sponsor Square 1 Books‘ tent sale at The Market and free berry sundaes!), lots of indoor and outdoor live music (including an all-ages Easy Street After Hours tonight) … more than 40 events ahead in the full West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club:Read More

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Slate set for Admiral Neighborhood Assoc. summer concert series
June 24, 2009 5:28 pm
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 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Two months after first word of the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s first-ever summer concert series at Hiawatha (which WSB is co-sponsoring), concert coordinator Katy Walum confirms the official slate is out. Here’s how ANA describes it:

Thursday, July 23rd – Alma Villegas – An exquisite and passionate selection of Latin standards and favorites.

Thursday, July 30th – Tom Colwell & The Southbound Odyssey – singing the songs – some you know, some you don’t – for life’s journey. From West Seattle’s “Red Baron” in the 70’s, and more recently from Seeger’s 90th Birthday Celebration at our own Admiral Theater and the NW Folklife Festival, they are folk-rooted and fun.

Thursday, August 6th – A TWO act night with Swamp Soul and Ragged Glory — Swamp Soul is Cajun/Zydeco foot-stomping music. Ragged Glory is a lot of Neil Young and a little more.

Thursday, August 13th – Elizabeth Carpenter Trio — This trio delivers your favorite jazz standards from the 1930s and beyond.

Thursday, August 20th – Brian Waite Band

Thursday, August 27th – West Seattle Big Band — A local favorite who donates 100% of their earnings to raising awareness of and funding instrumental music programs in West Seattle area public schools.

The Admiral Neighborhood Association’s free concerts will be at 6:30 pm Thursdays on the east lawn at Hiawatha – after that same spot plays host to the July 14th West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park. Elsewhere in West Seattle, Providence Mount St. Vincent will bring back its Friday night concert series in August (the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th), too, so — also counting outdoor venues such as Cafe Rozella – this will be a summer full of outdoor music (not to mention outdoor movies!).

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Want to learn beach volleyball from the stars? Your Alki chance
June 22, 2009 2:43 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

flyingplayer.jpg

(2008 photo by Brian Todd, Aus der Traum Photography)
Just in from Seattle Volleyball Association – a clinic this Saturday with your chance to “learn from the best”:

By popular demand, the best players in the Northwest will be taking a day off from playing a tournament and running a beach volleyball clinic to allow anyone a chance to learn from the best. All levels are welcome, whether you’re just starting to play or wanting to brush up your skills. The Northwest’s professional and semi-pro players will help players with passing, setting, hitting and serving, then have the nets open for all players to practice their skills against other players of their same skill level. The event goes 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with open net play for all participants who want to practice their skills with instructors from 2 to 4 p.m. The cost for each participant is $25 per person.

For full details of the event plus contact info, read on:Read More

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Summer Solstice weekend edition
June 19, 2009 6:30 am
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 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

That’s Trio Lucero del Norte earlier this year at Cafe Rozella, where they’re back at 7 tonight – wswllicon3.pngjust hours before Summer Solstice – which will then in turn be followed by big events including the Clean and Green event in The Junction on Saturday (be at the new Genesee/42nd P-Patch site for all the excitement starting at 9 am), the California Place Park celebration later that day, Relay for Life starting tonight, the Lincoln Park wading pool opening tomorrow … more than FIFTY events ahead in the full West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club:Read More

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