West Seattle, Washington
05 Friday
You sent in your suggestion(s) via our special page here on WSB or via ballot boxes in local businesses — now organizer Lora Lewis from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) has unveiled the list of finalists from which the “Movies on the Wall” outdoor-film lineup in July and August will be chosen. Read on, then leave a comment about which ones you’d most like to see:Read More
If you didn’t get the “combined summer brochure” for all West Seattle city-run community centers and pools by mail, you can download it here (44-page PDF). One thing that caught our eye while browsing the brochure: If you too have ever rued being too old for “American Idol” — there’s an “Over-40 Talent Showcase” in August, described as follows:
Discover the unique talent of West Seattle residents in a fantastic talent showcase. The performance will feature song, dance, and instrumentals that will surely have you up on your feet. For audition information and sign-ups to perform call Sheree
Seretse at 684-7438.
Location: Southwest Community Center 8/23 Sat. 8 pm
One other community-center note – the sign outside Delridge CC says it’s closed tomorrow through June 15th. (And don’t forget the Southwest Pool closure for major work, 6/14 through late September.)
Next weekend, West Seattle’s “NiaDivas” plan 
two special classes at Youngstown Arts Center with all proceeds going to China earthquake relief. Their announcement includes the latest sobering numbers from Northwest-based MercyCorps: More than 62,500 deaths, more than 32,000 people missing, more than 430,000 homes destroyed. Read more about Nia at the NiaDivas’ website; the hour-long classes are at 10 am each day next Saturday-Sunday at Youngstown Arts Center, $14 donation, with 100% going to MercyCorps’ relief work in China. (Right after the Saturday class, you can segue into the Delridge Day events that will be happening at Youngstown 11 am-4 pm that day.)
With the bright sunshine, sapphire sky, and warm turquoise salt water, the season’s first public swim at Colman Pool this afternoon really did feel almost tropical. And even with the summery weather, the crowd wasn’t overwhelming. Colman will be open tomorrow and Monday, then the following two Saturday-Sunday weekends before beginning 7-day summertime operations on 6/14. Do note (this one almost tripped us up) that the “preseason” weekend/holiday days through 6/8 have a different schedule (NOT reflected in this online schedule, but it IS in the brochure), with public swim 3-4:45 (instead of the “regular” 1:45-4:45) and another late-afternoon lap swim 5-7 (during the “regular” season, that’s half lap swim, half family swim). Colman is one of only two outdoor pools in the city system; it’s a few blocks’ walk from either side of the Lincoln Park waterfront. Here’s a good map of the park; if you don’t live close enough to walk from home, park in the Lowman Beach area and walk southwest down the end of Beach Drive (map) and onto the Lincoln Park beach walkway; park in the central Lincoln Park lot and walk through the wooded area to the trail down to Colman; or park near Lincoln Park’s south end and follow the paved waterfront walkway north to the pool. Note that the Lincoln Park parking lots fill up fast on sunny days, and neighborhood parking near the park’s south end (closest to the ferry dock) has new rules because of RPZ restrictions.
(photo by WSB contributor Matt Durham; prints of his work are available at MattDurhamPhotography.com)
We’re including Monday events too, as well as Monday information (like government closures, Water Taxi/bus/ferry schedule changes, etc.), since this is it … the kickoff of summer … and as we type those very words, in fact, filtered sun is starting to wash over Upper Fauntleroy … 41 events and other notes listed ahead:Read More
Guess it won’t be TOO horrible if this forecast holds and Memorial Day is something like today (photo above shows an afternoon sunbreak along Lincoln Park’s north shore). At least Colman Pool will be open (we were so desperate today to get a glimpse, despite the plywood over the plexiglass on the west and south sides, we took our young assistant up on his offer to sneak a photographic peek through the drainage openings at the bottom of the brick wall):
Colman Pool’s opening day is Saturday (schedule here).
Sun’s out, first holiday weekend of summer is a week away, and you might be starting to think about summertime outdoor swimming in West Seattle. As mentioned previously, Colman Pool in Lincoln Park — one of the city’s two outdoor pools — opens this Saturday for the weekend-only preseason (schedule here); daily operation starts June 16, same day Southwest Pool (West Seattle’s only city-run indoor pool) closes for 3 1/2 months of work. West Seattle also has five city-run wading pools: Hiawatha, Delridge, Hughes, Lincoln Park, and Highland Park. They’re all on a clickable map on this city webpage with opening dates and operating hours; the first to open will be Lincoln Park, on June 14 (it’s in the northeastern section of the upper park area).
We caught those young women and their penguin pal staking out The Junction to promote the nearby Hope Lutheran rummage sale, raising money for a summertime mission to Mexico. (They’re going till about 2 pm; another rummage sale at nearby West Seattle Christian Church [WSB sponsor] has a similar goal, and it’s continuing till 5 pm; you can hit both in the span of about a block.)
Thanks to John Smersh from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in the Admiral District for that photo from nearby Admiralty House Antiques, which he says is open today for the first time in a long time, selling tools at 50% off on outdoor tables (you’ll recall it “closed for remodeling” in January; WSB coverage here). Now, to the other side of West Seattle, and the High Point Community Center:
The women in the blue shirts are nursing students from Seattle University standing by to help you get healthier at their High Point Health Fair, under way till 4 pm at High Point CC. Door prizes and refreshments, too, all free – plus some educational exhibits:
That exhibit about indoor air quality was manned by Abby Suplizio, who we introduced you to here in our recent feature about the West Seattle chapter of CoolMom.org, which she leads. She teaches a twice-yearly course about indoor air quality and other safety concerns through the American Lung Association of Washington (more online here). We’ve been out covering many of the day’s other events too, including JP Patches at the Admiral Theater; more coverage coming up later.
That’s the start of a trail into the West Duwamish Greenbelt — which covers many acres of eastern West Seattle but isn’t nearly as well-known as the trails of Lincoln Park, Camp Long, Schmitz Park, and so on. From that trailhead at 14th SW and SW Holly (map), we joined a group Friday afternoon on one of the free guided monthly hikes offered by the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium, whose executive director Nancy Whitlock led the way:
More photos, video, and what we learned about this semi-secret stretch of greenery that’s not very far off the beaten (and driven) path, ahead:Read More
Just a reminder – we publish a list like this every Friday, with dozens of West Seattle Fri-Sat-Sun events for all ages. Here’s the one with listings continuing through tomorrow.
(WSB photo of JP Patches in July 2007 West Seattle Grand Parade)
Some tickets are still left for JP Patches at the Admiral Theater tomorrow morning (available online here) — not only will the local TV legend be there, so will a magic act that the Admiral’s Steve Garrett told us is truly amazing, including the magician’s 14-year-old protege. Along with a walkathon, two fundraiser yard sales (one of which is under way right now!) and a fundraiser book sale, even a luau! and much more — we have 43 West Seattle weekend events ahead (and if you have to leave WS this weekend, remember the traffic advisories we published here and here):Read More
If you haven’t already sent in a suggestion via our handy online form — “ballot boxes” like the one shown above are at 6 West Seattle locations awaiting your suggestions for what to show during Movies on the Wall this July and August in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor). As a co-sponsor of this summer’s series, we’ve been offering you the chance for about 2 weeks now to have a say in what’s shown this year — Hotwire’s Lora Lewis says Friday’s the deadline, so time’s running out. Lora says these are some of the frontrunners so far:
The Muppet Movie
Footloose
Original Batman movie
Spaceballs
Sleepless in Seattle
So I Married an Axe Murderer
Jurassic Park
As previously noted, Monty Python and the Holy Grail — repeatedly rained out late last summer (boo!) — will be the kickoff flick on July 19th. Again: Vote online here (or follow the Cinema tab atop this page), or by dropping a suggestion into the “ballot boxes” set up at these West Seattle locations: Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), Click! Design that Fits (WSB sponsor), West 5, Capers, Curious Kidstuff, Square 1 Books.
(WSB photo of JP Patches in July 2007 West Seattle Grand Parade)
Seen on the Admiral Theater marquee and website: A morning with JP Patches, legendary TV clown, 11 am next Saturday, May 17; tickets available online. So we don’t have to wait till parade season to see him here in West Seattle! The campaign for a JP Patches statue continues, by the way; find out more at his site.
The Weather Service still says rain not likely in the metro area before Saturday night, so we’re looking dry for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 9 am-3 pm tomorrow. Here’s hoping. Meantime, quick links in case you are not already all geared up for shopping 143 West Seattle garage/yard sales big ‘n’ small tomorrow:
*Printable map with sale listings (8-page PDF)
*List of places to get preprinted map if you don’t have printer access
*Clickable Google map showing all sales (so you can take a closer look at locations)
*Info on fundraiser sales and contests
We’ll be spotlighting business and block sales later tonight. One fundraiser addition: The WSB Forum Community sale at 2655 45th SW will include a chance to donate to a fund that’s being set up for longtime WSB reader JanS, a self-employed massage therapist who’s going to be out of work a while after hip-replacement surgery this coming week (read more in this forum thread). And a couple trivia points: The northernmost sale is 1418 Palm SW; the southernmost sale is 3737 SW 108th; westernmost sale is 3247 64th SW; easternmost sale is 7937 11th SW. We’ll be out and about with as-it-happens coverage tomorrow starting in the 8 am hour (though again, official sale time is 9 am-3 pm) – and more previews are coming up later tonight.
Three and a half months after Megawatt passed the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day torch to us at WSB, tomorrow is the big day, 9 am-3 pm (get your map here if you haven’t already) – but there’s lots more going on tonight, Saturday, Sunday (which of course is Mother’s Day) in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup — 41 events on the list ahead:Read More
6-9 pm tonight, the next monthly West Seattle Art Walk, with (as noted earlier this week) a record number of participants – and more of West Seattle involved than ever, from Admiral to Delridge (Bubbles!) to businesses south of The Junction. See the map here; list of venues (and special events you’ll encounter along the way) here. Speaking of maps, the Art Walk venues include two places you can pick up a copy of the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day map if you can’t print out your own — Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Capers — but please do print it yourself if you can (the link’s here), to save preprinted copies for those without printers/computer access; thanks!
ALSO WHILE YOU’RE ARTWALKING – HAVE YOU SUGGESTED A MOVIE YET? Six ballot boxes are now up at West Seattle shopsif you want to suggest a film for Movies on the Wall this summer but don’t want to do it online (see this special WSB page; we’re a co-sponsor this year). Read on to see not only where the boxes are up, but also how the movie-deciding is going so far:Read More
Just two days till the big day, and now you can see who is selling what where. Go here. 9:42 AM UPDATE: Just got e-mail from someone who says he is part of a group coming here from the YAKIMA VALLEY! for WSCGSD. Re: the weather – if you read the “forecast discussion,” the chance of rain on Saturday keeps getting pushed back later and later in the day.
Another “first” this weekend in The Junction — the first Sustainable West Seattle Festival, 10 am-3 pm Sunday in the Wells Fargo parking lot. We’ll be there on behalf of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (which is really just a different way to recycle!) – stop by and say hi! – but more importantly, it’s a chance to find out about an amazing lineup of local organizations working on small-step solutions to some of today’s biggest problems. And don’t miss the Transit Forum nearby at ArtsWest (talk about a problem in search of a solution) … But the SWS Festival is just one of 45 events listed ahead:Read More
That’s the screen on the wall in the courtyard outside Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), where Movies on the Wall are shown in the summer. As we mentioned two days ago, Hotwire’s Lora Lewis is collecting suggestions for this summer’s series — you can send one in via this WSB page, or by using ballot boxes set up at Hotwire and other places in The Junction. Lora confesses she’s already planning to kick off the season July 19 with the movie that was rained out three times at the end of last summer, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” At least one would-be voter asked what was shown last year; here’s the list:
Chicken Run
Best in Show
Wizard of Oz
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Edward Scissorhands
You can send in a suggestion by going to this page, any time before May 15.
THIS IS A 2008 POST – FOR INFO ON 2009 MOVIE SERIES, GO HERE
We’ve talked about Hi-Yu, we’ve talked about The Parade, we’ve talked about Summer Fest, and now, another West Seattle summer tradition is getting ready for its closeup: Movies on the Wall next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor). This summer, it’ll be outdoor movie night every Saturday, July 19-August 23, with WSB as a co-sponsor; as part of that, we’re teaming up right now with Hotwire proprietor Lora Lewis to gather suggestions for what movies you would like to see shown! You’ll find ballot boxes at Hotwire and other Junction spots, and an online voting option right here on WSB – find it from the Cinema tab across the top of all pages – or just click here. You have till May 15 to get a suggestion in; we’ll post periodic updates on how it’s going and whether we’re seeing any trends!
That’s your first look at Myrtle, the Shar-Pei that won the “Most Beautiful Pet” contest at the West Seattle Junction Association’s first-ever Pet Fest about an hour ago. We have a lot more to show you from the contest, including video, a little bit later, but wanted to post this as a reminder that Pet Fest continues till 4 pm in the Wells Fargo lot at the NE corner of 44th/Alaska. (Don’t miss the pet-adoption area featuring Homeward Pet, run by West Seattleite Steve Siadek, who regularly contributes adoption candidates to the WSB Pets page.) ADDED EARLY MONDAY: Still working on a longer compilation of video from the contest, but here’s a clip of Myrtle with the runner-up, another Shar-Pei, named Buddy (his owner Michelle says he’s 1 1/2; Myrtle’s owner Ryan says she’s a rescuee and about 8):
That’s the temporary “pond” set up at Seacrest with the hatchery trout that arrived this afternoon in advance of tomorrow morning’s West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club Hi-Yu Kids’ Fishing Derby. It’s happening much earlier in the season this year (last year it was in July) — 8 am-11 am tomorrow, to be specific, free to kids under 14, gear provided. But first – club members will be on fish watch all night tonight, guarding the pond and its contents – if you stop by Seacrest on this lovely night, you can’t miss ’em. Then in the morning, when the Derby begins, club members and fish will be joined by Hi-Yu junior and senior court members and candidates; kids get to keep their catch, and get goodie bags regardless of whether they catch anything.
Sunshine? Did somebody say sunshine? From a free kids’ fishing derby to the home stretch for Ercolini Park, from Spring Clean-ing to becoming a Master of Disaster, plus two big events Sunday — the West Seattle Junction Association‘s first-ever Pet Fest and the Elliott Bay Water Taxi‘s season kickoff — and music and theater and art and shopping, 50 West Seattle events outdoor and indoor, ahead:Read More
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