West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Some parts of the city don’t have sidewalks – and some parts have sidewalks that are unusable because they’ve been covered in overgrowth. That’s the situation in west Gatewood, near Westside Unitarian, where volunteers calling themselves the Seattle Street Fixers are working right now.
You’re welcome to help – they started at 44th/Othello [map]. You can see some of the other places they’ve cleared by scrolling through here.
Christmas is six weeks away. If you’re ready to get in the mood, this weekend’s return of the Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle) holiday bazaar is the place – many of the handmade/fair-trade items are holiday-themed:
The bazaar also features a bake sale, with proceeds benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank:
The bazaar continues until 2 pm today, and will be open again noon-2 pm Sunday. If you get there today before 1 pm, they’re also offering free kids’ crafts and selling a hot lunch ($5 adults, $3 kids). Note that they’re not taking cards or electronic payments – bring cash or personal checks.
With Halloween now just a little over three weeks away, we’re continuing our spotlight on West Seattle decorations. Andrew‘s home in Gatewood is offering a special seasonal show, starting tonight:
We’d love to share our Halloween decorations with everyone!
Location:
37th Ave SW/SW Austin St in GatewoodDates:
Saturday nights, starting Saturday, 10/8Two Showtimes:
7:30 pm
8:00 pmThe show is 15 minutes long. Show will unfortunately only be playing if it’s not raining. Happy Halloween!
If you have Halloween decorations – with or without a show – to suggest for our ongoing spotlights, please email info (and a photo if you have one, though we can also go out and take our own) to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, happening tomorrow (Saturday, October 1st): The regional fundraising Walk To End Alzheimer’s is happening downtown. Local supporters are organizing a mini-walk here:
For those who want to stay in West Seattle, the Alzheimer’s caregivers support group welcomes anyone to join them for a walk at 11:00 am at 39th and Holden for a walk in the Gatewood area. Wear purple if possible!
No RSVP needed – just show up.
Thanks to Tim for the tip and top photo. A tree on the southeast edge of the Gatewood Elementary campus has fallen onto the back of The Little Gym‘s building next door (California/Myrtle). But we’re told no one was hurt and, so far, it’s not believed to have caused major damage, either to the building or to a car that’s under the tree
Logistics of removing the tree were being discussed when we were there a little while ago.
Thanks to the reader who called to tell us about this so we could go get a photo: Avery, Maisi, and Bailey are running a lemonade-stand fundraiser right now at 36th/Holden in Gatewood. There with them is Shadow the cat – fittingly, as they’re raising money for Emerald City Pet Rescue. They told us they’ll be there until 4:30 or so.
Just out of the inbox: Norah and Evalyn have just set up a free (by donation if you can) lemonade stand in Gatewood. The photo and announcement are from dad (and assistant) Josh:
12:05 PM: My daughters would like to have a lemonade stand today so we are going to be giving away free lemonade from Noon until 3 pm today along the west side of 35th between Othello and Myrtle slightly across from Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is free and we will have a donation jar that will be given to NWAAF (Northwest Abortion Access Fund) and a donation jar that will be given to the West Seattle Food Bank.
We will have Country Time and Country Time with Strawberries mixed in. We will also have some fresh-squeezed Lemonade in limited amounts for super donors and an option for a lavender-infused booster for mega donators.
2 PM UPDATE: Josh says they’ll stay open until 4:30 or so, unless they run out. We’ve substituted an updated photo he sent.
For the next two hours, until 6 pm – or until sold out if that happens sooner – cookies and cupcakes await you at 10-year-old Gwendolyn‘s bake sale to support World Central Kitchen’s work in Ukraine. You’ll find her at 44th SW and SW Othello [map], kitty-corner from West Side Unitarian Universalist. Laurel sent the announcement and says Gwendolyn is selling “traditional iced and plain sugar cookies and vegan, gluten-free chocolate cupcakes. Everything is nut-free. Price: “We are using a Pay What You Will model. We accept cash (with limited ability to make change), Venmo and PayPal.” Gwendolyn says, “I thought it would be a nice thing to do. I recently donated some money to World Central Kitchen to support Ukraine but I felt like I still needed to do more.” You can help her do just that!
We received some questions today about a big deployment of cranes and trucks that took over a block in Gatewood for most of the day, 41st SW between SW Southern and SW Rose. Workers on scene told us they were there to place a prefab DADU (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit, aka “backyard cottage”). The company involved in this installation was Abodu; permit filings say this DADU was planned to be just under 500 square feet. We weren’t there for the actual placement but it likely looked a lot like this one in Highland Park in early June:
Thanks to Kay for that photo. Same company built that DADU too.
The last week of school closes the book in many ways. Among them: Educators’ retirements. Michelle Green Arnson sent this word of a momentous departure from the Gatewood Elementary community:
As this school year comes to a close, beloved kindergarten teacher Nancy Carney will be retiring after 32 years at Gatewood Elementary. Mrs. Carney is a true institution, having worked with five different principals, three decades’ of colleagues, and countless young students. Her warmth and enthusiasm has made her classroom a welcoming space for learning and growth for so many children, while her boundless energy and seemingly limitless patience has astonished and inspired a new crop of parents every year. Mrs. Carney will be missed more than she can know!
If you would like to join Room 4 and the broader Gatewood community in wishing Mrs. Carney a very happy retirement, you can post messages, memories, and photos here: kudoboard.com/boards/4Mr9nfx4
In the mood to shop? Buy something a local business donated to help a school! Bidding is on right now to benefit Gatewood Elementary – here’s the announcement:
Bid Now on the Gatewood Online Silent Auction!
The Gatewood Elementary Online Silent Auction is on now, and anyone can bid! The theme, Gatewood Literary Society, celebrates our students through the lens of magical books, well-loved stories, and never-ending imagination. On top of sporting events, great gift packages by local businesses, excellent wines, award-winning beers (like this rare find you can’t get in Washington State) and cabin rentals – we have an array of imaginative books to encourage your child’s love of reading.
All proceeds go to the Gatewood PTA and supports our West Seattle Community. You can start bidding here: gatewood2022.ggo.bid
Bidding continues through Friday (May 6th).
Something else you can do today in the sunshine – visit “Gatewood Gardens”! Sally Hardwick sent the photos and report:
Aaron Smith and Michael Starling have been bringing neighbors together on a stretch of California Ave SW between SW Portland Street and SW Monroe Street and through their love of gardening. The whole neighborhood got together and planted bulbs on a few cold rainy days last fall—and the effort and wait was worth it!
This is the second year of daffodil and tulips putting on a spectacular show. I have people stop all the time gushing about the beautification of my parking strip, or “boulevard” as Aaron calls it. As one passerby commented, “We’ve got our own tulip festival right here this year, who needs to go to (Skagit)?!” It really is jaw-dropping, especially considering how it looked before Aaron and Michael stepped in to help. Their planting enthusiasm and generosity is beyond measure!
I am really fortunate to be a part of this group of people who have formed a tight community on a busy street as result of Aaron and Michael’s gardening projects, which included a recent succulent-planting party, summer perennial-planting projects, and of course the star of the show, spring tulips and daffodils! I feel a real sense of community since these efforts began. One neighbor just said, “I love it that we all look out for each other”. We have formed a group text chat, which allows us not only to talk about upcoming plant projects, but also ask “does anyone have a cup of sugar?” when in a pinch. It really is wonderful.
Go for a walk or a drive to take a look, or check out the Instagram page for gorgeous photos!
We also reported on the displays last year, after hearing from another neighbor.
Every so often, we get reports like this one from Tim:
Writing to let you know I was ‘swooped’ by—what I believe was a Barred Owl (last night around 10:45) on 37th Ave between Southern and Rose in Gatewood. [map]
White and speckled underneath, it had a large wingspan, narrowly missed me, then landed on the nearby rooftop. It watched as I walked, then motioned to dive again before I quickly got inside. Having read a previous article on WSB, I can now see I was doing everything wrong: hat and headphones (luckily, I recently had my COVID ponytail cut off)!
Last such report we published was in September. Here’s what you need to know about owls (check the “preventing conflicts” section).
Thanks to Marco for the photos. The open field at Myrtle Reservoir Park was a field of light last night for the candlelight labyrinth set up by the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation to mark the winter solstice. WSUU also gathered for singing:
P.S. WSUU is one of the local churches that have sent info for the Christmas Eve services listed in our West Seattle Holiday Guide – not too late to add, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
11:06 AM: SFD is in the 8300 block of California SW for “a rope rescue response for a man on scaffolding about 20′ from the ground with minor injuries.”
11:17 AM: This is at a house that’s been undergoing remodeling for months. The rescued person will be taken to the hospital. California is full of emergency vehicles just north of Thistle; they should clear within 45 minutes, we’re told.
11:52 AM: All clear.
Gatewood gets brighter by the night! Tonight’s featured lights are by Krista, who sent photos of her display on the northwest corner of California and Portland [map], highlighted by the stars. Krista’s advice: “The view is better when heading northbound on California rather than southbound.”
You’ll find all this season’s spotlighted light displays archived here; if you have lights to suggest – yours or someone else’s, with or without photos – westseattleblog@gmail.com; thank you!
From Amie:
Someone stashed a pair of shoes, some yard tools and fishing supplies: cooler, snips, and filet knife at our garbage enclosure. Our location is the Gatewood area.
If you are missing any items like that – maybe from a vehicle prowl or garage/yard theft? – contact us and we’ll connect you.
Seattle Public Utilities says it’s working on a water problem that’s affecting more than 60 homes in Gatewood. Late last night, Steve called SPU to report a problem with a “leaky water main” near 41st/Holden. Thanks to Alex for the tip that it’s still affecting homes today. The utility hopes to have service restored this afternoon.
You enter it in the Elysian Brewery Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off, of course:
That’s what Trevor did, after growing the pumpkin in his Gatewood garden:
He says “sunshine, good seeds, a lot of water, and some special care – that may be unique to the pandemic” enabled the pumpkin to swell to 500 pounds.
So then there was the matter of how to get it to Georgetown for the weigh-off. Trevor says his entire block on 37th SW came together to help:
The pumpkin contest was a prelude to Elysian’s Pumpkin Beer Festival. The winning pumpkin was 1,575 pounds. But Trevor’s was no less impressive, He credits family support, too,
(Thanks to Trevor for sending the photos and report!)
Gatewood Elementary dealt with an intruder early this morning, according to a message from principal Kyna Hogg to families. Thanks to the parents who forwarded us the principal’s email:
I want to share an update on an incident that occurred at our school today. This morning, we had an unknown adult enter our building before students arrived. Gatewood staff immediately notified both the Seattle Police Department and the SPS Safety and Security team. There were no students in the building at the time this occurred.
The individual stayed on campus (outside) during arrival with staff present the entire time, waiting for additional support to arrive. Students did not interact with this individual while outside.
Please know that we take safety in our building very seriously and the security and wellbeing of our students is our top concern. Our Safety and Security team is working with SPD to investigate and identify next steps. As always, please let me know if you have any questions.
We asked SPD about the incident. Here’s what Det. Valerie Carson tells us: “Officers were called around 7:45 am for a woman causing a disturbance at a school and then in the area around the school. Police determined the woman needed mental health services and had her taken by private ambulance to the hospital for evaluation.” This is the second time this year Gatewood has reported an intruder on campus, after an incident in June.
5:42 PM: Big emergency response near California/Portland [map] in Gatewood; the call is classified “scenes of violence.” We’ve just arrived to find out what’s happening.
5:47 PM: According to police, one person was shot in the leg. Officers on the scene tell us they believe it happened somewhere else “south of here”; the driver of the vehicle the victim was in pulled over in this neighborhood to call for help. They’re still trying to find out more about the circumstances.
6:05 PM: If you’re noticing a helicopter, that’s just TV, not law enforcement.
6:17 PM: SFD says the victim is an 18-year-old man who’s been taken to Harborview Medical Center and was in stable condition when transported.
6:56 PM: Update from SPD:
At 5:23 p.m., a woman in the 7800 block of 44th Avenue Southwest called 911 to report her 18-year-old son had been shot in the leg. When police arrived, the victim told officers the shooting had happened in Burien and he then drove himself home to West Seattle. He refused to provide any additional information about the incident. SPD officers coordinated with King County Sheriff’s Office deputies, but a shooting scene was not located.
One reader report tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
The photo is from a texter who says that happened to their pickup truck near 41st/Austin in Gatewood on Friday night. “Appears someone smashed the window and didn’t even go into the truck or take anything. Terrible and probably the 6th time this truck has been vandalized in the past year.”
Gatewood Elementary was vandalized overnight with what the principal described in email to families as “horrific racially-charged graffiti.” Principal Kyna Hogg wrote that, before students arrived for the day, “Our team took immediate action and covered the graffiti (until it can be permanently removed), we called 911, and informed the SPS Safety and Security team.”
(Added: WSB photo, part of the area where vandalism was covered up)
District spokesperson Tim Robinson tells WSB the work order for permanent removal is already in and work should happen soon. Gatewood has been hit with racist crime before; we reported earlier this year on the fourth theft of a Black Lives Matter banner from the school fence, The racists won’t win, Hogg assured families: “I believe it is important to continue to emphasize that Black Lives Matter at Gatewood Elementary School and throughout Seattle Public Schools.”
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