Another area food bank hoping for help
We’ve told you about the West Seattle Food Bank‘s needs this holiday season (with its wish list here), and you’ve stepped up to the plate (as did Nucor employees with the big donation we covered last week) – Now we’ve heard from the White Center Food Bank, which serves families just south of West Seattle (its coverage area is shown here), which is also in need of a pre-Christmas boost. From Richard Jump at the WCFB:
The White Center Food Bank is expecting to serve more than 800 low-income families during our holiday distribution this week. Donations are still needed to meet the increased demand for services. Most needed items include: hams, fruit cocktail, olives, canned fruit, Stove Top stuffing, Rice-a-Roni, jello & pudding, chicken or turkey broth, dessert mixes, etc. Donations are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at the food bank at 10829 8th Ave SW. Our telephone number is 206.762.2848. Happy Holidays!
If you know of any other local nonprofit with urgent last-minute pre-Christmas needs, please let us know – e-mail us or call us (206/293-6302) and we’ll help get the word out here on WSB. 10:30 AM ADDENDUM: We checked with WCFB and they will accept donations during business hours — 8:30 to 6:30 pm — or by appointment.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/17/07
One week till Christmas Eve! If your dream would resemble a warm Christmas more than a white Christmas, check this out:
Thanks to Becky for the photo, which she reports is from “36th or 37th just south of Roxbury” — we’ve added that approximate location to our clickable, printable West Seattle Christmas lights map (find it on the WSB Holidays page), will try to nail it down more closely with an in-person visual tomorrow. With your help, we’ve now featured 30 displays, all archived here.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/16/07
This is one of the flashiest displays in the greater Admiral area — 45th and Stevens, just west of PCC. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed us to make sure it made the WSB roundup! While snagging this photo tonight, we noticed several other well-lit houses along 45th north of this spot. Please keep sending in suggested locations – we’ll continue featuring local lights nightly through Christmas; you’ll find them all on our clickable, printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable on the WSB Holidays page, with the nightly features archived here.
West Seattle Christmas trees update: 1 lot’s on sale
We’re going to have to go out and check on the tree situation West Seattle-wide as time permits this afternoon – we figured some things might have changed since we did the research 2 weeks ago for our West Seattle Christmas Tree Price Check (read it here) — and in fact, we just got e-mail from this year’s new addition, the tree lot on Harbor Ave across from the 7-11. Jeff Sullivan wrote (as of half an hour ago):
We just wanted to let you know that we have around 40 or 50 trees left in a variety of shapes & sizes. We still have Noble, grand and douglas firs. All trees are just $20/each!
Merry Christmas to you!
Sincerely,
Jeff Sullivan
Skyline Secure Park
If the words “happy” and “holidays” don’t synch this year
Tonight at 7, Tibbetts United Methodist Church is presenting what its new pastor calls the “Blue Christmas/Longest Night” service. Rev. Dr. Joanne Carlson Brown describes it this way:
No, it is not just an Elvis song. For many people, Christmas is not the most wonderful time of the year. Maybe someone you loved died this year and this is the first Christmas without them. Maybe you lost someone around Christmas time and the anniversary is painful. Maybe you’ve lost your job or even your faith. Maybe it is just the holidays are way too much to handle. For whatever reason, if you find yourself at odds with the holiday cheer, come spend an hour with others in a time to acknowledge the grief, the sadness, the pain and to find a way to hope. This is a service of readings, prayers and music.
Tibbetts UMC is at 3940 41st SW (that’s 41st/Andover; here’s a map). When we first heard from the pastor about this, and she mentioned having just been appointed, we asked her for a short bio:Read More
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/15/07
Jodi e-mailed WSB (thank you!) about a house in the 4000 block of Fauntleroy, which runs parallel to the end of The Bridge; we hope this is the right one — impossible to see street numbers in the dark, and there are several nicely lit homes on the block, but this one is the brightest, and the photo barely does it justice because there’s a whole lot of blinking and strobing going on. It’s the latest addition to our clickable/printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, linked from the WSB Holidays page and now featuring 28 locations, all around our peninsula, and all also archived here.
Seen on the street: Junction carolers
Sorry for the subpar drive-by photography but in this case, it’s the spirit that counts – we were stopped at walk-all-ways in The Junction, headed back home from the latest Christmas-light photography (tonight’s update is minutes away), when we saw and heard this group doing a raucous rendition of “Feliz Navidad” right outside the professional offices south of JaK’s Grill. Much whooping and clapping ensued, from the spectators as well as the performers. Fun times.
Completely off the topic of WS but since you asked …
Last month we received a couple e-mails from people asking if we’d heard a rumor that the popular NORAD Tracks Santa website wasn’t going to be running this year. We couldn’t find the site at the time and wondered if those rumors might be true. Glad to report that we checked back and … they were false … you can find the preview site for NORAD Tracks Santa here.We always love following the web tracking every year … reminds us of the pre-pre-Internet days of our childhood, when radio announcers would check in with NORAD to see where Santa had turned up on radar.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/13/07
Again tonight, two pix – have to double up to get everything in before The Big Day:
The first one is a beautiful tree, one color of lights for each branch, pointed out to us by The Velvet Bulldog; it’s on Hinds at 62nd. The second one is a photo from CA Joyce, described as a treehouse dressed up for the holidays, 53rd & Dakota. Both are now added to our clickable/printable West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you can find any time on the WSB Holidays page; all previously featured lights are archived here. And thanks to everyone for continuing to send in all the tips and pix!
Tonight: West Seattle Art Walk, “Wrap It Up,” more …
Got holiday shopping left to do? Tonight you can shop throughout The Junction, and even get your presents wrapped, as part of “Wrap It Up” — More than a dozen businesses are open late (including the participants listed on the official flyer, which you can see here (linked from the Clementine blog). While you’re in The Junction, the monthly West Seattle Art Walk 
will deck the halls — be sure not to miss Divina, Ginomai, and Hotwire on the north end. (Participating artists and venues are listed here.) And in the heart of The Junction, Twilight Art Collective is welcoming visitors into its new space (ex-Bikes and Brew, west of Easy Street; here’s our original report on them from last month). And this isn’t even all that’s happening in WS tonight – more on that as the day goes by.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/12/07
Two pix again tonight – this first one hit the WSB inbox just as we were getting ready to publish this item:
First one is from Greg, and it’s at 4117 38th SW, east of The Junction; second one is on Gatewood Hill, on 37th SW north of Kenyon. Both are on our updated-nightly clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on the WSB Holidays page, but getting to be so lively, we also wanted to show it off here:
View Larger Map
West Seattle holiday lights, 12/11/07
Two photos from the WSB inbox tonight (thank you!):
First photo, an electric menorah — sent by Lyn and Les — fully lit for the final night of Hanukkah. Second, just part of what looks like another truly spectacular Christmas-lights display, photographed at 10th & Barton by “a neighbor.” It’s now on our clickable, updated-nightly Christmas lights map, viewable any time on the WSB Holidays page.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/10/07
Tonight, two featured homes, one theme:
On the fence in front of the first home, along Thistle east of 42nd (Upper Fauntleroy), are big white snowflake lights. Dangling from the eaves of the second home, along 106th near 31st (edge of Arbor Heights; thanks to Vickie for the tip), are blue-and-white snowflake lights. Both homes are now added to our clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on our Holidays page; plus, you can find all previously featured homes on this archive page. And we’re still thrilled to get your tips about the best of the brightest, homes and/or entire neighborhoods!
More proof this ain’t your grandma’s West Seattle
Or maybe even your mom’s. Back when we moved here in the early ’90s, really not THAT long ago, we lamented that we would have liked to do more shopping in The Junction, but everything seemed to close so early — “rolling up the sidewalks,” as the small-town saying goes. Not these days, and here’s the latest proof: Coinciding with this Thursday night’s West Seattle Art Walk in The Junction is “Wrap It Up,” with participating stores open well into the night for holiday-shopping fun. And it’s not just The Junction that will be jumping — on the north side of West Seattle, we’ve heard from more shops planning to be open late on Thursday, including WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits and Shanti in the Admiral District, and along Avalon, Murphy’s Furniture Studio has an event planned Thursday night for late-night shopping while raising money for GambiaHELP. All in all, Thursday’s a good night to spend your $ where you live. Here’s the “Wrap It Up” flyer listing Junction participants, by the way:Read More
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/9/07
Thanks to Katie for e-mailing to tell us about this house in North Admiral (west side of 45th SW, south of SW Seattle). This is a camphone photo; the real thing is exponentially more festive. It’s the latest addition to our clickable, photo-embedded West Seattle Christmas lights map, viewable any time on our WSB Holidays page.
West Seattle Christmas lights, 12/8/07
The picture doesn’t do it justice but this is one of our favorite simple-yet-striking Christmas light displays every year – it’s directly east of the Metropolitan Market parking lot, across 41st. The lights alternate red/white, and trace the home’s features quite beautifully. This house is now added to our clickable West Seattle Christmas lights map, which you can find any time on the WSB Holidays page.
Christmas Ship at Alki
Three West Seattle stops down, one to go (Don Armeni, tomorrow night @ 7:10) for the Christmas Ship. We are just back from the Alki visit, quite a party with live music, free treats, and even Santa Claus — on a motorcycle:
We’re still testing out the various video-uploading options; tell us how that one worked for you. Meanwhile, two more clips:Read More
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