West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
Four major neighborhood/community group meetings this week, and really, it’s a huge first step to helping your neighborhood when you just show up. We go to as many of these meetings as we can every month and that’s what the groups’ leaders are dying to see (they’re all volunteers, by the way) … the more people the merrier. And you’d be surprised what you find out. Here’s your chances this week: TONIGHT – The Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council is having what’s been billed as its “most important meeting of the year,” 6:30 pm, Cooper Elementary (map). TOMORROW (TUESDAY): Admiral Neighborhood Association, 7 pm, Admiral Church basement meeting room (map); Fauntleroy Community Association, 7 pm, The Hall @ Fauntleroy (in the old schoolhouse, which itself is on the agenda, after last week’s big news). WEDNESDAY: Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting, 7 pm, The Kenney; Delridge District Council (wireps from eastern West Seattle’s community groups and other organizations), 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room. See our right sidebar, under WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GROUPS, for a list of other neighborhood associations who’d be thrilled to see/hear from you. MONDAY AFTERNOON ADDENDUM: One more neighborhood event this week where you would be more than welcome – the Junction Neighborhood Organization‘s quarterly cleanup (free treats!) is this Saturday morning. Help get the streets in shape before winter barrels into us. E-mail JuNO prez Erica Karlovits – erica@wsjuno.com – if you can help (or have a Q). TUESDAY AFTERNOON ADDENDUM: JuNO’s cleanup has been postponed – but e-mail Erica to get you on the list for helping when it’s rescheduled!
Have you voted yet in the “Cox Conserves Heroes” competition? Fauntleroy’s Judy Pickens is now in second, and there are just a few days left to vote — if she wins, EarthCorps (which works on greenspace restoration in West Seattle and elsewhere) gets a $5,000 donation. Judy is shown at left in the photo above with some of the many visitors young and old who come to Fauntleroy Creek, for which she has worked tirelessly (we won’t soon forget spending some time with her by the creek in March, when a few tiny salmon fry were clearly visible, fighting the current). Take a minute – go here to vote – tell your friends. Two weeks from today, by the way, you can join Judy and other friends of Fauntleroy Creek, drumming to call the salmon home, 5 pm 10/26 at the overlook across from the ferry dock. P.S. There’s a new creek update on fauntleroy.net – a grant application to restore “the last degraded reach of the creek” – read about it here.
One week from tonight, at Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College, you can multitask in the best of ways: Have fun, and help a West Seattle/White Center nonprofit that’s busier than ever these days: The White Center Food Bank. Despite its name, it’s important to note, the White Center Food Bank serves a big chunk of West Seattle as well – food banks have service boundaries; if somebody shows up at a food bank but lives outside its service area, they’ll get some one-time emergency help and directions to the appropriate location. So to help fight hunger in West Seattle, it’s important to help the White Center Food Bank as well as the West Seattle Food Bank. Earlier this year, WSFB had great success with its “Instruments of Change” event, and now it’s the WCFB’s turn — the fourth annual Harvest Dinner and Auction starts with a silent auction at 5:30 pm next Saturday (10/18) and dinner at 7:15 pm. WCFB has taken out space on WSB this week to thank its major sponsors and remind you about the event. See the invitation here; for $60/person, you can enjoy a steak/salmon entree or pasta option; call or e-mail for reservations ASAP since the event is only a week away — 206/762-2848, or rick@whitecenterfoodbank.org.
That video zooms in on a well-gnawed tree that we learned about while talking to volunteer forest steward Mike Arizona near one of the beaver ponds in Delridge Natural Area. Mike agreed to meet us there to preview two major work parties he’s organizing, one for tomorrow (Saturday 10/11), one for next month (Saturday 11/8) – steps away from busy Delridge Way, but a world away – read on to find out more about them, and about those beavers:Read More
Want to help organize an “Eat Local Now!” dinner to raise awareness and $? Tonight, you are invited to join the first organizing meeting for what will be the first such dinner in West Seattle. Read on:Read More
That’s the West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival‘s 2008 float making its last parade appearance of the year, this weekend in Issaquah. The float’s had its ups and downs this year, and we asked Hi-Yu president Tim Winston to let us know when it was time to ask for your help — now’s the time, as he writes in this update about the 2008 float’s finale:
We had a successful day at Issaquah Salmon Days yesterday. The float ran great, thanks to Tim Szender of Quality Auto Electric in Des Moines and Al Glencross of the West Seattle Eagles. Tim replaced the entire ignition system of our 1967 Roadmaster with an electronic system. Al funded the repair.
The day started when we left the old Huling Garage (thank you, Harbor Properties) @ 4:30 am so the float could be ready for judging in Issaquah by 7:30. There was moderate rain for set up and staging; however, it stopped for the 10 am parade. Unfortunately, we had to trailer and cover the float in a steady, drenching rain:
This completes the 2008 parade season, so what’s next? The engine repairs will make it possible to keep the float running for the next 2 years while we raise funds and build a new float platform. With a few repairs to the frame and an upgrade to the sound system, it will be ready for 2009.
However, next year’s parade season depends on obtaining a covered car trailer for the float. Our existing flatbed trailer has become too demanding and dangerous for the volunteers. We are consistently the last crew to leave a parade. Getting the float on the trailer requires a carefully followed procedure for bracing the trailer, driving the float up steep ramps, and securing it. Then the unwieldy tarp must be pulled over the float and secured for freeway-speed winds. This whole process takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours a on sunny day. At midnight and/or in the rain, it can take substantially longer. Our peers with covered vehicle trailers, drive in the float, secure it with a built-in system, shut the door & leave. Unless we happen to have volunteers with trucking or equipment hauling experience, people have to be trained each year. The unpleasant hours that volunteers spend at this reduces the hours that we have available for coordinating community events.
Additionally, when Harbor Properties begins construction on the site where we are currently storing the float, which they have graciously provided for us, we will once again need a storage location. A covered trailer will provide many more storage options in, or close to, West Seattle.
We are planning to buy a new trailer similar to the one that the Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Festival purchased this year. Photo shows the trailer at the Seafair Torchlight Parade:
This 30’ extra-height vehicle trailer will cost about $12,000 and should last at least 20 years. We believe that is an obtainable goal this Fall and Winter, in addition to the annual memberships that we depend on for the festival’s annual scholarships and events.
We are offering both perpetual and annual logo placement on the sides and back of the trailer:
This is very good exposure, since the float travels to about 10 parades throughout the area. Depending on where the trailer is stored, there may be year-around exposure. Anyone who would like information about sponsorship should e-mail me at info@hiyu.com
Thanks,
Tim Winston
President
West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival
Last year, we caught up with the Seattle CROP Walk-ers as they strolled around Alki Point on a gray afternoon; for the ’08 Seattle CROP Walk today, the weather’s the same, but we found them heading east along Alki Beach instead, including the group shown above. The 3-mile walk raised money to fight hunger, with beneficiaries including the West Seattle Food Bank, the White Center Food Bank, and Northwest Harvest. Meantime, this may be a sign you could have a few more pennies in your pocket soon:
That’s the first sighting of $3.40-something gas in West Seattle this fall, found at Gasco (35th/Henderson). We believe it’s the lowest posted West Seattle gas price as of this moment, since the usual lowest-price spot, Arco, was at $3.53 when we drove by a bit earlier. Last but not least in this trio of WS Weekend Scenes, we wanted to share this photo by Steve Heck – click it to open a full-size version:
Steve’s wife Michelle Heck sent the photo with the explanation that it’s a “circumhorizontal arc,” photographed over Alki, looking southwest, Saturday morning.
We got late word that the West Seattle High School Swim Team’s having a fundraising car wash right now – till 4 this afternoon – if you drive toward the school on California, you’ll see signs like the one in our quick pic above. Sure, it’s cloudy, but you have to get the car washed SOMETIME …
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Sunday morning means the weekly link to the Ripe ‘n’ Ready fresh sheet listing some of what you can expect to find at WSFM, 10 am-2 pm at 44th/Alaska. Here’s the link.
ANIMAL BLESSING #2: First one happened Saturday at The Mount; today, a big outdoor event at the West Seattle High School parking lot, starting at noon, presented by neighboring St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, and featuring the Humane Society MaxMobile with adoptable pets.
MORE: Here’s the direct link to our West Seattle Weekend Lineup Sunday list – with info on today’s other highlights (including Holy Rosary’s annual Alumni Sunday, the Seattle CROP Walk, Ciderpress in Delridge, and a Music Northwest concert).
At Thriftway in Morgan Junction, that’s (from left) Jake Webley, Gini Johnson, and Greg Ross, collecting food and money for local food banks as part of a drive presented by local Prudential realtors. They have the north door covered; another team has the south door; and you’ll also find Prudential folks at West Seattle PCC. This is happening till 2 pm today – and not only can you help by giving food items and/or money, Gini told us that if you present them with your receipt, they’re doing a one percent match. If you don’t see this till after 2, you can also drop off food bank donations at Prudential’s West Seattle offices through the end of the year. Meantime, at another grocery store — QFC in Westwood Village — these folks are “shopping for help” too:
The smiling folks you see in that photo include local fire cadets, currently based at the Joint Training Facility on the southeast edge of West Seattle, and today they’re asking you to help “Give Burns the Boot” by collecting $ on behalf of the Northwest Burn Foundation. You’ll find them at QFC — and others at Metropolitan Market in Admiral — till 4 pm today. (If you miss this event, you can donate to NW Burn Foundation online by going here.)
VIADUCT CLOSURE: Reminder, the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed till 11 am this morning because of the Puget Sound Heart Walk. (Its next weekend inspection closure is in two weeks, 6 am-6 pm Saturday 10/18 and the same hours Sunday 10/19.)
FOOD DRIVE: Heard late last night from local Prudential realtors Debbie Rutledge (via Facebook) and Alice Kuder that they and others are collecting food and money for the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks at two locations 10 am-2 pm today: Thriftway and PCC.
BURN FUNDRAISER: Around the region, it’s “Give Burns the Boot” day with local firefighters teaming up to help the Northwest Burn Foundation. Look for them at Metropolitan Market and Westwood Village QFC.
VOTER SIGNUP: Last reminder – today’s your last chance to register. Look for registration drives almost everywhere, or register online RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS: First of two this weekend – today, it’s indoors, 10:45 am, front lobby of Providence Mount St. Vincent (map), everyone’s welcome to bring their animals; Father Lyle Konen will perform the blessing.
MUCH MORE: Check the West Seattle Weekend Lineup; here’s the direct link to today’s list.
Two days after we brought you the urgent call for help from White Center Food Bank, which also serves southern West Seattle, we stopped by for an update; you can see that report here – executive director Rick Jump says thanks to those who have stepped up, and shared new numbers showing how the help is needed more than ever. (And if you missed it, we also checked with West Seattle Food Bank and published an update on their current needs earlier this morning. Both food banks now accept online $ donations – just click their names in this post to go to their websites. One more way you can help – the WCFB annual fundraising auction/dinner is coming up October 18th, 5:30 pm at South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center; this event raises up to half the WCFB’s annual budget funds – check out the invitation here and RSVP by October 10th.)
Two days ago, we brought you first word of an urgent call for help from the White Center Food Bank, which also serves part of West Seattle. We’re visiting WCFB later today to see how people have responded and what’s still needed; meantime, we’d inquired with West Seattle Food Bank whether it also happened to have any urgent needs, and now we’ve heard back from executive director Fran Yeatts, who tells WSB: “We have been purchasing food at a furious rate to keep up with demand. Our numbers are about 20% higher than what they were one year ago and it is very difficult to keep the shelves stocked. We have been especially short on baby diapers and formula, but we are also very low on canned soups, fruits and protein items.” You can find out how to help WSFB by going to this page; the left sidebar has the hours for accepting donation dropoffs, plus a link to donate $ online.
West Seattle is actually served by two food banks with distinct boundaries – and the one that serves southern West Seattle, the White Center Food Bank, is in urgent, immediate need of help. Just got this note from executive director Rick Jump:
I don’t want to be like the boy who cried wolf so I don’t ask for anything unless the situation absolutely warrants it. Our numbers are up (way up) and donations are down. We are currently experiencing critical shortages of food which will begin to impact services in the next week or two. Our inventories are shrinking fast and we need almost all types of non-perishable food. Canned fruits and vegetables, soups, tuna, cereal, dry variety foods such as Hamburger Helper, Rice-a-Roni and Mac & Cheese are especially needed at this time.
Information on where to go and how to donate can be found at whitecenterfoodbank.org — at this page in particular (which also includes a link to donate $ online). Meantime, we’ll be checking with West Seattle Food Bank to see if they have any immediate needs as well.
(if you’re looking for someone in the crowd, here’s a slightly larger version of that clip)
Last night, we told you West Seattle-based Northwest Hope and Healing had 750-plus people signed up for today’s Alki Beach Run 5K run-walk to raise money for its mission of helping breast-cancer patients. Today – just take a look at that first video clip atop this report; we had a great eagle’s-eye view of the start of the race, and in our video, you can see all ONE THOUSAND-PLUS participants stream by – huge turnout! We talked to Northwest Hope and Healing director Shari Sewell during the run/walk, and she told us they had printed up 900-plus bibs, but ran out during registration this morning! Now – did you notice the flag in the video clip? Read on to see what it symbolizes, see a clip of what the flagbearers did just before the run, and hear from the person they walked in honor of – oh, plus, see the first finisher, all ahead:Read More
We’ve been telling you about West Seattle-based Northwest Hope and Healing‘s Alki Beach Run tomorrow, to raise money to help local women diagnosed with breast cancer. Should be a busy morning at the beach – we got word tonight that more than 700 participants are expected, more than triple last year’s turnout (the race format and location were different), for the 5K run/walk. But there’s still room for you to join in – register starting at 8 am at Alki Bathhouse; get details on the official website.
That’s the start of the Ataxia Awareness “Walk ‘n’ Roll” along Alki this morning. (Here’s more about ataxia, a nervous-system disorder; here’s how to reach the local support group.) P.S. The Alki Beach Run for Northwest Hope and Healing is tomorrow (online registration is closed, but race-day registration starts 8 am tomorrow @ the bathhouse). Second note – on the way to Alki this morning, we MAY HAVE solved part of a mystery:
That tent is on the industrial site just east of the Bronson street end, which in turn is just east of Salty’s. Between the tent, the nearby rental trucks, and the lights (photo below – one of at least two such setups on the site), we think it MIGHT be … we emphasize, MIGHT … be part of the answer to the movie-site mystery we reported two days ago. Maybe.
Of course, whatever’s happening there might have happened yesterday .. might be happening tonight … or who knows when. But we’ll keep an eye out. (SATURDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Karen says now that more setup has happened, it looks like a wedding. Oh well.) Meantime, close by, a quick pic of one of our favorite pockets of West Seattle fall colors:
That’s at Duwamish Head Greenspace. As for what else is up this weekend – check the West Seattle Weekend Lineup! Which is missing one activity we just were reminded of, in e-mail from West Seattle naturalist Stewart Wechsler, who says a few spots are still left:
Owl Hoot at Camp Long
Tonight, Sat September 27 7-9 p.m.
Ages 5 and olderA family friendly program. All ages and levels are welcome. Barred Owls
are likely (they’re usually around at Camp Long, but not always vocal or
visible) We will at least be able to see remnants of old pellets under old
perches. We’ll also keep an ear and a number of eyes out for Screech Owls,
which are possible, but not very likely anymore, since Camp Long was taken
over by Barred Owls. Great Horned sometimes show up in late October, but
we’ll try hooting for them just in case. After a short presentation with our
mounted owls of several species, we’ll look for owls. Remind me to bring
the Bat Dectector, as there are likely still some bats around. We’ll poke
around for pellets to pull apart and hear how to hoot. Please call (206)
684-7434 to register.
Just got off the phone with the Seattle Police traffic-collision detective who is investigating the crash that killed 92-year-old Rosemary MacCorkindale in the California/Dawson crosswalk earlier this week (investigation photo above). We’d originally called to check on the 30th/Trenton June motorcycle crash (after publishing this story about its survivor) and the 35th/Juneau crash that injured a 15-year-old girl (short answer on both those – the investigations aren’t complete yet), and he asked if we could put out this request: He is still looking for witnesses in the California/Dawson crash. Not people who “heard” something about it secondhand, but anyone who actually saw it happen, or perhaps something just before it happened. If you were a witness, please call/e-mail him, or if you know someone who saw something, please ask them to contact him: Detective Michael Korner, 206/684-8927, michael.korner@seattle.gov – he also gave us some insight into how the process of investigating major crashes works, and why just because a citation’s not issued at the scene doesn’t mean something won’t happen later – we’ll post about that separately later, en route to the Viaduct briefing now.
UPDATE FROM ORIGINAL POST: When we first posted this a few hours ago, it was a forwarded request for volunteers to go help Hurricane Ike survivors. We have since been contacted by the source of the e-mail saying they are overwhelmed with volunteers and don’t need any more for what that solicitation specifically mentioned – but they DO have a different need:Read More
From Kim Petram, e-mailing about the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, coming up Sunday, October 19th, 2-6 pm, at Fauntleroy Church/Schoolhouse/YMCA:
This will be the 6th year of our free community festival. It has grown tremendously and this year we are expecting more than 1,200 people to attend.
There will be many of the favorite activities returning including the climbing wall, pony rides, pumpkin painting and lots of community performances and music. The wood project for the year will be a fun airplane to build and the main craft project will entail designing and painting the Metro bus stop kiosk panels for Fauntleroy.
More details to come – posters and signs will be up soon in the community.
Currently we are looking for volunteer support to fill a few slots still remaining. If you can volunteer 2 hours on the day of the event we would love to have you! Please contact terry@fauntleroyucc.org to sign up.
(WSB photo from 35th/Juneau crash scene, 9/4/08)
Just in from Denise Sharify, who works for Neighborhood House in High Point and has been active on area pedestrian issues: A pedestrian-safety rally is set for 2:30-4 pm October 7 at 35th/Juneau, where a High Point 15-year-old was hit and injured just a few weeks ago. Everyone concerned about pedestrian safety in our area – not just on 35th – is encouraged to join in; Denise’s note to community members also mentions the California/Dawson crash that killed 92-year-old Rosemary MacCorkindale yesterday and the 35th/Brandon crash that killed 39-year-old Gregory Hampel last month. More details on the rally when plans are further finalized.
This event has been on the WSB Events calendar for a while, and it’s been previewed at partner site White Center Now, but the day’s getting closer and the call for volunteers (see the flyer here) has been renewed in the West Seattle as well as WC: A coalition of environmental and economic-justice groups plans to send volunteers to visit every home in White Center this Saturday to share information about energy efficiency. As you can imagine, that takes a volunteer force of hundreds; if you can spare some time that day, go here to find out how to get involved.
Quick note about two fundraising walks next weekend in West Seattle, and one next month just called to our attention by a West Seattleite: First, just one week left till the Alki Beach Run for Northwest Hope and Healing, a West Seattle-based group that helps cancer patients, 9 am next Sunday (most recent update here; NWHH is sponsoring WSB this month to help further spread the word). Also next weekend, Alki will be the site of Walk ‘n’ Roll to raise money to fight ataxia (a nervous-system disorder) – 10 am Saturday (registration at 9) – here’s the flyer. And we just found out through a West Seattleite on our Facebook list that the underdiscussed fight to prevent suicide is coming to Seattle with a Green Lake walk on Oct. 11 (the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention‘s “Overnight” happened in Seattle earlier this year; we covered it here, and previewed it in this interview with a West Seattleite who lost her dad to suicide). Kristen Preusser gets credit for spreading the word about the upcoming Green Lake walk; we sent in a pledge and she wondered if we’d mind sharing the link to her fundraising page. Nope, not at all; here it is. (Anybody else in WS signed up for this walk? Let us know.)
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