West Seattle, Washington
26 Saturday
Jennifer Duong, who provides staff support to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council on behalf of Seattle Neighborhood Group, asked us to post this reminder – the event’s become even more timely since the original announcement, given the major incidents (robbery/shooting and attack, to name a few) our neighborhood law enforcers have been through lately:
Next Tuesday, July 15, Southwest Precinct neighbors are invited to drop by the precinct to show their appreciation for officers who endure long hours, bad weather and ever-present danger to patrol WS area communities. The open-house event is planned from 10 am to 8 pm, to accommodate all three shifts.
Community members are invited to drop-in at the precinct anytime from 10 am to 8 pm for food, fun, and small talk. Come by and meet the people who patrol your neighborhood and taste some great food from local cafés. Bring thank-you cards and letters of appreciation. Share your stories about a dedicated officer or anecdotes about how someone from SPD has helped you. Coloring books and stickers for kids and art supplies to make appreciation cards will also be available.
All are welcome to donate food and beverages from local restaurants, delis, grocery stores, cafés and bakeries. (Home-cooked or home-baked foods cannot be accepted). Donations will qualify as 501-(C)3 charitable contributions. If you would like to participate or volunteer, please contact Jennifer at 206-322-6134 or jennifer@sngi.org. (If you need us to pick up your food donations, contact us by Monday, July 15th). The event is sponsored by members of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council and Seattle Neighborhood Group.
Contact:
Jennifer Duong
SNG SE/SW Program Coordinator
206-322-6134
jennifer@sngi.org
Seattle Neighborhood Group
If you’ve never been to the precinct, it’s directly east of the south side of Home Depot, at Delridge and Webster (map) – the main entrance is from a parking lot that you enter from Webster.
That little garden on West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) property by the Ginomai arts center has already produced dozens of pounds of food that’s been harvested and donated to people in need. We heard about it during one of the recent Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle presentations to the Delridge and Southwest District Councils. It’s cared for by Aaron Hernandez, who handles the WSCC grounds ministry; he talked to us about what’s known as “Psomizo Garden“ while he and his daughter were there for one of their frequent harvesting/tending sessions a couple days ago:
That’s just one of many food-growing gardens in West Seattle, on a variety of scales – there are also P-Patches and the High Point Market Garden, to name a few, plus Longfellow Creek Garden, which we told you about earlier this year, also has just announced it’s harvest time and is inviting those who have volunteered there to come ‘n’ get it (previous progress chronicled at the LCG blog). Back to Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle – it’s also still looking for local fruit trees that its volunteers can harvest for distribution, and for more volunteers to help; contact info is on its website, where we find word that a volunteer orientation is set for one week from tomorrow. It’s also presenting the first-ever West Seattle Food Garden Tour, 10 am-2 pm August 2nd – free! (This page promises a map later this month.) P.S. You can keep up with the food-growing scene on a regional basis through one of the West Seattle-based sites linked from our Other Blogs in West Seattle page — Eating Locally in the Pacific Northwest.
Thanks to Susan Grossman of Singing Pixel Photography (who contributed the Space Needle lightning shot the other day) for that shot from Harbor Ave. And thanks to Amy, who answered the request in the comment thread from last night’s Alki post, and sent these photos of that unusual sight in the sky:
(Now the obvious question before we launch an extensive round of Googling … what exactly is that? Hang-glider with pontoons? Ultralight?) ADDED LATER: A look at neighborhood chaos after dark, further northeasti – this is from Meredith:
She wrote in part, “… the FUN went on for about 2.5 hours. You can see the pileup. The pedestrians, the family getting out at the road closed sign. The silver SUV (Lexus LX, I think), just parked there as the driver walks away. This left the incoming traffic STUCK between Admiral and Grayson, Grayson St. traffic couldn’t get out, and no emergency vehicle could get into the area AT ALL if needed.”
This morning, we mentioned tonight’s Neighborhood Center volunteer event in High Point. Also in the hours ahead: Youngstown Arts Center is offering free events for youth Wednesdays at 4 pm, starting with All-Access Open Studio for young artists, 4 pm today. Heading south from there, North Delridge Neighborhood Council invites everybody with an interest in ND to join its nonthly meeting @ Delridge Library (excellent a/c there, we hear), 6:30 pm. At South Seattle Community College, the Southwest District Council — representatives from neighborhood groups and other key organizations in the part of West Seattle that the city considers the “Southwest District” — meets in the board room at 7 pm; City Light and Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle have spots on the agenda. Also at 7, at C & P Coffee south of The Junction, West Seattle Cool Moms are having their July get-together, with a presentation including ways to live a less-toxic lifestyle.
That’s nationally renowned activist Van Jones, talking about how High Point’s new Neighborhood Center is going to set a national precedent, during his Seattle appearance in May. (That’s actually the third of three videos from his speech; part 1 is here, part 2 is here.) Tonight is your next chance to get involved with the Neighborhood Center and its “green revolution,” looking ahead to its groundbreaking next month – tonight there’s an orientation/training session for volunteers. First, find out more about what’s happening with the project — read the article sent to us by Cathy Cooper, then check out several different ways to help with NH:Read More
You’re always welcome to post a lost/found report in the WSB Forums, or to send us pet lost/found info/pix for the Pets page; once in a while we mention unusual cases here on the news page too, and this is one: Karen e-mailed that she is desperately searching for the camera with photos from her mom’s NINETIETH birthday celebration – actually, she just wants the disc back:
I am so sick at heart. While leaving on an anticipated trip on Sunday I inadverntley left my camera on the steps of our front porch. We live near the Junction Hardware. It’s gone. The camera scan card holds photos of my mother’s 90th birthday party. If the “finder†wants to come back I’ll just hand over the camera bag, lenses and accessories in exchange for the disk.
If you have info, Karen’s number is 206.935.1915; she says it’s a black camera with extension and sun hood.
That’s a scene from a past Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade – and as mentioned previously, the next one is coming up on Friday, and you’re invited to participate/watch – 10:30 am, 44th/Sunset, with picnic and games at Hamilton Viewpoint afterward. One of the organizers, Sherri Chun, also says some help is still needed: “We’re still looking for games helpers. If you or someone you know can help out, please send me an email. The concession stand is also taking donations of baked goods.” (TUESDAY UPDATE: Sherri advises they have all the baked goods they need now; thanks!) Click to send her a note. (More West Seattle 4th of July info here.) Meantime, the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 19th (want to be in it? check out this post) needs some help – you may have the advice Jim Edwards is looking for – to help out a band (the Calgary Round-Up Band) that’s coming here all the way from Calgary for the West Seattle Grand Parade and the Torchlight Parade. And the problem is, according to Jim, they have two 55-passenger coaches that’ll have full sewage tanks by then and they need someplace to offload – got any ideas where?
Not much out there in this part of town. I have not had success calling Grayline, can’t get past the automated messages, to see if they could hit their service station on West Marginal. The idea is to offload during the short period between dropping off at the assembly area (10:00 or so) and picking up at dispersal (11:30 or so). Short of an Aurora station up north and Salt Water State Park to the south I just can’t find anything.
Any suggestions from your readers would be appreciated.
Please leave a comment if you have a suggestion!
This week we’ve received information from the White Center Food Bank, whose turf includes southern WS, and the West Seattle Food Bank, regarding new ways to help them continue to serve thousands of people in our area, a number that’s growing as times get tougher: WCFB is working right now to plan its annual Harvest Dinner/Auction (October 18 at South Seattle Community College) — its biggest fundraising event of the year — and will greatly appreciate your donations of auction items, gift certificates, or cash. Contact the White Center Food Bank by August 1st (the sooner the better) to let them know what you can donate; you can call Rick Jump at 206-762-2848 with questions and/or to get a form. Meantime, with West Seattle Summer Fest now just two weeks away, we get word that West Seattle Food Bank will be selling raffle tickets there again this year — grand prize is 2 unrestricted round-trip tickets to anywhere via Alaska Airlines, first prize is an 18-inch freshwater-pearl necklace from Menashe & Sons Jewelers, and the ticket itself gets you a 10% discount at Elliott Bay Brewery or Christo’s on Alki. You can even buy raffle tickets in advance – call the West Seattle Food Bank at 206-932-9023 – tickets are $5 each and only 1,000 will be sold.
That’s one of the pics we took last year at the Bench Press and Dead Lift Championships at Alki — last summer (our coverage here) they were in August; this summer, it’s happening today. Other highlights from our West Seattle Weekend Lineup list include amateur-radio operators’ Field Day (you’ll find them on the southeast side of the South Seattle Community College campus; pic from last year is here), plus West Seattle Little League 9-10 and 10-11 All-Star teams in championship games this morning at PacWest Fields in SeaTac; and a housewarming celebration this afternoon for surfing-injury survivor Addie Killam (more at the blog that chronicled the volunteer effort to fix up the house she’s come home to). Lots more in the WSWL.
Up late? Up early? Go drop by West Seattle Stadium and cheer on the Relay for Life of West Seattle teams as they continue their 18-hour American Cancer Society fundraiser — yes, that’s 18 continuous hours; R4LWS started at 6 pm Friday with the scene you see above, the “survivors’ lap.” That video shows the “survivors’ lap” at 6 pm Friday. Among the survivors participating — Fauntlee Hills’ Tammy Wooley, who we interviewed along with husband Kevin in this Relay for Life preview. The relay continues till an awards’ ceremony at noon today (preceded by the “kids’ lap” at 11 am).
We’ve chronicled the community dreaming, planning, and working that led to this point – now the Gatewood Elementary play structure (chosen just a couple months ago) is up and just a few finishing touches remain till it will be ready for kids to use. Next one happens tomorrow morning – see the pile of wood chips at the right side of the picture? Starting at 9 am tomorrow, show up and you’ll likely be handed a shovel to use to dig in. Next week, a little more work remains to be done before the school district can give it a final inspection and then hopefully thumbs-up for the fence to come down.
That’s Captain Joe Kessler and Sgt. Jeff Durden of the Southwest Precinct receiving the first batched of printed-out thank-you/get-well messages for Officer Jason McKissack, from the message-sending campaign organized by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council. If you haven’t sent yours yet, today’s the last day – this is wrapping up at the end of the night. Go here to send a message and to see some of the ones already sent. (Officer McKissack, by the way, is doing OK and continuing to recover at home.)
Earlier this week, we brought you the first look at the program for West Seattle Summer Fest, the street festival in The Junction coming up July 11-13 (two weeks from Friday!). Of course, the program doesn’t reveal every little detail of the fun, or the food – part of which will be good chow for a good cause. Eric Radovich from BlueStar, a Summer Fest sponsor, 
tells us about a food booth that hopes to score enough cash to kick off their fundraising program to get new jerseys for the West Seattle High School football team. The ones they’ve been using are more than five years old, and “tired” to say the least. 70 jerseys will cost about $5,000. So football players and parent volunteers, possibly cheerleaders too, will staff a food booth at Summer Fest. The players, in fact, will be taking a course this Saturday at the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ to qualify for food-handler cards (the course has been on our Events page for a while and is open to the public if you know anyone else who needs to take it). They’re hoping the food booth will bring in at least $1,000 in “seed money” to get the jersey drive — which Marc Patnode is heading up — rolling; they plan to serve chicken sandwiches on French bread, chicken Caesar salads, ice-cream novelties, and soft drinks at the booth, so look for them when you’re hungry/thirsty at Summer Fest.
The popularity of new Ercolini Park is a reminder of just what a playground, and park, can mean to a neighborhood. Neighbors in two areas of West Seattle are working now to make similar dreams come true, and we have updates on both: The first one’s a dream for this Admiral park that you might not even recognize as a park:
Just beyond the tree in the foreground, that triangle of land at California/Hill (map), immediately southeast of Admiral Congregational UCC Church, is indeed a park, called California Place (official city page here). Manuela Slye, who also happens to be opening the new Spanish-language preschool Cometa (as mentioned here), spoke to the Admiral Neighborhood Association at its last meeting about her dream of creating a playground there. She is in the very early stages of trying to figure out what that would involve, but already has a touching presentation (as read to the ANA) with children’s art and words about what it would mean to have “a place to play” there.
Second, in North Delridge, the “tot lot” project (previous WSB coverage here) for Cottage Grove Park is now seeking an architect. They are hoping to find a landscape architect that can donate her/his services for this small playground project, but there’s a possibility their grant-seeking could include some money for fees, so they want to hear from anyone interested. Read on for a full description of the work and who to contact:Read More
BERRY DELAY: This afternoon’s weather is picture-perfect typical June, but we all know what a weird year it’s been otherwise. As a result, the Rotary Club of West Seattle won’t get the first delivery for its berry sale — the strawberries — till next month, so the pickups originally set for this Friday and Saturday are postponed till July 11-12 – when raspberries will be available too. You can order berries through the Rotary Club’s website.
BOAT TRIP: If the forecast holds out, this is going to be spectacular: The Northwest Environmental Education Councill and Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition have a two-hour boat trip on the Duwamish this Saturday, 10 am-noon. It’s $20/person and you can sign up online here.
SHOE DRIVE: If you have any “gently used shoes” you’re thinking of getting rid of, save them for next month – Edie’s Shoes in The Junction sends word of a drive to benefit Soles 4 Souls – they’ll offer $10 discounts to customers who bring in “gently used shoes” to donate to the drive during July.
COFFEE TALK: Every Thursday night starting this week, 6-8 pm, special “coffee hours” are planned at Cafe Rozella as part of the King County Food and Fitness Initiative — looking for your thoughts about the availability of activity opportunities and healthy food in Delridge and White Center. Read on for more info:Read More
At center stage in that photo from a few summers ago is Kevin Wooley (with Jim Dever and then-Hi-Yu Court members). You may know Kevin and wife Tammy Wooley, who are Fauntlee Hills residents – among other things, he chairs the Fauntleroy Community Services Agency, currently working to save the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and she volunteers at local schools. This Friday night into Saturday morning, we know where you can find them, and hundreds of others – at West Seattle Stadium, during the Relay for Life of West Seattle. It’s different from some of the other “walkathon” type fundraisers that happen each summer (like last weekend’s Race for the Cure) – and there are a variety of ways you can be part of it, with or without becoming an official participant. Read on to hear how Kevin and Tammy – a 10-year cancer survivor – describe it:Read More
Six days after Southwest Precinct police officer Jason McKissack was attacked while trying to break up a fight in High Point, he is recovering at home, but probably won’t be back at work for a while. Meantime, as reported over the weekend, charges are filed against the three teenagers arrested that night. But there’s one other aspect to this story: Many people have been wondering how to send a message to Officer McKissack. The leadership committee of the newly renamed West Seattle Crime Prevention Council had the same thought, and asked if we would set up a special page here on West Seattle Blog that you could use to get a message to the officer. We did, and here it is. A short form on that page will send an e-mail to a special box, and the WSCPC leaders will make sure Officer McKissack gets your message — in addition, if you tell us on the form that it’s OK to publish your message, we’ll post it on that special page too. Click here to go to that page now.
As the West Seattle La Leche League breastfeeding-support group prepares for its monthly meeting tomorrow (10:30 am at Seaview Methodist Church, map here), leader Betsy Hoffmeister sends word of a group project that could use your help: They have posted a proposal online and are in the running for a $10,000 grant to write a children’s book “that would contain positive depictions of moms breastfeeding” – which, as you know if you are or have been a nursing mom, are not easy to find. Read on for Betsy’s explanation and how you can help:Read More
Maybe you saw them at Alki on Saturday afternoon – that’s Sam Orlin (11) and Ben Orlin (9), who raised $150 for Child Haven with their Pink Lemonade Brigade stand, one of several in West Seattle – part of a nationwide event in which Crayons signed up 1,000 kids nationwide to get free lemonade-stand setups (including the drinks and the cardboard stand itself) to raise $ for charity. (Crayons, by the way, is headquartered in Bellevue.)
The past 36 or so hours have been by far the “busiest” ever for the West Seattle Blog Pets page – SEVEN new reports of lost or found pets, including 2 birds. This link takes you right to the lost/found listings; maybe you can help reunite one of these pets with its people.
Within the past few hours, Walking on Logs (Fauntleroy end of The Bridge) was decorated in honor of the upcoming Relay for Life-West Seattle, an American Cancer Society fundraiser that involves walking/running around the track at West Seattle Stadium overnight next Friday-into-Saturday. This week, we interviewed a West Seattle couple who’ve been part of it since the event’s inception, and you’ll see their story here this weekend; meantime, go here to find out more about the event, including good times to drop by and support the participants – by cheering and or donating – even if you’re not in the event yourself.
We stopped to phonephoto the Relay for Life decorations this morning while on our way back from Seattle Race for the Cure; that photo shows the sea of people in front of Team WSB as the three of us engaged in our annual tradition of joining the thousands of people who walk on the temporarily carless Alaskan Way Viaduct during the breast-cancer fundraiser’s 5K Walk section. We take pretty much that same photo every year; it’s always an incredible sight. Here’s the view after we got to the Western Avenue end and started back south toward Qwest Field, with some participants still heading southbound to our right:
With all the projects in the pipeline for The Viaduct, we couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the last chance to take exactly this route; it was closed 7:45-11 am for the event and one WSB commenter in an earlier thread said the “Viaduct Closed” signs weren’t working on Admiral – did you see any of them in operation? Just wondering before we check with SDOT on Monday.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Cheryl Phelps:
The reason for this message is that our volunteer group, puppy raisers for Guide Dogs for the Blind, needs more volunteers. We need puppy sitters and puppy raisers. Our next meeting is at the Hiawatha Community Center at 7 pm Monday evening the 23rd of June. We would love to talk to others about this rewarding service and how it has touched our lives and the lives of others.
That’s THIS Monday night. We’ve added it to the WSB West Seattle-wide Events calendar; if you need directions to Hiawatha, here’s a map.
Passing through Westwood Village on the way back from dropping in on Grand Opening Day for Full Tilt Ice Cream (an update on that is coming up shortly), we noticed the bloodmobile at WV, just east of Barnes and Noble. That reminded us we hadn’t passed along word of the “Give Twice” drive that the Puget Sound Blood Center recently launched to avoid a dangerous summertime blood shortage — even if you can’t get to WV today (sorry for the short notice, looks like it’s only there till about 3 pm), there’s a June 30th blood drive at Admiral Safeway, July 2nd at PCC, and then back at Westwood Village July 26th. Or make an online appointment here to donate some other time at one of the PSBC’s regional centers. Meantime, here are full details about “Give Twice” – with a freebie for participants:Read More
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