West Seattle, Washington
01 Wednesday
Let somebody else do the cooking tomorrow morning: West Seattle Baseball‘s first-ever Pancake Breakfast benefit is happening 9 am-noon Sunday at the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ in The Junction (4426 California SW): “Everyone is welcome to join in the fun as we raffle items, eat pancakes, and raise funds to help maintain our fields. … We look forward to a successful start of a tradition that will support WS Baseball for decades.” Full details are on the flyer embedded above (or viewable as a PDF here).
Love wine? Love sidewalks? Love solar power? Support all of the above – and then some – by attending and/or sponsoring Highland Park Uncorked. It’s happening three weeks from tonight (Saturday, May 16th) at Highland Park Improvement Club. Here’s how it works:
Each person brings a bottle of their favorite wine, priced at $15 or less. You are assigned a table. The bottle is placed in a brown paper bag, given a number and eventually placed somewhere on your assigned table. You don’t worry about that, as you relax with the wines from the award-winning Northwest Wine Academy, mingle with your neighbors, and munch on a wonderful spread of food prepared by our talented gastronomes.
When the tasting starts, you will go to your assigned table and your table captain will walk you through the process. Everybody tastes the wines that each person at their table brought and end up voting for the best. The winning wine from your table progresses to the finals where they are all tasted and the top three are chosen. There is still lots of wine at your table to further “examine” and enjoy with your tablemates.
Raffles too, and something new – the “Wine Aroma Challenge“! Find more details about Highland Park Uncorked here. Oh, and about the sidewalks? HPIC is raising money not just to support its ongoing operations as a community hub and event venue, but also to help with grounds improvements for its almost-century-old site at 12th/Holden. It’s received grants and donations for raingardens, a cistern, a courtyard, and future solar panels – but it’s also (as explained and shown here) had to spend more than $15,000 to fix broken sections of sidewalk and to replace part of its roof. Every bit of fundraising helps, HPIC says. So:
*Want to be a sponsor? (WSB is signed up to co-sponsor again this year.) Go here.
*Just want to save a spot at the table? Go here – HP Uncorked has sold out in advance in previous years, so don’t gamble on just showing up at the door.
The place to go if you’re looking for kid stuff today – the West Seattle Co-op Preschools‘ benefit consignment sale, raising money for the schools’ scholarship fund. If you haven’t already been, you have until 1 pm, at the VFW Hall (3601 SW Alaska), to find clothes, toys, and more, big and small:
Find out more about the Co-op Preschools program, which serves kids from infancy through kindergarten, by going here.
(WSB photos)
Volunteer power and donations are getting WestSide Baby through its current crisis requiring an emergency move … and helping keep its family-assisting work on track. We stopped by on Wednesday, when a round of Earth Day recycling was under way at the new donation/volunteer center WS Baby is moving into … car-seat recycling.
Volunteers including staffers from Titan 360 were helping break down no-longer-usable car seats turned in to WS Baby. Meantime, the organization is having to more or less break down its entire center for the move across 14th SW in White Center, two weeks after the fire that cut power to their current center:
To get ready for the move, executive director Nancy Woodland brought in a generator so they could at least run a few things.
Saturday’s the day for the big move, something that was in the plans anyway, just accelerated by the problem. That requires more volunteer power, which WS Baby can also use tomorrow (Friday) afternoon, 3-6 pm, to help with shelving. Other needs – donated time, materials, money – are in our story from earlier this week.
Earlier this month, we reported on a small fire with a big effect on WestSide Baby‘s operations – shutting down the WS Baby volunteer/donation center in White Center, from which the nonprofit serves thousands of families around the area. The resulting power outage isn’t fixed yet and so WS Baby’s executive director Nancy Woodland sends word they’re making an emergency move – and in need of multiple types of help:
On April 9, WestSide Baby’s main facility in White Center experienced a small electrical fire that eliminated power for our donation and volunteer center. This means we’ve been unable to fill orders for 350 children per week as the building is completely dark, cold and unsafe. Because this is not the first time this building has had major maintenance issues, we have decided to take a brave step and move our entire operation within the next week because leaving children in the lurch is unacceptable to us.
To get up and running as soon as possible, over the next 10 days we are moving our main donation and volunteer operations across the street into a warehouse where we have been storing diapers! We plan to open our doors at 10002 14th Ave SW by April 27.
This is a plan we have been working on for some time and had actually hoped to execute this summer. Because of the fire and resulting urgency, we have now divided it into Phases and we’ll start a little earlier than we expected by moving one component of our organization now. We’re excited to share updates on Phase 2 and 3 soon. It’s going to be great and we hope you will be excited to participate in our growth!
We have a list of opportunities for you to support this effort with your time or treasure. Both are critical at this point in order for us to be able to get back up and running and filling orders as soon as possible.
You can donate now at WestSideBaby.org to help us with the following things to get set up quickly:
Critical for Phase 1:
Shelving – $5000 Total ($300/each)
Signage – $2000
Pallet Stacker – Rent or Purchase
Canvas Bins – $1000 Total ($250 each)
Moving and Storage Expenses – $10,000Things we’ll need for Phase 2 -3:
Moving Expenses – $15k
Industrial Carpet/Flooring
Painting help
LumberWe will also have Volunteer Opportunities:
Tuesday, April 21 6-7 pm Car Seat moving
Friday, April 24 3-6 pm Shelf Assembly
Saturday, April 25 10 – 5 Moving!!
Sunday, April 26 9 – 5 Deconstruction of old facilty and clean up
Soon after – a small masonry and curb installation project needs a skilled professionalContact Volunteer Manager, Shana Allen (shana@westsidebaby.org), if you are interested! We have some flexibility with this schedule and we anticipate more things unfolding this week. These are all physical projects.
To help us with backlog – we anticipate announcing additional Sorting Frenzies and Order Filling Opportunities the week of April 27. Let Shana know if you want to be on the lists to receive those updates!!
The Relay for Life-West Seattle team Smiles for Miles is offering “Grab and Go” dinners as a fundraiser again, on two upcoming dates:
*Next Tuesday, April 21st, they’re offering ravioli (with marinara), Caesar salad, green beans, and garlic bread. $10 adult dinner, $5 child-size. Pickup (cash, or check made to American Cancer Society) is 5-6 pm Tuesday at the Fauntleroy Children’s Center kitchen (north side of Fauntleroy Schoolhouse). E-mail your order by Monday (April 20th) to fauntleroychildrenscenter@yahoo.com.
*On Wednesday, May 13th, they’re fixing Grab-and-Go spaghetti dinners (meat sauce or marinara), Caesar salad, corn, garlic bread, Same prices, payment options, pickup time/place, e-mail address; order by May 12th.
Questions before you place an order? Call Lauri Cunningham @ 206-932-9590, extension 302, or ask via the same e-mail address.
Grocery shopping is a popular thing to do on Saturday mornings. Not quite the way Bart Eldredge and son Chase Eldredge did it today, though. They won the West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) benefit raffle for a shopping spree of as many Western Family-brand products they could grab in that time. Chase was an ace:
Thriftway’s Michele Grasso checked the Eldredges out, tallying a grand total of $728 in merchandise:
Not only did the raffle-ticket sales raise $3,179 for the West Seattle Food Bank, the Eldredges donated more than half their haul to WSFB, whose executive director Fran Yeatts was there to say thanks:
The Thriftway fundraiser was just one of their ongoing community projects, and was also in celebration of the locally owned grocery store’s 27th anniversary this spring. Another popular annual fundraiser is their series of Saturday benefit lunchtime barbecues, and Michele tells us the first one is just two weeks away, on May 2nd.
One more hour to deliver children’s-book donations to Taryn Smith, West Seattle High School senior and Miss Seattle, at Merryweather Books in The Junction – 4527 California SW. Today’s book drive is on until 1 pm. (The store’s one of the 30+ participating in today’s Tax-Free Sale Day, too – more on that shortly.)
(WS5K start three years ago, photographed by David Hutchinson)
We’re now less than a month away from the 2015 West Seattle 5K – set for Sunday, May 17th, with co-sponsors including WSB. The WS5K is always the first major 5K fundraising run/walk of the year along Alki Beach, organized by and raising money for the West Seattle High School PTSA. While you can sign up online 24/7, you’re also invited to get one last chance at the discounted early-registration fee by visiting West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) at its new location (2743 California SW) tomorrow, Sunday, April 19th – race reps will be ready to sun you up on Sunday afternoon, 1-5 pm.
Just a little more than a week until “Art for Food” at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, benefiting White Center Food Bank, which also serves part of West Seattle. The event is 6-8 pm on Friday, April 24th, WCFB’s Kristina Dahl explains: “Not only does it benefit the food bank, but it’s a fun after- work event with live music from West Seattle jazz trio The Ellis Brothers, held in the wonderful Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, with art from many West Seattle artists (including Peggy Abby, who is co-hosting this event with us). There will be wine (21+) and cheese available also, but the event is open to all ages. We are still welcoming art donations, volunteers at the event, and of course hope that many people from our community will buy tickets and come join us in the fun.” Buy your ticket right here, right now.
We’ve reported before on the achievements of Taryn Smith, the West Seattle High School senior who is the reigning Miss Seattle – and this Saturday (April 18th), you can help her with her next community-service endeavor: A book drive for local kids.
Taryn will be at Merryweather Books in The Junction (4537 California SW) collecting donated children’s book to give to the kids at Mary’s Place, which helps homeless women and children with shelter and other needs. Bring your book donations to Taryn at the shop between 9 am and 1 pm on Saturday.
(Photo courtesy City Fruit)
Got an apple tree? More than one, maybe? Don’t let its fruit go to waste! City Fruit, which harvested almost 14 tons of homegrown fruit last year, is hoping its new “Save Seattle’s Apples” campaign will keep even more from going to waste. Here’s what City Fruit announced this week – and scroll ahead to find out about the West Seattle event that’ll be part of it:
City Fruit is excited to announce the launch of the organization’s first ever Spring 2015 Save Seattle’s Apples Campaign. In partnership with Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Recology, Greater Good Granola, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, this three-month pest prevention campaign will build awareness about Seattle’s urban canopy, the proper care and management of apple trees, and provide opportunities for the public to protect apples. Additionally, the project aims to reduce waste that unnecessarily ends up in the compost bin.
During 2014, City Fruit harvested nearly 28,000 pounds of fresh, edible fruit and donated the majority to Seattle’s emergency food system. During the same harvest season, the organization composted over 12,000 pounds of rotten fruit that had fallen to the ground due to insects, poor tree management, or neglect. Through education, outreach, and direct hands-on assistance to tree owners in protecting their fruit, City Fruit hopes to cut the number of pounds of composted fruit in half in 2015, adding 6,000 pounds of fruit to the emergency food system and feeding an additional estimated 20,000 families.
If you were planning to donate items to WestSide Baby via its main HQ in White Center – they’re asking you to wait a few days, because of a power outage caused by a small fire. From WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland:
WestSide Baby’s White Center Main Operations Center experienced a small electrical fire in an outside meter that has caused us to lose power. We are awaiting landlord-directed repairs and must remain closed until those repairs are made. We hope this will happen quickly and we are exploring other options to continue operations in the meantime. We’ll post updates on our website and/or Facebook. Thank you to everyone for your concern, and please know we are making every effort to be up and running very soon as children are counting on us.
We will have our donation bin out during the regular hours but, if you have item donations and you are able to hold them for us during this time, we would be very grateful. We are in the dark and unable to sort things and a pile up can be difficult to address.
We are hopeful, our landlord will address this quickly but we expect to be closed at least a week at our White Center Donation and Volunteer Center. Our administrative office and our Central Branch location at 23rd and Jackson are both open for full operations!
We stopped by two of the stores where Kiwanis and Key Club volunteers are collecting food until 3 pm:
At West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan; WSB sponsor), we found, from left, Chief Sealth International High School Key Club members Ariana, Cameron, and Johnny were there with Kiwanis’s Shari Sewell and West Niver. Then at PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (California/Stevens; WSB sponsor):
In our photo, Rosemary and Hana from the Key Club at West Seattle High School (right across the street!). The Kiwanis’s third location is the Junction QFC (42nd/Alaska). Your nonperishable food donations matter more than ever right now – while there are food drives aplenty at some times of year, especially the winter holidays, the need is great year-round.
P.S. Separate from the Kiwanis food drive but toward the same goal – making sure fewer people are hungry – the West Seattle Food Bank has volunteers at Metropolitan Market (41st/42nd/Admiral; WSB sponsor) until 3 pm, too.
Next Sunday (April 12th) afternoon, 2-6 pm, you can help out local animal-advocacy groups via the annual “Catsino” silent auction (and more) at Beveridge Place Pub:
What do Pig Craps, BlackCat 21, Hotwire Snip ‘em, and Studless Draw all have in common? They are the entertainment portion of our annual Catsino Silent Auction! Come on out to meet four local rescue groups and bid on unusual, unique silent auction items! All proceeds benefit Furry Faces Foundation, A.A.R.F., Community Cat Coalition, and Regional Animal Services of King County.
You’ll also get to visit and play games with our local business friends! Check out our Facebook page each day to see who is playing and what silent action items have been added.
Pre-Sale Ticket Outlets – Save $5 By Purchasing Your Ticket Early!
Beveridge Place Pub: 6413 California Ave SW, 932-9906 (Morgan Junction)
Hotwire Coffeehouse: 4410 California Ave SW, 935-1510 (Alaska Junction)
Pet Elements: 6511 California Ave SW, 206-932-0457 (Morgan Junction)
The Beer Junction: 4511 California Ave SW, (206) 938-2337 (Alaska Junction)
The fine print: Catsino’s entertainment is recreational only; Catsino Bucks have no monetary value, and all prizes are non-monetary; BP Pub is 21+.
(Photo courtesy Lisa)
Stock your bookshelves, stock your nearest Little Free Library, get someone a gift, find something new to read in your away-from-the-screen quiet time … lots of books for all ages are on sale right now at Sanislo Elementary‘s annual Book Sale, raising money for the 4th-grade camping trip. Treats too:
(WSB photo)
Head over to the forested grounds at 1812 SW Myrtle (map) before 2 pm!
Now that April’s here, the Class of 2015 is just two months from graduating, and celebrating. At Chief Sealth International High School, a bit of a community boost will go a long way toward making sure the biggest party of the summer isn’t out of any grad’s reach:
The Chief Sealth Class of 2015 senior class parents are currently organizing a tremendous event for our graduating seniors. Grad Night is an all-night, alcohol and drug-free party with non-stop, action-packed and supervised fun aimed at keeping our seniors safe on this important night. Where they’re going is a total surprise…but it will be awesome! This special event sends a clear message to graduates that we want to honor their achievement and care about their safety.
Why do we do Grad Night? Statistically, graduation night is the most common night for tragedy among teens and young adults. Students have just been ceremoniously ushered into adulthood and feel invincible – what could go wrong when left to their own plans? For many teens and young adults, this night has ended in tragedy. Why leave it to chance? We want our graduates to celebrate their bright futures, not ruin them.
Did you know? At Chief Sealth, over half of our students qualify for free/ reduced lunch and there are reportedly at least 40 homeless students currently attending Chief Sealth. For many families in our community, senior year expenses are overwhelming. In previous years, the CSIHS community generosity has made this event possible and affordable for all students. Funds raised have provided valuable scholarships to students who cannot afford the ticket price, as well as prizes for the contests and games offered throughout the event and many other details that make this night a lasting memory for students. Your support of this worthwhile tradition is extremely important. We need your help to continue this event.
Seattle Public Schools and the CSIHS PTSA support Grad Night and they commend you for any contribution. Most of all, the graduating seniors are grateful to you for caring enough to help provide a safe alcohol and drug free party.
It’s so easy to help! Contributions can be made online at bit.ly/sealthgradnight. Or you may use the attached form and send in your contribution to the CSIHS Main Office at 2600 SW Thistle St, Seattle, WA 98126, ATTN: 2015 Grad Night. Contributions must be received by May 1, 2015.
Please consider forwarding this letter to the greater community or anyone you know who may support CSIHS Grad Night.
If you have any questions, please call me at 206-932-4760. Thank you for supporting the CSIHS Class of 2015!
Thank you!
Cathy Jimenez
Grad Night Committee Chair
Duwamish Alive! is just two and a half weeks away, and organizers hope you’ll take a minute now to decide where you want to join in to help out our city’s only river and its watershed. All you need to commit to is a four-hour shift on April 18th – 10 am-2 pm – and as the map shows, you have options from West Seattle to South Park and beyond. Go here to find out more and to choose your site.
Got a little space on your bookshelf? Or maybe in your nearest Little Free Library? A legendary book sale is coming up Saturday – and inviting donations before then if you have some books that need new homes (read this all the way to the end!):
It’s spring, and that means it’s time for the annual Sanislo Elementary Book Sale!
Come join us Saturday, April 4th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the school (1812 SW Myrtle Street) to browse a great selection of used books and buy a sweet treat. All proceeds benefit the annual fourth grade adventure to Camp Sealth on Vashon Island where for three days and two nights, our kids will immerse themselves in environmental education and camp fun. For many of the kids, this is will be their first trip away from home, first ferry ride, first campfire, first s’more, and it is always a highlight of their years at Sanislo. Please come support our kids and your reading habit! We look forward to seeing you Saturday.
We are also accepting donations of used books in good condition for the sale. (Please, no textbooks, manuals or magazines.) Donations can be dropped by the Sanislo front office during the school day. You can contact Lisa at lkeith@pacsci.org with questions. THANK YOU!
Quick! If you appreciate a deal – sign up for this year’s West Seattle 5K Run/Walk by tomorrow (Tuesday) night, in order to get the earlybird rate. It’s the eighth annual fundraising run/walk on Alki Beach, set this year for 9 am Sunday, May 17th, presented by and benefiting the West Seattle High School PTSA, with co-sponsors again including WSB. Go here now to register and get the lowest rate!
It’s a celebration of West Seattle food and drink, a vital lifeline for the West Seattle Helpline, and something people line up for, as our 2013 photo above shows. This year, the Taste of West Seattle celebrates its 10th anniversary, and your ticket gets you a delicious evening that’ll leave you with the afterglow of having done a good deed.
Once again this year, the Taste of West Seattle opens in two stages – a VIP head start at 6 pm, and then doors open for all at 6:30 p.m. It’s happening on Thursday, May 21st at The Hall at Fauntleroy, on the south end of historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
Not sure what West Seattle Helpline is, or does? It’s a low-overhead nonprofit – one staff person! – that helps West Seattleites facing one-time financial emergencies. Help from Helpine can help someone keep their gas, electricity, water from being cut off, can help keep a roof over their head, a way for them to get around, can literally keep a shirt on their back.
The first two Taste of West Seattle events were hosted by Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), which closed its doors so this could be a private function. Metropolitan Market remained a supporter, but in 2007, the Taste moved its location to The Hall at Fauntleroy so there would be room for more to attend.
The number of attendees (above, part of last year’s crowd) has multiplied in a big way – from 50 to 600; the number of vendors has grown to 40+, from fewer than 10. And all this has equaled a bigger haul for the Helpline, to help cover the costs of its programs – from $1,000 at the start, to $28,500 last year. Its success comes from the generosity of community business sponsors as well as that of the participating food/beverage purveyors and of course, that of the ticket buyers.
Never been? Here’s what you should know: You have to be at least 21 to attend. To add to the fun, you get to vote on your favorite tastes, giving participating food/beverage establishments bragging rights when the votes are all tallied. It’s sold out in past years, so buying early is a wise strategy. You can get your ticket(s) right here, right now.
The food/beverage-provider lineup isn’t finalized yet, but you know it’ll be good – see for yourself in our stories from each of the last five Taste of West Seattle events:
(Photo from 2012 Fairmount Ravine cleanup)
One more reminder before tomorrow morning arrives: The more the merrier at the annual Fairmount Ravine Cleanup, starting at 8:30 am Saturday – meet at Fairmount/Forest (map). John Lang says, “Met Market, Starbucks, and Zatz have all graciously agreed to participate in supporting the nourishment portion of the project.” Wear boots and gloves; if you’re interested in helping remove ivy from trees – which is part of the cleanup – please bring a pruning saw and/or large loppers. Whatever time you can spare, the folks of Fairmount will appreciate it. (And if you have a question first, call John @ 206-932-5151.)
(2014 WSB photo)
Of interest to sellers as well as shoppers – the West Seattle Co-op Preschools are planning another mega-consignment sale, exactly one month away. Here are the details:
The West Seattle Co-op Preschool system is very excited to be hosting another spring/summer kids’ consignment sale on April 25 from 9 am- 1 pm at the West Seattle VFW Hall, to help fund scholarships for families in need.
Anyone from the community can consign at this sale. Consigners can set their own prices, and guidance and information about how to register to be a consigner are available at westseattlepreschools.org.
This sale will be a great way for families to make some money with their gently used baby/kids gear, spring/summer clothing, toys and books. Sellers will make 65 percent of the asking price and the preschool scholarship fund will take 35 percent. The consigners will be paid for the sold items via a check, which will be mailed the week following the sale.
Anyone is welcome to shop for low-cost, good-quality items for their kids the day of the sale. All proceeds from the sale benefit the scholarship program to help families in need. The West Seattle Co-op Preschool system is hoping to make this consignment sale a biannual tradition every fall and spring as a way to bring the community together. Hope to see you there!
The VFW Hall is at 3601 SW Alaska.
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