West Seattle, Washington
02 Wednesday
Wood chips await helping hands to move them into place for a new feature at Westcrest Park Off-Leash Area in Highland Park, West Seattle’s only official off-leash area: Westcrest steward Steve McElhenney tells WSB that this will be “a new “special needs” area of the park. I pitched my idea to Seattle Parks a few weeks ago to clear out an area right inside the offleash area north parking lot to create access for the elderly and disabled folks with dogs that had a hard time getting to the upper area.” Steve says that, thanks to Dennis Dylan and crew at the tree-service company JTS, they have lots of chips waiting to be spread – volunteers are welcome to join in and help 6-8 pm tomorrow night and 10 am-noon Saturday.
At Alki UCC‘s “Blessing of the Animals” service this morning, Rev. Diane Darling ministers to Joe Mitter’s canine companion, while elsewhere in the sanctuary, other prospective bless-ees awaited:
Then at noon, St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church welcomed community members to an informal outdoor event, where Brother Kris Wilder from the Order of St. Francis blessed 16-year-old Pizazz:
The Order, by the way, has members from around the country, as you can see here, though Brother Wilder is from West Seattle; it’s not a cloistered order. One other photo from the St. John event, as participants milled about in the sunshine:
These events are traditional for many churches on or near the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals. In addition to today’s events, Providence Mount St. Vincent welcomed residents’ and visitors’ pets for blessings on Saturday morning.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm as always, 44th/Alaska. The Ripe ‘n’ Ready list is back online, and you can see the long list here.
BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS – TWO OPTIONS: Today is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of Animals, a traditional time for “Blessing of the Animals” events – and you have two options today – Alki UCC (62nd/Hinds; map) is having a special service at 10 am (read more here), and St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church is presenting a festival-style outdoor event in the adjacent West Seattle High School parking lot starting at noon (here’s our coverage from last year).
CROP WALK: Alki UCC is also, as usual, the starting point for the annual Seattle CROP Walk to fight hunger; you will see walkers, many with special vests, some carrying signs, on a route around Alki Point starting around 1:30 pm (if you want to join them, register at 1).
FREE YOGA: It’s in the Freebies/Deals/Sales section of the WSB Forums, too, but if you missed it – SoundYoga (WSB sponsor) is offering one of its periodic Free Sunday Yoga sessions today, 11 am-12:15 pm.
Yet more of today’s highlights in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
We stopped by one of the Prudential NW food drive spots – West Seattle Thriftway – just intending to get a photo to add to the advance blurb published this morning, but Kristi Freeburg and helper Audrey made such a cute picture, we’re showcasing them separately. Audrey was there to make a point: Local food banks need pet food donations too. The Prudential drive is over but you can help the local food banks any time – follow the links: West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank. Meantime, here’s a photo you could caption “Bird’s Eye View from Nerd’s Eye View”:
Gatewood author/artist Pam Mandel (best known for her site Nerd’s Eye View) shared that photo taken at Alki.
Tomorrow at 10:30 am, Providence Mount St. Vincent hosts the first of three “Blessing of the Animals” events scheduled for West Seattle this weekend. In honor of that, our occasional series of stories about West Seattle “shop cats” returns with the tale of the cats at The Mount:
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Fifteen years ago, when the assisted-living (and more) center known to West Seattleites as “The Mount” underwent a major philosophical shift from a “medical model” to a “social model,” it instilled some major changes: Nurses stopped wearing starched uniforms and switched to regular clothes; strict waking and sleeping schedules were abolished; cheerful dayrooms were built — and a cat moved in.
Nurse Manager Brenda Jennings, who has seen many changes at The Mount over the past 30 years, says that the new watermark for staff and clients was to see The Mount as home. Residents are not seen as “sick people” — they are essentially well, but with chronic conditions; they are allowed to direct their own care and be more independent. Cats have become an important part of that home culture.
The Mount has five different units which are known as “neighborhoods” and each neighborhood has its own cat.
CENTENNIAL WALK: Holy Rosary is yet another of the West Seattle churches celebrating its 100th anniversary – and pastoral associate Patrick Barredo sends word of the next event in the celebration, coming up tomorrow:
This Saturday, October 3, members of Holy Rosary Church will have a pilgrimage, walking from Holy Rosary Church (starting at 11 am), and arriving at St. John Episcopal Church at 11:30 am. During Holy Rosary’s Centennial year, this pilgrimage marks a return to history, for St. John Episcopal Church sits on the second location of Holy Rosary Parish. (The first location is at Hanford and Hill, and the current location is the third site.)
Members of St. John Church will be “at home” at 11:00 am saying our prayers and awaiting the arrival of Holy Rosary pilgrims. There will be a course to follow through St. John Church marking particular spots used by the former Holy Rosary church. When it seems like a good time to begin, there will be a short liturgy based on “An Order for Service for Noonday” from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, led by Rev. Peter DeVeau of St. John and Fr. John Madigan of Holy Rosary.
Afterwards, there will be a lunch of soup and sandwiches in the upstairs Parish Hall, in the general air space of what was the first Holy Rosary School.
We don’t have the exact route they’ll take, but here’s a G-map showing the distance from Holy Rosary to St. John.
“BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS” EVENTS REMINDERS: St. John the Baptist Episcopal is also one of three venues where you and your pet(s) can participate in this tradition this weekend, honoring the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals: Providence Mount St. Vincent, 10:30 am Saturday (meet in the front lobby); Alki UCC, special service 10 am Sunday in the sanctuary; St. John the Baptist, Sunday in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door.
Again this fall, three “Blessing of the Animals” events are scheduled in West Seattle – in case you haven’t seen them on the Events calendar yet, we’re mentioning them here since they’re just a little more than a week away: Providence Mount St. Vincent, 10:30 am October 3rd (meet in the front lobby); Alki UCC, special service 10 am October 4th (sanctuary); St. John the Baptist, noon October 4th in the nearby West Seattle High School parking lot. (Photo above is from St. John’s event last year.) All are open to any and all pets and their owners. Blessings are scheduled in many places around the country/world in honor of the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi (patron saint of animals), which is Oct. 4th this year.
That’s Murphy – who’s now in the finals for this year’s Cover Dog search by West Seattle-based CityDog Magazine. Editor Brandie Ahlgren sent the photo and this note:
The winning dog from the CityDog Cover Dog Model Search at West Seattle Thriftway is Murphy, a soft-coated wheaten terrier. He’s a cutie and nothing like what we’ve featured on the cover in the past.
After winning the CityDog Cover Dog Model Search at West Seattle Thriftway, Murphy is now a finalist with four other dogs to compete to be on the cover of the Winter issue of CityDog Magazine. And, with Murphy’s help, we were able to raise over $1,000 for the Doney Memorial Animal Clinic.
We have one cover dog model search remaining – this Sunday, September 27 at FidoFEST to benefit the Seattle Humane Society [info]. After that dog is selected, ballots will be sent and the people’s voice will be heard on which dog will be the winning dog to grace the cover of CityDog Magazine. Dog lovers may still enter their dog in the cover dog model search at FidoFEST or sign up to receive a ballot by e-mail at www.citydogmagazine.com.
CityDog came to Thriftway on August 16; we took a photo. Last year’s Cover Dog winner was from the West Seattle “tryouts” – Cohen (here’s his cover). We’ll let you know when voting begins!
ADDED: A little more info about Murphy, from his person, forwarded by CityDog’s Brandie:
Murphy turned 1 year old on August 30th.
Likes:
Any kind of attention
Smiling
All toys (especially ones that make noise)
Full body wiggling to greet people and wagging his tail
Shaking hands and giving high fives
Sleeping under the kitchen table
Any food smell!
“Helping” in the garden
Trips to MontanaDislikes:
Vacuums
Brooms
Dogs/People that don’t like to playFavorite West Seattle hangouts:
-Walks in the Junction. He especially likes the people eating ice cream outside of
Husky’s and the enticing smells outside of Bakery Nouveau.
-Car rides on Alki with the wind in his hair!
-Getting treats/attention at Mud Bay and Next to Nature
Accordions doing ABBA? That video is from a California performance last fall by Those Darn Accordions, who are at Admiral Theater tonight, 2343 California SW (map), 8 pm. But first – what to do today? In the shopping mood? Fauntleroy Church‘s Second-Time Sale:
9 am-3 pm, bountiful bargains, 9140 California SW (map). From there, head north to get your car washed for a good cause; you can support the West Seattle High School volleyball team by taking your wheels to their wash in the WSHS parking lot (3000 California SW; map) 10 am-2 pm. Once your car’s clean — how about bringing home a new furry friend?
We saw those cute little guys at a Southwest Community Center foster cat Adopt-A-Thon last fall; today, another group of home-seeking kitties will be at SWCC, noon-3 pm. Then you can do even more to help reduce cat overpopulation by going to a benefit tonight for FCAT, which traps and sterilizes feral cats; Dong Khanh Cafe (9655 16th SW; map) is where you’ll find the fun, food and music, starting at 5 pm. One more event for tonight: West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor) wants to show off its brand-new campus and invites you to an open house tonight for tours, free food and fun – 5:30-7:30 pm, 11215 15th SW (map).
More events in the latest West Seattle Weekend Lineup!
Thanks to Janell for pointing out that the Seattle Animal Shelter is planning a Cat Adopt-A-Thon in West Seattle next Saturday — noon-3 pm September 12, Southwest Community Center (2801 SW Thistle; map). 
And if you have room for two, they’ll offer a two-for-one deal, plus discounted fees for seniors and people with disabilities. Most if not all of the cats at this Adopt-A-Thon are currently in foster care – a volunteer service which enables many more animals to have a chance at finding their “forever homes” since space at shelter facilities is limited. The official WSB feline mascots (left) wholeheartedly endorse events like this, as both were adopted from shelters as adults, one of them from a city-sponsored foster-cat Adopt-A-Thon just like this one. Here’s the flyer (which also lists events in other Seattle neighborhoods later this fall).
ROXHILL ELEMENTARY BARBECUE: Thanks to Donn for spotting this on the Roxhill school marquee along Roxbury – school barbecue today, 4:30-6:30 pm. (Lots of back-to-school events in the days ahead; let us know about yours!)
SEE THE WEST SEATTLE “COVER DOG” CANDIDATES: West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine will announce its Cover Dog winner soon; meantime, photographer J. Nicole Smith from Dane + Dane Studios has posted her gallery of all 100-plus “candidates” from the West Seattle Thriftway shoot (8/16 WSB photo above, also featuring Richard and cover-dog hopeful Lulah) – see the picture-perfect pooches here.
FUN TO BE FRUGAL: That’s the name of a new website written by West Seattle resident Nora Laughlin. She e-mailed to let us know about it; we’ll be adding it to the feeds for this WSB page too, but in the short run – you can browse her entries about coupons and other deals.
That’s Richard with Lulah, who he’s entered in West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine‘s Cover Dog Search, continuing at West Seattle Thriftway till 3 pm. (On the other side of the camera is J. Nicole Smith of Dane + Dane Studios.) CityDog’s Brandi Ahlgren tells WSB they’ve had a big turnout – last year they got 50 dogs total; this year as of 1 pm they already had 70 signed up. And as noted here earlier, they are collecting pet-food donations for West Seattle Food Bank, too:
Also at Thriftway till 3, the Seattle Humane Society MaxMobile with adoptable pets. Meantime, in The Junction, we stopped by to say hi to Team Tracy – that’s namesake and breast-cancer survivor Tracy Dart at right:
Their booth accepting donations for Team Tracy’s Breast Cancer 3Day fundraising is set up outside West 5 till 5 (inside, at least two servers are donating tips to the cause – 12 women doing the walk next month). Then tonight at 8 down the block at Easy Street Records, local bands Bend and Stevedore perform, with the $7 cover charge (21+ only) plus beer sales (donated by West 5 and Georgetown Brewery) going to Team Tracy. (If you can’t make it to the tent or the concert, you can donate to Team Tracy online – go here. We’ve got a video clip to add here later too.)
TEAM TRACY: West Seattleite Tracy Dart and the legion of friends known as Team Tracy are fundraising again today to fight breast cancer, which she’s been dealing with for more than a year (and reports she’s now been cancer-free for two months!): They’re walking in the local Breast Cancer 3Day again next month — Tracy is being joined by 11 women, and with a fundraising minimum of $2300 each, they need to raise $27,000, which goes to the kind of research and care that Tracy says saved her life. Today they’ll be raising $ in a tent outside West 5, 11 am-5 pm, as a prelude to a fundraising concert at Easy Street tonight at 8, with local bands Stevedore and Bend (21+, cash only, $7 cover, proceeds from sales of beer donated by Georgetown Brewery and West 5 also benefit Team Tracy).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Also in The Junction, it’s market day – 10 am-2 pm; here’s the link to the latest list of what’s fresh.
“DOG DAYS OF SUMMER”: In Morgan Junction, West Seattle Thriftway is the place to go today for three things: 1st, think your dog should/could be a star? West Seattle-headquartered CityDog Magazine is back at WST for its Cover Dog Search, noon-3 pm. (Full details here; last year’s WST winner, Cohen, went on to become the Cover Dog!) Bring — or buy at the store — pet food to donate to West Seattle Food Bank, whose clients have hungry pets, too. And from 11 am-3 pm, the Humane Society’s big bright-yellow Maxmobile will be on site with adoptable pets.
“THE MUSIC MAN”: It’s not really blowing the plot of this classic musical if we show you how the Twelfth Night Productions (WSB sponsor) version ended last night at West Seattle High School:
Even in a darkened theater, there’s no mistaking the Seattle Schools All-City Band, directed by Marcus Pimpleton, who’s led the music program at Denny Middle School and is adding Chief Sealth High School duties this fall. They, and the “Music Man” cast of 50-plus (with a live orchestra), brought the sold-out house to its feet (as the video shows), and you have four more chances to see the show: 3 pm today and next Sunday, 7:30 pm next Friday and Saturday. Advance tickets are available online.
The West Seattle Food Bank needs pet food, and CityDog Magazine is going to collect donations — unopened dog or cat food — during its “Cover Dog Search” event at West Seattle Thriftway, noon-3 pm this Sunday. As for the “Cover Dog Search” itself – last time CityDog photographed prospects at Thriftway, one of them turned out to be the winner — Cohen! (That’s his CDM cover at left.) Find out more about how to participate by going here; another reminder, Thriftway is raising money for the Seattle Humane Society with its 11 am-4 pm barbecue tomorrow, and Sunday also will feature the Humane Society’s MaxMobile bringing adoptable pets there, 11 am-3 pm (the MaxMobile calendar shows it’s in West Seattle on Saturday, too, in The Junction at Next to Nature, 2-5 pm).
That’s Shelly‘s beagle. She e-mailed WSB to share her story about an incident you might describe as “dog-walking rage” – someone literally lashing out at her and her dog when they stopped for a bio-break – read on:Read More
Sure, you need a sweater, but otherwise there are music and beverages to keep you warm at West Seattle Nursery till 5 pm today. It’s a fundraiser for Furry Faces Foundation, with Beveridge Place Pub‘s Gary Sink pouring:
We also have a photo to share from an outdoor celebration in the Roxhill area night before last:
(Thursday photo courtesy Lutheran Alliance To Create Housing)
Paul Hogle and other board members from The Lutheran Alliance To Create Housing (LATCH) served ice cream during an open house/ice-cream social at Longfellow and Westwood Courts. LATCH, with 36 member congregations, oversees more than 200 apartments around the city, including these West Seattle properties.
“DOG DAYS OF SUMMER”: Michele at West Seattle Thriftway just sent word that CityDog Magazine is coming back for its next cover-dog search, Sunday, August 16th – last year, the winner was one of the dogs “discovered” at WST, Cohen (left)! This is part of the store’s “Dog Days of Summer” promotion, including barbecues the next four Saturdays to raise money for local animal-advocacy groups. Plus, on cover-dog-search day 8/16, as well as the following Sunday 8/23, the Humane Society’s MaxMobile will be at Thriftway with adoptable pets.
HIAWATHA CONCERT TONIGHT: One more reminder, two acts for the price of one – actually there’s no price, because it’s free! – at tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show: Neil Young tribute band Ragged Glory and Cajun/Zydeco band Swamp Soul. It’ll be chillier than last week but the forecast still calls for the sun coming out before showtime, 6:30 pm, east lawn of Hiawatha.
AND MORE OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY/SATURDAY: Same basic forecast – cooler than usual – for those nights, but don’t let that keep you inside: Friday night is the first Summer Concerts at The Mount (WSB sponsor) show (also free), with the Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band (gates open at 5, music at 6) and Saturday night is the next West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall screening, with the ’70s classic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (so many scenes in that one are perfect for the big screen), ALSO free, gates open at 7, movie at dusk, courtyard by Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor).
CROSS-BAY PIE WAR: Our friends at fellow independent neighborhood-news site Magnolia Voice are thinking a Magnolia-vs.-West Seattle pie war might just be in the works. Here’s why.
COOKING WITH CLASS: (added shortly after we first posted this roundup) Just got the news that registration is open for Cooking With Class, the annual event at Salty’s on Alki that’s a nonprofit fundraiser, a cooking class and a gourmet food/wine dinner all in one. It’s set for September 15. Full details here.
Thanks to John at Mary North Travel for the tip that demolition work is under way at one of their neighboring businesses in The Triangle, Lien Animal Clinic (3710 SW Alaska; map). Their old building is coming down, just one week after they opened their new 2-story building on the north side of the site. And as is sometimes the case with demolition sites, firefighters are doing some training on the section of the old building that isn’t down yet:
Once demolition is done, the area where the old building stood will become parking for the bigger new one. By the way, if you wonder what’s up with the nearby site where Harbor Properties plans to build Link – there’s been some partial site clearing as West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor) moves to its new location, but Harbor tells us its work on Link isn’t scheduled to start till later in the year.
Look for the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) VW Bug and the brightly lettered sign outside the West Seattle Eagles parking lot near the Junction post office – the car wash to raise money for Pencil Me In For Kids is happening till 2 pm:
PMIFK gets school supplies for kids whose families have trouble affording them – and even though it’s the heat of mid-July, back-to-school time in September is practically right around the corner. By 12:30 pm, they’d already washed 15 cars! (1:27 pm note – they’re also updating via Twitter, with pix – 21 cars as of about 1:10 pm!) Also this afternoon: Furry Faces Foundation‘s end-of-summer plant sale to raise money for animal rescue – 3809 46th SW (map) – see this WSB Forums item for full details – it’s continuing till 5 pm, blowout prices.
(photo added 3:56 pm, adoptable kittens at Summer Fest)
King County Animal Services sponsored WSB this past week to help promote the Super Pet Adopt-A-Thon yesterday – held in Kent but with available pets from all over the state. They’ve announced that 88 dogs and cats found new “forever homes” during the six-hour event, which drew 700 visitors, up almost 50 percent from last year. They still have home-seeking pets in their Kent and Bellevue facilities, and if you’ll take in an adult cat (1+ year old), they’re waiving the adoption fee, and you’ll only have to pay the $30 license cost – nothing extra for a pet who’s been spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and chipped. More info here. Also: From the WSB Forums, local volunteers who work with feral cats will have adoptable kittens at West Seattle Summer Fest today, by Forsythe Studio (east side of California, north of Oregon).
This is not in West Seattle but the folks at King County Animal Care wanted to get the word out far and wide, so they even sponsored WSB for the week, knowing animal lovers abound in West Seattle, and we want to make sure you’ve heard about it: The county’s Super Pet Adopt-A-Thon is tomorrow, 10 am-4 pm, at the Kent Animal Shelter (here’s a map), with adoptable pets from all over the state, as well as pet experts on site offering behavior advice and more. Full details here.
… remember that we have a West Seattle-specific Pets page primarily featuring lost/found pets (more than a year’s worth). We’ve already received one report of a pet found on the run (it’s atop the page). Hope all others are OK but if you do lose or find one, e-mail us the info (pic too if you have one) at editor@westseattleblog.com. The Pets page is here.
At left, Rex Post and Hunter paused just a second to pose (although Hunter’s a bit of a blur because he’s a fun dog who seldom sits still) amid the flurry of activity at the new business that Rex and Tove Wright are about to open in Morgan Junction, West Seattle Dawg – not only a dog day care, but also a dog party venue and retail dog-treat purveyor. It’s going into the peach-colored house (which has been commercial space for quite a while, home to businesses including Authentic Home in recent years) at California/Frontenac, just north of Stella Ruffington’s, a few doors down from Caffe Ladro. They’ll be selling baked dog treats – most made on site (some vegan, too!) – Tove says, “You’ll be able to walk in and smell them baking” – and even dog ice cream (yogurt-based, naturally sweetened, with flavors like berry and peanut butter/banana). They’ll be accepting applications starting next week for the dog day care, which will have 20 spots, available 7 am-7 pm – you can get an application on the West Seattle Dawg website, which just “went live” today. The grand opening party is 4-8 pm next Thursday, July 9.
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