West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
The most spectacular sight in today’s Fiestas Patrias Parade through South Park was at the end – dozens of horses and their riders.
According to the parade lineup we obtained from Sea Mar Community Health Centers, which presents the parade as well as the Fiestas Patrias festival at Seattle Center downtown, two groups participated – Folkloric Horses and Octavio Rios Horses. Mariachi musicians walked with some of them:
We also saw an aspiring rider:
The annual parade is an exuberant celebration of Latin American culture and heritage, in the month that many of those nations celebrate their independence. Before more photos, here’s our video of the entire parade, recorded at the starting point, 14th Avenue S. and S. Henderson (note the first few minutes were stop-and-start, before the parade began to flow) – this year’s theme was “Unifying Our Communities“:
The colors of flags and traditional dresses brightened the gray morning. The many folkloric and cultural groups included Joyas Mestizas, Folklore Mexicano Tonantzin, Grupo Folklore Costarricense, Grupo Folklore Grupo Folklore Salvadoreño, Somos Mujeres Latinas, and Sea Mar’s many locations:
The Duwamish Valley Youth Corps walked in the parade with environmental exhortations:
Local schools participated, including Chief Sealth International HS:
Denny International MS and Concord International Elementary marched too, as well as the Kennedy Catholic HS band (see them all in our full-parade video). One school, Whittier Elementary, came all the way from Ballard, with their unicycle team:
Wheeled entries also included the Malportados Vespa scooter club:
And with four wheels, a big turnout of lowriders from multiple car clubs, including Eazy Duz It, Lord Riderz, Family Stylez, Northwest Finest, and Panaderia la Ideal (again, you can see them all in our video):
And so many more people, including Grand Marshal Karla Mora from the Consulate of Mexico:
Marching in masks were El Diablos de Seattle:
SPD sent a delegation too (in addition to the officers who were guarding the periphery of the parade):
The parade was largely rain-free, aside from a brief bit of mist about halfway through, and lasted about 45 minutes at the starting point. Meantime, Sea Mar’s Fiestas Patrias festival at Seattle Center continues Sunday (here’s the program), 11 am-6 pm.
(WSB photo from 2023 Fiestas Patrias Parade)
If you love parades, you don’t have to wait for next summer. Tomorrow (Saturday, September 14) brings this year’s Fiestas Patrias Parade in South Park, as part of the annual celebration of Latin American cultures and heritage. More than 40 entries are scheduled to participate, including groups from Denny International Middle School, Chief Sealth International High School, and Concord International Elementary. The entries also include folkloric dancers, horseback riders, mariachi musicians, car clubs, even the Seafair Pirates. The route starts at Sea Mar Community Health Centers, which presents the parade, continues eastbound on S. Henderson to 14th Avenue S., then turns west on S. Cloverdale and ends near South Park Community Center. It starts at 10 am.
(WSB photos)
If you’re a fan of Lucha Libre (the showy masked wrestling style that originated in Mexico) but you missed the 2 pm bouts at SOPASUPA, good news – luchadores from Lucha Libre Volcánica will be back in the ring at 6 pm. This is part of the South Park Summer Party festival, happening in multiple spots at and around the 14th/Cloverdale intersection in the heart of South Park.
In the first bout, Sniper (wearing the black and white shirt) was victorious….
In the second bout, Red Dog (in pink and black) was the last luchadore standing.
The ring – as well as the main music stage – is behind the building on the southwest corner (right behind The Scene coffee shop). You can even buy your own luchadore mask:
Behind the building on the northwest corner of 14th/Cloverdale, you’ll find the Kid Zone, with bouncy toys:
And a coloring table:
Across 14th at the northeast corner, art and food vendors:
And a few blocks west on Cloverdale, next to the Highway 99 overpass, South Park’s skatepark is hosting festivities too. The festival’s on until 9 pm; the stage schedule is in our calendar listing.
For 30 years, the Seattle Public Library has welcomed volunteers to help local students with their homework during drop-in after-school hours. This year, they’re recruiting volunteers for free Homework Help tutoring at the High Point and South Park branches. Citywide, last school year, SPL says 1,100 students used Homework Help more than 4,400 times, aided by more than 180 volunteers. SPL says 60 percent of the students reported better grades as a result of the help they received. You can be part of kids’ success this year! Here’s what SPL wants prospective volunteers to know:
The Library requests a volunteer commitment for the school year, specifically from Sept. 16, 2024 through June 12, 2025. Volunteer shifts are available Monday through Thursday between 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and each shift is approximately two hours.
Volunteers must be 18 or older. Having competence in another language, especially Amharic, Tigrinya, Somali, Oromo and Spanish, is also helpful. The majority of students served by the program are youth of color, with 90% of students reporting their parents speaking a language other than English at home.
Volunteer tutors receive an orientation and additional materials about working with youth and concepts such as social-emotional learning and growth mindset.
During Homework Help sessions, volunteers help students with homework, play learning games, read to students, or work with them on academic worksheets. Volunteers work with students individually and in small groups. High-school students can get help with not just academic subjects but with other priorities such as college essays.
Because Homework Help is a drop-in program, students can show up any day to receive help, and they do not need to have a Library card to attend. Snacks are provided at every Homework Help session, courtesy of The Seattle Public Library Foundation and the Hunger Intervention Program.
Can you help? Or, have a question? You can email SPL’s Volunteer Services Coordinator at volunteer@spl.org (and find more info here). They’re hoping to hear from new volunteers ASAP as the new school year approaches, but they do also accept volunteer applications throughout the year.
Our area’s next festival is Saturday afternoon (August 3), the Duwamish River Festival in South Park. Here’s the stage schedule:
The festival is hosted by the Duwamish River Community Coalition at Duwamish River People’s Park and Shoreline Habitat (8700 Dallas Avenue S.; map). If you’re driving, parking is a bit of a challenge, so they’re offering twice-hourly shuttles from four locations, two in South Park and two in Georgetown:
Georgetown Playfield (750 S Homer St)
Oxbow Park (Carleton Ave S between 6445 & 6421)
Boeing Parking Lot (1521 S Trenton St)
Concord Parking Lot (723 S Concord St)
This festival is educational as well as cultural, and fun – you can even experience Seattle’s only river via free kayaking, enjoy and create art, and more, noon to 5 pm Saturday.
Today’s El Mercadito pop-up shop and farmers’ market in South Park had special guests:
Mayor Bruce Harrell, City Councilmember Rob Saka, Metro general manager Michelle Allison, SDOT senior deputy director Francisca Stefan joined South Park community advocates, including members of the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, in celebrating this week’s launch of Metro Flex on-demand transit serving Delridge and South Park. While Metro is a county service, as we reported when the launch was announced two weeks ago, the Seattle Transit Measure is paying for the new service. That’s why both city and county reps spoke at Duwamish Waterway Park today – here’s what everyone had to say:
Harrell and Saka stressed that this is a boon for “underinvested” communities like Delridge and South Park.
Stefan said this is filling gaps in the transit network, and being able to get where you need to go “can be life-transforming.”
Allison said it’s about equity and flexibility as well as convenience, and reflects community voices.
One of those voices is that of South Park’s Ruby Montes De Oca, who said that additions like this are helping as “South Park is starting to shine with new hope”:
Metro Flex’s South Park/Delridge launch is the start of a two-year pilot. We asked Metro how the first week had gone; spokesperson Jeff Switzer said those numbers aren’t in yet but we might be able to get an update next week. They realize the word hasn’t gotten out widely yet and plan a new promotional campaign to ensure more hear about it. You can book a ride, in the service area, by calling 206-258-7739, using this website, or using this app. Here’s a peek inside one of the vans:
One of the places especially excited about Metro Flex is the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle – their location at 4705 W. Marginal Way SW isn’t on a bus route but Metro Flex can take you there! The service is available seven days a week, 6 am to 11 pm.
King County Road Services reminds us that today is the 10th anniversary of a momentous day in local transportation history – the opening of the rebuilt South Park Bridge. Our photo above is from the grand-opening party, held on Sunday, June 29, 2014, a day before the full opening to traffic. The bridge opened exactly four years after its predecessor was closed for safety concerns; when its closure was announced, there was no guarantee a new one would be built, as funding hadn’t been finalized, and community tumult resulted. But a few months later, full funding was announced, and construction started half a year after that. Final cost of the bridge, which is a King County structure, was $175 million.
(Photos courtesy Duwamish Rowing Club)
The Duwamish Rowing Club wants you to know it’s relaunching its program for high-school students this summer! From the announcement:
Duwamish Rowing Club is a volunteer-led organization dedicated to providing affordable rowing opportunities on Seattle’s only river. Our organization operates on a site generously donated by a neighbor to introduce rowing to the youth in our community and cultivate a space that fosters discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and enhances personal growth and self-confidence. Our adult rowers support our youth programs by donating time and subsidizing program costs.
During the pandemic, our youth rowing program was temporarily halted. In February 2024, our volunteers relaunched our youth rowing team through a partnership with Rainier Prep Middle School, a charter school a few minutes from our boat house. Throughout winter and spring, a sixteen-week rowing program introduced 16 students to rowing, first through an eight-week on-land coached program utilizing rowing machines at their middle school, followed by another eight-week on-water coached program. Financial support from the George Pocock Rowing Foundation allowed us to hire our new coaches, Lead Youth Coach McKenna Niemer and assistant youth coach Jay Olson. The Washington State Parks Boater Program donated 24 life vests to help us meet our safety requirements to welcome students to not only the Duwamish River, but also to the greater rowing community.
This June, we are shifting our focus to high school athletes, offering a new introductory summer program to get new rowers ready for our fall rowing season.
You can read more of what they’ve done so far and what’s ahead by going here. This flyer has information on two sessions for teens this summer, including dates and costs.
3:54 PM: Avoid the South Park Bridge for a while – it’s at the heart of a rescue response after a report of a person jumping or falling into the water. Responders tell dispatch that they have found her and are trying to talk to her, apparently closer to the East Marginal Way end of the bridge than the South Park side. The original 911 call came from someone passing by who saw the person on the bridge just before they went into the water.
3:57 PM: Rescuers report the person is out of the water and on shore “about 100 yards upriver.”
By Sean Golonka
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Residents from across West Seattle and South Park expressed concerns about community safety and a desire to see more alternatives to policing at a city-convened public forum tonight, but most people in attendance described feeling at least somewhat safe in their neighborhood.
Among the few dozen attendees — who reported hailing from all over the area, South Park to Alki — 32 people responded to a poll at the event asking how safe they feel in their neighborhood, with 12% selecting “very safe,” 51% “somewhat safe,” 15% “somewhat unsafe,” and 6% “very unsafe.”
The forum held at Concord International Elementary in South Park was one of four community-safety forums held by the mayor’s office, with a fifth and final forum scheduled in Queen Anne later this week.
The Tuesday forum offered local residents a chance to speak with staff from about a dozen city agencies, including Seattle Police Department (SPD) and Seattle Department of Transportation, and was designed for local government officials to collect feedback meant to shape the One Seattle Safety Framework.
The framework, which has not yet been released, will guide the city’s strategic approach to public safety, and includes six key goals:
If you want to hear what the city is doing about crime and/or other public-safety issues – and share your thoughts about what you’d like to see done – here’s another reminder: Tomorrow (Tuesday, May 14) brings Mayor Harrell‘s regional public-safety forum. It’s happening at 6 pm at Concord International Elementary School, 723 S. Concord in South Park (here’s a map). This is the third in a series of five, one in each of the city’s SPD-precinct areas (the Southwest Precinct serves both West Seattle and South Park). Here’s how the format’s been described in media advisories:
The public forum is part of a series of forums held in neighborhoods with community members across Seattle over the next month to share more about Mayor Harrell’s public safety framework and to receive input and feedback on safety priorities, allowing neighbors to engage in direct conversation with City leaders and representatives on public safety ideas and solutions.
Mayor Harrell and City leaders will make opening remarks, followed by interactive input sessions for participants. Community members will rotate in small groups to engage directly with City leaders and provide input informing action and policy priorities.
According to an SPD event announcement, these are the city departments expected to be represented:
Seattle Police Department
Seattle Fire Department
CARE (Community Assisted Response & Engagement Team)
Seattle Police Department Alternative Response Team
PARKS – Park Rangers
Seattle Police Department Youth Liaison
Department of Education and Early Learning
Seattle Department of Transportation
King County Metro
Department of Neighborhood
Office of Economic Development
(corrected) Human Services Department
Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs
They’re asking for attendees to RSVP – you can do that here.
Thanks to West Seattle/Georgetown/South Park entrepreneur John Bennett for sending the tip and the photo: A one-of-a-kind South Park business is having a going-out-of-business sale today and tomorrow. It’s the Big Top Curiosity Shop “antiques and oddities” store at 8507 14th Avenue South, right by the south end of the South Park Bridge. Open until 8 pm today, noon-6 pm tomorrow. As for why they’re closing, they’re also referring to this as the “lost our lease sale.”
(Map from Reconnect South Park website, showing focus area and alternate routes)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What sounded like an impossible dream a few years ago is rolling down the road toward potential reality.
A planning effort, with state money and city assistance, is looking at whether 1.4 miles of Highway 99 that divide and pollute South Park neighborhoods could be removed, buried, boulevardized, or at least mitigated.
An event Saturday afternoon at Concord International Elementary School – barely a block west of 99 – was the onramp to the next phase of that work, under the Reconnect South Park banner: Developing a “community vision plan.” The open-house-style gathering in the school’s lunchroom offered information on possibilities as well as opportunities for feedback.
Maria Ramirez, project director, explained in brief remarks, “We know we have options; we don’t know where we’re going to end up. We have a year to come up with a vision.”
When put into numbers, what the highway did to South Park is stark – 22 of the neighborhood’s streets are dead ends because of it, Ramirez noted, and only two places to cross over it.
9:10 PM: If you’re heading to or from the South Park Bridge, be aware that the main intersection in downtown South Park – 14th Avenue South and South Cloverdale – is closed off right now, as is the bridge’s northbound side, by a big fire response. The fire is reported to be in the business building on the northeast corner of the intersection. The smoke is visible on the nearest traffic camera (which points toward the bridge’s south end), as shown in the screengrab above.
9:22 PM: SFD is still fighting the fire. Southbound traffic off the South Park Bridge is being detoured onto westbound Dallas.
9:25 PM: SFD says the fire’s under control.
9:40 PM: No injuries, per SFD. Meantime, southbound traffic on the bridge is now being held behind a bus, and the traffic camera shows cars turning around and heading back northbound.
9:45 PM: SFD has declared the fire “tapped” (out). Some of the units are being dismissed.
10:37 PM: 14th/Cloverdale is still blocked but south/westbound bridge traffic is flowing again and the camera shows some vehicles getting onto the north/eastbound side from Dallas.
10:53 PM: Officers just told dispatch they’re reopening SB 14th and one lane of NB 14th. The fire, meantime, is under investigation.
(Added: SFD photo)
2:37 AM: As commenter David points out, SFD has summarized the fire response here, including the determination that the fire was accidental, “likely caused by faulty electrical.” The photo confirms it’s the building that’s home to the café Good Voyage.
For the first time since 2019, the streets of South Park were alive with the celebration of Latin American cultures and heritage known as Fiestas Patrias, as hundreds of people paraded through the heart of the neighborhood on Saturday. Many of them rode – not just vehicles, but horses:
The parade ended with dozens of high-stepping horses and riders:
Earlier, there was horsepower:
Low riders from the Eazy Duz It Car Club rolled – and bounced – down the parade route:
Two-wheeled participants, too .. from scooters:
… to BMX bicycles …
… to unicycles – these students came all the way from Whittier Elementary in Ballard:
Schools from closer by participated too – here’s our video of Chief Sealth International High School‘s Cheer Team and Band:
South Park’s own Duwamish Valley Youth Corps walked in the parade:
Several folklorico groups danced along the route:
The parade was sponsored by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, which also is presenting a weekend-long Fiestas Patrias festival at Seattle Center downtown.
Back-to-school time is also afterschool-activity time. Here’s an opportunity: West Seattle writer Julia Douthwaite Viglione is organizing another free “Write YOUR Story” series. She asked us to share this announcement:
Write YOUR Story now enrolling for Fall 2023!
Free writing workshop for people ages 8—12, on Tuesday evenings 6:30 pm —7:30 pm, in the Concord Elementary School cafeteria space! Concord International Elementary, 723 S. Concord St. (South Park).
A semester-long program of twelve (12) meetings from Tuesday September 26, 2023, to Tuesday December 12, 2023, 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. By enrollment, limit: 12.
We will read two beautifully illustrated classics of world literature, vote on our favorite plot, then rewrite it and illustrate our story together. Every child receives a copy of our book at the end, in color and spiral bound!
Fall 2023 TRICKSTERS! Books we will read:
Gerald McDermott, Papagayo the Mischief Maker, about a parrot of the Amazon rain forest who helps the other jungle creatures learn to make noise without fear.
Charles Perrault, Puss in Boots, the story as it was originally told in the 1670s, in France, of a trickster cat and his lucky owner.
Write YOUR Story is a free program offered by West Seattle writers who love to share their passion for good stories and the creative process. Established in 2012 in South Bend, IN, “We read, we write, and we have a lot of fun.” jdouthwa.wixsite.com/writeyourstory1
To enroll, contact Ms. Julia, at juliawsea@gmail.com
Hope to see you this fall! — Julia Douthwaite Viglione, PhD, Shepherd Siegel, PhD, and the Write Your Story team
(WSB photo from 2019 Fiestas Patrias parade)
Before summer officially ends, another tradition will return for the first time in four years – the Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park. Sea-Mar Community Health Centers present the parade, and a weekend-long festival at Seattle Center, as a celebration of Latin American culture, and two weeks from today will bring the first parade since 2019. You can watch along 14th Avenue South (Henderson north to Cloverdale) or South Cloverdale Street (14th west to 8th, where the parade ends at the community center) starting at 11 am Saturday, September 16th.
Seattle’s only river is what today’s Duwamish River Festival is all about, so of course you can get out on the water as part of the festivities at Duwamish River People’s Park (8700 Dallas Avenue S. in South Park). But the rest of the festival is on land:
Agencies and vendors are there to talk with community members, and you have the chance to offer your opinion on a variety of topics and projects:
Want to know more about emergency preparedness? Talk with South Park “hub” captain Anne Churchill!
You can also enjoy entertainment (here’s the schedule) – Neon Brass Party was playing while we were there:
(added) So was Kavak:
We also found a festival participant you can truly look up to:
If you’re driving, your best bet is to catch the shuttle bus from the lot near the future South Park Plaza on the southwest end of the South Park Bridge, but you can walk from there too, or from the 14th/Cloverdale business hub – look for the signs. The festival is presented by the Duwamish River Community Coalition and continues until 5 pm.
Two weeks after performing in the West Seattle Grand Parade, the folkloric dance group Joyas Mestizas is on the schedule for this Saturday’s Duwamish River Festival – which includes not only performances but also art activities, vendors, kayaking, and more. For the second year, you’ll find the festival at its new home, Duwamish River People’s Park (8700 Dallas Avenue S. in South Park), noon-5 pm Saturday (August 5th). The Duwamish River Community Coalition coordinates the festival, celebrating Seattle’s only river and the ongoing cleanup work (on which you can comment while there). Here’s the schedule of events.
Summertime is internship time! West Seattle writer/educator Julia Douthwaite Viglione has an opportunity to share:
This summer a new course will be offered for kids at the South Park Community Center and you can help!
It’s called Write YOUR Story.
Opportunity for two unpaid internships, for 18- to 24-year-old people who seek to learn some aspects of teaching writing and working with children.
Help plan and co-teach “Write YOUR Story” at the South Park Comm. Center on Thursdays, 4:30-5:30 pm, from late June to early September, during summer session 2023 with local writer / professor, founder of WYS.
Volunteer; unpaid but rich in possibilities…
Prerequisites for application: High School juniors or graduates, detail-oriented. Applicants will submit a cover letter and a one-paragraph writing sample to juliawsea@gmail.com by June 6, 2023.
That’s Tuesday – so apply fast if interested!
Less than two months ago, the mayor proposed a billion-dollar renewal/expansion of the city Housing Levy. Some wondered what the money from the current one is being spent on. Here’s an example. The city has announced $147 million in grants for projects totaling 1,150 housing units, from sources including the current levy, as well as the “JumpStart” payroll tax and developers fees from the HALA-born Mandatory Housing Affordability program. The projects receiving grants are shown in this slide deck. None are in West Seattle. The nearest are two in South Park – a 78-unit complex that Sea Mar will build and 30 townhomes that Habitat for Humanity is planning.
On Earth Day – April 22nd – again this year, electric-vehicle drivers have the opportunity to help others learn about plugged-in driving, and people with questions about it have the chance to get answers. This year it’ll all be happening nearby, at the Duwamish River Community Hub on the southeast corner of downtown South Park’s main intersection, 14th Avenue S./S. Cloverdale. Organizers include the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and Express CU – different EV models and even test drives will be offered, noon-3 pm on Saturday, April 22nd. If you’re an EV driver interested in participating, the link is on this page (as well as the link for RSVPs).
From Brandi:
Stolen yesterday from in front of my house on S. Southern in South Park.
Black 1989 Toyota 4Runner
License plate AGD0036 (front)
Collector plate on rear … starts w/ CV
SPD incident # 23-87474
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