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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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3:57 PM: Rescuers report the person is out of the water and on shore “about 100 yards upriver.”

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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:

-Reduce gun violence and other violent crime with evidence-based solutions and enforcement strategies.

-Respond to 9-1-1 calls efficiently and effectively by hiring more officers and diversifying response options.

-Address the root causes and impacts of violence by investing in community-based solutions and upstream interventions.

-Prioritize a public health and trauma-informed approach to reduce overdoses, reduce violence, and better support victims and survivors.

-Coordinate community safety efforts to avoid duplication and inefficiencies by breaking down silos between departments.

-Build and maintain community trust through strong accountability systems and community engagement on law enforcement priorities.

The myriad agencies present at the event — from the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) to Seattle Parks and Recreation — reflect the wide-ranging approach to the public safety plan. District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka was the lone city councilmember at the event.

Dwane Chappelle, the director of DEEL, asked attendees about their concerns about school safety, and he emphasized his support for access to early learning and ensuring young people are “connected.”

At a table discussion with SPD, several attendees raised concerns about a lack of resources to address people suffering through mental health crises and the reliance on police to address those situations. Attendees also questioned efforts to recruit more police officers that involved lowering entry-level requirements for the position.

“What is the threshold where we allow people to serve as police who aren’t suited for the job?” one attendee asked SPD officials.

Solutions shared by city staff ultimately circled back to the key goals associated with the framework. In particular, SPD staff emphasized the need for more officers and said the department continues to face significant recruitment challenges.

Those comments come on the heels of the city council voting this afternoon, with Saka in support, to approve a new contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) that includes a 23% pay bump for Seattle officers. The increase makes entry-level officers the highest-paid in the state.

Alongside the effort to attract more police officers, city officials said they are working to expand “diversified response” options, a reference to programs such as Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE), which places behavioral health specialists in the emergency response field.

But even with boosting base pay for officers, increasing police recruitment comes with challenges.

Jennifer Satterwhite, crime prevention coordinator with the Southwest Precinct, which serves West Seattle and South Park, said SPD’s staffing challenges are not unique to Seattle and are affecting law enforcement nationally. She said the department is even struggling to fill police academy positions, as it competes with other local law enforcement agencies for recruits.

Outside of recruitment challenges, Capt. Martin Rivera, commander of the Southwest Precinct, described police staffing trends as cyclical, and said the efforts to hire a large number of officers now will likely lead to a drop-off in staffing down the line when they retire.

“Twenty five to 30 years from now, you’re gonna see people leaving,” Rivera said.

SPD staff also spoke with attendees about efforts to protect public safety and build public trust.

Rivera said the challenges of policing in the Southwest Precinct are similar to those in the rest of the city and said crime trends in West Seattle also mirror those of the broader city. But he emphasized his support for building relationships with the community and having police engaged in events like tonight’s forum.

“The public has to be involved,” Rivera said.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

The storymap on the Reconnect South Park website tells the story of how this stretch of highway, built in the late 1950s, was intended to be part of converting all of the South Park area to industrial use; the community stopped the total rezoning, but the highway bisecting the neighborhood remained.

Can that be fixed? That’s what Reconnect South Park is all about. Some early concepts have been sketched out for starters.

The most dramatic of the “potential futures for Highway 99” shown on Saturday would remove it entirely, sending the traffic elsewhere – 509, for example, runs in parallel a relatively short distance west. 44 acres of land now used as a highway could be redirected to “community-supportive uses, such as affordable housing, businesses, and green space,” and the street grid could be reconnected, remedying most if not all of those 22 dead ends. Some of that also would be possible under two other “potential futures” – undergrounding this stretch of 99 as a tunnel (perhaps with a “lid park” over it) or converting it to a boulevard/arterial through South Park, narrower than the current highway. The other possibility – and the least dramatic of the four – would be “mitigation,” such as more sound walls and vegetation as buffers, and “new or improved bridges across the highway.”

At this point, they’re doing everything they can to find out what community members think of those possibilities – or whether they have other ideas. That goes for community members of all ages – particularly youth who are most likely to see something come to fruition, as it’s seen as a “generational” project – something that likely will take many years to plan, fund, and built. But South Park is not alone in pursuing an idea like this – as also shown during Saturday’s event, there’s a nationwide trend toward removing highways that split or otherwise disrupted communities in this way.

So why do it at all? Several reasons, as Ramirez explained “To reverse the socioeconomic harm of planning mistakes (long ago) …” That would include “reparations” for the displacement caused by building the highway through South Park. And the potential health benefits almost go without saying, as there’s been so many revelations in recent years about air pollution in the Duwamish Valley and its effects on the life expectancy of the people who live there.

People who attended on Saturday were invited to point out their homes on a tabletop model of the neighborhood, placing little markers:

There was also information about synergizing with other efforts – the Duwamish Valley Resilience District, for one, as the riverside neighborhoods plan ahead for possible effects of climate change. The city Office of Planning and Community Development is working with Reconnect South Park, administering the grant that’s funding these early efforts, but those involved are trying to keep it as community-led as they can.

WHAT’S NEXT: They’ll be collecting more ideas and feedback through a survey linked on the reconnectsouthpark.org website. Another gathering like the one on Saturday will be scheduled in a few months, too. And the “potential futures” will be analyzed in the meantime. Beyond that – still a long road, as there’d be a lot of governmental involvement, search for funding, etc. But as Ramirez reminded those on hand, “Think deeply about the future – this is going to take a generation to realize. We’re doing this so people can live in an area where they can thrive and be healthy.”

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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.

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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.

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