West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
(Nature’s own fireworks – Friday night photo by Kevin Stock)
Here’s info we’ve gathered on what’s happening and what’s not on this Independence Day holiday. (More to add? Please text us – 206-293-6302.)
CHANGES/CLOSURES: For transit/transportation, >Metro buses are on their regular Saturday schedule with some extra late-night service; King County Water Taxi is on its normal Saturday service; so are Washington State Ferries; Seattle street parking is free; libraries, banks, USPS are closed. Here’s the Seattle Parks holiday roundup.
WEST SEATTLE FOURTH OF JULY KIDS’ PARADE: 10 am start from 44th SW/SW Sunset, just show up and you’re in this short, non-motorized parade, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, winding a few blocks through North Admiral neighborhoods and then to Hamilton Viewpoint Park for sack races, game booth, treat and food trucks (as listed in our parade preview). Note: Please do not park on the parade route.
DELRIDGE FARMERS’ MARKET: New location! 10 am-2 pm, shop for fruit and vegetables, prepared food and beverages, artisan body care, more … Here’s who to expect this week. (9th SW and SW Henderson)
MORNING MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.
FREE WRITING GROUP TAKES HOLIDAY BREAK: No meeting today.
ALKI HISTORY WALKING TOUR: What better holiday for learning about history? Register here, then meet at the Log House Museum (61st SW and SW Stevens) at 11 am.
ALSO AT THE MUSEUM – FOURTH OF JULY STORYTIME: 11 am-1 pm, storytelling, crafts, lemonade, free!
SPRAYPARK SEASON: The season continues at Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)
BASEBALL: Holiday home game for the DubSea Fish Sticks at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center, 11:05 am, vs. the A’s. Online tickets are sold out but you can check at the ball park!
COLMAN POOL: Rain or shine – noon-7 pm, daily operation continues at the outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park – see the session schedule here. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ALKI LADY LIBERTY PROCESSION: Noon on the Alki promenade, explained here.
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Also at Lincoln Park – the forecast is for sunshine and 70+ degrees – so this pool should be open, noon-7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS: Seattle’s one and only show is the Seafair Fourth of July fireworks over Lake Union, 10:15 pm, partly visible from north-/northeast-facing West Seattle. (Want to watch on TV? Channel 13 this year.) Vashon/Maury Islands have a fireworks show too.
NO REVELRY ROOM SPINNING: Closed for the holiday.
NO SATURDAY NIGHT SKATING: Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW) is closed tonight, Sunday, and Monday for floor resurfacing.
Planning a West Seattle event that’s open to the community? Tell us about it; calendar listings are free of charge, always! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo and word of a camera-visible aurora within the past hour. Checking this skywatching site, we’re indeed in the zone.
By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
At its next meeting, a City Council committee will continue considering a proposal targeting unwanted solicitations for homeowners to ell their property.
The Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee‘s special meeting this week included discussion of an ordinance that would establish a “Do Not Solicit” list, allowing people to opt out of being contacted regarding selling their property.
The legislation was introduced by citywide Councilmember Dionne Foster as a means of stopping the “calls and incessant visits” that have been causing some longtime Seattle residents anxiety and angst. It also works to prevent homeowners from unintentionally selling their homes well under market value.
“We are seeking to protect people’s peace of mind, but also their existing wealth,” Foster said. “As well as people’s opportunity to take advantage of what they already own.”
Foster’s office has implemented a survey gathering information from Seattle residents regarding the “frequency and impact of unwanted solicitations from real estate professionals and wholesalers.” She detailed some survey participants explaining they felt “hunted” and “circled by vultures.”
In these cases, solicitation can take the form of mail, oral communication, or electronic communication. It encompasses attempting to purchase, acquire any interest, or convey residential property, according to the presentation given by analyst Jennifer Labreque.
Penalties for violation of the “Do Not Solicit” list include a $1,000 for a first violation, and $2,000 for any subsequent violation occurring within 12 months.
The list would be maintained and penalties enforced by the Seattle Office of Civil Rights. If passed, the legislation will go into effect on June 1, 2027.
Some concerns were raised by councilmembers surrounding getting the word out about the program – resulting in its underutilization. Additionally, actually being able to identify solicitors and being able to enforce the ordinance.
“We need to be just as aggressive as the people on the other side,” said Chukundi Salisbury, a panel member from Black Legacy Homeowners. The legislation would need to be reiterative – adapted to combat solicitors who would seek ways to work around the policy.
Salisbury emphasized that the work leading up to this initiative is not new, referencing his “This House is Not For Sale” campaign from 2020. He stressed that residents finally need to have the “no” mean something.
Real estate agents raised concerns during the meeting’s public-comment section, asking that the city exempt agents from the legislation. Angie Mykel wanted to emphasize the difference between licensed agents and wholesalers “making money in the margins.” Overall though, the response to the proposed ordinance was positive.
The proposal is currently planned to be on the agenda for the next Housing, Arts, and Civil Rights Committee meeting on July 8th. You can submit comments to councilmembers or sign up for public comment at the next committee meeting using this link.
Abandoned on a planting strip in Seaview:
Yours? Contact us and we’ll connect you with the finder.
The Blowout Heavies Brass Band is providing the soundtrack tonight at Highland Park Improvement Club‘s First Fridays gathering on the past-and-future HPIC site at 12th/Holden. We counted about 100 people having a great time, including everybody helping judge the 18 pies entered in the Bake-Off:
Flavors ranged from “plumberry” to chocolate pecan – right about now, they’re tallying votes and deciding who gets these:
Tonight’s First Fridays party had savory treats as well as sweet:
$7 got a plate in what was dubbed the “Bite of Southwest Seattle.” The party goes on until about 8:30 tonight:
All ages – there’s a little play area for kids too. Next First Fridays celebration: Friday, August 7.
Time to start daily previews of West Seattle Summer Fest, happening next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – July 10 through 12 – in The Junction! (And of course you’re invited to start wandering the streets Thursday, July 9, for what’s become known as Summer Fest Eve, when the streets close so setup can begin!)
This year’s festival will have almost 200 vendors (listed here), a Kids Zone with the return of the foam party as well as a new water slide, two days/nights of main-stage live music (and three days of street-corner music, reusable cups and dishes, sidewalk cafés for your favorite year-round restaurants and bars, the Oregon/California intersection included in the festival zone for the first time, bike parking, pet pit stops … It’s West Seattle’s biggest party of the year and you’re invited. We’ll get into some specifics in the previews to come.
For the first time in almost a decade, SDOT is taking another look at potentially charging for street parking in the West Seattle Junction. The department announced here that it’s been studying Junction parking again, with possible outcomes including paid street parking. It’s also opened online surveys asking what you think about Junction (and Triangle) parking. Here are excerpts from SDOT’s explanation:
SDOT last studied parking in the Junction in 2017. Since then, the neighborhood has grown, including new housing, new businesses, more outdoor dining, increased food delivery activity, and changing travel habits.
Recent parking study data shows that on-street parking is often hard to find or completely full, especially along California Ave SW and nearby streets.
We’ve also visited the Junction multiple times to talk with people about how they get around.
We heard that while many people drive to the Junction, most people arrive by walking, biking, or taking transit. People shared mixed opinions about how easy it is to find available parking.
We are now asking people who visit, work, and live near the West Seattle Junction to share their feedback so we can better understand parking and loading needs.
Please take our survey by July 27.
We will use what we hear from the community, along with parking data, to develop possible recommendations.
In the fall, we will share draft recommendations with the community for additional feedback to inform a final plan.
…Potential changes could include:
*New time limits or paid parking to make sure customers can reliably find a parking spot
*Accessible parking spaces for people with disabilities
*Load zones for goods deliveries, food delivery services, and rideshare pick-up and drop-off
*Intersection daylighting to improve safety and visibility at crosswalks… Our goal is to make it easier to find parking by encouraging parking turnover. This helps more people access shops, restaurants, and services. We also want to address loading needs for businesses’ deliveries and quick stops.
See the SDOT map above for the project zone; the project website describes it as “California Ave SW from SW Edmunds St to SW Dakota St, SW Alaska St from Fauntleroy Way to Glenn Way SW, and surrounding streets. The project area also includes the West Seattle Triangle Area, including Fauntleroy Way SW from SW Edmunds St to SW Alaska St.” There are actually three versions of the survey – for Junction businesses here, for West Seattle residents here, and for “visitors” here. As noted on the project page, SDOT also will have reps available for Q&A at upcoming events including West Seattle Art Walk, Summer Fest, and the farmers’ markets.
BACKSTORY: Here’s our report on how the 2017 parking study turned out; here’s our report on how the one before that, in 2008, turned out. The Junction used to have privately owned lots with free-parking but that ended five years ago.
(WSB photo, June 26)
One week after that gathering in memory of Maridee Bonadea, the 76-year-old bicyclist killed on SW Wildwood southeast of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, a nearby resident says she caught someone apparently trying to remove the roadside “ghost bike” memorial. Emailed by Kristi:
We live near the spot where a cyclist was recently run over and killed on SW Wildwood. We just witnessed a man in a truck cutting the chain off of the ghost bike placed in memory of Maridee Bonadea. When we confronted him to ask what he was doing, he nervously mumbled something about removing the chain from public infrastructure. When we asked if he was there as part of that infrastructure he said he was “the neighborhood.” We’ve lived a half block away for 15 years and have no idea who this was or why he was speaking on behalf of “the neighborhood.” He left in a hurry without taking the bike.
Kristi stayed with the bike until her husband returned with a new lock and chain, which are now in place. The man who took the original ones was in a white Ford Explorer, she reports.
Story by Tracy Record
Photos by Torin Record-Sand
for West Seattle Blog
It was a sight Jimie Martin of the Lions Club of West Seattle (above right) had long waited to see.
She didn’t actually “wait.” She fought for almost a decade to get some official TLC for the tiny triangle park where Delridge Way SW, 16th Avenue SW, and SW Roxbury Street meet.
It holds a tribute to veterans, installed by a VFW post that no longer exists:
Fifteen years ago, the then-owner of the adjacent Triangle Pub – “Mac” McElroy, himself a veteran – led an effort to revitalize the small SDOT-owned parklet. We covered that for our partner site White Center Now. But over the ensuing years, it’s deteriorated, and damage from a car crash didn’t help matters. Jimie didn’t think it was right to let the site fall into further disrepair; she and the Lions Club did what they could, but ultimately, it was the city’s responsibiity.
Finally last month, as we reported here, SDOT crews did some work. And a small gathering last night commemmorated that, with Scouting America Troop 799 leading a flag-replacement ceremony, and West Seattle VFW commander Steve Strand speaking.
Here’s our video of his reflections, starting with gratitude and appreciation for the Lions’ advocacy and volunteerism:
The Scouts then hoisted a new Stars and Stripes on the parklet’s pole:
If you visit the parklet, look closely – there are small landmark engravings, and flowers in full summer bloom.
Burglar(s) hit By and By, the skating-and-more shop that opened four and a half years ago on the street level of the Center for Active Living, early this morning. We just heard from By and By proprietor Tony, who reports:
By And By was broken into around 4 am this morning. The thieves were able to steal a significant amount of clothing, shoes, iPads, and some cash. We will be closed today through most of next week. We will need some time to figure how to restock equipment and inventory properly.
They were able to strip out our “security lock” on our front door.
Hoping to get footage from the cameras on the building as well.
We don’t have the police report # yet but will add when we do.
Thanks to Kersti Muul for the report – she says a humpback whale is southbound off west-facing West Seattle, seen off Point Williams (Lincoln Park). Let us know if you see it!
(Thursday night photo by Hana Alishio)
Some recurring-event venues are taking a holiday-weekend break, but some one-time-only events of note are on our list for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WHAT’S OPEN AND NOT FOR THIS SEMI-HOLIDAY: Here’s our story from last night.
SUMMER FOOD FOR KIDS: Some local sites are open – see our story for locations and other information.
WORLD CUP WATCH PARTY: 11 am at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), the summer of soccer continues! This match features Australia vs. Egypt.
SPRAYPARK SEASON CONTINUES: Daily-splashing season continues at Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
COLMAN POOL: Also rain or shine – noon-7 pm, daily operation continues at the outdoor pool on the shore at Lincoln Park – see the session schedule here. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
CARD GAME LAUNCH: “House of Cards – Deck of Corruption” – with cards that “showcase the decline of democracy” – is launching in a drop-in event at The Missing Piece in The Junction (California/Alaska), 4 pm-8 pm.
TASTING ROOM AND WINE BAR: Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) is open 5-9 pm Fridays. Stop in to sip, or buy a bottle … and see art!
HPIC FIRST FRIDAYS, WITH PIE BAKE-OFF: This month’s First Fridays neighborhood party at the Highland Park Improvement Club site (1116 SW Holden) starts at 5:30 pm and features:
Pie Bake-Off
A Bite of SW Seattle international cook-out ($7 tasting plate)
Arts and crafts for kids
Live music from The Blowout Heavies Brass Band
If you want to enter the Bake-Off, bring your pie (better yet, bring two) by 6 pm.
FILM SCREENING AT EASY STREET RECORDS: see “Montana Grind,” 7 pm, about “skateparks changing lives in Native communities” – free, all ages. (4559 California SW)
BINGO AT ADMIRAL PUB: 7:10 pm, B-I-N-G-O! (2306 California SW)
‘WISH YOU WERE HERE’: 7:30 pm curtain – final weekend for the current play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), check here for tickets.
SKYLARK TAKING A BREAK: No shows this holiday weekend.
SPINNING: Revelry Room is open tonight (4547 California SW), spinning with DJ Vitamin D, 9 pm.
‘MAKE IT LOUD’ SKATING WITH MUSIC: Tonight, “Roll Around Seatown Party with DJ WD4D,” 9 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW). 21+. $20 cover/$5 skates.
KARAOKE AT TRIANGLE PUB: 9 pm to close, karaoke at Max’s Triangle Pub (9454 Delridge Way SW).
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or ongoing calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Among the many recurring events on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar is free drop-in Homework Help at the High Point branch of the Seattle Public Library. They’re currently seeking adult volunteers for next school year, starting in September, on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. Here’s a flyer with a few more details, including the email address to use if you’re potentially interested.
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, July 3, 2026. No Seattle World Cup match today – last one’s on Monday (USA vs. Belgium).
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET
Today’s forecast is for partly sunny, high in the low 70s. Sunrise was at 5:17 am today; sunset will be at 9:09 pm.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro buses – On a Sunday schedule today.
West Seattle Water Taxi – Regular summer schedule today and on the Fourth, with extra Friday/Saturday/Sunday runs including later-night schedule Fridays and Saturdays.
Washington State Ferries – Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is on the regular three-boat schedule today and on the Fourth. Check the alert page for last-minute changes.
FOURTH OF JULY
On Saturday morning, remember that the Kids’ Parade will be crossing California SW just south of Hamilton Viewpoint Park around 10:30 am. Also remember that late-night traffic on Harbor/Alki Avenues gets intense on the Fourth as people try to get a spot to look toward the Lake Union fireworks.
STADIUM ZONE TONIGHT
Mariners are home, playing the Blue Jays at 7:10 pm (and it’s Fireworks Night).
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
The city cameras’ updating-framegrab feature is back, as shown on the the SDOT map, so they’re back in our morning lineup:
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Here’s the westward view. Also note, maritime-opening info is available via X (ex-Twitter):
1st Avenue South Bridge:
See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
Thanks to everyone who sent photos of tonight’s dramatic rainbow! Above, from Carolyn Newman; below, a closer view from Stewart L.:
A different foreground in this view from Jerry Simmons:
And a wide view across Elliott Bay from Hana Alishio:
Promisingly, the forecast for the days ahead suggests highs in the 70s. (Normal for today would have been 75; actual high, 68.)
9:40 PM: Thanks for the photo. For those wondering about the police search in Westwood, officers are on the trail of a suspect described over police radio as wanted for domestic-violence-related warrants. We haven’t heard a description but the search has ranged through backyards, around schools, as far north as SW Kenyon, as far south as SW Barton, and between 22nd and 29th SW on the east-west boundaries.
10:07 PM: As commenters have noted, the search has expanded northward. But no arrest, nor zeroing in on a possible location, yet. … A texter says the suspect was seen running through their yard earlier, and described him as “khaki pants, shirtless, bald.”
11:10 PM: The trail has grown cold and they haven’t heard of any recent sightings, so this is wrapping up.
Just in via text:
The texter says it’s down across 42nd SW “behind West Seattle Thriftway” (south of Morgan). Police have been dispatched to check it out (presumably SDOT would then be summoned to clear it).
With the Fourth of July happening on a Saturday this year, that sets up some differentiation in what’s closed Friday and what’s not. The general rule is, if an agency/service is generally open on Saturdays, it’ll be closed on the actual holiday Saturday and open tomorrow, but if it’s not generally open on Saturdays, it’ll be observe the holiday on Friday. This means, among other things, that banks, libraries, and the USPS are open/in service Friday, closed Saturday. And some have modified schedules both days – as seen in the Seattle Parks plan. And if you use street parking in areas where the city charges for it, Saturday is the free-parking day. (We’ll have holiday transit info in our morning traffic/transit/weather roundup Friday morning.)
(Artist Deborah S. Baker)
On this drizzly summer night, you have indoor options – like the first night of the West Seattle Art Tour preview at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
(Artist Phil Jones)
Meet some of the artists who’ll be part of this year’s tour and see some of their work! The tour itself isn’t until fall but it’s a great night for art anyway (and wine!).
And if you can’t get here tonight, visit next Thursday on West Seattle Art Walk night.
(WSB photo, 2021)
Five months ago, we checked in on the status of the plan to rebuild the long-closed public walking pier at Jack Block Park, the port-owned park at 2130 Harbor SW. We learned, among other things, that the replacement wouldn’t likely be ready before late 2029, and that it could cost up to $14 million. Both those numbers have since gotten smaller. Today, we got an update from Northwest Seaport Alliance spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh Babst, who pointed out that the project is on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the NWSA Managing Members (the combined Seattle and Tacoma Port Commissions). They’ll be voting to spend the next $2 million on the project, which is now projected at a total cost of $9.5 million. Here’s what else she told us:
At the July 7 NWSA Managing Members (Ports of Seattle and Tacoma Commissions) meeting, staff will seek authorization to move forward with finalizing design for the Jack Block Park Pier Replacement project. This work will demolish the existing pier, construct a new pier, repair the adjacent plaza, and expand potential uses with additional park features. The upcoming action before the Managing Members will seek full project design funds and permitting; construction authorization funds will be requested when design and permitting are nearing completion.
As previously shared, the pier at Jack Block Park has been deemed to have no remaining service life and has been closed to the public for safety. Further exploration of alternatives led to a design concept that includes moving the pier location eastward; this cost-effective design solution will deliver environmental and public experience advantages.
There is also significant deterioration within the adjacent plaza. Several years ago, public engagement identified this as an opportunity to undertake additional park improvements, which will include the construction of a picnic pavilion and/or other small improvements such as interpretive signage. Full delivery of this project is estimated for Q2, 2029.
Here’s the document detailing the action going before the commissioners on Tuesday; this page has the full agenda link as well as how to watch.
Bill and Guy are hoping someone has seen their art truck, stolen in Westwood:
During the night between July 1 & 2, our beloved Paisley Ranger was stolen off the street right next to our house. Even with a steering wheel lock in place. It’s a 1989 Ford Ranger. Maybe someone needed particular parts? Who knows.
Crossing our fingers for its recovery.
Police report # is 26-191061; call 911 if you find the truck.
FRIDAY UPDATE: In a comment below, Bill reports it’s been found – and had been painted over.
Several people texted this morning with a report of ICE officers pulling someone over in south Arbor Heights. We have since received another report that included this photo:
The texters reported this happened on 35th SW near SW 106th, several blocks from the incident reported two weeks ago.
Just two days until hundreds of West Seattle’s youngest residents will parade through the streets of North Admiral with their families, as the Admiral Neighborhood Association again presents the West Seattle Fourth of July Kids’ Parade. We’ve checked in with parade coordinators for the newest info:
–Kavya Bhatkar (age 10), a School of Rock student, will sing the anthem.
-Title sponsors for the parade are: Neighborhood Naturopathic and Primary Care and Holy Rosary.
-Food available for purchase including:
Seattle Pops
West Seattle Grounds
Where Ya at Matt
Empanadas El Pachi
La La Lemonade
Seattle Sorbet
Hawk Dogs
Sugar & Spoon
The parade starts at 10 am Saturday from 44th SW and SW Sunset, heads west on Sunset for a bit, turns south and then east, ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park for a post-parade celebration with sack races, activity booths, the aforementioned food/treat vendors, and if they’re not called away to an emergency, an SFD truck to see. No RSVP or registration required to be in the parade – just show up (non-motorized bikes, trikes, scooters, strollers, etc., welcome, or just walk).
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