West Seattle, Washington
09 Saturday
Admiral District businesses made good on their promises to crank up the volume for this month’s West Seattle Art Walk this past Thursday night. Here’s what we found at four stops along the way. Top photo is from Mind Unwind, the gallery/education/collaboration space at 2206 California SW – where Brendan Ray Fraser was working on a painting that, shall we say, was a little too nude for WSB standards, so we took our camera upstairs for the aerial view. Three more stops ahead:
On this night when the West Seattle Relay for Life teams are walking all night to raise cancer-fighting funds – they have kindred spirits at Arbor Heights Elementary. Barb Glascock shares photos and news from Thursday’s bake sale:
Arbor Heights Elementary School’s 5th graders hosted a bake sale to raise cancer-research funds for Seattle Children’s Hospital. The bake sale was held during the school’s annual Field Day, and, with the help of all of the children, staff and visiting adults buying treats, the kids raised over $500! It was also “Crazy Hair” day. A check will be delivered to Children’s Hospital next week.
Two weeks ago tonight, Seattle Police and Parks personnel joined concerned community members (WSB coverage here) for a “safety walk” through Emma Schmitz Overlook Park. They heard again what had been voiced repeatedly in the two-plus months since the still-unsolved Beach Drive murder of Greggette Guy – the request for more lighting in the viewpoint area. As Beach Drive Blog first reported yesterday, their request has been granted – new lights have gone up. Surprisingly, this happened without a formal announcement, which you might expect when government agencies take action on a high-profile request from citizens. So we contacted the Seattle Parks media team this morning to follow up; at day’s end, spokesperson Karen O’Connor told WSB that police “recommended added lighting and ran it by Robert Stowers, our Southwest manager”; from there, Seattle City Light put up the lighting on existing poles. We asked O’Connor if more safety measures are planned; she expects to have that information on Monday
We expect you’ll see that word illuminated if you’re at West Seattle Stadium around 10 tonight, when the West Seattle Relay for Life luminaria ceremony lines the track with glowing tributes to loved ones either lost to, or fighting, cancer. The annual all-night fundraiser-on-foot began just after 6 tonight, first with words of encouragement from guest speaker Tracy Dart, who’s beaten breast cancer three times at just 37 years old:
She and other survivors, in purple T-shirts, walked the track for the first lap.
The rules are that each team must have at least one person walking at all times, through the end of the event at midmorning tomorrow. Right after the survivors’ lap, the Chief Sealth International High School Marching Band followed with their own walk around the track:
(added) Video:
About 250 people are participating this year, and they’ve already raised more than $38,000, said chair Jilyan Perry during the opening ceremony, telling them, “Cancer never sleeps, so for this night, neither will we.” The teams have their respective headquarters set up in the stadium infield or off to the side – tents and all:
You’re welcome to go over to the stadium and donate, cheer them on, even participate in the luminaria ceremony (there’s a tent where people are making their own decorated bags for candles anchored in sand). (Or, you can donate online.) When not walking, participants also are playing games – Jilyan mentioned “marshmallow launching”! – and in the morning, they’ll have massages available from longtime WSB sponsor M3 Bodyworks. (WSB is among the Relay for Life co-sponsors again this year.)
ADDED 10:30 AM SATURDAY: Via Facebook, R4LWS just announced their fundraising has passed $50,000, in time for the closing ceremony. We stopped by the stadium early this morning as the fundraising M3 Bodyworks massages were under way:
And, lingering from last night’s luminaria ceremony, reminders like this one, of what, and who, the Relay is all about:
Several people mentioned the sighting, via e-mail/Facebook/Twitter – but so far, John Smersh at Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is the only one who’s sent a photo of the “art cars” that were spotted northbound through West Seattle this past hour. The art cars are always on display during the Fremont Fair, which is happening this weekend, but what they’re doing in West Seattle tonight – if anything beyond “out for a drive” – we haven’t figured out yet! (You might recall, they rallied here last year AFTER the fair.)
8:05 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Keri for the tip they were parked along Admiral hill – we headed over for photos. But first, Debra Salazar Herbst shared her views, including these two from Don Armeni:
Now, from Admiral Way hill (north of the West Seattle Bridge), our photos:
(WSB photo from 2010 Westwood Village Street Fair)
Hope to see you tomorrow at the Westwood Village Street Fair – the first West Seattle festival of the summer, 10:30 am-7 pm at the shopping center. Most of the action will be in the same place as the past two years – the parking lot between Bed Bath Beyond and Pier 1 Imports – but there are two things we want to mention today, so you can plan ahead:
First, the dropout-prevention organization Communities in Schools in Seattle plans a school-supplies donation drive during the WV Street Fair. They’re asking you to help them “stuff the bus” with donated supplies – look for it by Pier 1, 10 am-6 pm Saturday. Full details here.
Second, West Seattle author Jon Wells will be signing his book about the Mariners, “Shipwrecked,” noon-2 pm at Barnes and Noble/Westwood during the Street Fair.
P.S. If you missed the earlier news about the music lineup – live bands will run 3-7 pm, starting with a band also on the Summer Fest lineup as announced today – Gunn and the Damage Done.
Big event at the nearby Museum of Flight in two weeks – and a former West Seattleite plays a big role. West Seattle High School alum astronaut Gregory Johnson is flying NASA‘s “Super Guppy” cargo plane to bring a shuttle-trainer section here. The full announcement, received from the museum this afternoon, with details on the celebration that will ensue, is ahead (along with an image of the unusual-looking plane):Read More
Thanks to Bev Corey – who edits West Seattle High School‘s comprehensive weekly newsletter “Westside Weekly” – for sharing the news that WSHS head baseball coach Velko Vitalich has been honored as the 2012 High School Varsity Coach of the Year by the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association:
The members of the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association recognize Coach Vitalich for his outstanding contributions to the lessons he imparts to his West Seattle High School team and students. Coach Vitalich exemplifies the extension of the classroom to our athletic fields by his consistent and exceptional portrayal of the highest ideals. The West Seattle High School teams and students all benefit from their participation in the opportunities to experience competition, leadership, honor, respect, confidence, teamwork, focus, discipline, humility, pride and determination.
President : Rich Johnson
Director: John Philbeck
Last month, the WSHS varsity team made it all the way to the state tournament. Congrats to the coach for this honor!
We are always thrilled to be able to share news about local people – of all ages – achieving great things. Today – meet the team of local youth headed to an international technology competition! As part of it, they needed to do “media outreach” for bonus points – and even wrote their own story, which we’re happy to publish. First, Alex Miller‘s introduction:
We are participating in the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Competition. An ROV is an underwater vehicle that is controlled from the surface. We built this ROV throughout last year and recently participated in the Pacific Northwest regional competition and placed 2nd. This qualified us for a place at the international competition in Orlando, Florida. We are really looking forward to going. In addition to building our ROV, we made a poster about our ROV, we wrote a technical report, and we have prepared an engineering presentation to give to a panel of judges.
Alex is 13. He’s on the AMNO & CO ROV team with 13-year-old Nicholas Orndorff and 15-year-old Clara Orndorff. Read on for their full report, and a photo of their ROV:Read More
Four weeks till West Seattle Summer Fest – July 13, 14, 15 in The Junction – and the music lineup has just been published! You can see it here – and the festival map is up, too.
FRIDAY: James Germain and the Gray, Gray Days, followed by Branden Daniel and The Chics, then Dead Man, Dolly Rottens, Glass Notes, Kasey Anderson and The Honkies, Star Anna, Knut Bell and The Blue Collars on the main stage (music scheduled 12:45-10 pm), The Bears Upstairs and Caspar Babypants on the Alaska stage.
SATURDAY: Gunn and The Damage Done, C-Leb and The Kettle Black, Lonesome Shack, The Less Than Equals, The Chasers, The DT’s, The Tom Price Desert Classic, Alcohol Funnycar, Pierced Arrows on the main stage (music scheduled noon-11 pm); Rat City Brass on the Alaska stage.
SUNDAY: Black Bangs, Hefty, To The Glorious Lonely, Hobosexual on the main stage (music scheduled noon-4:30 pm); Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band and Loco Moco on the Alaska stage.
Community performers (dance troupes, etc.) are still being scheduled for the Alaska stage, too. P.S. If you missed our report earlier this week – the vendor list is also now public (and the map of who’s in what booth).
The “red water” is back off Alki on this sunny morning, tweets Russ Walker, sharing that photo – as reported here last weekend, it’s a NON-TOXIC single-cell organism called noctiluca. So now you know (if you didn’t already). Meantime, a Viaduct closure and lots more on the list of what’s up for the rest of today and tonight:
VIADUCT/99 CLOSURE: The Alaskan Way Viaduct/Highway 99 stretch between Battery Street and the West Seattle Bridge closes, both ways, for the weekend, starting at 11 tonight, as crews continue working to reinforce the section of The Viaduct under which the tunnel-boring machine will be traveling. The closure is scheduled to continue till 5 am Monday. As always during closure weekends, we will monitor traffic throughout the weekend (check the cams here) and report on any major complications. (Your tips are always appreciated too – text or voice, 206-293-6302, as well as via the WSB Facebook page and Twitter.)
BALLROOM DANCING: 1:30-3:30 pm, it’s the monthly event with Lauren Petrie at Delridge Community Center – details here.
RAINBOW BINGO: Tonight it’s the “Flower Power” edition at Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction – be groovy! Doors open at 6, bingo at 7 – but you want to call NOW for a reservation – details on that, in our calendar listing.
VOLUNTEERING IN THE PARK: Today is Windermere‘s annual West Seattle Community Service Day, and their office will be closed so that about 50 people from Windermere and CW Title can volunteer at Lincoln Park, till about 1:30 pm. Their announcement:
This year, we will be doing some clean up and restoration at Lincoln Park. We will be fixing some of the trails to try and keep the trails safer and less muddy in the rainy season. We will also be working on removing weeds and invasive plants in some of the overgrown areas which will help with visibility and allow for park goers to hopefully feel a little safer walking through the park.
DINNER DEBUT AT ALKI CAFE: As first reported here last month, Alki Café (61st/Alki) is finally adding dinner, among other things, and tonight is the first night.
RELAY FOR LIFE OF WEST SEATTLE: 6 pm tonight, be at West Seattle Stadium to cheer on the all-night walking teams who’ll be raising money to fight cancer. WS’s well-known three-time survivor and mega-fundraiser Tracy Dart is scheduled to speak. 10 pm, it’s the luminaria ceremony, which is always a moving time to remember those who are fighting now, as well as those whose battle has ended. More info on the WS Relay website.
MOVIE NIGHT IN HIGHLAND PARK: HP Improvement Club presents another FREE movie night. “Movie hint: In a 2010 animated comedy, Princess Rapunzel has been locked in a hidden tower her entire life, her hair growing 70 feet. She is curious of the outside world and gets help to escape on an exciting and magnificent journey.” Doors open 6:30 pm, movie at 7, and HPIC adds, “Volunteers will be selling popcorn, candy and other movie fare. Bring blankets and pillows or sit in our chairs.”
FRIDAY NIGHT SKATING: Alki Community Center invites you to come skate tonight, 6:45-8:45 pm. Details here.
LIVE MUSIC: Tonight’s slate includes Ronin 3 with jazz at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm … Blackline making its first appearance at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9 pm … Skylark Café in North Delridge has a full slate – check it here … Heartland Café in the Admiral District has live music in the Benbow Room tonight; lineup here … (Reminder that we’re happy to list live music but if you don’t either e-mail us or post it to a regularly updated calendar of events on your website, we won’t know about it – thanks!)
‘TEACHER APPRECIATION’ SPECIALS AT SHANTI SALON AND SPA: The longtime WSB sponsor in the Admiral District is starting a month of special pricing for selected massage/facial services – if you’re a teacher (or other school employee – bring your school ID for proof)! It’s in effect today through July 15th. Details on this Facebook event page. (More about Shanti, here.)
(4:41 PM UPDATE: New info added at end of story, from West Seattle’s school-board rep and from the district)
9:38 AM, FIRST REPORT: According to an announcement just made by Seattle Public Schools, the new elementary school will not be the only program housed on the Louisa Boren Building campus at 5950 Delridge Way SW this fall. We reported earlier this week on the impending departure of the alternative Middle College High School – with 70 students enrolled this year – from the South Seattle Community College campus. Now the district has just announced its new location will be portables at Boren, where it hopes the MCHS students may help “mentor” students at the new K-5 STEM at Boren. Here’s the letter that the district’s executive director of West Seattle schools, Aurora Lora, has just sent to Middle College students’ families:Read More
Yet more good news to report today about West Seattle students’ achievements. This came in late last night from Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark:
Congratulations to the Denny Dolphin Math Olympiad team on their first-place finish! Each spring, Seattle Public Schools hosts a Math Olympiad competition with teams representing all of the middle schools and K-8s from across the city. (Thursday), our scholars won the overall first-place award – congratulations to them and their advisor Mr. Lai! Go, Dolphins!
(Washington Federal lot, one of three main locations for festival booths/events)
One week from tomorrow, it’s this year’s Morgan Junction Community Festival, presented by the Morgan Community Association. Like other neighborhood councils, MoCA’s members are all volunteers, so an event like this requires a few extra people to pitch in and help make the fun happen. Becky Bicknell is coordinating that this year and has this announcement:
Volunteers Needed! Morgan Junction Community Festival – Saturday June 23rd from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm. We need volunteers for 2 hours shifts to help with set-up, take-down, kids’ activities, and traffic control. Ages 12+ and ideally able to do moderate lifting. Location: California Ave & Fauntleroy. Please contact Becky at beckbick@yahoo.com or 206-407-7618.
The festival music/performance lineup is here.
One week from today is the final day of classes for Seattle Public Schools – and last night was our area’s final high-school concert of the year. West Seattle High School‘s musicians took the stage in the WSHS Theater. We have two clips from the concert – above, the band’s rendition of a Green Day song; below, the orchestra’s version of a Coldplay hit:
(Photos by Katie Meyer for WSB)
Our first of two West Seattle Art Walk roundups focuses on Junction highlights: At 94 years young, West Seattle painter Jeanne Hedington was one of last night’s stars on the June edition of the Art Walk. She was at Windermere West Seattle with some of her many, many creations. This one is titled “I Dreamed of My Grandpa Last Night”:
Hedington, by the way, has a special reason to remember the 1962 World’s Fair, as Seattle marks its half-century anniversary: She worked that year as a portrait artist for Disney and produced a huge body of work.
At Bin 41 wine shop, there was of course wine, but there were also photographs, by Mike Russell:
The Bin describes his photos as “a refreshing reminder of the beauty that’s all around us.” More Junction Art Walk stops ahead:
11 PM: In the past few minutes, we’ve received reports of a helicopter heard/seen over White Center, Highland Park, Arbor Heights – checking to find out what’s up.
11:07 PM: We don’t know for sure if it’s law enforcement. We have gone out to try to see where it’s focused, but it’s doing very long loops – not concentrating on any one area – from the Sound, back inland a ways, and then outbound again.
11:20 PM: Sorry to say we still don’t know. Have been tracking it from the ground but that hasn’t yielded anything obvious; nothing working in this area on the scanner, and nothing on the 911 (SFD) log indicating anything injurious.
11:24 PM: Seattle Police Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams checked on this and says SPD does not have Guardian One up for anything. So either it’s King County Sheriff’s Office *or* not law enforcement.
After teaching at Schmitz Park Elementary for 22 years, Kiki Watson is retiring. The school community wasn’t about to let her go without a celebration, so she was in the spotlight this afternoon. In our photo, she’s holding her big retirement gift: Custom glass the PTA purchased from local artist Bradly Burzynski (a former Schmitz Park dad)! She also received the gift of warm words from families of students and colleagues past and present.
Don Brubeck, who commutes by bicycle, shares some of the sights he sees from the road/trail/bridge – and here’s the latest: What he describes as wind-turbine blades, on a train alongside the West Seattle Bridge. He posted a few more photos to the WSB Flickr group pool. Not uncommon, according to a quick round of Web searching, but a riveting sight just the same.
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Gearing up for a busy summer was the primary order of business at Tuesday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting, led by president Katy Walum.  From the 4th of July Kids Parade to the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, there will be no shortage of activity during the summer months, and ANA is ready to help make it happen.
As usual, the meeting was held in the lower level of Admiral Congregational Church (California/Hill) but was preceded by something new: A pre-meeting potluck to give neighbors a chance to get to know each other in light of recent violence citywide and community concern in West Seattle. Attendees brought a dish to share and deemed the event a success, and Walum said ANA will likely make it a regular prelude to their future meetings. “No pressure to stay for the meeting,” Walum added, “just a chance for neighbors to meet and talk.”
Highlights from the meeting itself:Read More
Just in from SDOT:
Next Monday and Tuesday, June 18 and19, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., Seattle Department of Transportation Landscape Crews will be working on the bike trail that loops under the West Seattle Bridge at Harbor Island. Bicyclists will slow down and follow a very brief signed detour at the lower West Seattle Swing Bridge on 11th Ave SW on Harbor Island. To accommodate the landscape workers, vehicle traffic will be reduced to one lane westbound on SW Spokane Street and one lane eastbound on Klickitat Avenue SW in the vicinity of 11th Avenue on Harbor Island.
Ta-da! You saw it in the shop at South Seattle Community College‘s Automotive Technology zone one week ago (WSB coverage here), and today, the Schumacher Racing hydroplane rolled out, showing off its new look. (Official name, so you can watch for it during Seafair in August: The #37 Miss Beacon Plumbing H1 Unlimited Hydroplane.) Video and more photos, coming up.
ADDED 9:54 PM: Scroll through our sequence of photos and video as the event unfolded, starting as one last component was carried over to be placed atop the hydro:
(By next spring, the small “fry” in this bucket will be as big as the “smolt”)
Following last week’s report about May salmon releases involving 560 students visiting Fauntleroy Creek, steward Judy Pickens has news that a record number of coho smolts (“teenagers”) have been counted as they headed for saltwater:
Between mid-March and early June, Dennis Hinton, Pete Draughton, Steev Ward, and Gail Cucksey checked upstream and downstream traps daily to document how many smolts were leaving for nearshore habitat in Fauntleroy Cove. This number is the best gauge of how healthy creek habitat is for juveniles, who spend a year in freshwater maturing into the size (3″-5″) they’ll need to survive in Puget Sound.
A total of 157 made it out this year. That’s more than 5 percent of the eggs reared for Fauntleroy Creek in 2011 through the Salmon in the Schools program. In the wild, survival from eggs to smolts is substantially less, so this is a positive stewardship story for students.
Last year, volunteers documented 147 smolts leaving the park but only 37 making it the three blocks downstream. For this reason, State Fish and Wildlife authorized carrying smolts caught in the upper trap downstream to improve survival.
The next big monitoring period comes this fall, when volunteers watch for mature coho returning to spawn.
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