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Celebrate the fall equinox at Solstice Park in West Seattle
September 21, 2009 9:55 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

That photo from Twitter shows some of the silky pink that stretched across the sky after tonight’s final sunset of summer; tomorrow night, fall arrives, and you can greet its arrival with Alice Enevoldsen, who you may remember as the heroic volunteer WSB mapmaker during Snowpocalypse last winter. Alice is among many other things, author of alicesastroinfo.com, and is welcoming you to join her at Solstice Park (over the tennis courts northeast of Lincoln Park; map) tomorrow night to greet the arrival of fall at 7:06 pm our time. Could be some stargazing involved if the weather holds; read Alice’s full invite here.

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Update: House fire on 26th SW in North Delridge
September 21, 2009 7:31 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli, substituted for earlier camphone photo @ 8:19 pm)
Single-family residence fire call in 4800 block of 26th SW (map). More to come. 7:54 PM UPDATE: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli says it’s suspected the fire started in the kitchen; it’s tapped now, and the family who was home got out OK (as also reported in comments). 8:14 PM UPDATE: Fire investigators at the scene confirm the kitchen is where it started, but they haven’t yet figured out exactly what sparked the fire. They also say the family will not be able to go back into the house tonight.

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ADDED 9:27 PM: Christopher’s video:

No official cause announced yet; whenever it is, tonight or tomorrow, we’ll add it here. TUESDAY 12:30 PM: According to Helen Fitzpatrick with Seattle Fire, the cause was food on the stove catching fire accidentally; the flames spread to cabinets and then the attic. Damage = $30,000.

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CityDog Magazine announces West Seattle “Cover Dog” finalist
September 21, 2009 5:35 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news

That’s Murphy – who’s now in the finals for this year’s Cover Dog search by West Seattle-based CityDog Magazine. Editor Brandie Ahlgren sent the photo and this note:

The winning dog from the CityDog Cover Dog Model Search at West Seattle Thriftway is Murphy, a soft-coated wheaten terrier. He’s a cutie and nothing like what we’ve featured on the cover in the past.

After winning the CityDog Cover Dog Model Search at West Seattle Thriftway, Murphy is now a finalist with four other dogs to compete to be on the cover of the Winter issue of CityDog Magazine. And, with Murphy’s help, we were able to raise over $1,000 for the Doney Memorial Animal Clinic.

We have one cover dog model search remaining – this Sunday, September 27 at FidoFEST to benefit the Seattle Humane Society [info]. After that dog is selected, ballots will be sent and the people’s voice will be heard on which dog will be the winning dog to grace the cover of CityDog Magazine. Dog lovers may still enter their dog in the cover dog model search at FidoFEST or sign up to receive a ballot by e-mail at www.citydogmagazine.com.

CityDog came to Thriftway on August 16; we took a photo. Last year’s Cover Dog winner was from the West Seattle “tryouts” – Cohen (here’s his cover). We’ll let you know when voting begins!

ADDED: A little more info about Murphy, from his person, forwarded by CityDog’s Brandie:

Murphy turned 1 year old on August 30th.

Likes:
Any kind of attention
Smiling
All toys (especially ones that make noise)
Full body wiggling to greet people and wagging his tail
Shaking hands and giving high fives
Sleeping under the kitchen table
Any food smell!
“Helping” in the garden
Trips to Montana

Dislikes:
Vacuums
Brooms
Dogs/People that don’t like to play

Favorite West Seattle hangouts:
-Walks in the Junction. He especially likes the people eating ice cream outside of
Husky’s and the enticing smells outside of Bakery Nouveau.
-Car rides on Alki with the wind in his hair!
-Getting treats/attention at Mud Bay and Next to Nature

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Crime Watch followup: Suspect charged in “burglarbustindad” case
September 21, 2009 5:09 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

In this comment earlier today, the Gatewood crime victim-turned-crimefighter known only as “burglarbustindad” mentioned that the suspect in last week’s burglary at his Gatewood home has been charged. We just got the documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: 19-year-old Kenneth Shouting is charged with residential burglary. Read on for the police narrative included in the court documents:Read More

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ArtsWest gets $7,500 in federal stimulus money
September 21, 2009 3:36 pm
|    Comments Off on ArtsWest gets $7,500 in federal stimulus money
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Got word from the countywide organization 4Culture that a long list of groups getting a total of $250,000 federal stimulus money to help protect arts-related jobs includes West Seattle’s ArtsWest, which will receive $7,500. Checked with AW to see what the money will be used for; Rachel Jackson tells WSB, “That money will go into our AIF (Artistic Improvement Fund), and will specifically go to paying our actors. Unlike other theaters our size (non-equity houses) we pay our artists an hourly wage instead of just a stipend.” The full list of stimulus $ recipients is here. (ArtsWest is currently in the midst of its season-opening run, with “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” continuing till October 3rd.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Neighbors chase suspected prowler
September 21, 2009 2:33 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Yet another case of alert neighbors either scaring off suspected criminals or catching them: This just out of the WSB inbox, from Cecilia:

My husband and I live on Beach Drive, near the corner of Beach and Andover (a couple blocks north of La Rustica) [map]. At approximately 10:30 AM on the morning of Friday 9/18/09, I received a phone call from a neighbor alerting me to a potential attempted residential burglary in our home. Several neighbors and our US Mail Deliverer/Post Man observed a white unmarked van and some kind of tan/gold colored sedan park in front of our home. A short time later, one man got out of the van, came to the front of our home, looked into the front windows, then went around the side yard and back of our home, looking into all the windows. Neighbors were able to scare him off by asking what he was doing. One neighbor and the Post Man followed him in their cars, while he was on foot. He stopped to hide in some bushes near our home and proceeded to look into some windows of a neighbor’s house, at which point he was confronted by neighbors and police were called. By the time police arrived, the man was gone, as were the two suspect vehicles. Because there was no evidence of “forced entry” in our home and no recorded license plate numbers, an actual police report could not be made. Please be aware of an adult male (approximate age unknown), about 6-6’2 in height, approximately 180 lbs in weight, wearing a Nike hat, with brown “greasy” hair in a ponytail. Please also be aware of the vehicles described above.

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Less than a week till Alki Beach 5K Walk/Run!
September 21, 2009 1:33 pm
|    Comments Off on Less than a week till Alki Beach 5K Walk/Run!
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | West Seattle news

Our video from last September shows the entire 1,000-strong crowd taking off for the first-ever Alki Beach 5K Walk/Run, benefiting West Seattle-based Northwest Hope and Healing (WSB sponsor), which helps newly diagnosed breast-cancer patients. Will this year’s crowd beat that? Still time to help make sure it does – register at alkibeachrun.com. The route starts at Alki Bathhouse and travels along the West Seattle waterfront (here’s a map). Here’s what the $ goes for. See you there (and so far – though it’s early – the weather looks great)!

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Election 2009: Candidates at 3 West Seattle events this week
September 21, 2009 11:54 am
|    Comments Off on Election 2009: Candidates at 3 West Seattle events this week
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Mayoral candidate Mike McGinn just announced a town-hall meeting in West Seattle – 4:30 pm Wednesday, High Point Library checkbox.jpg(map). Add that to two other events in West Seattle this week – with Election Day just six weeks from tomorrow (and ballots in the mail much sooner): 7 pm Wednesday, the Highland Park Action Committee presents a Candidates’ Forum (we’re checking on who’s RSVP’d) at Highland Park Improvement Club (map); Thursday at 11 am, West Seattle Democratic Women present a City Attorney candidates’ debate during their lunch meeting at West Seattle Golf Course (map). For the Wednesday events, just show up; for Thursday, lunch costs $10 members/$20 nonmembers (which includes membership in WSDW for the remainder of 2009) – registration starts at 11, lunch/program at 11:30 – contact WSDW at (206) 938-5706 or wsdwomen@yahoo.com.

7:53 PM UPDATE: Rory Denovan has sent word of who’s confirmed for the HPAC forum on Wednesday night:

Mike McGinn, Candidate for Mayor
Sally Bagshaw, Candidate for City Council, Position 4
David Bloom, Candidate for City Council, Position 4
Nick Licata, Candidate for City Council, Position 6
Tom Albro, Candidate for Seattle Port Commission, Position 4
Rob Holland, candidate for Seattle Port Commission, Position 3
Robert Rosencrantz,Candidate for City Council Position 8
Mike O’Brien, Candidate for City Council, Position 8

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Followup: Thanks from Baby Maarten’s family/friends; what’s next
September 21, 2009 10:39 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

This past Friday and Saturday, piles of donated items were sold at West Seattle’s Peace Lutheran Church to benefit 1-year-old Maarten (left), who’s been fighting a brain tumor for virtually his entire life. He and his parents had to stay in Boston where he’s being treated and couldn’t make it home in time for the sale, but organizer Claudia Ludwig, a co-worker of Maarten’s mom, tells us they’ve now raised $5,925 – including $3,625 from the sale (the rest is from PayPal and bank account donations). Claudia adds:

Please send a GIANT thank you to everyone who reads the WS blog. Maarten and his parents, Sacha and Francois will be back home in Seattle on Wednesday and they are SO thrilled by all of us coming together to help them in this way. Sacha told me (Sunday) morning when I gave her an approximate total that their 3 trips to Boston AND the 9 weeks lodging expenses are covered by our sale and there will be more left! She and Francois were in awe and so very very grateful. They’ll be updating the helpmaarten.blogspot.com soon and want to send out their thanks to everyone and feel so moved by our support.

Claudia also added a bit more about the treatment that Maarten’s been receiving – how it works and how costly it is – read on:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Street trees trashed
September 21, 2009 3:33 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

BCK has an alert from near 32nd/Trenton in Westwood (map):

A note of warning to anyone with small street trees : All of our street trees and those of several neighbors have been deliberately run over by cars. Large posts set by the trees and iron stakes were not enough to deter these vandals. If you have trees that are not yet big enough to defend themselves , save yourself some heartbreak and put big rocks near them.

Crime is one of the topics on the agenda later this week, by the way, as the Westwood Neighborhood Council meets for the first time in several months. Join them at 7 pm Thursday, Southwest Community Center; more info here.

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1st-8th grader who likes to sing? Endolyne Choir says “welcome”
September 21, 2009 3:01 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Is there a student in your family who loves to sing? Endolyne Children’s Choir, based in West Seattle, just started its fall session, but still has room for new members – here’s info from Endolyne leader Juliet Nazarino:

All rehearsals take place at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, 3050 California Ave SW.

Debut is our entry level group for 1st -3rd graders and rehearses on Tuesdays at 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

The Encore and Advanced Ensemble are for 3rd – 8th graders and rehearses on Thursdays at 6:30 – 7:30 pm.

New members are always welcome!

Sing Year Round: September 2009 – June 2010!
a.. Fall Session: Debut: (now through) Dec. 15, Encore/Adv: (now through) Dec. 17
b.. Winter Session: Debut: Jan. 5 – March 12, Encore/Adv: Jan. 7 – March 12
c.. Spring Session: Debut: March 16 – June 5, Encore/Adv: March 18 – June 5

Questions? Contact Juliet Nazarino at (206) 934-5490, info@endolynechoir.org or visit www.endolynechoir.org

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West Seattle weekend scenes: Cake, LINKS, Westfest, library, drill
September 21, 2009 1:03 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle weekend scenes: Cake, LINKS, Westfest, library, drill
 |   Fun stuff to do | Safety | West Seattle news

A few more scenes from the (very busy) West Seattle weekend that just wrapped up: One day after the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza time-capsule celebration (our Saturday reports are here and here), Eilene Hutchinson and Libby Carr from the Statue of Liberty Plaza Project were out serving leftover “time capsule cake.” (Thanks to Mark Matassa for the photo.) Now rewinding a bit further into the weekend:

Genevieve Aguilar photographed Fandango at DNDA‘s LINKS barbecue, held indoors on soggy Saturday; by later Saturday afternoon, the weather cleared enough for outdoor fun, including this goofy act at Holy Rosary School’s Westfest, with TV personality Jim Dever and son:

At the Southwest Branch Library on Saturday afternoon, Friends of SBL invited patrons to come meet new branch manager Jane Appling (at right in the pink shirt):

And we wanted to mention a few words about the Communications Hubs radio test on Friday night – this is Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker outside West Seattle Thriftway (the MJ “hub”) during the drill:

Cindi Barker, also from MoCA (but no relation to Deb), sent a report on how the test went (it involved small handheld radios that have been distributed to reps in the West Seattle neighborhoods participating in the disaster-preparedness project):

All the Hubs in the WS Communcations Hub system were present and accounted for. Our next hub to come on line, Highland Park, came into the test late, but still checked in and was heard.

The GMRS repeater system worked great, everyone was able to receive all Hubs, from Fauntleroy to Alki. Signal strength was a little variable, as people were getting feedback about their transmissions and moved around to improve the signal. Under simulated conditions, each Hub requested different resources of the type that might be needed immediately following a disaster, including describing a serious, high priority situation, such as the collapse of a building. Hubs also exchanged information about what resources might have become available in their neighborhood and sought to match them up with needs in other locations.

This test placed high demands on each Hub coordinator, as they had to physically set up their Hub location and manage all the radio traffic, and everyone performed at an outstanding level. During the debrief, several people said they attracted concerned attention as they were overheard reporting a fire or gas leak according to their test script, and some used the opportunity to let their neighbors know about the Emergency Communication Hub concept and about the drill, much to the relief of the visitors. All in all, an extremely successful test!

You can find your nearest Hub on this site – they’re spots set up for people to gather to coordinate information and help if disaster strikes and other means of communication don’t work.

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West Seattle food news: The Swinery will won’t open Monday
September 20, 2009 10:33 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli, added 11:29 pm; opening-night-eve activity at Swinery tonight)
ORIGINAL 11:31 PM NOTE: Posted moments ago on Facebook by Swinery proprietor Gabriel Claycamp (backstory here):

the swinery will open tomorrow in an extremely limited capacity. Our compressors blew on 2 of our cases, so we only have the baby case…. will still have lots of goodness, stop by after 12 pm.

The new deli/meat shop (3207 California SW; map) has its full website up at swinerymeats.com. 12:40 AM MONDAY: And just an hour later, a problem. We’ll just wait till they actually open before the next update.

Scratch that. We are NOT OPENING tomorrow. why doesn’t Home Depot stay open when you need them? Tuesday. Plumbing mishap. compressors breaking in the middle of the night… clearly the universe doesn’t like the autumnal equinox for us.

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West Seattle wildlife: Seals on the shore, raccoon on the rocks
September 20, 2009 9:34 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news

Just hours after the latest message from Seal Sitters (read it here) about an increasing number of pups on West Seattle shores, and the need for everyone to help them survive, we got a raft of incredibly cute photos from Greg Wright, who photographed a couple around mid-afternoon and said that Seal Sitters were with them:

Also this afternoon along West Seattle shores, Bill Bacon photographed this masked marauder:

NOT close to the seal pups, so far as we know.

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Rescue crew at Admiral Bridge: Training, not trouble
September 20, 2009 8:20 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen around town | West Seattle news

Thanks to everybody who e-mailed us about that startling sight at the easternmost Admiral Way bridge late this afternoon – particularly Mike Russell, who not only took photos, but also went over and asked the crew what was going on. Answer: Training. Or, as Mike put it more vividly:

I heard some noises coming from outside, and looked out the window to see this. At first my heart just sank, thinking someone had jumped. But looking closer, I realized (and hoped) that the one being rescued was also wearing a uniform. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard someone ask them if they were just training, and they said yes. Phew!

(One way for a quick check, by the way, is that if you see a fire crew but you do not see the location listed on the live 911 fire/aid/medic log, 99.9% likelihood it’s NOT breaking news.)

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Traffic alert: Eastbound Bridge backup
September 20, 2009 7:47 pm
|    Comments Off on Traffic alert: Eastbound Bridge backup
 |   West Seattle news

We just passed this coming back into West Seattle from downtown: some kind of problem on The Bridge, eastbound, between Fauntleroy and Delridge, with fire/aid crews blocking all lanes; we could only see one car, in the outside eastbound lane, with rescuers peering in – the 911 log called it an “aid response.” Their part of the call has just closed but the backup was all the way to the top of the bridge when we went by so might take a bit to clear. (Thanks to Daniel for the photo taken from mid-backup around 7:30.)

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Civil rights, terrorism talk on “Bring Your Lawyer to Rotary Day”
September 20, 2009 6:13 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

Irene Stewart sends word of a special invitation regarding this Tuesday’s Rotary Club of West Seattle lunch:

Rotary Club of West Seattle announces that Sept. 22 is “Bring Your Lawyer to Rotary Day”. The club’s noon luncheon provides a rare opportunity to hear a national leader in the legal profession provide the inside story about one of the more controversial legal chapters in our nation’s history.

Luncheon speaker Harry Schneider, managing partner of Perkins Coie, an international law firm headquartered in Seattle, will discuss Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, a case involving a Yemen citizen, Salim Hamdan, who was widely known as Osama bin Laden’s driver. Hamdan was captured during the invasion of Afghanistan, turned over to the United States, sent to Guantanamo Bay, and charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism.

On a pro bono basis, Perkins Coie successfully represented Hamdan in a case against the U.S. government, all the way through the United States Supreme Court. Schneider led the legal team, and was recognized by many legal organizations for his leadership, integrity and “tone of civility and candor” throughout the lengthy and historic legal proceedings.

Lawyers and non-lawyers alike are welcome to attend the Rotary luncheon on Tues., Sept. 22 (12 noon to 1:30 p.m.) at Salty’s on Alki, 1936 Harbor Ave. SW. The cost is $20 per person. Non-members should contact West Seattle Rotary at least 24 hours in advance (e-mail wsrotary@gmail.com) to ensure sufficient seating. For more information, go to www.westseattlerotary.org.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: “On the lookout” after hit-and-run
September 20, 2009 2:20 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

From David at 36th/Henderson (map):

We heard a loud bang around 1:20 pm Sunday 9/20 and ran out just in time to see a woman with curly brown hair (on her cell phone!!) back up and take off after she rear-ended our car. She was in a 2004 or so white king cab GMC Denali. We ran after but she turned right on red on 35th Sw and we couldn’t catch her. We talked to others at “Bird On The Wire” coffee shop soon after, and at least one other person there said they also had their car parked on the street and was hit by a white pickup about a month ago. We are on the lookout.

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West Seattle Junction Car Show 2009, report #2 (afternoon)
September 20, 2009 12:40 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(scroll down for the latest photos/video; also, see our morning report here)

If you visit the WSB Forums, you’ve seen “westseattledood” – who sent the photo above that features their inspiration and sidekick, photographed with an appropriately licensed car here at the West Seattle Junction Car Show, continuing till 4 pm. As a co-sponsor of the show, we’re here all day, under a tent at the California/Alaska corner by Easy Street Records – the tents immediately east of us are where you can buy raffle tickets for a big stack of great prizes, and they’re giving away car show posters too. From WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli, a wider perspective on the show, which is lining California SW from Genesee to Edmunds:

ADDED 1:17 PM: Here’s a 1935 Auburn that rolled in a while after the show started – its owner didn’t want to talk on camera but told us he’s a 1975 West Seattle High School alum:

We’ll continue posting photos and video through the afternoon – the Oh Boy Oberto hydroplane is here, next to Super Supplements kitty-corner from our spot, and we shot video as its engine fired up – note the firefighters standing by!

And two more detail shots from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli:

Square-dancers have been promenading at the heart of Walk-All-Ways and we’ll have video of them in a bit too.

ADDED 2:25 PM: Here’s that video:

In less than an hour, awards will be announced – there are awards for best of decade, best of carmaker, and a few other special awards. If you haven’t been down here yet, don’t miss the cars on Alaska on both sides of California – all the way over by the Farmers’ Market corner, you’ll see two vintage police cars, just west of the vintage fire trucks.

2:38 PM: Before the car awards, they’re running off some rapidfire contests in the intersection – including what was supposed to be “longest beard” but turned into “best beard” – the guy at far right (four contestants are in the shot, plus the show announcer with his back to the camera) won:

More to come as the West Seattle Junction Car Show continues till 4 pm – thanks again to the great folks who’ve stopped to chat or just yelled hi as they walked by!

3:02 PM: Awards are about to be announced. We’ll tweet them live at @wsblive before adding them here.

3:39 PM: Now that the awards are over, many of the cars are leaving, so if you were thinking about a last-minute trip down here, you might not see too much. “Best West Seattle car” went to Jim Clark for his 1957 Corvette; “Best in Show” went to a 1959 Chevy convertible – we’re tracking down some names to match to the numbers. Congrats to all, including show organizers – 257 cars registered this year, up from 100 last year (which was the show’s first year). We’ll publish a separate story later with the winners.

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Seal Sitters update: More pups – please help them survive
September 20, 2009 12:24 pm
|    Comments Off on Seal Sitters update: More pups – please help them survive
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

An update from Brenda Peterson of the West Seattle-based Seal Sitters:

We had another very tiny, nursing pup on the beach Friday night until 1 a.m. She had hauled out at 2 p.m. and was about 2 ft. long, 4 weeks old, with very few teeth, so we knew she was nursing. Seal Sitters were there until the mother finally reappeared in the surf, barked to her pup. The pup suddenly upped and hopped over a log, scooted down the beach and we saw both heads swimming out together. Reunion!

We’ve got a lot of pups on the beach these days. So please remind yourreaders to leash dogs and keep their eyes out. This is pup season. There are also weaning pups who are in a critical transition time for their survival. Call 206 905-SEAL to report pups to Seal Sitters. Volunteer! Also on our website at www.sealsitters.org, there is a new daily blog – we call it the BlubberBlog — that lets the community know about seals showing up on our shores.

Here’s a direct link to the site, where you can read Brenda’s detailed story about the Friday night pup and the nervous moments along the way before that happy reunion.

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Live from West Seattle Junction Car Show 2009, report #1
September 20, 2009 9:41 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(this was our morning report; see our afternoon report here)

Not just cars at the West Seattle Junction Car Show – the Last Resort Fire Department, famous for parade appearances among other things, is here, and showing off what looks like a ladder to the sky. The fire trucks are on SW Alaska west of California, near where the West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be starting at the top of the hour. We’re right at Alaska/California, next to Easy Street, just east of the table selling raffle tickets for a multitude of great prizes:

Prizes include a Weber grill donated by Junction TrueValue and a Victoria Clipper trip donated by TILA Real Estate – and dozens of others – so bring a few dollars for raffle tickets. Between Alaska and Edmunds, we caught a couple photos for starters – including a classic school bus:

And of course, fabulous cars, like this T-Bird sedan:

The announcer across from us has been touting some upcoming contests, like the “Longest Beard” around 1 pm. And to go with the classic cars, classic music – we’ve heard lots of ’50s and ’60s but right now, it’s steel drums for an island mood to accompany the sunshine.

10:44 AM UPDATE: Talked with Stan from Woodinville, who’s evoking drive-in nostalgia:

Stan’s here with wife Pam – and they’re celebrating 35 years of marriage.

ADDED 11:02 AM: Over at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, tomato tasting is about to start – we’re told it’ll continue till the tomatoes run out! (added later, here’s a photo)

And we spotted a special musical guest a little while ago: West Seattle-residing rocker Chris Ballew, performing kids’ music as Caspar Babypants:

11:20 AM: The Oh Boy Oberto hydroplane across from us is supposed to fire up its engines around noon – we’ll do our best to get that on video, if you can’t be here. Meantime, two gentlemen who are NOT here with the hydro but used to own another one just stopped by to ask if they could look over our shoulder to check on the webcast of a big hydro race down in San Diego today – it doesn’t start till 12:30 pm but it’ll be at ulhra.org. Meantime, WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli has sent some photos including great detail shots of these beautiful cars:

More photos and video as the day goes on – and we’ll start the “afternoon report” after 12; the West Seattle Junction Car Show continues till 4 pm. (Farmers’ Market is till 2 – here’s a tomato-tasting photo via Twitter from market managers at @NFMASeattle.) Thanks to everyone who’s stopped by to say hi – we are right on the corner next to Easy Street (and a big gorgeous orange car – seen here with some of the patroling SPD officers).

Bring a sweater – mostly sunny but a bit chilly – beautiful day. Meantime, we’re wrapping up this report and will be launching the afternoon edition by 12:30 pm. (Note: See it here.)

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Reminder: Ex-West Seattle astronaut headlines WSHS breakfast
September 20, 2009 8:05 am
|    Comments Off on Reminder: Ex-West Seattle astronaut headlines WSHS breakfast
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

In our Saturday coverage of the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza time-capsule event, we included part of the speech by former West Seattleite Capt. Gregory Johnson – now an astronaut who piloted Atlantis earlier this year. Above, more of what he had to say – 9 and a half minutes worth – including, at the request of Plaza Project co-chair Libby Carr, his predictions for the future. In the very near future, you can see/hear him in person this Thursday morning at the West Seattle High School Foundation‘s second annual Back To School Breakfast – Foundation president Christy Rowe was a WSHS Class of ’72 classmate of Capt. Johnson, in fact. Others at the breakfast will include WSHS Principal Bruce Bivins, WSHS alum/King County Council Chair/County Executive candidate Dow Constantine and Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson. Coffee/breakfast at 7:30, program at 8, free/donations accepted. To RSVP, call Dick Lee at 206-252-0476

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Today: West Seattle Junction Car Show, Farmers’ Market
September 20, 2009 7:38 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

Just shot that video in The Junction while checking on setup for today’s West Seattle Junction Car Show (co-sponsored by local businesses including WSB), 8 am-4 pm along California SW between Genesee and Edmunds, which is closed (as is SW Alaska between 42nd and 44th) for the duration:


View Larger Map

Not only did more than 100 cars pre-register in the past few months, but organizer Michael Hoffman from Liberty Bell Printing tells us this morning that so many showed up for day-of signups that traffic was backing up all the way to Fauntleroy Way! In addition to seeing classic cars, there’s entertainment along the way, and a square dance scheduled in Walk-All-Ways around 1 pm, plus the Oh Boy Oberto hydroplane is parked near Cupcake Royale/Super Supplements. Admission’s free but bring a few $ for raffles with great prizes. Also in The Junction, the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is happening 10 am-2 pm as always – today’s special event, tomato-tasting (postponed from that stormy Sunday a couple weeks ago) – and here’s today’s fresh sheet. We’ll add a few more car-show-setup photos here shortly and will be reporting “live” from The Junction most of the day – see you there (and for the rest of today’s West Seattle events/activities, here’s the WS Weekend Lineup). ADDED 8:32 AM: Here are more of the cars, after they parked in place (diagonal along both sides of the show zone on California):

And here’s the aforementioned Oberto hydro:

Our next update will be in a separate report – we’re on our way back down to set up for the day at show info HQ at California/Alaska.

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