West Seattle, Washington
25 Friday
After a couple weeks of stagnation, gas prices are dropping a bit, so we’ve taken our West Seattle-wide Gas Price Watch survey for the first time in 3 weeks. You can see the regular and premium prices at each station by clicking locations on the map above (we’ve added the newly reopened Roxbury station, so there are 21 West Seattle stations in all) — or read on for the text list, lowest price to highest, including comparisons going as far back as 12 weeks:Read More
Lots of gardening-related news today already (Community Harvest update here; West Seattle Garden Tour report here), but here’s one we wish we didn’t have to report. Maybe it’s a simple case of misunderstanding, rather than outright deliberate theft, but whatever it is, Lincoln Park P-Patch coordinator Michelle wants it to stop – here’s what she e-mailed us:
I was wondering if you would post a note on your blog about the rise in the number of theft incidents from the Lincoln Park P-Patch over the past couple of months. We have had entire vegetable plants stolen from the beds as well as produce prematurely harvested.
With the rising cost of food and fuel, we recognize that everyone is feeling the pinch at the stores lately. That, and the concern over the safety of mass produced food, is why many of us find growing our own vegetables and herbs to be our best option. Quite a bit of sweat and effort goes into growing the gardens, so to have someone come along and pluck until their heart’s content is very discouraging. We want to let the community know that they are more than welcome to wander and admire the variety of flowers and vegetables there, but the produce and plants are not up for grabs. If anyone is interested in gardening a plot of their own, they can find more information at: www.ci.seattle.wa.us/neighborhoods/ppatch/gardening.htm.
We’ve also reported here in recent months about various group gardening efforts that are using volunteer help and sharing the harvest with those who helped do the work (like Longfellow Creek Garden in the Delridge area), so watch for more word of chances to get involved with gardens like those. TUESDAY MORNING P.S.: After this WSB item appeared Sunday night, two citywide media outlets contacted us Monday asking about the story; here’s the KOMO version.
From the other side of the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run – and a few miles’ drive beyond that – came the winners of both the Float and Overall categories in Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade, the Port Orchard Fathoms O’ Fun float (check out the royalty’s dance moves). Our parade coverage continues (previous installments are archived here) with the full list of winners, and more photos, just ahead:Read More
That’s what we overheard as we walked up to this West Seattle Garden Tour stop:
The “Southern St. Communal Garden” stop on the tour (aka “Color Crazy”) involved a group of homes a block west of California (intersection map here) on the hillside over southern Lincoln Park. This mini-subdivision made news last year when the mysterious “West Seattle Art Attack”-er was on the prowl — third photo in this post shows the tile-decorated mail drop out front. The theme resurfaces on one of the garden paths:
We also photographed a pair of young ladies taking advantage of the traffic for an on-the-spot fundraiser: Alex and Alissa were selling lemonade to raise money for Alex’s Explorer West Middle School trip to Rome:
Nine gardens in all (all outlined on the WSGT website) were on this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour, with a portion of the proceeds going to nonprofits including ArtsWest and the Seattle Chinese Garden (which also had tables at the stop we visited); admission also included an hourlong lecture at The Kenney by PlantAmnesty founder Cass Turnbull. The WSGT runs on a whole lot of volunteer power, even as a self-guided tour, so if you couldn’t help out this year, think about pitching in next year – contact info is on the WSGT website.
That’s part of the haul from this year’s first fruit-tree harvest by Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. If you have a fruit tree whose yield could go to help make sure everyone in our community has good healthy food, yours could be next – harvesting help is needed too. Here’s the latest update from Aviva of Community Harvest (who also sent the photos – thanks!):
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, the group that harvests surplus fruit from residential trees, had its first harvest on Friday. Six volunteers met for a few hours in the backyard of a house near Westwood Village. The result: 113 pounds of beautiful ripe cherries to be distributed at the White Center Food Bank on Monday. If you are interested in joining this effort or know of a tree to donate, have a look at their website: www.gleanit.org.
Community Harvest has also published the map for the 1st Annual Edible Garden Tour of West Seattle. It is a very diverse group of gardens, including a condo food jungle, a parking strip farm, permaculture gardens, community gardens, as well as more traditional backyard vegetable patches. Read more and get the addresses on www.gleanit.org/tour.html. Come get inspired August 2, 10 am-2 pm.
Thanks to Meredith K. Hailey for sharing her West Seattle Grand Parade photos, including that great close-up of one of the dogs that accompanied the Luna Park Cafe contingent (who won second place in the Commercial category) toward the end of the parade. No cats in the parade, but the next best thing — video of Furry Faces Foundation promoting its fall “Catsino” fundraiser:
A few more pet sightings from the parade – including the inanimate kind – just ahead:Read More
That’s part of the crowd that had staked out spots in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) while it was still light enough for us to get a decent photo – by the time the movie (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” preceded by a NFFTY short) started around 9:25 pm, we estimate, somewhere between 150 and 200 people were on hand (and still room for more – down front, as Sidewalk Cinema‘s Philip Borgnes pointed out in his pre-show remarks, although we’d advise arriving no later than 8:30 pm). Aside from a brief technical speed bump that resulted in the opening credits running twice, plenty of fun — the fundraiser raffle ($1/ticket, 3 for $2) offered movie-appropriate prizes (shrubbery, Knights Who Say “Ni” cupcakes) among other loot (Hotwire prepaid $20 coffee card); the concessions courtesy of West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor), with proceeds benefiting West Seattle Food Bank (same as the raffle) are nicely priced (popcorn, candy, beverages including $1 water or soda); the pre-movie short was a touching little feature produced by students at Ballard High School. Beautiful clear night but it cooled off fast, so a blanket and/or jacket is usually a good idea. Next Saturday night, the movie is “The Goonies” (trailer); the full series list is on this page, along with each movie’s sponsors (we’re a co-sponsor for the entire series and also presenting “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” an old fave, two weeks from tonight).
One month after a sighting of a fuel-tanker truck at that long-closed gas station on Roxbury a few blocks east of 35th, multiple reader reports say it’s now open – thanks to Tom for the photo. You’ll note its branding is still under wraps; the station’s official name is simply Roxbury Gasoline, according to the liquor-license filing we saw a day after the truck sighting.
Thanks to David Hutchinson for sending photos of the classic car show on Alki today. More pix ahead plus details on a new annual car show coming to West Seattle in a few months:Read More
From sword-scraping to cannon-lighting (and firing), that clip captures the essence of a Seafair Pirates parade appearance – the West Seattle Grand Parade is part of a busy summer slate of parade appearances for these swashbucklers. Here’s a snapshot of that cannon-lighting moment (look close and you’ll even see the blue lighter):
After the jump, video of another multi-parade attraction, the Seattle Schools All-City Band — led by Denny Middle School music director Marcus Pimpleton — and a few other biggies, including a visiting group you DON’T see in most other local parades, the Vancouver (B.C.) Police motorcycle drill team:Read More
So before the parade gets to you – whether you’ve set up a creative seating area like those folks we snapped as we walked down the parade route, or whether you’re just standing at curbside – there’s months of behind-the-scenes work, and hours of same-day setup. Participating in the West Seattle Grand Parade for the first time, we got a closer look at some of that setup – and what it’s like to be in the staging area before the fun begins.
That was the pre-parade view westward down Lander, where we were staged on the south side of Lafayette Elementary School with other “community” entries. Same street, other side of California, is where some major marching entries queued up:
The flag-twirlers are from the Calgary Roundup Band, which won first place in the Bands category (and would have won “came from farthest away” if that category existed!). More preparade scenes ahead:Read More
Michale Farrar sent that photo along with one of two WSB reader reports we have received today about this unusual coloration along the northern Lincoln Park shoreline. (Thanks also to Amy for e-mailing about it.) The state Health Department‘s biotoxin page doesn’t include any new “red tide” alerts, nor does its hotline; we’ll let you know if we find out anything from anyone else. UPDATE: In comments, JanS notes a tv story last night about the same thing at Seahurst Park in Burien, and says that report described it as a nontoxic algae bloom.
While we’re covering (and participating in) the West Seattle Grand Parade, we’ll be able to update Twitter via mobile phone (as we did while watching the 4th of July fireworks from Alki), so updates, parade-related and otherwise, will appear here:
(LIVE COVERAGE OVER NOW, SO THE TWITTER WINDOW IS GONE)
The space above this line shows our four most recent updates. Doesn’t look like there’s a way to go to the archives from there but the Twitter “what am I doing” box halfway down the right sidebar does access archives via the lower-right arrow (if necessary).
In addition to the road closures/restrictions on and around California SW because of the West Seattle Grand Parade (detailed here) — and a parking crunch expected around Hiawatha all weekend because of the Mediterranean Festival — the city also has announced three road-work projects for today: Holden is closed most of the day between 11th and Highland Park Way (as noted here) for pavement work; the city expects to reopen Holden to eastbound traffic by 5 tonight, to westbound by noon tomorrow. Two smaller projects: Another SDOT crew is repairing pavement on Delridge in two spots, and flaggers will be used at each: First, they’ll work on Delridge between Alaska and Edmunds; when done there, they’ll move on ot a spot between Hudson and Puget Blvd. Finally, the third spot: Expect eastbound lane restrictions on Roxbury between 15th and 16th, 9 am-3 pm (approximately) as SDOT does sidewalk repair at the southeast corners of those intersections. The sidewalk on the east side of Roxbury will be closed at those spots during the work; westbound traffic and the west-side sidewalk won’t be affected.
Though the West Seattle Grand Parade (and the Kiddies’ Parade preceding it) follows a straight line down California (see the map in this post from last night), other streets are affected, as you may have discovered if you came home to signs tonight (if not sooner). We asked one of the lead parade organizers, Jim Edwards – who along with others put in ENDLESS volunteer hours to make this happen – for a general outline of what you need to know tomorrow, from early morning through mid-afternoon – note this is an anecdotal sort of description but hopefully helpful:
Edmunds is open across California, I believe, but Southbound California is still closed to Dawson St East approach.
Northbound California (from south of The Junction) is open to Edmunds, but limited to the curb lane.
Oregon and Alaska will have emergency vehicle access. a soft enforcement of the crosswalks essentially.
44th Ave will be cleared to allow a north south detour between the Junction and Stevens, then it is diverted down to 45th through to Admiral Way
Assembly will close:
44th from Stevens to Lander
Lander from 45th to 41st
42nd from Admiral to Lander will be local access only (Safeway)
41st will be cleared to permit a Metro bypass between Admiral and Kander
Stevens from 44th to California will be local access only (PCC/McDonald’s)
The three blocks between Admiral and Hanford on California are closed first thing in the morning.
If you try to drive through you put in danger the many volunteers who bring this parade to you each year.
and dozens, ….. DOZENS of cars do this every year.
If you must get to Safeway to do your morning shopping…. Follow the detours down to Admiral Way starting at Hanford, (44th and 45th) then up Admiral to 42nd to get to Safeway.
It is well posted. but every year people drive by all these signs, claiming they have to get to Safeway.
We designed this assembly area to keep Admiral Way open throughout the parade, and to keep access to the major businesses open throughout the parade.
Jim also believes Metro will start diverting around 7 am, based on what they’ve done in years gone by. More parade countdown coverage a bit later tonight – including some photos from the past – fun to see what the businesses looked like, as well as parade spectators/participants. And note that everything will be open again by tomorrow night, when Saturday night Movies on the Wall begin in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) – bring a nonperishable food donation for West Seattle Food Bank – come enjoy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” starting around dusk (stake out your spot sooner); concessions are offered by West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor), with proceeds also benefiting WSFB.
At Hiawatha this afternoon, proud parents and other onlookers cheered as Hi-Yu junior royalty past and present coronated the 2008-2009 court: Left to right, the girls NOT wearing Hi-Yu red and white (yet!) are new junior princesses Elyse Mitchell and Anna Fuller, and new junior queen Zoe Mahn. Here’s video of her running up after the big announcement, and then receiving her crown from 2007-2008 Hi-Yu Junior Queen Danica Tongol:
Congratulations to all. The “senior” court coronation is 7 pm Monday at Grace Church; before then, of course, you’ll see Hi-Yu royalty (and the Luna Park float!) in tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade (route and other info here), and everyone’s invited to the Hi-Yu Community Brunch, 9 am-noon Sunday, at American Legion Post 160 in The Junction.
Washington State Ferries says Klahowya will start using a five-percent-biodiesel fuel tomorrow; the largest-capacity ferry on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run, Issaquah, is already using that mix. WSF says the biodiesel comes from tallow (beef fat), not vegetable oil. Side note: You can find out where Issaquah, Klahowya, and other WSF boats are, at any given time, by using the ferry system’s online Vessel Watch feature.
That’s Irene Stewart, West Seattle’s former Seattle School Board rep, and Fauntleroy Community Association president Bruce Butterfield. They got engaged recently on the Elliott Bay Water Taxi. We heard the story at the last FCA meeting but thought it was off the record … till the photo above, and a King County news release about it, just landed in the WSB inbox!
On a boat normally frequented by commuters and Mariners fans, West Seattle residents Irene Stewart and Bruce Butterfield found an entirely different use for the Elliott Bay Water Taxi: They got engaged.
On June 25, Stewart and Butterfield were celebrating their tenth anniversary of dating. Ten years earlier, they had taken the Water Taxi downtown for their first date, and they decided this year to do the same in celebration.
“We took the Water Taxi to make it easy on ourselves – nothing fancy, just a fun ride to a restaurant downtown,” said Stewart, who as an aide to then King County Councilmember Greg Nickels was instrumental in getting the service started.
Stewart said everything seemed normal until the vessel approached Pier 55 on the downtown waterfront. All of a sudden, the captain veered to the left and turned the boat around so it faced West Seattle. Everyone onboard was quite confused.
Almost everyone, that is.
For Butterfield, this was all part of the plan. Earlier in the day, he made several trips to Seacrest Park to speak with the captain and crew, and enlist their support.
With the city skyline in the background (hence the turning of the ship) and two crewmembers filming, a packed deck watched with surprise as Butterfield knelt down on one knee and asked Stewart to marry him.
Everyone cheered. But Butterfield shushed them. “She hasn’t said ‘yes’ yet,” he said, but Stewart quickly agreed. There was more cheering downtown as the Water Taxi docked and the newly engaged couple continued on their journey – in more ways than one.
Stewart is currently director of the Seattle Mayor’s Office for Senior Citizens, and was a member of the Seattle School Board from 2003 to 2007. Butterfield is a Realtor with Prudential Northwest Realty at Jefferson Square and president of the Fauntleroy Community Association. No date has been set, but the two anticipate a summer 2009 wedding.
Congratulations to Irene and Bruce! P.S. Speaking of the Water Taxi, WSB has just become a proud sponsor of West Seattle’s own foot ferry … we took a picture of our new banner yesterday while heading downtown:Read More
The Weekly’s food blog Voracious says Mural, the Harbor Properties project in the ex-Petco parking lot, will include a restaurant called Fresh, involving folks from Herban Feast, which recently moved HQ from West Seattle to Sodo.
FIRST: The 911 log showed an “automatic fire alarm” call at West Seattle High School listed as open for several hours early this morning, which is unusual, so we called Seattle Fire Department to check. Public-information officer Sue Stangl says someone “threw a small chunk of concrete through a window” and followed it up by throwing a lit string of 100 or so firecrackers through the broken window — the smoke set off the fire alarm. The only notable damage was to the window, but the call stayed “open” on the log because of the ongoing investigation.
SECOND: A reader report about suspected “casing” and a subsequent burglary attempt that neighbors think might be linked:
Belvidere neighborhood last night near Olga and Belvidere . On Wednesday, police were called when two African-Americans, one heavyset boy, one girl, both around 16-18 yrs old, all dressed in white, were going door to door without ID. Last night there was an attempted break-in in the same area at a home where the owners had placed their garbage out early due to being out of town. Police again were notified but were directed to the wrong address. Suspect could only be identified as 6’1-6’2 and African-American with normal-fitting dark hoodie. White Cadillac with dark tinted windows seen in the neighborhood around the same time as both events.
The intersection of Bronson and Harbor doesn’t show up on online maps – or else we’d have one above this sentence. But it’s a real place – on the water side, a city-owned “street end” – and the Seattle Department of Transportation is finally ready to turn it into a park. SDOT “shoreline street ends” program manager Patti Quirk, who’s a West Seattleite, came to last night’s Alki Community Council meeting to talk about the plan – something community leaders have long pushed for, but couldn’t quite get approved, till now. Read on to find out more, plus other toplines from the ACC meeting:Read More
As first reported here last week, the Jefferson Square Starbucks (the standalone store at the NW corner, not the “licensee” stand in the Safeway) is on the list of 600 company-owned stores that will close. Starbucks just released the full official list today. It’s the only West Seattle Starbucks on the list, which includes six other stores in Seattle: 328 15th Ave E, 620 Denny Way, 1220 Howell St., 2201 E. Madison Ave., 1218 N. 45th St., and the “Northgate Mall II” store. No timetable is mentioned (we’ll check with corporate PR tomorrow).
Thanks to David Hutchinson for those photos and word that the Tribal Journeys canoes have landed at Alki (which explains the Lincoln Park sighting earlier) – the canoes at Alki (on the sand east of the Bathhouse) are Muckleshoot canoes, according to the Tribal Journeys website. We visited during their stop last year (WSB coverage here) – quite something to see if you can get down to the beach tonight (reading the online schedule, looks like they may be here through tomorrow night too, with security watching the canoes while their occupants are bused to accommodations elsewhere). Canoes are traveling four routes as part of this event, all bound for a celebration in British Columbia.
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