7:35 PM: Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, School of Rock musicians, the Macho Burgers food truck, and early-arrival moviegoers are already gathered in and along the SW Snoqualmie festival street west of 36th SW [map], for the first night of this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is tonight’s movie. (Added – SOR started playing and a stormtrooper dance ensued:)

This is the first full season that the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) is hosting the series, which now has more room and more opportunities for preshow fun. There’s still time for you to get here – after some preshow music, we’re gearing up for “Star Wars” trivia, hosted by co-publisher Patrick, and the movie itself is still an hour and a half or so away. It’s a little breezy here in the shade so we’d recommend bringing a sweater. And definitely bring your own chair(s) and/or blanket to sit on. The movie’s free; in addition to the food truck availability, the Y is selling concessions, and cool prizes will be raffled to raise money for local nonprofits.

8:56 PM: Movie time is getting closer. People are still arriving; still room toward the back of the sloped seating area facing the inflatable screen (which is being tested right now – not dark enough to start the movie yet). Definitely sweater/blanket weather, at least in your editor’s opinion. The “Star Wars” trivia game is in the final moments. Meantime, another scene from the Garrison Titan visit earlier – some of the visitors posing with the Y’s new leader Shalimar Gonzales:

Next week, it’s the LEGO Batman Movie. During the week, we’ll have a preview with even more details such as preshow activities, food-truck plans, etc.

That may look like an ordinary street – but Saturday evening, SW Snoqualmie just south of 36th SW [map], next to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), will transform into its secret identity as a “Festival Street” for the first West Seattle Outdoor Movies event of the season – the first full season in this new location.

The movie: “Rogue One,” which made history as the first standalone “Star Wars Story” movie outside the trilogies.

The time: You can arrive as early as 6:30 pm. From the official WSOM website:

•First 50 kids (or all those young at heart) will get light sabers.
•7-8 pm, bust out your cameras for those stormtrooper selfies (Garrison Titan will be here)
•Food truck for the night: Macho Burgers (vegetarian, gluten-free options available)

Live performances by School of Rock West Seattle.

Star Wars quiz by our own West Seattle ‘Mean Old Man’ with a Jedi Jeopardy lighting round.

Concessions and raffles too; all proceeds go to charity. This week’s raffle proceeds will benefit WestSide Baby, West Seattle Food Bank, White Center Food Bank, and West Seattle Helpline.

Sponsored by ActivSpace In West Seattle, Elliott Bay Brewing Company, LaVida Massage of West Seattle, School of Rock WS, West Seattle Christian Church, West Seattle Farmers Market, and West Seattle Blog

Brought to you by the West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA.

The movie starts at dusk – we can safely say that’ll be after 9 pm. But with all the aforementioned excitement, you won’t want to arrive at the last minute anyway. This is the first of the season’s six movies, every Saturday night through August 26th; see the lineup on the WSOM website.

Two weeks from tonight, right about now, it’ll be showtime on the big screen in the festival street outside the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), as this year’s WS Outdoor Movies series begins. Above is the trailer for this year’s first movie, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” As first published here in May, here’s this year’s full lineup, six consecutive Saturday night:

July 22 – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

July 29 – “The LEGO Batman Movie”

August 5 – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”

August 12 – “Finding Dory”

August 19 – “Queen of Katwe”

August 26 – “Beauty and the Beast” (2017)

The films start at dusk, which means the time varies, a little earlier week to week. You’re welcome to arrive earlier for concessions, mingling, bring-your-own picnics, food trucks, Y-coordinated kids’ activities, etc. Admission is free, but if you bring $, you can get in on raffles raising money for local nonprofits, too. WSB is proud to be a co-sponsor again this year; see you at the movies!

The lineup is set for this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies, six free summer Saturday movies in the “festival street” on the south side of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor). Drum roll …

July 22 – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
July 29 – “The LEGO Batman Movie”
August 5 – “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
August 12 – “Finding Dory”
August 19 – “Queen of Katwe”
August 26 – “Beauty and the Beast” (2017)

The movie series (with co-sponsors including WSB) will feature preshow kids’ games and activities coordinated by the Y. Food trucks, too, and concessions, plus nonprofit-fundraising rallies. And the last movie of summer will include the free community barbecue sponsored by West Seattle Christian Church. Movies start at dusk. See you in the street!

(August 2016 photo by Kevin Freitas)

The dates are set for this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series – six Saturday nights in July and August, starting July 22nd, free. This is the 13th year for the series and the first one with all movies to be shown in the “festival street” (SW Snoqualmie) on the south side of the newly expanded West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), which was still under construction when the series moved there for last year’s final movie (photo above) but is all done now!

WSB is WSOM’s media sponsor again this year and it’s time for the traditional request for your thoughts on which six movies to show. This year, organizers let us know they’re doing it a little differently – besides just asking for suggestions, they’re also asking for thoughts on a list of movies that have come up in their early discussions. Those movies are:

The LEGO Batman Movie
The Jungle Book
Zootopia
Beauty and the Beast
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Queen of Katwe
Kong: Skull Island
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them
La La Land
Jurassic World
Finding Dory
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

So if you have favorites among those, AND/OR other suggestions, please comment!

For reference – here are the lineups from the past five years:

*2016’s movie lineup was “Star Wars Episode VII,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “School of Rock,” “Skyfall,” “The Lego Movie,” “Princess Bride”

*2015’s movie lineup was “Zoolander,” “Singles,” “Raising Arizona,” “Big Hero 6,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show”

*2014’s movie lineup was “Gravity,” “Spice World,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “The Blues Brothers,” “The Goonies,” “Frozen”

*2013′s movie lineup was “Goldfinger,” “Devil Wears Prada,” “Muppets,” “Avengers,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “This Is Spinal Tap”

*2012′s movie lineup was “Pretty in Pink,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Lion King,” “Iron Man,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Top Gun”

Suggestions are being collected for the next two weeks, so we’ll remind you again! Thanks!

7:10 PM: As of tonight, West Seattle Outdoor Movies has officially moved to its new location – SW Snoqualmie between 36th SW and 37th SW, aka the “festival street” on the south side of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor). In case you were wondering about the setup before heading to tonight’s movie (“Princess Bride“), we stopped by a short time ago for photos. Lots of shade, and lots of room – the seating area has a gentle upslope into the parking area south of the street, so it’s almost an amphitheater feel. On the left in our top photo, that’s the concession stand operated by, and benefiting, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – everything’s $1 as usual, popcorn, candy, soda, bottled water. The movie’s at dusk – should be around 8:30 tonight – and this is the last one of this season; next year will be the first full season for WSOM in the spacious new digs.

(Added photo) Above, that’s your new host, the Y’s Josh Sutton, setting up the projection equipment with wife Susan Sutton. We also spotted Lora Swift, now movie host emeritus after 11 years of WSOM at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). We’ve been the proud media sponsor for nine seasons and hope to continue!

9:24 PM: We couldn’t stay for the movie, but Kevin Freitas is in the crowd and tweeted this photo to us:

We’ll of course let you know when next year’s dates are announced (you can also check in on our West Seattle Outdoor Movies coverage archive).

P.S. One more photo from Kevin:

The goofy classic “Princess Bride” is on the screen this Saturday night as the 2016 season of West Seattle Outdoor Movies comes to a close. But it’s not just an end – it’s a beginning, too, as the movies move to the new “festival street” (explained here), SW Snoqualmie between 36th and 37th SW, on the south side of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor). The Southwest Seattle Historical Society (which sells and benefits from WSOM concessions) recorded this invitation from the Y’s Josh Sutton:

See the map to the new location on the SWSHS’s site; the Historical Society also will benefit from this week’s raffles. The movie’s free, and you can arrive as early as 6 pm; showtime is dusk, around 8:30 pm at this point in the summer. See you at the Festival Street!

As of just before 7, a crowd was already building in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) courtyard for tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies showing of “The Lego Movie.” It may seem like just another fun Saturday night for most people there, but for the folks behind the scenes, it’s a momentous occasion:

Hotwire proprietor Lora Swift has been movie maven for 11 years … and is handing the baton (and the projector) over to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) after tonight – the new “festival street” next to the Y will become home of WSOM. With Lora in the photo above is Gareth Kenee, who’s been technical guru (projection, sound, etc.) for WSOM for the past few seasons … all on a volunteer basis. They set up long before the moviegoers start arriving, and stay to clean up long after the courtyard has cleared out.

Meantime, tonight’s big pre-show feature is the fifth annual free barbecue cooked up on the east side of the courtyard by volunteers from West Seattle Christian Church:

And if you’re coming to the movie – or already there – say hi to one of tonight’s spotlight sponsors, Carol from Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor):

She can tell you all about how Dream Dinners bridges the gap between cooking from scratch and picking up takeout … lots of solutions for your dinnertime dilemmas, with just a little advance planning. Her table’s in the back of the courtyard, next to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s fundraising concessions (cool deals for water, soda, candy, popcorn, etc.), and if you can spare a few more $ you can buy tickets for the nonprofit-benefiting raffle.

WSB has been the proud media sponsor of West Seattle Outdoor Movies for many years now and while we’re getting a little misty about moving from the cozy courtyard, the big new digs by the Y will be exciting to experience, starting next Saturday night (August 20th) with “Princess Bride.” But first – tonight’s movie at Hotwire! It should start just after sunset, around 8:30.

10:34 PM: Started closer to 8:45, and now it’s over – cleanup time. See you at the Y next week.

8:35 PM: After three weeks of wall-to-wall crowds in the courtyard at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), there’s legroom and then some with about half an hour to go until 9 pm-ish showtime at West Seattle Outdoor Movies – so if you’re making last-minute decisions, grab a chair/blanket and come see “Skyfall.”

(Trivia winners with WSB co-publisher Patrick and the legendary Rice-A-Roni)

We’ve already played preshow James Bond trivia, with three moviegoers winning gift cards donated by Hotwire, Pecos Pit (WSB sponsor), and Full Tilt Ice Cream (plus a box of Rice-A-Roni that we donated), but you can get tickets for the West Senior Senior Center-benefiting raffle, and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s still selling benefit concessions, while projector/sound system operator Gareth is playing Bond movie music.

(Longtime movie host/presenter Lora Swift from Hotwire, with future host Josh Sutton of the West Seattle Y)

This is the second-to-last WSOM screening in the Hotwire courtyard – next Saturday (August 13th) it’s “The Lego Movie,” and then for the season finale, “Princess Bride” on August 20th, the series moves to its new home in the “festival street” by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor).

11:24 PM: Movie’s over; thanks to everyone who attended!

That’s the trailer for Daniel Craig as James Bond in “Skyfall,” the movie you’ll see on the wall in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard Saturday night for this summer’s fourth West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation. Special feature before it gets dark: James Bond trivia, hosted by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand. Free to enter, and there are prizes – thanks to Pecos Pit Barbecue (WSB sponsor), Full Tilt Ice Cream, and Hotwire. (If you were there for Star Wars trivia before the season’s first movie, you might remember the game-show bonus prize. It’s back, too.) No admission charge for the movie but bringing $ for nonprofit-benefiting concessions and raffles is an awesome thing to do if you can.

P.S. While this is the third-to-last movie of the season, remember that the 2016 finale will be in the new home of WS Outdoor Movies, the “festival street” next to the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), which makes “Skyfall” the SECOND-TO-LAST movie in the Hotwire courtyard.

8:18 PM: We’re in the courtyard at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) with a wall-to-wall crowd ready to enjoy the first of 2016’s six West Seattle Outdoor Movies – at dusk, “Star Wars Episode VII.” The movie’s free but it’s also a fundraiser for local nonprofits – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society sells, and benefits from, concessions; donated prizes are up for grabs in raffles that tonight will benefit WestSide Baby (whose big Stuff The Bus diaper drive is a week from tomorrow). Pre-show trivia (put together by WSB co-publisher Patrick) is about to start. More to come!

8:30 PM: In the photo above, that’s Hotwire proprietor Lora Swift, who has produced the outdoor-movie series for more than a dozen years now – this is a momentous year because at season’s end, it moves to the “festival street” by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), where there’s more room (and tonight’s turnout is another reminder that it’s much-needed)! Lora was taking a group photo of tonight’s crowd – we’ll link to it when it’s up. (Update: Here’s the actual pic)

8:41 PM: Trivia’s under way. Starting with an easy one – “Who said ‘it’s a trap’?” and it’s been getting tougher from there.

9:06 PM: Congratulations to “T,” trivia winner! The moon is rising over the building with the WSOM screen, and now we’re just waiting for it to be dark enough to see the movie. If you didn’t make it here (or get a seat) this week, next week is “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” with live music pre-show. Sponsors will include The Beer Junction, which promises “ice cream floats with Husky Deli Ice Cream and Snoqualmie Root Beer.” By the way, you never know what treats you might get at WSOM, besides the concessions (which are a deal at $1) – tonight, for example, Coastline (the burger joint just down the block) brought over some of their world-famous cookies.

11:40 PM: Movie over, courtyard cleanup commencing. Perfect night! Thanks to everyone who came.

West Seattle Summer Fest is over, but The Junction has more summer fun ahead.

(WSB photo from 2015 West Seattle Outdoor Movies)

Next Saturday night (July 16), West Seattle Outdoor Movies begins, with “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens,” last winter’s sensation, the first new SW movie in a decade. This starts the countdown to WSOM’s season-ending move to a new venue – the first five Saturday-night movies this season are where they’ve long been, the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) on the north end of The Junction; then the season finale on August 20th will be the first movie in the new venue, the “festival street” next to the West Seattle YMCA (4515 36th SW; WSB sponsor) in The Triangle. Here again is the season lineup – each title links to its trailer:

July 16th: “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” (featuring pre-show Star Wars trivia)

July 23rd – “Monty Python and The Holy Grail” (featuring pre-show live music)

July 30th – “School of Rock” (featuring pre-show live music)

August 6th – “Skyfall” (featuring pre-show James Bond trivia)

August 13th – “The Lego Movie” (featuring a free pre-movie barbecue)

August 20th – “Princess Bride“

The big question is always “what time does the movie start?” The answer varies week to week because the start time is dusk, and that gets earlier as the weeks go by, starting in the 9 pm vicinity. But you don’t want to show up at the last minute anyway, because space in the courtyard goes fast once the gates open at 6:30 pm (this is a big reason why the series is moving at season’s end, to someplace with lots more space).

What else you need to know:

-Bring your own chairs and/or blankets
-Admission is free; bring cash for concessions and raffles raising $ for local nonprofits
-See the official poster (which we featured here) for the list of local businesses and organizations co-sponsoring WSOM (including us!)
-If you didn’t get the official robot-logo button at Summer Fest, ask for one on Saturday!

More summer fun on the way – the six-Saturday series of West Seattle Outdoor Movies starts one month from tomorrow, and the always-memorable poster is out today! In case you missed the lineup announcement two weeks ago, this is one more reminder (notice also that each week’s pre-show fun is listed, too). Remember, this year’s first five movies will be at the longtime spot in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, and then with the sixth and final 2016 movie, the series moves to the new “festival street” by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle. The movies are free and fun and start at dusk (which of course gets a bit earlier each week); bring $ if you can for drawings and concessions benefiting local nonprofits. We’re proud to be a sponsor of WSOM again this year, and you can see on the poster that dozens of great local businesses are helping make it happen too – see you at the movies!

P.S. The poster artist is Jeff Rodriguez of Horsepower Design, who’s long been known for Junction creations, including the banners that went up last year.

It’s going to be a West Seattle Outdoor Movies season to remember! As reported here recently, the mega-popular series of free Saturday night movies is moving at the end of this summer, so you’ll watch the first five movies in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (California/Genesee; WSB sponsor) courtyard as always, and then the sixth in the new Triangle Festival Street by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor), where the movies all will be shown next year. Now … this year’s lineup! Thanks for your suggestions. Drumroll … it all starts a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away:

July 16th: “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” (featuring pre-show Star Wars trivia)

July 23rd – “Monty Python and The Holy Grail”

July 30th – “School of Rock”

August 6th – “Skyfall” (featuring pre-show James Bond trivia)

August 13th – “The Lego Movie”

August 20th – “Princess Bride” (first movie in the Festival Street by the Y)

(The titles are linked to the movies’ trailers.) More soon about what to expect each night – but the basics are: It’s free, though you’re encouraged to bring money for concessions and raffles benefiting local nonprofits; the movies start at dusk, which means a different start time each week. The movies are made possible not just by presenters and volunteers’ hard work but also by the support of many local businesses who sign on as sponsors, including us at WSB. See you at the movies!

(Full house at a 2015 screening)

Earlier this week, we published the annual call for suggestions for this year’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies series.

Suggestions are still being accepted – but there’s also some news about the future of the series.

If you have been to West Seattle Outdoor Movies, you know the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), longtime presenter of the series, can get crowded, to say the least.

That’s led to calls for a larger space. And starting with the last movie this summer – there’ll be one.

Here’s how Hotwire proprietor and WSOM guru Lora Swift explains it:

As the coordinator and emcee of the West Seattle Outdoor Movies, I wanted to share a new vision for our yearly community event. Beginning in 2016, we are partnering with the YMCA to co-host the movies. Our first five movies (beginning July 16) will be shown in the Hotwire courtyard, as they have for the past 13 years. The big change is our final movie for 2016 (August 20) will be moved to the Triangle Festival Street, next to the YMCA. In 2017, and beyond, you’ll be able to watch the Outdoor movies at the Triangle Festival Street.

I’ve certainly been delighted to host the movies, it’s been a joy seeing our community together watching films, raising money for our local charities, and enjoying some entertainment. As with all popular community events, we’ve seen crowds grow as more people discover this free and fun gathering. To continue to give the community this fabulous event, we’ve decided to move to a larger space, which Josh Sutton and his staff are gladly accepting.

Join us for the first five films in the usual space, then make sure you put on the calendar “Triangle Festival Street” for that final movie on August 20th.

The “festival street” will be SW Snoqualmie between 36th and 37th. Here’s the view from Josh Sutton of the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor):

The West Seattle & Fauntleroy Y is excited to continue the great traditions of West Seattle Movies on the Wall at the new Triangle Festival Street. We’ll continue to work with other community partners like the West Seattle Junction Association, local sponsors, and other non-profits.

When the community came up with the idea of a Festival Street in the Triangle seven years ago, outdoor movies were an early programming suggestion. The Y will begin to reach out for other community partners and volunteers to help guide programming and use of the Triangle Festival Street. We’ll use this first summer to try out 4-5 different program activities on the Festival Street, including hosting the last movie of Summer 2016 series. Our hope is to have a full slate of 10-15 events and activities in 2017.

So again, this is just early warning: The first 5 West Seattle Outdoor Movies in the Hotwire courtyard, then off to the new “Festival Street” space on 36th SW outside the Y. The movie slate will be announced soon, but first it’s last call for suggestions – either below, or in the comment section on our Monday story.

P.S. Here’s an invitation for local nonprofits to be part of the fundraising at each West Seattle Outdoor Movies night – this summer, the tradition of a raffle to help a WS nonprofit will continue; if yours is interested, e-mail lora@hotwirecoffee.com – thanks!

So much summer fun is approaching – including West Seattle Outdoor Movies, a free six-Saturday-night series in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) at California/Genesee, with sponsors including WSB. Opening night of this year’s series is exactly two months away – July 16th – which means it’s time for a WSOM tradition, your suggestion(s)! Here’s what not to suggest, since they’ve been shown in recent years:

2015’s movie lineup was “Zoolander,” “Singles,” “Raising Arizona,” “Big Hero 6,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Rocky Horror Picture Show”

2014’s movie lineup was “Gravity,” “Spice World,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “The Blues Brothers,” “The Goonies,” “Frozen”

*2013′s movie lineup was “Goldfinger,” “Devil Wears Prada,” “Muppets,” “Avengers,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure,” “This Is Spinal Tap”

*2012′s movie lineup was “Pretty in Pink,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Lion King,” “Iron Man,” “Yellow Submarine,” “Top Gun”

The goals otherwise, besides avoiding recent reruns, are “relatively family-friendly” (obviously, as you can see from the lists above, it’s not all G-rated!) and “entertaining.” So if you have a movie to suggest, please post a comment – thank you, and set your calendar reminders for July 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13, 20!

That was part of the courtyard-filling crowd at this year’s last West Seattle Outdoor Movies event this past Saturday night, featuring the classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” replete with costumes, talkbacks, tossed birdseed (standing in for rice), and more. Here’s our preshow Instagram, featuring the gartered guest host:

Now that the six-show series is a wrap for 2015, movie-team leader Lora Swift from Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) has shared the scoop on how fundraising efforts went each year. While the movies are free to watch, if you bring a bit of cash, you can help local nonprofits by buying concessions and/or raffle tickets, with different organizations benefiting each week. The tally:

We raised a total of $1,990 through raffle and concession sales for many of our neighborhood non-profits including: WestSide Baby, White Center and West Seattle Food Banks, West Seattle Helpline, Furry Faces Foundation, Log House Museum/ Southwest Seattle Historical Society [concessions], Rainier Roller Girls, and the Northwest Center.

The West Seattle businesses and organizations that signed on as sponsors (see the list on the right sidebar of the official WS Outdoor Movies website) also get a hearty round of thanks. (WSB was proud to be on the sponsor team again this year, too.) So now the projector and the popcorn machine and the rest of the setup goes into storage until next year – watch for the traditional call for suggestions, sponsors, and charities in spring 2016, and thanks again to everyone who spent one or more of their Saturday nights in the courtyard – from the preshow entertainment to the applause as the credits roll, the audience is a big part of the fun.

WSB’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies coverage is archived here, newest to oldest.

8:41 PM: The courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) is full, with minutes to go until it’s dark enough for the second-to-last West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of the year – “Guardians of the Galaxy.” Since early arrival is a must to snag a seat, there’s usually pre-movie entertainment, and tonight featured comedians including Scott Losse, whose Chihuahua shared the stage with him the whole time:

We also caught up pre-movie with reps from two of tonight’s sponsors, including the West Seattle Helpline and HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor):

Helpline benefits from tonight’s raffle (there’s a different nonprofit beneficiary each week, with tickets sold before the movie, one of two ways that nonprofits raise money on movie night – moviegoers also have the chance to buy concessions from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society). If you didn’t make it tonight – next Saturday is your last chance this year: “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” Gates open at 6:30 pm, and the movie’s at dusk – tonight, that’s looking to be around 8:45 pm, so it’ll be a little earlier next week.

11:02 PM: Movie’s over – cleanup’s under way. See you next Saturday!

It’s Wednesday and the weekend is in view – so we’re reminding you what’s up next for this season of West Seattle Outdoor Movies on Saturday night (August 8th). After three weeks of classics, the free movie you’ll see on the wall by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) this Saturday night is from last year – “Big Hero 6” (trailer above). Another big feature of this week’s event: The annual free barbecue presented by West Seattle Christian Church, longtime co-sponsor of the series (as is WSB). So come early – another crowd filled the courtyard at 4410 California SW last Saturday night:

Gates open at 6:30 pm – bring a chair, blanket, and if you’re so inclined, a few dollars for nonprofit-benefiting concessions and raffles. The movie’s at dusk, which could be before 9 pm this time around, especially if it’s cloudy. This is the fourth of this year’s six movies (“Guardians of the Galaxy” on August 15th and “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on August 22nd) – so if you’ve been meaning to go, don’t wait much longer. See you there!

Next Saturday (August 1st) at West Seattle Outdoor Movies, it’s the Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter 1987 comedy “Raising Arizona“:

But before we spend too much time looking ahead – here’s the story of this weekend’s movie night, the slightly shower-splashed showing of the 1992 Seattle-set, grunge-rock-laden romantic comedy “Singles.”

First, there was the surprise guest in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard – a car. The courtyard is not a public parking lot, but somehow, a car was parked right under the movie screen as the gates opened in early evening, and no one came to claim it. So it became a part of the evening, including gathering the audience for a group “selfie” with it:

The pre-show entertainment, playing to stage left of The Car, was the movie-tune band Stay Tuned – we caught part of their version of “Gangsta’s Paradise” (from 1995’s “Dangerous Minds“) on phone video:

(Before they finished, people in the back row were waving lighters.) By then, by the way, as befitting the screening of a Seattle movie, one shower had passed through. And while some drizzle followed later, a determined core crowd remained, buying $135 worth of raffle tickets to benefit the night’s spotlight nonprofit, Northwest Center:

The movie itself was memorable for the rueful laughter when those of us who hadn’t seen it since the ’90s realized that one Seattle issue hadn’t changed: The male protagonist, played by Campbell Scott, was an engineer working on a plan to solve Seattle traffic – in hopes of getting hundreds of thousands of people out of their “single-occupancy vehicles,” he came up with something called the Supertrain. Politicians, represented by Tom Skerritt as the mayor of Seattle, told him no. Meantime, a running gag in the movie involved the status conferred by an apartment accessorized by its own offstreet parking space – rendering the presence of The Car (which was claimed by the time we returned to Hotwire for a coffee beverage late this morning) all the more apropos. And here we are still talking about parking, traffic, and transit almost a quarter-century later.

Also seen in the movie: West Seattle rock stars plus the crash scene filmed at California/Charlestown (though most of the rest of the movie featured scenery from Capitol Hill, Queen Anne, and downtown). If you’ve never seen “Singles,” find it online (and if you’re interested, read director Cameron Crowe‘s diary of making it, here). Meantime, next Saturday is the third of six Saturday night West Seattle Outdoor Movies this summer – see the full schedule here.

Saturday night, we’re co-sponsoring the West Seattle Outdoor Movies screening of “Singles,” the 1992 movie set and filmed in then-grungy Seattle. (At least one West Seattle scene, a commenter pointed out after our last preview.) WSOM events feature raffles to benefit a featured nonprofit, with sponsors rounding up raffle prizes; at right, we’ve decorated a “bucket of grunge” stuffed with mega-local items … thanks to donors including Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor and movie host), Zippy’s Giant Burgers, West Seattle Bowl, Full Tilt Ice Cream, and the West Seattle Junction Association. This week’s beneficiary is Northwest Center, headquartered just east of West Seattle. Gates open at the Hotwire courtyard (4410 California SW) at 6:30 pm – bring your own chair/blanket; movie’s at dusk (9-ish), with preshow entertainment. Concessions are a nonprofit benefit too – presented by and benefiting the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. See you there!

The Seattle grunge-rock love (sort of) story “Singles,” from 1992, is up next at West Seattle Outdoor Movies, Saturday night (July 25th) on the wall in the courtyard at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction. That’s where a sizable crowd watched “Zoolander” open this year’s WSOM series last night – many were staked out more than an hour in advance:

Each movie night’s sponsors bring something unique – last night’s slate included Quadrato with pizza and The Beer Junction with root-beer floats:

Longtime WSB sponsor Westside Dermatology was a sponsor last night too. Rainier Roller Girls were both the pre-show entertainment and the raffle beneficiary (bring a few bucks for raffle tickets if you can – the movie itself is free):

And every week, concessions will be sold by (and benefiting) the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which brings along its “guess how many Lincoln Logs” jar:

Next week, we’re co-sponsoring “Singles” with Elliott Bay Brewing; live music is the preshow entertainment, courtesy of “Stay Tuned, The Band“; raffle beneficiary is Northwest Center. The movie’s at dusk; gates open at 6:30. Preview the rest of the season’s slate (with sponsors and entertainment) here.