West Seattle, Washington
08 Tuesday
(top photo added 1:07 pm)
If you see this before 2 pm, it’s not too late to go join in the High Point celebration of the Neighborhood Center groundbreaking. We took that photo a short time ago, as a buffet of multicultural cuisine opened up following an hourlong ceremony involving a variety of local leaders, from High Point Neighborhood Association president Andrew Mead to Congressman Jim McDermott. We have video that we’ll post in a separate report later, but back at the scene at High Point’s Commons Park, food and entertainment continue for another hour or so. Meantime, some of what else is happening today (the rest was originally posted this morning):
That’s some of what you’ll find on sale/display at the Arts/Crafts Fair under way till 3 pm today at C and P Coffee Company. Meantime, 3 pm is when the finals begin at the daylong EVP Pro Volleyball Tour event happening right now on Alki – we stopped by the beach earlier this morning to survey the scene:
WSB is the “media sponsor” for today’s event (ergo the signs you see in that shot) — only the second year this popular pro tour has stopped at Alki, and as we mentioned last night, the players include local stars. Comcast will televise the finals, and you’re invited to be in the official TV section of the audience — women’s finals start around 3, men’s finals at 4:30.
Cool crimefighting gizmos are just part of the draw at the annual Picnic at the Precinct, 1-4 pm tomorrow at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster; here’s a map). Tomorrow alone is jampacked – before you picnic with the police, you can help celebrate the High Point Neighborhood Center groundbreaking, at which we’re told you will be invited to share your hopes/dreams for the project’s success:
Event starts at 11 am – Massive Monkees hip-hop dance performance at 1:15! And then when the sun sets and tomorrow starts to cool a bit, you can stay out of your probably-not-air-conditioned house and enjoy a comedy classic:
“Ghostbusters” is tomorrow night’s feature at West Seattle Movies on the Wall. And tonight in The Junction, you can enjoy ArtsWest air conditioning with “Pippin”:
(photo by Nichole DeMent)
So what ELSE is going on from tonight through Sunday night, you ask? Well, for one, a pro volleyball tour appearance co-sponsored by WSB! That’s among the 51 events and attractions, listed ahead:Read More
That’s video of the West Seattle Big Band playing in last month’s Hi-Yu Concert in the Park – and tonight, they’re outdoors again, for the same admission price (FREE!), as Providence Mount St. Vincent‘s (WSB sponsor) outdoor concert series continues. Jim Edwards with WSBB tells us that Elizabeth Hott from the Kings of Swing will be the guest singer with them at The Mount tonight. As we showed you last week (here) and the week before (here), these concerts are drawing fun all-ages crowds; dinner and beer/wine are offered for sale starting at 5 pm, music starts at 6. Lots of other fun tonight too, with more music — including Alma Villegas at Cafe Rozella — and then just wait till we start talking about Saturday, with Picnic at the Precinct, “Ghostbusters” at Movies on the Wall … anyway, all that will be in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, here before noon.
Can’t you just imagine sometimes, that’s the REAL life of some of the more cantankerous seagulls? This imagining is from Brandon M. Baker’s exhibition at Ginomai, one of our stops during tonight’s West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk. We also dropped by Twilight in The Junction, where we found this blender by Todd Karam:
Many of the works shown on tonight’s 30-plus stops will be up throughout the month, so keep an eye out when you’re visiting these local businesses (here’s the map of participants – they’re in Admiral, Delridge, and elsewhere along with The Junction); next art walk will be September 11th. P.S. Lots of folks out in The Junction tonight, including what looked like a big crowd en route to the second night of Pippin @ ArtsWest.
TONIGHT: 34th District Democrats‘ monthly meeting, with guests including City Council President Richard Conlin and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson, plus a jail-sites-fight update from Highland Park Action Council, 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy.
TONIGHT: “Project Runway” week 5 and Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) barista Blayne is still in the running, so that means another viewing party at Ginomai (42nd and Genesee). Doors open 8 pm, show at 9 pm.
TOMORROW: West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk, 6-9 pm. More than 30 venues – and not all in The Junction! – get the map and find out about some of the artists, at the official Art Walk blog (here’s a direct link to the map).
We’ll spotlight some of the Friday and Saturday events later today – Saturday in particular has some mega-events, such as Picnic at the Precinct and the High Point Neighborhood Center groundbreaking – in the meantime, you can check the WSB Events calendar list for dozens of happenings in the days/weeks/months ahead.
Sad irony that the showing of a movie set almost entirely underwater has to be postponed BECAUSE of water … but … well … wouldn’t be too pleasant with soggy equipment, moviegoers, and concessions. So we’ve just confirmed that tonight’s showing of “Finding Nemo” is CANCELED. Philip Borgnes of Sidewalk Cinema tells us “Nemo” is being rescheduled to Thursday, August 21st; meantime, “Ghostbusters” is scheduled next Saturday (8/16) and “Galaxy Quest” the Saturday after that (8/23).
Thanks to Karen Berge for sending pix again this week from the outdoor concert series at Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) — Friday night’s featured performer was Maia Santell, and we caught a video snippet of Maia and her backup band:
Two more outdoor concerts during the monthlong Friday night series — next Friday, it’s the West Seattle Big Band (get a video preview in our Hi-Yu Concert in the Park coverage from last month). The fun all happens in the courtyard/parking area on the south-central side of The Mount, with dinner and beer/wine going on sale at 5 pm, the free tunes starting at 6.
**SATURDAY NIGHT NOTE: THE “FINDING NEMO” SHOWING HAS JUST BEEN RAINED OUT**
In the unlikely event you’ve never seen “Finding Nemo,” there’s the trailer; it’s the next West Seattle Movies on the Wall presentation, and one of the co-sponsors, Dream Dinners (also a WSB sponsor), will be offering pulled-pork barbecue sliders … free! (Be sure to bring a West Seattle Food Bank donation, money for fundraising concessions and raffle, too.) Meantime, tonight’s highlights include the next outdoor concert at The Mount (WSB sponsor) and the 34th District Democrats‘ annual Garden Party fundraiser, then tomorrow (besides the aforementioned movie) two tribute bands team up at the Poggie in honor of the 13th anniversary of Jerry Garcia‘s passing, Sunday’s got the Highland Park Improvement Club rummage sale and the season’s first Seal Sitters training … more than three dozen events ahead:Read More
That’s some of the cast of “Crazy for You,” which West Seattle-based Twelfth Night Productions is opening tonight at West Seattle High School‘s theater. With hours to go till the curtain rises, we get word from Twelfth Night that it’s donating part of the ticket-sales proceeds to the White Center Food Bank (which also serves a big chunk of southern West Seattle). Twelfth Night says it’s an annual tradition to choose a local nonprofit to receive part of the proceeds from its summer production; over the past decade-plus, that tradition has racked up almost $20,000 for groups from DNDA to ArtsWest to Habitat for Humanity. “Crazy for You” plays Thursdays-Sundays for the next two weeks, 7:30 pm each of those nights plus 3 pm 8/10 and 8/17. You can buy tickets online up till 4 hours before showtime (here’s the link), or at the WSHS box office before the performance.
Just got this in the Youngstown Arts Center e-mail newsletter:
As the weather finally starts to cooperate, we have many exciting events on the horizon for August. Please mark your calendars for Thursday, August 21st, at 6 PM, as we join forces with Rock School, Arts Corps, the Service Board, and Blank Canvass to host a fundraiser to support our afterschool classes here at Youngstown. We’ll have some special guests (members of Pearl Jam, Presidents of the United States, Guns and Roses, and the Dusty 45’s), as well as youth and teaching artist performances. There will also be an auction of collaborative artwork created that day, including work by Modest Mouse, and our very own staff and tenant organizations. All of the proceeds will cover the cost of space and teaching artists so that we can continue to offer our afterschool classes for free.
If you have somehow managed to not have visited Youngstown – it’s the renovated ex-school on Delridge across from the playfield/community center, and an AMAZING amount of activities happen there.
Tonight, as previously mentioned, Night Out is the biggie, and we’ll be covering it all over West Seattle. From the WSB Events calendar, others to single out:
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Some local neighborhood councils/associations go on hiatus in August, but not the North Delridge Neighborhood Council, which meets at 6:30 pm, Delridge Library. In The Junction, it’s the next “Project Runway” viewing party to cheer barista Blayne (Ginomai, 42nd/Genesee, doors open 8 pm, show at 9 pm).
THURSDAY NIGHT: Another outdoor concert on Alki – this time, Blue 55 plays by the Bathhouse; at SSCC’s Brockey Center, a Town Hall meeting about a substance-abuse problem that too often goes unnoticed till it’s too late, medicine abuse, 5 pm.
FRIDAY: Volunteers of all ages are invited to join in the next Delridge-area grocery audit as part of the King County Food and Fitness Initiative, then enjoy a barbecue party – full scoop here; the Rotary Club of West Seattle fundraising berry sale starts blueberry pickups (today’s the order deadline, by the way); then it’s the summer’ second outdoor concert at Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor), featuring Maia Santell; and fun will be sprouting more raucously than usual at West Seattle Nursery that night during the 34th District Democrats‘ biggest fundraiser of the year, the Garden Party (full details here, including catered Cajun dinner).
SATURDAY: The “Water and Spirit” fundraising bike ride will take participants from St. John the Baptist and other area churches on a 40-mile trek ending with a barbecue at Alki. That night, the next episode of West Seattle Movies on the Wall brings an animated fave, “Finding Nemo,” dusk in the courtyard by Hotwire.
One more note – West Seattle’s library branches have several special events this week (including raptors and games – libraries are about a lot more than books!) – check here.
Yet another good turnout for week 3 of this summer’s West Seattle Movies on the Wall — above you see part of the crowd that filled the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) last night for “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” presented by WSB and co-sponsored by Click! Design That Fits (also a WSB sponsor). If you haven’t made it to Movies on the Wall yet this summer (3 more to go!), it’s powered by Sidewalk Cinema, on this very wall:
The full slate – which was chosen with your help (you may recall the nomination/”voting” process last spring) — is listed on this page. Next week it’s “Finding Nemo”; after that, “Ghostbusters” and “Galaxy Quest.” The movies are free but you’re encouraged to bring a few $ because of several fun ways to spend it for a good cause 
– every week there’s a raffle on behalf of a nonprofit suggested by the sponsor(s) – at left, from WSB, that’s Junior Member of the Team and Patrick the Sales Guy showing off the items we raffled last night to benefit the Nature Consortium (which restores the West Duwamish Greenbelt and is presenting the Arts in Nature Festival later this month) — a “big bag of West Seattle,” with the bright bag contributed by Click! Design That Fits, a $20 coffee card contributed by Hotwire, a T-shirt from West Seattle Bowl (WSB sponsor) along with an hour of bowling for up to six people, a copy of “West Seattle 101” (select chapters from which can be found in this special WSB section), and some West Seattle decorations (including the “Murals of West Seattle” poster JMoT is holding) courtesy of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce. Besides the raffle tickets, you can buy concessions at Movies on the Wall too, presented by West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) with proceeds benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank, and you’re encouraged to bring a nonperishable food donation for WSFB too. Movies start at dusk; tonight, that was about 9 pm, but we always suggest arriving early enough to stake out a good spot. See you there next Saturday!
That represents the “new” … the photo was sent by Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle (photo credit: Jason of “The Shibaguyz”) to entice you to today’s first-ever Edible Garden Tour of West Seattle. This garden tour is free – go here to get the map – tour any and/or all of the 10 spotlighted gardens between 10 am-2 pm today (including the one that produce came from). Now, something “old” …
That’s another scene from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” the 1988 pioneering live-action/animation hybrid classic that we at WSB are presenting tonight (in conjunction with Click! Design That Fits [WSB sponsor]) at West Seattle Movies on the Wall, dusk (8:45-ish) in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) on the north edge of The Junction. Free, but in the spirit of Jessica Rabbit’s “Why Doncha Do Right” song in that clip – you can “do right” by bringing nonperishable food to donate to West Seattle Food Bank and $ for the West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor)-presented concessions benefiting WSFB, plus a fundraising raffle (with the help of Hotwire boss Lora Lewis and some other fine folks we’ll tell you about at the movie, we’ve collected a bag of completely cool West Seattleness). Last but by no means least, something Blue …
As described in our “Seafair secrets” post, we always watch the Blue Angels at Lake Washington on Seafair Friday. But now, the weekend is here. You can watch them from the lake – or you can catch glimpses from West Seattle (WSB’er “Hopey” reports a great flyby at Westcrest on Friday) – and then there is our preferred method of viewing, at the Museum of Flight, their HQ while visiting Seattle. It’s a sort of “behind-the-scenes” view, when you stake out a spot on the fence that faces the area where the jets are parked (read our “On the Fence” post from last year, with pix), and spend the hour and a half or so before showtime watching first the maintenance crew’s arrival and activities, then the pilots themselves, leading up to the “walkdown” as they go to their planes – this 2007 photo is from their lineup pre-walkdown:
Once they’re in the jets, the sights and sounds include the whine of the cockpits closing, the engines roaring awake, then the groundshaking takeoff; the show is just over a ridge to the east, so you can see the high maneuvers from the MoF, and there are flybys – followed by the landing, and the walkdown in reverse, and your chance to applaud the pilots once they’re out of their planes. The practice show yesterday started around 1:45 pm, later than usual; wherever you’re going to watch from, you’ll want to be in place no later than 12:45 pm which is when the I-90 bridge closes. Full Seafair info on the official site; here’s our Blue Angels coverage archive.
One of the programs Providence Mount St. Vincent (WSB sponsor) is known for, in addition to its residential care, is its Intergenerational Learning Center, which brings the very young together with the, well, young at heart. In that context, seemed fitting to see kids having a blast with the Duwamish Dixieland Band at the season’s first Summer Concert at The Mount Friday night – along with not only some of The Mount’s residents, but also community members of all ages. We stopped by to check out the crowd on the way to our downtown destination mentioned in the previous post; snapped a couple pix but the ones we just got (above and below) from Karen are much better:
Looks like so much fun, next week we’re going for the duration. There are three more concerts, on the next three Friday nights; the show’s free, but you’re invited to bring some $ for the food and beverages (including beer/wine) that are on sale. Next Friday, Maia Santell performs; Friday 8/15, it’s the West Seattle Big Band (recently seen at the Hi-Yu Concert in the Park), and Friday 8/22 it’s Steve Rice and Big Squeezy. For all shows, “doors open” at 5, music starts at 6.
Those musicians are from the Duwamish Dixieland Band, recorded after the West Seattle Memorial Day event two months ago. Tonight, you can see them in a more festive setting, again absolutely free, as Providence Mount St. Vincent kicks off its monthlong series of Friday night outdoor concerts (and “The Mount” is joining WSB as a sponsor to make sure you know about it) … the first-ever Edible Garden Tour (free!) … a major beach-volleyball event … and the next West Seattle Movies on the Wall presentation, with WSB presenting this week’s movie … and the Delridge wading pool will start opening on Sunday (as first reported here) … more than 40 events ahead:Read More
That’s a scene (featuring Bob Hoskins, with Kathleen Turner voicing “Jessica Rabbit”) from the pioneering live-action/animation comedy “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” — celebrating its TWENTIETH anniversary (where did the time go?) this year. You can watch it on a big screen this Saturday night as West Seattle Movies on the Wall continues its summer series – this week, West Seattle’s only 24/7 news source (that’s us!) is the official presenter, in tandem with one of our sponsors, Click! Design That Fits. Come to the Hotwire Coffee (also a WSB sponsor) courtyard sometime before dusk to stake out your spot – the movie’s free, bring a nonperishable-food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank, which also is the beneficiary of nicely priced concessions offered by West Seattle Christian Church (yet another WSB sponsor). Also bring a few dollars for raffle tickets – co-publisher Patrick has been out lining up some COMPLETELY COOL West Seattle stuff (it’ll be a surprise!!!!) to raffle off; the nonprofit beneficiary will be the Nature Consortium, which with volunteer help works tirelessly to restore West Seattle’s amazing West Duwamish Greenbelt (and they’re sponsoring the Arts in Nature festival next month). California/Genesee, see you there Saturday night.
No same-night spoilers on the home page, so click ahead if you want to know how Blayne did tonight, and/or what his Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) boss Lora Lewis said about it afterward …Read More
For the third straight August, best-selling sci-fi/fantasy author Terry Brooks, who has a home in West Seattle, will mark the release of a new book with a reading/Q&A/book-signing event at the Westwood Village Barnes and Noble. (Read our August 2006 report here; our August 2007 report here – the photo at left is from that appearance.) According to Brooks’ website, terrybrooks.net, it’s at 6:30 pm on August 27th, one of two Seattle appearances he has planned in conjunction with the release of the next book in his “Genesis of Shannara” series, “The Gypsy Morph.” ASIDE TO BOOK FANS – ANOTHER B&N EVENT COMING UP THIS WEEK: We originally got into book-info-finding mode tonight after getting a note from the Westwood Village B&N about a book-release party this Friday night for a different author, different series (with a related discount offer for WSB’ers) – read on:Read More
Even if you don’t frequent the WSB Forums, this thread’s kind of fun (thanks to PSPS for starting it): Movies shot, all or part, in West Seattle. Everyone knows about the “Sleepless in Seattle” Alki scene (and the hilarious implication it’s around the corner from Lake Union), it seems, but otherwise, we’ve seen some surprises so far! (P.S. The city “Film and Music Office” posts a weekly newsletter.)
More photos to share as the weekend ends, from West Seattle’s biggest beach and one of its smallest — just ahead:Read More
It may look gray outside, but at the second day of the Alki Art Fair (stretching along the promenade from both sides of the Bathhouse), sunbreaks are happening and so is everything from live music (above, the Forget-Me-Nots, one of the acts playing this morning) to a silent auction (note the banner fluttering in the photo background at right) to kids’ activities like an art tent and a bouncy house. If you can’t quite shake the autumn-ish mood brought on by the clouds, we found at least one booth with handmade sweaters on sale:
Suzanne de la Torre (headquartered on lower Queen Anne) is selling her handmade creations – one of many artists whose wares you can admire, and if you are so moved, purchase. Other apparel for sale at the event includes Alki Art Fair T-shirts, past and present:
T-shirts and tank tops will run you $15 (look for the tent on the water side of the Bathhouse). The Alki Art Fair continues till 5 pm today.
MEET THE NEW BRANCH MANAGER: Julie Enevoldsen from Friends of Southwest Branch Library writes to invite everybody to the branch on Monday night, 6:30-7:45, to meet the new branch manager, Theresa Mayer. Light refreshments will be provided at the event in the upstairs meeting room; the Southwest branch is on the southeast corner of 35th/Henderson (here’s a map).
READING RECOMMENDATIONS: Librarians from Southwest and West Seattle (Admiral) branches recently provided the official Seattle Public Library systemwide blog, Shelf Talk, with some reading suggestions, based on what local readers are enjoying this summer; read the list here.
First thing this morning, vendors were getting ready for the Alki Beach Art Fair, today and tomorrow 10 am-5 pm, rain or shine, and the Statue of Liberty Plaza construction isn’t getting in the way – as the photo above shows, there are booths to the west, and also lots of booths to the right, on both sides of the bathhouse. Let’s hope things stay dry because tonight is parade night:
That’s the West Seattle Hi-Yu float, royalty, and volunteers in last Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade – towed because of ongoing trouble. They have received a “very special exemption” from Seafair to be towed the entire length of tonight’s Torchlight Parade route downtown. (If you’re not going to the parade, remember many downtown streets will be completely or partly blocked off – the main parade route goes down 4th, from Seattle Center to the International District, and it’s preceded by the Torchlight Run, which puts the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct out of commission approximately 5:30-8 pm.)Meantime, back on our side of the bay, it’s Movies on the Wall night again next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor):
That’s the trailer from the ’80s classic “The Goonies,” tonight’s movie, starting at dusk (9 pm-ish); free admission, but bring a nonperishable food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank, which also is the beneficiary of concession sales presented by West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor). One more outdoor movie note: There’s an outdoor showing of “An Inconvenient Truth” in Fremont tonight – $5 donation suggested – and the proceeds will be split by Sustainable West Seattle and Sustainable Ballard. (North 35th/Phinney Ave. North, map; “doors” open 7:30 pm.) And on the indoor-activities front, Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) continues its centennial celebration:
That’s the crowd that turned out for last night’s Bean Feed and Talent Show, paying tribute to a long-ago church tradition; this afternoon, Fauntleroy Church has an open house, 1-4 pm — if you’ve never been there, it’s worth checking out the steepled sanctuary in its beautiful wooded sanctuary across the street from the old schoolhouse (9140 California SW; map). What else is up, you ask? Check the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
| Comments Off on Happening now: Celebration; arts/crafts fair; pro volleyball