West Seattle, Washington
11 Sunday
Saturday, as part of Neighbor Appreciation Day, Seattle fire stations are all open for tours 11 am-3 pm. This’ll be the last Neighbor Appreciation Day for Station 37, since its replacement is under construction a short distance away. A student journalist accepted our challenge to tell its story before it’s too late.
(A video tour inside West Seattle’s Fire Station 37)
Story and video by Nicholas Trost
University of Washington News Lab
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
When Fire Station 37 (map) shuts down later this year, it will be sorely missed. Those firefighters lucky enough to have worked at the station appreciate its unique appeal and residential feel.
“The station feels and looks like home,” said firefighter Jorge Bernal, who currently works there. “When you’re away for 24 hours at a time, it’s a comforting place to be.”
The station has the ambience of a residential home. Upstairs there’s a nook with a couch and television where firefighters can go and rest. The living room is also similar to one you would find in any home, with low lighting and comfortable-looking furniture.
“There are cool areas where you can go away and relax for a bit,” said Lt. Lori Bish, a firefighter also at the station. “Not all places have those areas.”
Sadly, Station 37 is no longer able to adequately serve the Seattle Fire Department. At only 4,148 square feet, the station is too small to accommodate firefighters of the 21st century and their equipment.
“We have to move,” said Bish.
An update tonight on the 2-year fight over what can be built on the expansive front lawn of the Satterlee House, the 103-year-old city landmark that’s also known as the Painted Lady of Beach Drive: The attorney for the Satterlee House’s owner says they’re taking the fight to the next venue – the state Supreme Court. This follows a series of rulings against the specific 3-home plan that Conner proposes for the land in front of the house: First, the city Landmarks Preservation Board rejected the proposal two years ago, saying the proposed homes’ size and scale would take away from the landmarked traits of the site. Conner appealed the decision to the city Hearing Examiner, who upheld it in April 2008; then he asked King County Superior Court to review the decision, where it again was upheld; from there it went to the state 1st Division Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments last June, and then announced on December 21st that it too upheld the previous decisions. Next potential step was asking the state Supreme Court to review the case, and tonight the lawyer who’s led the case for Conner all along the way, Richard Hill, confirms to WSB, “Yes, the Conners intend to ask the Washington Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals decision.” We’ll watch the court records and keep tabs on what happens next; as we reported after last month’s ruling, the case has drawn national attention.
Answering e-mail from someone seeking old photos of West Seattle, we wandered over to the Seattle Municipal Archives, which puts some of its historic photos on Flickr too – and found that one, added to Flickr just last week. It’s the Walk-All-Ways intersection at California/Alaska, circa 1956. (Click the photo, or here, to see it full size. “Block’s” is in the spot where KeyBank is now.) We dug back into the Municipal Archives themselves to try to get context for the photo; seems a City Light building in the 4500 block of California SW was being appraised – that’s north of Alaska, midblock, west side of the street:
The same address currently checks to Next-to-Nature. And yes, that grand facade was hiding a substation in the back (see it here).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
This week’s state Appeals Court ruling does not necessarily end the two-year fight over a three-house development proposal for the lawn of the city-landmark Satterlee House at 4866 Beach Drive (map). Owner William Conner can request a discretionary review by the state Supreme Court. His lawyer, Richard Hill, told WSB after the decision was announced (WSB coverage here), “We will be studying the Court’s ruling, and Mr. Conner will then decide whether or not to appeal.” In the meantime, the ruling (read it here) has drawn national attention: It could have nationwide significance, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Pacific Legal Foundation, which both had filed “friend of the court” briefs in the case, NTHP supporting the city, PLF supporting the property owner. More ahead:Read More
A major ruling late today in the long-running fight over whether William Conner, owner of the landmark Satterlee House – aka Beach Drive’s “Painted Lady” – can build three houses on its expansive lawn. The city Landmarks Board originally declined to approve the specific three-house proposal; Conner challenged the decision before the city Hearing Examiner, who upheld the ruling (here’s our April 2008 report); then he took it to King County Superior Court, where a judge upheld the city decision (here’s our October 2008 report); then he took it to the 1st Division Court of Appeals, which has just upheld the decision. Read their ruling here; our report on the arguments before the state court last June is here. We’ll add more to this report as we seek comment and read the full ruling. (As noted in earlier reports, these decisions have not been rulings against ANY construction on the Satterlee House lawn, but rather against the specific proposal Conner took to the Landmarks Board, which has jurisdiction over changes to landmarked property; here’s our archive of case coverage, newest to oldest.) Summary of the case/decision, from the ruling document:
William and Marilyn Conner purchased a designated historical landmark property in West Seattle known as the Satterlee House. The Landmarks Preservation Board rejected their proposal to develop the site because it did not preserve the protected historic features. The hearing examiner and the superior court upheld the Board’s decision.
The Conners’ principal contention is that the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance is unconstitutionally vague as applied. They also contend the landmark restrictions on the property constitute an unlawful tax, a regulatory taking, and deprived them of due process. We reject their arguments and affirm.
That totem pole is back in its place outside the Redmond Library, where a Seattle company called Artech reinstalled it – along with another large work of native-inspired carved-wood art – on Tuesday. We were there that day to talk with Artech, after the Seattle Parks Department told us the company had expressed potential interest in doing some work on the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole before it’s put back in place. First, a recap of where the stolen-then-found totem pole saga stands: Still awaiting word of charges against the suspect, a 69-year-old West Seattle man arrested eight days ago. The pole, found in Oregon a week ago after, police say, he told them where to find it, remains at a Seattle Parks facility (as we showed you Monday):
The pole found with it in Oregon has been identified as one stolen from outside the Renton Fred Meyer (as we reported Tuesday). Now the question is how long till the West Seattle pole can be returned to its home at the viewpoint alongside 35th at Alaska. The Rotary Club of West Seattle, which donated the park and the pole – carved by Native American artist Robin Young – in 1976, is taking a major role in sorting that all out, and has created a task force that will start meeting after the holidays, while raising money now for restoration/reinstallation. The Parks Department says it’s connecting Artech with the Rotarians. We got in touch with Artech to find out more about their interest, and what they’re all about – read on:Read More
(scroll down – we’re continuing to add elements as this story develops)
(Photo added 11:05 am – the recovered poles in Oregon)
As reported here late yesterday, police arrested a West Seattle man in connection with the theft 
of the 18′ totem pole from Rotary Viewpoint Park, which we first told you about last Thursday morning. When we reported that the suspect was in custody, police had just made the arrest and hadn’t yet figured out where the stolen pole was; this morning, they know. Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen tells WSB that after extensive questioning, the suspect told them where it was: The Salem, Oregon, area. And Lt. Paulsen says police there already “have it in custody on a trailer in an impound lot” – he says it’s reported to be in good shape and does not appear to be damaged. Now they’re coordinating with the Parks Department to figure out how and when to bring it back here. Plus, Lt. Paulsen says, they “recovered another totem pole but can’t figure out where the other one belongs yet.” They also will be investigating whether the suspect is in possession of any other stolen property. We’re not identifying the suspect yet because (to our knowledge) charges are not yet filed – we can tell you he is a 69-year-old North Admiral resident, and the house where the crane driver said last weekend that he’d dropped it off is in the Lake Sawyer area. We didn’t publish this last weekend because no arrest had been made, but here’s a photo we took as the two sleuthing Rotarians (left and right) and the crane-truck driver went to knock on that house’s door last Saturday – note the Santa hat, left over from the Rotary’s Christmas Shopping Spree hours earlier:
Stay tuned for more followups. The Rotary Club of West Seattle, meantime, which donated the park and the pole to the city in 1976 – and made its own inquiries to try to help track down the pole (as detailed here) – tells us they’re working on coordinating an event for the pole’s return. 11:07 AM UPDATE: Adding photos provided by police (one above, one below), showing the recovered Rotary pole (and its mystery companion) in Oregon.
12:06 PM UPDATE: Just checked with Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter to see if there’s any info yet on their side regarding plans for the pole’s return. She says, “It’s my understanding that the pole will be in police custody as evidence for some amount of time (no clue yet how long that will be). … We’re all for a celebratory event to welcome the pole back to the people when the time is right.” 12:28 PM UPDATE: For the latest on Rotary’s plans on helping that happen, we just talked to past president Josh Sutton on camera at the viewpoint park – he explains how your help will be important:
(The website he mentions is westseattlerotary.org.) He added, “Rotary’s owned this totem pole in our hearts for a long time, but West Seattle owns this totem pole and we’re committed to getting it back to the folks of West Seattle in great shape.”
1:41 PM UPDATE: Just drove by the park and spotted Rotary sleuths Duane and Kenny being interviewed by KING5 – we didn’t park in time to get the photo op but did talk to Duane, who says he’s glad that Seattle Police have gone to great lengths to find the totem pole, and he’s now hopeful that prosecutors will go the extra mile to make sure justice is served. And one more note – just talked again with Josh Sutton, who says you can NOW donate through the Rotary website to pay for getting the pole back in place, with a community event, as soon as possible – he wants to stress, this is NOT meant to be in lieu of restitution from the suspect, but if and when the time comes that they get reimbursed that way, the money people have donated “will go to do good work in the West Seattle community.”
2:25 PM UPDATE: Answers to a couple followup questions we asked Lt. Paulsen at Southwest Precinct: 1. Will the crane truck driver face charges? Nothing’s final yet, but he notes that they are being very cooperative witnesses. 2. Is there a chance the stolen Tillicum Village storefront art work on Avalon (here’s our story from two months ago) is linked to all this? Too soon to say but Lt. Paulsen indicates they are actively investigating and more “recoveries” are possible.
(WSB photo from December 2, the base where the totem pole used to be)
Just confirmed with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen: Police have arrested a suspect in the theft of the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole. As first reported here Thursday morning, the pole disappeared early last week; we contacted the Parks Department on Wednesday after a WSB’er sent us a note saying her family noticed it was gone. After our inquiry, Parks did extensive checking, then verified on Thursday that no one had been authorized to take it, and so they reported the 18-foot totem pole – installed when the Rotary Club of West Seattle donated the park to the city in 1976 — as stolen. As the story unfolded, WSB commenters recalled seeing what turned out to be the actual removal Monday night of last week – the crane truck hired to take it got stuck in the grass and mud, and required help from a tow truck. We’re not identifying the suspect, a West Seattle man, as charges are not filed so far, but what we’ve been told seems to go along with the storyline reported here, after we covered Rotarians’ attempt to find out what happened. Police have not yet recovered the totem pole but are questioning the suspect and hope to be able to recover the pole soon. P.S. We had asked Parks and police earlier today if the totem pole had been assigned a dollar value, just out of curiosity – so far we don’t have a number, but Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter notes that the Belvidere story pole installed in 2006 was valued at more than $61,000. (Pre-theft totem-pole photo used with Rotary’s permission.)
We’ve got a lot of checking to do when our Parks and Police contacts are back in the office tomorrow, but in the meantime, for late-night news checkers, a short update on this weekend’s developments in the case of the missing totem pole.
Background: After a WSB’er e-mailed us Wednesday morning to ask where the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole (photo at left used with Rotary’s permission) had gone, we quickly put in an inquiry with the Parks Department, then went over to check the scene (35th/Alaska, overlooking the West Seattle Golf Course), taking the photos you see in this story we published Thursday morning, after Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter confirmed to WSB that they hadn’t authorized anyone to remove it and would report it as stolen. After reading our story, WSB commenters reported seeing trucks at the scene Monday evening – a tow truck assisting a stuck crane truck. A few longtime Rotary Club of West Seattle members also have been investigating, as we mentioned in our Friday followup – the club donated the park and pole in 1976 and isn’t taking this lightly. On Saturday, we followed along as they tried to track the trail. Read on:Read More
We promised an update before the day was out – here’s what we can tell you so far. If you missed yesterday’s story – see it here – the West Seattle Rotary Viewpoint Park totem pole is missing; after a WSB’er called it to our attention on Wednesday, we inquired with Seattle Parks, which hadn’t heard about the disappearance; they subsequently checked around extensively and couldn’t find anybody anywhere in the city who had taken it, so they reported it stolen. Seattle Police confirm it’s now an active investigation, and detectives have been to the scene. Some WSB’ers have posted comments after yesterday’s story saying they saw the crane truck that appeared to be removing it back on Monday. Turns out the Rotary Club of West Seattle has been investigating too, since the park and totem pole were their gifts to the city back in 1976 (here’s the history). They believe they’ve traced the crane company that was hired to remove the pole – but the questions of who hired the crane company (reportedly paying cash), why, and where exactly the totem pole is now, haven’t been sorted out yet.
On this date 158 years ago, Charles Terry recorded the first sale at what was the first store in King County – set up on Alki Point two weeks after he and the rest of the Denny Party arrived. Check out this HistoryLink.org article with his merchandise list (the first items sold: two axes), and you’ll feel thankful for whatever you happen onto in your next West Seattle shopping stop. (By the way, November 28, 1851, was the Friday after Thanksgiving.)
As we celebrate this holiday, we have a story from the last one – Halloween. Local writer Lesley Holdcroft tells the tale of the day’s most unusual event, from an inside perspective – she was one of the “ghosts” at the Southwest Historical Society’s fundraiser brunch.
Story by Lesley Holdcroft
Photos by gail ann photography
Special to West Seattle Blog
Eleven thousand dollars!
I’m used to generous money flowing around me, but around $11,000, pledged in two and a half-hours? That sets a new personal record.
What an event, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s Fall Gala: the people gathered at Salty’s on Alki, the costumes, the crowd dressed as ghosts, six ghosts making otherworldly appearances and a fun announcer encouraging the attendees to give money to support the society’s programming.
Tons of fun today – if you’re not out and about tonight, it’s time to think about tomorrow. One of the most spirited celebrations will be at 12th SW and SW Holden, as the Highland Park Improvement Club celebrates one decade short of a century. Here’s its official announcement:
Friends and neighbors are invited to attend a ninetieth anniversary party at the Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW Holden, on Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 5 p.m., to celebrate the club’s past, present and future.
The non-profit was established in 1919 to bring improvements to the community while providing a social center. Since then, the club has worked on projects ranging from securing a streetcar line that came up Highland Park Way, to fostering a WPA sewing group, to sponsoring playgrounds and baseball teams, all the while hosting dance parties and other entertainments. More recently, the organization has persevered through uncertain times, as the membership had difficulty attracting new members, and considered dissolution. Despite their discouragement, the long-term members continued to reach out to the neighborhood, and today the Club has a steady and growing membership. New members have presented gala events for the Club and the community: the Day of the Dead dance last year, the Inauguration Day celebration in January, the popular Wine for Our Times event this spring, and the Second Annual Rummage Sale this summer.
(WSB note: That’s the one where we found this scene:)
The Highland Park Improvement Club hosts several neighborhood groups, including the Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC), which is dedicated to community issues, and meets at the club monthly. The Club is also home to on-going dance and yoga classes.
This historic neighborhood hub, at the corner of 12th and Holden, is becoming vibrant again- just in time for its 90th birthday.
It’s a humble old building that just got some new trimmings – including curtains and paint – before the big bash. Here’s where to find HPIC; online, they’re at www.hpic1919.org.
That’s the question members of the city Landmarks Preservation Board will want to see sorted out, as became clear during this morning’s meeting of the board’s Architectural Review Committee. This was the first public meeting at which Tom Lin, owner of the fire-damaged landmark, and his consultants have discussed its status and its future since a comprehensive presentation before the Alki Community Council two months ago (WSB coverage here). The meeting also provided a reminder of the fact the historic building’s future is of interest outside West Seattle – those who offered comments included representatives from the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation, which five months ago declared the Homestead among the state’s most endangered buldings, and Historic Seattle; the Southwest Seattle Historical Society was represented as well. Read on for details on what was discussed and what the landmarks board – which has jurisdiction over the site’s future because of its landmark status – will do next:Read More
Because the Alki Homestead is a city landmark, any change to its landmark-designated features must be approved by the city Landmarks Board – and the first step in this case is a meeting with its Architectural Review Committee. We’ve just confirmed with city Landmarks Board coordinator Beth Chave that Homestead owner Tom Lin is scheduled to take his proposal for the closed-by-fire property before the ARC next Friday, for the first public presentation since he discussed it with the Alki Community Council in mid-September (WSB coverage here). No final decisions will be made, as this is truly a group that reviews proposals and offers suggestions to those working on them, before they are brought up for official board action, but it’s a public meeting, 8:30 am, Room 4070 at the Municipal Tower downtown.
EARLY DISMISSAL DAY FOR MANY SCHOOLS: It’s officially an “early dismissal day” for Seattle Public Schools, with many independent schools following suit, while some tweak the schedule to suit what needs to be done (at Chief Sealth High School, for example, no classes – it’s parent/teacher conference time).
(August 2009 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
THE KENNEY’S 100TH: Big celebration today at The Kenney (7125 Fauntleroy Way) – marking the 100th anniversary of its grand opening. Here’s the invite:
In honor of Samuel and Jessie Kenney, please join us as we celebrate 100 years of The Kenney’s Grand Opening!
4:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m., Community Rooms at The Kenney
It will be an open house with a short program at 4:15 p.m. in the Community Rooms. If you are unable to make it for the program, please stop by later for a glass of wine and some food.
The Calvary Lutheran Choir will also be performing songs from the early 1900s and will be dressed in clothing from that time period.
A chocolate fountain and champagne bar in the Historic Seaview Building, along with a historical timeline and Samuel and Jessie Kenney (volunteers dressed up), will also be in attendance.
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 7 pm tonight, Highland Park Improvement Club building – the agenda note from HPAC chair Dan Mullins:
This month we will have 2 speakers and a twist on Nicole’s Local Business Spotlight that will surprise you.
Our first Speaker will be Susanne Friedman from Seattle Parks Dept. to give us an update on the progress and future plans for Westcrest Park. Our second speaker will be Amy Shaflik from Treehouse to let us know about the great work they are doing for foster children in our community. And Nicole’s Spotlight will be very different and fun and I predict that you will want to get involved.
Please come and meet your neighbors, enjoy a little potluck dinner and help make our neighborhood a great place to live!
“DOW CHOW”: No, this has nothing to do with a certain candidate. In this case, “Dow” stands for “Dow Jones Industrial Average.” 5-11 pm tonight, Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) is raising money for Arts Corps with a fun contest that’s paired with special discounts. First – the discounts: Whatever the Dow closes at today, no menu price will be higher – for example, yesterday it closed at 9882, so the most expensive menu item would have been $9.88. Now, the guessing: Guess tonight what the Dow will close at TOMORROW – $1 per guess – and the person who comes closest will win the closing number worth of meals at Chow Foods (parent company of Endolyne Joe’s) restaurants – if it closes at 9900, you get $9,900 worth. Read more about the contest, promotion and fundraiser here – then go to Endolyne Joe’s between 5 and 11 tonight (maybe right after visiting the not-far-away Kenney!).
From WSB contributing journalist Kathy Mulady: Holy Rosary capped its Centennial Celebration today, with celebrations that included removing the 1937 time capsule (above) from the cornerstone of the church:
The contents were on display a few minutes later across the street in Lanigan Hall, where church members and friends celebrated.
The time capsule included a 1937 newspaper, letters that had yellowed and crumpled with age, coins and other a little envelope of powder that left many wondering what it was … or what it once was:
Holy Rosary’s Father John Madigan thanked everyone for many volunteer hours that were put into the year-long celebration.
Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett celebrated Mass and attended the afternoon events afterward.
Over the weekend, Beach Drive Blog published a note from someone trying to find out what happened to a house they remember from decades ago. Maybe you can help – read the note here.
(Wikimedia photo of Alki Homestead, pre-fire)
Two weeks after Alki Homestead owner Tom Lin stood before the Alki Community Council to discuss his proposal for the fire-ravaged landmark’s future (here’s our story) – possibly a restaurant/bar/B&B complex – the Southwest Seattle Historical Society has forwarded news outlets a letter they and other groups have sent to Lin. It expresses concern for its condition and a request that it be “restored … to its pre-fire condition.” It’s similar to a statement the SWSHS issued last March, two months after the fire (read that statement here). Here’s the full text of the letter:
Dear Tom Lin:
We are writing to you today to express our collective concern regarding the state of the Alki Homestead Restaurant, a City of Seattle Landmark, also known as the Fir Lodge Estate. As a result of the fire in January, 2009, this site is now included in the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Most Endangered Property List,” announced in May this year. The Washington Trust, together with other preservation and community organizations noted below, have indicated their support for the preservation of this landmark.
Given the state of the Homestead and the on-going damage that inactivity brings to the structure, we collectively urge you to decide and act upon your vision regarding this property.
We collectively ask that you (1) take immediate action to prevent further decay by securing the property and building from vandalism and protecting it as the rainy season approaches; (2) restore the Homestead to its pre-fire condition as befits a city landmark.
We firmly support preserving “a bit of old Seattle” (as Doris Nelson referred to the Homestead) and we believe the community of West Seattle and the City of Seattle will be enhanced by retaining this amazing Seattle landmark. We look forward to working with you to restore the Homestead to its rightful place on Alki. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society stands ready to assist you at every point in preserving the Homestead/Fir Lodge site.
Sincerely,
Judy Bentley
President, Southwest Seattle Historical SocietyAndrea Mercado
Director, Log House MuseumJennifer Meisner, Executive Director
Washington Trust for Historic PreservationJoe Follansbee
Association of King County Heritage OrganizationsJim Kelly, Director
4CulturePatricia Mullen, Executive Director
West Seattle Chamber of Commerce
We have e-mailed Lin a request for comment/response and will publish anything we hear back.
CENTENNIAL WALK: Holy Rosary is yet another of the West Seattle churches celebrating its 100th anniversary – and pastoral associate Patrick Barredo sends word of the next event in the celebration, coming up tomorrow:
This Saturday, October 3, members of Holy Rosary Church will have a pilgrimage, walking from Holy Rosary Church (starting at 11 am), and arriving at St. John Episcopal Church at 11:30 am. During Holy Rosary’s Centennial year, this pilgrimage marks a return to history, for St. John Episcopal Church sits on the second location of Holy Rosary Parish. (The first location is at Hanford and Hill, and the current location is the third site.)
Members of St. John Church will be “at home” at 11:00 am saying our prayers and awaiting the arrival of Holy Rosary pilgrims. There will be a course to follow through St. John Church marking particular spots used by the former Holy Rosary church. When it seems like a good time to begin, there will be a short liturgy based on “An Order for Service for Noonday” from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979, led by Rev. Peter DeVeau of St. John and Fr. John Madigan of Holy Rosary.
Afterwards, there will be a lunch of soup and sandwiches in the upstairs Parish Hall, in the general air space of what was the first Holy Rosary School.
We don’t have the exact route they’ll take, but here’s a G-map showing the distance from Holy Rosary to St. John.
“BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS” EVENTS REMINDERS: St. John the Baptist Episcopal is also one of three venues where you and your pet(s) can participate in this tradition this weekend, honoring the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals: Providence Mount St. Vincent, 10:30 am Saturday (meet in the front lobby); Alki UCC, special service 10 am Sunday in the sanctuary; St. John the Baptist, Sunday in the West Seattle High School parking lot next door.
By Lesley Holdcroft
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Andrea Mercado is glowing after the success of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society time capsule project. “This is not for us; it’s for them – the people who are coming after us. It’s really for the kids who were there.” (Like Loren and Clara Peterson, with Mercado in the photo at left from last Saturday’s time-capsule-filling.)
As director of the Log House Museum, Mercado spent a good deal of time with children to complete this project, and several kids helped load up the items to be revealed in 50 years’ time (WSB Saturday coverage here and here).
“The first thing that went into the time capsule was a 7 year-old’s ‘Hello!’ as he spoke the word into the container,” Mercado says. “It was his greeting to the future.”
Next up for the Historical Society: the annual autumn gala. This year – for the first time – the Society presents “Ghosts of the Westside.”
At one point during Sunday’s West Seattle Junction Car Show, organizer Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Printing – who shared the top photo – said something that had occurred to us too: The crowd at times seemed West Seattle Summer Fest-sized. A couple followups: For one, though admission was free, the raffles had great participation, so in the end, $1,671 was donated to West Seattle Helpline. Meantime, here’s a last look at several of the winners — these were chosen by major sponsors – here’s the ’69 Chevelle that won the Don Swanson Insurance Award:
This purple Camaro was the Puerto Vallarta pick:
Best Ford, a 1969 Shelby Cobra Mustang:
Best foreign entry, this 1953 Citroen:
And of all the decade-by-decade winners, our personal favorite was the one from the ’40s – this vintage 1949 school bus:
Also congrats to Jim Clark, who won “Best West Seattle Car” (and we failed to get a shot of his car!). Post-show, lots of photo galleries have turned up online. Mario Pipkin published one on the Old Riders Car Club site. Organizer Michael shared another photo – members of the Bakery Nouveau team in their official Car Show T-shirts:
Brian Zenk shared a collage:
And some cars had just plain fun touches – like this one with the gremlin under the hood:
Our two as-it-happened reports from show day can be seen here and here. Meantime, looks like plans for a third annual Junction Car Show are definitely in motion. Next major event in The Junction – Trick-or-Treating, 1-3 pm on Halloween.
Rain or no rain, the time capsule burial ceremony at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza is on for 2 this afternoon. The time capsule itself was filled and sealed this morning at the Log House Museum – that’s director Andrea Mercado in the photo with the completed capsule (at right, Clara Peterson, who with brother Loren assisted in the hour-long job, and peeking into the top of the frame is Patrick Donohue, city Parks Department manager for the plaza project); you’ll recall she put out a call for people to save memories, souvenirs and daily-life “ephemera” last November 13th – anniversary of the Denny Party’s Alki landing – to put in the capsule, and all that is what went in today. We’ve got video of much of the event and will add some later; the capsule contents were catalogued by Eilene Hutchinson as they went in:
We’ll be at the 2 pm ceremony today too – the capsule is supposed to be available for public viewing around 1:30. And remember that Alki also is headquarters to the Evergreen State Barbecue Championships all weekend (separate story to come) so it’s a busy day at the beach! 6:52 PM: Adding more video from this morning’s filling/sealing gathering. First, Andrea explains to Clara and Loren how the capsule-filling will proceed:
We asked Andrea afterward if she had ever done a time capsule before – nope, this was her first one. And she said they’re meticulously documenting everything they did regarding storage and placement, because what’s considered time-capsule state of the art now is nonetheless unproven – since you don’t really know what’ll happen till you get to the capsule opening decades (or longing later). Some of what’s in the capsule is simple, some personal:
9:13 PM: Thanks to Paul Carr for sending us the program from today’s ceremony (video is in a separate story here), which includes the full list of what’s in the time capsule. See it (and the rest of the program) here.
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