West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
Here’s an alert for Lincoln Park visitors. The report and photo are from Arlene:
A fallen limb on the path from the north parking lot towards the water is blocked off this afternoon. You can still take other side paths but along the way I noticed some other fallen limbs/trees, although not blocking paths.
Camp Long asked us to share this invitation for a program this Saturday (August 3) – registration is still open:
Scouting options in your youth may not have fit your gender identity, or perhaps emphasized gender identities that left you wishing for other activity choices. If this resonates — or if an inclusive day-camp experience sounds appealing — come on out for our all-gender Rainbow Scouts Camp!
Lifelong Recreation’s Outdoor Recreation and Rainbow Recreation programs team up with Camp Long Environmental Learning Center staff to offer environmental stewardship, nature skills, crafts, and more. Participate in outdoor activities, earn badges, and connect with others! Expect to explore outdoors, as well as enjoy activities inside. Bring a bag lunch. A free LGBTQ+ affirming space open to folks 50+ and allies.
Online registration is not currently available, so to register, call 206-684-4951 and mention program/event #68232. (UPDATE: Online registration has now reopened, too – go here.)
P.S. If you haven’t been to Camp Long, the park is at 5200 35th SW.
Two days ago, we reported on a music-and-advocacy festival called The Cantanna Fest changing its venue to Lincoln Park with just over two weeks to go, after losing its planned site in Snohomish. The City of Seattle process for approving and planning major events usually involves a much longer lead time, and news of the festival coming to Lincoln Park on short notice sparked many questions. Then yesterday, as added to our original story, Seattle Parks spokesperson Christina Hirsch told us the department was “in discussion with the event organizer about possibly relocating the event to a different location.” That location will be Myrtle Edwards Park on the downtown waterfront, according to organizers’ announcement on Instagram (thanks to commenters for the tip), where they wrote: “… This has been a Rollercoaster. Thank you Seattle Parks and Rec for helping us and apologies to those in West Seattle freaking out about Lincoln Park. Although it would have been an amazing show we do not want to upset the community and we have listened. …” The organizers added in a comment there, “To be fair when getting a permit we are supposed to send mailers out to all the residents and the Parks and Rec helped us rush the permit but that step was not possible.” Myrtle Edwards Park was the longtime home of Hempfest, though the organizers’ comments also stress, “We are not Hempfest and we DO hope they return.” Cantanna Fest’s political component is to campaign for a Cannabis Industry Bill of Rights.
UPDATED AUGUST 7: We now have word this is instead happening at McMillin Farm in Puyallup – same dates.
6:43 PM: We’re at California Place Park, between a Metro stop and Admiral Church, where Michael Pearsall is playing as the first half of a double bill for the second Admiral Music in the Parks concert, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association.
He’s a veteran musician, playing a self-accompanied set of originals. (He talked about his many years on the road with band Honor by August.) He’ll be followed by the Westside Pretenders. This free concert continues until about 8 pm – come join your neighbors at the park (and if you can, bring non-perishable food to donate).
7:36 PM: The Westside Pretenders have just started their set, opening with the classic “Midnight Rider.”
If you can’t come see this show, the AMP series has one more concert – next Thursday, August 1, 6:30 pm, with The ABBAgraphs, at Hamilton Viewpoint Park.
10:40 PM: Added photos and video.
That’s one of the photos Tom Trulin sent last week, showing significant progress on the years-overdue rebuild of the Lincoln Park South Play Area. When we published an update last week, Seattle Parks told us they hoped to have more information “early (this) week” on when the playground would open. So we asked for an update, and received this reply: “The play area is still anticipated to be completed by the end of the month – no set date for opening.” (The month ends one week from today.) It’s been closed for seven years.
A unique outdoor volunteering opportunity is open at Camp Long – you are invited to join the park’s Climbing Corps, helping more people enjoy its historic Schurman Rock! From Camp Long’s Matt Kostle:
We need folks to volunteer as part of our new Camp Long Climbing Corps program! This is an opportunity to get trained in the skill of belaying folks on a top rope rock climbing setup so you can help with our Tuesday Rocks series of free and open to the public rock climbing events on Tuesday evenings in August!
No prior experience is needed and this is an opportunity to volunteer supporting a really fun program which is often many kids’ first climbing experience and you can help them enjoy the magic that Schurman is as the oldest human-made rock climbing wall in the country! This is a new pilot program and we are hoping this allows us to expand our programming but we need community support to make it happen! Come be part of the Camp Long community and help others climb on a piece of history!
A training session for volunteers is planned next Tuesday (July 30). Sign up here!
Thanks for the tip. Another sign today that the city really is getting close to the long-planned soil cleanup at the Morgan Junction Park addition site – crews were there today to clear the fenced-off areas, including a junk-hauling truck and police in unmarked vehicles. There’ve been signs of camping there recently, so we have an inquiry out with the city’s Unified Care Team about whether this was part of their process. We reported on Thursday that the Seattle Parks project manager for the expansion told the Morgan Community Association this week that the soil cleanup is scheduled to start August 8th. Once 16 feet of contaminated dirt has been removed, clean fill will be brought in, and the site will be seeded, for potential open-space use until the actual park expansion is built next year.
More on Don Armeni Boat Ramp signage. First, temporary signs:
Thanks for the tips about these no-parking signs, both inside the park and on Harbor Avenue along the park. They’re for Saturday, July 20, entire day, in the name of MJ68 Productions, for “filming.” The company’s credits, listed online, would suggest the strong likelihood of a car commercial; we have a message out to try to ascertain.
Also at Don Armeni:
(Photo by Stewart L.)
When we reported Monday on that new signage, some commenters wondered how the stated exception for people going fishing would work, especially considering a salmon season is coming up. We asked Parks, and spokesperson Rachel Schulkin told us no exceptions: “The gates will remain locked until 6 AM. This is a short-term response to mitigate crime and dangerous activity taking place along Alki and at this parking lot.”
Ready to take a chair, blanket, and/or picnic dinner to the park for a free concert? You have two chances in the next three nights:
(WSB photo, 2022 Big Band Concert in the Park)
TUESDAY – BIG BAND CONCERT IN THE PARK: 7 pm tomorrow (July 16), High Point
Commons Park (Lanham and Graham) fills with the swinging sounds of the West Seattle Big Band, directed by Jim Edwards. The park concert is a midsummer tradition, sponsored by the West Seattle Grand Parade. This is the 27th year!
THURSDAY – ADMIRAL MUSIC IN THE PARKS, CONCERT #1: 6:30 pm Thursday (July 18), one of this year’s three new venues (plus a new name) for the concert series presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association – this show is at Belvedere Park (3600 SW Admiral Way), with Troy Aylesworth and The Potholes. Also new, you can order a picnic spread in advance from Soirée, to be delivered to the park!
In this morning’s traffic roundup, we briefly mentioned SFD units blocking part of Harbor Avenue because of a medical response at Seacrest. Though the callout was not listed as a water rescue, we later learned from readers in the area that the person who was treated by SFD medics had been diving. Dispatch audio indicated he was unconscious when brought out of the water around 9 am. Radio exchanges also indicated that he would be taken to Virginia Mason Hospital, which has a hyperbaric chamber. Seattle Fire spokesperson David Cuerpo tells WSB that the 63-year-old man was assessed as being in critical condition when transported to VM.
Thanks to Stewart L. for the tip and the photo above. Part of the city effort to rein in problems along Alki/Harbor Avenues has been signage, and here’s more. He says these signs were installed Friday or early Saturday at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, which has become more of a hotspot for trouble from stunt driving all the way to murder (two unsolved shooting deaths at or near the park in 13 months).
(WSB photo)
Police have been stationed at the park on some nights as well.
P.S. Our archives remind us that this isn’t the first time signage has been added in hopes of tamping down on some problems at the boat-ramp park.
11:56 AM: Thanks to Tom Trulin for the photos taken today as the years-overdue Lincoln Park South Play Area replacement enters the home stretch. Seattle Parks most recently told us it would be complete this month. Tom’s photos show some of the marine-theme features in the design created with community input six years ago.
This past Friday marked seven years since the old south play area’s shutdown because of safety concerns from wood damage.
At the time in July 2017, Parks said it might take a year to fix or replace the damaged structure. We’re checking to see if they have an official projected opening date yet, now that this appears to be down to the final stages of construction.
4:56 PM: Parks spokesperson Karen O’Connor replies, “We are working through some final construction items. We should have a better idea early next week on an opening date.”
4:51 PM: Several people have asked about a multi-unit SFD response at Lincoln Park this past hour. All we know so far is that it was dispatched as a report that an 11-year-old had “fallen 25 feet” near the north parking lot. The log shows that SFD medics are making a hospital transport. (added) Once medics started evaluating him, they said it was more like a 12-foot fall, from a tree, and that he was alert/conscious.
5:57 PM: SFD confirms to us that the 11-year-old fell an estimated 12 feet and was in stable condition when taken to Harborview.
By Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Members of the Morgan Junction All-Wheels Association (MJAWA) met online last week to discuss the latest plans and ideas for an all-wheeled “skate dot” area (dedicated to activities like skating, scooters, and biking) in the south part of eventually expanding Morgan Junction Park.
The overall “Morgan Junction Addition Project” timeline from Seattle Parks can be found here, with completion expected by Spring of 2025. For historical context: The site was purchased by the city in 2014 and then “landbanked” for park expansion (see our prior coverage here; the site was formerly a dry cleaning business, and “soil remediation” work has been required).
In recent months, MJAWA has been gathering community feedback about their three potential design concepts for the all-wheels area, which would be up to 1,500 square feet, within the larger park:
Read More
(WSB photo)
1:07 PM: Thanks for the tips. A man was found dead this morning on a bench at Junction Plaza Park. SFD was dispatched just after 11:30 am and verified that the man had died; police responded to the scene too. We don’t yet know anything about the circumstances of his death or the discovery of his body, but we’re not seeing any indication of a crime investigation. Official determination of the cause of death will be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office (whose crew has arrived to take away the man’s body – that’s their van in our photo above).
4:24 PM: SFD says the man was in his early 50s.
ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: According to the KCMEO, he was 52, and died of an unintentional overdose: “Acute drug intoxication including methamphetamine.”
(WSB file photo from a movie night at Camp Long)
Camp Long has set the date for three outdoor movies this August – now the park staff is hoping you’ll help choose which movies are shown. Movie nights will be Fridays – August 2, 9, 23 – “shortly after dusk.” You’re invited to choose your first, second, and third choices from a list of more than 30 movies – go here to cast your votes!
Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
A new West Seattle community park with an inspiring origin story was officially opened to the public in an emotional celebration ceremony and ribbon-cutting on Sunday.
The new park, at the south end of the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene property at 4201 SW Juneau St, is called Maarten Park, named after neighbor and congregation member Maarten Verburg, who passed away in 2023 after battling leukemia, and who was instrumental in helping to realize the vision of converting the space into a park.
More than a decade ago, the church began plans to revitalize and redevelop its property, which included building six townhomes, and utilizing the outdoor open space known informally as “the park” which has been used over the years for outdoor movies and gatherings and other events. Sunday’s ceremony, which we previewed earlier last week, represented an important step in officially establishing the park as a true community resource, according to church leaders.
Here’s a video of the ribbon-cutting portion of the ceremony, with Verburg’s wife Marcy Mabry and son Jakob doing the honors, and with an introductory assist from pastor Shaun Mattson, as kids eagerly waited for the park to open:
Prior to the service, the congregation held a “church service in the park,” during which Mattson talked about the history of the church property and the support and generosity of Verburg, whom he said “started as a neighbor, became a friend, and turned into a church member” and was a “gift to us all”:
As the service concluded, the congregation and visitors moved toward the south end of the property, for the park dedication ceremony:
Mattson (at center) invited Joe Paar (at left), a local developer who was instrumental in helping with the church’s property plans including the development of the park, to say a few words, with help from church family member Jayden (at right) who held the ribbon-cutting scissors:
The group also acknowledged the efforts of John Mullan and his team at PlayCreation for donating time and materials to help get the project completed.
Mabry (with her son) then shared that her husband “loved living in this neighborhood; he loved this community and this church,” and she said she’s thankful “for all of the great things to come from having this space for kids, neighbors and community to gather:”
You may notice in the photos that both Mabry and Mattson were wearing Dutch wooden shoes, in honor of Verburg (who was born in the Netherlands, and famously wore the shoes often while working on the church grounds). Mattson joked that “You could always hear Maarten coming!” and Mabry said that she and Maarten even wore the shoes during their wedding):
After the ribbon was cut and the kids and their families happily ran into the park to play, the group prepared and enjoyed a BBQ lunch:
The park itself includes open play areas and playground equipment, in addition to toys for younger kids to enjoy:
Maarten Park is open to the public, south of the church building at the southwest corner of 42nd Ave SW and Juneau St.
(WSB photos)
“Somebody set fire to the forts,” a little girl informed us as we photographed the blackened driftwood on the shore at Lowman Beach Park. We went there after multiple tips about fires there this morning; those aren’t allowed anywhere at this park.
The SFD log shows two calls, one at about 4:50 am, one at about 7:50 am, both categorized as “brush fire” although we didn’t see any sign of burned vegetation (SFD’s automated log has a limited number of classifications). We did see extensive driftwood damage; impossible to tell if any was from prior dates. The little girl’s mom warned her to “avoid the charcoal – the burned part.” Lowman Beach’s north side was restored to a more natural state in a project completed two years ago.
(WSB photo, December 2023)
We first introduced you to West Seattle artist/author Danitra Hunter almost four years ago, as she worked on a children’s book featuring a character she created while working at the West Seattle/Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor), Purrdie Burrdie, who encourages kids to love themselves. She launched her book a year later. And kids can get free copies during a series of events Danitra is leading in West Seattle parks for the next four Saturdays:
As shown above, her first event is at Roxhill Park (29th/Barton) tomorrow, 1-5 pm. Thanks to an Art in the Parks grant, Danitra says, these are free family events, all ages welcome.
That’s the wading pool at EC Hughes Playground. When Seattle Parks wading pools start opening for the season tomorrow (Saturday, June 22), it won’t be ready to go. We discovered this while checking the Parks pool-info page – “E.C. Hughes Playground wading pool is closed for repairs.” No explanation, and our subsequent visit to the park (2805 SW Holden) didn’t show anything obviously wrong with the pool, but we did see evidence of some water-related work elsewhere in the park, and Parks spokesperson Christina Hirsch tells us that’s related:
Our Facilities crews are addressing a pipe issue at this location. We replaced a substantial section of the waterline and when we re-energized the system another section failed. We are currently working with a contractor to replace another hundred feet of mainline using vertical boring to avoid a large excavation on the site. We hope to have a schedule for that work next week. Once we get that complete, barring any other issues, we should be able to open things up rapidly.
So for the start of the season, West Seattle will have three wading pools:
–Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), daily starting Saturday, noon-7 pm, last day September 2
–Delridge (4501 Delridge Way SW), Wednesdays-Thursdays-Fridays, noon-5:30 pm, June 26-August 16
–Hiawatha (2700 California SW), Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays, noon-5:30 pm, June 27-August 17
(When EC Hughes does open, its scheduled open days are Mondays, Tuesdays, and Sundays.) Remember that on cooler days (below 70) the pools generally don’t open; you can check the status every morning by calling 206-684-7796 (recorded info updated by 9:30 am), and we also include wading-pool info in our daily “what’s happening” lists.
P.S. Highland Park Spraypark is already open and continues daily operation, 11 am-8 pm, at 1100 SW Cloverdale, through September 2.
(WSB photo – part of Maarten Park)
More than a decade after the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene embarked on a project to redevelop part of its property long known as “the park,” what remains as open space is truly becoming one. The church will dedicated what it calls Maarten Park in a community celebration on Sunday. This update is from Marcy Mabry:
This Sunday, June 23, will be the grand opening celebration of Maarten Park! Located next to West Seattle Church of the Nazarene on the 5900 block of 42nd Ave, the church dreamed of this greenspace becoming a park where neighbors and kids can gather, have fun, get to know each other, and build community. Named for our neighbor and congregant Maarten Verburg, who passed away in 2023, Maarten loved anything that brought people together, and he loved a good party – so let’s celebrate!
The day will start with a special church service outside in the park at 10 am. Following, around 11:15, will be the opening ceremony. Then we party! At noon, hamburgers & hot dogs should be ready, feel free to bring a dish to share. West Seattle’s own The Viking Surfers will be playing a set around 1:30. ALL are welcome!
West Seattle Naz is a small church that does so much for so many with so little, and their gift of this greenspace transforming into a park for the community could not have happened without the generosity of friends, neighbors, congregants, and family who have pitched in – whether it be financially, with volunteering, and with cheering on the crew! Very special thanks to John Mullan and his crew at PlayCreation for donating time and materials to make this dream a reality!
There’s still more to do to make this an even more awesome park: Park lighting, more outdoor toys, hillside climb & explore objects, outdoor lighting, and recurring maintenance costs. If you’re able to donate to support the park, you can do so at either link:
westseattlenaz.org/about-us/maarten-park
gofundme.com/f/maarten-park
When last we asked Seattle Parks about the Lincoln Park South Play Area timeline – with construction finally under way, seven years after it was closed for wood damage – they told us it was expected to be complete this month. We went over the other day for a look, and noticed that despite June having less than two weeks left, the play area did not appear anywhere near complete. As the top photo shows, the new play structure is in place, but otherwise, the site still looks fairly raw:
The project webpage hadn’t been updated since January when we looked on Monday before sending Parks’ media team an inquiry. They have yet to reply, but we noticed that our inquiry has led to a small update on the website, where the anticipated completion date has changed from June to July.
This is the third-to-last day you’ll find Colman Pool covered in early afternoon, for a while – the historic heated-salt-water pool on the Lincoln Park shore goes 7 days a week starting Saturday (June 22), just in time for possible mid-80s temperatures! The season schedule is now online – noon-7 pm daily, broken into lap swim, rec swim, and swim lesson sessions. Also remember that the pool will be closed to the public five days for swim meets, June 27-29 and July 12-13. Fees are listed here; if you’re planning on going often, you might consider getting a pass. Colman Pool is scheduled to close for the season after Labor Day.
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