West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
One year ago tomorrow, the old Alki Statue of Liberty was taken down and trucked away. Tonight at the monthly Alki Community Council meeting, it’s a third round of discussion about what could, should, and might happen next. (This follows two meetings in the past 8 days organized by community members Libby and Paul Carr, who are trying to re-start the project to build a plaza around the recast statue; here’s our report on the first meeting; a WSB reader’s observations from the second one is in the comments here.) Parks Department rep Pamela Kliment, who’s collecting public comment on all this, tells us she’ll be at this meeting after having to skip the last one; so will the Carrs. It’s an important debate about a West Seattle icon; get in on it by going tonight (7 pm, Alki Community Center) or by e-mailing Kliment (click here).
We didn’t get pix during the Concert in the Park last night … so here now for your viewing pleasure now, belatedly, are the tree and plaque on the south side of Hiawatha Community Center, officially dedicated last night by Hizzoner in honor of West Seattle’s annexation centennial (so now can we secede? j/k):ÂÂ
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More than two dozen heat-braving souls just wrapped up the first of two meetings led by an earnest Alki couple, Libby and Paul Carr, who are trying to salvage the stalled Alki Statue of Liberty plaza project. Ultimately, the final say on the future of this West Seattle icon rests elsewhere …Read More
Tomorrow (Wednesday) night, at the height of the heat, you can multitask by cooling off at Alki and joining in a meeting outside the Bathhouse, to help determine the future of the statue that might otherwise soon earn a nickname like “Liberty in Limbo.” Seems the replacement for the old one (Northwest Programs for the Arts photo at left) is done but fundraising for the “plaza” to surround the new one is not, so a community meeting is being called to discuss, among other things, whether to just install the new one and be done with it sooner, or carry on with the “plaza” project and see the installment happen later. Read the meeting organizers’ explanation, in their own words, after the click:Read More
Surely you’ve heard by now that the next couple of days will be ridiculously hot. That means discomfort will skyrocket with the temperatures, since most of us don’t have air conditioning and just aren’t acclimated to 90-plus degrees. But we don’t all have to pack ourselves onto the sands of Alki to stay cool. We thought it would be worth discussing alternatives in advance; for starters, we managed to cope with the last megahot spell by taking a late-afternoon walk through Schmitz Park (photo @ right). The trees of Lincoln Park, Camp Long, and other green zones in WS can do the same trick. (You can follow up a walk through LP with a dip in Colman Pool, which is open through the peak of the heat, till 7 pm.) Got a heat-beating tip to share with the rest of WSB-land?
Summer sizzles on (with pirates!) … click ahead to see what’s happening:Read More
The Fourth of July is days away, but the fun starts now, with everything from motorcycles to a free natural-health seminar to picketing (yes, picketing) … click ahead to see what’s up around WS this weekend:Read More
From the start of wading-pool season, to the wildly important Emergency Preparedness event, to the Admiral invasion of “Can’t Stop the Serenity” — there’s tons to do, now through Sunday, without leaving the peninsula. Click ahead!Read More
Today’s the first weekday of the season for Colman Pool, which is now open noon-7 pm every day till early September (full schedule here).
The forecast may not be so hot as of this point, but our West Seattle weekend roundup includes plenty of indoor options if needed … including the world’s most famous all-female AC/DC tribute band, late-night comedy, an all-city “jam” for independent business people, the Rat City Rollergirls’ rummage sale on Alki, plus your chance to help beautify North Delridge … Those events and more, a click away:Read More
This week’s Stranger gives another mention to a West Seattle mini-controversy that got surprisingly little attention earlier this spring (we only linked to it in passing): the city’s decision to deny a nudist group’s request to rent Colman Pool for a swimsuitless swim. At least The Stranger mentioned the group by name (Body Freedom Collaborative, site NSFW); the original account didn’t. So do you think the city should have said yes? (We can’t help thinking they would have been able to handle it by charging extra to put the plywood back up for a few hours.)
That “thank you” comes from Ercolini Park project organizers, who are working to transform a big beautiful empty lot west of The Junction into a real park. They say WSB readers have stepped up to commit dozens more volunteer hours to the project since our last update earlier this week. And they just got great news from the city — pending mayor and council approval, they’ll get a $90,000 grant, to complement $10,000 in “volunteer time and cash” that they will have to nail down by Halloween. They’ll also be teaming up with the folks working on Junction Plaza Park (on Alaska between Cali and 42nd) for fundraising efforts, with a joint meeting set for June 13.
Happy June! Lots to choose from in a full slate of WS weekend events, one click away.Read More
Call it a monstrous way to try to save the Sound. The “Mud Monster,” mascot of a new Puget Sound cleanup campaign (photo below), starred at a media kickoff event at Alki this morning. The campaign’s site says the “Mud Monster” is “designed and produced by the folks who brought us the Mariner Moose.” Couldn’t we just have somebody in, oh, say, a plush six-gill-shark suit?
It’s another do-or-die moment for the folks working to make Ercolini Park (west of The Junction) a reality: They need more commitments of volunteer time (and $) to help show the city they deserve a grant to transform the parkland from grassy field (photo below) to fully equipped neighborhood park — for an area that’s long on families but short on park space. The grant-decision time is near so if you can chip in to help the project, you can click here to e-mail project organizer Bill Barna or check out the Ercolini Park Updates site.
From 130-plus yard sales in 1 day, to a wild hour to try the Water Taxi, to women’s tackle football, to bellydancing, there is so much to do this weekend, you’ll wish you could just skip sleep. Full list is one click away:Read More
Even without the Cinco de Mayo wildness at your favorite drinking spot, it’s a BIG West Seattle weekend. Click for the full (and “full” is an understatement) list!Read More
The Water Taxi and Farmers’ Market, both returning on Sunday … Easy Street’s new “afterhours” shows continuing tonight … your chance to help shape a West Seattle landmark’s future … all part of the weekend preview roundup, a click away:
As we hinted a few times already, SO MUCH happening in West Seattle this weekend, you might as well not bother going anywhere else. World-class shows (like the members of COTR appearing at Cafe Rozella), free swimming, Earth Day celebrations galore, and … how can you pass up the first-ever Pet Rodeo and Snooty Walk? Full list with links, a click away:
We actually consider 13 a lucky number, so this is bound to be a great weekend. Garden plants for sale, free family fun courtesy of the WS YMCA, tons of tunes, and surprises as always — one click away:
A few weeks after our last update on the neighborhood organizers determined to take Ercolini Park west of The Junction from purchased parkland to bonafide park by summertime, there’s more news. Organizer Bill Barna says they’re almost halfway to their goal of getting 1,000 hours of volunteer time pledged; find out more about what’s up and how you can help, at the park website or e-mail Bill directly.
This isn’t happening till Saturday, but you need to pre-register, and organizers say space is limited, so here’s an early alert: People for Puget Sound is kicking off a kids’ art contest with a “beach treasure hunt” and low-tide walk at Lincoln Park this Saturday afternoon. Go here to find out more (including contact info for signing up).
It’s Friday, and that means time for the West Seattle weekend roundup. Indoor and outdoor fun to follow …Read More
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