West Seattle, Washington
07 Sunday
One day after a federal-court hearing attended by an overflow crowd of supporters, Chittakone “Alan” Phetsadakone is out of ICE detention and home in West Seattle, a family friend reported in an update on this crowdfunding page. As we reported on Wednesday, he is a native of Laos who was detained by ICE at what was supposed to be a routine immigration hearing. He filed for a restraining order to stop their plans to deport him and to get him released from federal custody; his wife of more than 20 years works at Sanislo Elementary and that school’s community organized a show of “silent support” to fill (and, we’re told, overflow) the courtroom downtown on Friday. The online court docket shows that Phetsadakone’s motion was granted, so after weeks in detention in a federal facility in Tacoma, he is home this morning with his wife and their three children. This is not the final word on the case, though. Federal Judge Jamal Whitehead‘s order calls for a status report in the case by next Tuesday to determine what happens next. Phetsadakone is reported to have been in the U.S. since he was brought here as a two-year-old refugee, more than 40 years ago. The federal government is reported to be seeking deportation because of what the family friend describes as “a non-violent offense [when he was a teenager] for which he has taken full responsibility and long since served his time.” He had been in ICE detention since July.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The Sanislo Elementary community is rallying support for a school employee’s husband who is in ICE detention.
Chittakone “Alan” Phetsadakone, originally from Laos, is at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, the online roster confirms. A flyer is circulating to request community presence at his hearing this Friday morning in Seattle:
The flyer was shared with us by a family friend, who also shared a social-media post made by the Sanislo PTA, reading in part:
This is not the post I imagined for our first day of school, but a Sanislo family member needs your help. One of our own has been caught in the deportations that are sweeping our community and you have a chance to help keep a faily together. Cheryl Eugenio is the backbone of Sanislo. She keeps our school running every day from the front office and knows each of your kids. Her husband was detained during his regularly scheduled check-in with ICE and has been held in Tacoma. He is at ris of deportation to a third country. Cheryl has asked that everyone share the information of his next hearing so we can fill the courtroom with quiet supporters. … If you have ever asked what you can do to protect our community, this is your chance to show up. The courtroom holds 70 and we want it packed with support.
Sanislo community members plan to carpool to the federal-court building.
According to an online docket, the hearing is related to Phetsadakone seeking a temporary restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, and seeking release. We haven’t been able to obtain the court docments yet but w will be asking seeking ICE comment tomorrow about the case.
ADDED THURSDAY: Since we published this story, another family friend has started a crowdfunding page, which has more information on the situation.
Deb Achak is a West Seattle-based fine-art photographer. After living in various neighborhoods around the peninsula for almost two decades, in 2013 she and her husband bought and renovated the former Villa Heidelberg B&B along Erskine Way, where they now reside with their two sons, and where she works from her home photography studio. Last year Deb had her first solo fine-art photography exhibition in New York City, and also oversaw the publication of a new monograph: “All The Colors That I Am Inside.” West Seattle Blog senior contributor Christopher Boffoli recently sat down with Deb – who was fresh from travels in the Himalayas, where she was shooting her next project – to talk about how she came to photography, her connection to West Seattle, and the power of intuition.
(All images courtesy Deb Achak Photography)
By Christopher Boffoli
West Seattle Blog senior contributor
Deb Achak didn’t nurture childhood dreams of becoming a visual artist. She didn’t employ Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-hour rule” in pursuit of a life with a camera in her hands. In fact, you wouldn’t know from looking at the stunning, painterly fine-art images that she produces, that she came to photography fairly late in life, in what she has characterized as a “sudden and demanding compulsion.”
As someone who actually did start young, who has spent decades working at photography, and who still frequently fails at it, it’s hard to not be a bit envious. After all, we photographers can be a competitive lot. Observing Deb’s work often feels like eavesdropping on a conversation of someone particularly eloquent and perceptive. While photography may not have been in her early plans, some of the experiences of her childhood would inform the creative work that would come.
As a girl growing up in Amherst, New Hampshire, a creative career was the furthest thing from her mind. Neither of her parents were exceptionally creative. Both worked long hours supporting the family. There simply wasn’t anyone in her world who provided a blueprint for a career in the arts. Sometimes, though, life has a subtle way of illuminating things that we will circle back on later, even if we’re not initially conscious of it: like acorns that rain down around us, never knowing which ones will find purchase, seek out rays of sun, and later send up green shoots.
“My mother was a crafter. She was a quilter, “ says Deb. “She sewed clothes for us, did needlepoint, made stained glass. But we didn’t think of her as an artist. She worked as an HR director and she did these things at home.” Deb saw these endeavors as hobbies, apart from work life. “I figured you’d always have creative hobbies and then you’d have a real job.”
Deb’s childhood summers were a time of light. New Hampshire isn’t really known for its coastline, all 15 miles of it (18 miles by the most generous estimates). The state’s limited seashore is underwhelming as beaches go. But in the eyes of a child, it might as well have been the French Riviera. Like a lot of blue-collar families in the area, Deb’s spent time during their summers at Hampton Beach.
It’s perhaps not much different now than it was in the ’80s. One might not hear the same “woca-woca-woca” sound of Pac-Man spilling out of the arcades, but across the narrow ribbon of beach, and beyond the gray asphalt perpetually jammed with cars, you’re likely to find the same clam shacks and fried dough stands, T-shirt and souvenir shops, salt-water taffy vendors and people playing Skee-Ball. “We didn’t go to fancy beaches. That’s how we grew up. We didn’t have money.” Deb says that she mostly remembered it as “crowds of people relaxed and at ease, enjoying the ocean.” For what it lacked in luxury, it more than made up in sensory stimulation.
Later she would major in English at the University of New Hampshire, with an minor in studio art. But she claims the latter was more of a casual interest and never something that she imagined as a vocation. “I didn’t have any example of working artists. It wasn’t even on my radar.”
Like many who finished college at the end of the (first) Bush administration, a deep recession made for a challenging job market. Despite working multiple jobs, Deb just found she wasn’t surviving. “So I saved every penny and moved to the West Coast because a friend had moved here.”
Seeking adventure – and hopefully employment – Deb moved to Seattle in 1992. That version of the city would look largely unfamiliar to those moving here now. At the time, though, it seemed to suddenly be on the cultural radar of the world, in the midst of the white-hot success of the grunge music genre. Around this time, Starbucks had its IPO with around 165 total locations. AIDS deaths were still on the rise and Amazon was just a river in South America. Microsoft Windows was on its third version. “Sleepless in Seattle” was filming in town and Cameron Crowe‘s film “Singles” was screening in theaters. The Kingdome was still the city’s main sports and entertainment venue.
Deb couch-surfed with a friend for a while as she scrambled to work multiple jobs including waiting tables, staffing a catering company, and taking on cleaning jobs. At the same time she was diligent about sending out resumes and watching for openings. At length she found more promising prospects in a listing at Harborview, counseling victims at what was then called the sexual-assault center. She soondiscovered that she had a facility for the work, and found it fulfilling. This led her to similar work as a patient-care coordinator at a clinic at the University of Washington, where she liaised with physicians and nurses, helping with coordination between the medical side and law enforcement in pursuing sexual-assault cases. For a while she considered careers in law, or medicine, or mental health. But ultimately she chose social work, pursuing a master’s degree at UW.
Around the same time that she started working on her master’s, she met Ramin, the man who would become her husband. By the end of the ’90s, they decided it was time to buy a house, which led them to West Seattle. Over the next fifteen years they lived in several neighborhoods on the peninsula, during which time they became parents. Looking for something more spacious, they fell in love with the former Villa Heidelberg, which they bought (in 2013) and then spent years meticulously renovating. The exquisite result of that project has been featured in design magazines.
Deb’s transition from a challenging, if fulfilling, career in social work, into motherhood, and then into a multi-year house renovation project, progressively led her to picking up a camera. At first, she says, it was – like it is for a lot of parents – about documenting the childhood of her small children. But as much as she found cameraphones to be convenient, she quickly found herself chafing against the limits of the technology. “I just wanted something better to shoot with,” she says. After her husband gave her a compact Canon DSLR as a gift, her interest was supercharged. “I went everywhere with that camera. I really fell down the rabbit hole. I read the manual and taught myself everything that I possibly could.” Deb says that she set up an account on Flickr, which was very popular around that time, taught herself editing software, and joined every photo club she could find.
Soon after discovering this passion, Deb had an instinct to do something with a package of delicate optics and electronics that maybe wouldn’t be so intuitive to most: she wanted to submerge it in seawater. That risky decision fortunately would not end in disaster. In fact, it became the genesis of her first official series of elevated fine-art images.
(WSB photo by Dave Gershgorn: Award recipient Stu Hennessey at the mic, with WSB’s Tracy Record and ANA’s Joanie Jacobs at left)
You might know Stu Hennessey as founder of Alki Bike and Board in the Admiral District. But he’s done so much more to help make this a better place to work, live, study, and play, and so the Admiral Neighborhood Association presented him at Saturday’s Admiral Block Party with the first annual Patrick Sand Community Advocate Award. Named in memory of WSB’s co-founder, the award is meant by ANA to “celebrate an individual whose in-front-of as well as behind-the-scenes service and commitment have made a lasting impact on the Admiral District of West Seattle.” Stu was chosen from nominations sent by community members. His community work includes advocating for a Walkable Admiral, helping lead Sustainable West Seattle in its heyday, inspiring park- and garden-lovers everywhere by growing Puget Ridge Edible Park from idea to reality, leading bike rides exploring local street features like greenways, and more. As we said during the presentation, Patrick would be happy to hear he’d inspired a new honor for unsung heroes! Thanks to ANA’s Dan Jacobs and Joanie Jacobs for creating that honor, and watch for nominations to open next spring.
7:27 PM: WSP confirms what a commenter below reported, that the man subject to a Silver Alert, last seen in West Seattle, has been found.
EARLIER: Circulated by SPD: Read More
(Unfurling photos by Dave Gershgorn for WSB)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
“The first pride,” Dominique Stephens made sure to point out, “was a protest,” as she helped guide volunteers across the street on the corner of Alki and 57th this morning for Alki Beach Pride’s annual pride flag ceremony. The goal of the ceremony is to get the community excited for their 11th official Alki Beach Pride celebration, which happens next Saturday, August 16th.
Stephens has known Alki Beach Pride founders Jolie and Stacy Bass-Walden (photo below) for years, helping with permits, organizing and music. More importantly though, she’s their friend. “This is actually the first year she’s not doing anything,” said Jolie, as the group gathered at Blue Moon Burgers this morning.
Today’s celebration was made even more special with the support of Seattle’s chapter of Dykes on Bikes, a nonprofit motorcycle club that volunteers at parades and LGBTQ events. Just before noon, as a quickly-growing crowd of volunteers and organizers gathered along Alki Avenue, the group’s signature motorcycles roared up the street in a first-time collaboration for the two organizations.
The main event started immediately after, as two massive flags – a transgender pride flag, and a rainbow pride flag – were rolled out on Alki Beach by the crowd, continuing to draw in volunteers along the way.
Today’s celebration was made all the more meaningful in the wake of recent legislation, which has had a disproportionate effect on queer people, including the closure of the Trevor Project’s 988 suicide & crisis lifeline, which focused specifically on queer youth. The American Civil Liberties Union says it’s tracking more than 600 anti-LGBTQ state-legislation bills across the country.
(WSB photo: Dominique Stephens speaks at today’s pride flag ceremony)
“This Pride is pretty big for me,” said Stephens. “It’s about being seen for so more than just June, It’s about asking ourselves if we’re being proud all the time. It’s about asking if we can do that in a well-rounded way. We need to be proud together. We need to stand together, fight together, and be seen together.”
Next Saturday’s celebration is a way for people to gather in an inclusive, urban, family-friendly celebration of Seattle’s LGBTQ community, and have a great day at the beach. For more information about Alki Beach Pride – which includes live entertainment, a street party, vendors, and more – check out their website here.
A West Seattle 10-year-old and her friends are thanking the community for helping them raise $500 for Seattle Children’s Hospital with a holiday treat sale. They’ve delivered the donations and are now sharing their story:
(Popsicle sellers presenting donation to Children’s Hospital’s Dondi Cupp)
During the Kids Parade on the Fourth of July, my classmates Aimee H, Olivia W, Melissa A (not pictured), and I sold popsicles to the participants of the parade. We decided to sell popsicles because we wanted to donate all the proceeds to Seattle Children’s Hospital. There were two reasons behind this. The first reason, a former classmate of mine continues to receive care at the Seattle Children’s Hospital. And this past school year, one of our teacher’s daughters started treatment at the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
We want to thank the West Seattle community for helping us for nearly doubling our donation from two years ago!!
Sophia Chang (10 years old)
By Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
At noon this past Wednesday, in a sunny backyard behind a house at the end of Victoria Avenue SW, 60 years of history culminated in a tense competition between five childhood rivals. The sleek, bat-winged profile of the Myr Sheet Metal rocketed ahead of the blunt-nosed Grey Ghost and the bright red Exide in an all-or-nothing bid for the finish line. The Sheet Metal’s driver, Brian Partridge, cheered uproariously as he took home the trophy in the final race of the American Turf Power Boat Association.
The five men traded light-hearted barbs as they retrieved their boats. Each one is a scaled-down replica of a hydroplane, painted meticulously to resemble a specific real-life counterpart. These models are a testament to one of Seattle’s longest-running traditions, the Seafair hydroplane races. Since 1950, crowds have been drawn to the banks of Lake Washington to watch drivers reach speeds upward of 200 MPH as they race neck-and-neck for the Seafair Cup.
James Jay Wilson says he can still remember the roaring of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines over Lake Washington during Seattle’s first-ever Hydroplane race. James -or as his friends call him, “Wahoo” – was obsessed. This obsession would quickly spiral outward, as other kids on Victoria Avenue began to follow along. James calls it “hydro fever,” and it’s had its grip on him and his friends for the last 60 years.
Randy Short, a friend of Wilson’s, said he remembers hearing Wilson towing a small wooden recreation of that year’s hydroplane behind his bike, a gift from his father. This quickly turned into a sport as Short and Wilson formed an alliance, racing their boats around Victoria Avenue. Later that decade, what started as a bike race evolved into a lawn game, the Turf Thunderboat Game, and what started as a group of friends eventually became the ATPBA, the American Turf Power Boat Association.
(Group photo from a previous race, this photo and sixth photo courtesy James Wilson)
The rules of the game are simple. A “track” is set up using cones, each marking a spot in the race. Every contestant places their boat at the starting line, and each player takes turns rolling a die and moving their boat a corresponding number of spaces. Whoever crosses the finish line five times first wins. “It seems like it’s all luck, but it’s about how you roll the dice,” said Wilson, who attributes his success in the game to a series of successful high-risk gambles in Reno, Nevada, several years before.
Wilson and Short invented the system using a board game that the latter had received as a gift. It was in this form that their obsession would persist for the next several decades, with Wilson only missing races when he was deployed to Vietnam, where he earned his second nickname, “The Mad Bomber.”
Wednesday’s race was all the more bittersweet then, as the five friends begin to close the book on the sport. “Hydroplane racing has slowed down,” said Wilson. The nostalgic, guttural roar of the Rolls-Royce engines, which were sourced from planes used during World War 2, have since been replaced by turbines. As the years pass, Wilson said, he can see the “hydro fever” fading.
Still, all five contestants stepped out onto the track in Wilson’s backyard, endearingly named “Lake Wahooshington” that day, eager to settle scores six decades in the making. First was Fred Kofoed, who started racing miniature hydroplanes in Ballard, with Miss Madison. Then, Brian Partridge, with Myr Sheet Metal. Randy and his brother Greg Short brought out the Grey Ghost and Miss Bardahl, respectively, and finally Wilson, setting up with his Exide.
The race starts hot, as Sheet Metal moves first, before Grey Ghost and Miss Madison quickly overtake it, before all three are overtaken by Exide. The five continue to race shoulder-to-shoulder, poking fun at each other when the dice rolls low, and making playful accusations of cheating every time someone (often Partridge or Wilson) rolls a six.
Eventually, the race is down to a three-way battle between Grey Ghost, Sheet Metal, and Exide. Short’s Grey Ghost takes the lead first, before a series of poor rolls causes him to stall. Wilson’s luck similarly turns on him, as Exide stalls in the final moment. Taking advantage of the opening, Partridge’s Sheet Metal bolts for the finish line to conclude the race. “It was a super fun day, coming from the winner at least,” said Partridge, as the group gathered after the races.
In past years, the event has had upward of 20 contestants, including a particularly memorable race in 2017, which was attended by Seattle native and hydroplane racing legend Billy Schumacher. As the five close the book on this chapter of the ATPBA, Short said, each of them carries countless memories.
(Randy Short [left], James Wilson [right], Billy Schumacher [center], at an ATPBA race in 2017. Once nicknamed “Billy the Kid,” Schumacher was one of the most well-known hydroplane racers)
From their first races in 1950 to the present day, the Seattle skyline that James Wilson’s house on Victoria Avenue overlooks has changed drastically. The Smith Tower, once the tallest skyscraper on the West Coast, is now the 26th tallest in Seattle. Harbor Island businesses have continued to expand, the West Seattle Bridge has replaced the old drawbridge, Seattle has seen 16 mayors, the rise of the tech industry, the Civil Rights movement and more.
For each groundbreaking shift, each controversial election, and each new skyscraper on the skyline, though, Wilson has been right here. Even if this was their last race, and even if the city has changed in more ways than he can count, he says he’ll always remember the signature roar of piston engines over Lake Washington.
(Thanks to the neighbor whose tip enabled us to be there for the ATPBA’s finale.)
(Photos courtesy Quail Park West Seattle)
That’s Tommy Criswell with the DubSea Fish Sticks‘ mascot Fin Crispy Jr. at Steve Cox Memorial Park‘s Mel Olson Stadium this past Sunday. He got to make a baseball dream come true,explains Betsy Henry from Quail Park West Seattle (WSB sponsor):
A dream 70+ years in the making came true for 78-year-old Tommy Criswell, a longtime Seattle resident and lifelong baseball fan as he threw the ceremonial “first fish” at the DubSea Fish Sticks game against the Redmond Dudes on July 27th.
Criswell, who lives at Quail Park West Seattle, checked off a major item on his bucket list when he took the mound at Mel Olson Stadium in King County’s Steve Cox Memorial Park at the start of Sunday’s game.
Born in Texas but a proud Seattleite for most of his life, Criswell discovered his love for baseball at age six when his father signed him up for Little League. That early passion followed him through decades, even as he built a 30+ year career as a physicist with Boeing.
Criswell is also a devoted Mariners fan—his favorite player of all time? Ken Griffey Jr. “I loved how he’d leap into the air to catch the ball—like Spider-Man!” he says, referencing the iconic outfield catch that earned Griffey the superhero nickname in his mind.
Now, more than 20 years after attending his last Mariners game in person (a victory over the Dodgers), Criswell re-lived the magic of the ballpark in a way he never expected—on the pitcher’s mound. Criswell said it was a thrill to throw the first “fish.” When asked what he thought about the experience, he said with his characteristic sense of humor, “that was a slippery fish!”
(Khalil Taw and Ari Taw)
By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
While most high-school students in West Seattle were busy counting down the days until summer break, fraternal twins Ari and Khalil Taw were just as eagerly counting the days until the new school year starts for them, at campuses almost halfway around the world. They are heading to Eastern Europe and Western Asia, respectively, having both earned a coveted spot in a program focused on what may best be described as world peace. It involves leaving their parents, friends, and each other for two years, in exchange for an extraordinary opportunity.
“My head’s in the clouds right now,” says Khalil, who will live in the Northern Armenia town of Dilijan. He and Ari, who will study in Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were selected as Davis Scholars with the United World Colleges (UWC). While college is in the name, UWC is a high-school program with 18 schools on 4 continents, and only one in the US — in Montezuma, NM. While UWC is functionally a boarding-school program, it intentionally brings together teens from disparate backgrounds to learn from each other for the betterment of the planet.
UWC was founded in the 1960s in the UK, with a goal of cultivating peace and understanding through education. By being in a classroom together, students from dozens of countries would see not just their differences, but the many things they have in common, and start to understand each other’s perspectives, leading to empathy, collaboration, and ideally, a future with less conflict. Over the years, UWC has grown to global prominence and widened its impact, counting now-King Charles, Nelson Mandela, and Queen Noor of Jordan among its presidents, the latter having served since 1995.
“It’s the best-kept secret in the US,” says Carl-Martin Nelson, UWC’s Director of Communications, who says that’s in part because UWC spends available funds on scholarships rather than marketing. “Our admissions model is different from any other school. We recruit for idealism in a way, unabashedly,” he says, explaining that they might have one full scholarship and one half-scholarship available for a country like Egypt or Venezuela. Each of those countries has a national committee that is then charged with finding students who they think would be a good match for the school. A three-stage application process follows, one that both Ari and Khalil found intense and sometimes intimidating, particularly knowing that only a very small percentage of applicants are accepted. “I became scared through the stages. I was unsure if I was going to fit in because a lot of people are very much one type,” says Ari. “I really do care about my academics, but I’m creative-focused. I think I have this little impostor syndrome. Do I really belong here?”
After the twins completed the third stage, a visit to the American UWC campus in New Mexico earlier this year, the answer was yes for both of them. Then the question was where in the world would they be going to school. UWC allows incoming students to list their top 3 choices and the majority of them put Italy first. Ari asked for Mostar, and got it. “I’m really interested in post-conflict societies,” she says. “That’s what drew me to Mostar — that there are three ethnicities. I wanted to see how they’ve reconciled [after the war in the early 1990s]. I really care about immigration and how people view immigrants. I don’t have clear-cut goals, just helping people.”
Khalil’s interests are more varied, but are centered around equity and access, particular when it comes to natural resources and recreational open space, which he has noticed is often utilized along lines of class and race. “You’re mostly seeing people of higher income, and white. A lot of people can’t appreciate national parks [because of a lack of] transportation, gear, money. There’s so much blocking everyone off from the outdoors.” Khalil thinks his time in Armenia will shape his ideas about how he can bring about positive change. “I want to go into politics, environmental equity, policies, cutting off corrupt international trade. Right now I have so many political tangents. At UWC I‘m going to find out what I’m really going to make a change in.”
Though American policies around travel and immigration are in flux, neither of the Taws is particularly worried about being out of the country for the rest of their high school education. But they both mentioned the big change of leaving their family home at 16 and the impact it will have on their parents. “They’re losing both of their kids. I’ll never live with them again,” predicted Ari. Their dad, Harold Taw, said with a smile, “My wife and I were a lot more supportive of their departure from home 2 years early when we thought it wasn’t a realistic possibility.”
Soon the last days of their sophomore-year classes at Seattle-area schools (Holy Names for Ari and Downtown School for Khalil) will be just a distant memory, and the twins will be on planes with different destinations. Orientation starts at the end of August and Ari’s will include a canoe trip with other students, an activity that will require everyone to pitch in together, something both twins know is exactly what they signed up for. “The beauty of UWC is the friendships you make across cultures— a person from each continent,” Khalil says, “The idea that world peace starts with kids, education… is the most important thing. People hate each other until they talk face to face. [That’s when] you see that someone feels just like you. It’s going to be messy, but also, it’s kind of beautiful.”
(Reader photo)
We reported briefly on that collision at 35th/Avalon this past Tuesday night. It sent motorcyclist TerRon Dawson to the hospital with a broken pelvis, we learned via comments. Readers asked about a chance to contribute to his recovery, so his former wife Emily Dawson, shown below wth TerRon and their children, set up this crowdfunding page.
Emily said in email to WSB – as noted on the page – that TerRon, who works as a contractor, also is expressing gratitude:
TerRon wanted to especially mention that he was thankful for the show of community during his accident. He said there was an off-duty firefighter who helped hold his head steady and gave words of comfort, and there were many others who helped gather his things that had scattered in the accident like his backpack and boots. He really appreciated everyone’s help.
We’ve had some great success stories about local athletes recently, and here’s the latest: Local ultramarathon swimmer Denise Simens, who also coaches high-school swimmers, competed at nationals in Portland last weekend, and her friend Chelsie P sent the story and photos:
I wanted to shine a spotlight on a West Seattleite making a splash! My good friend Denise Simens just swam the Portland Bridge Swim in Portland, OR (last weekend). This event is an 11-mile long open-water swim in the Willamette River. The event was the official 2025 United States Masters Swimming Ultramarathon-Distance Open Water National Championships.
Denise improved her time from last year by 41 minutes, and took first place in her age group by 17 minutes. In addition to being ranked #1 in the Country by age group, she also finished 6th overall female and 22nd overall athlete (out of men and women). Entries were limited to the first 100 qualifiers across the country and registration closed quickly this year! The qualifying standard was to complete either a 5,000M or 5,500YD swim in less than 1:40 (an hour and forty minutes.)
For a bit of context, any swimming event over 10K is considered an ultramarathon, and the distance swum yesterday nearly doubles the distance of the minimal requirement. Next up for Denise is an inaugural event in September called the Mt. St. Helens Classic, hosted by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association (NOWSA). This event is four ultramarathons in 4 lakes, swam in just 4 days after Labor Day Weekend.
I would like to mention that Denise is also the Head Women’s Swimming Coach for Chief Sealth International High School! She has been a West Seattle resident for nearly ten years.
Chelsie also sent the results from last weekend.
Last month, we noted that a Seattle walking fan named Holden was organizing “saunters” around the city and that his next one would be in West Seattle. Last Saturday was the big day, and it was a success! Holden sent this West Seattle Saunter report with photos today:
Howdy Y’all,
Back on May 17th of this year, hundreds of people showed up in the pouring rain to walk the entire length of Seattle, from north to south, in the inaugural Seattle Super Saunter. Despite the weather it was a truly positive experience of folks exploring the city, making new friends, and getting some good exercise. A goal of the event was having some way of connecting disparate areas of the city together, and getting folks to experience neighborhoods that they might not otherwise see. And although we felt like the event did a good job in that aim, there was one large part of Seattle that felt difficult to include, and one that often goes overlooked by folks in other parts of the city, West Seattle.
So in an attempt to rectify not being included in the Seattle Super Saunter, we thought why not give West Seattle its very own saunter. So on Saturday July 12th and beginning from the West Seattle Water Taxi Pier, the West Seattle Saunter took its first step. The simple plan was to traverse 12 miles around West Seattle on foot and see some of the best spots West Seattle has to offer such as Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, Myrtle Reservoir Park, and Summer Fest at Alaska Junction.
At the beginning there were probably about 150 folks who came out to saunter on what ended up being a gorgeous and wonderful day. What was especially nice was to have a good ratio of folks from West Seattle and New Seattle (the mainland), probably about half and half.
Something that was also great was seeing so many folks use the water taxi. Another goal of these saunters is to encourage folks to use transit, so it was the perfect opportunity for folks to use the water taxi. The 773 shuttle also made it convenient for folks to get from Summer Fest at Alaska Junction back to the Water Taxi at the end.
Some of the highlights of the day included:
-Getting to hear about the Alki Healthy Street over at Constellation Park
-Learning about what life was like with the West Seattle Bridge being out
-Seeing a seal over at Lincoln Park, right after this woman had promised her friend there would be one
-Swarming the Super Deli Mart at 35th and Barton with our large group
-Visiting the highest point in the city and exploring the cute neighborhoods and parks near High Point
-Meeting Everett, who was 9 years old and who walked the whole 12 miles and finding out later he got rewarded with a big ice cream cone at the end
-Finishing up at West Seattle Summer Fest and enjoying all the vibrancy of the event. It was such a treat to meet so many great people on Saturday and I heard from plenty of folks that they had never been to West Seattle or that they had not been since before the pandemic.
So this felt like the perfect opportunity for people to explore and re-explore alongside the wonderful residents of West Seattle. If you were not able to make it out on Saturday, I hope you take the chance to get to see West Seattle on foot (take the water taxi too!). Although at times West Seattle can feel like an afterthought to folks on the mainland, there really is so much to see, do, explore, and enjoy out on the Peninsula, as I am sure your readers already know. I know I’ll be back soon and I’m sure plenty of folks from Saturday will too.
Thank you to West Seattle for being so wonderful and thank you everyone who showed up to make Saturday special!
If anyone would like to stay in the loop for any future saunters, you can join our email list here or follow the Instagram.
(Lou Cutler with Pathfinder students during 2019 ‘Laps With Lou’)
Retired teacher and Make-A-Wish volunteer Lou Cutler says it’s the “honor of a lifetime” to be chosen Grand Marshal for this year’s West Seattle Grand Parade, coming up in just a week and a half, on Saturday, July 19th. Parade organizers have just officially announced the honorees who you’ll be able to cheer toward the start of the parade – Lou as Grand Marshal, and longtime local community advocates Joanie Jacobs and Dan Jacobs as winners of the Orville Rummel Trophy for Community Service. Here’s the announcement sent to us by the parade team:
The West Seattle Grand Parade is thrilled to announce its 2025 honorees — community champions whose dedication, heart, and service have made a lasting impact on our neighborhood and beyond.
Lou Cutler Named Grand Marshal
Longtime West Seattle educator and beloved Make-A-Wish volunteer Lou Cutler has been named the Grand Marshal of the 2025 West Seattle Grand Parade. Lou is a former physical education teacher at Pathfinder K-8, best known for creating “Laps with Lou” — an annual birthday tradition that became a powerful fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington.
Since 2003, Lou has walked or run one lap for every year of his age, raising more than $100,000 to grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. (Editor’s note: The past two years, he’s walked variations of his tradition – here’s WSB coverage of his most-recent fundraiser-on-foot.) With more than 275 wishes granted as a volunteer, Lou’s commitment has touched hundreds of lives and inspired an entire community.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to be selected as Grand Marshal,” Lou shared. “For many years, my Pathfinder Unicycle team rode in this Parade — we always loved the energy of the crowd. Nothing beats the community spirit and pride that West Seattle residents display. Being Grand Marshal makes my millennium!”
Lou will lead the parade down California Avenue SW on Saturday, July 19th, 2025, beginning at 11 am from California Ave SW and SW Lander Street.
Orville Rummel Community Service Award: Dan and Joanie Jacobs
This year’s Orville Rummel Community Service Award honors Dan and Joanie Jacobs, a dynamic duo known for their lifelong dedication to community-building in West Seattle. Describing themselves as “neighborhood people at the core of our being,” the Jacobs are tireless volunteers, event organizers, and connectors.
From their early years supporting West Seattle Christian Church and launching the Ginomai artist space and West Seattle Art Walk, to their more recent roles with the Admiral Neighborhood Association, the Jacobs have helped shepherd countless neighborhood events including the AMP summer concert series, Admiral Block Party, Fourth of July Kids Parade, Halloween Trick-or-Treating, and Winter Wonderland. Their leadership, creativity, and compassion have shaped West Seattle’s civic and cultural identity for more than two decades.
Dan & Joanie Jacobs are fond of this quote by Mother Teresa: “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Join us on Saturday, July 19th to celebrate all three of these extraordinary West Seattle leaders and to watch the 2025 West Seattle Grand Parade, which kicks off at 11:00 am from California Ave SW and SW Lander Street.
At last report, the parade had more than 70 entries. You can watch it from anywhere along California, southward to The Junction, where it ends at SW Edmunds.
Story and photos by Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The lunch room at Brookdale West Seattle was alive with celebration today, as neighbors and friends alike gathered to celebrate resident Rosa Facciuto’s 107th birthday. Partygoers enjoyed lunch and sang along to “Moonglow,” “Sweet Caroline,” and a favorite of Rosa’s, “Hey Good Lookin’” by Hank Williams.
Rosa was born on July 7th, 1918, in Seattle. In her life, she’s seen two world wars, the space race, the civil-rights movement, as well as the rise of the telephone, and later the internet. Today was more than just a birthday celebration; it was a chance to reflect and appreciate the life she’s had so far, including jobs as an Alaska Airlines flight attendant and Seattle Police secretary.
“I’m on top of the world,” Rosa remarked while opening one of the many cards stacked in front of her. The party was in high spirits, and the community showed up with an outpouring of appreciation and support. Many of her friends took the time to write down comments, which were read at the party. “She’s an inspiration to all of us,” one friend wrote. “She is beautiful and intelligent,” snother friend wrote – “But she doesn’t have good eyesight.” Rosa interjected.
“Don’t sit at home and mope, get out and keep active. If you don’t have a job, volunteer.” Facciuto said, when asked if she had any advice for the younger generations. “Don’t abuse yourself either, you’ve got to take care of your body. And choose your friends well. You’ll be all right if you run around with the right people.”
Performing the music today was local musician and community member C.C. Engel. She’s played piano and sang at Rosa’s last three birthday celebrations, and says she’ll keep performing at them for as long as she can. Previously, Engel has worked across Seattle, from New Luck Toy to the Chelan Café. “As long as she’s here, I’ll be here,” Engel promised.
These days, Rosa keeps active as a member of Brookdale’s poetry club and goes to bingo three nights a week. She says she’s grateful for the people she has around her today. “I love everybody here, and I’ll never ever regret that I’ve been here this long.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Before Mallory Carlson, a young mom of three, talked with us about the reason for our phone interview, she wanted to tell us about her love for West Seattle.
She moved here the first time at age 14, to live with an aunt and uncle. She attended Chief Sealth International High School.
The second time she moved here was the first time with her husband and their first child, a son who’s now 4 years old. They had to leave because her husband’s job search led them to California. “We’ll be back,” they promised each other. And this spring, they managed to return to what Mallory calls an “incredible community,” home to many members of her family.
It seemed like the first step into a warm, bright future. They had expanded their family with identical twin girls half a year ago.
And then, just weeks after their return to West Seattle … “this happened.”
That word, “this,” encompasses so much heartache … but also hope. Sisters Josie and Lucy were diagnosed with an aggressive type of leukemia that Mallory says affects only 100 babies a year – ALL. The girls are now two weeks into an experimental chemotherapy treatment that they will have to endure for nine months. And that’s if they’re lucky. That’s inpatient chemotherapy at the start of a two-year treatment plan, their mom explains.
“The girls are stable – but not doing well,” Mallory told us when we talked Tuesday afteroon. “At least, they’re not in danger of dying today. … For every day, we’re grateful, but this is truly terrifying.”
Mallory is a self-employed wedding photographer. She can’t work now for multiple reasons – not just the need to stay at Seattle Children’s Hospital with Josie and Lucy, but also because she has to limit her exposure to other people, for fear she’ll catch something and spread it to them. “If they catch a cold, it could kill them, so I’m trying to be incredibly careful.” Her husband has just started his new job and hasn’t accumulated paid time off, so he has to keep working so that they can cover mounting medical bills and keep the “fixer-upper” West Seattle house they’d bought before “this.”
So they are crowdfunding, painful in its own way for someone who says she’s never had to ask for help before, “but I have to put my pride away.” In addition to raising money, Mallory is also trying to raise awareness and end the stigma that invariably arises with the word “cancer.” If people don’t want to help her family, she says, maybe Lucy and Josie will inspire them to donate to a foundation researching childhood cancer.
Research has suddenly become a large part of the family’s life. The girls are part of a clinical trial right now – a trial that hadn’t begun when they were diagnosed, but, Mallory explains, was opened seven months early to admit them. It is a trial that expands the chemotherapy currently used to treat ALL.
How did they both get it? Because they shared a placenta, one spread it to the other, Mallory explains. Josie was the first diagnosed, and the double diagnosis drew researchers’ attention quickly, enabling them to get into the aforementioned trial. “It could save them, at least keep them in and no matter what happens to them, it could change medical history … (but) even if it doesn’t save them, I want to bring awareness to this awful, awful rare disease.”
Their care is estimated to cost $1 million per twin – per year. “We are doing everything we can, but this fight is bigger than us alone,” Mallory says. And bigger than two very little girls living in a hospital right now.
Here’s the crowdfunding/updates site set up by friends and family.
(Photo courtesy Lou Cutler, as he and friends stopped on the shore last Wednesday)
Last week we were on Pigeon Point as retired Pathfinder K-8 PE teacher Lou Cutler and friends headed out on a peninsula-wide walk to raise money for Make-A-Wish, the nonprofit for which he’s volunteered for many years, helping ailing kids’ wishes come true. Last week’s walk was also a birthday celebration for Lou – turning 74 this year; in many past Junes, he celebrated with a Pathfinder event running/walking the same number of laps as years on the school field that he’d been alive. This time, he planned to walk 13 miles around West Seattle – and succeeded:
(It) was a beautiful day for a walk and always a pleasure to have great company along the way and the MAW kids and their families to inspire me all along the way.
Due to previous commitments of my compadres, I finished the final 4 miles by myself and to be quite honest, that was a bit of a challenge as I may have become dehydrated along the way and the exercise music I always use to motivate me during walks wasn’t available as my phone died at mile 10. The last 3.7 miles were much slower than the previous 10 miles and I wouldn’t have finished without the inspiration I receive from the MAW kids and their families!!
We checked today and supporters/donors have brought Lou’s campaign within a few hundred dollars of the goal he set. If you’re interested in donating, here’s the link.
Congratulations to Elliot Caron and Andrew Orland, West Seattle’s newest Eagle Scouts. They’re part of Troop 282, which provided the report and photos:
Amid wild applause and celebration on Sunday, June 8th, West Seattle’s Troop 282 awarded the prestigious Eagle Scout rank to Elliot Caron and Andrew Orland — an honor earned by only 6% of all eligible scouts. Their achievement marks their culmination of years of dedication, leadership, and service to the community. Each of their projects reflect their interests in building up communities and bringing people together.
Elliot, a senior at West Seattle High School, is set to embark on his next adventure at the University of San Diego, where he’ll pursue academics as well as compete on their Division 1 crew team.
His Eagle Scout project (above) for Explorer West Middle School was designing and building benches and a meeting area to serve as a space that will serve students, parents, and educators for years to come.
Andrew, a junior at The Northwest School, helped West Seattle’s elder community at Arrowhead Gardens. His Eagle Scout project (below) was to transform an outdoor space into a welcoming garden area with a bench for residents to enjoy.
As he looks ahead to his college journey, Andrew is exploring schools where he can continue his passion for competitive soccer.
Troop 282, founded in 1949, stands out as one of the few Scouting troops that welcome both boys and girls — and boasts one of the highest percentages of youth who successfully achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. The Troop gathers at West Side Presbyterian Church, offering a welcoming space for new members looking to embark on their own Scouting adventures. More details about joining can be found at troop282.net.
The West Seattle Junction’s annual Pride Month display of rainbow flags is happening today. The West Seattle Junction Association told us they chose the date because of the celebration that VAIN is leading during tonight’s Art Walk – meet up at the shop (4513 California SW) 6-6:30 pm, then head south to California/Alaska for celebratory dancing.
The Junction’s first rainbow-flag display was in 2019, after an “adopt-a-flag” fundraiser.
(WSB file photo)
One week ago, we published our early list of West Seattle/White Center events for Pride Month. Here’s our updated list, mostly from events sent to us for the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – please let us know if you have something to add to it:
SMELLS LIKE QUEER SPIRIT: “Music! Drag! Poetry!” 5 pm Friday, June 6, showcase at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW).
YOUTH PRIDE MINI-PARADE: Meet at 5 pm at Future Primitive in White Center (9832 14th SW).
WHITE CENTER PRIDE STREET FESTIVAL: Noon-11 pm on Saturday, June 7, the street festival takes over 16th SW in downtown White Center, between Roxbury and 100th.
SOUTH DELRIDGE EVENTS DURING WC FESTIVAL: Terraplanted and Mr. B’s Meadery both have plans on June 7 too.
VIP EXPERIENCE DURING WC PRIDE: Ticketed event at Lumber Yard Bar and Boombox, noon-midnight, “featuring two queens from the recent season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race – Arrietty and Acacia Forgot.”
KARAOKE FOR THE SPIRIT: Progressive, queer-affirming churches’ gathering to sing secular songs at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7 pm Sunday, June 8..
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION FLAGS: This year, the Junction Association says, the rainbow flags will fly on June 12, in support of the next event on the list (and they’re signing up volunteers to help put the flags up) …
PRIDE CELEBRATION ON ART WALK NIGHT: VAIN is organizing a two-part celebration on June 12, which is West Seattle Art Walk night – meet up at the shop (4513 California SW) at 6 pm, head south to dance at Walk All Ways (California/Alaska) at 6:30 pm.
PRIDE IN OZ @ KENYON HALL: Two performances of Pride Month’s Kenyon Hall Cabaret all-ages drag show, 6:30 pm Friday (June 13) and 1:30 pm Saturday (June 14) – get tickets early!
PRIDE CELEBRATION ROLLER DERBY BOUT: Rainier Roller Riot‘s bout “Pack Is Queer“ is a Pride celebration, 5:30 pm June 14 at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW, White Center).
PRIDE PET PHOTO BOOTH: 11:30 am-2:30 pm at Mud Bay Admiral (2611 California SW) on June 22.
SEATTLE PRIDE NIGHT OUT: Organize your own block party with inspiration from the West Seattleites who started it, June 26, 5-8 pm.
EMERALD CITY KINGS BALL, PRIDE EDITION: Featuring kings from near and far – 8 pm June 27 at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PRIDE COCKTAIL FUNDRAISER: All month long, Mioposto (2139 California SW; WSB sponsor) offers a special cocktail, The Sylvia River-ita, with half the proceeds supporting Lambert House.
What else? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com so we can add to the calendar (and this list) – thanks!
Terry asked us to share this:
Big thank you to the women who stopped to assist my husband on Saturday morning, May 31st at California Ave SW/SW Hill Street after witnessing his fall. I failed to properly thank these kind ladies who stayed by his side and watched our dog while medics treated him and I was able to arrive. Thankfully he only suffered a couple of fractured ribs and a broken bone in his right hand; given his complex medical history, the injuries could have been much worse. Thank you again for being good neighbors – your assistance is very much appreciated.
(WSB photos)
Pride month begins tomorrow, but Louisa Boren STEM K-8 in Delridge got an early start with a Pride Kickoff Party on the playground last night. Rainbows were everywhere, from chalk creations to costumes:
Sponsors and participants included the PTA, GGLOW, and area organizations like White Center Pride:
WC Pride’s street festival is one week from today, June 7 on 16th SW between Roxbury and SW 100th.
(WSB file photo)
June arrives this Sunday, and so does Pride Month. Here’s our local list – please let us know if you have something to add to it (LIST UPDATED JUNE 4):
SMELLS LIKE QUEER SPIRIT: “Music! Drag! Poetry!” 5 pm Friday, June 6, showcase at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW).
YOUTH PRIDE MINI-PARADE: Meet at 5 pm June 6 at Future Primitive in White Center (9832 14th SW).
WHITE CENTER PRIDE STREET FESTIVAL: Noon-11 pm on Saturday, June 7, the street festival takes over 16th SW in downtown White Center, between Roxbury and 100th.
SOUTH DELRIDGE EVENTS DURING WC FESTIVAL: Terraplanted and Mr. B’s Meadery both have plans on June 7 too.
VIP EXPERIENCE DURING WC PRIDE: Ticketed event at Lumber Yard Bar and Boombox, noon-midnight, “featuring two queens from the recent season 17 of RuPaul’s Drag Race – Arrietty and Acacia Forgot.”
KARAOKE FOR THE SPIRIT: Progressive, queer-affirming churches’ gathering to sing secular songs at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7 pm Sunday, June 8..
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION FLAGS: This year, the Junction Association says, the rainbow flags will fly on June 12, in support of the next event on the list (and they’re signing up volunteers to help put the flags up) …
PRIDE CELEBRATION ON ART WALK NIGHT: VAIN is organizing a two-part celebration on June 12, which is West Seattle Art Walk night – meet up at the shop (4513 California SW) at 6 pm, head south to dance at Walk All Ways (California/Alaska) at 6:30 pm.
PRIDE IN OZ @ KENYON HALL: Two performances of Pride Month’s Kenyon Hall Cabaret all-ages drag show, 6:30 pm Friday (June 13) and 1:30 pm Saturday (June 14) – get tickets early!
PRIDE CELEBRATION ROLLER DERBY BOUT: Rainier Roller Riot‘s bout “Pack Is Queer“ is a Pride celebration, 5:30 pm June 14 at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW, White Center).
PRIDE PET PHOTO BOOTH: 11:30 am-2:30 pm at Mud Bay Admiral (2611 California SW) on June 22.
SEATTLE PRIDE NIGHT OUT: Organize your own block party with inspiration from the West Seattleites who started it, June 26, 5-8 pm.
EMERALD CITY KINGS BALL, PRIDE EDITION: Featuring kings from near and far – 8 pm June 27 at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PRIDE COCKTAIL FUNDRAISER: All month long, Mioposto (2139 California SW; WSB sponsor) offers a special cocktail, The Sylvia River-ita, with half the proceeds supporting Lambert House.
What else? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com so we can add to the calendar (and this list) – thanks!
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