West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
Just in from Seattle Fire via Twitter: Training in the next hour or so at the Joint Training Facility will involve a Washington National Guard Blackhawk helicopter working with SFD. So if you see one in the area – that’s what it’s about. (The JTF is in southeastern West Seattle, 9401 Myers Way S.)
Today’s photo is from Don Brubeck, who observed, “There are worse places to be stuck waiting for traffic to clear – at the Spokane Street Bridge with a bunch of bike riders waiting for a couple of Westrac tugs to bring out the Skagway Provider on the high tide, for their commute to Southeast Alaska.” Here’s where this day/night might take you:
ELECTION DAY: If you don’t get your ballot into the mail by tonight, it’s just wasted paper, so take a few minutes and vote. You can send it by postal mail if you’re sure it’ll have today’s postmark, or you get it to West Seattle’s new dropbox at High Point Library (Raymond east of 35th SW) by 8 pm.
LOW-LOW TIDE: One more day with a -1.9 low-low tide (at 11:08 am), and that brings Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists back to Constellation and Lincoln Parks, 10 am-1 pm.
SEAFAIR PARADE OF SHIPS: Before the Seafair fleet – two U.S. Navy ships, one Canadian Navy ship, and a U.S. Coast Guard cutter – parades past the downtown waterfront at 1 pm, it passes West Seattle, and it’s always a sight. Watch from north-facing shores after noon. Tomorrow through Sunday, the ships are open for tours on the downtown/Magnolia waterfront – details on the Seafair website.
LEARN TO TAKE A COMPUTER APART AND REASSEMBLE IT: 3-5 pm at Delridge Library, free workshop for kids/teens in grades 6-12. Registration required; our calendar listing explains how.
JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: 5-8 pm, live music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) – starting with the final hour of Salty’s 3-6 pm happy hour. (1936 Harbor SW)
NIGHT OUT: 6-9 pm, tonight is the annual night for neighbors to get out and get to know each other better, in the interest of everything from crime prevention to preparedness. Many block parties mean non-arterial street closures, so if you’re driving or riding this evening rather than partying with neighbors, please be extra, extra careful. We’ll be covering Night Out “live” as usual – we’ll be stopping at some parties and would also be thrilled to get a photo from yours – e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com, text 206-293-6302, or tag WSB – @westseattleblog – in your photo posted to Twitter or Instagram. Thank you!
‘BEERS FOR BIRDS’ TRIVIA NIGHT: 7-9 pm at Treehouse Lounge, trivia and fundraising for Seattle Audubon! 21+. More info in our calendar listing. (2206 California SW)
JIM PAGE: Singer-songwriter works his magic at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
MORE! on our complete-calendar page.
With the new school year still more than a month away, so are the school-provided meals that some kids and teens rely on. But anybody under 18 can still get free meals through summer programs that continue into late August. Here’s the reminder we were asked to share:
This summer, hundreds of sites across Washington State are providing free meals for kids and teens! Places like local high schools, elementary schools, community centers, parks and apartment complexes will serve breakfast, lunch and snacks for kids under the age of 18. It is open to everyone! There is no enrollment or registration is necessary. Meal times and days of the week will vary among sites, along with the actual meals served. To find a Summer Meals site near you: Call 888-4FOOD-WA, visit parenthelp123.org or Text MEALS to 96859.
Summer Meals sites in West Seattle include these three, all continuing through August 26th, Mondays-Fridays:
High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW)
Breakfast: 9:30 – 10:00AM
Lunch: 12:30 – 1:15PMHighland Park Playground (1100 SW Cloverdale)
Lunch: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Snack: 3:00 PM – 3:30 PME.C. Hughes Playground (2805 SW Holden)
Lunch: 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Snack: 3:00 – 3:30 PM
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:59 AM: Good morning! We start with reminders:
BLOCK PARTIES TONIGHT: Many non-arterial streets in West Seattle will be blocked off ~6-9 pm tonight for the annual Night Out block parties, with neighbors building community and talking about crime, safety, and preparedness.
BLUE ANGELS I-90 CLOSURES THURSDAY-SUNDAY: The annual Seafair reminder from WSDOT:
The mainlines of I-90 will be closed between I-5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island:
Thursday, Aug. 4: 9:45 a.m. – noon; 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Friday, Aug. 5: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (practice)
Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
Sunday, Aug. 7: 1:15 – 2:40 p.m. (Seafair Air Show)
8:34 AM: Traffic alert on westbound side of the east end of Roxbury corridor – curb lane on Olson is blocked off for charter buses waiting to enter a neighborhood. All we have found out so far is that it’s an event expected to continue until about noon, with more buses coming and going. (The gathering appears to be related to a religious facility on 3rd SW.)
10:59 PM: Police are searching in Morgan Junction for someone reported to have just robbed, or tried to rob, West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan; WSB sponsor). Early information from scanner has this description: Man in his 40s, dark skin, bald, 6′, heavyset, wearing a blue sleeveless sweater or vest and blue basketball shorts, last seen headed away from the store, northbound on California SW. He is reported to have demanded money from a cashier, though no weapon is reported to have been seen. Call 911 with any information.
11:45 PM: A K-9 team joined the search for a while, but no arrest reported so far.
Family and friends are remembering Elmer E. “Buzz” Watson, who died last weekend. This remembrance is shared by his daughter, who says they wrote it together:
Elmer Earl ‘Buzz’ Watson, 95, died July 30th, 2016. following a long life well lived.
He is survived by his son, Gary Watson (Deborah) and granddaughter Kristina Watson (Brock Towler) and great grandson, Miles Towler, grandson Michael Watson (Gillian), and daughter Rebecca Watson (Darwin Nordin). He is also survived by his sister, Dorothy Roeder (her children, Catherine, Cristine, Eric, Aaron) of Bellingham.
Buzz, son of Rachel and Elmer Watson, and great-great nephew of Ernest Watson of Whidbey Island fame (1886 historical house still stands as a B&B in Coupeville), grew up on a 120-acre dairy farm in Sumas, Washington, during the Depression, where he learned how to milk, and avoid being kicked by, a cow.
When not doing farm chores, or riling his sister Dorothy, he spent a lot of time hunting & fishing in the nearby woods & streams. Once or twice a year, his family ventured to the big city – Bellingham – to see the sights. When he was 17, the family sold the farm and moved to Bellingham, where he attended Western Washington College of Education (now WWU) for two years before moving to Seattle to work for the Western Electric (Ballard) phone company for a brief time. In 1941, he joined the Marine Corps, completing his flight training in Eastern Washington and Corpus Christi, Texas, where he graduated as Second Lieutenant. After meeting at a friend’s wedding in 1943, he wooed and married Jacque Lee Crawford in just one week. They honeymooned on the train, en route to North Carolina, and on the night they arrived, not able to find a room in a hotel, asked a police officer if they could spend the night in jail. After finding a home in Morehead City, NC, he received advanced flight training in preparation for active duty in WWII. He served 4 1/2 years as Captain at Midway Island, where he flew a B-25 Mitchell.
Personal highlights included shooting skeet with actor Robert Stack in Hawaii, and fishing off the islands for tuna. Following the war, he served 14 years in the Marine Corps Reserves, and was honorably discharged as Lieutenant Colonel in 1960. His military service was followed by several post-war jobs, gas station attendant, bread truck driver, bank teller at Bellingham National Bank – anything to make ends meet. He then worked for 35 years as a public servant – Deputy Collector for the Internal Revenue Service – and later was promoted to Supervisor of the Bellingham IRS office. He was feared but fair, finding creative ways for people owing tax to pay what was owed to the government (or as he liked to say owed to their neighbors).
Following his retirement from the IRS, he worked part-time as a real estate agent and enjoyed driving clients around and sharing stories about Whatcom County. Following his divorce from Jacque in 1972, he was awarded custody of his daughter Rebecca (unusual for that time) and was a single father for 4 years before marrying Josephine Durnan in 1976 (they divorced in the late ’80s).
He lived in Bellingham (rented an apartment from beloved friend Cheryl) until suffering a stroke in 2012, which brought him to West Seattle, where he lived at Daystar Retirement Village, to be closer to his daughter who cared for him until his passing.
According to him, he was the best fisherman in Bellingham, and enjoyed many fishing trips with friends near Point Roberts, Stuart Island, and off Vancouver Island. He especially enjoyed the fishing trips to Alaska with son Gary, and to HiHume Lake in Canada with daughter Rebecca and son-in-law Darwin. He enjoyed golfing (was a huge Fred Couples fan) and watching the Mariners (when they were winning). A personal friend of Senator Scoop Jackson, he was (and undoubtedly still is) a yellow dog Democrat, and enjoyed seeing Barack Obama elected twice. He was also happy to see Hillary Clinton be nominated as the democratic candidate for President this year. He loved to cook (a foodie before it became trendy), made a mean apple pie and was always asked to barbecue the salmon for friend/family gatherings. Later in life, one Thanksgiving weekend, after a brief introduction by Darwin and Rebecca, he took up painting and produced many beautiful landscapes. He loved his family very much, and was very grateful for all their love, and proud of all their many accomplishments.
His family is saddened by his passing but is grateful that he had the courage to find his own path to a dignified end, and is finally at peace. The family thanks Daystar Retirement Village, Synergy HomeCare, & Kline Galland hospice for their support. At his request, there will be no memorial service. In his honor, please consider a donation to your favorite environmental organization, preferably dedicated to river or ocean conservation efforts – oceanfdn.org, wecprotects.org, marine-conservation.org, tpl.org. Also, don’t forget to vote!
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
From today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin:
3601 FAUNTLEROY APPEAL SETTLEMENT: Neighbors have withdrawn their appeal of key approvals for the 14-house development planned on this east Admiral site [map] as part of a settlement with the owners/builders. While the notice in today’s bulletin doesn’t carry details, the document is in the Hearing Examiner‘s case files. It involves six points of agreement, including the builders’ promise to install speed bumps, monitor traffic and parking during construction, and monitor drainage after construction to ensure the road doesn’t flood. This cancels the appeal hearing that had been scheduled for later this month, as reported here in June.
4532 42ND SW COMMENT TIME: The developers of 4532 42nd SW [map] in The Junction – 6 stories, 74 apartments, 71 offstreet parking spaces, and ground-level office/retail space – have officially applied for a land-use permit, and that opens a new comment period. This is the project that had to go through an extra Early Design Guidance meeting because a large tree had been cut instead of being included in proposed design; that third EDG meeting was held in April (WSB coverage here), and ended with approval to advance to the next phase of Design Review. No date yet for that next meeting, but comments on the land-use application will be accepted through August 14th. The notice has a link you can follow if you’re interested in commenting.
We’ve had multiple reports of a tire-slashing rampage on at least two streets southwest of Admiral overnight:
Karen on 48th SW sent the photo and reports, “We woke to find several cars with punctured tires today on our street. Three in our section of the block and at least three to the north. Our neighbors and I are reporting to the police via online reporting. Some of us were lucky and only had one puncture others had two. AAA said there is a slash in the tire. Looks like they hit cars from Stevens to Hinds so far.” [map]
Then Emily reported: “The tires on my car and a few of my neighbors’ on my block were slashed last night. 47th Ave between Hinds and Spokane. Jerks.”
And Jennie reported seeing “numerous cars with flat tires as I was riding my bike on my way to work this morning. Along 48th Ave SW, they were all between Stevens and Hanford. Then on 47th between Hanford and Spokane. I’d say I saw at least a dozen flat/deflated tires and some cars even had two.”
If it happened to you too, be sure to file a police report. You can do it online by going here. And if you witnessed anything potentially related to this – call it in.
Thanks to Ken Gollersrud at the High Point Library for the photo reminding us all that West Seattle’s new permanent King County Elections dropbox awaits your ballot – cutoff time for your primary vote is tomorrow (Tuesday, August 2nd) at 8 pm. You can mail it, too, but that’ll cost you a stamp; using the dropbox is free.
The decisions you’ll be making in this election include two ballot measures for voters in Seattle only – the 7-year Housing Levy and the “elevated downtown park” proposal, Initiative 123.
You also will narrow the fields for the 7th Congressional District seat, as well as U.S. Senate, Governor, Lt. Governor, and other statewide offices, plus races for State Supreme Court and King County Superior Court, and one 34th District State House seat.
The dropbox is just north of the library, along SW Raymond east of 35th SW [map].
Seafair‘s biggest week is here and some of its biggest sights are close to West Seattle, so we’re continuing to track the Blue Angels and the Seafair fleet.
Blue Angels landing now! pic.twitter.com/UIX5jQZbS6
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 1, 2016
BLUE ANGELS TODAY: As first reported here last week, Seafair was expecting the Navy’s famous flight-demo team between noon and 2 pm today. It’s 1:30 pm as we publish this from runwayside at Boeing Field, and they’re due soon. One bit of news earlier – Seafair says its fan-fave support plane “Fat Albert” has a “mechanical issue” that will keep it from flying during the local shows. Meantime, we’ll update once the Angels have arrived.
1:59 PM: Just added video (atop this story) of the Boeing Field flyby during their arrival a few minutes ago.
3:33 PM: Thanks to Monica Zaborac for the photo above, taken as they flew past Jack Block Park. Also remember, Thursday-Sunday, I-90 bridge closures will accompany their practices and shows – details here.
(back to original report) PARADE OF SHIPS TOMORROW: We published info two weeks ago for the Navy ships due for tomorrow afternoon’s parade past West Seattle and downtown shores, and set for Wednesday-Sunday tours. Today, Seafair’s website has the full lineup, including the U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Navy participants, and who you can tour where – see it here. The official time for the “parade” is 1 pm Tuesday but start watching from West Seattle around noon.
12:01 PM: Thanks to everybody who tipped us on this (and thanks to Lorraine for the photo)! Fencing is up around Lincoln Park’s north play area by the wading pool so that construction can begin on the renovation project. We reported last fall/winter on community discussions during planning for the work; after we contacted Seattle Parks to ask about it today, project manager Katie Bang told WSB that signage is going up this week, adding: “The project was awarded to LW Sundstrum Inc, who has worked on many Seattle Parks and Recreation play areas as well as other play areas around the area. The contractor will begin work at the cable ride. This was an additive alternate that was discussed in the public meetings that we were hoping to fund and were able to do so! He also will be removing and recycling the old play equipment materials. The work is scheduled to be complete by the end of October. The wading pool and shelter 5 will remain open during construction.” You can see images of the new equipment on the project website, which notes that the $600,000 cost is from the Seattle Park District levy.
1:35 PM: You might recall that during the planning period, we reported on a group of Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) students sharing ideas they had been promoting for “accessible” play areas. We asked Bang if any of those ideas made it into the final project:
We have integrated some of the ideas from the 8 students from Explorer West into the design of the renovated play area at Lincoln Park along with all of the other public input.
In our conversations with the middle school students and other community members, we emphasized that the Lincoln Park North play area was probably not the location for a “state of the art” play area for children in the autism spectrum for the following reasons: lack of ADA compliant restroom, lack of ADA compliant parking and compliant pathways in Lincoln Park, the size of the play area, and overall budget.
However, as part of this current project, we are making the play equipment and the immediate area of the play area ADA compliant and we have incorporated some nice features that will appeal to children on the autism spectrum as well as all users. A few of these features include the tactile sand play area which features an accessible play table, tactile rocks, many ground element features of the play equipment are accessible, an accessible group swing, and an accessible cable ride.
(Photo by Tony Welch: SUP’ing off Alki)
Welcome to a new week and a new month. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and beyond:
LOW-LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Until 12:30 pm, find volunteer Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists on the shore at Constellation or Lincoln Park. Today’s low tide: -1.9 feet at 10:24 am. (Find a daily tide chart any time on the WSB West Seattle Weather page.)
BLUE ANGELS ARRIVAL: Last we’ve heard, the Blue Angels are due to arrive at Boeing Field (just east of West Seattle, so it’s practically local) early this afternoon, coming here for Seafair after a weekend airshow in Alaska. Noon-2 pm was the word from Seafair, with whom we’ll be checking again later this morning if no advisory arrives earlier.
WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, with two big topics as previewed here on Sunday – a followup on last week’s Find It, Fix It Walk and a focus group on crime/safety/policing issues. (35th/Henderson)
SHAPE WEST SEATTLE HI-YU’S FUTURE: 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, a big meeting for West Seattle Hi-Yu, as the peak of parade season has passed and the organization starts to assess its future. Your help is needed, as mentioned here. (California/Hill)
ARTSWEST CABARET: 7:30 pm, you’re invited to “join ArtsWest as your favorite Seattle performers sing the songbooks of the artists who inspired them, from Carole King and Alanis Morrissette to Freddie Mercury and Stevie Wonder.” More info in our calendar listing. (4711 California SW)
JERRY GARCIA BIRTHDAY BASH: 8-11 pm, tribute to the Grateful Dead-leading legend, at Parliament Tavern. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
MORE ON OUR CALENDAR! For today, tonight, tomorrow, and beyond – just go here.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
7:14 AM: One major traffic advisory this morning – “emergency City Light repair” has Admiral Way blocked between 57th and Stevens. We are headed over to find out more.
7:37 AM: In comments, Emily says an early-morning crash damaged a pole (apparently no injuries, as the 911 log doesn’t show an SFD dispatch). And as we write this, our crew arrived and sent this photo:
Meantime, Metro says this is “delaying” Routes 50, 56, and 775. No specific reroutes in the alert. Our crew is waiting to talk with an SCL supervisor on scene for a time estimate on the closure.
8:02 AM: No time estimate but it’s not going to be any time soon. For one, the crew hasn’t arrived yet; when they do, the supervisor tells us, they will have to evaluate factors including what kind of a replacement pole is needed and how to deal with wires that are in a precarious balance now with the top of the damaged pole.
8:24 AM: Buses aren’t just delayed, they’re no-shows, per comment, and as we were following up with Metro, they texted/tweeted this:
Transit Alert – Metro routes 50, 56 & DART route 775 are rerouted off of SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016
8:37 AM: The only addition to this so far is “Use stops east of 49th Av SW or west of 59th Av SW.” One comment says the 37 is running late too. We’ll be checking on this closure for as long as the situation lasts and updating this story, which we’re also linking from the first of our “spotlight” boxes atop the home page.
9:57 AM: Metro has texted/tweeted that the reroutes continue. We’ll be checking firsthand at the scene shortly.
10:45 AM: Repair crews were on scene when we went by a short time ago.
We’ll be checking again around 11:30.
11:43 AM: Open again, per this Metro alert just tweeted and texted:
Transit Alert Update – Routes 50 & 56 & DART route 775 have returned to normal operation on SW Admiral Wy between 49 Av SW & 59 Av SW.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 1, 2016
(Photos by Ellen Hoke, courtesy The Great Pacific Race)
Another achievement for the West Seattle-residing ocean rower who holds world records including having become the first solo human-powered global circumnavigator: Erden Eruç and a rowing partner completed The Great Pacific Race, billed by its organizers as “the world’s ultimate endurance challenge.” Eruç and Louis Bird, as the Sons of the Pacific team, made the ~2,400-nautical-mile crossing from Monterey, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii in 54 days and 42 minutes, arriving last Thursday.
Eruç had joined the team days before departure, after Bird’s original partner had to drop out because of illness. The two connected after Bird met Eruç’s wife Nancy Board at a memorial service in San Francisco, and Eruç said he felt he had to fill in, “as an elder in the sport of ocean rowing.” (He celebrated his 55th birthday during the race.) Bird is the son of ocean-rowing legend Peter Bird, who set a record with 938 days of ocean rowing before being lost at sea when his son was just 4 – Eruç has come close to that with 933 days in all after this trip.
This was the second running of The Great Pacific Race; the first was in 2014, the next scheduled for 2018. This year, it had six teams of two or four rowers, all starting the journey on June 4th; Eruç and Bird were the fourth to finish (the first was a four-person crew) and the last finishers are due in Hawaii tomorrow.
(Thanks to Vlad Oustimovitch for the tip on this!)
In West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight:
SIGN ARSON: Within the past half-hour, somebody set a political sign on fire in Gunner‘s yard in Highland Park (7500 block 12th SW). It was a sign for 7th District Congressional candidate Brady Piñero Walkinshaw. A neighbor saw it on fire and knocked on the door to sound the alert; no suspect description. Police have been called. Gunner says another yard sign (for Vision Zero) was untouched.
SHOTS OR FIREWORKS? Several people have e-mailed today about hearing possible gunfire from south Admiral to south of The Junction to Morgan Junction early this morning. The latter appeared to be fireworks, around 4:20 am, according to one person who says she saw the flashes. No confirmed gunfire reports on the SPD log so far, and we can definitively say no shooting victim(s) turned up.
STOLEN BICYCLE WITH EXTRA SENTIMENTAL VALUE: Have you seen this old, but priceless, bike stolen from Justin?
It was stolen out of a secured parking area on California near Morgan Junction Friday night. It’s a green, men’s, mountain-bike style bicycle with no name label. It was built at home with a kit. It does have a Marin County bicycle sticker on it (pink on the sticker). It’s heavy and has toe-clips (not for clip-in shoes). The black handle bars have extensions (also black). It has 26-inch wheels currently with Ritchie slick tires. It has (had) a red Canondale pouch under the seat. Still in good condition, but it’s over 20 years old. My late uncle built it and I’d really like it back.
FOUND, LIKELY STOLEN, GOLF CLUBS: Jessica sent the photo and report:
(Saturday) evening I found a set of golf clubs that had been dumped in an alley between 34th and 35th SW. They were apparently stolen, because the pockets of the bag were strewn about. They are in a blue Wilson Staff bag and one of the clubs is engraved for Travis.
P.S. – NIGHT OUT: Having a Night Out block party on Tuesday? Let us know, so we can potentially stop by for a photo! We’ll also welcome your photos and party updates – editor@westseattleblog.com, texted to 206-293-6302, or tweeted/Instagrammed with a tag to us @westseattleblog – thanks!
One week after a delegation of city officials led by Mayor Ed Murray walked from the Longfellow Creek P-Patch to Roxhill Park – has the Find It, Fix It Walk changed anything? Will it? A followup discussion focused on grants related to the walk is one of two major agenda items for tomorrow night’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting.
(WSB photo, July 25th Find It, Fix It Walk)
Lemmis Stephens, an AmeriCorps team worker on the Find It, Fix It team, at right in photo above, will be there. (The grant applications are here – deadline next Wednesday, August 3rd.) Monday’s 6:15 pm meeting upstairs at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson) also will include a “focus group” on crime/safety/policing issues for the area served by WWRHAH, with SW Precinct researcher Jennifer Burbridge. All welcome, whether you want to join in the discussion or sit in the corner and observe.
Thanks to Miranda for the tip: Another music shop is opening in West Seattle. Tomorrow is grand-opening day for David Goad Violins (at ActivSpace, 3400 Harbor SW). The shop handles “sales, rental, repair, and restoration of stringed instruments … violin, viola, cello, and bass as well as bows.”
Thanks to Andrea for the photo of Gwen and Muriel toward the start of their fourth annual Seattle Humane Society-benefiting bake sale – a tradition they started as fourth-graders! – now at the halfway point (scheduled to continue until 3 pm). Even if you’re not up for home-baked treats, you are also welcome to stop by and donate cat and/or dog food and/or toys, or $/checks for the Humane Society. Find them at 36th/Dakota (map).
5:44 PM UPDATE: From Andrea:
Huge thanks to the West Seattle community for their awesome support today! These dedicated young ladies raised $457 for the Seattle Humane Society through today’s bake sale!!
Remember the work at Talarico’s Pizza that briefly uncovered a decades-old Schuck’s sign back in May? Here’s a little more history from that block in The Junction:
Mariann Petersen shared the photo of her father, Alfred “Andy” Anderson, via e-mail: “I am sending a photo taken sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s. It is a photo of my father standing in front of his barber shop at the Junction. He was there before Schuck’s Auto Parts. He moved farther south on California Ave to make way for Schuck’s. You can see a reflection of a very old car in the window.”
Mr. Anderson retired in 1982 – figuring, according to a Seattle Times clip that his daughter shared, that he was the oldest active barber in the city. That was 14 years before he died in 1996 at age 90.
(Great Blue Heron grooming off Constellation Park, photographed in mid-July by Matt Olson)
Happy Sunday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for today/tonight:
LOW-LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: 9:30 am-12:30 pm, volunteer beach naturalists from Seattle Aquarium will be out at Constellation and Lincoln Parks to assist low-tide explorers. (Today’s low-low tide is -1.7 feet at 9:36 am.)
BENEFIT BAKE SALE: 10 am-3 pm, it’s the fourth year that Gwen and Muriel (now Madison Middle School students) are having a benefit bake sale for the Seattle Humane Society – cupcakes, cookies, brownies, more – cash, or checks made out to SHS, which will receive all proceeds. They also will have a SHS to collect cat/dog food (dry or wet), animal toys, and/or new scratching posts. (36th SW/SW Dakota)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Summer freshness continues, 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
PLAY GAMES! Noon-6:30 pm, see the right side of the Meeples Games (WSB sponsor) home page for the list of groups playing there today – or just drop in! (3727 California SW)
LAST LIGHTHOUSE TOUR FOR TWO WEEKS: No Alki Point Lighthouse tours on Seafair’s big weekend – next weekend – so today, 1-4 pm, is your last chance to visit until mid-August. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)
UKULELE JAZZ, ROCK, LOUNGE, HAWAIIAN, REGGAE … that’s what you can expect to hear from Arden Fujiwara at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)
KOBE YMCA HANDBELL CHOIR: 6:30 pm at Fauntleroy UCC/YMCA, a benefit concert by this internationally renowned group of 15 ringers (six octaves!) – details in our calendar listing. (9140 California SW)
LOOK AHEAD INTO AUGUST … by visiting our complete calendar page.
(Hi-Yu float and Junior Court Princess Sara in last Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade. Photo by Don Brubeck)
7:23 PM: Minutes from now, around 7:30 pm, the Seafair Torchlight Parade begins downtown, and the West Seattle Hi-Yu float will be rolling southbound on 4th with 100+ other floats, marching bands, drill teams, dignitaries, and other parade entries. Because of volunteer-powered Hi-Yu, West Seattle is the only neighborhood in the city that still has a traveling parade float. Even as our community changes, it’s a bridge between the past and the future – with the latter represented by the ambassador and royalty programs for kids of all ages, girls and boys, to build confidence through public appearances. Can you help this tradition continue? From Gloria Teves of Hi-Yu:
West Seattle Hi-Yu Invites You to Its August Meeting
If you enjoyed seeing the Teen Ambassadors at the start of the Float Dodger 5K, and Hi-Yu Royalty on the “Around West Seattle”-themed float last Saturday during the West Seattle Rotary-presented Grand Parade and thought “That’s so cool – how do I get involved?” – come join us at our general meeting on Monday, August 1 at 7:00 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, 4320 SW Hill Street (in the North Admiral neighborhood). Meetings generally last about an hour and half.
This is our 2nd to last meeting of the fiscal year (our last meeting will be September 12). The agenda includes planning for the last 2 parades we will be participating in (Lake City and Issaquah Salmon Days), then we’ll begin a discussion about the future of Hi-Yu. If you are interested in helping Hi-Yu continue on into the future, come and let us know your thoughts. Hi-Yu doesn’t exist without its volunteers and generous donors and we need both to keep it going. If you’re retired and have lots of time available to share or if you’re a busy family with few hours to spare, we welcome everyone!
If you can’t make it to the meeting, but would like more information or provide comments about the future of Hi-Yu, find us on Facebook at facebook.com/wshiyu or the website at westseattlehiyu.com.
Hi-Yu is in its ninth decade, founded in 1934.
ADDED 8:35 PM: Thanks to Mike Jensen for this photo of the Hi-Yu float in tonight’s parade – where he reports it’s won the Seafair Royalty Award!
4:57 PM: We have several West Seattle Crime Watch reports for this roundup, but first, something working right now:
JUNCTION SHOPLIFTER: Donna from City Mouse (4218 SW Alaska) in The Junction wants to warn of a shoplifter who just hit her store this past hour: “Hair in a bun with a flower garland headband. Light colored pants. Large white satchel. Tall. African American. Maybe 30?”
ADDED 5:04 PM – HIGHLAND PARK CAR/MAILBOX BREAK-INS ON CAMERA: From the 8th and Elmgrove area:
This happened while we were on vacation. It was at 12:28 am on Friday, July 22nd. We just got home. Two men in a black 4-door car broke into our car. Unfortunately it was unlocked, which we are still trying to figure out because we locked and armed both our vehicles before we left. They stole stereo equipment and a bunch of mechanic tools that were in the trunk. They were at our car for 6 minutes! Then when they were done cleaning out the car, they checked all the mail boxes and pried open our neighbors lock box. You can see two different men in the video. The first one’s face is not really clear, but the second one is. …
The car pulls into camera view at 12:28:46. The first man’s face is visible at 12:29:34. The second mans face is visible at 12:33:20. At the end of the video is where he breaks the lock box. … I am so done with stupid people getting away with stuff like this. We did file a police report. The police actually showed up 15 minutes after we called them!
BIKE STOLEN IN THE TRIANGLE: Nicole‘s new bicycle was stolen at her workplace on Thursday:
Around 6:45 pm 7/28/16 I was getting ready to close the shop, I’m a barista at Realfine Coffee, and while making a drink for a customer, this man in a newer white Infiniti came to use the bathroom. As he was leaving he jumped right on my bike – we have a garage door that was open where I keep it – and rode off as fast as he could while someone in the car drove off. My customer chased after him with all of his might for about 15 minutes but was unsuccessful.
I am really upset because I had worked so hard to buy that bike and have only had it for a week now. It is a vita sport disc. Matted black, it says Specialized in teal and has some pink as well, medium sized, and straight handlebars.
ADDED 5:19 PM – ANYONE MISSING THESE CD’S? From Sarah:
Crazy amount of thefts/car prowls happening in our neighborhood this month, west of Gatewood Elementary.
(A paper grocery) bag of CD’s with two cases, blue and purple, was found in front of the house next door. Perhaps they belong to someone in the neighborhood? They were most likely left by the same person(s) who got into our car and took two backpacks. We circulated the photos around to our neighbors, but no luck, perhaps you can post them on the blog and someone might be able to reclaim them? I have them at our house.
NORTH DELRIDGE CAR PROWL: From A – “Someone went through our truck and stole some tools – hammers, drill bits, etc – from one of the truck’s drawers on the 2800 block of SW Dakota St … sometime after 6 pm on 7/28 and (before) 7:30 am 7/29.”
ARBOR HEIGHTS PROWLER ON CAMERA: From John:
(Thursday) around 10 am, this person trespassed into our backyard (Arbor Heights – Marine View Dr SW) and was seen by our babysitter, who took the picture.
Nothing appeared out of place or missing. He was in our backyard for around poking and looking around for about 2 minutes. If you have any information regarding this person, please call the Seattle Police Department at 206-733-9800 and reference Incident #16-272005.
Volunteers at Peace Lutheran in Gatewood are building a tiny house for @LIHIhousing today. pic.twitter.com/2UihlsEb7n
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 30, 2016
Someone will have a roof over their head soon, thanks to volunteers and donors at Peace Lutheran Church, carrying out an idea from the church’s most recent confirmation class (14- and 15-year-olds). Today is the second of four days that they’re spending building a “tiny house” to be donated to the Low-Income Housing Institute.
One of the youth who came up with the idea, Katharine, told us that $2,200 was raised to buy the materials through a deal LIHI has with Home Depot. Now they have the kit and are assembling it right outside the church in Gatewood, also supported by a $250 grant from Thrivent that funded items like gloves, food for volunteers, and even the T-shirts they’re wearing.
Which of the city-sanctioned camps managed by LIHI will get it, that’s up to LIHI, the Peace Lutheran volunteers say; the nonprofit will pick it up once it’s ready to go sometime Monday.
| Comments Off on HELICOPTER ALERT: Blackhawk @ Joint Training Facility