West Seattle, Washington
21 Monday
(Photo courtesy Girl Scouts of WW – Erin with one of the logs that comprise her swale system @ Lincoln Park)
Only six percent of Girl Scouts ever earn a Gold Award, the highest achievement level in the organization, created 100 years ago by GS founder Juliette Gordon Low to “challenge girls to change their communities – and the world – in a way that has a sustainable impact,” according to Girl Scouts of Western Washington, which tells us a West Seattle Girl Scout is now a Gold Award recipient:
Erin Demaree from Troop 50253 in Seattle developed a water runoff system on a hillside that stops water and dirt from washing into the public shelter at Lincoln Park. The hill had naturally grown over, but people had walked a path along the hill that caused water to run directly into the shelter deeming it unusable when it rained. She recruited a group of local volunteers to accomplish the construction of the system while also educating them on environmental impacts and erosion issues. Erin’s runoff system now allows the shelter to be used during the rainy season as a proper shelter.
She says, “Completing my Gold Award has helped me in my leadership and critical thinking skills. I really wanted to help the community and because I knew that this park gets used a lot, I wanted to give back by supporting it.â€
Research has shown that Girl Scout Gold Award recipients do well in life! They rate their general success in life significantly higher and report higher success in reaching goals in:
*Higher education and career
*Life skills
*CommunityThe Gold Award inspires girls to find the greatness inside themselves and share their ideas and passions with their communities, which can have a positive, lasting ripple effect on the world!
Erin was honored during a gala at the Convention Center downtown earlier this summer.
2:32 PM: Thanks to Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail for the tip: She says orcas are in the area right now, between Blake Island and Vashon Island, headed south as of her call at 2:28 pm. They’re closer to the other side, so you need good binoculars to see them, but if you’d rather watch whales than football, get over to Beach Drive and points south! She says they’re believed to be transients, not the Southern Residents.
2:52 PM: We can see them from Upper Fauntleroy – heading southbound along Vashon’s east shore, just south of the ferry lane. Moving fast, and quickly out of our peek view; definitely closer to Vashon than this side.
A big day of golfing a few weeks ago resulted in big help for the regional nonprofit The First Tee of Greater Seattle, which shared the photo and report:
Two West Seattleites, Charlie Anderson and Stuart Martin, and their planning committee, raised more than $34,000 for The First Tee of Greater Seattle at the Chuck Diesel Invitational at West Seattle Golf Course on August 28. There were about 112 players who donated funds through player fees, sponsorship, a silent auction, and other fun ways.
The First Tee of Greater Seattle is a nonprofit that serves youth ages 5-18, by teaching them life skills and healthy habits through the game of golf. The First Tee of Greater Seattle serves more then 1,700 youth at 6 different courses and 85,000 youth in 185 schools in King County.
Interested in an invitation for the 2017 tournament? You can sign up here.
After the recent attack on a woman running in our area, West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) decided to organize a free self-defense class. In case you haven’t already seen it in our calendar, here’s the announcement of the class at 7 pm Wednesday, October 12th:
West Seattle Runner and P3Running are hosting a self defense class for runners. We are pleased to announce that Seattle Integrated Martial Arts (SIMA) will be presenting the class. It will last approximately 1-1.5 hours. … Our hope is that this workshop will help you feel empowered and safe while out doing what you love. Additionally, we hope to create a network of runners that night who will connect to run together during the dark hours. Please invite friends who will benefit, and have everyone RSVP. Either RSVP on the Facebook event page OR email lori@westseattlerunner.com
West Seattle Runner is at 2743 California SW.
(The real-life “seahawk” – an osprey – photographed over Luna Park in August by Mark Wangerin)
Last Sunday of summer – Seahawks are in L.A. – and here’s what’s happening in your backyard:
DUWAMISH NATIVE PLANT STEWARDSHIP DAY: 10 am-4 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, a full day of ways to learn about, and learn how to take care of, native plants. See our calendar listing for the topics and times of sessions during the day. Free. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE ULTIMATE FAMILY FRISBEE: 10 am, all welcome, at Walt Hundley Playfields. (34th SW/SW Myrtle)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, see what’s fresh this week. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)
GREYHOUND MEET & GREET: 11 am-1 pm at Mud Bay in The Admiral District, Greyhound Pets Inc. has greyhounds for you to meet. (2611 California SW)
SECOND-TIME SALE, SECOND DAY: 11:30 am-2 pm at Fauntleroy Church, big bargains in the final shopping session of this year’s big sale. (9140 California SW)
JAMTIME, LIVE: Bluegrass and old-time music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
SOUTHWEST STORIES: West Seattleite and former Mayor Greg Nickels has tales to tell for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society– and Seattle Public Library-presented SouthWest Stories series. SWSHS produced this video invitation:
2 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)
SEATTLE GREEN SPACES COALITION: 3-4:45 pm at Southwest Library, this advocacy group focused on open-space issues invites everyone interested to join in. (35th SW/SW Henderson)
BIG LITTLE LIONS & GUESTS: 6-9 pm, all ages, $5 cover, at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
PREVIEW TOMORROW AND BEYOND … via our complete calendar, here.
Photos by Leda Costa for West Seattle Blog
Saturday’s Fiestas Patrias parade and festival in South Park were a show of pride – pride in community, pride in heritage, pride in spirit. Hundreds lined SP streets to watch and cheer, as parade participants marched, danced, and rode toward the South Park Community Center.
Tradition melded with modern reality for some:
Jessica Ramos and Yesenia Gonzalez of the South Park Women’s Group wore handmade dresses that promote recycling. But before we get to more of the festival – photos of the parade! Read More
(WSB photo: Zach Scott signing autographs at 2011 Lafayette Elementary playground celebration)
After the Seattle Sounders FC‘s 1-0 win over Vancouver at CenturyLink Field today, fans have three more regular-season chances to cheer for the West Seattle-residing player who has announced this is his last season. 36-year-old Zach Scott plans to retire after what the team describes as “a distinguished 15-year professional career in Seattle at the USL and MLS levels, making 347 all-time appearances in a Sounders uniform, including the last eight seasons in MLS.” Scott “won seven trophies throughout his time in Seattle, including two USL league titles, four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups and the 2014 Supporters’ Shield.” In addition, the club notes that Scott “is one of three remaining original players from Sounders FC’s expansion season in 2009, and he ranks fifth in club history with 116 career regular-season appearances, starting 91.”
Scott grew up in Hawai’i and lives in West Seattle with his wife Alana and their three children. When not on the field, he’s given a lot of his time to community involvement – some of which is chronicled in WSB coverage archives, like his visits to the West Seattle Cup community soccer event in June 2014:
(June 2014 photo contributed by Steph – that’s her son Zach Arthur with Zach Scott at the West Seattle Cup)
The Sounders announcement of Scott’s upcoming retirement quotes him as saying, “The time has come for me to turn the page on my soccer career and start a new chapter of my life. When I signed with the USL Sounders in 2002, I never imagined that I would have a professional career that lasted 15 years, and it’s been a rare blessing to have played in the same city the entire time. That said, I have much more to offer in this life and I couldn’t be more excited to see what’s next. … It’s unlike me to draw individual attention to myself, and my focus for the rest of the season remains on helping my teammates and this club get to the playoffs. However, my family and I owe so much to the overall Seattle community and the organization, so we wanted to share these final weeks with everyone. I wouldn’t have wanted my career to go any other way and I couldn’t have picked a better place for us to put down roots as a family.”
(Sounders file photo of Zach Scott, by Corky Trewin, used with permission)
The Sounders’ schedule for the rest of the season is here; the three home games are two Wednesdays (7:30 pm), September 28th vs. Chicago and October 12th vs. Houston, and one Sunday (1 pm), October 23rd vs. Salt Lake.
If you missed it in our coverage of City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s update at this week’s 34th District Democrats meeting – three speed bumps are going in on Beach Drive along Constellation Park, in hopes of deterring late-night racing and other speeding. Herbold also wrote about it in her newest online update (which addresses other topics of interest, too). Then while out checking on the wind and waves just before tonight’s sunset, we noticed the three spots marked up on the street along the straightaway between the stormwater-treatment plant and the intersection with 63rd SW.
Neighbors have been working a long time for this – back in March, we reported on their visit to the Southwest District Council seeking support for a grant application to fund the speed bumps, which are already in place on another straightaway stretch of Beach Drive, south of Jacobsen.
6:19 PM: Though it’s been windier today than we’ve seen in a while, we haven’t had any reports of trees downed or other trouble on the peninsula – but someone just texted the photo above to report that a sailboat appears to be on its way to grounding on Lincoln Park’s north shore. Just in case it’s yours – or you know whose it is – we’re sharing the photo. They say the one in the background doesn’t seem to be dragging its anchor, just the one in the foreground.
9 PM UPDATE: The original texter says no one’s come for the boat yet and it’s headed for the rocks.
(WSB photo from fall equinox sunset watch in 2014)
Doesn’t quite feel like it today but – it’s the last weekend of summer. Fall arrives at 7:21 am our time on Thursday and about 10 hours later, you’re invited to celebrate it with West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen – her 30th seasonal (both solstices and both equinoxes, every year) sunset watch! She suggests you arrive at Solstice Park around 6:35 pm – the sun will be dropping behind the Olympic Mountains around 6:55, whether it’s visible or not, and as Alice says, “I’ll be there even if it is cloudy because sometimes the Sun peeks through just as it begins to set, but if it is driving rain or a thunderstorm I’m staying home with some tea!” All ages welcome – Alice and husband Jason Gift Enevoldsen have two young children, including a one-month-old baby, and her interactive solar-system lessons tend to hold the attention of all. (Here’s the full listing in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar; as for the forecast, doesn’t look like rain.)
(WSB file photo: Stack of donated car seats from past WS Baby drive)
Tomorrow is the first day of Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week. Even if you don’t have a young child in your family – it’s important because of how you can help someone who does. Local nonprofit WestSide Baby, which helps families in need with essentials such as car seats and diapers, explains how:
To mark Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week (September 18-24), local nonprofit WestSide Baby is asking the public to help keep more kids safe by helping to purchase child car seats for families who cannot afford them.
The leading cause of death for children aged 0-13 is car accidents, and many car injuries and even death can be prevented with a correctly sized and fitted car seat for a child. Car seats, however, can cost upward of $100 and be yet another unmanageable amount for low-income families. Last year WestSide Baby was only able to fill 47% of requests for car seats received from families in need.
There are several actions that you can take in order to help raise funds or collect car seats which WestSide Baby will distribute via more than 120 social service partners and agencies to families who need them.
First, you can attend the WestSide Baby Cocktail Benefit: Fall Masquerade, on September 23rd (next Friday) at Emerald City Trapeze. This fundraiser is shaping up to be a fun filled night with cocktail from local bars The Bridge, The Point, and West 5, music from DJ Kevin Olsen, magic, entertainment, and philanthropic inspiration. Tickets are available online – $45 for an individual. The event is 21+.
If cocktails aren’t your thing, then how about hosting a “virtual car-seat drive� WestSide Baby are providing template posts and graphics for anyone who would like to spend the week gathering their online networks to purchase car seats through WestSide Baby’s Amazon wishlist. More information is available here.
It is also possible to donate lightly used car seats directly. Seats must be less than 6 years old and not have been previously recalled. For more information and donation sites, please go here.
One more thing you can do – if you do have one or more kids under 12 in your family, make sure you’re following the safety recommendations.
(California [Western] Scrub Jay – photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Good morning and welcome to a (so far) rainy Saturday. Much (but not all) of what’s up today/tonight is happening indoors, so don’t let the rain keep you home! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
PANCAKE BREAKFAST: All-you-can-eat pancakes at the West Seattle Lions Club‘s annual benefit to help people with vision and hearing challenges. At the Senior Center of West Seattle, 8-11 am; more info in our calendar listing. (SW Oregon/California SW)
SECOND-TIME SALE: Big selection, big bargains at Fauntleroy Church‘s big annual sale, 9 am-4 pm. (9140 California SW)
INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY: Put on your rain gear and help clean up West Seattle’s shoreline. The organized cleanup has three starting points at 9:30 am – even if you didn’t pre-register, just show up and help. (Seacrest Park, Alki Bathhouse, Constellation Park)
DEMYSTIFYING MENTAL ILLNESS: Two informational sessions at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Walmesley Center – you’re welcome to participate in one or both, 10 am and 12:30 pm. (34th SW/SW Myrtle)
PARK(ing) DAY CONTINUES: 10 am-6 pm, this year’s PARK(ing) Day around the city has a bonus day. West Seattle’s one and only temporary parklet is outside Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village. (Photo added 1:03 pm – Rocky and Wyatt’s co-proprietor Kirk enjoying the park despite the weather – go play some Ladderball!)
(2800 SW Barton)
FIESTAS PATRIAS PARADE AND FIESTA: South Park’s annual celebration includes an awesome parade that starts near 10th S. and S. Henderson, heads east on S. Henderson to 14th Ave. S., and on north along 14th S. to Cloverdale and to the SP Community Center, where the parade ends and the fiesta begins. More in our calendar listing.
TALK WITH YOUR SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE: Leslie Harris, who represents West Seattle and South Park on the Seattle School Board, has her next community-conversation meeting 3-4:30 pm at High Point Library – drop in when you can. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
LAMPLIGHTERS PIZZA PARTY: Music, food, art to raise money for organizations that help people experiencing homelessness. 4-11 pm at American Legion Post 160 Hall – see our calendar listing for music lineup and other info. All ages. (3618 SW Alaska)
RAT CITY RECON: Music festival in White Center, 6 pm-2 am, this year at Southgate Roller Rink. Lineup and other details in our calendar listing. 21+. (9646 17th SW)
SUNRISE HEIGHTS STREET DANCE: 6-10 pm on 29th SW – details in our calendar listing.
BILL DAVIE: Alternative-folk musician at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)
THREE BANDS IN ADMIRAL: At Parliament Tavern, 9 pm, Jim Marcotte & The Breakthrough, Wynne C Blue, Clay Snyder. $5 cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
THREE BANDS IN NORTH DELRIDGE: At The Skylark, 9 pm, Chris Mess, Dogstrum, Los Morries. $7 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
(WSB photos. Above, West Seattle’s #8 Rico Saeturn and #18 Gabe Gagnon)
The Friday night lights shone a little brighter at Southwest Athletic Complex this time around – besides a media swarm for the anthem protest, the game had been voted KING5’s Big Game of the Week – but West Seattle High School would have preferred a different outcome: The Wildcats were defeated for the first time this year, as the visiting Garfield Bulldogs went home with a 52-9 win.
Nate Pryor scored West Seattle’s only touchdown, on a pass from Gabe Gagnon, with a little over three minutes left in the first half. With it, the Wildcats went into halftime behind 24-9, and didn’t score in the second half.
As the crowd departed post-game, rain started to fall. Next Friday at 7:45, West Seattle, now 2-1, is at Memorial Stadium downtown, against Ballard.
Neah Bay visited Seattle Lutheran tonight at West Seattle Stadium, the Saints’ first home game of the season. Neah Bay headed back north with the win, 70-32, and that has the Saints at 0-2. Next week SeaLu heads to Clallam Bay for a 6 pm game on Friday, September 23rd.
In high-school football tonight: Chief Sealth International High School was on the road at Sammamish. As tweeted via @sealthathletics, the Seahawks led much of the way, ahead 20-14 at halftime. Regulation ended with the score tied at 34, but Sammamish managed to get the win in overtime, 40-34. Next Friday night at 7, Sealth – now 0-3 – is back home at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), facing Garfield (which beat WSHS there tonight, 52-9, story/photos to come).
By Linda Ball
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Bad things can happen to good people.
It’s true in the case of Stephanie Endres, a Pigeon Point resident and victim of a hate crime first reported here hours after it happened – a racist, threatening note left outside her home on July 26.
With one week to go until the September 24th Hate Free Delridge event – organized as a community response to the hate crime – we sought out Endres to find out how she is doing and what she has heard about whether the crime will be solved.
Endres, 30, is a homeless-outreach case manager with the Low Income Housing Institute, in addition to running her own nonprofit organization, Stephanie’s Lifeline, which also helps people experiencing homelessness. Add to that, she just obtained her master’s degree in nonprofit management, adding to her bachelor’s degree in social work. She’s a positive force to be reckoned with, who gives and gives and gives and gives. Not to mention, the mother of two mixed-race children, and the first person in her family to reach this level of higher education.
A Seattle native, Endres and her children, Terrina, 5, and Jameson, 4, live with her father in the house she grew up in. The day she came home from work and found the note, she said it was just lying on the porch. She thought it was trash. Read More
As mentioned in our daily event preview, Garfield High School football players told the South Seattle Emerald that they planned to kneel during the national anthem before tonight’s game with West Seattle High School, to protest racial oppression. The anthem has just been sung (by WSHS’s Kelsey Lenzie) here at Southwest Athletic Complex, and not only did Garfield’s players kneel, as shown in the top photo, so did several WSHS players, while the Garfield cheer squad sat (photo below).
The game is now underway and we will report on it separately later.
ADDED: Garfield coaches, from our photographer on the field.
One of this weekend’s big events is for people who love to shop. The photo and reminder are from Judy Pickens:
Above, Janie Menaul wrestles a floor lamp into shape to check that it’s complete and working. She and a host of other volunteers are preparing for the 22nd annual 2nd Time Sale this weekend at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), and it promises to be one of the biggest ever. Saturday 9 am – 4 pm with a bake sale and free delivery of large items; Sunday 11:30 am – 2 pm. Cash or check only for thousands of clean, culled, and organized bargains.
Judy adds that the church is currently “hiring a building and grounds custodian to handle routine maintenance and support such special events” – details are here.
For those who have been asking when the RapidRide stop on southbound 35th just south of Avalon would move back to its permanent site … it’s back. Don’t know if it’s been back for hours or days, but Eddie tipped us this afternoon, so we drove by for a photo. We had most recently checked with Metro in July, and – as we wrote here – they expected it to return in August, so it was a little behind schedule, but it’s there now. During the construction of mixed-use Aura, the stop had moved about a block south.
If you haven’t already seen this announcement in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, we’re spotlighting it now since tomorrow’s daily preview will likely be too late:
MENTAL HEALTH 101 AND COMPANIONSHIP: DEMYSTIFYING MENTAL HEALTH AND REMOVING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Life, Justice, and Peace Commission invites you to one or both of these great events on Saturday, September 17 in the Walmesley Center (7000 35th Ave SW).
Mental Health 101 (10-11:30 am) will focus on fostering a deeper understanding of common mental illnesses, what they look like, how they develop and tips for relating to the people who live with them. We will discuss strategies for families and other caregivers to support the mental health of themselves and others.
Companionship Training (12:30 pm-3 pm) will introduce the five practices of Companionship: hospitality, neighboring, sharing the journey side-by-side, listening and accompaniment. Once completed, you will have tools to listen consciously, with openness and awareness, to enable at least a momentary reprieve, and to encourage a strengthening for the journey ahead.
$10 suggested fee per class or $15 for the whole day.
Information: Jennifer Ibach at jibach@olgseattle.org or 206-935-0358 x.120. Please be sure to bring a lunch if you’re staying for the day.
2:02 PM: Thanks for the tips. We’re hearing Guardian One too. The helicopter showed up concurrent with a report of a possible burglary near Fauntleroy Park – we’re checking to find out more.
2:09 PM: Police are in the 4000 block of SW Barton, for what we still believe, so far, is a possible burglary investigation. That abuts the Fauntleroy Park greenbelt, on which they are focusing as well.
2:24 PM: Police are now searching the house that was the subject of the burglary report – our photographer reports that the residents came home and let them in. Fauntleroy has had an uptick in burglaries recently, as mentioned in our coverage of the Fauntleroy Community Association meeting this past Tuesday; we reported on a break-in near Lincoln Park just yesterday.
2:35 PM: No word of an arrest yet. But a sighting that *might* (or might not) have been related – someone who told us about hearing the burglary alarm said they saw several people jump into a “black Acura” near Fauntleroy Church – we know police have that tip as well, as it’s been mentioned over the air.
2:37 PM: Our photographer is back with this image of police when they were outside the house with guns drawn about 20 minutes ago, before determining whether anyone was still inside:
We’ve received a couple questions about this site-clearing work underway in southeast Admiral.
It’s the site of the 14-house 3601 Fauntleroy Avenue SW [map] development. As we reported in August of last year, development proposals have been in the works for this site for at least nine years – in 2007, it was proposed for 21 houses, and then the plan resurfaced last year with 14 houses. After it received key approvals this past May, neighbors filed an appeal, then withdrew it following a settlement with the developer last month. The arborist report filed with the city says that the only “exceptional trees” on the site are four madrones in the “east steep slope buffer” that are not expected to be affected by the construction project; the report says the rest of the ~100 trees “in general” are “structurally weak … diseased … smothered in invasive species.” If you’re following the permit on this project, you’ll see here that the 14 houses will have addresses on SW Spokane.
Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STREET ROBBERY NEAR CALIFORNIA/ANDOVER: We’ve just obtained the Seattle Police report on this incident that happened just before 11:30 last night. It says a woman who had just gotten off work in The Junction was walking home with her boyfriend, northbound in the 4000 block of California SW (near Andover), when four men “approached them from behind.” One man asked the woman what time it was; when she started to pull out her phone to look, the man showed a “small black handgun” and said “Give me all your stuff.” She said the men then pushed her to the ground “and punched her several times … she covered her face to keep her glasses from breaking.” Her purse, meantime, was on the ground, with its contents scattered, the report says, and the attackers/robbers went through the items, stealing $30, before running away southbound, possibly because two people had just pulled up in a car. Police arrived at the scene, where they found the female victim, who said her boyfriend also had been assaulted and then chased after the robbers/attackers. SFD was called to check out their injuries. The victims said that because it was dark, they didn’t get a good look at the attackers/robbers, but they and the two people who had pulled up in a car told police the four appeared to be black men in their 20s, “average build,” wearing dark sweatshirts “with the hoods pulled up.” Police brought a K-9 in to help search, but didn’t find anyone.
CAR STOLEN FROM SUPERMARKET LOT: A brazen car theft this morning – while Kelly stopped for coffee, bagel, and a work call at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction, someone stole her car, a green Honda CR-V, plate AQK4300, taken around 9:20 am from the south side of the parking lot: “The car had very special fishing poles that mean a lot to our family.” They’re in the process of filing the police report now; call 911 if you see the car.
P.S. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes monthly meetings next Tuesday (September 20th) at the Southwest Precinct, 7 pm, with crime-trend updates from police and a chance for you to bring up community crime/safety concerns.
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