West Seattle, Washington
24 Tuesday
12:49 PM: A tree is down across the southbound lanes – and part of the northbound side – on West Marginal Way SW, near 2nd Avenue SW. An SDOT crew has arrived to get it cleared (above is a screengrab from the nearest traffic cam) but things may be a bit backed up in the area for a while.
1:47 PM: Camera shows SDOT still on scene and the tree partly cleared.
3:39 PM: The cameras aren’t working now but an SDOT update says it’s clear.
Reader report via text: “Gas thieves hit 9200 block of 14th SW again this morning, second time in just over a month.” (We’ve also had reports a few weeks ago from 30th/32nd and Cloverdale.)
(Rainbow and ferry photographed this past week by Steven Rice)
Last Sunday in February already! Here’s the lineup, mostly from our WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SUNDAY FUNDAY RUNDAY: The Westies Run Club is back to the regular run today, this time from Dough Joy Donuts – meet at 9 am. (4310 SW Oregon)
FREE WEST AFRICAN DANCE CLASS: Sunday dancing! 9:30 am at South Park Hall (1253 S. Cloverdale).
AMERICAN MAH JONGG: In The Junction, weekly Sunday morning games are happening at the new location of The Missing Piece (4707 California SW), 9:30 am.
SUNDAY MORNING MEDITATION: For a contemplative session, see if there’s space in the small-group meditation session at 9:30 am at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034 California SW).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open as usual on California SW between Oregon and Alaska, 10 am-2 pm, now in late-winter produce-and-products season – roots, greens, peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, beans, garlic, apples, more – plus lots of baked goods, cheeses, meats, fish, prepared foods, nuts, condiments, pasta, more.
MIMOSAS & MENOPAUSE: 10 am at Admiral Theater (2343 California SW), “a special community viewing event and conversation.” RSVP for free admission.
FREE NIA CLASS: Begins at 10:15 am; first class free if you pre-register. At Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary. (3618 SW Alaska)
POSTAL WORKERS’ RALLY: As previewed here Saturday, 11 am rally outside the Westwood Village Post Office (2721 SW Trenton) as the National Association of Letter Carriers prepares for contract talks.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool but don’t need to, or can’t, buy it? You’ll probably be able to find it at, and borrow it from, the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE DROP-IN TAX HELP: 11 am-4 pm at Southwest Library. (9010 35th SW)
WEST SEATTLE RESIST: Regular weekly West Seattle Resist Sunday sign-holding event, 11:30 am-1:30 pm. South of Farmers’ Market. (California SW and SW Alaska)
WELCOME ROAD WINERY: You’re invited to hang out at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)
KORNER BLUES MATINEE: Afternoon bluesmusic at Tim’s Tavern, 2 pm, all ages, tickets here. (16th SW & SW 98th, White Center)
‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Online tickets are sold out for the “comic fable” at ArtsWest, but check with the box office for any 3 pm tickets. (4711 California SW)
‘DETENTION LOTTERY’ AT FAUNTLEROY UCC: 4 pm, this “immersive theater” event will happen at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), followed by a talkback. Read the backstory and you’ll think it’s “ripped from the headlines,” but it actually dates back to 2018 (with a “refresh” last year). Free, donations accepted.
TRIVIA AT MR. B’S: 5-8 pm trivia with host Morgue Anne at Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW).
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL: 5:30 pm at Bethany West Seattle (8600 9th SW), all welcome for food and fellowship.
ASTRA LUMINA: Its run is close to the end, but it’s on tonight – first entry at 6:15 pm in the Seattle Chinese Garden (north end of South Seattle College campus, 6000 16th SW); tickets here.
UNDERGROUND TRIVIA AT CORNER POCKET: Play starting at 7:30 pm, win prizes! (4302 SW Alaska)
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: 8-10 pm, music to close out your weekend, with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW).
Are you planning, organizing, and/or publicizing something that we could add to the WSB community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Story, photos, and video by Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
This afternoon, community members gathered at West Seattle’s Vietnamese Cultural Center to celebrate Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The event was hosted by the Trần Hưng Đạo foundation, the nonprofit group that operates the center.
To start off the event, the crowd was called to attention by emcee Thúy Nguyễn, with an explanation that 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, thought to represent energy, vitality, grace, and free spirit, and hopes tthat the horse would “bring you into the joyous year ahead. … May this year find you abound in good health and your family be blessed with luck, love, and prosperity!”
Then came a flag ceremony carried out by Vietnamese military veterans, raising the flag of South Vietnam and singing its anthem, after a salute to the U.S. flag. There was also a moment of silence to honor the fallen U.S. and Vietnamese service members from the Vietnam War.
After the conclusion of the ceremony, onlookers were invited to watch a lion dance performed by Vovinam Burien.
Appearances were made by two city councilmembers, Seattle’s Rob Saka and Tukwila’s Jane Ho, who provided short speeches and expressions of gratitude for being invited to the celebration.
(Center director Lee Bui with Councilmember Rob Saka)
Councilmember Saka – representing District 1 including West Seattle, South Park, SODO, Pioneer Square and Georgetown – took to the microphone first. He extended congratulations to fellow Councilmember Ho in light of her recent election, and added that as one of the few local elected officials of Vietnamese ancestry, her representation matters. He continued thanking volunteers from the foundation, including for their support of unhoused neighbors in the community.
Ho, a graduate of West Seattle High School and a newly elected member of the Tukwila City Council, followed. She affirmed Saka’s notion of representation by adding that it was an honor to be representing the Vietnamese community. She thanked the Bui family – center director Lee Bui and his daughter Lynda Bui – for enabling her to celebrate the Lunar New Year this afternoon.
At the conclusion of the speeches, attendees were invited to eat and socialize. An array of food was served outside, with some portions placed on the indoor altar to be shared with the ancestors.
Other aspects of the traditional altar were incense, flowers, fruit, as well as the five-color flag representing the five fundamental elements of the universe. Music ensued and some participants opted to sing karaoke while others ate. Celebrations were somewhat rushed this year, however, because of continuous rain.
Eventually, the center will have an indoor space in a building under construction on the property along SW Orchard west of Delridge Way. Lynda Bui said the building would serve as a retail front, with living spaces as well as a hall to support the cultural center. However, construction is currently on hold.
The Trần Hưng Đạo foundation’s next community event at the Vietnamese Cultural Center will honor the Trung Sisters on March 14. The sisters were integral in “raising an army to fight colonial oppression, earning them a place in history,” according to the Vietnamese Cultural Center website.
9:28 PM: Thanks to the texter who tipped us that the 35th entrance to the eastbound West Seattle Bridge is closed. Live traffic camera doesn’t show the blocking but the lack of traffic seems to substantiate; we haven’t found any official alerts to verify, and there are no crashes logged, but the texter – traveling westbound – says it appeared to be another case of barriers pushed out of place.
9:34 PM: We don’t know how long the closure lasted but it’s over now, with eastbound traffic streaming back onto the bridge, and an SDOT Response Team truck being reloaded with the signage that was in place just out of the camera’s view.
Though the sign that’s been on the door for more than three months says Miso at 16th SW and SW Holden is “temporarily” closed, right under the NOW OPEN banner, the closure appears to be permanent. We noticed in a routine check of commercial listings that the small restaurant space next to the Seamart convenience store is up for lease and is described as “vacant.” Miso originally opened as a Korean restaurant in September 2023 but eventually broadened the menu to include teriyaki/wok offerings, and had a two-week closure in 2024. The space was previously home to Wanna Burger and Teriyaki, and the original home of legendary Zippy’s Giant Burgers before that.
(WSB photo, March 2025 rally outside WWV Post Office)
Just got word of a rally outside Westwood Village Post Office on Sunday morning. The National Association of Letter Carriers is starting contract talks and planning rallies outside dozens of post offices Sunday. Our tipster explains, “Our union is beginning negotiations for our next contract with USPS. Our branch for the Seattle area is having our rally at the Westwood post office and would love to see folks out supporting our local mail carriers!” (Here’s what the union says it’s “fighting for.”) The rally will be one of seven in our state and is set for 11 am. It’s been eleven months since a rally outside the same post office, attended by more than 100 people, in opposition to feared privatization of the Postal Service.
Lots of reopenings in our news stream lately. Thanks to the reader who texted us that photo today, with a banner showing March 1 as the reopening date for I Luv Teriyaki just across the 1st Avenue S. Bridge from West Seattle. Lots of interest in this restaurant, closed since an afterhours fire – ruled accidental – gutted it three years ago. We went by just a few days ago and the only new banner was one for job openings, so this is new since then. Restaurant co-owner Eva Lo told WSB in late January that they planned to open in about a month; March 1 fits that timeframe (and that’s two days before the third anniversary of the fire).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The first enthusiastic users of Hiawatha Community Center this morning, once the ribbon was cut and the doors were open, were the youngest ones.
Hiawatha’s downstairs gym quickly filled with toddlers and preschoolers zooming around.
(WSB photos from here by Dave Gershgorn)
Among them, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson‘s daughter Josie, who accompanied her mom for a brief speech pre-ribboncutting, in which Wilson declared community centers to be far more than “just amenities”:
She also hailed the conversion of Hiawatha to all-electric: “Our oldest community center is leading the way on our energy future.” As you also saw in that clip, the mayor was followed by District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, who (accompanied by daughter Maeve) noted the “who’s who of West Seattle” present for the reopening, and acknowledged the community advocates who pushed the city steadily to make sure the work to strengthen and renovate the 115-year-old center got done.
(Wilson and Saka with former Mayor Greg Nickels, longtime Hiawatha advocate Sharon Nickels, and Maeve Saka)
The center closed in 2020 for the pandemic and then stayed closed because the work seemed imminent, but – as we chronicled here many times – was not. A variety of delays dragged the closure out to almost six years; the eventual price tag, more than $7 million. In her speech today, interim Seattle Parks superintendent Michele Finnegan apologized:
But then, as DJ George Yasutake spun party music like Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration,” it was time to hand ribboncutting scissors to both dignitaries and young community members:
Here’s our clip of the snip:
The party inside included a spread catered by West Seattle’s own Husky Deli:
Parks and Rec swag, too:
If you didn’t get to the celebration, here’s the plan for Hiawatha in the weeks ahead:
Through March 6, there’s drop-in programming –
*Tot Gym 10 am to noon Mondays and Wednesdays
*Fitness Room 10 am-2 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (18 and over)
*Open Gym 2 pm-6 pm Tuesdays and Thursday, 10 am-2 pm Fridays (18 and over)
After that and continuing into June, programming expands to add badminton, pickleball, and basketball (adults except for basketball, which also will be offered for youth) – see the schedule on the center webpage.
(WSB photo, last year’s recycling event)
Reminder, with one month to go – on the first full day of spring, you’ll get a chance to jump-start spring cleaning and de-cluttering with the first big recycling event of the season. New location this time for the 9 am-noon Saturday, March 21, event – the south lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) instead of the north lot. We’re still awaiting the official list of what will be accepted at this free event coordinated by the West Seattle Junction Association and West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, but typically it’s a variety of recyclables/reusables, and shredding.
(The Brothers, photographed Friday morning by James Bratsanos)
Happy Saturday! The highlights are as usual mostly from the West Seattle Event Calendar:
SATURDAY GROUP RUN: At West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor), you can join the Saturday 8 am free group run.
FREE MEDITATION: Get a quiet start to the weekend with Heavily Meditated, 9 am free meditation at Inner Alchemy Studio/Sanctuary (3618 SW Alaska).
INTRODUCTORY WALK and WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: 9:30 am, walk a mile before the 10 am well-being walk (or just show up for that one). Both start from 47th SW and Fontanelle.
HIAWATHA CC GRAND REOPENING: 10 am-noon celebration of Hiawatha Community Center‘s reopening after six years! Ribbon-cutting, kid activities, tours, free beverages, music, more. (2700 California SW)
SSC GARDEN CENTER: 10 am-3 pm, open today! North end of campus at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor)
KNIFE-SHARPENING POP-UP: Kneighborhood Knives is back at Hotwire Coffeehouse (4410 California SW), 10 am-5 pm.
PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: Visit the Community School of West Seattle (9450 22nd SW) 10 am-noon.
MORNING MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am free, weekly, in-person, critique-free group – details in our calendar listing.
FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), geared toward families with kids up to 5 years old.
FAMILY READING TIME: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW; WSB sponsor)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The home of West Seattle’s history is open, noon-4 pm (61st SW and SW Stevens).
NEW YEAR AT VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center celebrates Vietnamese New Year, noon-2 pm, with a lion dance, flag-raising, martial arts, food, more. Free. (2236 SW Orchard)
MENDING AT MR. B’S MEAD CENTER: White Center Solidarity is organizing this community mending/repairing event, noon-3 pm, no cover. (9444 Delridge Way SW)
VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open, with wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
YOGA & NUTRITION WORKSHOP: 1-3 pm at Lagom Studios (4509 SW Wildwood Place) in Fauntleroy – our calendar listing has full details.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY TASTING ROOM, WINE BAR, STORE: Open 1-6 pm on north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
GARDEN PLANNING: 1:30-3 pm, preregister for this workshop at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).
FREE MASSAGE: 3-5 pm walk-in clinic offering short, specific massages at Nepenthe. (9447 35th SW)
CYBER UNICORN STORY HOUR: 5:30-8 pm open-mic series at Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW)
LIVE MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6-8 pm at C & P Coffeehouse (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Roo Forrest and Friends perform. Free, all ages.
ASTRA LUMINA: Held over into late winter, the celestially inspired light show on the grounds of the Seattle Chinese Garden at the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus, first admission 6:15 pm. Tickets and info here; extended through February.
LISTENING PARTY: 7 pm, be at Easy Street Records to be among the first to hear Mitski‘s new music. (4559 California SW)
HOTTIES OF COMEDY: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW): “Featuring six incredible comedians from the Pacific Northwest, this night is all about big laughs, bold perspectives, and redefining what it really means to be ‘hot’.”
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG: Online tickets are sold out for ArtsWest‘s 7:30 pm performance, but you can check at the box office to see if anything opened up. (4711 California SW)
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: 8 pm show with Shell the Ghost, Far Far Far, Midnight Snack, $12 at the door. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
REVELRY ROOM: 9 pm, Deejay Hershe. (4547 California SW)
SK8 PARTY: 9 pm-midnight at Southgate Roller Rink (9676 17th SW), with rotating DJs spinning old-school funk & hip-hop, $18 plus $5 skate rental.
KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: 10 pm karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)
Have a West Seattle event coming up? If community members are welcome, your event is welcome to a listing on our calendar, free of charge, always! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The former church at 2656 42nd SW filled with spirit again Thursday night as gospel songs outnumbered speeches at the Washington State Black Legacy Institute‘s first-anniversary celebration. WSBLI president Kateesha Atterberry introduced singer Dee Scott to open the program with “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black National Anthem:
Lifting the voices of the Black community, past, present, and future, is at the heart of the WSBLI’s mission, Atterberry explained:
The institute’s work for the “preservation, empowerment, and future of the Black legacy,” as Atterberry described it, was lauded by the guest speaker who preceded Atterberry, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka, calling WSBLI “a unique community gem”:
The music, too, came with a history lesson. Before the Brilliance Interfaith Gospel Choir‘s first song, its director Kent Stevenson talked about how a cornerstone of gospel music came from a communication invention by enslaved people when their “overseers” tried to keep them from communicating – the spiritual:
The choir is less than a year old. A much deeper history in local gospel music belongs to Dr. Rose Wallace-Croone, who interspersed her first songs with historical reminiscences about how her family came to this state in the ’40s, drawn by the prospect for good jobs:
More celebration of Black achievement came in a preview of upcoming Impact Awards – Alvertis Brooks, Jr., of the Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, talked about recipients WSBLI and Percy The Barber from nearby Rain City Barbershop:
Brooks noted that the RVCDF will be active in helping West Seattle businesses not just survive, but thrive, with light rail (they’re hosting weekly drop-in sessions at WSBLI). Thriving through adversity was in the spirit of the choir’s performance of “The Storm Is Passing Over”:
And the program closed with both the choir and soloist Wallace-Croone:
While he wasn’t in the speaking lineup, WSBLI’s continuously on-site leader Roger Evans was praised by Atterberry, who also had a major announcement: For those who’ve tried to find out more online about WSBLI, it’s been a challenge until now, but that’s changed, because they’ve launched a website at wsbli.com. That’s where you can learn more about what WSBLI is doing and how to support it.
(Reader-contributed file photo)
Since Wednesday night, we’ve been reporting on WSDOT‘s closure of two northbound lanes on the 1st Avenue South Bridge after inspectors found problems that need to be repaired. Thursday’s followup included a WSDOT promise of an update March 6. The question: Why not until then, and would the lanes remain closed until then? Here’s how spokesperson RB McKeon responded:
Our bridge engineers and inspectors need some time to analyze what they found in the field, develop recommendations, scope, timeline, source materials, etc… We believe that two weeks is a reasonable timeframe for us to be able to do that work and then come back to the public with additional information. To be clear, March 6 is the date we have indicated that we will come back to the public to share updates. We have not indicated that the lanes will reopen on March 6. As noted in yesterday’s updates, it is too early to outline a repair plan or timeline, but crews are actively working to determine next steps and will share updates by March 6. The lane closures are in place until bridge inspectors have determined the lanes are safe to reopen.
The bridge is two separate structures; the northbound side was built in 1956, 40 years before the southbound side. It served as a major detour route to get across the Duwamish River while the West Seattle Bridge was closed for two and a half years 2020-2022.
Even the signage on California SW got a refresh before Hiawatha Community Center‘s grand reopening tomorrow. The Seattle Parks “rainbow sign” might look similar to its predecessor, but the lettering style is different these days. One sign that’s not getting a refresh or replacement is this marquee-style sign that had stood on a pole nearby; a commenter noticed its absence and pulled this image from Google Maps Street View (showing the old rainbow sign, too):
We asked Parks spokesperson Karen O’Connor about it; she replied, “The green sign near California was removed as it was in disrepair.” In addition to the rainbow-sign replacement, she said, Parks crews planned to “prun(e) the bushes back to improve visibility of that sign before the opening.” All are welcome at tomorrow’s celebration, starting at 10 am. The center is just north of West Seattle High School, at 2700 California SW, and has been closed since 2020.
A package thief has been seen on multiple security cameras, according to the reader who sent these images:
I saw a post on the Ring app about a package thief. I saw and reported this same woman yesterday. 4300 block of California.
The police report filed by the reader is # 26-048420.
It took a bit longer than first promised, but a taco truck is now open at the ex-Walgreens in South Delridge. We first reported two and a half weeks ago that the site’s new owner was planning to bring in food trucks, starting with El Gran Taco, likely within days. We’ve been going by almost daily to see whether the truck had arrived yet, and just now spotted it for the first time. In a brief conversation, they told us it’s their second day there, and they plan to be open Mondays through Saturdays, 11 am to 8 pm. (El Gran Taco also has a bricks-and-mortar restaurant in White Center, 10230 16th SW.) A spokesperson for the 15th/16th/Roxbury site’s new owner James Tjoa told us their focus is on finding at least one new tenant for the site, as the building is relatively new and demolishing it for redevelopment wouldn’t likely make sense for another 10 years or so, but in the meantime, they’re hoping food trucks will help “activate” the site.
(May 2024 photo by Allyne Armitage)
Thanks for the tip! The Cascade Bicycle Club is bringing back the Emerald City Ride, and it again will briefly close the westbound West Seattle Bridge to motor-vehicle traffic. The ride is set for Saturday morning, April 25, with registration opening this Tuesday (February 24). Aside from the ride day being Saturday this time (it was Sunday last time), the plan is pretty much the same as two years ago (WSB coverage here), starting in the stadium zone, riding onto southbound 99 and onto the westbound bridge, then continuing on a route around West Seattle, then back downtown via the bike/foot path on the West Seattle low bridge. The route map and other details are here. Cascade spokesperson Paul Tolmé tells WSB that the bridge/highway closure is planned for 6 to 10 am (our as-it-happened coverage noted that it reopened earlier than planned last time), and again will only involve the westbound bridge/southbound 99, while the other directions stay open to regular traffic. Cascade says they’re hoping for 4,000 riders, which would be a third more than the 2024 turnout. Before that year, as recapped here, previous Emerald City Rides in the 2010s had routes including the 520 Bridge, Aurora Bridge, and even the old Alaskan Way Viaduct
As we’ve reported, zoning changes are leading to neighborhood changes, primarily more housing, as “single-family” zoning no longer exists. The city has incorporated zoning changes as required by the state, and more are on the way, with the recent introduction of what the city calls the the Centers and Corridors legislation. Whether or not you’re a current or aspiring property owner, you might be wondering how all this could affect where you live or where you’re hoping to live. At 6 pm Tuesday (February 24), West Seattle Realty (WSB sponsor) in Amiral hosts a presentation and Q&A with longtime West Seattle architect Matt Hutchins, and all are welcome to come listen and/or ask questions. In addition to his work, Hutchins has also long been involved with community and civic projects, from Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza to the city-convened Design Review Board; he partnered with WS Realty in 2024 for a presentation on “middle housing,” which part of the newest zoning changes enables. It’s a free event; RSVP is requested at info@westseattlerealty.com – then on Tuesday night, go to the WSR offices and event space at 2715 California SW.
here’s what’s happening for the rest of today/tonight – mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BOYS’ SWIM AND DIVE CHAMPIONSHIPS: State championships start today in Federal Way, and we’ve had reports on the local student-athletes who’ve qualified. Preparation doesn’t only happen in the pool! Last night a Chief Sealth International =High School team supporter sent us the pic of CSIHS athletes carb-loading in preparation. Good luck to all the local competitors! Ongoing results are linked here.
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER Spring gets ever closer; every dry day is another chance to get ready. The center is open today, 10 am-3 pm at north end of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus (6000 16th SW).
STAY ‘N’ PLAY CANCELED: Free indoor playtime for little ones and their caregivers is canceled this week because of school break.
FREE TAX HELP: Drop in at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) 11 am-4 pm and get help with your taxes!
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) to learn about and enjoy local history – open noon-4 pm today.
ENGLISH CONVERSATION CIRCLE: Winter session continues at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), 12:30 pm-2 pm Fridays, no registration required.
TASTING ROOM AND WINE BAR: Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) is open 5-9 pm Fridays. Stop in to sip, or buy by the bottle.
RAINBOW BINGO: Center for Active Living reports tonight’s session is sold out.
COFFEEHOUSE MUSIC: 6-8 pm, singer-songwriter J.R. Rhodes at C & P Coffee. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all ages, no cover.
ASTRA LUMINA: Two more weekends for the celestially inspired lights-and-sound show at Seattle Chinese Garden on the north end of the South Seattle College campus (6000 16th SW); first admission at 6:15 pm, get tickets here.
KENYON HALL OPEN MIC: Signups at 6, performances at 6:30 pm, all-ages open mic is back at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW).
CLASSIC BINGO: 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW): “It’s free to play with some fun prizes. With Richard the sassiest host in Seattle.”
‘TOPDOG/UNDERDOG’: Third weekend for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW), 7:30 pm curtain, online tickets are sold out so check the box office.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Live music with Swinson and the Expedition, Lookout Mountain Lookout, doors at 7, show at 7:30. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
SPINNING: Revelry Room is open tonight (4547 California SW), with DJ Peg, 9 pm.
‘MAKE IT LOUD’ SKATING WITH MUSIC: Tonight, skate to DJ Hershe on the floor, 9 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW). 21+. $20 cover/$5 skates.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or ongoing calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Expanded service means an expanded need for volunteer help at Margie’s, the Center for Active Living café open to the community. Here’s the request we were asked to share with you:
Beginning in March, The Center for Active Living will offer extended programming each Wednesday afternoon, and The Center’s onsite cafe, Margie’s, will also be open between the hours of 3:00-5:30 PM. The cafe will offer wine and beer, light snacks, and baked goods for purchase.
To operate the cafe during these hours, The Center is looking for volunteers to cover the Wednesday shifts and is looking for individuals with a Washington state permit to serve alcohol (called a MAST permit) and/or a King County Food Worker permit. Both permits can be obtained via online learning, and any individual who takes these courses to become a volunteer at Margie’s can be reimbursed for each course.
The cafe is a vibrant place where people can gather to connect, share a meal or snacks, and is a great way to connect with West Seattle’s wonderful senior community.
For more information, please contact Danny Perez, Volunteer Coordinator, at dannyp@wscenter.org, or complete a volunteer application at the following link: https://sc-ws.my.salesforce-sites.com/VolunteerApplication/VOL_Application
6:01 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Friday, February 20, 2026, with schools’ mid-winter break ending after today.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET
Finally saw some light snow Thursday morning! It isn’t back in the forecast until tonight – mostly cloudy until then. High in the low 40s. Sunrise at 7:06 am; sunset at 5:40 pm.
(Thursday morning photo by James Bratsanos)
LANE-CLOSURE ALERTS
*Lane closures continue on the NB 1st Avenue South Bridge – plus a speed-limit reduction.
*Survey crews on West Marginal and just to the northwest are scheduled to close lanes again tonight, as explained here.
*When work continues on the protected Admiral Way hill bike lane, look for closures of the outside driving lane.
TRANSIT TODAY
West Seattle Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service, fall/winter schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Check WSF’s alert page for any changes to the 3-boat schedule.
Metro buses – Regular weekday schedule and routes.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Here’s the westward view. Also note, maritime-opening info is available via X (ex-Twitter):
1st Avenue South Bridge (see the update above):
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The colorful canopies in the background of our Roxhill Park photo were the only hint from a distance that something “huge” was being celebrated this morning – the successful experiment to restore part of the park’s peat bog, one of the few remaining in the region, at a site that historically fed into Longfellow Creek, and the Duwamish River beyond.
As we showed you after our preview visit to the bog earlier this week, the experiment, more than a decade in the making, is returning a dried-out bog “cell” to the wetland it is meant to be. Under the bark chips, a 300-foot-long vinyl barrier was installed late last year to keep water where it should remain, likened at one long-ago meeting to “fixing a bathtub.” The main architect of the pilot solution, Steve Winter of Natural Systems Design, was among the people who spoke as light snow fell – last one in our 28-minute video, after Duwamish Alive Coalition‘s Sharon Leishman, deputy Parks superintendent Daisy Catague, DNDA‘s interim executive director Shannon Woodard, and Neina Chapa from American Rivers:
Winter explained that the root of the problem was what was done during rapid development in the ’50s and ’60s, as with so many cities – water was something “to be moved through our systems really quickly. What we’re doing here … is really reversing that acceleration.” So they studied the groundwater and figured out how to “get in front” of it – so the barrier went eight feet under Cell 4, “so [the water] you see is about four feet higher than it was for many, many decades,” and now it’s rehydrating the peat. As for the future, he said, “there’s three other cells where we could do this, and that’s where the power of this project is,” including synergy with a Seattle Public Utilities project that could bring stormwater back to the bog too, meaning this is bringing the bog “one step closer to restoring the headwater of Longfellow Creek.”
This morning’s celebration event, which Winter and Chapa jokingly dubbed a “peat party,” wasn’t just speeches – it also offered hands-on projects, such as a mini-stormwater filter you could build with Mikaela Ebbeson, DNDA environmental-education coordinator:
At the Seattle Parks table, environmental education program specialist Nicole Parish-Andrews was offering bracelet-making and wildlife displays (that’s a beaver skull at top left):
Emceeing the event, Leishman repeatedly hailed the power of community in making this day possible – and reiterated that it’ll be vital in figuring out how to go forward and build on this first successful test. Meantime, you can see the restored area for yourself by walking just a short distance east from the park’s play area and looking south of the trail, beyond the chips. You can also watch the DNDA calendar for Roxhill restoration volunteer events – hundreds of plantings are busy taking root already.
(Photos courtesy West Seattle Nursery)
That’s the newest thing flowering for West Seattle Nursery (WSB sponsor) – their Grand Prize trophy from the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival! You might recall their call – and community members’ response – for books to include. Here’s what they became:
Here’s how WSN announced the win:
Many long days went into building this display, and we are so proud of what our crew created. Thank you to every person who worked tirelessly to bring our garden library shed concept to life.
The care poured into every small (and not so small) detail is what makes this woodland escape feel so effortlessly homey.
“Where Stories Take Root” was designed as a cozy reading retreat nestled among ferns, shade-loving shrubs, and trees, a space where structure and landscape blur together. A deck extends over a gently moving pond, wooden bowls drift and softly knock against one another, and a sunken seating circle invites you to slow down and stay a while. Look up and you’ll find a chandelier crafted from books. Look closer and you’ll see pages fanned into floral forms. Every detail has a story.
Also:
People often ask where those big Madrone branches on the corners came from. One of our employees has Madrones in his yard and these were broken off during a wind storm.
You can see how many of those donated books were used. Again, thank you to the community for stepping up and helping.
You can see the display firsthand at the Flower and Garden Festival – at the Convention Center downtown – through Sunday (February 22).
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