West Seattle, Washington
21 Thursday
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
No scheduled road work announced for West Seattle this week – aside from the ongoing Delridge repaving – so the only heads-up we have for you, so far, is another ramp closure next weekend for expansion-joint replacement, longer than the just-concluded closure – 7 pm Friday (August 30th) until 3 pm Monday (Labor Day, September 2nd). More info here.
Almost four and a half years after we reported on the origins of what was then the Delridge Produce Co-op, its evolution toward operation of a Delridge Grocery co-op store has less than one year to go. At the next public meeting tomorrow (Monday) night, they’ll be enlisting your help in simple ways to volunteer, as well as signing up more founding members:
… A co-op grocery can only happen if the community embraces it and joins together to make it happen. … Many of you have also began the process of contributing toward your share in the future grocery store. If you have not already done this, now is the time. We need 500 founding members to start to bring this grocery on the road to reality. We can do this by contributing and then sharing information so your neighbors and friends can consider becoming an owner of the co-op, too.
At last month’s public meeting, we created a plan and brainstormed how best to reach people. Please join us this Monday evening to sign up for an outreach packet so you can be better prepared to share membership and store info.
The meeting’s at 6:30 pm Monday, Delridge Branch Library (5423 Delridge Way SW). You can also sign up for a co-op membership online at delridgegrocery.coop.
That sign quoting former Vice President Hubert Humphrey was held by the youngest of just over a dozen people standing in a patch of dead grass on the roadside outside the main entrance to “Nickelsville” this past hour. It was also the only sign in evidence – Mary Anne deVry from the Westside Interfaith Network, the coalition of area churches/faith groups starting a week of vigils there, said they will probably bring one or more tomorrow. For now, they are waving flashlights:
That’s to underscore their intent – to “shine a light” on homelessness in Seattle. WIN announced Friday that they would hold a vigil each night through next Saturday, 6-10 pm. Next Sunday is September 1st – the date that Seattle elected officials have decreed as closure day for the camp, proclaimed on signs installed by its entrance:
Some of the half-million dollars the City Council approved for getting people out of the camp and into housing has so far placed 47 people, according to Union Gospel Mission, the organization tabbed by the city to work on relocating “campers” – but, as a UGM manager acknowledged in an interview with WSB on Friday, that hasn’t reduced the population. It’s estimated at least 125 people are there now, up from fewer than 100 when the relocation effort began. The Nickelsville Central Committee has said publicly that it hopes to move to three sites, only one of which – in the Central District – has been formally announced. But it was evident tonight that housekeeping/cleanup is under way:
The wood that was being carried out and stacked in the parking area had been lining pathways but is no longer needed, we were told. Meantime, deVry told us that the local church representatives had served a meal at the camp tonight, before walking over to the roadside for the casual vigil. They’ll be back tomorrow, same time, 6-10 pm, and anyone interested in calling attention to homelessness – whether you support “Nickelsville” or not – is welcome.
Through month’s end – next Saturday – dining at The Bridge (4439 35th SW) benefits Food for Art, a fundraiser 
for the art therapy program at Transitional Resources, which provides “respectful, optimistic, and recovery-oriented care” to people living with severe/persistent mental illness. When customers order off the fresh sheet, The Bridge will donate 10% of the proceeds. Transitional Resources also has announced a party and raffle at 3:30 pm next Friday (August 30th) to celebrate the benefit; raffle tickets are on sale at The Bridge any time between now and then, with the grand prize two tickets to two Sounders FC games this fall.
P.S. As noted in comments, the raffle drawing will be at 8 pm, with tickets on sale until then.
(Work zone around 1 pm today: WSB photo, taken from passenger seat)
I-5 RAMP: In case you’re checking in before heading home from a road trip to the south – reminder that the ramp from northbound I-5 to the West Seattle Bridge remains closed for expansion-joint work, scheduled to reopen by 5 am tomorrow (we’ll update this story if it reopens sooner). Three of the four weekends ahead also have closures as part of the project – check the list here.
SODO, WATER TAXI: A record crowd is expected for tonight’s Sounders FC-Portland Timbers match, so SODO and environs will be very busy in the hours ahead (start time7 pm). The West Seattle Water Taxi does run later hours on Sundays with games – see the sailing schedule here.
12:26 PM: A big response is headed for a house-fire call in the 7100 block of 34th SW. Crews on the scene are seeing light smoke, but “no sign of fire,” and some units are being canceled. We’re on our way – updates shortly.
12:37 PM UPDATE: Firefighters say it was a kitchen problem (assessed in fire-department terminology as “food on the stove”). They have ventilation going to clear out the resulting smoke. No injuries reported.
In our video, you’ll see what was described by announcer Eric Radovich as a record turnout for this morning’s Alki Beach 5K, benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing, a West Seattleite-founded, West Seattleite-led nonprofit that helps breast-cancer patients. Before the estimated 1,000 runners and walkers left the finish line, they heard a pep talk from eight-year survivor Kristina Dahl, who declared she’s here because breast cancer didn’t kill her.
The top male and female finishers were both teenage runners from Edmonds – here, pending official results online later, are the top 3 men and top 3 women, per printouts provided at the start/finish line:
MEN
Miler Haller, 16, 16:11
Terry Robinson, 40, 17:48
Brig Seidl, 50, 18:04
WOMEN
Hailey Kettel, 17, 18:25
Kate Nishino, 24, 19:40
Meissa Neumann, 13, 20:40
Runners and walkers are still crossing the finish line as we publish this at 9:54 am, so Alki SW will remain closed a while longer. More to come, including photos and additional video.
11:34 AM UPDATE: We’ve added video of Kristina Dahl’s talk, and photos of top finishers, above. Also:
From left, NWHH executive director Shari Sewell, volunteer coordinator Caitie Clark, and volunteer Carol Ann Boyle. This year’s official AB5K shirts were green, you’ve probably noticed, but in honor of the cause, lots of pink was sported this morning too – even on pets:
P.S. When full race results are posted online, you’ll see them here.
8:13 PM NOTE: The results are live at that link now. We have also learned from our friends at MyEdmondsNews.com that not only are the top male and female finishers from Edmonds-Woodway High School, the second-place female, Kate Nishino, is an assistant coach there, who says Miler and Hailey are two of four Edmonds-Woodway students who ran the AB5K today as they get ready for their season to start this week!
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, 8 highlights for today/tonight:
ALKI BEACH 5K: 9 am from the bathhouse, with last-minute registration under way now, and an Alki SW road closure until the 5K is over. The Alki Beach 5K benefits Northwest Hope and Healing, which helps breast-cancer patients.
BACKPACK GIVEAWAY: 1-3 pm, West Seattle Baptist Church will give away backpacks to students who need them; free pizza is being offered too. (4157 California SW)
AT THE LONGHOUSE: Come hear about Duwamish Teachings with Johnny Moses: ”Stories of Endurance and Strengthening Self” at the Duwamish Longhouse, 1-2 pm. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
BEERFEST BENEFIT: Beer and hot dogs are available during West Seattle Nursery‘s annual Dog Days of Summer Beerfest benefiting Furry Faces Foundation, 1-5 pm, as explained here. Bring your pet to get a $5 tag from F3! (California/Brandon)
WEST SIDE MUSIC ACADEMY RECITAL: Students from West Side Music Academy perform at 4 pm at Skylark Café and Club, all welcome. Added info from WSMA: “… students playing in 2 rock bands (one 7-9 year olds and one 10-11 year olds), a jazz combo, a duo and some solo performances. It’s always a FUN time! All ages.” (3803 Delridge Way SW)
HOMELESSNESS VIGIL: As reported here on Friday, the Westside Interfaith Network plans nightly vigils for the next week at the “Nickelsville” encampment, 6-10 pm, and invites all interested in showing concern about homelessness to join them. (7116 W. Marginal Way SW)
BIG BILL AT KENYON HALL: Piano, guitar, harmonica, dobro, AND singing on tonight’s bill at Kenyon Hall with Del Rey, Arthur Migiliazza, Grant Dermody, and Orville Johnson, 7:30 pm. Details on the calendar. (7904 35th SW)
KARAOKE BENEFIT FOR LOGAN WICKER: Karaoke fundraiser tonight at Skylark Café and Club for employee Logan Wicker, badly hurt in a crash earlier this summer, hit by an alleged drunk driver. Details in our calendar listing. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Two months gone since the vote, eight days to go, until the deadline city leaders set for closing the West Seattle site to which the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville” returned two years ago.
On Friday, we reported on the Westside Interfaith Network‘s plan to hold nightly vigils for a week, from tomorrow through next Saturday (August 31st) – not to demand that the encampment be allowed to stay open, but simply, WIN’s Mary Anne deVry says, to remind the greater community that homelessness remains an unsolved problem.
After publishing that story, we talked with Terry Pallas from Union Gospel Mission, which has an agreement with the city to find housing and services for Nickelsville “campers” with the money (up to $500,000) that City Councilmembers voted in June to spend.
How is it being spent?
7:12 PM: If you’ve already seen “This Is Spinal Tap,” tonight’s feature at this summer’s final West Seattle Outdoor Movies event, you will likely know the significance of the structure shown above with movie host Lora Swift, proprietor of Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), next to the courtyard with the big screen. It’s one of tonight’s raffle prizes, too! (This evening’s beneficiary of raffles and concessions is the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – the movie itself is free.) Preshow band Those Guys is about to start playing; the movie will be on at dusk, likely around 8:30 pm, and the courtyard is filling fast, so if you’re coming, don’t procrastinate!
7:29 PM: Forgot to mention – you’ll often find sponsors with freebies, and indeed, Emilee from Dr. Gerald Wolff‘s dental office on the other side of the courtyard is here with goodie bags:
Rocking the courtyard – Those Guys:
West Seattle Outdoor Movies (for which WSB has been the media sponsor again this year) run for six consecutive Saturday nights in July and August every summer – watch WSB in the spring for news of next year’s series!
From now until October, you can stop by Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) to admire five watercolor paintings that local artist Tom Friberg is selling, with part of the proceeds benefiting local nonprofits. Maine Western, pictured above, is one of the five. So is Morning Fishing, pictured below:
Like what you see? The paintings range from $10 to $15 for smaller prints, and $200 for larger prints. Friberg is donating 50 percent of his sales to three charities that support women and children in the Seattle area: Jubilee Women’s Center, New Beginnings, and Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services. You can see more of his work here. Illusions is at 5619 California SW; its hours are listed here.
Three West Seattle restaurant notes today:
HARRY’S CHICKEN JOINT: North of Morgan Junction, Harry’s Chicken Joint (WSB sponsor) is planning its six-month celebration … half-iversary, you could say. Two weeks from today, according to proprietor Bruce:
Just wanted to give you a heads up, we are planning quite a party on Saturday, September 7th to celebrate the six-month anniversary of Harry’s Chicken Joint.
We will close that evening and take our chicken and treats a few blocks south to the Beveridge Place Pub from 6-9PM. It will be a fun time for Harry’s to thank all our loyal friends, neighbors, and guests.
We are also introducing some new menu items: shrimp po’ boy, oyster po’ boy, greens, and a salad.
Come on down and say hello. You’ll have to pay for your beer, wine or cider, but Harry’s will provide the food from 6-9.
In the meantime, check out Harry’s during its regular hours at 6032 California SW, Tuesdays-Saturdays, 4-9 pm. (Harry’s has a menu-enhanced website now as well as its Facebook page.)
ALKI SUBWAY OPENING: Tomorrow (Sunday, August 25th) will be opening day for the new Alki Subway (as first reported here in May, it’s in half the three-year-old, never-occupied space at 2758 Alki SW). **6:44 pm update, as noted in comments – the date was on a hand-lettered sign in the window when we walked by just after 11 this morning, but as of 15 minutes ago, THAT sign has been replaced by another hand-lettered one saying “Opening Soon.”
WSB RESTAURANT GUIDE UPDATES: We have added a few pages to the WSB West Seattle Restaurant Guide, including one for Westcity Sardine Kitchen, which might come in handy since WSK doesn’t have a website of its own, and a page for Chopstix. If there’s something you’d like to say about your favorite West Seattle restaurant(s), remember that each eatery’s page in our guide does have a spot for comments. P.S. to restaurant owners: We make the rounds every few months by phone/online checking for changes to hours and other key info, but you are welcome at any time to e-mail us with updates if you make changes or discover something outdated in our guide – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks! (The restaurant guide, in case you wondered, is NOT a paid-advertising section – it’s one of our free services to both readers and local venues. WSB does have restaurants on the sponsor team, and they get special mention atop the restaurant guide’s index page, as well as in the WSB Sponsors directory, and you’ll see their ads on the WSB sidebar.)
In the tradition of drive-in movie theaters (remember those?) doubling as swap-meet venues, the big-screen-centered courtyard outside Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction is hosting a multi-seller rummage/craft sale until 3 pm. Too big for one camera lens – what you see is barely half the setup. Walking up a little while ago, we heard exclamations such as, “Did you see THIS?” (which can mean many things at a rummage sale!). Sellers tell us it’s been going well, but there’s still lots to browse. Then tonight – come back when the gates open at 6:30 pm for the last West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of the season, “This Is Spinal Tap,” with Those Guys playing live before the movie. Co-sponsors include Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) and West 5, and WSB continues as this year’s media sponsor; the movie’s free, starting at dusk (8:30ish, if not slightly earlier), but bring some cash if you can for concessions and raffle prizes, all benefiting local nonprofits. Haven’t been here before? Southeast corner of California/Genesee on the north edge of The Junction.
A special attraction on the seawall during this morning’s Great Cross-Sound Race to and from Alki – the OAR Northwest ocean-rowing boat. But the main attraction, as always, was Sound Rowers‘ 7-mile race, with dozens of rowers heading to Bainbridge Island and back (see the course map here). They start fairly far offshore, so, with some zoom and shake, here’s a bit of the early going:
And here’s our video of the first finishers – Conal Groom and Peter Hirtle, followed by a single (we’re awaiting the official results to verify that rower’s name):
Full results should be available later via the Sound Rowers website.
SIDE NOTE: The racing on Alki tomorrow will be on land, with the Alki Beach 5K Run/Walk for Northwest Hope and Healing starting near the bathhouse at 9 am. Even if you’re not participating or watching, remember that Alki Avenue will be closed for a few hours tomorrow morning before and during the race.
For our daily preview today, we’re pointing you to the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, which is where you’ll find the full lineup of events including:
–Great Cross-Sound Race by Sound Rowers (starts at Alki at 9 am)
–Garage/Craft Sale in the Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) courtyard (9 am-3 pm)
–Final West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation (“This Is Spinal Tap,” dusk)
LOTS more happening and we have to get out to start covering it! Again, the full calendar is here.
West Seattle’s own King County Queens held court Friday night at Easy Street Records – three guys named Scott (drummer/singer Scott Vanderpool, guitarist/singer Scott Sutherland, guitarist Scott Muhlbeier) and one honorary Scott (credited on the inside cover as Marsh “Scott” Gooch, bass/vocals). We caught some video while stopping in:
The KC Queens have an official music video, too – see “Krautrock!” here. It’s a cut from their LP “Ladies and Gentlemen, Your King County Queens,” released by Green Monkey Records just last month – you can of course get it at Easy Street. And if you missed the KC Queens this time, they’ll be at the all-day all-night marathon Earfest at Slim’s Last Chance in Georgetown on September 7th at 7 pm.
With Cheryl Serio front and center, The Spyrographs brought retro music to the south side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent campus tonight for the fourth and final free outdoor concert of the summer. A bit of video – “Call Me,” made famous by Petula Clark in the mid-’60s:
We thank The Mount for sponsoring WSB this summer to help get the word out about the series!
P.S. – One more outdoor concert left in West Seattle this season – the final Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show, 6:30 pm next Thursday (August 29th) on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center, with Strong Suit, who you might have seen/heard at this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest. If you’re not headed out for an extended Labor Day weekend trip, we’ll see you there!
Three weeks from Sunday, on September 15th, the sixth annual West Seattle Car Show rolls into The Junction. The poster’s now out and making its way onto windows, walls, and bulletin boards; signups are revving up too – WSCS producer Michael Hoffman of Liberty Bell Print and Design says more than 50 of the 100 goodie bags for the first 100 entries are already spoken for. The discount early-bird registration rate, $15, is good until September 1st – download and mail the form ASAP. For spectators, it’s free as always – the vehicles (pre-1980 cars, trucks, motorcycles) will be parked along closed California Avenue SW in the heart of The Junction, 8 am-4 pm on show day, and you can wander to your heart’s content. The West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be on as usual (10 am-2 pm) that day too. For more West Seattle Car Show details, check out the official website and our August 12th preview; we’re proud to be among the co-sponsors again this year.
All week, SW Orchard/Dumar has been closed between Delridge and (almost) 16th SW for work related to the Delridge Way Repaving Project. Now SDOT has announced closures on Orchard from Delridge west to Sylvan Way next month – it’ll be closed to eastbound traffic September 3-13, then to westbound traffic Sept. 16-27, and the yearlong project’s final phase will follow. The full SDOT announcement – with a map – is ahead:
(Wednesday night photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
4:35 PM: Here’s the latest in the case of the three robbery suspects arrested in Arbor Heights late Wednesday night: Bail for each suspect is now set at $250,000, according to the King County Jail Register. We’re waiting for probable-cause documents from this afternoon’s bail hearing to come in from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and will add details when the info comes in. The three were arrested when police pulled over the car shown in our photo above, about half a mile north of 35th and 104th, where a woman had been held up on the street and robbed of her purse. Police then said yesterday they believe the three, ages 19, 21, and 22, were involved in two other crimes Wednesday night – an attack on a man by the Fauntleroy ferry dock, and one outside West Seattle – and that they may be responsible for some of the other recent street robberies around the city.
5:04 PM UPDATE: The documents are in. Here are some of the toplines as we read through:
-None of the suspects has a West Seattle address; the addresses listed for them are in Boulevard Park, the Central District, and First Hill
-What police found inside the car included a handgun, a purse (believed to belong to the Arbor Heights robbery victim), and “several cell phones”
-The three confessed to involvement in the three incidents Wednesday night
There is no additional information about possible criminal histories, but the jail register shows that the 21-year-old suspect from First Hill spent a day and a half in the county jail in June for a case described as shoplifting and harassment.
Seattle Lutheran High School will soon welcome three NFL veterans as part of its annual fundraiser for its Football and Cheer programs. Former Seahawk Orlando Huff and former Huskies Mario Bailey and Greg Lewis will speak to students, parents, and friends at the Pasta Dinner Fundraiser on September 5th at 6 pm in the SLHS gym. The event will also be emceed by journalist and video host (and former UW athlete) Jenni Hogan, who you might recognize from her work in Seattle TV. If you’re interested in attending, tickets are on sale for $10 here.
This is the last day for the longtime home of Howden-Kennedy Funeral Home at Fauntleroy and Alaska. As reported here previously, HK is moving to a new location on 35th SW; the owners sold the 93-year-old business’s longtime site to the developers of the 4755 Fauntleroy Way project, which also includes the old Huling Auto site to the south, the now-closed Shell station to the east, and the old used-car lot to the west. In our photo is Len Burton-Hardin from HK at left and Kraig Kennedy at right – who happened to be stopping by for some business involving another structure on the site. His father Dick Kennedy, who died in 2007, took over the funeral home in 1954. HK will open its new 35th/Ida headquarters at 9:30 Monday morning. We have a message out to the 4755 Fauntleroy developers to ask about a timetable for demolition at the project site; environmental work is ahead at the former service station next to the about-to-be-former funeral home.
(UPDATED 3:34 pm with new information from Union Gospel Mission – scroll to end)
Nine days remain until the September 1st date by which city leaders committed to closing the encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville,” on mostly city-owned land at West Marginal Way and Highland Park Way. By multiple accounts – including the one you’ll see below – the number of people there has increased instead of decreased. What will happen when September 1st arrives, remains to be seen. First: We asked for comment from the mayor, whose spokesperson Aaron Pickus replies:
I’m not going to speculate on what will happen on September 1st. What I can say is that our focus is to find shelter for those currently living at the site.
In June, when 7 councilmembers called for the closure, the mayor replied that he would “follow the City Council’s direction to evict those who remain” if the site isn’t vacant on September 1st.
The City Council, which called for the closure, is on its summer break right now, so no official discussions are scheduled on their part. But the latest acknowledgment that the closure date is approaching comes from the Westside Interfaith Network, a coalition of local churches and faith-based groups that has long coalesced around the issue of homelessness. We covered its forum on the issue in mid-June. WIN’s Mary Anne deVry says the group plans nightly vigils at Nickelsville starting this Sunday – NOT to demand that it stay open, but to show their concern about the unsolved problem of homelessness. She writes:
Westside Inferfaith Network (WIN) met this week and decided to hold a vigil at Nickelsville’s parking lot each evening next week (Sun. 8/25 thru Sat. 8/31). This idea arose as we were discussing the growing crisis of homeless people. Our idea is based on these facts:
-Nickelsville is closing (September 1st) & there are still ~150 residents with no confirmed place to move,
-There’s a steady increase of homeless people (recently 9 families asked shelter at N’ville in a 13 day period–& many couples/singles keep coming–none of them were looking for “freebies!)
-2-1-1 reports shelters are full (most people coming to N’ville are told to do so by 2-1-1),
-it’s not safe to live in the greenbelt or city streets.
-We also know literally tens of thousands of people in our area struggle on the brink of homelessness. There will be future homeless people.
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