West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
More sights from Alki today: As always, Seafair Pirates Landing day also brought a pole-vaulting meet, and photographer David Hutchinson caught this sight: “Indiana Jones put in an appearance at the pole-vault competition at Alki Beach today. Unfortunately his famous whip dislodged the crossbar on his attempt.”
Further down the beach, the Duwamish Raven Canoe was visiting.
That’s Jonnica keeping watch on board. Linda from the Duwamish Longhouse had e-mailed earlier to say the Duwamish Canoe Family was headed for Alki – and we spotted it onshore after the Pirates had landed.
4:05 PM: Two weeks after the first “guerrilla art” sighting at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza (WSB coverage here and here), and a week and a half after the followup, something new showed up today. Ben Hutchinson shared the photo and observation:
This one looks like an assault rifle. On the front of this work of art, it has written in French, “Ceci nest pa un fusil d’assault”. I put this into Google Translate, which gave me the English translation “This is not an assault rifle”. I’m not sure, but I believe this may have been a protest in response to a number incidents in various places that have been mentioned in the news over the past few months, about kids who were suspended from school or even arrested for simply carrying Nerf guns (shoot foam rubber darts) or other toy guns like squirt guns or cap guns either to school or onto pieces of property (such as a park/playfield) that belongs to a school. Children are often forbidden from doing so under so called “no tolerance” rules involving anything that even looks like a gun (in one such case, a kid was suspended for just pointing his finger in a way that looked like he was pretending it was a gun, while playing, as kids tend to do). I believe the artwork here is a protest against such no-tolerance policies, for how strict (and possibly unfair) they can be in some situations.
We didn’t see Ben’s e-mail in time to check while we were at Alki so we don’t know if it’s still there.
12:43 AM: The “not a rifle” has been moved to Walking on Logs. The sighting was reported by @macjustice on Twitter when we were downtown picking up a family member; checked it out on the way back, and it’s either the same one or a duplicate.
ADDED EARLY MONDAY: We heard on Sunday from Chuck, who identified himself as the artist, but said he is NOT the person responsible for the previous creations left at Liberty Plaza and in The Junction. He says somebody had removed the “not a rifle” from Walking on Logs by 10:30 am Sunday, adding, “I hope that whoever took it returns it. If they don’t, I guess it served its purpose. I had a lot of fun making it.”
Seattle Police say the suspect in a street robbery/attack in The Junction last September is now in jail. Police in Shoreline stopped the suspect in that city last night and discovered he was wanted in Seattle, so he’s now been booked into King County Jail. Details of the September incident are part of the report on SPD Blotter.
12:04 PM: Got a tip (thanks, Christine) that the Hiawatha wading pool was found to have broken glass, which is being cleaned up now, so it’s opening late. We’ll check over there in a while; please let us know if you see it open before we update its status! Here’s the citywide wading-pool schedule.
1:33 PM: Still closed when we drove by about 15 minutes ago – saw staffers still sweeping. Added a photo of the ongoing cleanup, sent by Christine (thanks again!).
3:42 PM: As of our last drive-by about 15 minutes ago, it’s open!
11:34 AM: Cannon fire can be heard offshore as the Seafair Pirates make their way toward Alki Beach – with landlubbers awaiting them. (added) Listen to the cannon blasts in our video:
11:44 AM UPDATE: They’ve arrived, wading ashore as usual, after the Global Diving and Salvage craft brought them as far in as it could. (added) This year’s Captain Kidd is West Seattleite Rusty Harper:
Onshore festivities commence now!
ADDED 12:13 PM: Above, the Pirates accompanied ashore by the West Seattle Hi-Yu delegation; below, the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s been here handing out special pirate hats, and Kiwanian Mike LaFranchi shares smiles with a recipient:
More to come. Events on the beach continue into the afternoon, including bouncy toys for the kids.
One more reminder: Highway 99 is closed in both directions from the Battery St. Tunnel northward to Valley Street all weekend, so if you need to get north of downtown, you’ll need an alternate route; even if you’re just taking NB 99 to downtown, you might face backups, since everyone will have to exit at Western, if not sooner. This is all part of the city’s ongoing Mercer Corridor work.
A number of West Seattleites traveled across the state to join in the Spokane Hoopfest last weekend, competing against more than 7,000 teams in the world’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Hoopfest, begun in 1990, is an annual tournament that draws players and fans of all ages from around the country. It takes place outdoors, covering an area of 42 city blocks in downtown Spokane.
After playing through thunderstorms on Saturday and 96-degree heat on Sunday, at least four young West Seattle teams became champions of their brackets:
Regus ICE: Jayce, Grace, and Lexi
Gray Wolves: Teagan, Bryce, and Jaxton
Golden Arches: Josh Meyer, John Ursino, Andrew Burggraff, and Tyler Lenzie
Lady Hawks: Samantha Scroggins, Lani Taylor, Alison Hadaway, and Sidney Proctor
To see each team’s draw, check out Hoopfest’s Team Tracker. (Thanks to Mike Jensen and Jeffrey Proctor for the photos and info!)
… as they work on new mobile apps. This is the second survey on the topic; they’re asking for specifics on what kind of information you would find useful in three particular areas. Here’s the link.
8:53 PM: Emergency crews are handling a crash across SW Thistle from Chief Sealth International High School. Our crew says that’s blocking eastbound Thistle at the scene. The crash originally was dispatched as a “heavy rescue” situation, but many of the crews were subsequently canceled. Our crew says it looks like two cars went up over the sidewalk and through a fence at an apartment complex. A private ambulance is there, which suggests the injuries are not life-threatening. Avoid the area.
9:11 PM UPDATE: In addition to going through the fence, it looks like at least one vehicle hit an apartment, breaking a window, and firefighters are helping clean up the glass inside.
As for how it happened – police were still sorting that out.
If you noticed police activity in the 16th and Holden area of Highland Park earlier today, here’s what it was about: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams says two neighbors called police after seeing four people break into a house in the 7700 block of 15th SW and run away. Two suspects were stopped at 16th and Holden, two at 15th and Holden; all were juveniles, and Lt. Williams says some “had property on their person that was later identified by the victim as their property.” One had a “loaded semi-automatic ammo clip on his person,” but a K-9 searching the area didn’t find a gun. He says three suspects were booked, one interviewed and released.
After the Tuesday night multi-location investigation described as involving a possible carjacking (WSB coverage here), police promised they would have followup information once they sorted it out. They still haven’t entirely sorted it out, but an update just appeared on SPD Blotter – read it here. Bottom line: It all may have had something to do with stolen auto parts that someone was trying to buy back; the later locations involved police trying to find a suspect who had called them. While two people were briefly in custody at one Highland Park location, as we noted in a followup comment Wednesday, nobody was actually arrested; two vehicles were impounded, though.
Many places display flags on the 4th of July and other patriotically themed holidays. The West Seattle home of Sharon and Duff Kennedy is among them. Or – has been. The flag they hang every 4th of July was stolen last night; the photo above shows where it had been displayed. This is not just any flag, Sharon explains:
We hung the flag that was given to my husband when his son Roger was laid to rest.
It was the flag presented to him at (Roger’s) burial; he was a Vietnam War casualty.
We hang it every 4th of July, and this year we hung it in a new spot, and after our company left late the night of the 4th, we forgot to take the flag down.
It is a very large flag and we hung it so proudly each year.
The thief took it down carefully, and all the hangers we used are still in place.
We want our flag back, we will buy a replacement flag for the person who stole ours, not ask any questions, no bad feelings.
The flag is about 10 feet wide and about 5 feet long.
The sentimental value is priceless.
Perhaps the thief can simply return it – the Kennedys are at 4234 Beach Drive SW.
You might not be counting the days yet, but we are – West Seattle’s biggest festival of the year, the Junction Association-presented West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB), is now exactly one week away – Friday, Saturday, Sunday (July 12-14). Or you might say it’s six days away, if you count what we call Summer Fest Eve, Thursday night, July 11th, when California and Alaska close in the heart of The Junction starting at 6 pm and Summer Fest setup begins, concurrent with the July edition of the West Seattle Art Walk, and featuring street performances (we’ve already mentioned Bret Wiggins bringing his award-winning Elvis styling to the street outside La Romanza Bistro Italiano [WSB sponsor] that night).
Quick links and notes:
*Summer Fest music lineup
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors map (PDF; we’re not listed because you’ll find WSB in the Information Booth again this year)
*Summer Fest kid zone is on Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be
*Summer Fest food zone is on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
*Other specialty areas – GreenLife is back on the south side of the festival area; Art Dive is back on the north side
*West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be ON during Summer Fest, 10 am-2 pm as always
Festival hours will be 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday. More details to come as our countdown continues in the days/nights ahead! And if your business/organization has something special to spotlight, please let us know ASAP so we can include it in countdown coverage – editor@westseattleblog.com.
(9-10 team Wednesday night, congratulating Reece McAllister after his double allowed Spencer Burgess to score from 2nd for the win)
Big day for Alki tomorrow – not just the Seafair Pirates Landing, but also, the championship games for the Little League District 7 All-Star tournaments that have been under way since last weekend at Bar-S Playfield. And, Laurie Rasmussen tells us, both teams from the hosting West Seattle Little League are in their respective championship games!
Both the 9-10 and 11-12 year old West Seattle Little League All Star teams will be playing tomorrow in the District 7 championship games beginning at 10:00 at Bar S fields.
*The 9-10 year old team will face the winner of tonight’s game, PAC West vs. South Highline National. The 9-10 year old team beat South Highline National on Wednesday night in extra innings by the score of 9-8.
*The 11-12 year old team will face the winner of tonight’s game, PAC West vs. Renton. The 11-12 year old team beat PAC West on Wednesday night in a shutout, with a score of 17-0.
Both teams go into the championship game undefeated in tournament play. The winner of the District 7 tournament will move on to the State tournament.
The 10-11 year old tournament and Juniors tournament begin tomorrow also at PAC West fields in Burien. We wish them luck! Go Westside!
And remember, you are welcome to go watch and cheer the players on. There’s more information, including scheduling, on the WSLL website.
During the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s 4th of July membership picnic, executive director Clay Eals rolled out a long list of events SWSHS has in the works, including a series of monthly author talks in partnership with South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor), a 9/11 commemoration on September 8th at Alki Arts, and the annual fundraising gala in November, spotlighting the Alki Point Lighthouse‘s centennial. But first up will be the August event that SWSHS is formally announcing today – centered on another centennial, that of a well-known couple’s home:
(Photo by Jean Sherrard)
The event August 18th at the North Admiral home of Sharon and Greg Nickels will be both a celebration of history and inspiration for homeowners considering renovating their own classic homes. Here’s the official announcement from SWSHS:
What do you do when the house you live in turns 100? Former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and his wife, Sharon, have a ready answer: Throw a community celebration and make it a fundraiser for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society.
To be held Sunday afternoon, Aug. 18, 2013, the event is called “If These Walls Could Talk: The Centennial of Hizzoner’s Home.” It will take place at the Nickels home in the Admiral neighborhood of West Seattle.
Sponsoring the two-tiered event is the 29-year-old Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which also will be the beneficiary.
11:20 AM: The new Highland Park Spraypark has had a few technical glitches since opening a week ago, as we’ve been noting, and Seattle Parks just sent word there’s another today:
Highland Park Spraypark has mechanical problems with the backwash system. It cannot open until repairs are made. Tom Dunning, (project manager) Kelly Goold and Contractor are on site, but it will not open at 11:00. There is no estimate for the time.
We have updated the Wading Pool Hotline.
Of special note, people in the community brought their own brooms to help clean up the spraypad to remove fireworks garbage.
We’ll post an update when we hear (or see) that it’s fixed. Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad, who sent the announcement, says, “We do expect to get it open today. We just don’t know when.”
ADDED 11:44 AM: We asked if this is related or similar to the earlier problems. Parks says no – the first-day glitch involved nearby grass-mowing just before the spraypark opened, and cut grass repeatedly clogged the system; today, it’s “an electrical problem on the automatic backwash system.”
3:26 PM UPDATE: Seattle Parks confirms a commenter’s report – it’s open!
(Click image for larger view)
“Our island at 9,000 feet” is how pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen captioned that view shared with us this week. Here are highlights for today/tonight on “our island,” from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SCOOTER INSANITY: Red Cup Espresso in The Junction is hosting this big scooter rally for a brunch stop, 11 am until 3 pm – here’s the rally schedule, in case you wonder what they’re up to before/after.
BLOOD DRIVE: The Puget Sound Blood Center Bloodmobile is at Westwood Village until 3:30 pm, and walk-up donations are welcome – holiday weekends are too often a time when the supply runs low. Details in our calendar listing.
MAYOR AT SOUTHWEST PRECINCT: Not a public event, but FYI, the mayor’s tour of Seattle Police precincts, with media updates on the Safe Communities Initiative, brings him to the Southwest Precinct at 1:30 pm today. We’ll of course be there and report here.
CORNER BAR CELEBRATES A YEAR: One year for the pop-up “first Fridays” bar at Highland Park Improvement Club! To celebrate, tonight’s theme is “reunion” – explained here. 6-9 pm it’s all ages, then at 9 it’s 21+. (12th/Holden)
LIVE MUSIC AT SKYLARK: 8 pm, Knut Bell and the Blue Collars, Sourmash Stevedores. Details on the Skylark calendar. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
FLAT FIVE AT FEEDBACK: R&B, soul, rock, and funk, live at 9:30 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) with the Flat 5. (6451 California SW)
More on the calendar!
Michale e-mailed to ask that you keep an eye out for this truck stolen from the 9800 block of 25th SW, just south of the city/county boundary:
Just wanted to report that last night around 4:30 am our 2012 Black Nissan Frontier 4×4 was stolen out of our driveway at 9808 25th ave sw 98118. License plate B88732x. If anyone see this truck they can contact the King County (Sheriff’s Office) or us at 206-310-2661.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
For everyone who’s not taking a four-day (or longer) holiday weekend, here’s the daily traffic/transit watch: Since it’s not an official holiday, today’s bus and boat schedules are back to normal. But tonight’s the start of the weekend-long northbound 99 closure north of downtown – Battery Street Tunnel to Valley St., midnight tonight to no later than 5 am Monday morning. And remember that Monday is the day the Delridge repaving project switches to its next phase.
Thanks to Mike Scharer for sharing photos of the Lake Union 4th of July fireworks as seen from the Admiral Way Bridge over Fairmount Ravine.
If you missed the (sanctioned) show, you have two more chances to see fireworks displays in our area this month: July 17th at Steve Cox Park as part of White Center Jubilee Days, and July 20th off Beach Drive as part of a private event (but the fireworks will be publicly visible.)
Meantime, Mike sent an additional photo taken before Thursday night’s fireworks – showing, if you look very closely, black smoke billowing from the same general area:
Having listened to the scanner throughout the evening, we’re fairly sure that was related to this boat-storage yard fire on Lake Union, not far from Gas Works Park, main viewing area for the fireworks show. SFD says via Twitter that $1.5 million in damage is estimated for 14 boats.
That’s our traditional “everybody, start to finish” West Seattle/Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade video – but this year, #19 for the parade, the turnout wasn’t the only impressive thing about the parade: The diaper drive was, too! New co-coordinator Jackie Clough reports that attendees brought “1,327 diapers and 8 bags of clothes and quilts for WestSide Baby.” She shared this photo from afterward:
Cash donations also totaled enough to reimburse Holy Rosary Parish for the cost of the permits needed for the parade, Jackie says. Before the parade started, we photographed her with Sherri Chun (photo below), longtime coordinator who turned over the reins this year to Jackie and (not pictured) Allyson Schreck.
This year’s parade also drew two mayors – Greg Nickels, North Admiral resident, was expected; here’s his speech (introduced by Jackie), which made note of the situation in Egypt as well as the United States history marked by today’s holiday:
The mayoral surprise was an unexpected appearance by Nickels’ successor, Mike McGinn, who wound up speaking briefly at the Hamilton Viewpoint Park festival that followed the parade. He declared West Seattle to be “unbelievable …” a scene right out of a Norman Rockwell painting:
Perhaps he was inspired by sights like this:
Or this:
More photos (including the post-parade fun and games), video – and a keepsake found after the parade (is it yours?) – ahead:
9:20 PM: Seattle Fire crews are on their way to a reported roof fire at a home in the 4000 block of 37th SW (map).
9:25 PM UPDATE: First units there say it appears to have started in a gutter and it appears to be out. Most of the units have been canceled.
9:31 PM UPDATE: Per scanner traffic, the fire may have been caused by “someone setting off flares” in the vicinity; police are looking around.
A few times these past few weeks, Westwood residents asked about music/drums they’ve heard coming from Southwest Athletic Complex. We eventually learned SWAC is the rehearsal HQ this year for the All-City Band, the green-shirted student musicians who are fixtures in summer parades around this region. And beyond – as evidenced by the photos and update shared by Steve White:
The Seattle All City Band, under the direction of Chief Sealth/Denny music director Marcus Pimpleton, is performing this week on the island of Oahu.
Today, they participated in the Kailua, Oahu, 4th of July Parade (photo above; below is a group shot with the King Kamehameha statue in Honolulu).
Later in the week, the band will be performing at the Polynesian Cultural Center and in a parade along Waikiki Beach in downtown Honolulu.
The band is rehearsing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at SWAC to prepare for the upcoming Seafair parade season.
The band will also be hosting the Seattle All City “Band Jam” at SWAC on Friday, July 26th at 7 pm. This event features many of the music groups that will be performing in the following night’s Seafair Torchlight Parade, but in a concert setting on the football field. The event is free for all; donations to the program gladly accepted.
Before that, you’ll see them here in the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 20th.
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