(Jay and pigeon, photographed by Jon Anderson)

Here’s what’s on our highlight list for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (which you can browse any time for an earlier look at what’s up):

SPRUCE UP MADISON MS: 9:30 am-11:30 am, help the school (3429 45th SW) get ready for 2024-2025 – just show up and pitch in, as previewed here.

INTRODUCTORY QI GONG: 10 am session at Viva Arts (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW) – registration link is in our calendar listing. $10 suggested donation.

FOOD FUNDRAISER: Get food from/at MOD Pizza in Westwood Village (2800 SW Barton) 10:30 am-10 pm and a percentage of the proceeds will go to Chief Sealth International High School Football if you use the code that’s in our calendar listing.

HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open daily through Labor Day, 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)

COLMAN POOL: Also open through Labor Day, the outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL CLOSED: Also at Lincoln Park, the wading pool is (update) CLOSED today because of the weather.

SOUTHWEST POOL CLOSED: Repair/maintenance closure continues until after Labor Day.

ROTARY CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE: Noon lunch at West Seattle Golf Course, guest speaker from the Seattle Architecture Foundation. Public welcome – our calendar listing has RSVP contact.

CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm, at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon). All levels welcome. (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)

NO CITY COUNCIL MEETING: The council’s late-summer break continues.

BUSINESS WORKSHOP: “Finding and Securing the Perfect Commissary Kitchen,” 4-6 pm at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).

FREE DROP-IN CLIMBING: Weather permitting, you’re invited to try out Schurman Rock at Camp Long (5200 35th SW) – two free sessions, 5 pm and 6:30 pm, with signups starting half an hour before the session begins.

DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration on the corners at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t bring your own.

CUB SCOUTING FOR GIRLS: 6 pm at West Side Presbyterian Church (3601 California SW), girls in grades K-5 are invited to a special Cub Scouting event, explained in our calendar listing.

STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm, weather permitting, bring the little one(s) to Delridge P-Patch (5078 25th SW) for storytime plus a garden activity.

SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm tonight, play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).

FREE TRACK RUN: All runners welcome! Meet up at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for this free weekly run at 6:15 pm.

MAKE POTTERY: 6:30-9 pm “girls’ night” at pottery studio The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW), sign up in advance to work on your project(s).

BINGO AT THE SKYLARK: Play – free! – weekly Belle of the Balls Bingo hosted by Cookie Couture, 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

TRIVIA X 4: Four trivia options Tuesday nights – The Beer Junction (4711 California SW) has Sporcle Pub Quiz with David at 7 and 8 pm … 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink; 7:10 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).

Planning an event? If it’s open to community members, tell your West Seattle neighbors via our event calendar – just email the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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TRAFFIC, WEATHER, ROAD WORK, TRANSIT: Tuesday notes

August 27, 2024 6:01 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, August 27 – six days to Labor Day.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Showery morning, sun later, high in mid-60s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:22 am, while sunset will be at 7:58 pm.

SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT AND OTHER ROAD WORK

*No work, no closures, until after Labor Day, for the Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project.

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project is in progress. The north half of the bridge is closed, with one lane each way on the south side; Fairmount Avenue remains closed under the bridge.

*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.

*The East Marginal Way S. project continues, with a temporary routing change for bicycle riders (explained at that link).

*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch. Watch for no-parking zones and steel plates (many on northbound side right now), plus flaggers.

TRANSIT NOTES

Water Taxi today – Regular schedule for both routes.

Metro buses today – Regular schedules; check for advisories here.

Washington State Ferries today – 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may be available. Check that link before you sail.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:

High Bridge – The Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low bridge: Here’s the main view:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

South Park Bridge – Looking east:

Delridge cameras: Besides 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; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

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READER REPORT: Seeking hit-run driver who killed dog

August 26, 2024 10:50 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Teja is looking for help finding the hit-run driver who killed their dog:

On Friday (23rd) at 9.45 pm, a red car traveling pretty fast hit and killed our little dog and did not stop.

Not much of an image, however, I was able to screen shot this from our neighbors’ CCTV. It’s all I was able to find unfortunately. Anyone with CCTV on Delridge Way SW (near the Chevron and the other two gas stations down the road), would most certainly have captured something as I’m sure the car would have travelled up the road. Car was going south along Delridge Way SW (toward the Chevron gas station) and actual point of the road where the hit happened was outside of 6527 Delridge Way SW.

If you have any information – and/or video – that might help, the SPD incident number is 24-238482.

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Not a trivial matter: 2024 West Seattle Trivia Championship open to more hosts/teams!

August 26, 2024 7:27 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

Trivia is big in West Seattle. Every week we feature a dozen or so regular events in our calendar and daily highlights list. So what happens when the various venues’ regulars go head to head? That’s what the West Seattle Trivia Championship is about – and we were asked to share this call for hosts/teams to sign up:

Last year, players from around West Seattle participated in the first annual peninsula-wide trivia championship. As co-host of the 2023 championship and host of the winning team, The Good Society and host Will Drewry have been putting together the 2024 Trivia Championship! Last year was a huge success, and last year’s winners look forward to taking on all contenders. If your team is interested in participating in this year’s event, talk to your local trivia host and have them message Will (willdrewry@gmail.com) to sign up!

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MORE ROAD NOTES: Admiral Way Bridge half-closure begins; SDOT says Chelan/Marginal/etc. signal fixed

August 26, 2024 5:32 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Two more traffic notes:

ADMIRAL WAY BRIDGE HALF-CLOSURE BEGINS: Thanks to Mark for the photo. As reported here (with a reminder last night), SDOT planned to close the north half of the Admiral Way Bridge “as soon as today” for the next phase of work on the earthquake-strengthening project, and indeed, the closure started this morning. The south side of the bridge is temporarily handling both directions of traffic – one lane each way – until crews are ready to switch to that side (when the north side will handle both directions).

SIGNAL FIXED: A few people messaged us Sunday about a signal problem at the Delridge/Chelan/Spokane/etc. intersection; signal problems tend to be fairly quick fixes, so we didn’t write about it, but once we got a phone call early this afternoon saying it was still malfunctioning, we contacted SDOT to see why it wasn’t fixed yet and whether they had an ETA. They said a crew was on scene working on it. We just got word it should be OK now “but people may see signal crews return over the next few days to monitor and test the signal and ensure it is running smoothly.” Signal problems can be reported to SDOT during weekday business hours at 206-684-ROAD; weekends and nights, the SDOT dispatch number is 206-386-1218.

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SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT: No closures scheduled until after Labor Day

August 26, 2024 2:20 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

As promised, we checked in with Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project spokesperson Dr. Matthew Howard to see about this week’s closure schedule. Short answer: No closures. Long version:

I’ve confirmed with the project team that no work will be going on this week or weekend (August 26 – September 2, 2024). … The reason we aren’t performing work is due to small chances of rain in the forecast for today and tomorrow. We can’t chance the moisture getting into the overlay or ground-down viaduct at the moment, especially after such a wet weekend. The deck would need to dry for 24 hours with dry weather before we’d be able to confidently perform work. After that, the holiday travel restrictions for Labor Day weekend for WSDOT make it not worthwhile to get back out there, lest we not be as productive with the work. I’ll have an updated schedule for next week by end of this week, hopefully.

We’re also still awaiting an update sometime soon on overall progress and timeline update. It’s been four weeks since the project’s first lane closures; at that time, the work was expected to continue into early October, but the August rain has gotten in the way of some planned closures.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Can you help with Madison MS spruce-up Tuesday?

August 26, 2024 12:47 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just a little over a week remains in summer break – and one local school community would love your help with a cleanup tomorrow! Here’s the invitation:

Please come join the Madison PTSA and A Cleaner Alki as they spruce-up the Madison Middle School campus to prepare for the new school year this Tuesday, August 27 from 9:30-11:30 AM. All are welcome to volunteer! We are happy to sign student’s volunteer hour sheets. More details can be found here.

Thank you and we hope to see you there.

First day of classes for Seattle Public Schools is a week from Wednesday – on September 4.

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UPDATE: Flipped-car crash near California/Brandon

August 26, 2024 11:35 am

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

11:35 AM: Thanks for the tip — texter says a flipped-car crash on California south of Brandon is blocking northbound traffic. Avoid the area. At least one person is hurt – SFD has just upgraded this to a medic response.

11:42 AM: Thanks to Marie for the photos. She says firefighters were able to get the vehicle’s occupant out via the hatch.

1:32 PM: The scene has cleared. SFD tells us the 31-year-old man they treated at the scene was in stable condition when taken to a hospital.

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Our list for your West Seattle Monday

August 26, 2024 10:30 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Carol Ann Joyce for the photo of Sunday’s sunset; as noted in this morning’s traffic/weather roundup, tonight brings our last 8 pm sunset until next April, so enjoy it if you can! Here’s what else is happening in the hours ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: Bring little ones up to 2 years old to Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), noon-12:30 pm, for story time!

COLMAN POOL: The outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) is open to the public today, noon-7 pm, starting its final week of the season – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Elsewhere at Lincoln Park, it’s also the start of the final week of the season for this city wading pool, noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.

SOUTHWEST POOL CLOSED: West Seattle’s city-run indoor pool is closed for maintenance and repairs until after Labor Day.

NO CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: The council is on its two-week end-of-summer break.

GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday brings “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.

D&D: Weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, first-time players too.

MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Four places to play tonight – music quiz at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW), 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm … 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander); 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

MEDITATION IN FAUNTLEROY: All welcome at free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.

MEDITATION IN ALKI: The Alki Dharma Community hosts meditation at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), 7-8:30 pm.

MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: The Alley in back of Bonjour Vietnam is open – tonight you can listen to live music from The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.

SING TONIGHT! 9 pm start for Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).

If you have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar, please send the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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Remembering Mike “miws” Stahl, 1958-2024

August 26, 2024 9:00 am

| 34 COMMENTS

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

We learned last week, via a post in the WSB Community Forums, that a longtime reader had died suddenly. That was a fitting place for the original announcement, as Mike Stahl contributed so much to discussions there back in the forums’ early (pre-social-media) days. He enhanced many news-comment discussions too. But his story went beyond discussion participation, as noted by the friends who announced his passing, as they provided this proper obituary to say goodbye:

Mike Stahl (miws to many of us) was a (mostly) lifetime resident of West Seattle.

He lived in many of West Seattle’s neighborhoods including South Admiral, Morgan Junction, and Highland Park. Mike graduated from Chief Sealth HS in 1976, and was a cashier for McLendon Hardware.

Although Mike was a self-described introvert, he remained active in his communities both online and off. Known as “miws” on the West Seattle Blog, he remained engaged with local happenings, commenting on posts until a couple of days before he died.

He was also a longtime volunteer for the local animal welfare nonprofit Furry Faces Foundation. He could be found as a greeter and cashier for the annual gift-wrap fundraiser at Beveridge Place, and table host during West Seattle Summer Fest.

Mike was an advocate for the homeless, having experienced homelessness himself and spending time living in a tent in the original Nickelsville encampment, as well as trying to navigate the system of local shelters when he got too sick to stay in a tent. He stayed active in the Facebook group “Facing Homelessness,” where he offered encouragement and hope to others dealing with the challenges that come with being unhoused.

When anyone talks about Mike, they remark on his “cheerful attitude,” or kindness, or resiliency. This despite his many years, particularly as an adult, of varying life-altering illnesses and their lifelong effects.

Since July of 2023, Mike was a resident of Park Place Senior Housing in the NewHolly neighborhood. He was happy there because he was able to maintain his independence in his own apartment, and able to get a helping hand whenever he needed it. The facility’s front desk host noted, “He was one of the few people who would lift his head and say ‘hello’ whenever he walked by.”

A remembrance in Mike’s honor will be planned and announced on the Blog.

We were lucky to have met Mike in person; when we tabled at local summer events, he would almost always stop by and say hi. But we knew him best online – as “miws,” our archives show, he posted more than 4,000 comments. (His first one, in March 2007, was so typical of his helpful nature, offering detour advice in a road-work discussion.)

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK, WEATHER: Monday info

August 26, 2024 6:00 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, August 26 – one week to Labor Day.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Partly sunny, chance of pm rain, high in mid-70s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:20 am, while sunset will be at 8 pm. (After tonight, our next 8 pm sunset will be in mid-April.)

SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT AND OTHER ROAD WORK

*Later today, we expect to find out this week’s closure plan for the Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project.

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project is in progress. Fairmount Avenue is closed under the bridge. And as soon as today,the north half of the bridge will close, so the south half will carry traffic both ways temporarily. (Added: A reader called to say that the closure HAS begun.)

*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.

*The East Marginal Way S. project continues, with a temporary routing change for bicycle riders (explained at that link).

*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch. Watch for no-parking zones and steel plates (many on northbound side right now), plus flaggers.

TRANSIT NOTES

Water Taxi today – Regular schedule for both routes.

Metro buses today – Regular schedules; check for advisories here.

Washington State Ferries today – 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may be available. Check that link before you sail.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:

High Bridge – The Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low bridge: Here’s the main view:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

South Park Bridge – Looking east:

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.

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UPDATE: Seattle Fire ‘full response’ on Alki, quickly downsized

August 25, 2024 11:27 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

11:27 PM: Seattle Fire has a full response on the way to a possible apartment fire in the 3000 block of 60th SW. [vicinity map] Updates to come.

11:30 PM: Firefighters say it appears to have been a small fire extinguished “by occupant,” and they’re downsizing the response.

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BIZNOTE: Westwood Village. What’s ahead?

August 25, 2024 9:35 pm

| 39 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | Westwood

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

This afternoon, Westwood Village hosted free family-friendly activities in its central breezeway as part of what was announced as an “End of Summer Bash.”

The announcement of this event, sent by a PR firm on behalf of Westwood Village owner ShopCore, was the first one of any kind we’d received on behalf of the center in a long time. We had tried previously to get comment from the ownership/management on various matters with no reply, but this seemed like an opening, so we asked the PR firm if perhaps they could arrange for us to talk to a WWV rep.

They said they couldn’t arrange an interview, but would route our questions to a mall spokesperson. The answers weren’t hugely revelatory but it could represent a start toward more communication from ShopCore. The responses, received via email, were all attributed to Westwood Village asset manager Kori Murphy.

We asked if ShopCore has any long-term redevelopment/infrastructure improvement plans for the center. Murphy replied, “At Westwood Village, the primary focus at this time is on securing exciting new tenants that will continue to elevate the shopping experience for our guests. And while we do not currently have plans for significant capital improvements, we have recently made a number of important aesthetic changes that include repainting the center, giving it a fresh new appeal.”

We also asked if ShopCore was considering selling or redeveloping the often-empty northwest area of WWV’s 1,286-space parking lot. Murphy said no: “At this time, rather than focusing on redevelopment, we are working to fill any unused retail spaces with desirable and coveted new tenants. Doing so will make use of the under-used parking spaces for the timebeing. We are currently in negotiations with a number of potential new tenants for the northwest part of the property and hope to be able to share some news with you soon.”

Specifically, we asked if there’s any hope on the horizon for a permanent tenant in the former Bed Bath & Beyond space, where the temporary store Spirit Halloween has just opened for a third year of a two-month-ish run.

Murphy said the leasing team is “busy assessing new offerings … We are in discussions with a number of potential new tenants at this time, including prospects for the former Bed Bath and Beyond space, and we hope to be able to share some exciting news with you in the near future.”

What about sit-down restaurants? That topic often comes up, with the center’s current offerings takeout-focused.
Murphy’s reply: “Westwood Village is continually assessing its tenant mix and is interested in adding what our community wants and needs. We have heard that our guests would like additional dining options, and our leasing team is taking the request for more dine-in, sit-down restaurants to heart. If there are specific requests that the community has for restaurants and eateries, we encourage them to share those requests by direct messaging the center through its Facebook and Instagram pages.”

With the decision to host a family event today, might ShopCore be considering bringing back some of the events that were staples under previous ownership/management, such as trick-or-treating and Santa photos?

Murphy didn’t address those two specifically but said that “we do expect to provide even more fun-filled activities in the coming months. In fact, our marketing team is hard at work right now putting together our holiday event, which will take place on December 14th. Those details will be shared with the public when they are available.” That will include, they promised, listings on their website calendar.

Last but by no means least, we asked how the owners are addressing crime/security issues. The last line of Murphy’s reply suggested ShopCore intends to step it up somewhat: “The safety and security of our shoppers, retailers and employees is very important to ShopCore and to Westwood Village. As a result, there are a number of security measures already in place that may not be visible to the general public and that we do not discuss as doing so could impact the effectiveness of those measures. What I can tell you is that the center’s on-site security team has a very strong working relationship with local law enforcement and, together, we continually assess and update our security procedures to ensure we are in lockstep with one another. We regularly hold on-site meetings that include our own on-site security team, local law enforcement and tenants so each entity is aware of our procedures and prepared to enact them should an incident occur. Additionally, as we approach the fourth quarter, we will be implementing a more visible law enforcement strategy and relying more heavily on the use of new state-of-the-art CCTV cameras.”

According to Shopcore’s website, they have properties in 15 states, mostly on the east coast.

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ROAD-WORK ALERT: Admiral Way Bridge half-closure expected to start this week

August 25, 2024 7:17 pm

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Reminder that the next phase of the Admiral Way Bridge earthquake-strengthening project is expected to start this week, potentially as soon as tomorrow: As announced by SDOT, its contractor plans to close the north side of the bridge and route westbound traffic onto the other side of the bridge, which will be one lane each direction. This is likely to last a few weeks, and then the crew will switch, closing the south side and having the north side carry both directions. As we’ve reported, NO full closures of the bridge are planned. But the full closure of Fairmount Avenue beneath the bridge will continue for the duration of the project, likely into early next year.

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BIZNOTE FOLLOWUP: Origins moves into new West Seattle location

August 25, 2024 5:19 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Two years after its parent company bought the former Than Brothers Pho building at 4822 California SW, Origins Cannabis (WSB sponsor) has moved its West Seattle shop there. They weren’t expecting the regulatory green light for another week or so but, management tells us, they got it and made the move this weekend. Origins has been renovating the space for months, and told WSB in May that the intent was to create “a space that would allow for a more open and interactive shopping experience for our adult-use consumers.” They also worked to beautify the space, with a mural by Seattle artist Glynn Rosenberg. Watch for the grand-opening celebration next month; hours are 9 am-9 pm Sundays, 8 am-10:30 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 8 am-11:30 pm Fridays-Saturdays. As for its now-closed 40th/Edmunds location, Origins was a tenant there; its owners have been pursuing redevelopment proposals for a decade, currently what city files describe as a five-story mixed-use building with 86 residential units.

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VIDEO: Festival Centroamericano 2024 at Westcrest Park

August 25, 2024 2:23 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | WS culture/arts

The cultures of seven Central American countries – Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama – are at the heart of a festival happening right now in West Seattle. Festival Centroamericano has returned to Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW), with performances, food, art, and more, until 6 pm. It’s all on the big field at the north end of the park.

Among the performers who have already taken the stage (video above and photo below) were Los Rebeldes de la Cueca (Chilean):

Folklore de Costa Rica went out into the audience to dance with spectators:

It’s a beautiful afternoon in the park – you can bring a chair and enjoy it all:

Here’s the performance schedule for the rest of the afternoon:

2:35 pm – Folklore Guatemala de Seattle
2:55 pm – Abuty Band
3:25 pm – Bailes y Alegria Panamá
3:50 pm – Karaoke
4:15 pm – Espiritu Libre
5:00 pm – Orgullo Cuzcatleco del Salvador
5:20 pm – Don Remo
5:50 pm – Blue Morpho

The festival is presented by Organizacion Centro Americano.

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UPDATE: Missing woman found safe

August 25, 2024 11:04 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

4:06 PM UPDATE: Missing woman says she’s been found and is safe.

EARLIER: This image and the information in it are from this missing woman’s family:

(image removed)

Though the graphic mentions the non-emergency number, if you find a person reported as missing, please call 911.

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‘ALMOST LIVE!’ TURNS 40: West Seattle journalist/historian tells the show’s story

August 25, 2024 9:04 am

| 18 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle online | WS culture/arts

Shortly after we moved here in 1991 so your editor could start work at a local TV station, we happened onto a local comedy show on a different station – and for most of the rest of that decade, it was a regular part of our Saturday nights, as it was for so many people back then.

(September 1994 TV Guide page kept by Tracey Conway, used with Now & Then permission)

The show, “Almost Live!“, was almost midway through its 15-year-run on KING TV by the time we first watched, a half-hour that made fun of current events as well as specific Seattle-and-vicinity neighborhoods – with sketches like “Ballard Driving Academy,” “Cops in Wallingford,” “East Side Story,” even “The Making of Studs of South King County,” as well as lampooning life in the Northwest – the timeless tale of “Seattle Summer”, for example.

We’d heard The Seattle Times was looking back this weekend on “Almost Live!” to mark 40 years since the show’s debut, synergizing with a Museum of History and Industry exhibit that opens next weekend. What we didn’t know was that a West Seattle journalist/historian wrote the stories comprising a package that figures prominently in today’s print edition of The Times, especially its Pacific Magazine, until that writer, Clay Eals, mentioned it while visiting our booth at Saturday’s Admiral Funktion street festival.

The “Almost Live!” exploration is in the spirit of the “Now & Then” columns that Clay co-produces for the newspaper’s weekly magazine, but much more in-depth. And you don’t have to be a Times subscriber to see the results of the three months Clay spent diving into “Almost Live!” – the Now & Then website has even more. And Clay mentioned two West Seattleites who factor into it – more on that in a moment. First, some links: The main Times story is here; as Clay writes, the show “proved that a major city could laugh at itself with universal appeal.” Even if you were an “Almost Live!” superfan, his story will likely tell you a lot you didn’t know about its history and origins. And if you’ve ever wondered what happened to the performers – who were among the 30+ people Clay interviewed – here’s that story. Then there’s the story about the MOHAI exhibit’s champion, and a related Now & Then column. Oh, plus “Where to find more ‘Almost Live!‘,” including YouTube.

If that sounds like a lot, consider that Clay says it’s only a fraction of what you’ll find on the Now & Then website – start here and wander at will. (If you can’t see the Times stories because of the paywall, Clay’s site has free-to-view versions of them all.)

Now, as for the West Seattleites who factor into this: First, one of the regular performers on “Almost Live!”, Tracey Conway, is a WS resident. Here’s a video she produced with some of her favorite characters:

And here she is in a recent photo by Clay:

He notes, “She’s quoted in the cover story and shown in 14 photos therein. But she also is part of the sketches sidebar” – best and most-overlooked sketches – and the material on Now & Then includes excerpts from his interview with her.

A West Seattleite playing a smaller but memorable role, Clay points out, is Aurora Bennett, who runs John Bennett Properties. “At age 8, she stars in one of what I say in the sketches sidebar is an ‘overlooked’ sketch, ‘Totally Realistic Barbi’ (no typo), just 1:40 long, from 1994. Quite timely given last year’s Barbie movie phenomenon. Tracey Conway plays her mom.” You can see it here.

If you get the print edition of The Times, Clay says “Almost Live!” stories and photos comprise 18 of the magazine’s 26 pages, as well as “a significant chunk of The Mix,” the arts-and-entertainment section of the paper itself. Meantime, the MOHAI exhibit opens August 31st and is expected to be on display for six months – here’s more about it.

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WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: Here’s what’s happening today/tonight

August 25, 2024 6:03 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Western Tanager photographed in Gatewood by Mark Dale)

Here’s our list for the final Sunday in August, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you’ll find even more):

SPOKANE STREET VIADUCT OPEN: One more reminder – this weekend’s planned resurfacing-project closure was canceled because of rain, so the bridge between Highway 99 and I-5 is open. We’ll get an update Monday on the coming week’s closure plan.

MARATHON SWIMMERS’ RELAY: As announced earlier this week by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association:

An all-female relay, supported by a female pilot and a female observer (local marathon swimmer Stephanie Zimmerman) will swim an unprecedented route for NOWSA from Alki Point Lighthouse, around Blake Island, and back to the lighthouse. Melissa Kegler, a Triple Crown marathon swimmer (English Channel, Catalina Channel, around Manhattan Island) spearheads the relay, which includes women covering all decades from 30-70: Becky Smith, Carol Horowitz, Guila Muir, Emily White, and Shea DeWald. They are all “Notorious Alki Swimmers” who you will find swimming regularly from the Alki Bathhouse, and Carol, Emily, and Shea are West Seattle residents. Boat support will be provided by Seastr PNW, an organization dedicated to inclusive access to waterborne activities for people who have been historically excluded from the maritime industry and water sports. They will be starting from the Alki Lighthouse at 8 am, and returning back sometime in the afternoon.

Once their swim begins, you can track their progress here.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) is cooking one up for you today, 8 am-noon – details in our calendar listing.

BIG BLUE TRUCK: Fourth weekend for the West Seattle return of the Northwest Center‘s donation-dropoff truck (WSB sponsor)! You’ll find it outside WaFd Bank (4102 California SW). Our calendar listing has info on what items the truck will accept. 9 am-5 pm.

SWIM IN THE SOUND: Ready for a much shorter Puget Sound swim than the one we mentioned above? At 9 am, you can join the weekly group plunge into Puget Sound off Alki – meet at Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki).

WESTIES RUN CLUB: 9 am, the Westies meet up at Dough Joy Donuts (4310 SW Oregon) for this week’s Sunday run.

WORSHIP AND PICNIC IN THE PARK: You’re invited to join Peace Lutheran Church for outdoor worship followed by a potluck picnic, at Lincoln Park Picnic Shelter #1 (south end of park), 9:30 am, more info on the church website.

DEEP SEA CONSERVATION FESTIVAL: As previewed here, a West Seattle student and Girl Scout is on a mission to help you learn about and appreciate this amazing ecosystem – so if you can get to the UW Fisheries Science Building between 10 am and 5 pm, that’s where you can do it!

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, midsummer produce, plus beverages, baked goods, flowers, cheese, fish, meat, prepared food, nuts, candy, more. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon) P.S. Market managers are asking shoppers to take an online survey.

SUNDAYS IN THE ALLEY: Pop-up shopping experience – apparel, art, music too – behind Carmilia’s, in the alley behind the east side of the 4500 block of California SW, 10 am-3 pm. More info in our calendar listing.

TROLL ANNIVERSARY: First anniversary of Bruun Idun‘s dedication at Lincoln Park. You can visit, but the 10 am restoration work party in her honor has maxed out on participants, so it’s too late to join that.

YOUTH BALLET AUDITIONS: Reminder, today is tryout day for “The Magical Doll Maker” – presented by West Seattle-based Seattle Civic Dance Theater, with auditions this afternoon in Burien. Info’s in our preview; tryout registration is here.

FESTIVAL CENTROAMERICANO: Free all-ages celebration of Central American cultures, noon-5 pm at Westcrest Park (9000 8th SW). Live music, dance, art, food, more.

COLMAN POOL: The outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) is open to the public today, noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Elsewhere at Lincoln Park, if it’s open today (check 206-684-7796 after 9 am), you’ll find this 7-days-a-week city wading pool, noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.

SOUTHWEST POOL CLOSED: Maintenance and repair work continues.

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Second-to-last chance this season! U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are at Alki Point Lighthouse today for free tours starting at 1 pm; get there by 3:45 pm for the last tour of the day. (3201 Alki SW)

WESTWOOD VILLAGE END-OF-SUMMER BASH: 1-4 pm in the breezeway north of Big 5 and Fitness 19, free activities – details in our calendar listing.

CLASSIC NOVELS (AND MOVIES) BOOK CLUB: August gathering, 3 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) – our calendar listing has info on this month’s discussion topic.

HEALING CIRCLE: 4-6 pm at Nurture Wellbeing (6307 California SW) – pre-registration required.

FREE OUTDOOR COMMUNITY YOGA: 6 pm at Lowman Beach Park (7017 Beach Drive SW) – details in our calendar listing.

GONG BATH & NATURE MEDITATION: 7 pm at Lowman Beach Park (7017 Beach Drive SW) – ticket link’s in our calendar listing.

JET CITY IMPROV @ ARTSWEST: Sold out!

LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Enjoy Sunday night music with the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW) – 8-10 pm.

Organizing and/or publicizing something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basics – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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