West Seattle, Washington
06 Monday
Two food-donation drives ahead – first, this announcement is from West Seattle High School care coordinator Stacey Fernandez:
I am hosting a food drive tomorrow for the WSHS Pantry (which benefits students). The drive will happen tomorrow, Tuesday, May 7th from 4-5:30 PM. Location is WSHS Historical Entrance, which are the doors facing Hiawatha. I have attached a list of items we are requesting.
The school is at 3000 California SW.
Then this Saturday (May 11) – along with West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day! – the second Saturday in May is also the USPS letter carriers’ nationwide Stamp Out Hunger food drive. Set out a bag of nonperishable food wherever your mail is delivered. Donations are collected, sorted at local post offices, and distributed to organizations that serve food banks.
(Chive bud, photographed by Rosalie Miller)
Here’s our list of what’s up this afternoon/evening, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FUTURE GROWTH PLAN: Today’s the deadline for public comment on the draft One Seattle Plan. Easiest way is via OneSeattleCompPlan@seattle.gov – you can also use this page of the “engagement hub.” Here’s our report on the last West Seattle briefing, which includes links to our previous coverage.
EXPANDED FAUNTLEROY YMCA HOURS: Reminder that expanded hours continue at the Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) – 9 am to noon and 4 pm to 7 pm Mondays-Thursdays.
BABY STORY TIME: Bring little ones up to 2 years old to Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), noon-12:30 pm, for story time!
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm at City Hall, the weekly meeting in which councilmembers talk about their plans for the week ahead. Here’s the agenda. Watch live via Seattle Channel.
PLAYOFFS: Postseason play continues for some local high-school teams, as we reported Sunday, including West Seattle High School‘s baseball game vs. Seattle Prep at 4 pm today, Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center.
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). As always, all welcome, first-time players too.
MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Three places to play tonight – 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 to join free weekly Zen sitting/meditation at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
MEDITATION ON ALKI: The Alki Dharma Community welcomes you to Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) for meditation. 7 pm.
MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
KARAOKE: 9 pm brings Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(March photo courtesy WSHS Water Polo)
In this first year of the West Seattle HS water-polo team – created as a club sport after students worked to make it happen – a clinic is planned to teach prospective players. Here’s the announcement:
WEST SEATTLE GIRLS WATER POLO TEAM will host their first Clinic & Open House for middle/high school age girls on Saturday, May 18, 2024, 3:00 – 4:30 pm. Learn and play alongside the high-school girls’ team players, under the direction of Coach Truly Dorland. Find out what this growing sport is all about and jget a chance to learn the basics.
6th through 12th grade girls are invited to attend. This is an educational event open to all middle school and high school-age girls. A $20 suggested (but not required) donation is encouraged on the day of the event to help defray pool costs.
Registration required in advance of the event. Please contact WSWP to receive a link to register. wshswaterpolo@gmail.com
You can support WSWP now – join the WSWP Online Auctions and bid on gift cards and other offerings from community businesses. Different offerings every week. All auction proceeds go to support WSWP’s season and community education opportunities.
Register for the Auction Site at paybee.io/@wswaterpolo@3
See next items up for bid at paybee.io/@wswaterpolo@2
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, May 6.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Cloudy, chance of rain/thunderstorms, breezy, high in the mid-50s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:43 am; sunset will be at 8:29 pm.
(Sunday’s sunset, reader photo by Ken Maier)
ROAD-WORK ALERT
*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project continues at Delridge/Oregon, which is narrowed as a result:
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Check WSF alerts for last-minute changes. Use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Low bridge: Open.
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
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. (We’re aware that the low bridge hasn’t shown up in this feed since the recent closure, and we’re awaiting SDOT’s explanation.)
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!
Story by Tracy Record
Photos/video by Patrick Sand
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
On a peninsula where people have lived for millennia, 40 years of history is a blink. But for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, it’s been an eventful 40 years – and that’s what SWSHS supporters gathered Friday night to celebrate.
Some in the room at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) were there in the organization’s early days – like former executive director Clay Eals, the night’s co-auctioneer.
Some were descendants of those whose West Seattle history stretches back all those millennia, like Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribe, a former SWSHS board member born nearby, who noted his people “have been here since the Ice Age” and gave a welcome in “the language that was taken from us so very long ago.”
Two other Duwamish members were among the three featured speakers – another steward of history, Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center director Kristina Pearson, granddaughter of Duwamish chair Cecile Hansen. Pearson observed that “the past is not only a series of events to be studied – it’s a living tapestry of traditions and teachings.” Here’s everything she told the SWSHS:
The tribe is excited about collaborating with the SWSHS, Pearson emphasized.
Those gathered at the gala also heard from Michael Halady, who carved the totem pole that has stood at the Admiral Way Viewpoint since 2006. It factored into the SWSHS celebration because it’s been 10 years since the organization’s Log House Museum put up the pole that Halady’s work replaced. He spoke briefly about the Admiral pole and about his apprenticeship under a prolific carver:
Learning from the past while looking to the future – “Navigating Our Past Anew” – was the theme for the night. Board president Nancy Sorensen recounted accomplishments of the past year – including major maintenance for the museum – and making some collection materials available onlin: “We’re working hard to develop and improve our museum and reach out to our community.” While the SWSHS currently is without an executive director, Sorensen lauded programs and community-outreach director Elizabeth Rudrud for her work. Rudrud spoke too, starting with words of remembrance for someone Sorensen had also mentioned, former board president Kathy Blackwell, who died earlier this year:
“This place contains a multitude of stories,” Rudrud noted, including the life stories of some in the room, including Carol-Ann Thornton, who played a key role in desegregating Seattle schools in the ’60s:
Staff and volunteers will continue working to “transform how people interact with SWSHS,” Rudrud promised. “We are all part of the peninsula, here because we love this place and share a vision for its future.”
A general reflection about why organizations like this matter was delivered by Alex Gradwohl, program director for the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area:
As Gradwohl underscored with her story of a group of volunteers, each of whom had traveled a different path to come to the project, “history can bind us together … engaging people with stories of our past.”
Stories were behind the featured live-auction items of the night, with Eals (above) and Mike Shaughnessy (below) serving as auctioneers.
Three people bid $600 each for tours of the West Duwamish Greenbelt with Workman (who is not only Duwamish but also a direct descendant of Chief Seattle). A historic West Seattle business, Husky Deli, donated an item that went for $1,600 – a chance to make an ice-cream flavor, name it, and launch it at a party with up to 20 people. And the artist who’s been commemorating history makers via signal-box murals, Desmond Hansen, will join a $1,200 bidder in designing and painting a custom mural, either on a box or for personal display (the winning bidder. B.J. Bullert, said she had Earl Robinson in mind, a West Seattle-born music luminary about whom she made the documentary “Earl Robinson: Ballad of an American“).
Between the live and silent auctions, the gala raised at least $50,000, surpassing the SWSHS goal. That would likely have gladdened the heart of Elliott Couden, who founded the organization in 1984. Eals recalled interviewing Couden 20 years ago, not long before his death, and quoted him, from a booklet that’s in the Seattle Municipal Archives: “I think we’re in a crucial time. We will never be challenged more to love instead of hate, to trust instead of distrust, than we are right now … society … can’t stay together in harmony unless we are deliberately willing to sacrifice as necessary to help change things. I just hope we’ll all feel our own personal responsibility to reflect understanding and sharing, and love and caring.”
The love and caring those in the room showed for SWSHS was obvious – and the organization is working to ensure it serves all of the peninsula’s 100,000+ people.
WHAT’S NEXT: Every month on the second Thursday night, SWSHS has an online speaker in the Words, Writers, Southwest Stories series – next Thursday (May 9), see and hear Luther Adams. Friday and Saturday most weeks are when you can visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) in person, noon-4 pm. And 1,000+ collection items are available for online viewing any time.
Again this spring/summer, the historic Alki Point Lighthouse will open for free weekly tours, as announced today:
Alki Point Lighthouse Tour Season starts May 26th
(USCG Auxiliary photo by Debra Alderman)
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers will be offering free lighthouse tours most Sunday afternoons between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. (No tours June 16th.)
First visitors enter the site at 1 p.m. Last tour begins at 3:45.
Address: 3201 Alki Avenue SW
Questions: alkilighthouseteam@gmail.com
Any tour updates will be published here on Friday each week:
Or refer to this website for more details.
The lighthouse dates back 111 years – you can read its history here.
So far the forecast looks promising (sunny and warm!) for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day next Saturday (May 11), and that’s great news for all 500+ sellers on this year’s map (clickable online version here, printable PDF guide here) and the neighbors/shoppers who’ll be visiting them. Starting tonight, we’ll publish daily previews, including mini-lists of popular sale categories, starting tonight with the 23 sales that are at, and/or benefiting, nonprofits/schools – click these numbers on the map to see locations and listings:
Sales #20 and #220 are benefiting the White Center Food Bank
Sale #71 is benefiting Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby
Sale #94 is at the West Seattle Eagles
Sale #111 is benefiting Puget Sound Goat Rescue
Sales #139 and #173 are raising money to cure breast cancer
Sale #156 is raising money for Hazelwood Preschool
Sale #184 at Genesee Hill Elementary is raising money for a school in Liberia
Sale #189 at West Seattle High School is benefiting WSHS Care Coordination
Sale #221 in the St. John the Baptist lot next door is benefiting the WSHS Volleyball Team
Sale #282 is benefiting Highline Premier FC girls’ teams
Sale #295 is benefiting the West Seattle Timebank
Sale #351 is a “record swap and spin” at and benefiting Kenyon Hall
Sales #389 and #448 are benefiting Providence Mount St. Vincent
Sale #413 is the Solstice Park P-Patch‘s annual fundraising plant sale
Sale #415 is benefiting BSA Troop 284
Sale #422 is benefiting Delta Kappa Gamma educational programs
Sale #455 is raising money for rainforest work
Sale #465 is benefiting Fairmount Park Elementary
Sale #502 is benefiting the Pepper Foundation‘s work with foster kids
Sale #506 is the annual plant sale for the Lung Force Walk to cure lung cancer
Official sale hours next Saturday are 9 am-3 pm – some sellers start earlier and/or later, and some even add extra days; see the listings for those details (in the guide, or click any number on the map to open an info-bubble showing the descriptive info).
That’s the trailer for “Ultimate Citizens,” a documentary by West Seattle filmmaker Francine Strickwerda, which she describes as “a 52-minute gem of a doc about an Iranian American primary school counselor and ultra-athlete who helps refugee and immigrant kids in Seattle find belonging on their way to compete in the world’s largest Ultimate Frisbee tournament. The doc is ‘kid appropriate’ and seriously fun.” It’s already won awards on the road to its upcoming screenings at SIFF (the Seattle International Film Festival), on 12:30 pm May 12 and 4 pm May 14 (at SIFF Cinema Uptown on Queen Anne). More about the movie, from the news release sent to us:
While set in the worlds of primary-school education and athletics, ULTIMATE CITIZENS offers a fresh and compelling perspective on the immigrant experience in the U.S. Far removed from contentious media headlines are families who settle quietly, labor long hours, and find their way into the American Dream. The U.S. provided (69-year-old Jamshid Khajavi) safe refuge from the political turmoil in Iran that marked the late 1970s; in return, his contributions to the Seattle community have benefitted generations of kids, making the city and society at large better off.
A broader narrative of the film is the role that teachers, school counselors, coaches, and administrators play as extended family members for many students and parents, especially when parents must work multiple jobs or odd hours to make ends meet.
ULTIMATE CITIZENS is a captivating blend of bright colors, artful editing, and candid verité moments. Tender familial and community scenes are interwoven with the underlying tournament narrative in a film that culminates in the thrill of the “big game” with Khajavi’s underdog team competing against teams from wealthier, better-funded athletic programs.
This is filmmaker Strickwerda’s third documentary (we reported on “Oil and Water“ back in 2010). She is co-proprietor of the West Seattle-based creative-video agency Hullabaloo. Tickets to her film’s SIFF screenings are available via SIFF.net.
This weekend marks the official start of boating season, and boaters are encouraged to keep their distance when Southern Resident Killer Whales are in the area. Here’s the reminder from a coalition of advocates and authorities:
(Photo of Calf J56 [Tofino] and Mother J31 [Tsuchi], by Mark Sears, NOAA Permit #21348)
Last year the Washington State Legislature passed a new law requiring boaters to stay 1,000 yards away from the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, beginning in January 2025. With the opening of the boating season, national and regional conservation groups encourage boaters to take the voluntary pledge at givethemspace.org and give the whales the space they need today.
The Southern Resident orca population currently consists of 74 individuals, nearing their historical low of 71. “There are nine calves under 5 years old in the population, including Tahlequah’s newest calf, and six of those are female,” said Donna Sandstrom, director of The Whale Trail. “The future of the population is here. Their ability to survive and thrive into adulthood depends on the actions that we take today.”
“Our goal is that every boater in Puget Sound, and through the Southern Resident orcas’ range, will take this pledge, and do their part to give the whales the space they need, even before it is required,” said Rein Attemann, Puget Sound senior campaign manager at Washington Conservation Action. “Boaters have a unique opportunity to play a role in the Southern Residents’ recovery, simply by avoiding them while at sea, and making it easier for the whales to find and catch their prey.”
“The Southern Residents are on the brink of extinction due to human-caused threats, including lack of prey, toxic contaminants and disturbance by boats and noise,” said Kathleen Callaghy, Northwest representative at Defenders of Wildlife. “Giving the whales space is the simplest and most immediate way we can help them, and we don’t have to wait until 2025 to do so.”
The law implements a recommendation from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) based on recent science showing that when vessels approach closer than 1,640 yards it significantly reduces the whales’ ability to find and catch prey. The harm from vessel noise and disturbance is more pronounced in females, who abandon hunts when boats approach closer than 400 yards.
Currently, commercial whale-watching operators are required to stay 1,000 yards away from Southern Residents most of the year, while other boaters are allowed to approach as close as 300 yards. The new law resolves that difference. Having one distance for the majority of boaters gives the whales the space they need to forage successfully, and the rule will be easier to communicate, comply with and enforce.
“Even though the distance requirement is not mandatory until 2025, there’s no reason to wait to give the whales the space they need,” said Lovel Pratt, marine protection and policy director at Friends of the San Juans.
“On the long road to recover the Southern Residents, Washington State has taken a big step forward,” said Miguela Marzolf, ocean policy coordinator at the Seattle Aquarium. “We encourage the federal governments of Canada and the United States to follow suit and give the whales the space they need throughout their range.”
“WDFW’s Orca Regulations Communications Advisory Group, or ORCA Group, is working hard to help the Department get the word out about the upcoming change to the distance regulations,” said Julie Watson, WDFW’s Killer Whale Policy Lead. “Everyone can help by spreading the word and setting an example now by practicing the 1,000-yard setback before it goes into effect in 2025.”
Local high-school baseball and softball teams play postseason games this week:
BASEBALL: Postseason play is already under way. West Seattle HS (16-5) plays Seattle Prep at 4 pm tomorrow (Monday), Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center (1321 SW 102nd), after a 2-1 postseason win over Lincoln on Saturday … Chief Sealth IHS (12-12) plays Bishop Blanchet at 4 pm Wednesday, also at Steve Cox Memorial Park, after a 7-0 postseason win over Roosevelt on Friday.
SOFTBALL: The first postseason games are this week – CSIHS (6-12) plays Rainier Beach at 4 pm Tuesday, WSHS (9-8) plays Eastside Catholic at 1:30 pm Wednesday, both at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
7:17 AM: That’s a screenshot from a few minutes ago as the SDOT traffic camera at the crest of the West Seattle Bridge showed the first bicyclists crossing the bridge on the Emerald City Ride. Between now and 9 am, the riders, who started near the stadiums and are accessing the bridge via southbound 99, will head over the westbound bridge and onto Harbor Avenue to continue the ride around West Seattle. The ride is on the westbound lanes only; eastbound remains open to motorized traffic. After riding around Alki and down to Fauntleroy, they’ll head back through eastern West Seattle and via the regular path on the low bridge. (Here are ride details sent to riders.) Updates to come.
7:27 AM: That’s from our photographer along Harbor Avenue, as the post-bridge riders head north/west along the West Seattle waterfront.
(added) And some video:
Meantime, the SDOT camera at 1st/Dearborn just showed another wave heading onto the short closed stretch of southbound 99, which closes to riders at 8 am.
This is a ride, not a race, so departures are going in waves.
7:46 AM: Still crossing. Noticed a recumbent rider too.
Thanks to Debra Salazar Herbst for this view of riders on Alki Avenue:
8:10 AM: This is the first Emerald City Ride since 2019; previous rides have included other iconic roadways such as the Alaskan Way Viaduct pre-demolition. The riders, meanwhile, are down to a trickle; SDOT has turned the high-bridge camera to look eastward:
Unrelated to the ride, a car has stalled/broken down on the low bridge (thanks to Rose for the word on that) so access to the westbound low bridge is backed up.
8:27 AM: Watching the live camera pointed north/west on the high bridge again. A few stragglers are still crossing.
That was as of a few minutes ago. Now they’re picking up the cones, so it looks like the bridge part of the course has cleared.
8:35 AM: Down on the low bridge, some riders are headed back to the SODO start/finish line, via the regular path:
8:45 AM: Haven’t seen cars on the high bridge yet (15 minutes remain until the official preannounced “no more bridge access” cutoff).
8:51 AM: High bridge now reopened to motorized vehicles. We’ll check with Cascade later to see what the final registration total was for the ride.
ADDED 5:24 PM: Thanks to Allyne Armitage for rider’s-eye-view photos:
Here’s what’s happening for your Sunday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
EMERALD CITY RIDE: Above is the SDOT traffic camera looking northwestward across the crest of the West Seattle Bridge, across which hundreds of bicycle riders will be in view, in the westbound lanes, after 7 am. As part of the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Emerald City Ride, they’ll be on southbound 99, then the westbound high bridge, and then on surface streets around the peninsula before heading back to the start line in SODO. Only the westbound high bridge will be closed, and it should reopen by 9:30 am. Here’s our original preview with details. We’ll be tracking this in a separate story starting by 7 am and will include an update when the westbound bridge closure ends.
HIGH POINT LIBRARY CLOSED: The branch at 3411 SW Raymond is closed Sundays through at least early June as part of a schedule shuffle as the system deals with staffing shortages.
MINI-POLAR PLUNGE: 9 am every Sunday, you’re welcome to join a group plunge into Puget Sound off Alki – meet at Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki).
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meets at 9 am Sundays at rotating locations – today it’s Realfine Coffee‘s south location (35th SW & SW Kenyon).
BEE GARDEN NEEDS YOU: 10 am-noon, show up at the West Seattle Bee Garden (Graham/Lanham) and dig in!
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: The market is open today, 10 am-2 pm as usual, on California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon, offering spring vegetables, flowers, fruit, and plants, plus baked goods, cheese, fish, meat, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from cider to kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, candy, more! Here’s today’s vendor list.
KINDIE WEST CONCERT SERIES: Live family music with Johnny Bregar, 10:30 am at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW).
MAKERS’ ART MARKET: First market of the season! Local makers show and sell their creations at Alki Bathhouse (60th/Alki), noon-5 pm.
CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO AT OUNCES: Noon-6 pm festivities including a food truck. (3809 Delridge Way SW)
POP-UP ART GALLERY: Noon-6 pm, the Feather in the Wind weekend pop-up‘s final day over Alki Arts (6030 California SW)
‘MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,’ LAST CHANCE: See the Chief Sealth IHS Drama Club/Bayfest Youth Theatre production at 2 pm at the CSIHS Theater (2600 SW Thistle) – get your ticket(s) online here. Marc Giedeman, who sent the photo above, wrote: “It is an amazing fun modern abridged edition of the play. Please come out and see what amazing wonders a comedy of errors can be.”
(added) SOCCER: Free admission to preseason match for West Seattle Junction FC, 2 pm vs.United Cultures FC at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Club (2801 SW Thistle).
MUSICIANS FOR THE WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK: These regular performances at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) are part of why WSFB honored C & P with its Instrument of Change award this year. Enjoy music and support the WSFB, 3-5 pm.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Your weekend’s finale can be music by the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8-10 pm.
Are you planning something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basics – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
One of the last remaining independent small businesses at Westwood Village is closing its brick-and-mortar doors. Lauren’s Jewelry, formerly known as Wyatt’s Jewelers, is going online-only. Proprietor Lauren Wiggins already has started promoting a going-out-of-business sale (as noted here) and is now officially announcing her shutdown plan:
It is with a heavy heart that after 5 years of Lauren’s Jewelry, we are closing our store. Lauren and Tyler would like to thank each of our friends, and customers for allowing us to do what we love to do, and being a part of our lives.
Please come in and take advantage of this opportunity to save up to 70% on our entire inventory of diamonds, color stones, and silver jewelry. Come in and enter to win a pair of 1.00ctw diamond earrings.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. -Lauren
It’s been a challenging five years – as noted in this January report, Lauren reported having a collection of seven SPD officer cards from investigations of burglaries and attempted burglaries (and now, add the truck theft to that). Meantime, Lauren tells us she hasn’t set a hard-and-fast closing date yet – the going-out-of-business sale will include a “VIP preview” event next Tuesday through Friday for starters, and she’ll see how things go from there. She bought Wyatt’s Jewelers from previous owners Kirk and Joni Keppler when they decided to move on after 15 years.
One of the year’s first festivals is exactly two weeks away – the West Seattle Bee Festival in High Point. Here’s the overview of what’s planned for the festival 9 am-4 pm Saturday, May 18, at Commons Park (home to the West Seattle Bee Garden) and along Lanham Place:
During the noon-4 pm festival, two dozen nonprofits, schools, agencies, and city departments will have informational booths so you can connect with your community. That and the other Bee Festival activities and performances are all free!
SIDE NOTE: You can help get the Bee Garden ready for the festival by volunteering there Sunday morning!
You might have seen this truck parked in various West Seattle spots the past few days:
Aside from what it’s advertising (we have a separate story to come about Lauren’s closure plan) – if you have seen the truck today, please tell police where, and refer to case # 24-121342 – because it was stolen last night. Before we found out about that, a reader sent this photo after their security camera caught people using the truck in a car prowl early this morning:
That was around 5 am in the 5200 block of 46th SW; someone from the box truck broke the driver-side window on a parked truck, but apparently an alarm then spooked them into taking off. The reader says the truck came by, apparently to case, a few minutes before returning for the prowl.
UPDATE: As discussed in comments (and confirmed by Lauren’s), the truck’s been found.
(WSB photo: Sign seen on Harbor Avenue last night)
Two months after we first told you about the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s ride across the westbound West Seattle Bridge and around the peninsula, tomorrow is the day for the Emerald City Ride. It starts and finishes in SODO, 7 am until about 11 am, heading onto southbound 99 to get to the westbound West Seattle Bridge – the westbound lanes (NOT the eastbound lanes) will be closed approximately 5:30 am to 9:30 am Sunday. Then the riders head around the peninsula:
(Course map, from Emerald City Ride website)
They’ll head back on the regular bike route across the low bridge. P.S. Registration has closed, so no last-minute signups. Cascade was expecting at least 2,000 riders.
3:29 PM: Just texted by Kersti Muul: Orcas are “super close to shore,” northbound, headed toward Lincoln Park.
7:51 PM: Thanks to David Hutchinson for sending photos of the orcas – transients, he says – as they passed Constellation Park and headed into Elliott Bay.
(Added: SDOT image)
2:58 PM: Thanks for the tips. A crash is blocking multiple lanes on the westbound bridge just west of 99.
3:44 PM: SDOT says the scene is clear.
4:25 PM: Listening back to archived radio exchanges, officers and firefighters at the scene reported the same thing as officers below – two people walked away from the crash. Police checked the plates and the car, registered to a West Seattle address, had not been reported stolen.
One option for this cloudy Saturday afternoon – enjoy local art and meet the artists! We just visited the Feather in the Wind multi-artist pop-up over Alki Arts (6030 California SW) – there we found Diane Bellisario:
And Damian Grava:
The pop-up is open until 7 tonight and again noon-6 on Sunday.
If you haven’t already seen it, we want to let you know that we published the map for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day early this morning, as promised! The interactive online map is here; the printable guide (with all 500+ sale listings, PDF, 32 pages) is here. The sales cover the peninsula and even stretch a bit beyond – this year we have a seller in South Park. Over the next week, we’ll publish previews and updates, including some mini-lists. One behind-the-scenes note – each year we sort the list by zip codes, low to high one year, high to low the next – last year was high to low (meaning the southernmost zip code, 98146, was atop that list) so this year the numbering starts with the 98106 sales. The map page explains how to search if you want to find which listings have a certain type of item you’re seeking, like “camping” or “toys.” West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is one week from today – 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 11 – second Saturday in May every year (except for the pandemic hiatus) since 2005, coordinated by us here at WSB since 2008. More previews ahead!
(Harbor seal, photographed by Erin B. Jackson)
Welcome to May’s first weekend! Here are highlights and other info for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LANE CLOSURES: The two northbound right lanes are scheduled to be closed on the First Avenue South Bridge this morning until 11:30 am, for maintenance.
LIBRARY CLOSURE: The Southwest Library is closed Saturdays through June 4.
WATER TAXI’S LATER-EVENING RUNS: Third weekend of spring/summer season the West Seattle Water Taxi, so it’s making later-evening runs tonight.
WEST SEATTLE RUNNER GROUP RUN: The store is where to meet for the weekly free group run at 8 am. (2743 California SW)
FREE! HEAVILY MEDITATED: Arrive by 8:50 am for community meditation at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska). Free event every Saturday but please register.
BENEFIT PLANT SALE: Alley sale in High Point, benefiting educational programs of (corrected) PEO Sisterhood (just west of High Point Library in the 6000 block of the alley between 35th SW and 36th SW, cross streets SW Raymond and SW Graham), 9 am-3 pm.
COMPOST GIVEAWAY: 10 am-1 pm at Westcrest Park P-Patch (9000 8th SW), but this one is different from past giveaways – important info in our calendar listing.
SSC GARDEN CENTER: Plants await you at the north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, 10 am-3 pm.
MORNING MUSIC: 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.
FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am-11 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – see full details in our calendar listing.
FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at 11 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
DRAG BRUNCH: At Harry’s Beach House (2676 Alki SW), two seatings, 11 am and 1 pm – ticket link is in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE BOAT SWAP/SALE: 11 am-4 pm at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (3602 SW Alaska), the focus is on human-powered watercraft – if you’ve got something to sell, dropoff time is 9 am-11 am.
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: At West Seattle’s only comic-book store, Tails to Astonish (4850 California SW), “We will have free comics for all who come, and a variety for all ages. Open 11:30-7:00.”
BIZARRE BAZAAR: Community artisan market at Box Bar (5401 California SW), noon-4 pm
POP-UP ART GALLERY: Noon-6 pm, the Feather in the Wind weekend pop-up continues over Alki Arts (6030 California SW)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM OPEN: The home of West Seattle history is open for your visit, noon-4 pm. (61st/Stevens)
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)
HIGH-SCHOOL BASEBALL: WSHS has a postseason game vs. Lincoln at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center, 1 pm.
VISCON CELLARS: Tasting room open – wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
MUSIC FESTIVAL: More than a dozen bands are playing on 2 stages, 1-9 pm (see the schedule in our preview), at The Heron’s Nest (4818 Puget Way SW). Tickets $20, raising $ for ongoing restoration and education work at the site.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Open 1-6 pm at the north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
‘MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,’ 2 PERFORMANCES: See the Chief Sealth IHS Drama Club/Bayfest Youth Theatre production at 2 or 7 pm at the CSIHS Theater (2600 SW Thistle) – get your ticket(s) online here.
READY FREDDY PREP PARTY: Free 45-minute event with disaster-preparedness coach Alice Kuder of Just In Case (WSB sponsor), 3 pm at Whisky West (6451 California SW) – email alice@justincaseplans.com to be sure there’s room.
NEPENTHE’S WALK-IN MASSAGE CLINIC: 3-5 pm, show up at Nepenthe (9447 35th SW) with a specific problem to be addressed by massage, and you’ll get a free (gratuities appreciated) trial of their work.
BELLS OF THE SOUND: See and hear the renowned handbell choir in concert at 7 pm, Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW).
ALL-AGES OPEN MIC: 7-10 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way)
AT KENYON HALL: Vocal quartet Princess Guy brings “a non-stop thrill ride of vocal harmony and insane comedy” to Kenyon Hall. Doors at 7, show at 7:30 pm, tickets here.
AT THE SKYLARK: “AzuQar is the longest running Queen Latinx Dance Night in Seattle, We started it in the fall of 2015-ish. We saw a void in Seattle’s night life for Queer Friendly Latinx music could be played and danced to.” The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) is a new venue – doors at 8 pm, 21+.
BEATS: Saturday night DJs at Revelry Room – 9 pm. Tonight, DJ Supreme La Rock. (4547 California SW, alley side)
KARAOKE: Saturday night, sing at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW), starting at 10 pm.
Planning a happening? If the community’s welcome, your event belongs on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Got a Chief Sealth International High School senior in your household? The CSIHS PTSA can help with scholarship money! This week, they announced they “will award a $1,000 scholarship each to up to five graduating seniors planning to attend a College, University, or Technical or Vocational Program.” May 24 is the deadline to apply. Get more info – and the application form – by going here.
Ready for what we all hope will never happen? If not, join Alice Kuder of Just in Case Disaster Preparedness Services (WSB sponsor) at one of two more “Ready Freddy Prep Parties,” and a little time can make a big difference. At 3 pm tomorrow (May 4) and 1 pm Saturday, May 18, in less than an hour, you’ll see how to create a Flee Bag™ (aka “Go Kit” or “Bug-out Bag”). Bring your own bag; if you want to stuff it with the basics Alice recommends, she’ll be selling them at cost. The party is at Whisky West (6451 California SW) and attendance is limited so RSVP ASAP by emailing Alice at alice@justincaseplans.com.
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