West Seattle, Washington
14 Friday
(Photo by Sharon Nickels)
If not for COVID-19, today would have been full of Easter egg hunts, since it’s the day before Easter. While those had to be canceled, for those who celebrate Easter, worship goes on … online. Here’s our list of West Seattle churches with Easter Sunday services (and a few tonight):
ADMIRAL UCC: The video service will be here. Also – coffee hour via Zoom at 11:30 am.
ALKI UCC: 6:30 am online sunrise service; register here. 10 am online service, via Zoom – info and link on lower right of church’s home page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Daily online worship is here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.
CALVARY CHAPEL: Service will be available via the church’s website.
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 9 am and 11 am.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: The online Easter liturgy is here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.
HALLOWS CHURCH: Streaming at 10 am church website.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming bilingual Easter Vigil at 8:30 pm tonight, then Easter Sunday in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, all here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Easter Vigil tonight at 8:30 pm, Easter Sunday at 9:30 am, both here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: The service will be viewable here at 8 am.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Easter Vigil at 8:30 pm tonight, Easter Sunday at 10 am, both here.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Livestreaming at 10:30 am here.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10:15 am, or view later on the church website. The bulletin to accompany the service is here.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service will be viewable here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service will be viewable here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.
WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Livestreaming at 10 am here.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.
WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Online worship at 11 am; info here.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
These past few weeks, on Sunday mornings, we’ve been featuring a list with links to local churches that are offering worship online, whether livestreamed, recorded, or in text. Today, two midweek faith notes:
PASSOVER BEGINS: The Jewish holiday starts at sundown, and West Seattle’s Kol HaNeshamah synagogue is prepared to celebrate virtually. Tonight, for Night 1, Rabbi Zari Weiss has shared this downloadable Haggadah – used for Seders on the first two nights of the holiday. Tomorrow night, starting around 5 pm, KHN plans a livestreamed Seder.
HOLY WEEK: Many extra services this week for Christians, leading up to Easter this Sunday. We have word of Wednesday evening prayer online from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church:
You are invited to join us on Wednesday nights for online Evening Prayer at 6:30 p.m.
To follow along with the service, click on this link: Wednesday Evening Prayer Bulletin
You can watch Evening Prayer on Facebook Live.
Any other West Seattle churches with services leading up to Easter? Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you! If we get announcements, we’ll list them as a preview each day.
Nathan emailed this morning to ask, “If you are out, can you see if the green stripe has been painted on 41st? Everyone could use some St. Patrick’s cheer.” So we went over to look – and yes, it’s there, on 41st SW in North Admiral. While so many things have suddenly stopped or dramatically changed, not this … so, thanks, Mystery Stripe painter(s)!
(We should add, for newcomers – this has been a St. Patrick’s Day tradition on this block for many years.)
(Reader photo: Solstice Park fireworks debris, July 2018)
Though fireworks are illegal in Seattle, they’re rampant, particularly on the Fourth of July.
They’re particularly easy to get here, since West Seattle is next door to unincorporated King County, where they’re legal on the Fourth and sold for almost a week leading uo to the holiday.
Many on both sides of the line have long called for the county to join its biggest cities in banning fireworks too. The calls intensified after a deadly fire last year. King County Council Vice Chair Joe McDermott, whose district includes West Seattle and White Center, says he supports a ban. Today he told WSB that he’s been working on the ban proposal with both the county permitting division and King County Executive Dow Constantine, and that he expects Constantine to send the proposal to the council next week.
Even if a ban passed quickly, though, state law requires a year before it could take effect, so there would be at least one more year of legal fireworks. When this all came up for discussion last September at a North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting in White Center, 34th District Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon talked about legislation to change that.
Now, he’s introduced it – HB 2307, “to allow local governments to ban fireworks immediately” – and tells WSB it’s progressing in the House. Our area’s senior state Representative, Eileen Cody, is a co-sponsor. The Local Government Committee took action to advance it last Friday, two days after a hearing.
To comment on that bill, you can go here. As for the proposed county ban, we’ll publish a followup when it’s introduced.
The West Seattle YMCA (3622 SW Snoqualmie; WSB sponsor) will be open on the holiday – and that volunteer opportunity is one of two reasons why. Here’s the announcement:
Did you know that the West Seattle YMCA is open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Come on in for your workout, or stop by the Y on Monday, January 20th for our MLK Jr. Day of Service Community Beautification Project from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm on January 20, 2020. Interested volunteers can sign up online at this link, or just show up ready to garden!
“What a great way to start the year!” That’s one of the comments we heard as people dried off and warmed up after this morning’s Alki Polar Bear Swim, which for most lasted less than a minute, as you can see in our two videos recorded at different spots along the beach. It was an occasion for much photography – before, after, during:
Then there was the matter of what you choose to wear into the water:
Organizer Mark Ufkes, as usual, sported a megaphone for the countdown:
Immediately afterward, the sun emerged, and snow-covered Olympics peaks did too:
Briefly outshining the sun, a Christmas-tree inferno in one of the fire pits:
The air and water temperature were about the same at swim time this year – 50 degrees.
P.S. If you’re looking for an excuse to go back into the water off Alki BEFORE the 2021 New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim, mark your calendar for the February 22 Special Olympics Polar Plunge fundraiser.
(Reader photo from Bruce)
Good morning and welcome to 2020. Notes for the holiday:
TRANSPORTATION INFO:
*Metro is on the Sunday schedule
*No Water Taxi service
*Sound Transit light rail and buses on the Sunday schedule
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on its regular weekday schedule
*No charge for parking today on city streets in neighborhoods with pay stations
*Traffic cameras: West Seattle-relevant ones here; citywide views are available via this SDOT map
OTHER INFO:
*No trash/recycling/etc. pickup today – Wednesday pickups will happen Thursday; Thursday pickups on Friday, Friday pickups on Saturday
*Seattle Parks closures for today
*Seattle Public Libraries are closed today
*The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center is closed today
*The Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) is open this afternoon/evening – schedule here
NO CLOSED/OPEN LIST
*We’ve found that far fewer businesses close New Year’s Day than Thanksgiving/Christmas.
EVENTS TODAY
*Alki Polar Bear Swim, 10 am on the beach at 58th SW – here’s the announcement
*5K/10K walk + special Nia class … see our Holiday Guide.
If you see/hear news, please text/call 206-293-6302 – we appreciate your tips 24/7/365 – this year 366!)
(Space Needle laser-light show, photographed Monday night by Monica Zaborac)
9:23 PM: Now that we’re in the final few hours of 2019, unless there’s big breaking news, we’re just going to open this running thread for updates. So far, the Space Needle fireworks are still ON – the wind (still in advisory mode until 4 am) hasn’t been too bad – and you have one more chance to catch the laser light show, 10 pm-10:10 pm. Meantime, just in from Highland Park:
Things are heating up at @HPIC1919!! @westseattleblog #2020 #NewYearsEve2020 🤪 pic.twitter.com/VWzkPdG1PT
— Kirk Bentley (@VeryBentley) January 1, 2020
All are welcome at the Highland Park Improvement Club (1116 SW Holden) Corner Bar party, one of the NYE/NYD events listed in our Holiday Guide. More updates to come!
10:10 PM: From the scanner, flurry of 911 callers thinking they hear shots. No – it’s fireworks.
10:53 PM: Good news – the NWS Wind Advisory has been dropped five hours before the original projected end. Bodes well for the fireworks. Speaking of the NWS, they’ve tweeted these decade-in-review stats:
Some requests for the Seattle stats for the last decade so here you go…
Warmest day…6/25/2017, 8/11/2014 & 8/15/2010 96°
Coldest day ( high temp )…11/23/2010 25°
Coldest day ( low temp )…11/24/2010 14°
Wettest day…12/20/2019 3.25"
Most snow…1/18/2012 6.8" #wawx— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 1, 2020
11:04 PM: Monitoring KING5, which broadcasts the fireworks. They say the call will be made at 11:50 pm.
11:51 PM: No fireworks:
Due to high winds, we are unable to proceed with the fireworks display. However, there will be a 12 minute musically-choreographed light show to help celebrate the arrival of 2020.
— Space Needle (@space_needle) January 1, 2020
11:57 PM: But if the winds calm, they’ll try the fireworks at 2 am.
12:22 AM: KING’s anchors just said the station WILL broadcast the fireworks at 2 am if they go off then.
1:12 AM: The Needle just tweeted a pessimistic forecast but didn’t say clearly whether the 2 am fireworks are still a possibility.
1:54 AM: No fireworks. Final word from the Needle:
Due to high winds, we are still unable to proceed with the fireworks display at 2:00am on January 1. Unfortunately, this calls for the cancellation of this year’s display.
— Space Needle (@space_needle) January 1, 2020
(January 1, 2019 photo by Robert Spears, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
11:22 AM: The biggest West Seattle party on New Year’s Eve is usually a multi-location event – people gathering on north-facing shores and overlooks to watch the midnight Space Needle fireworks. Tonight, as we’ve reported, the National Weather Service expects strong winds, so you might wonder what that means for the show. The Seattle Times reports that the Needle’s laser light show will go on, regardless, but the fireworks could be canceled or postponed depending on the late-night wind speed. The light show runs earlier in the evening, by the way, according to the Needle website:
7 PM – 7:10 PM
8 PM – 8:10 PM
9 PM – 9:10 PM
10 PM – 10:10 PM
We’ll be monitoring late tonight and will publish an update if the fireworks are no-go. As for what else is up – we have bar parties, restaurant toasts, the Highland Park Improvement Club Not-So-Silent Night Parade and Corner Bar, plus Emerald City Wanderers‘ walks, all listed in the final version of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide. (No “who’s open/closed” lists for this holiday – we’ve found over the years that closures are far fewer for New Year’s than for Thanksgiving/Christmas.)
3:35 PM: One cancellation for tonight: West Seattle Yuletide was going to run its light show through tomorrow night but decided the wind was too much of a threat to some of the setup so it’s done for the year.
We’re continuing to add New Year’s Eve parties to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, but that’s not the only way to say goodbye to 2019: Again this year, you’re invited to walk a 5K or 10K route with Emerald City Wanderers. Start any time between 4 pm and 7 pm Tuesday from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California SW), where you’ll find route info, and where hot soup awaits you on your return. And if you’re up for more, that’s also where to start a New Year’s Day walk between 9 am and noon.
We mentioned earlier this holiday season that John L. Scott Real Estate – Westwood (WSB sponsor) had a giving tree up to collect holiday gifts for teens. Today, they share this report and photos on how it worked out:
Last week we had the privilege of donating 100 gifts to teens at the Southwest Boys & Girls Club in White Center.
We wanted to give a big thank you to our agents, clients, and Westwood Village community for all of your kind donations. It was satisfying knowing that we helped make the holiday season a little bit brighter for an often-forgotten age group.
Pictured are some of the happy teens with their gifts, along with the owners of John L. Scott Westwood, Scott and Chantille Henry, and brokers Jennifer Cross, Chris Cruz, and Daniel Henry.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make this happen. We hope to make this a reoccurring event in the future.
We’re not suggesting you rush it out the door, but make sure your tree doesn’t stay up so long that it’s in danger of this …
When you’re ready to part ways with it, here’s the city announcement for this year’s schedule, and more:
Seattle Public Utilities encourages Seattle residents to compost their Christmas trees and other holiday greens for free through January 31, 2020. Residents should place trees or bundled greens next to their food and yard waste cart on their collection day. Apartment residents may place two trees next to each food and yard waste cart on each collection day. Trees must be cut into lengths of four feet or less and all decorations, lights, tinsel, and other decorations must be removed.
In addition to curbside collection, Seattle residents may drop off trees and other holiday greens for free at SPU’s north or south transfer stations through January 31. Stations will accept up to three trees per vehicle.
Recycle Your Holidays: Composting Christmas trees is just the beginning when it comes to holiday recycling. Many common holiday items can be recycled or reused. Customers can find out how to cut down on the amount of holiday waste that ends up in the landfill by checking SPU’s Where Does It Go Tool: www.seattle.gov/util/myservices/wheredoesitgo.
The photo is from a recent tree-safety demonstration presented by SFD (who provided the image) and other departments. While your tree is still up, follow the safety advice!
P.S. If you have Wednesday-Friday trash/recycling collection, remember it slides a day this week and next. (Mondays/Tuesdays remain on schedule.)
(WSB file photo)
From the Highland Park Improvement Club Not-So-Silent-Night Parade (above) and Corner Bar, to Space Needle fireworks-watching, we’ve already got some West Seattle New Year’s Eve fun in the WSB Holiday Guide – but we can add more, so this is just a friendly reminder: If you’re having a community party, bar party, champagne toast, run/walk, or … please send info! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you.
(WSB photos)
Volunteers of all ages – and multiple faiths, including Judaism and Islam – spent part of this Christmas Day providing food and warmth to neighbors in need
They served Christmas lunch in White Center, in the parking lot between 14th and 15th SW, just south of Roxbury. Volunteers from local congregations and other groups usually serve a meal there on Saturdays, but this was special for the holiday.
We heard about this from Kate at Kol HaNeshamah, who said they were also distributing “gift bags comprised of donated socks, hats, blankets, snacks, hand warmers,”etc., collected and assembled by the congregations that are part of the Westside Interfaith Network.
Looking for someplace to enjoy a Christmas dinner? The Christmas People have holiday volunteers standing by, serving a free buffet at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW) until 4 pm. Local volunteers like Jen and Mike Shaughnessy are spending their Christmas afternoon helping out:
All are welcome!
(Thank you to the person who decorates the Admiral Way bridge with red bows every year!)
Welcome to Christmas Day, with Hanukkah’s fourth night at sundown. It’s our holiday tradition to present information you might find helpful:
COFFEE SHOPS OPEN TODAY: Our list of coffee shops that planned to be open for at least part of today is in the Christmas section atop our Holiday Guide. (Did we miss anyone? Let us know!)
GROCERY STORES OPEN TODAY: Also in the Christmas section atop our Holiday Guide.
RESTAURANTS (AND BARS-WITH-FOOD) OPEN TODAY AND/OR TONIGHT: Here’s the list, always subject to last-minute change without notice to us. Please let us know if you find discrepancies or omissions – thank you!
FREE HOLIDAY MEALS: Two options – The Christmas People are offering a hoiiday buffet noon-4 pm to all at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW); local Jewish and Muslim community members are serving an outdoor meal at noon in the parking lot between 14th and 15th SW, south of Roxbury, in White Center.
CHRISTMAS DAY TRANSPORTATION INFO:
*Metro is on the Sunday schedule
*No Water Taxi service
*Sound Transit light rail and buses on the Sunday schedule
*Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on its regular weekday schedule
*No charge for parking today on city streets in neighborhoods with pay stations
*Traffic cameras: West Seattle-relevant ones here; citywide views are available via this SDOT map
OTHER INFO:
*No trash/recycling/etc. pickup today – Wednesday pickups will happen Thursday; Thursday pickups on Friday, Friday pickups on Saturday
*Seattle Parks closures for today
*Seattle Public Libraries are closed today
*West Seattle’s Log House Museum is closed today
*The Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center is closed today
*The Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) is open this afternoon/evening – schedule here
If you see/hear news, please text/call 206-293-6302 – we appreciate your tips 24/7/365!)
It’s Christmas Eve, and the third night of Hanukkah. As usual, we’ve compiled hopefully handy lists of info:
-Restaurants open today/tonight and/or tomorrow – go here.
The other four lists are in our WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide:
-Grocery-store closing times for tonight, and wha’s closed/open tomorrow
-Coffee shops open today/tonight and/or tomorrow
-Retailers open today/tonight
The grocery list is all-inclusive (as we have “only” 9 in West Seattle); the others include info from businesses that responded to our multiple invitations to send info, as well as a combination of phone calls, website checks, and walking around looking at signs on doors. Not too late for additions – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank YOU!
–
(2017 photo by Robert Spears)
Lots of questions about whether this is on – and finally we can say yes. Once again, longtime community advocate Mark Ufkes will lead the West Seattle Polar Bear Swim on New Year’s Day morning. And once again this year, as in years past, his announcement voices political hopes and critiques. Here it is, as received:
West Seattle Polar Bear Swim
January 1, 2020 (The Year of Perfect Vision!)We enter the water at 10 am sharp !
2020 is finally here. West Seattle’s Alki Beach is the place. Across from Dukes.
We run into the water at 10:00 am sharp, Wednesday, January 1, 2020. Last year we had about 700 swimmers, up from a handful of swimmers when we started this tradition over 15 years ago. Swimmers should bring a towel, good water shoes, and their hopes and dreams for the New Year.
We line up and down Alki beach in a long row, we hold hands with our family and friends (in my case, with my remarkable, beautiful wife Lois), count down from 10, 9, 8, 7 (be sure to wait for the countdown!), …. and at 10:00 sharp we run into Puget Sound screaming as if we are mildly insane. It’s all over in less than a minute, quite painless really, and everyone is happy and smiling afterword. There is something monumental about forcing ourselves out of our comfort zone and willingly jumping into Puget Sound to wash away the complexities of the previous year and invite the unlimited possibilities of the New Year into our lives.
What I want in 2020; well, I recently retired after 12 years as a Scoutmaster where I spent thousands of hours mentoring over 40 boys to complete their Eagle Scout award. I helped these Scouts (my two boys included) to develop a profound appreciation for our natural world and I always stressed several character traits that they need in adulthood.
First, I taught Scouts to never degrade or bully anyone. We can disagree, but everyone deserves respect. And if these Scouts see bullying, they have an obligation to intervene and stop it. Yet President Trump degrades and bullies others every day.
Second, I emphasized the importance of respecting family. Yet President Trump cheated on all three of his wives and bragged about sexually assaulting women. Imagine how his actions disrespected and hurt the self-esteem of these women and his children?
Third, I stressed that Scouts need to live a life of service to others in some form. Doing “a good turn daily”, the Scout Motto, should not be taken lightly. Yet President Trump created a non-profit to make us think that he was serving others, but he used the funds for himself. Trump’s action is really the moral equivalent of shoplifting at Goodwill.
Finally, I reminded these boys that when they turn 18, they must register for the military draft, consider military or other community service to pay America back, and that they should register and then vote. Trump had five deferments to avoid military service, and more important, he repeatedly ridiculed veterans who served honorably (think Senator John McCain and others). And Trump’s Republican operatives are pushing many states to make it harder for every legal citizen, 18 and older, to vote in 2020, because they know that lower voter turnouts help Republicans win.
So, for 2020, all I want is for America to realize that the Presidency of the United States reflects the moral character of our nation and that Donald Trump has proven that he does not deserve this great honor. And for all you outraged Trump supporters, all I can ask is this; “would you want your children to treat people the way Donald Trump treats people?”
Finally, I will be wearing pink again as usual on January 1, until the day that the majority of our Members of Congress are women and/or people of color, since these two groups are the American majority. That, my friends, is the only way we will truly Make America Great Again!
Mark L. Ufkes
Polar Bear Swimmer
Here’s our coverage from last year.
(WSB photos/video)
On this first night of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, West Seattle synagogue Kol HaNeshamah took their celebration outdoors to Junction Plaza Park. Rabbi Zari Weiss and assistant Abe lit the menorah’s first candle, and she explained the traditional blessings:
…and then it was time for singalongs:
Rabbi Weiss also spoke of the spirit of Hanukkah, inspiring all those who have sought freedom from persecution.’
Despite the return of the rain, the celebration drew a good-sized crowd, and everyone was offered Hanukkah treats – jelly donuts. Hanukkah continues for eight nights, with the menorah’s last candle to be lit one week from tonight.
Know someone who needs a Christmas tree but can’t afford one? Holy Rosary School‘s lot is giving away what they have left – a few dozen as of 9 am. The lot is just north of the school, off 42nd SW between Genesee and Dakota. Self-serve, while they last.
Feel like baking cookies, but don’t have anyone to bake for, and/or can’t eat them yourself? Or … baking cookies and have the bandwidth for an extra batch you could donate? Now’s the time to bake for The Christmas People, who again are putting out the call for thousands of homemade cookies that they can include with holiday meals to be delivered to people in need. You can drop off cookies 9 am-5 pm Monday or Tuesday, and starting at 9 am on Christmas Day, at Alki Masonic Center (4736 40th SW). They’re also asking for volunteers to help prepare meal trays those days – and if you know someone in need of a no-cost holiday dinner, they’ll offer a full buffet, same location, noon-4 pm on Christmas Day. (Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay)
As The Junction bustled with shoppers today, there was a musical surprise outside Carmilia’s Boutique at midday – caroling by the Byrd Ensemble. They’re a chamber vocal group whose artistic director Markdavin Obenza is a West Seattleite. The ensemble was out “Caroling for a Cause,” collecting donations to support Seattle Music Partners’ musical education for kids; if you missed them in The Junction, you can still donate by scrolling down the group’s home page.
After 3+ inches of rain today alone, you might be saying it’s weather fit for a fish. Or – a mermaid! Just in time for Garland the Holiday Mermaid‘s scheduled appearance tomorrow in West Seattle, 2-5 pm Saturday (December 21st) at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW). From the announcement:
Come meet Garland, pose for pictures, share your holiday wishes, and enjoy a delectable craft beer while you wait. Kids and pets are welcome.
Professional photography available, with digital images delivered to your inbox ($15 for 2 images). Suggested donation of $10, for images taken on your own smart device.
Garland is appearing via Seattle Mermaids.
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