West Seattle, Washington
24 Monday
Reminder before night gets closer … pet experts say keeping your cats and dogs inside tonight is the humane thing to do – fireworks are not only a direct danger, the noise also scares them to the point where they might run out of home territory. Already today, after a night with hours of illegal fireworks, we’ve added five new lost/found pet listings to the WSB Pets page. It’s here if you need it, but better yet, just don’t run the risk.
(That’s Griffin, very first kid we saw upon arrival at the parade starting point)
11:06 AM: The Admiral 4th of July Kids Parade is over, so north end of California flowing again (full coverage to come with video and photos, HUGE turnout)… Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) sends word they are open for a few hours (till about 2:30 pm), if you feel like shopping…
12:24 PM: On our way back from the parade and the old-fashioned games (sack race, etc.) that followed at Hamilton Viewpoint Park, we checked out the shoreline to see how the pre-fireworks stakeout was going. Campers already at Don Armeni (along with boats coming back from crab fishing), but not too crazy yet. Spotted stand-up paddleboarders in the distance too, with the future CenturyLink Field as their backdrop:
Forecast still looks good for the rest of the holiday.
(Junction flags are flying this morning – this one is outside Husky Deli)
First up for big events today, the annual Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade, which isn’t just for Admiral – all welcome to participate, starts at 10 am at 44th/Sunset (map), concludes with games and concessions at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. More details on that, plus all the rest of the holiday info, is on the WSB 4th of July page, including transit changes and business highlights.
The holiday’s almost here! We’ve collected updated information on the WSB 4th of July page – but here are a few general notes: We asked Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis a few days ago if any special enforcement or closures were planned along Alki. His reply: No. (Though there’s no longer an Elliott Bay fireworks show, crowds still gather to watch Lake Union fireworks from here, but not enough for road shutdowns like years past. The Parks Department did tell us they’ve placed some extra portable restrooms along the shoreline in popular spots.)
You WILL find some traffic effects tomorrow morning in the North Admiral area from West Seattle’s one and only Independence Day parade, the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade – all welcome, starts at 10 am at 44th/Sunset, winds its way through a few residential blocks, then crosses California so paraders can get to the fun, games, and concessions at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. If you happen to be traveling that end of California SW when the parade’s going by, you’ll have to wait, as police will be holding traffic. As for more parade details plus the rest of the day, again, it’s all on the special 4th of July page (if we’re missing something, please let us know so it can be added!).
A word about NON-official fireworks: They’re illegal in Seattle. Though they are sold in neighboring White Center, even there, they are only legal to use 9 am-midnight on the actual holiday. If tonight is anything like last night (both what we heard on the scanner and what we heard through our windows), many will be disregarding the law. So in case you wondered, here is the official Seattle Police/Fire Departments‘ statement about when to call 911 and when NOT to call 911 about fireworks.
Now that the latest forecast update is in … the 4th of July outlook is promising (70s!). So, here’s another reminder about the day’s biggest pre-fireworks event in West Seattle – the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade.
It’s not just for Admiral residents – hundreds of kids from all over West Seattle (and their families) are part of it every year. It’s scheduled to start at 10 am Monday at 44th and Sunset (note, don’t expect to park too close), and after a few words from special guest King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, it’s off on a relatively flat trek winding through a few blocks of North Admiral till the conclusion at Hamilton Viewpoint Park (paraders cross with police help – and even if you’re not in the parade, note there will be some traffic delay on the north end of California that morning as a result). At the park, there are games (free, but parade organizers appreciate a small donation to help cover the costs of putting this on), and concessions. We have a concession update from Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum: Mini-cupcakes from Coffee to a Tea with Sugar, cookies from Little Rae’s Bakery, and – debuting this year – Manderin Cookie Company, plus popsicles, juices, chips, and bottled water. ANA will be selling its stylin’ Admiral-logo T-shirts and jackets, too. Get your 4th off to a fun start long before the fireworks. P.S. Our “all things Fourth of July” page is up and updated – see it here.
(WSB photo from 2010 Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade)
Just six days till the 4th of July, and as always, it starts off with West Seattle’s only holiday parade – the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade. This is a parade to be part of, not to watch (though a few do) – check out our video from last year, including two clips that together show the entirety of the hundreds-and-hundreds-strong stream of people. Organizer Sherri Chun sent this update tonight:
Joe McDermott has been confirmed as our special guest this year. Joe is West Seattle’s King County Councilman, and is a 3rd-generation West Seattle resident. We welcome Councilman McDermott to the Admiral 4th of July Kids Parade. We also welcome a new sponsor, Verity Credit Union. Verity has offered local residents financial management resources since 1933. You are eligible to join Verity if youlive, work, worship or attend school in Washington State, or have a Verity member in your immediate family. Thank you, Verity, for your generous support of the kids parade! The weather forecast is for sunshine – we’ll see you all at the parade!
The starting point is 44th and Sunset, 10 am Monday; the ending point is Hamilton Viewpoint Park, where you will find fun games as well as the Admiral Neighborhood Association selling concessions (as well as its trademark T-shirts and window decals). What else is up on the 4th in West Seattle, you ask? Our special page is up – but please let us know if you see something missing (including special sales or hours at local businesses) – here’s how to share info.
(Photo by Mike Scharer, taken from Admiral Way Viewpoint during 7/4/2010 fireworks)
Quick note as midafternoon thoughts wander ahead to the next major holiday, exactly two weeks from today: Yes, there is an Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade again this year on Independence Day morning; here’s the story we published a week ago, with complete details – all kids welcome to join in! Fireworks? Once again, Seattle’s only display is over Lake Union – though it’s more visible from West Seattle than you might expect. (No, we didn’t chip in this year. We’re sponsoring even more West Seattle events instead.) Personal fireworks remain illegal in Seattle, but legal in the unincorporated King County area, including neighboring White Center.
(WSB photo of 2010 Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade participants)
Start decorating now! Hard to believe – it’s only (exactly) three weeks till the Fourth of July. And yes, once again this year, West Seattle will have its very own unique parade – the Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade on Independence Day morning (a Monday this year). Organizer Sherri Chun sent the official word tonight:
The start time is 10:00 am, at the intersection of 44th and Sunset (in front of 1137 Sunset Ave. SW). Kids’ games and treats afterward at Hamilton Viewpoint Park (games are cancelled if it rains). For those who haven’t done this before, it is an easy 1/2-mile walk through the neighborhood, ending at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Bring your scooters and strollers, and wear your best 4th of July colors! Many thanks to the Admiral Neighborhood Association for providing concessions this year, to Dave Weitzel at Weitzel Construction for providing our port-a-potties, and to Holy Rosary Parish for underwriting our liability insurance, and making our permits possible.
Many people ask if they can help out. There are 2 ways you can help out. One is by bringing a dollar per kid for the donations box. Our permit costs have gone up considerably this year (we have a Parade Permit and a Parks Permit). We need to FILL THE BOX if we are to continue this great tradition. The Admiral Neighborhood Association does not financially support this event – we are community and self-supported. The second way to help out is by bringing a dozen or two water balloons for the annual water balloon toss. Thank you!
It is a BIG, fun parade if you haven’t been part of it before – check the video, and photo gallery, in our 2010 coverage.
(Kristen Rasmussen from the West Seattle Big Band plays Taps, as Walt DeLong from American Legion Post 160 holds the flag)
For this year’s Memorial Day service at Dignity Memorial-Forest Lawn Cemetery (WSB sponsor) in West Seattle, American Legion Post 160 Commander Chris Shea paid tribute to two anniversaries: The sesquicentennial of the start of the Civil War (which has two veterans buried at Forest Lawn), and 10 years since 9/11. Shea also mentioned that the last surviving World War I veteran recently died.
His annual speech also told the story of three Medal of Honor recipients and their acts of bravery. And along with the traditional “Taps” (see top photo), music included patriotic songs by Seattle Opera mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann – our video has the entirety of the 35-minute service:
At the conclusion, that’s David Salove of Forest Lawn thanking attendees, who were greater in number than we recall from the recent years:
At the start of the service, bagpipe music echoed a short distance away. That wasn’t part of it – it was the Maccray family, Colin, Barbara, Finlay, and Ken, who come each year to remember, and to play:
Toward the end of his Memorial address, Post 160 Commander Shea exhorted those on hand to not only remember our military veterans – “they fought for us, and for us, they fell” – but also to keep the Midwest and South tornado victims in their thoughts as well.
ADDED: As a commenter reminds us, Boy Scout Troop 284 also plays a major role in this annual remembrance – by placing flags and crosses on veterans’ graves at Forest Lawn.
That photo is from Forest Lawn Cemetery (WSB sponsor) east of High Point, after flags and crosses were placed on veterans’ graves last Thursday. That’s also the site of today’s WEST SEATTLE MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE, 2 pm, presented by American Legion Post 160 and Forest Lawn, everyone welcome. More notes for today:
TRANSIT SCHEDULES: Metro is on a Sunday schedule, as is the West Seattle Water Taxi and its shuttles (no Vashon WT today). For Sound Transit, Express buses (including Route 560) are on a Sunday schedule; no Sounder train service. For Washington State Ferries, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is on its regular weekday schedule.
SOLID-WASTE PICKUP: Normal schedule for Seattle Public Utilities.
LIBRARIES: Seattle branches closed, King County branches closed.
COMMUNITY CENTERS: City-run centers are closed.
LIQUOR STORES: Open.
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: No mail.
BANKS: Almost all closed (except possibly an in-store branch here or there).
SCHOOLS: Seattle Public Schools are closed.
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Second day of the season for West Seattle’s city-run outdoor pool starts at noon, though the water’s still likely to be a bit cool!
LOCAL BUSINESSES/RESTAURANTS: Sorry, no list of who’s open/closed – we did some spot checks and plans seemed to vary widely, some open, some not. (If your business is open, post a comment below!)
LIVE MUSIC! C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) is open, and Pk Dwyer will perform from 11 am to 1 pm, with an eclectic repertoire described as “everything from folk & blues, to cow punk, cabaret, movie soundtracks, and good old fashioned rock & roll.”
Gus Mears is one of the local Boy Scouts who, along with other volunteers, has been putting up flags and crosses on veterans’ graves at Dignity Memorial-Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Cemetery (WSB sponsor). We caught up with him just as they were finishing work this evening. His last stop was the only Civil War veteran’s grave at the cemetery east of High Point. You’re invited to honor veterans past and present at the annual Memorial Day service at Forest Lawn on Monday, co-sponsored by American Legion Post 160, 2 pm.
More than a thousand flags/crosses are placed each year on graves at Forest Lawn.
A brand-new, yet old-fashioned tradition sprouted at Village Green Perennial Nursery today – proprietor Vera Johnson (left) co-hosted the first-ever Mother’s Day Pie Social with pie goddess Kate McDermott. Everyone was supposed to bring a freshly homemade pie – and the resulting bounty (both savory and sweet) even had a guard:
(Yes, that’s the symbol “pi” after “I (Heart)” around the neck of “the guard.”) And apropos to the occasion, Vera got to beam with motherly pride as daughter Johanna serenaded guests with harp music:
Besides being a unique way to celebrate Mother’s Day – and homemade treats – the occasion was also a benefit for the White Center Food Bank, whose executive director Rick Jump was on hand when we stopped by in the early going.
This photo arrived in a two-part communique from the mysterious, and apparently growing, YarnCore knitting collective, so we haven’t seen the new, Peeps-equipped “yarn bomb” in person. But you can probably tell which bridge it’s on – one that in fact has sported Christmas decorations for years (bright red bows, though we didn’t see them turn up last year). YarnCore’s website has other photos that’ll give you a closer look at the multi-faceted creation, which arrived one month after her/his/their first one.
(High Point Community Center video by Tracy Record for WSB)
All five of West Seattle’s city-owned community centers planned egg hunts this morning, as usual – and so far, we have coverage from three of them. Top video, the tweens hitting the field at High Point Community Center – took them less than three minutes to round up the eggs, despite the relatively small size of the group (other age groups went after eggs at different spots around the site – including the playground and the tennis court). Meantime, hundreds lined up outside Hiawatha Community Center in the Admiral District:
(Hiawatha Community Center photos by Jason Grotelueschen for WSB)
And .. off they went!
Yes, Mr./Ms. Bunny was on hand at Hiawatha too – with photo ops galore:
While over at Alki for a non-Easter story, we spotted some Alki Community Center egg hunters at Whale Tail:
(Photo by Patrick Sand for WSB)
Aside from a teen hunt tonight, that’s it for the big egg hunts – but some local churches are offering them for kids in conjunction with Easter Sunday services; check the WSB West Seattle Easter page for the list.
Intrepid egg-hunter Louisa was happy to show off part of her bounty during the West Seattle Thriftway egg hunt this morning. As usual, since this is the first big one of the day, excited families lined up outside:
And once inside, it was “aisles of smiles”:
Where’s the Easter Bunny, you ask? In a video clip we will add later this morning, along with another photo or two. First, we’re hopping back out, to cover the community-center hunts (full egg-hunt list here). ADDED 12:15 PM: Here’s the video, as happy hunters enter the store:
Minutes later, big smiles all around:
And the store’s Twitter feed just carried a message of thanks.
(WSB photo from Southwest Community Center’s April 2010 egg hunt)
This is the big day for egg hunts, and most are happening this morning. If you haven’t already seen the schedule on the WSB West Seattle Easter page, here’s the lineup:
THRIFTWAY: West Seattle Thriftway (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan) is having its traditional annual Easter Egg Hunt!! The fun begins at 9 am but the line forms early! Kids aged 1-10, please.
LIFE CARE CENTER: Easter egg hunt at Life Care Center of West Seattle (4700 SW Admiral Way), 9 am, with golden prize eggs, drawings for prizes, pastries/juice/coffee, free
COMMUNITY CENTERS: Egg hunts at these West Seattle-area Community Centers for children ages 3 – 11 at 10 am, FREE.
Alki Community Center, 5817 SW Stevens (get there early! coffee, juice, muffins at 9:30 am – also, ages 0-11 welcome)
Delridge Community Center, 4501 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Community Center, 2700 California SW
High Point Community Center, 6920 34th SW
South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave. S.
Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle (also a pancake breakfast, 8:30-10:30 am, $4/person, and bike-helmet sale)
Please come early to find the hunting area for your age group, and remember to bring a bag or basket for the eggs you find.
EASTRIDGE @ LINCOLN PARK: 6,000 Easter Eggs in Lincoln Park, 11 am. Eastridge Church invites the community to its FREE Egg Hunt. The annual Easter activities for families and children includes an egg hunt with thousands of candy-filled Easter eggs, face painting, train rides, inflatables, prizes, and more! This children’s event is free and the community is invited! Eastridge Church Seattle Campus is located on 39th Avenue SW in West Seattle.
TEEN EGG HUNT TONIGHT: Teens Only! Southwest Teen Life Center (at Southwest Community Center, 2801 SW Thistle) Late Night Flashlight Egg Hunt for ages 13-19 at 9 pm. FREE Bring a flashlight and your sense of adventure–we’ll be searching for eggs. Find the most and win a prize!
You might have wondered whether Alki Community Center would have an egg hunt this year, since city budget cuts slashed its staff and operating hours. The answer, from the ACC Advisory Council, a resounding YES! So it’s been added to the listings on our special Easter 2011 page of egg hunts, church services, and brunch notes. And Kathleen Scanlon from the council shares some extra information:
First of all, although the hunt starts at 10 am sharp, we would encourage folks to get there early to find their age group (and because in years past it is over by 10:05!). We will also be serving Starbucks, juice and muffins starting at 9:30 am and ages 0-11 are invited to participate in the hunt.
The center is at 5817 SW Stevens, adjacent to the south end of Alki Playfield and the east side of Alki Elementary.
With one week to go till Easter, we have published, and added to the site navigation (the tabs under the sunset photo in the header), the new WSB Easter page, with three groups of listings: Egg hunts (most are next Saturday, but not all!), church services (including Holy Week leading up to Easter Sunday), and a few Easter brunch notes from local restaurants. Still a work in progress, so if you are involved with, or know of, any activities/services/brunches that are NOT on the page yet, please send us the info so we can add it! editor@westseattleblog.com – which also is where you are welcome to send word of Passover activities in West Seattle, since that holiday starts at sunset Monday; we are including Passover events in the regular Events calendar.
Got a note very early today that the fabled green stripe of Admiral’s 41st SW, near Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), has been refreshed, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day 2011 – so we had to send leprechauns over to get photos – including the shamrock at the end (in the 1900 block – here’s a map).
In case you’re not off tomorrow and forget it’s a holiday (Presidents Day) – there are some changes. Metro will be on reduced weekday service; the King County Water Taxi and its shuttles won’t be running at all (West Seattle OR Vashon); most government offices/facilities are closed, as are most (if not all) banks. Most state liquor stores, however, are open. If you’re going someplace in the city with metered street parking, tomorrow it’s free. Schools are closed (many, including all Seattle Public Schools, have the whole week off). But if you have Monday trash/recycling/yard waste (etc.) pickup, Seattle Public Utilities says everything is normal tomorrow (no changes for Sound Transit or state ferries, either).
Many people spent this MLK Day as they spent previous ones – volunteering in ways big and small. Some joined in organized events; some came up with their own, as did Annabelle Allen, Hayden and Anne Wainwright, and Molly Allen: Sharing the photo, Mark Wainwright described their efforts as an “impromptu … Day of Service,” explaining:
They picked up a bunch of trash along California from Charlestown to Hinds. Great work, kiddos! (And thanks to the moms, Jane and Shana, for the encouragement!
A reminder tonight about schedule changes tomorrow for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day holiday: There’s no King County Water Taxi service, West Seattle or Vashon (no shuttle buses, either). Metro buses are on a “reduced weekday” schedule – check here to see if your route is affected. Though most government offices and services are closed (including Seattle libraries and Parks facilities), recycling/trash/yard-waste services are on regular schedule, if you have Monday pickup. It’s a “free parking” day for other parts of the city with pay stations/meters. Most state liquor stores are open. Last but not least – schools and banks are closed.
From left, Zoe, Darrian, Autumn, and Shawna will be happy to help you divest yourself of your drying-out Christmas tree today – get it out before the game! Till 2 pm, they’re at the Masonic Hall parking lot, 40th/Edmunds, for the West Seattle Rainbow Girls‘ fundraising tree-recycling event. $5 donation suggested. (Yes, you still have a couple more days for free city pickup or dropoff, but this is the only in-West Seattle dropoff event we know of!)
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