West Seattle, Washington
21 Tuesday
Every trick-or-treater in Monday’s “Admiral Treats and Treasures” was invited to get their stops marked off on a map which then was presented at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor) for a drawing to win one of two giant treasure chests (goodie baskets) – and the folks at MG have shared photos of the winners as they came to claim their “treasures”! Congratulations to Brenna Hinsley and Annabelle Moeckel!
Each basket contained gift cards, toys, and other items worth a total of more than $300.
The e-mail from lightmaster Jim Winder began with the subject line: “Now that Halloween is over …” and continued:
…then it must be time to set up CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!!!! … we are going to start setting up the lights this weekend for our West Seattle Lights – Helmstetler Family Christmas Spectacular.
Looking forward to some new things this year and LOTS more lights and new songs. Our lighting ceremony will be Saturday, November 26th at 7:00 pm.
If this is going to be your first holiday season here, a bit of background … this is a light-synched show on a house across from the water tower on SW Charlestown. A sample from last year (WSB opening-night coverage here):
The Helmstetler Family owns the house; family friend Jim masterminds the lights. More at westseattlelights.com.
A few more scenes from around West Seattle this Halloween night:
Skeleton Theatre isn’t the only animatronic show in town – David Williams told us this morning about his annual show on 44th SW south of Charlestown – 16 minutes full of musical skull-duggery, shall we say:
And jolly jack-o-lanterns:
We’re putting that on the early checklist for next year. Meantime, back to skeletons: We stopped for photos after spotting this ghoulish skier on the side of a thoroughly-decorated house along SW Hinds a few blocks east of California SW:
Not far away, one of his compatriots was caught in a web of trouble:
Sprouting skulls graced a nearby stretch of lawn:
How about a few humans? Stephanie shared this trick-or-treat pre-funk in the Gatewood area:
And Aaron sent a photo of his house – in that spirited Admiral District again!
A few blocks east, we got late word of one house that had Elvis – the ultimate “undead” – singing out front. Human version this time, not animatronic! Got there just as he was telling the audience “See you later.” Darn.
ADDED 10:25 PM: Spooky – just after publishing this, we discovered that Eric had e-mailed us cameraphone video of “Elvis” (from a distance, but you can certainly hear him – and the crowd):
It’s a rock concert and rockumentary rolled into one at Skeleton Theatre. You know it’s serious, because the yard-turned-stage has people walking around wearing headsets – and the crew platform is right up over the SKELETON THEATRE sign. Once again this year, Chris Walker and friends have engineered the tale of a megagroup gone bad – and then gone back together – with the animatronic skeleton rockers onstage, interspersed with narrated video clips from their backstory on a big screen up above. You can sit or stand on the lawn to watch:
If you don’t get to 36th/Hanford to check it out before 9 tonight, you have six chances tomorrow (Tuesday) night, roughly at the top and bottom of the hour, between 6 and 9. We’ll add a video clip here after we get back to HQ.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: Though we haven’t gotten our clip going yet, Ted Johnson just shared his HD iPhone excerpt (thanks!). It starts with a section of the “rockumentary” and gets to the “live” singing after about the 5-minute mark:
Almost forgot to mention – this year’s production starts with a preview of next year. Otherworldly, shall we say.
Another round of business trick-or-treating is under way – this time at Westwood Village, where WSB sponsor Wyatt’s Jewelers‘ namesake Wyatt was handing out the treats when we stopped in (that’s dad/shop owner Kirk Keppler off to the right). Lots of kids out and about here too!
The new ownership of Westwood Village promised more candy this year; trick or treating continues till 7.
The trick-or-treating, and treasure-seeking, has begun! 45 stops on the map for Admiral Treats and Treasures this year (printable PDF here). Make as many stops as you can – then drop off your map as a drawing entry for one of two “treasure chests” (worth more than $300) at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor; 2326 California SW).
ADDED 4:54 PM: The trick-or-treaters continue to run wild. Well, actually, they’re crossing in an orderly fashion (there’s even a crossing guard!):
As the Material Girl, it’s Admiral Neighborhood Association president Katy Walum:
West Coast Entertainment has one of the best props on display – a Segway from the tours they’ve been giving around the area:
Outside Max and Quinn’s Atomic Boys Shop-O-Rama, we found co-namesake Max with parents Parris and Kent Sadow:
It’s the first Halloween in business for West Seattle Fabric Company (WSB sponsor):
Fresh off helping bicyclists navigate “Viadoom,” it’s Alki Bike and Board‘s Stu Hennessey:
And inside the historic Admiral Theater, you can get caramel corn from boss Dinah Brein:
CLICK AHEAD FOR EVEN MORE PHOTOS! Read More
Halloween creativity meets catch-phrase in North Admiral: Photographer/writer David Perry texted us (206-293-6302 any time) with word he was about to add the final touches to his gourd-geous “Occupy Dave’s Tree” display – protest signs. We happened to be in the area and detoured over just as he was about to head up the ladder to place the signs:
He says the display will be lit tonight for Halloween enjoyment – in the 2100 block of 42nd SW (map). … Here’s our list of other West Seattle Halloween sights/events.
Thanks to Mike for sharing the photo of his Halloween decorations on 16th SW two blocks north of South Seattle Community College (and an appropriately spooked “bystander”). He says they don’t get many trick-or-treaters and wonders if maybe they’re doing something to scare them away … All set for YOUR Halloween? Here’s our highlights list (followed by two notes of non-Halloween events):
BUSINESS DISTRICT TRICK-OR-TREATING: Admiral District “Treats and Treasures,” 3-6 pm – here’s the map; here’s the list. … Westwood Village trick-or-treating, 5-7 pm (new ownership this year and they promise plenty of candy) … White Center trick-or-treating, 5-8 pm (participating merchants – check this FB page) in the heart of the 16th SW business district.
DAYTIME HAUNTED HOUSE: The Kenney (WSB sponsor) invites the community to join Kenney team members and residents in Community Room 2 for chills, thrills and laughter as they are walked/guided through a haunted house. (Remaining) showings are 1 hour each: 2:30 pm and a NEW special 4 pm showing for any children who might want to start their Halloween a little bit early after school. The Kenney will provide “goodie bags” with items other than candy (pencils, stickers, etc). for any child interested in taking one on their way out. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
HALLOWEEN CUISINE: West Seattle Cooking Club meets at Beveridge Place Pub, 2 pm, this week’s theme: Halloween-inspired culinary creations.
TRICK OR TREAT ON ROXBURY: Roxbury Spine and Wellness Clinic welcomes trick-or-treaters during their annual Halloween celebration from 3:30 -6:30 p.m. at 2656 SW Roxbury. Costume contest and more. Details here.
HOWL-O-WEEN PET-COSTUME PHOTOS: 4– 7 pm, Howl-o-Ween Pet Costume Photo Shoot, The Wash Dog, 6400 California SW. Furry Faces Foundation invites area residents to dress up their pets for a very special photo shoot that will help raise awareness of the importance pets play the lives of the elderly, even after they can no longer afford to take care of them. 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. No charge for the session, but either a bag of healthy pet food or a $5 donation to the Furry Faces Foundation is suggested.
SKELETON THEATRE: At 36th/Hanford, the animatronic production Skeleton Theatre is back! Full details on its official website; shows are 6-9 pm, every half-hour, tonight and tomorrow – here’s our preview from last night.
‘NIGHTMARE ON 44TH’: On 44th SW between Charlestown and Andover, more animatronics – David Williams sends word of his 16-minute loop between 6-9 pm, with: “Animatronic skulls singing ‘Grim Grinning Ghosts’ from Disneyland Haunted Mansion; pumpkins with lighting to the song ‘This is Halloween’; a Phantom Bride skull that sings ‘Phantom of the Opera’ during a lightning storm; and a graveyard with hidden animated surprises and lighting synced to music.” This is his third year, and it takes more than 3 months of work to put together!
HALLOWEEN KARAOKE: Costumed Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club, 9 pm.
(added) ADULT BINGO AT THE BRIDGE: Thanks to Ricki for the tip: Doors open at 7 pm for Halloween XXX Bingo at The Bridge (35th just south of Avalon), costume contest and all.
And from the non-Halloween-related file for today:
VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Last chance to register if you’re not already, if you want to get in on next Tuesday’s election (details here).
PROPERTY TAX DEADLINE: Last day to pay without a penalty. Just go here. (Thanks to Forest for the reminder!)
(“Spur” the guitarist – photo courtesy Skeleton Theatre)
The all-out animatronic extravaganza Skeleton Theatre is back this Halloween, confirms Maia Low, spouse of creator Chris Walker: “The show is basically the same this year – Bonaparte’s Reunion Concert. There is added video and more effects this year. We’ll be running the show from 6:00-9:00 pm on Monday, Oct. 31 and Tuesday, Nov. 1 on the hour and the half hour.” Bonaparte (get it?) is a legendary, albeit skeletal, rock band. Their video-recorded reminiscences, “Behind the Music” style, are part of the show, on a big screen over the animatronics onstage. You’ll find Skeleton Theatre in the yard (visible from the street) at 36th/Hanford (map). You can see our coverage from last year, including video, by going here. The show’s free, but the crew appreciates online donations to help cover expenses.
The first-ever White Center Pumpkin Carving Contest is in the judging phase till about 8 pm; drop by and pick your fave! Five pumpkins were on display when we dropped by just after 7 – including John Tarrant‘s “Angry Birds” entry, above. You’ll find the pumpkins under a canopy right in front of Mac’s Triangle Pub on the north side of Delridge/16th/Roxbury – and the entries will be on display during White Center business-district trick-or-treating (5-8 pm) tomorrow night, too. (See a few more photos on our partner site White Center Now.)
That giant pumpkin has become what must be one of West Seattle’s biggest jack o’lanterns. When Dawson mentioned his 300- and 400-pound pumpkins here, we couldn’t help asking for photos. He obliged with a sequence of eight – starting with the biggest pumpkin, pre-carving. Read on to see the other photos, including the finished creation!Read More
(Lora Swift at Hotwire Coffee [WSB sponsor])
The sun is out in full force just in time to shine on West Seattle Junction trick-or-treaters. The annual tradition is on till 3 pm – just head for the heart of The Junction and start going from business to business. Many owners/employees are in costume too, like Hotwire’s Lora, above, and the Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor) team:
The early bird gets the candy:
Nothing like a Halloween costume where you really and truly don’t get a hint at who’s inside (though the Invisible Man did reveal himself to our photographer as a longtime WSB’er):
Aaron was helping with the handouts outside Puerto Vallarta:
Of course you need a sneak peek to see how the loot looks:
And the best treat of the day – the sort-of-surprise sunshine!
More photos to come!
ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: See those additional photos after the jump:Read More
(WSB photo from Admiral Treats and Treasures, October 2010)
Hallo-weekend is here, so we’re reminding you about the four major business-district trick-or-treating events that are planned in the West Seattle/White Center area tomorrow and Monday:
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION: 1-3 pm tomorrow (Saturday); more info here.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT: 3-6 pm Monday (Halloween) – here’s the map; here’s the list. Among the participants, as you’ll see on those PDFs, is Umpqua Bank (WSB sponsor), which opens in the new retail building on the Admiral Safeway site two days later (November 2nd, 9 am) but confirms they will have reps with candy in front of their almost-open location.
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 5-7 pm Monday (Halloween). Note that the center is under new ownership/management this year and has promised more spirited participation.
WHITE CENTER: 5-8 pm October 31st (Monday) – more info here
Lots of other Halloween events, today through Tuesday (the legendary Skeleton Theatre is happening Monday and Tuesday nights), are listed on the WSB West Seattle Events page.
Halloween doubleheader coming up this Friday at Southwest Community Center and Southwest Pool! They sent a note to make sure you know you are invited to the Halloween Carnival and Swim. It’s all FREE – with the carnival open to kids 12 and under 5-7 pm, teens 13-19 from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Come dressed in your “scariest creative costume” – there’ll be prizes. And if you bring a few $, there’ll be concessions (hot dogs, nachos, more) to raise money for teen programs. And in the middle of all this, it’s a Halloween Family Swim 7-8 pm, with games, a penny dive, and bobbing for apples. (Everyone under 18 has to have an adult in the water with them.) P.S. Teen volunteers are needed 4-7:30 pm for the kids’ carnival; sign up at the SW Teen Life Center.
The second annual Schmitz Park Elementary Holiday Craft Fair is now rescheduled for Saturday, December 3rd, a little further into the shopping season, and fair organizers are recruiting local artists/craftspeople right now. It’ll run 10 am-3 pm that day, with a $35 table fee to benefit the Schmitz Park PTA General Fund, but no other commission. Interested? Know someone who might be? Contact Shana Allen at shanaall99@gmail.com.
(Rain or shine, trick-or-treating goes on! WSB photo from The Junction last year)
Two weeks till Halloween 2011! The WSB Halloween page will be up by tomorrow morning, but first, tonight, the answers to the most-frequently asked question: When are the business-district trick-or-treat events?
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION: 1-3 pm October 29th (Saturday); more info here.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT: 3-6 pm October 31st (Monday) – here’s the map; here’s the list.
WESTWOOD VILLAGE: 5-7 pm October 31st (Monday)
WHITE CENTER: 5-8 pm October 31st (Monday) – more info here
(If your business or organization is having a Halloween event – please send us the info so it can be on the Events calendar – thanks!)
Two notes for pumpkin fans:
PUMPKIN SALE: Saturday, 10 am till 2 pm (or till the pumpkins are all gone, if sooner), the Lincoln Park P-Patch is selling the pumpkins just harvested there last weekend, with proceeds benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank. Details in this WSB Forums announcement.
PUMPKIN CARVING DEMONSTRATION: Need some jack-o-lantern skills? Just in:
The Genesee Schmitz Neighborhood Council is hosting professional pumpkin carver Pam Leno from 1 to 4 pm at Ercolini Park (48th & Alaska) this Sunday (rain or shine!).
There will be demonstrations for decorating your pumpkin this year! We ask everyone to bring your own pumpkin and tools to decorate with. Markers will be provided for the smaller children. The GSNC will be providing free cider and hot coffee.
Yes, here in early October, it’s already time to think “holiday season” – at least, if you’re planning a major event. So the organizers of the popular annual holiday bazaar at Highland Park Elementary asked us to get the word out that they are ready to sign up vendors. Their event is set for 10 am-3 pm on December 10th, with a bake sale and big raffle (including donations from local businesses and bazaar vendors). If you’re interested in being part of it, e-mail highlandparkbazaar@hotmail.com (please do NOT contact the school directly).
‘Tis the season for some holiday planning – and as of today, CoolMom is accepting donations for its 4th annual Toy Swap ‘n’ Sale, with proceeds also benefiting WestSide Baby. The actual event is 9 am-2 pm Saturday, November 12th, at Fauntleroy Church (our photo at right is from last year, same location); donating in advance not only helps CoolMom and WS Baby, it also gets you a $5 credit toward shopping at the sale! Read on for more details and the donation-dropoff spots:Read More
We took the photo Sunday afternoon at Delridge Skatepark, formally opening on Delridge Day September 17th (but being skated like crazy, again, when we ran by) – we got a tip about the banner, made by an anonymous West Seattleite who wanted to show appreciation for the Grindline design/build crew’s labors. On to the Labor Day info:
TRANSPORTATION: Metro Transit, the West Seattle Water Taxi (along with its shuttle buses), and Sound Transit express buses are all on their Sunday schedules. Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route is on a weekend schedule .
PARKING IN THE PAY ZONES DOWNTOWN, ETC.: Pay stations/meters are on holiday too – free street parking today.
SOLID WASTE PICKUP: If you have city trash/recycling/yard waste pickup on Mondays, it’s on a normal schedule despite the holiday.
STATE LIQUOR STORES: Open 10 am-7 pm.
WHAT’S NOT HAPPENING: Most government offices/facilities closed (Seattle Public Library system reopens tomorrow), most banks closed, no mail delivery.
BUSINESSES? Mixed bag, judging by what we’ve seen mentioned on business Facebook pages/Twitter feeds – more closed than open, overall. Avalon Glassworks did e-mail to say they’ll be open.
As for events, we have a few:
COOKING CLUB MEETS: The holiday’s not stopping the West Seattle Cooking Club from meeting today. Location: Beveridge Place Pub. Theme: “4 ingredients.” Time: 2 pm. The challenge this week – to create a dish limited to 4 ingredients – salt, pepper and oil are allowed in addition to the 4 ingredients that you choose. (Then bring your creation to BPP for the meeting.)
LAST DAY FOR THE WADING POOL: Last day of the season for the last West Seattle wading pool still open, Lincoln Park.
Not a cloud in the sky tonight – just fireworks smoke. As seen from Alki – that’s a view of the Winslow (Bainbridge Island) show, courtesy of David Hutchinson. And from Harbor Avenue, the Lake Union fireworks, thanks to Chris Fruitrich:
Of course, there was more to see along Harbor and Alki Avenues than fireworks. Gridlock, even an hour after the fireworks ended – we went over to take a look, thinking we would be going the uncrowded way (westbound), but it was bumper-to-bumper both ways. And a sizable cleanup job ahead – overflow at every trash can, though at least much was bagged (by the time we saw it):
By 11:30 pm, police were out in force along central Alki, which is where the traffic finally thinned on our westward drive. Earlier, we had checked out the fireworks view from the highest point in the city, Myrtle Reservoir Park, which was still under construction last July 4th (opened in fall, dedicated this past April). Not bad, though you have to strategically work around a few tall evergreens that are part of the northward view. Also nice from Myrtle tonight: Crescent moon, setting. Meantime, one more West Seattle 4th of July scene, which is actually from Burien:
As noted in our West Seattle/Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade coverage, the West Seattle Hi-Yu float was in today’s Burien parade, and Jim Edwards – part of the leadership team for the West Seattle American Legion Post 160 Grand Parade coming up July 23rd – shared the photo. Look for Hi-Yu royalty and reps at all the big upcoming events (West Seattle Summer Fest this Friday-Saturday-Sunday, the Seafair Pirates’ Landing on Saturday, etc.) and buy a button to help support the program.
Big turnout for this morning’s West Seattle/Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade – bigger than last year, by our informal measure, which is how long our clip of the entire parade runs. Last year we had to break it into 2 clips totaling 13 minutes; this year, our video (above) totals 16 minutes. OK, nonscientific, but still. Another contrast – cloudy last year, bright sunshine this time. Anyway, this is an all-volunteer effort – here’s coordinator Sherri Chun:
She also emceed the games at Hamilton Viewpoint Park post-parade – old-fashioned fun, like sack races:
Inbetween – hundreds of kids (and adults!) on parade. Click ahead for some of the scenes:Read More
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.
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