(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.

(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!)

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

(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.

(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.

(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.”