West Seattle, Washington
01 Monday
The Mosquito Fleet mural on the east side of the city-landmark Campbell Building is next up for restoration in the finally launched project to restore all of West Seattle’s historic murals; it’ll be restored by muralist Bob Henry, who recently brought the Morgan Junction mural back to life. While the campaign to save all the Murals of West Seattle has a good start to the necessary funding – thanks to Adah Rhodes Cruzen‘s gift and to the West Seattle Garden Tour, among others – community contributions are requested, too, and that fundraising campaign has officially launched. This video tells the story:
(Video by This Is It Video Production)
More backstory on the murals and the restoration campaign – plus your options for contributing – can be found here.
Even if you’re not going to the Pearl Jam Home Shows next week, you can support the band-led fundraising campaign to help with homelessness. We have heard from one West Seattle business that’s joining the campaign – longtime WSB sponsor Dream Dinners-West Seattle:
Dream Dinners, West Seattle is proud to band together with Pearl Jam and our community to alleviate homelessness.
We are committing $10 of each session sale on August 7 and August 8 to support #thehomeshows. Eat, drink and fight homelessness in King County.
Select a date and dinners for:
Tuesday, August 7th at 6:29 PM, or
Wednesday, August 8th at 6:30 PM
Password: dinnerAssemble 3 medium family-size (2 to 4 servings) dinners for $34.95.
Select 3 of the following dinners:
Terracotta Chicken with Pita and Hummus
Savory Grilled Chicken with Sesame, Honey Butter
Kentucky Pork Chops with Bacon Ranch Green Beans
Limoncello Shrimp with Coconut Rice
Buffalo Chicken Cavatappi
Snag your spot by following one of those links above and placing your order. Haven’t been to Dream Dinners before? Here’s how it works.
P.S. Other Seattle-area food-and-drink businesses donating part of their proceeds next Wednesday are listed here.
At West Seattle Thriftway (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor), Michele Grasso is leading another benefit barbecue right now – on most summer Saturdays, the store cooks and serves a barbecue lunch to raise money for a local nonprofit. Today it’s the Humane Society, and you can stop by until mid-afternoon.
The store has more community-supporting excitement ahead Tuesday night: Catering a Night Out party in Sunrise Heights for the winner of a contest held to raise awareness of the annual community-building block party night. Over the past two months, customers used punch cards – one punch for every $20 spent shopping – to get contest entries. Michele says more than 400 cards were entered by the time they made the drawing. The winner, Julie Robinson-Jasper, gets Thriftway catering for the 20+ people expected at her Night Out block party Tuesday (August 7th) in Sunrise Heights. The store’s announcement quotes her as saying she’s turning it into a fundraiser: “Now since nobody has to bring food or drinks, I’m going to ask them to bring money and we’ll donate it to the West Seattle Food Bank.”
(Image provided by Seattle Audubon: White-Winged Scoter photographed by Doug Schurman)
We know the WSB readership includes many bird lovers. Seattle Audubon hopes some might be able to help with this:
Are seabirds in Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca increasing or decreasing in numbers? Which species are changing their range? Help us find out.
The Puget Sound Seabird Survey (PSSS) is a community and citizen-science project managed by Seattle Audubon that empowers volunteer birdwatchers to gather valuable data on wintering seabird populations across the southern Salish Sea.
This season we will be expanding the project, yet again, this time north to the Canadian border and the San Juan Islands. We received funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program through the Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife to add 15-30 new survey sites, develop an oil spill plan and train volunteers on how to react to a spill.
You can contribute to vital seabird science by joining the twelfth season of this exciting project. We are now recruiting enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers to help us monitor the status of our local wintering seabirds. Training on survey methodology will be provided on Tuesday, 17th September at Lincoln Park, with other trainings taking place at 8 additional locations later in September and early October.
The first seabird survey of the season will take place on October 6th, 2018. Volunteers should ideally be able to identify Puget Sound’s seabird species and be available on the first Saturday of each month, October through April, to conduct a 30-minute survey. But, if determining between Lesser and Greater Scaup is a challenge, we’ll team you up with more knowledgeable surveyors. To help us determine each volunteer’s seabird identification skill level, please take this short, fun seabird ID quiz.
There are five survey sites in the West Seattle area that we need volunteers for, 10 sites in the Seattle area that require more volunteers, and numerous other sites around Puget Sound with spaces.
Learn more at www.seabirdsurvey.org and email Toby Ross, Science Manager tobyr@seattleaudubon.org to take part.
(July 29th photo by Barry J. White)
After we reported on the West Seattle Little League 12-year-old All-Stars’ state championship and impending trip to the regionals, WSB readers asked if they needed community contributions. As it turns out, yes! From WSLL’s Kathy Powers:
West Seattle Little League will be 1 of 6 teams competing in the Northwest Regional Tournament in San Bernardino, CA for a berth to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA later in August. The first game will be against Idaho, on Sunday, Aug 5th. It can be viewed online via ESPN+. The full schedule can be found here.
To help support the team’s journey, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help offset the cost of travel for the team and families. If you are interested in supporting them, you can do so here.
Great job boys and Go Westside!!
11:29 AM: Two WSB commenters mentioned that family and friends of Michael Abay, stabbed to death in South Delridge a little over a week ago, planned a car-wash fundraiser near the scene at 16th SW and SW Cambridge. And now a texter has sent word that it’s under way and that Mr. Abay’s family was setting up a benefit barbecue there too. “I happened to stumble on them as they were setting up. I gave the day’s first donation and they gave me a big hug. Don’t know why it brought me to tears!” said the texter. No arrest reported in the case yet. (Photo from Abay family’s GoFundMe page)
2:04 PM: Another texter says the car wash will continue until 4 pm and sent this photo:
That’s the trailer for “Secret Life of Pets,” which will be onscreen Saturday night for West Seattle Outdoor Movies‘ week two. The movie’s free as always but if you can – BRING DIAPERS! WestSide Baby is the spotlight nonprofit this week, and it’s the last major event in WS Baby’s Stuff the Bus Diaper Drive, which still needs thousands more diapers to reach this year’s goal.
You also need to bring your own chair/blanket to the WSOM site outside the West Seattle YMCA (3622 SW Snoqualmie; WSB sponsor) BUT if you want to have dinner at the movies this week, you don’t have to bring your own, because the Macho Burgers food truck will be there (as well as the Y’s concession stand). You’re welcome to come stake out your spot as early as 6:30 pm; the movie starts at dusk.
1:35 PM: Bubbles! Kids’ activities! Ice cream! Live music! Until 3 pm, you are welcome to enjoy the Stuff the Bus Diaper Drive Bash at WestSide Baby‘s expansive HQ at 10002 14th SW. Or … just drive/ride/walk up on 14th to drop off diapers!
The band Whole Bolivian Army – which you might remember from Verity Credit Union (WSB sponsor)’s West Seattle grand opening a week ago – is here too (as is Verity):
3:05 PM: The party is officially over but not the diaper drive! WS Baby needs them year-round as do the clients of their community partners – such as the White Center Food Bank, which also serves part of White Center:
In that photo, at left and right, WS Baby executive director Nancy Woodland and public-affairs manager Toni Sarge, and at left and right center respectively, WCFB’s development director Carmen Smith and new executive director Marélle Habenicht. Also at the party, WS Baby supporters including Kirk Keppler of Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village:
With Kirk is son Evan. Meantime, the party fun included tricycle races:
That’s Zoe on the trike. Visitors also got to tour the WS Baby facility:
WS Baby serves thousands of local kids in need, with more than diapers. Here’s how to help.
WestSide Baby‘s biggest weekend of its summer Stuff the Bus diaper-donation drive is on!
(Photos courtesy WestSide Baby)
Those are kids at Alki Beach Academy, where WS Baby picked up 11,083 donated diapers today!
The bus also stopped at Fauntleroy Children’s Center. You’ll see it tomorrow in the West Seattle Grand Parade, and on Sunday at WS Baby HQ in White Center, where you are invited to the Stuff the Bus bash, fun for everyone (bring diapers!) noon-3 pm, 10002 14th SW.
(WSB photo: WestSide Baby’s diaper-drive bus at West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade afterparty)
The heart of summer also brings the heart of WestSide Baby‘s biggest diaper-donation drive of the year, Stuff the Bus! Here are two opportunities for you to contribute:
TALARICO’S TRIVIA TONIGHT: Host Phil Tavel says, “This week, Trivia Night at Talarico’s is supporting the WestSide Baby diaper drive. Help give to parents and their children who don’t have enough diapers. Instead of cash, bring diapers! Any size for children. If you can’t bring diapers, bring cash and we will buy the diapers – but, bring diapers! There will be a nice prize for the team that brings the most diapers. Also some raffle prizes as well.” 8:30 pm until about 10:15 pm. (
Starts at 8:30 and goes until about 10:15. (4718 California SW)
STUFF THE BUS BASH ON SUNDAY: Again this year, WS Baby is inviting everyone to bring diapers to its headquarters for a big party – that’s noon-3 pm this Sunday (July 22nd):
Fun during the afternoon will include…
Tours of our new, expanded warehouse
Diaper Dash – a short race for baby crawlers & non-walkers!Article Image
Trike Race – fun for kids ages 2-6 (we will provide trikes & helmets!)
Diaper Relay – because adults want to have fun too!
Kids games, arts & crafts!
Live music
Local food trucks
Free lemonade stand
Free ice cream!
And, most importantly, we will be stuffing our WestSide Baby Bus with your diaper donations!Donating to our summer drive can be as easy as bringing a package of wipes, or an open package of diapers with you.
All welcome! (10002 14th SW)
Even with thousands of donated cookies and hundreds of donated hours of volunteer help, it takes a lot more for The Christmas People to make magic happen on their namesake holiday – and that is why they’re hoping you will be part of this Sunday’s Christmas in July event. It’s happening Sunday (July 22nd) at the Masonic Center (4736 40th SW), same place The Christmas People offer a sit-down dinner on December 25th to anyone who shows up. Christmas in July starts with a silent-auction preview and no-host bar at 4 pm, silent auction at 5, buffet dinner starting at 5:30 pm, live auction at 6:30 – with items including getaways (from Wine Country to Italy!) and “Christmas items reminiscent of Christmas Past.” Speaking of Christmas, West Seattle’s own Santa Al will be there to greet you Sunday. Tickets are only $15 – buy yours now here. Or if you’d like to be part of Christmas in July as a volunteer, check at 206-719-4979 or pialley@jps.net.
Thanks to Mary for the photo and report:
An energetic group of neighborhood volunteers came together on this sunny morning to clean up the Delridge Triangle at Delridge Way SW/18th Ave SW/SW Barton St, and to clean up surrounding blocks. The clean-up was a joint effort between the South Delridge Community Group (SDCG) and Friends Of The Delridge Triangle (FDT). This is one step of a greater project in the works to redevelop the Triangle into a safe and usable community space where the neighborhood can play. The Delridge Triangle project was a Your Voice, Your Choice 2017 award recipient. The project is now moving forward and hopes for a boost from the 2018 Neighborhood Matching Fund.
The next Delridge Triangle clean-up will take place on Saturday 08/11 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. All are welcome to join us. It’s a great way to start the weekend, keep our neighborhood clean, meet neighbors, and build community!
Contact the South Delridge Community Group @:
sdelridgecommunitygroup@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
southdelridgecommunitygroup.wordpress.comContact Friends Of The Delridge Triangle @:
delridgetriangle@gmail.com
Or visit our website:
Friends of The Delridge Triangle
If your Saturday’s already set but you’re looking ahead to tomorrow, Sunday brings your next chance to make a big difference with a little of your time, in the next Morgan Junction-area community cleanup organized by Jill Boone:
Join us Sunday, July 8, from 9:30 – 11:00 to pick up litter along California and Fauntleroy, our little business area! We meet at 9:30 at the ATM lot in front of Domino’s and by the Shell station. I’ll be parked there with litter grabbers, bags and vests. Bring your own gloves. Bring a bucket if you want one. For kiddos, I have small vests, a few small grabbers (for toddlers) and some small buckets.
Bring the family! It’s fun and it’s a way for small kids and big kids to do something to benefit their community. Pups are welcome if well-behaved and leashed.
We need adults or teens who can walk to C&P and back or from the start to the UU Church and back and up and down Fauntleroy from the intersection! Families with small kids do the immediate area and bus stops. Kids are amazing at grabbing cigarette butts with those small grabbers!
Jill’s been organizing these periodic cleanups for more than a year now.
11:29 AM: As mentioned in today’s highlight list, local families have baked up a variety of treats and are selling them right now north of The Junction, raising money to reunify asylum seekers and their children. It’s at 4146 44th SW and scheduled to continue until 1 pm; Jennifer, the organizer, says contributors have continued to drop off sale items, too, including a mom, baby in tow, who had created a three-layer cake!
(Jennifer and son Theo, a bake-sale helper)
The money will go to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
5:37 PM: In a comment, Theo reports the bake sale raised $1,612!
Thanks to Leslie Harris (your rep on the Seattle Public Schools Board as well as its president) for the photo from the Chief Sealth International High School football team’s fundraising pancake breakfast. $5, all-you-can-eat, in the Sealth/Denny galleria until noon.
That’s a view of the Delridge Triangle (18th/Barton). We’ve reported before on community plans to give it a brighter, safer future, and now there’s a simple, fast way to show your support. From Kim Barnes:
Did you know the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition is working in partnership with Highland Park Action Committee and South Delridge Community Group to improve one of our community public spaces in South Delridge?
On June 25th, The Friends of the Delridge Triangle will submit its application to the Neighborhood Matching Fund. The goal? To get the Delridge Triangle (9200 Delridge Way, across from Burger Boss and 2 Fingers Social) redesigned to create a space that is safe and usable for the community.
The Delridge Triangle lies at the center of the South Delridge community. With Highland Park to the east and Westwood-Roxhill to the west, the public right of way is central feature to the South Delridge corridor. The space has a long history of negative social behaviors that have created fear and avoidance and the surrounding community is in desperate need of easily accessible outdoor space. Your pledge to participate in the redesign project over Fall 2018-Spring 2019 is a critical step toward filling the need for easily accessible green space in South Delridge.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
For the grant application to be successful we need your pledge of interest to participate as the Community Match to the grant award over the October 2018-April 2019 period. Can you spare two minutes today and complete the volunteer pledge form here?
For project information along with online pledge form, you can go here: DelridgeTriangle.org Your details will not be shared beyond the Delridge Triangle team, and you’ll be updated on the progress of the application submission starting at the end of June.
Can you help with getting more pledges? Would you like to consider pledging cash, materials or have questions? Email the steering committee at DelridgeTriangle@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting our community!
The playground is built – now, if you can spare a little time this Saturday, the students of Roxhill Elementary – getting ready to move into their new home – will be forever grateful. The reminder/request from Friends of Roxhill:
Friends of Roxhill Elementary needs your help to move wood chips at the new playground at E.C. Hughes, where Roxhill is relocating in the fall. We need as many volunteers as possible. Right now, we only have about 20 people signed up! Bring your whole family down to 7700 34th Ave SW on Saturday, June 16, from 9 to 11 a.m or from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sign up here: signup.com/go/QixMZHL
This project has been made possible by a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Matching Fund grant and a partnership between Friends of Roxhill Elementary and Seattle Public Schools. The Roxhill Elementary at E.C. Hughes playground will be open to the public in September.
Last Saturday, volunteers built it – next Saturday (June 16th), you can help wrap up the finishing touches! From Friends of Roxhill Elementary:
The new playground for Roxhill Elementary at E.C. Hughes needs you again. This volunteer opportunity is open to all-ages — but you have to promise not to climb on anything. Join Friends of Roxhill Elementary at the renovated E.C. Hughes Elementary, where we are moving in the fall, on Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Address: 7700 34th Ave SW)
Many hands make light work — and we’ll need as many hands as possible to help move the wood chips safety surface into place. We’re planning for 50 to 60 people for each two-hour shift. It’s Father’s Day weekend — invite your whole family to come on down! The more the merrier.
This volunteer opportunity is open to anyone — even kids (as long as they don’t play on the equipment). All community members are welcome, not just those with a direct Roxhill connection.
Sign up here: signup.com/go/QixMZHL
This project has been made possible by a Seattle Department of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Matching Fund grant and a partnership between Friends of Roxhill Elementary and Seattle Public Schools. The Roxhill Elementary at E.C. Hughes playground will be open to the public in September.
Just received from Shana @ WestSide Baby:
HELP WESTSIDE BABY REARRANGE THEIR DISTRIBUTION SPACE TOMORROW
WestSide Baby is looking for about 8 volunteers tomorrow, Friday, June 8th, to help with a reorganizing project. They are making some efficiency changes to their operations space and could use some able-bodied volunteers at 10 am. Projects could include painting, moving potentially heavy items, and other tasks. If you have free time and would like to lend a hand, please email Shana Allen at shana@westsidebaby.org. Must be at least 14 years old to volunteer for this job.
WS Baby is headquartered at 10002 14th SW.
A fun and rewarding way to start your weekend if you care about helping make it easier to get around in local parks! From Colin, one of your neighbors who have been working on walkability on the trails in the West Duwamish Greenbelt:
Come join us to improve the Puget Park trail this Saturday (June 9th) from 9-noon, followed by a neighborhood BBQ. Community support is needed to continue Puget Park trail improvements. Several neighbors have come together to lead this Puget Ridge family friendly community event with a BBQ to follow. Please stop by and give whatever time you have; every little bit helps – even just swing by to say “thank you.” Our presence and participation at this event demonstrates to Seattle Parks that we care and appreciate improvements they are making to the parks in our neighborhood.
How you can help: Continue trail improvements, mainly constructing a transition in a steep section of the trail and spreading gravel that has already been staged in the area where it needs to be spread.
When: Saturday June 9th, 9am to noon with neighborhood BBQ to follow
Where: Puget Park trailhead at 19th Ave & Dawson SW. Address: 1900 SW Dawson St
Prepare: Wear sturdy shoes and work gloves. Tools provided
Questions? E-mail Colin at spikescc@gmail.com.
11:25 AM: Under a sunnier-than-forecast sky, atop Pigeon Point, Lou Cutler embarked on his 15th annual round of benefit birthday laps two hours ago:
And they are off! This is longtime @MakeAWishAKWA volunteer Lou's 15th year of one lap for every year of his June birthday – 67 this time. He retired a couple years ago but returns to the school for this. pic.twitter.com/KdyWKGETmk
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 1, 2018
He’s volunteered for Make-A-Wish since 1996, and Laps With Lou raises money for the organization. This year, those cheering Lou – and the students/staff who run with him at one point or another during the day – include his brother, visiting from Portland. And his chief cheerleader/kid wrangler/sidekick is again teacher Andy Darring:
We’re heading back up to check on how things are going on what Lou again declared to be “the best day of the year.” All are welcome to stop by, observe, run, walk, or you can help by donating online.
12:05 PM: As of our stop, a bit past halfway there!
2:03 PM: Success! But first, the last lap, with everybody at Pathfinder invited out to join Lou on the track:
Last lap for @MakeAWishAKWA ! pic.twitter.com/1kQTAc9Y1q
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 1, 2018
67 laps, 11+ miles, in 4 1/2 hours.
Asked if he’ll be back for 68 next year, Lou replied with a resounding “yes!”
We’ve been covering Lou’s laps for a decade now, including video in 2010, the first one after Pathfinder moved from Genesee Hill to Pigeon Point.
Since this will likely get started before our usual morning highlights list goes live, we wanted to remind you about an annual event tomorrow that you are invited to join or support – retired Pathfinder K-8 PE teacher Lou Cutler‘s annual birthday run for Make-A-Wish. In June, Lou turns 67, so he’ll be circling the Pathfinder field on Pigeon Point 67 times. It’s just one way he supports Make-A-Wish>, whose official news release for this year’s run calls him a “wish-granting superstar.” He’s volunteered for the group for more than 20 years; this is his 15th year of Laps with Lou. If you can stop by the Pathfinder field at 1901 SW Genesee tomorrow, you’re welcome to join the run – as most of the school’s students and staff do at some point during the day – or just cheer him on! You can also donate online in honor of his dedication and the kids who have unforgettable experiences as a result. He expects to get going around 9 am, and last year the run went past 1 pm.
Though EC Hughes Elementary is getting some work done before Roxhill Elementary moves there in September, it doesn’t include the playground – so community volunteers are making that happen. This Saturday, you can help. From Friends of Roxhill:
Friends of Roxhill Elementary invites the greater West Seattle community to help build our new playground at E.C. Hughes, located at 7700 34th Avenue SW [map], this Saturday, June 2, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We have two slots available: 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Snacks, water, coffee and lunch provided!
We’ll be led by PlayCreation representatives to assemble and build our selected Landscape Structures playground.
Please note that no children under age 14 may be within the build site. If you are a student in need of service hours, you may help put together components under adult supervision outside the build area, but all installation must be completed by those 17 and up.
We’re so excited to make this happen together. Together, our community can do anything. Also, there will be food. Did we mention that?
Can’t make it? Let us know and we’ll add you to the list for the next day of work: laying down all the engineered wood fiber so our playground has a safe surface for kids to land on. That date is still TBD. Email us at friendsofroxhill@gmail.com to be notified.
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