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Spotlight Stories


  • Arrest

    GUNFIRE ARREST: South Admiral scare

  • Teardown

    DEMOLITION: Alki redevelopment

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    BLUE ANGELS’ RETURN: When they’re flying

Vashon Island fire: Smoke plume visible from West Seattle
November 28, 2010 4:44 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle news

(Photo added 4:53 pm, taken from Upper Fauntleroy)
It’s not West Seattle, but many people can see it from here, so it’s news here too — we have received calls/notes about a big plume of smoke visible from Vashon Island, if you have a view in that direction.

4:49 PM UPDATE: It’s a fire, according to scanner traffic. One source on Twitter says it’s a three-story house. And crews are still actively fighting it. We don’t have location info so far, aside from one crew telling another “come down as if you were going to the Cove Motel.”

5:08 PM UPDATE: KING 5 has posted this video from viewer Brady Miller (note that it is preceded by a short commercial – placed by their site, not ours):

5:23 PM UPDATE: The scanner mentions “Paige Lane” as the command. That’s on the northwest side of Vashon (here’s a map). We’ll add any additional information we find later; moving back on to more WS news now.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Car prowling/egging combined
November 28, 2010 4:40 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Genesee Hill | West Seattle news

At the last West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, while noting that local crime has been down lately, Southwest Precinct leadership also warned that some categories invariably go up during the holiday season. Too soon to crunch the local stats but we have received more direct reports in the past few days than we have for a while, and this one from Sandy is the latest:

Sometime between 10 pm and 11 pm last night my Subaru Outback was broken into and when the perps couldn’t find anything, they egged the inside of the car. ARRRGH!! This was at 45th and Andover in the Genesee neighborhood of West Seattle. When I discovered this, I saw a young man running through the neighborhood. I called 911 and the operator was very blase about it. I saw the same young man running through the neighborhood between 11:30 pm and midnight and again called 911. This time I got a different operator who said he would send a patrol car through the neighborhood.

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Holiday gift idea: Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza brick or plaque
November 28, 2010 3:52 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Alki Statue of Liberty | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

If your name or message isn’t part of the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza already – you’re running out of opportunities. David Hutchinson sends the latest on the brick/plaque sales (which pay for ongoing plaza maintenance, so that doesn’t come out of dwindling public funds):

The Alki Community Council would like to thank all those who have supported the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza this past year through the purchase of engraved bricks and plaques. Seattle Parks & Recreation has notified us that our most recent order for 168 additional bricks arrived at their warehouse in West Seattle last week. Now that the recent cold weather has moderated, Parks will be determining a date for installing them in the Plaza. This will bring the total number of engraved bricks installed to over 2,700. In accordance with our agreement with the Plaza designers, to preserve the spiral pattern on the main plaza floor, only about 130 bricks remain available for sale. Bricks will be installed each spring and fall until this supply is exhausted.

Order forms may be picked up from the info boxes at the Plaza or downloaded from the Sealady website at: www.sealady.org/brickform.pdf

There are also 4 bronze Tribute Plaques available for sale. Information on these can be obtained at: www.sealady.org

Proceeds from the sale of the bricks and plaques are turned over to Seattle Parks & Recreation, and are placed in a dedicated fund that is used to maintain the Statue and Plaza. By the end of this year, the ACC will have raised almost $40,000 for this fund.

Thanks again for your support, and we wish everyone a happy holiday season.

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Small Business Everyday: Meet West Seattle-owned b(earth)
November 28, 2010 2:22 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

In the spirit of Small Business Saturday (the new name for the day after Black Friday), we’re celebrating Small Business Everyday – as last Monday reminded us, our peninsula can be an island, so self-sufficiency via strong businesses (etc.) is vital! We learned recently about two West Seattleites co-owning an organic-baby-clothing company founded this year: Nathanial Duris of Arbor Heights is a co-owner of b(earth) – that’s his son Dash, modeling some of their creations. He explains, “We are a collection of eco-conscious friends who hope to reduce our impact on the planet – starting at birth – by making eco-thoughtful clothing and accessories for our children and the children of our friends.” According to Nathanial, they’re using “only 100% organic, sweatshop-free cotton, (and) water-based inks on our printed products,” plus they “also strive to work with local designers … and printing and embroidery shops whenever possible to help strengthen our local communities. We have also developed a philanthropic project called the Re-b(earth) project where when customers outgrow their clothing, we collect the garments, donate them to WestSide Baby, & give the customers a discount for future orders.” They’re doing most of their selling online right now, but they do have a few retail partners, including smallclothes in West Seattle.

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Rescued Lincoln Park bees, followup #2: Tunnel, box, vacuum…
November 28, 2010 11:09 am
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | Wildlife

If you peer at that photo, you’ll see Rob, aka the bee rescuer, who has sent one more followup, after noting the intense interest in the previous chapter of the saga. If you’re just joining us: Monday’s storm brought down trees in Lincoln Park – and one had been home to a wild beehive, found in pieces on the ground, as shown here. The bees were rescued by a West Seattleite who usually keeps bees elsewhere; after he posted an update in comments here, we asked if he would share more info/photos, which he did here – and now, today, even more in a new chapter, involving a box, vacuum, and tunnel:

On Friday, the roads were clear and Thanksgiving well-celebrated, so I was able to fetch some better bee-keeping equipment for the “rescued” Lincoln Park hive. I repacked the hive into the new box, along with fresh comb foundation frames:

I improvised a “bee vacuum” to suck up bees who had chosen to fly around the room instead of letting themselves be moved into their new home:

This was just a plastic gallon jug mounted on a dust-buster, with a mesh bag covering the vacuum intake, so the bees wouldn’t get sucked in. I could then pour these stragglers back into the hive and seal it up.

In order to keep the hive indoors in its weakened state, I constructed a sealed cardboard gangway out a gap in a window:

The girls have found their passageway, but are still not too enthusiastic about how cold it is outdoors. If this configuration proves stable, I intend to keep them like this until perhaps April at which time, they’ll should be ready to move back outside. We’ll see how it goes. For more pictures and video, visit Trileigh‘s “Bees in the Bedroom” collection on Flickr.

The top photo, by the way, not only shows Rob through the window, but that’s also the outside view of the bee box and “tunnel” entry.

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West Seattle Sunday: Pathfinder wreaths; pet adoption; live music
November 28, 2010 10:02 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo added Sunday evening – the Pathfinder K-8 wreath sales mentioned below)
In contrast to event-laden Saturday (scroll down the home page to see all the coverage!), today is relatively low-key around West Seattle – at least so far as our Events calendar goes. But there’s still plenty to do. Going to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market? The Pathfinder K-8 school community is scheduled to start selling its handmade wreaths today – raising money to help subsidize students’ outdoor education – more details here (scroll down). Also at the market, 10 am-2 pm as always at 44th/Alaska, here’s what the weekly Ripe ‘n’ Ready list says you’ll find. … Also in The Junction: Friends of the Animals Foundation will have adoptable pets at Next to Nature today (still checking on the times) … And in the “not just Small Business Saturday but Small Business Everyday” vein, three WSB sponsors are among the local businesses that can help you savor your Sunday: Skylark Café (3803 Delridge Way) serves brunch till 3 pm and then there’s all-ages, no-cover live music tonight, with Petros (from Foundry Fire) at 7 pm, The Frost Giants at 8:30 pm (full calendar here); at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW), your Sunday-afternoon relaxation will include live music 3-5 pm by Jacob McCaslin (full calendar here); and at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW), Sunday ribs have returned, starting at 5 pm.

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WSB Extra: Writers in the Schools report from West Seattle HS
November 28, 2010 6:03 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Some of the news we share from local schools is quickly summarizable – a photo, a few words. This report is more verbose – because it’s about words. Just before what became this snow-extended Thanksgiving break (most students have been out since noontime Monday, if not earlier), West Seattle High School language-arts teacher Kira Hopkins shared her news about WSHS and Writers in the Schools, working with her ninth-grade students. Here’s what WITS writer-in-residence Katie Ogle writes about her experiences so far – including a sample of student work:

Writers in the Schools at West Seattle High School

Writers in the Schools, a program of Seattle Arts and Lectures, employs local teaching artists to bring creative writing into King County public schools–and I, Katie Ogle, am delighted to be a 2010 writer-in-residence at West Seattle High School.

I visit Kira Hopkins’ four 9th-grade Language Arts classes each Friday. The early morning classes are usually still waking up and the afternoon classes are sprinting toward the imminent weekend, and yet they still are able to give me astute observations about published work I bring in to examine and push themselves to create stunning responses to my challenging writing prompts.

So far we are learning about the autonomy the writer has over language, the efficacy of literary devices, and how to develop honest, interesting poetry and writing. In keeping with Mrs. Hopkins’ course-theme, Identity, we have written self-portrait poems, odes to cherished objects, and poetic memoirs. I am so pleased to share one of many sharp and well-crafted poems that has come out of our short time together:

Click ahead to read that “well-crafted poem,” and a bit more from Katie Ogle:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Highland Park car break-ins
November 27, 2010 11:55 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

A second West Seattle Crime Watch report tonight – this one from John and Lisa, asking that it be shared “for neighborhood awareness”:

When: Wee hours after Black Friday

Where: 7000 block of 13th SW, near Riverview Park [map]

Multi-vehicle, VERY aggressive break-ins of cars and house porches, driveways. They stole lots and didn’t restrict their choices and if they saw items on your porch, those were taken too.

Items ranges from work truck oxygen tanks, scooter, backpacks from vehicles, and more. Lots of time spent searching thru cars. Police report made and multiple case numbers issued.

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West Seattle Christmas lights: Helmstetler Family Spectacular 2010
November 27, 2010 9:32 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

That’s our personal favorite song from the Helmstetler Family Spectacular music-synched Christmas-lights show, which began its second year at 3908 SW Charlestown (map; across from the water tower) tonight. The first number was preceded by an official lighting ceremony – special guest pushing the button, Zack Lystedt, a Maple Valley teenager who suffered a brain injury after going back into a football game in 2006 following a hard hit – that inspired a history-making law signed by Governor Gregoire last year. In his honor, his family chose Pushing Boundaries as the nonprofit to benefit from any donations made during the show tonight. Zach’s dad Victor spoke briefly at the start of our video – the man on the right is Jim Winder, Helmstetler family friend and mastermind of the lighting extravaganza:

If you go watch in your car – you’ll hear the synchronized music on 101.9. Bring a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank – there’s a donation bin right in front of the house. This year the show even has its own website at westseattlelights.com, loaded with information from directions to schedule, and more. And if last year is any indication, we know Jim will soon have much-better clips of the show than ours, so watch for those.

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Happening now: Kenyon Hall benefit for Sofia Goff and family
November 27, 2010 8:44 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Kenyon Hall is one of West Seattle’s semi-secret magical places, and tonight its doors are open, inviting you inside for a food-and-music (silent auction too!) fundraiser, benefiting former Café Revo proprietor Sofia Goff and her children. It’s continuing till midnight; just before it started, Kenyon Hall’s Lou Magor sent out this final reminder with an overview:

We’ll have lots of entertainment, including Bob White at the organ, singing by Debbie Sweetland, Connie Corrick, Hugh Hastings, Phyllis Stewart, David Parker’s Ragtime piano, Comedy Juggling with Matt Baker, and general silliness at the eighty-eight with yours truly.

All evening we’ll have a silent auction and a raffle. Lots of items have been donated from neighbors, businesses, and community friends.

We’re asking for a $20 donation to Sofia from each person who attends, but will accept other amounts. Everything we take in will go directly to Sofia.

More details at caferevo.com, which also explains the backstory, if you hadn’t heard it before. Kenyon Hall is at 7904 35th SW (map).

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West Seattle holiday scenes: Santa arrives; trees blessed; holiday nuts
November 27, 2010 8:20 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

Santa Claus has arrived in West Seattle! His four-weekend visit to Westwood Village began today; he’ll be back noon-4 pm tomorrow (and Dec. 4-5, 11-12, 18-19) – bring a food-bank donation; they’re collecting diapers for WestSide Baby, too, and there’s free gift wrapping, with donations accepted for local nonprofits. (Santa’s in The Junction, too, during Hometown Holidays on Dec. 5, 12, 19, 11 am-3 pm, with photos at Donna Ryan Photography, donations benefiting WS Baby.) Speaking of The Junction, on its northern edge the Holy Rosary School Christmas Tree Sale started today in its new location, with the traditional blessing, led this year by Father Mike Raschko:

From there, Father Raschko mentioned he was back to resume watching the Huskies game; perhaps that was an auspicious start to the HR tree season, since as you’ve probably heard, they won in the last minute. As we noted in this Thursday story, the new location is between the Holy Rosary school building and playground, off SW Dakota. Trees have also arrived at West Seattle Produce:

We dropped by today after getting a couple reports of roasting chestnuts. Those, we seem to have missed, but we found Victoria and Eric Straus, up from the South Sound, freshly cinnamon-glazing a few other types of nuts:

They told us they’ll be back at WS Produce (4721 Fauntleroy Way SW) tomorrow, starting around noon, and the weekends of December 11th and 18th.

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Happening now: Sustainable West Seattle Money-Free Shopping Spree
November 27, 2010 6:41 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

Still time to get over to Camp Long Lodge and join in the Sustainable West Seattle Money-Free Shopping Spree. There you’ll find a SWS leader doing double duty today – Stu Hennessey not only is participating in the spree, which is part of “Green Saturday,” he’s also been a leading local advocate for “Small Business Saturday” (his Alki Bike and Board was among the West Seattle businesses featured in TV coverage). The “Shopping Spree” is a chance to exchange handmade items or service offerings, without money, to get holiday gifts – you’ll also find Steve Tracy there with his metal creations:

And this quilted wall hanging is the work of Lin Sierra:

Camp Long Lodge is at 5200 35th SW – look for the trademark Seattle Parks striped sign along 35th.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Genesee Hill break-in
November 27, 2010 4:48 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Genesee Hill | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from a neighbor who didn’t want her name used:

Just learned that my neighbor (2 doors down) was (burglarized) this morning in broad daylight. They left their home at 9 AM and returned at Noon and many electronics were boosted. Most of us on the street were home during that time, but didn’t notice anything.

Another neighbor thinks she saw an older model rust-colored car in the driveway during that time. Around 11 AM, I went on a walk nearby … didn’t notice anything at their house, but did take notice of a car fitting a similar description further down the road. It was a 80’s style small sedan, rusty red color with a bit of a loud muffler/engine. I noticed the car because it was older looking and it was driving rather fast and loud down the road while I was walking.

House is between Dakota and Andover on 50th Ave SW. [map]

The city’s “My Neighborhood” map often shows incidents like this within a day or two – but e-mails like this can get the word out quicker. The map’s default view is for reports filed during the week preceding your map view – three West Seattle burglaries are shown on or since last Saturday, November 20th: that date in the 3300 block of Admiral Way; last Sunday (11/21) in the 8600 block of 35th SW; Wednesday (11/24) in the 12000 block of Marine View Drive.

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Happening now: Native Art Fair at Duwamish Longhouse
November 27, 2010 1:54 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Native Art Fair at Duwamish Longhouse
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

There are many reasons to head over to the Duwamish Longhouse in eastern West Seattle (4705 West Marginal Way SW) this afternoon – and one of them is Duwamish Tribe chair Cecile Hansen‘s famous frybread. She and her granddaughters were in the longhouse kitchen working on it when we stopped by earlier to get photos from the Native Art Fair, continuing till 5 tonight. Close to the main entrance, you’ll find Duwamish artist Virginia Nelson and husband Tim:

She has fuzzy purses and wallets, among other items, while he’s selling an eclectic doorstop made from a paver, decorated like a snowman – and you can even get them in Husky or Cougar garb. (The Cougs outsell the Huskies, the Nelsons insist.) Next to their table, you will find Duwamish Designs by DeAnn – including dolls made from cedar bark and cattails:

She told us, “I’m not a patient person … but making these has taught me patience,” as she shepherds the entire artistic process, starting with harvesting the cattails and bark. (In the left corner of the photo are beaded bookmarks she is also selling.) You’ll also find hats, wall-hangings, even tribal-art Christmas stockings.

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Happening now: Holiday bazaar at Highland Park Improvement Club
November 27, 2010 1:04 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Holiday bazaar at Highland Park Improvement Club
 |   Highland Park | Holidays | West Seattle news

Inside the Highland Park Improvement Club – just look for that building, and the signs, at 12th/Holden (map) – today’s Holiday Bazaar is so vendor-packed, organizer Tiffany Silver-Brace says she even had to turn down some would-be sellers. The 20-plus that you will find inside the historic HPIC building include Amy Bradley of DragonTamer Design, who is a beading artist (and offers classes, too):

Amaranta is there too, with Dia de Los Muertos-inspired creations:

(If you miss today’s event, she’ll be at the upcoming South Park Art Under $100, which she’s promoting with mini-flyers at her HPIC table.) We also found treats, dolls, gift baskets, scented waxes, hats, much more, and of course – your chance to show off Highland Park pride:

The bazaar continues till 4 today. There’s street parking alongside 12th stretching north of HPIC if its lot looks full.

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Happening now: Jellyfish-glassblowing at Avalon Glassworks
November 27, 2010 12:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Happening now: Jellyfish-glassblowing at Avalon Glassworks
 |   Luna Park | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

On this “Small Business Saturday,” remember the smaller business districts of West Seattle too – like Luna Park, along Avalon Way just south of the West Seattle Bridge, where you will find Avalon Glassworks. Luckie shared photos from today’s glassblowing demonstration, featuring glass jellyfish created by guest artist Richard Lowrie.

You can go watch till 5 pm today – and Luckie also notes that Avalon Glassworks has a food drive under way; bring a donation and you’ll get $1 off a purchase.

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Followup: West Seattle Fabric Company opening soon
November 27, 2010 11:01 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

On this first Small Business Saturday, one small business in West Seattle won’t be welcoming customers today.

But not because its proprietor doesn’t want to!

Monica Skov is beyond eager to get her West Seattle Fabric Company open for business at 2210 California SW, where would-be customers are sticking their heads in to ask the big question: When will it be open? Answer: First half of December – Monica’s expecting to announce her grand-opening date sometime next week.

In the meantime, she is stocking the store; many have asked us for a progress report since our original story appeared last month, so we stopped in for an update a few days before the wintry weather started dominating the news. The photo above shows the north wall that’s filled with notions; other shelves in the store were starting to fill with fabrics, from flannel to oilcloth and many types inbetween, including patterns specifically for creating kids’ items (one based on the popular board book “Very Hungry Caterpillar” caught our eye). She plans to carry a “small selection of simple patterns” too. And the step-up section with most of the fabric has a central shelf on which you’ll be able to leave your choices till you’re ready to check out and have them cut into the length you need.

“It’s like the walk-in closet of my dreams,” she smiled, showing us around.

Monica also showed off other spaces in the store – spaces you might not have seen even if you visited the space in its previous incarnations. She is hoping to host classes — and eventually group gatherings — in those back spaces, which even include kitchenette and bathroom access (left over from an earlier life as residential space), describing it as “a place for people to be creative.” Not just experts: “I want to inspire people of all ages that maybe don’t even know how to sew!”

But till opening day, the bolts of fabric are just part of the nuts and bolts of opening a business – inventory, database. Then sometime next month, it’ll be time to welcome those “creative” customers, who have been without a fabric store in West Seattle for two and a half years.

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West Seattle gets regional spotlight for ‘Small Business Saturday’
November 27, 2010 12:53 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle businesses got a quick spotlight in that KING 5 story aired during last night’s newscast – all because they’re getting the word out that today is Small Business Saturday nationwide, meant to be a counterpoint to the bigbox-store emphasis during Black Friday. Watch the story and you’ll see Alki Bike and Board, CAPERS, and Sweetie. (Alki Bike and Board also is part of the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide, which we’re offering as another advertising showcase for local businesses this holiday season. They’ve got special deals; so does Clementine, another participant, which also has a hat trunk show/artist reception today. Also among those in the midst of a sale: WSB sponsor Mountain to Sound Outfitters.) One thing to consider about small local businesses: As Monday’s snow and road/bus woes reminded us, our peninsula can sometimes be more like an island, and a thriving local business community means you can find what you need here, especially during those times when you can’t (or don’t want to) leave!

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West Seattle Saturday preview: From Santa to ‘spree’
November 26, 2010 9:37 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

If you aren’t feeling holiday-ish enough yet – tomorrow could cure that. You have three places to find unique gift possibilities, and two chances to give.

Saturday starts with the second day of the Native Holiday Gift Fair at the Duwamish Longhouse (4705 West Marginal Way SW), 10 am-5 pm; we heard a rave review today about the variety of native art available. Then at 11 am, the Highland Park Holiday Bazaar takes over the HP Improvement Club (11th/Holden) – here’s the latest update on the amazing array of handmade offerings you’ll find there, 11 am-4 pm. From there, you can move on over to Sustainable West Seattle‘s annual Money-Free Spending Spree – bring a handmade item or service to trade, and bring home a special gift – 4 to 8 pm at Camp Long Lodge (5200 35th SW).

Tomorrow also brings Santa’s debut at Westwood Village, noon-4 pm – photos are free with a food bank donation; bring diapers too, since they’re collecting for WestSide Baby (particularly sizes 3-6), and get ready to grab a card off the Giving Tree. Santa’s House is in the heart of WV, across from 24 Hour Fitness and Eats Market Café.

Then tomorrow night is the rescheduled benefit for Sofia Goff and family, 7 pm-midnight at Kenyon Hall – food, entertainment, silent auction, and a raffle – the latest details are at caferevo.com. Newly added: Your chance to pre-order a copy of the forthcoming Café Revo cookbook.

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Tough break for West Seattle ‘Spectacular’ on ceremony’s eve
November 26, 2010 4:00 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

Tomorrow night at 7, the gala lighting ceremony is still on for the Christmas-lights display dubbed the Helmstetler Family Spectacular (if that doesn’t jog a memory, check this story from last year) – but family friend and display mastermind Jim Winder says what you see in the photo above is the reason why it won’t be as spectacular as they’d planned:

Last night we did our first show for family and neighbors…

but then, sometime last night/early this morning my Big Tree broke. There is no way I can have it fixed for the scheduled Lighting Ceremony on Saturday (or probably even this year), but as of right now we are still planning on doing the lighting ceremony … there will just be a LOT fewer lights than originally planned.

After receiving that note, we asked Jim if there’s anything anyone can do to help (since we knew someone would ask):

Right now I am trying to figure out what to do, but it more than likely won’t include putting that tree back up…even though it was going to be the “highlight” of the display.

Don’t think there is much anyone can do, as that tree pretty much took me all summer to build…just don’t have the time or resources to rebuild it. And even if I did, nothing is assured it would not happen again. So…back to the drawing board!!

Given the splendor of last year’s synchronized-to-music display, you’re still likely to be delighted by whatever results – Jim’s been working on it all year. Here are the details of Saturday night’s ceremony; here’s where to find it (3908 SW Charlestown); and here’s the season’s schedule.

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West Seattle Christmas trees: Holy Rosary’s move, and more
November 26, 2010 1:00 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Taking a post-Thanksgiving look around the West Seattle Christmas-tree-sales landscape – we start with the Holy Rosary School Christmas Tree Sale‘s big move.

Its most recent home behind Admiral Safeway is now a busy construction zone (seen the webcam lately?), so they’re selling trees on their own campus this year – and since it’s a tiny bit off the beaten track, they’re going all out to get the word out, with the lot opening tomorrow.

One recent windblown, pre-snow afternoon, we stopped by the campus for a tree-site-to-be tour with Holy Rosary’s Sarah Dahleen and principal Dr. Randal Peters.

The parking lot shown above is the intended site for the trees – between the north side of the school building and the south side of the school playground. Might be a bit of a distraction for the students, they acknowledge, but “it’ll smell great.” Also, the lot won’t be open during school hours – it’ll be open 3:30-9 pm weekdays, 9 am-9 pm weekends (with candy canes and cocoa for tree-shoppers on Sundays), through December 22nd.

The entrance will be from the alley off SW Dakota, between 42nd and 41st SW (map), and there’s parking in a lot west of where you’ll find the trees.

One thing hasn’t changed: 15% of the Holy Rosary lot’s proceeds will benefit three local charities: The Salvation Army’s Hickman House, which provides shelter to women and children getting away from domestic abuse; West Seattle Helpline; and the West Seattle Food Bank.

Not only has this long been the only tree lot with its own website, it’ll also have extra marketing this year to spread the word – signs are out around West Seattle (we saw them by Walking on Logs this morning), billboard space was donated in The Triangle, and someone in a Christmas tree costume is likely to be found waving at you nearby when the lot’s open.

If you can’t wait till tomorrow, you can buy a tree at several other spots around the peninsula, including West Seattle Nursery (California/Brandon), Tony’s Produce (35th/Barton; the photo above is from Thanksgiving afternoon), Junction TrueValue (44th/Edmunds), West Seattle Produce (4721 Fauntleroy Way), The Home Depot (Delridge/Webster), both Rite-Aid stores, and Westwood Village QFC. And tree info will be available throughout the season on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page.

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West Seattle holiday-shopping season: Support your local businesses
November 26, 2010 9:21 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Toward that goal, we just launched Version 1.0 of the West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide – an extra advertising showcase for local businesses to invite you to stop in and explore gift possibilities this holiday season. It’ll be updated frequently, both with additions and with updates/new deals from participating businesses. Today, you’ll find some Black Friday deals (ones you didn’t have to wait in line pre-dawn to get!), among other things. Check it out here. Happy shopping! (Don’t forget to keep an eye on the Coupons page, too.)

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Transit reminder: Metro schedule change; no Water Taxi
November 26, 2010 6:16 am
|    Comments Off on Transit reminder: Metro schedule change; no Water Taxi
 |   King County Water Taxi | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you don’t have the day off – note that the roads are clear, but since we’re in the midst of a four-day weekend, there are still some changes – Metro is on a “reduced weekday” schedule today; the King County Water Taxi and its shuttles are NOT running. As for Sound Transit, its express buses have some downtown rerouting this morning because of the Macy’s Parade.

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