West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
Never, ever, a dull moment in West Seattle (and vicinity) weather. Don’t put out Tuesday trash/etc. cans early – there’s a wind advisory for noon-9 pm today, with gusts possibly up to 45 mph, says the National Weather Service.
Today was tentatively scheduled to be the grand reopening of Zippy’s Giant Burgers in its new White Center location 
– but burger fans are going to have to wait another week or so. We checked with Zippy’s proprietor Blaine Cook after noticing early this morning that the countdown clock atop the Zippy’s website had changed from counting the seconds till April 25th (it’s now counting to May 1st). He explains, “The permit required for us to replace the fire suppression system has not gone through. Our current best case is a week. Might be a week and a half.” Zippy’s closed its original Highland Park location nine days ago for the move, which was made necessary by the fact their ex-landlord lost the building to foreclosure last fall (which also led to the ex-landlord’s own business, SeaMart, closing, as well as the third business on the site, JoJo’s Espresso). The new location is at 9614 14th SW in White Center, with more room and parking. (April 12th photo by Deanie Schwarz for WSB/White Center Now)
(Saturday photo from West Seattle’s Sunset SW, shared by Jeff Johnson)
One more weekend photo just to keep those memories alive till the next warm day … Here are a few highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
BACK TO SCHOOL: Seattle Public Schools classes resume today after a week of spring break.
ROAD WORK: If the rain doesn’t get in the way, today’s the day SDOT was scheduled to grind off the old asphalt on Sylvan Way (at the Home Depot curve), with new asphalt to follow tomorrow. (If rescheduling eventually ensues, we’ll add the update here.
BOOK-IT AT LIBRARY BRANCH IN ADMIRAL: As part of “Seattle Reads ‘Little Bee’,” you’re invited to the West Seattle Library Branch (2306 42nd SW) at 7 tonight as Book-It Repertory Theatre presents staged readings from the book by Chris Cleave.
WEST SEATTLE SEE DOGS: Find out about raising a guide-dog puppy at the local club’s semimonthly meeting, 6:30 pm, lobby of Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor), 2326 California SW.
SING IT: Karaoke with Kelli at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), 9 pm.
(Photo courtesy Brandi Lane)
Construction is about to begin on the new South Park Bridge, now that the money’s been rounded up, and the contract’s been awarded. And as was the case with the closure of the old bridge last June (WSB coverage here and here), one huge party is in the works. One with a construction project of its own – a 20-foot pinata is under construction, to be suspended from a crane.
According to Brandi Lane, “This one-of-a-kind piñata is a replica of our beloved 16th Avenue Bridge and will be filled with candy and prizes – a treat for all who attend the bridge groundbreaking and community celebration on Cinco de Mayo.”
That’s the date for the official celebration of the start of construction – 1:30 pm May 5th, to be precise, as noted on King County’s official South Park Bridge project website: King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Councilmembers and the community will gather at the south end of the 10-months-shuttered old bridge. Here’s the official flyer – but for more details on the community party, you have to dig a little deeper. Brandi says piñata master Alex Lopez (photo above; more on Facebook) is building the huge creation with community help and that there’ll be an all-day decorating party next Saturday, April 30th – everybody welcome – at the Green Compound Garage at 8120 Dallas Ave South.
If you can’t pitch in, at least mark your calendar for the May 5th celebration in South Park – Cinco de Mayo plus bridge groundbreaking.
(King County rendering of design for new South Park Bridge)
6:33 PM: Fire crews are at a house fire in the 9400 block of 8th SW (map) in Highland Park right now. Sounds like it is under control but not completely out. We’re on the way; more shortly.
(This photo added 7:31 pm)>
6:49 PM UPDATE: On scene; adding photo. Fire damage not visible from exterior, but sounds like there’s some interior damage. Most notable other effect right now is that traffic on 8th SW – which is a major route in southern Highland Park – is closed from Roxbury to Cambridge. Some units are being cleared from the scene; we’re waiting to talk with the incident commander to make sure there are no injuries.
6:56 PM UPDATE: From Lt. Sue Stangl at the scene (clip above, added later) – nobody was home; neighbors saw smoke and called 911. Firefighters opened the door and thick smoke poured out. The cause of the fire hasn’t been traced yet; no injuries, but there’s enough damage that the residents won’t be able to go back inside tonight. The Red Cross is being called to help the 2 adults and 3 children who live there.
9:05 PM UPDATE: Lt. Stangl says investigators figured out how the fire started – accidental; “unattended food left on the stove.” Damage is estimated at $100,000 for the house, $30,000 for what was inside. And via Twitter, Jake reports that police and remaining fire units have just started clearing the scene, which means 8th SW should reopen shortly if it hasn’t already.
Earlier this week, in coverage of the Alki Community Council‘s latest meeting, we mentioned ongoing volunteer cleanups. After the Saturday sunshine brought throngs to the beach, they’re needed – though it would be even better if people would clean up after themselves. David Hutchinson shares photos and this report/request:
The rain is back and the yesterday’s crowds are gone from Alki Beach, but unfortunately they left something to remember them by.
Other than a change in what seems to be basic human behavior, I’m not sure what the answer is to this never-ending pattern – Alki Beach + sunshine and warmer weather = what you see in the photos. Perhaps better scheduling of garbage pickups, more garbage cans, better enforcement of existing regulations?
This issue was brought up at the most recent meeting of the Alki Community Council. In cooperation with Seattle Parks & Recreation, the Council sponsors a small group of volunteers, “Friends of Alki Beach,” who have tried to help out in this era of budget cutbacks. We are responsible for the area of the Park from 59th Ave SW to 63rd Ave SW.
If you are interested in lending a hand, contact Larry Carpenter of the ACC at 206-938-0887. The Council is always interested in community concerns on issues impacting the Alki neighborhood.
You’ll recall the same problem came up last year – but that was before the latest round of budget cuts. We’ll be checking with Parks tomorrow.
4:43 PM MONDAY: From Parks’ Joelle Hammerstad:
We’re not staffed at full summer capacity right now. We’re close, but we’re not there yet. We’re doing the whole district with two to three people, and we just can’t get to everything at once. When we get a sunny day before we’re fully staffed, we can get behind on trash pickup. After our crews finished the ballfields and the restrooms, they headed over to Alki. By the time our crew got down there, the volunteers who have offered to help pick up litter had already taken care of a lot of trash. We can’t afford to staff it consistently and we just don’t know what the weather is going to do. In this case, it was dirty for several hours on Saturday, but with the volunteers help and our staff, we caught up with it by Sunday evening.
Tomorrow it’s back to school for Seattle Public Schools students, including those at West Seattle’s Gatewood Elementary, where 4th/5th-grade teacher Darren Radu shared some news and photos just before the break :
Gatewood students are completing their work on the Philanthropy Roundtable. Kids from grades K-5 came together to research organizations working for justice in the community, country, and world, in order to determine where to allocate a $1000 grant from last fall’s Penny Harvest. This year student leaders awarded Penny Harvest grants of $250 each to local organizations Nature Consortium and Southwest Boys and Girls Club, and $500 to the global relief group Save the Children Japan. Kids had some guidance from teachers, but did most of the research and made the final decisions on where to send the money themselves.
4th and 5th grade students have also been hard at work making paper cranes for Japan, supporting Students Rebuild. After a lot of patience and perseverance (it’s tougher than it looks to make those birds!), students folded 639 cranes to send, raising $1,278 in support of Japanese rebuilding efforts.
Thanks to all the families and community members for contributing to and supporting these efforts at Gatewood!
In case you’re wondering, the school year has two months left – according to the online SPS calendar, elementary and K-8 students’ last day is June 21st; for middle and high schools, it’s June 23rd.
Just before 11 am, we stopped by C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor) – and discovered they were moments away from an Easter-morning egg hunt (unadvertised to avoid a giant crowd, they explained, though if you’re a C & P regular, you would have seen the sign). So we hung around for a photo, as the littlest hunters got a head-start on the front patio. Before that, we found a little holiday brightness at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, next best thing to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival:
(Skagit Valley, by the way, apparently is running later than usual this year – just like Easter – so if you haven’t been yet, there’s still time.) Then, further south, we happened onto an entirely unseasonal sighting:
The itinerant Christmas tree was spotted along SW Thistle, by Southwest Pool.
(Photo added 11:58 am – Kate awaiting would-be egg-decorators in the Kids’ Tent)
Just in case you weren’t sure – when they say the West Seattle Farmers’ Market is year-round, they mean it, including Easter Sunday. Till 2 pm today, 44th/Alaska. Market manager Catherine Burke shared advance word this week that today’s highlights include egg-coloring for kids (hosted by West Seattle Helpline – bought your tickets for their Taste of West Seattle fundraiser yet?) and growers selling asparagus, rhubarb, early greens, and plant starts.
It’s gray-whale season in Puget Sound – and there may be one in our area. Kevin sent this report Saturday night:
My wife and I and several others spotted a whale just off of the shore at Lincoln Park around 8:20 pm this evening. It was in the shallow water between the park and the ferry landing and eventually went back out to the sound near Blake Island. We aren’t sure what type of whale it was, but it looked like a gray whale and was on the smaller side. Have there been any other reports of this? We were unable to get a picture.
First place we checked was the Orca Network Facebook page, where sure enough, one person had posted “I live in SW Seattle. Near Seola beach. My neighbors have seen an Orca possibly in trouble, close to shore, with irregular breathing,” and then amended, ” It turns out it may have been a gray whale, according to another neighbor. Last seen heading north towards the Fauntleroy Ferry.” No further reports so far, but again, this is the season in which a few grays are spotted in Puget Sound; it was mid-April of last year when a gray whale stranded and died in West Seattle’s Arroyos neighborhood, and that was about two weeks after a gray whale spent the day swimming close to West Seattle’s shore. (If you see a marine mammal in distress, there’s a hotline: 800-853-1964.)
ADDED 10:20 AM: Stacey shares this photo from a week ago – no way to tell if it was the same whale, but if you haven’t seen one before, that gives you an idea of what a sighting might look like:
She explains, “We saw a gray whale off of 30th Ave SW in Shorewood last Sunday. It stayed around for a while going back and forth.”
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Last Sunday afternoon, a citizen called 911 to report that three people seemed to be in the process of stealing an anchor from a park along W. Marginal Way. Officers stopped the trio nearby and they did, indeed, have an anchor on a trailer. The Parks Department confirmed that no one had permission to take it. The anchor was returned to its original location. Two of the suspects were booked into King County Jail. The third was declined for medical reasons and was, instead, taken to Harborview.
*A man was unhappy with the food and service at an Admiral fast-food restaurant. He threw the bag of food at an employee and appeared to be ready to climb over the counter. The clerk returned the his money. Officers later found the man, who voluntarily returned to apologize.
Seven more summaries after the jump:Read More
9:56 PM: 11200 block of Marine View Drive (map) – on our way.
10:16 PM: At the scene. No smoke/flames visible. Looks like it wasn’t anything big, will have more details once we find the incident commander.
10:24 PM: SFD explains the home has new residents who just moved in and plugged in an appliance that shouldn’t have been plugged in; much smoke ensued. They used an extinguisher to get it under control before SFD arrived. Medics are checking out 1 resident now; also, fans are running to get the smoke cleared out.
Thanks to everyone who has signed up for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2011 – with four days left to register, 165 sales of all sizes are already on the list for sale day May 14th, and awaiting the map we’ll be making as soon as registration closes Wednesday night.
So far, taking a quick look through the list, we have sales from all five West Seattle zip codes, including at least 10 block sales, 5 business sales, 4 fundraisers, 3 service clubs, 2 sports groups, 2 schools, a music group, a retirement center, an apartment building, a church, a P-Patch – and of course, the four sites where you can sell your stuff if there’s no way to do it at your own place (Hotwire Online Coffeehouse and C & P Coffee Company – both WSB sponsors – plus the VFW Hall, and if you have bikes/gear, Cycle U).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Half a dozen people who registered did not complete the second step – paying the registration fee via PayPal. Maybe that just means you had second thoughts, and that’s OK; but if you didn’t complete the second step, you’re not signed up. We’ll be sending notes to the folks who didn’t go through step 2, to doublecheck, but you’re also welcome – if you’re not certain you fully finished the registration process – to send us a note asking that we check your status (garagesale@westseattleblog.com).
Meantime, if you are ready to sign up now, here’s where to do it! And if you’re participating – or even if you’re “just” shopping – be sure to “like” the WSCGSD page on Facebook; we’ll be creating an “event” page shortly for you to share with friends, family, anybody within traveling distance who might want to come spend the day garage-saling on our gorgeous peninsula. The clickable and downloadable versions of the map will be done no later than one week before sale day, and are free to anyone and everyone, so you’ll be able to share those too. Thanks for being part of the region’s biggest Community Garage Sale Day – the 7th annual edition, and WSB’s fourth year coordinating/presenting it – think of it as one big day of recycling, and of meeting more of your West Seattle neighbors. 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14th!
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.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch stories in this roundup: First, an update on the case of Joel Lund, charged with domestic-violence assault after being arrested Thursday night while awaiting trial in a catalytic-converter-theft case. (As part of that case, you might recall from our previous coverage, a judge had released him from jail over prosecutors’ objections.) Online court records indicate that at arraignment today (unlike county court, city court – where Lund is charged – has Saturday sessions), the judge granted the prosecution’s request to set bail at $20,000. The online system also indicates a third assault charge is pending.
Second, a home break-in reported:
I want folks to be on the lookout – my home on Cloverdale near 32nd was burglarized some time yesterday between 8:30 and 7:30. They broke a very small window on the front door and must have reached through to unlock the door. They stole most of my jewelry and a couple of beers. I don’t own much of any other value, but they opened everything imaginable, and probably under the mattress, as the bed was in disarray. I’m in the process of moving, so everything is already torn up – I imagine that worked in my favor. I think they were spooked or interrupted, as they dropped some jewelry and didn’t take some things I imagine are easily marketable.
After the jump: What the victim thinks spooked the burglar, plus the description of a possibly stolen bike left behind. Also ahead, report #3, an overnight fight that sent 2 to the hospital):Read More
The sun, the sand, the surf, the palms, the … snow-capped mountains!
As previewed here yesterday, the crew of the movie “Ira Finkelstein’s Christmas” indeed showed up today to shoot at Alki Beach – and brought the perfect props to fulfill what they’d told neighbors, that Alki would be doubling for Florida. Pull back the shot a little, of course, and the palm’s pot is revealed:
And somebody had to cart ’em around:
The crew was packing up by late morning:
Notices handed out to neighbors said they’re expecting to be back Monday; they’ve been shooting elsewhere around the city/region too, with Leavenworth playing the role of “Christmastown, Washington” – here’s a “rough cut” clip we found online:
Our story from yesterday explains what they’re doing in Seattle and why Florida figures into the plot.
(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.
(Photo shared by Leo Shaw)
The egg hunts are listed separately (find them here), but there’s a lot more happening too! Full list on the WSB West Seattle Events page; here are a few highlights:
WINE SALE: 2nd and final day of the Northwest Wine Academy Spring wine sale at South Seattle Community College (6000 16th Avenue SW), noon-4 pm. Details here.
ED HUME AT BRIDGE PARK: “Thinking outside of the pot” gardening demonstration with Ed Hume at Bridge Park (3204 SW Morgan Street), 2 pm. Free. Details here.
EYES ON THE SKIES: Mariners Salute to Armed Forces Night means two EA-18Gs are scheduled to fly over Safeco Field just before 6 pm – could mean a (loud) West Seattle flyover, so this is your heads-up, just in case.
OPEN HOUSE: Take a look inside Link Apartments (WSB sponsor), during its 11:30 am-3:30 pm open house today (since it’s so clear, don’t miss the rooftop deck).
BENEFIT DINNER/AUCTION AT WEST SEATTLE EAGLES: West Seattle Eagles benefit dinner, silent auction and live music to benefit the Mukilteo Magic, a special group of athletes who compete in track and field competitions throughout the region. All monies raised at the event will be used to send the team to the “Summer Olympics” at Joint Base Lewis McChord in June. All-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs with Caesar salad and garlic bread from 6-7:30. Cost for dinner is $10. Following dinner, live music by Vincent Blackshadow, a 15-year-old rock superstar; Call for the Priest, a Judas Priest cover band; and a short set by My Sisters Machine. $6 cover for music. All are welcome! Please use the back door, on the alley by Lady Di’s.
LIVE AT KENYON HALL: From Kenyon Hall:7:30 pm, the AMA Trio: accordion, clarinet, Venezuelan and Mexican harp, violin, cuatro, guitar, bombo, maracas, and vocals. Reserved table seats are $14. Row seating is $12 general and $10 seniors. With a reservation, row seating is only $10 general and $8 seniors. Elementary, middle, & high school students are $5. Preschool children are free; Root Beer Floats are still only a buck. To make a reservation, e-mail kenyonhall@earthlink.net.
(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 helped them get there – by supporting everything from a bake sale to car washes to concerts – and now, they’re there. The Chief Sealth International High School Honor Choir is in New York City for its Carnegie Hall appearance on Sunday night; Monica shared this photo of the choir in their hotel lobby. They flew out from Seattle Thursday morning and will return Monday night; the whirlwind itinerary includes some sightseeing and entertainment (last night, for example, they were scheduled to see “Phantom of the Opera“) but plenty of rehearsing, too – this morning, they’ll be back at it starting at 6 am our time (9 am ET), and the concert is scheduled for 5:30 our time (8:30 ET) Sunday night.
Katherine Sather of the Nature Conservancy e-mailed to let us know about that adorable dance by Earth-suited Westside School (WSB sponsor) third-grader Callum McCaffrey during “Picnic for the Planet” on Friday at Pike Place Market. Checking out the video – we discovered they also had recorded another West Seattle performer, Chris Ballew from Caspar Babypants and The Presidents of the United States of America, soloing:
… which reminds us to mention again that Caspar Babypants will play two “mini-concerts” at City Mouse Studio and Store in The Junction (WSB sponsor; 4218 SW Alaska) two weeks from today, on May 6th, as first noted here. (Saturday morning, CB plays Benaroya Hall downtown! 11 am.)
Thanks to Brian Presser from TouchTech Systems for the initial tip – a green sighting that was only coincidentally on Earth Day: The forthcoming Irish restaurant/pub A Terrible Beauty received Irish-green paint you won’t be able to miss at California/Edmunds in The Junction. WSB contributor Katie Meyer checked it out and put together the photo collage above – including concrete-touchup inscriptions by proprietors Jenna and Paddy, plus son Mick (and passersby) as well as stonework contractor “Scottie Joe” (the subject of this report by Katie a week ago). ATB is continuing to work toward opening the first week of May.
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