West Seattle, Washington
05 Sunday
That’s Terri Glaberson of CoolMom, caught during a moment between meeting and greeting visitors at the Bike Swap they’re sponsoring right now at Cycle University (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle, 4550 Fauntleroy Way SW. We were there about an hour after it started, and Cycle U’s Brad Loetel told us they’d already sold 10 bikes:
Part of the proceeds benefit the Major Taylor Project (explained here). You’ll also find activities and clinics (like “learn to ride” for kids) – it’s all under way till 3 pm; here’s the flyer.
(Photo courtesy Kelly from Muttley Crew Cuts)
Also right now, as Brittany reminded us in a comment earlier, a fundraiser in Admiral to help Maddie the rescue dog:
Animals First Foundation is having a fundraiser for one of their rescue dogs- Please help Maddie walk again!! Join us this Sunday, May 2nd from 11am-4pm at the corner of 42nd and Admiral, CrossFit parking lot in West Seattle for a Car Wash & BBQ. All donations go directly to Maddie’s CCL surgery and recovery. For info or to donate: 206.932.6888. Maddie was rescued off the streets by a Good Samaritan. She may have fallen out of a two-story window, or may have been pushed….unfortunately she can’t tell us. She was not able to walk at all and needed surgery on both back legs. Please help us raise the $1600 for her surgery and recovery.
ADDED 3:11 PM: Also got a car-wash photo from Meredith, including Maddie herself up front:
We’ve been talking about it for months – and now, it’s almost here – the next major closure affecting West Seattle drivers as part of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project. Two weeks from tomorrow, on May 17, the 1st Avenue South onramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge will close for good; a new one, with a different configuration, will be built as part of the project, but it won’t be open till late 2011 at the soonest. If you’ve got questions for SDOT, this Wednesday morning’s meeting of the Kiwanis Club of West Seattle is your chance to get answers in person. They’re hosting Paul Elliott from SDOT community relations, 7 am, Be’s Restaurant in The Junction (4509 California SW), public welcome. Meantime, you can check out our archive of project coverage here, and detour maps/project updates are available in this area of the SDOT website. (Side note re: the Kiwanians: They were expected back at today’s Farmers’ Market, collecting eyeglasses, cell phone and ink-cartridge donations, KeyBank side, like last week.)
(“Pointed” cloud photographed by Dan E. last Thursday)
Even if blue skies don’t grace us today, there’s plenty to do, indoors as well as out. Two bicycle-geared events: At Cycle University (WSB sponsor), you can shop the Bike Swap, 9 am-3 pm, with part of the proceeds benefiting the Major Taylor Project, and activities including “learn to ride” clinics for kids. At 10 am, supporters of transportation bicycling are invited to join the first West Seattle Spokespeople ride, leaving Alki Bike and Board in the Admiral District (full details here). 10 am is also the start time for the West Seattle Farmers’ Market; here’s today’s fresh list. There’s also a special family activity: Spring planting, including seed-planting for kids. And 10 is when doors open at the Masonic Hall (40th/Edmunds) for the second and final day for the West Seattle Rock and Gem Show, free, continuing till 5 pm, presented by the West Seattle Rock Club (WSB sponsor), with amazing displays as well as prize drawings and activities. One more Junction note: This is the first Sunday for “Tell Me on a Sunday,” the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical now on stage at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) – 3 pm matinee; tickets are available online here.
Editor’s note: West Seattle writer Jen Boyer covered the “Deadliest Catch“ fan convention in Seattle this weekend; we’re publishing her coverage for interested fans.
Story and photos by Jen Boyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
They wanted their crab captains and they wanted them now.
More than 1,000 superfans of Discovery Channel’s crab-fishing reality show “Deadliest Catch” attended the sold-out-in-advance second annual CatchCon on Saturday at Pier 66, some coming as far as Scotland and the Netherlands to get up close and personal with everything Deadliest Catch.
One week from today, it’s the sixth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – this year, 200 sales big and small, all over the peninsula. We promised we’d have the map available by now, and we’re making good on that – you can see the Google Map version, with all 200 sites, by going here. In our experience, the Google Map has never printed too well, though, so we always make a printable version, with a segmented map, and the individual sale “ads” organized #1-#200 – that’s not ready yet, but we’ll link it here when it’s done, as well as on the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day website and Facebook page. Meantime, you can see each full “ad” by clicking each sale’s number icon on the Google Map. We’ve made the list and more than checked it twice, to borrow a phrase, but if you are a seller and you can’t find your sale, please let us know as soon as possible (garagesale@westseattleblog.com) so we can check into it. Again, this is just a sneak peek – the sales don’t start till 9 am next Saturday (May 8). P.S. Feel free to share this link with friends and relatives all over the region – with 200 sales (including multi-family, block, organization, school, nonprofit BIG sales), there’s plenty of shopping for folks beyond the peninsula to come join “local” shoppers that day too.
From partner site White Center Now: A public pool closed last fall because of King County Parks’ budget crunch reopened today as the beneficiary of a private-public partnership, and King County Executive Dow Constantine was there to help cut the ribbon, along with other elected officials and a big contingent of pool users, including the young swimmers heard cheering in the clip. The former Evergreen Pool is now the Evergreen Community Aquatic Center, operated by the WhiteWater Aquatics swimming organization. More video in the story published earlier today at WCN; the pool has public swims six days a week, and you can see its schedule here.
(Photo by John Smersh)
Something different for your Saturday night – a jewelry trunk show and artist reception. It’s just getting under way at longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits in the Admiral District – above, that’s Click! co-owner Frances Smersh, a jewelry designer herself, with Dawn Benedetto of poppi jewelry, in the spotlight tonight. Benedetto describes her creations as “a line of jewelry that doesn’t take life too seriously.” She’s come all the way from the East Coast to meet West Seattle jewelry fans – she’ll be at Click! till 8 tonight (more about the event on their website).
Two events happening now till 5 pm in The Junction: First, the West Seattle Rock Club (WSB sponsor) is in the midst of its popular annual Rock and Gem Show. Admiring rock/gem/mineral samples is just a small part of the FREE fun – there are demonstrations (like the one in our photo above), and vendors with unique jewelry:
Prize drawings too. And if you absolutely can’t get there today – or if you’ve been, and want to go back! – the West Seattle Rock and Gem Show continues tomorrow too, 10 am-5 pm, Masonic Hall at 40th and Edmunds. Meantime, a few blocks northwest in The Junction, happening right now:
Flowers await young May Basket-makers at CAPERS, which also is hosting a trunk show of Alizah Olivas‘ jewelry till 5 pm. CAPERS’ Lisa Myers shared the flower photo. (That’s the first of two jewelry trunk shows in West Seattle today/tonight – stand by for news of the next one, coming up!)
We stopped by West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor) to check out the plant sale, continuing till 2 pm, and wound up with a photo of the bake sale! (Added later – a peek inside their greenhouse:)
Also just picked up another event we didn’t know about till it turned up on Twitter – today is Free Comic Book Day nationwide, and Arcane Comics in West Seattle is among the participants.
First (if you haven’t already seen the mention on our FB page), happy anniversary to Zippy’s Giant Burgers in Highland Park. Zippy’s posted a note in the WSB Forums to commemorate the fact they opened their doors two years ago today, to an enthusiastic reception that we hear continues to this day. Second – Michele at West Seattle Thriftway says bacon cheeseburgers are on the menu for another benefit barbecue today, out in front of the store (and hey! the sun just came out!) – starting at 11 am, $7 for burger/chips/soda to benefit the breast-cancer-fighting Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Today’s highlights start with the 44th Annual Rock and Gem Show, “Gems in Bloom,” presented by the West Seattle Rock Club (WSB sponsor), 10 am-5 pm (tomorrow too) at the Masonic Hall, 40th/Edmunds. While rocks, mineral specimens, fossils, gemstones, crystals and more will be on display, it’s an active show too, with demonstrations, a chance for kids to make a “gem tree,” and items for sale. Best part: FREE. … As usual, many local parks/greenspaces have work parties (listed on the Green Seattle Partnership website), but the biggest work party today will be the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council membership and neighbors in action for their Spring Clean, including the staircase from Charlestown/19th to East Marginal Way (as well as what you see on Jim Sander‘s creation at left), starting 9 am (volunteers welcome!) … Peak season starts today for Washington State Ferries, which means a price change on some routes … Two more WSB sponsors have big events today: West Seattle Montessori School has a fundraising Plant Sale for the first time this year, with a Master Gardener on hand to answer questions and a lot more, all detailed on the school’s website, 9 am-2 pm … And it’s Trunk Show day at Click! Design That Fits, for poppi jewelry, including a 5-8 pm artist reception with poppi’s Dawn Benedetto – full details on the Click! site – Facebook invite here … Several yard/garage (and other) sales are posted in the WSB Forums‘ Freebies/Deals/Sales/Etc. section, where it’s free to list sales of all types (including businesses’ special events and deals) – find them here … In White Center, Evergreen Aquatic Center is rededicated at 10:30 followed by a free community swim till 1 … More on the WSB Events calendar!
The Hall at Fauntleroy was filled with hundreds of West Seattle Food Bank supporters Friday night, for the food bank’s annual benefit “Instruments of Change.” Among those we saw – Pablo Lambinicio (left) from the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council and Ron Angeles from the Delridge District Neighborhood Services Center:
Besides enjoying a catered banquet by Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and inspiration from speaker Robert V. Taylor, the crowd heard world music by the Miho and Diego Duo:
WSB is proud to have been among the sponsors of the event – the full list is here, along with other event details from “Instruments of Change.” You can find out how to help the West Seattle Food Bank and the thousands it serves by going here.
Editor’s note: West Seattle writer Jen Boyer, who publishes Heligirl.com (one of the 100+ sites whose latest links are on the WSB Blogs page), is covering today’s “Deadliest Catch“ fan convention; we’re publishing her coverage for interested fans. First: The Friday night memorial for “Captain Phil” Harris, who died last February (and had visited West Seattle to promote his coffee brand back in 2008).
(Captain Phil’s son Jake, preparing to throw a flower into the water in memory of his dad)
Story and photos by Jen Boyer
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Hundreds of fans, fellow fishermen, friends and family of “Deadliest Catch” Captain Phil Harris came together Friday night at Pier 91 to pay tribute to the salty crab captain that Discovery Producer Paul Gasek called “a teddy bear with that ink thing going on.”
This is it – the end of Disaster Preparedness Month. All but one night this month, we brought you tips, links, recommendations about making sure you and your loved ones are better prepared just in case of the unthinkable. 
HUGE thanks to the West Seattle preparedness-volunteer crew – including Karen Berge, Deb Greer, Cindi Barker, Ron Zuber, and everyone who works on the Emergency Communication Hubs in neighborhoods around the peninsula. And thanks to you for taking a few minutes to read. These haven’t sparked massive discussions online but they weren’t meant to – they were meant to get you thinking and hopefully preparing, and if at least a few West Seattleites added something to their kit, memorized their nearest Hub, signed up for 3 to Get Ready (left) – that’s what it’s all about. Here are the recap and regular links one more time:
*Archive of all Disaster Preparedness Month stories on WSB, newest to oldest
*West Seattle Be Prepared website – resource-rich, full of links and maps and information, WS-specific
*West Seattle Be Prepared Facebook group – join!
*3 to Get Ready, the city’s preparedness campaign (sponsoring WSB to get the word out), continuing 1 more week
And as noted in the first week of DP Month, the city has two classes in June in West Seattle – an earthquake-retrofitting class in Admiral on June 1, a SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) class in Delridge June 8. Disaster Preparedness Month may be ending, but any day can be Preparedness Day.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch reports ahead – including an intruder caught on surveillance camera, pricey shoes pilfered from a car trunk, more car break-ins, and a puzzling porch theft – read on to see the reports (with a few photos):Read More
Since “Trader Joe’s” is likely – if we had a way of ranking – the single-most-mentioned phrase here on WSB, we do periodically check out the rumors that come our way, especially if the same “rumor” comes from multiple sources. (Here’s a sample rumor check from 2007!) The latest trail started in the WSB Forums, and our ensuing research has turned up some interesting circumstantial evidence, though nothing definite yet. Read on to see what we’ve found out:Read More
First update: A community meeting is now scheduled for those concerned about the county’s three proposals for controlling Combined Sewer Overflows at Lowman Beach’s Murray pump station.This was just posted as a comment after yesterday’s update:
Save Lowman Beach Park!
Please Plan on attending our Community Meeting at Puppy Perfectors in White Center next to Schuck’s Automotive/O’Reilly’s -9629 17th Ave. SW – May 10th at 7:00 pm
Guest speaker Attorney Bill Williamson with Williamson Law Office and Gary Gill a Civil Engineer, experienced with City of Seattle.
We need your support and ideas to save our 101-Year-Old Lowman Beach Park Gem!
Thank you,
Gary Cobb-Cobb Construction/Regional Realty
gary@regionalrealtyllc.com
Also, we received another update from Martha Tuttle at King County Wastewater Treatment Division, who had told us yesterday that another public meeting would be scheduled – today she’s got a more detailed announcement, though no actual dates yet:
In the coming weeks, the King County CSO project team will be posting technical information on King County’s CSO Beach Project Website, planning a workshop to review alternatives (which will include tours of West Seattle pump stations), and planning additional opportunities for local stakeholders to participate in in-depth discussions of the issues in the Murray Basin. Please monitor the Project Website for upcoming events and further information.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What to do to calm High Point concerns amid what even its Seattle Housing Authority manager acknowledged last night are “tensions between groups amongst our young people”?
There was no consensus among those who spoke emotionally and powerfully at last night’s community meeting, sponsored by the High Point Neighborhood Association, originally meant to address questions and concerns about the stabbing of a 40-year-old woman along a local street last Friday.
But there was one clear message taken from the standing-room-only, even sitting-on-the-floor meeting: Hundreds of High Point neighbors wanted to talk about it – and about the circumstances surrounding the incident that brought police and fire to the neighborhood two hours before the meeting, when a 16-year-old boy, identified during the meeting as Somali, was beaten in a fight near HP Neighborhood Center, site of the meeting.
At the front of the room were HPNA leaders, Southwest Precinct police leaders, and SHA managers. The rest of the room was filled to overflowing with residents and community advocates – at right, that’s the end of the line waiting to get in, before the meeting.
“I know we come here tonight with many emotions,” began HPNA president Jennifer Cobb. Indeed, those emotions permeated the 2-plus hours that followed – the meeting might have run longer, but it was pointed out that some of those in attendance had to get to 8:30 pm prayers.
Thanks to Brian from TouchTech Systems in The Junction for sharing that photo of the intensifying work at the site of Junction Plaza Park, where groundbreaking earlier this month followed more than a few long years of work to finish fundraising and designing it. The Parks Department has said it expects to have the park done by early June.
Her business isn’t new, but the location is. Tomorrow is opening day for Donna Ryan Photography in the former Swee Swee Paperie (which now operates online) storefront in The Junction, just east of Cupcake Royale (WSB sponsor). Donna tells us the doors swing open at 11 am tomorrow (Saturday 5/1). The photo at left, which she provided, demonstrates not only her main stock in trade, but also her new sideline: As mentioned here last month, she will be selling children’s clothing from the Tea Collection. Along with selling apparel and scheduling in-studio photo shoots, Donna will continue to shoot on location – and is planning to offer in-house Portrait Parties, described in her grand-opening news release as “a combination of a fun get-together and photo shoot.” Donna, by the way, is also the official photographer for the West Seattle Junction Association – you may remember her from Santa shoots the past few seasons, and she’s also taken photos for some of the features on wsjunction.org. You can find out more about her business at donnaryanphotography.com; she’s opening with a Mother’s Day promotion – “All Moms who stop in and make a purchase of $50 or more will get a voucher for $20 off a future purchase.”
(WSB photo from August 2009)
Many fabulous West Seattle summer events are free to enjoy – but that’s because sponsors and supporters have put up money to cover the costs. One of them, the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series- which WSB is co-sponsoring again this year – is seeking community support as well as more business sponsors. Here’s an update from ANA president Katy Walum:
Planning is well underway for the 2nd Summer Concert Series in Hiawatha Park! Last year’s concerts were a huge success and very well attended by the community. This year’s concerts follow a similar format and run for six weeks from July 29th through September 2nd. Again, all concerts are Thursday evenings beginning at 6:30PM and are FREE to the community. You can expect to hear music from local artists that is fun, relaxing and has wide appeal. Pack a picnic, relax on the lawn and listen to some music with your neighbors!
Admiral and West Seattle businesses like PCC, the West Seattle Blog and Weitzel Construction have contributed to help fund this music event. Additional businesses have pledged support but we are still shy of our fundraising goal. We could use your help! If you own a business in the community and would like to contribute to the event, or if you can offer a personal donation, please e-mail Dave Weitzel at dave@weitzelconstruction.com or submit your credit card donation through our website: www.admiralneighborhood.org. All credit card donations are tax deductible and processed through DNDA (Delridge Neighborhood Downtown Association), our fiscal sponsor. Our website will direct you to theirs where you can enter your personal information.
***IMPORTANT***
Please enter “ANA” or “Admiral Concerts” into the comment section after you’ve entered your credit card information. This will insure your donation is directed to the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s (ANA) Summer Concert Series. Thanks so much for your support; we look forward to seeing you around the neighborhood and at the concerts this summer!
Katy also tells us they’re still screening performers – they don’t need any more suggestions/applications, as they had lots of interest, but they haven’t made final decisions just yet.
Thanks to everyone for sending all kinds of event announcements to WSB so we can share them via the WSB Events calendar. This one is a unique jaunt through a local gem, with limited space, so we’re sharing it immediately:
May 9th. 9 to 12, Lincoln Park field trip. Learn more about the diversity of native plants in the forests of our park and about community efforts to protect and maintain that diversity. Stewart Wechsler is an experienced and knowledgable naturalist and field trip leader, who has done an extensive inventory of the natives in Lincoln. Sharon Baker is the volunteer forest steward and organizes and leads restoration work parties in the park through the Green Seattle Partnership. We will walk (slowly) up to 4 miles on good trails with some elevation gain. Sponsored by the Washington Native Plant Society. Call Sharon at 206 935 1769 or e-mail sbaker@uw.edu to sign up and get details. Limited to 15 participants.
April showers bring May flowers – and April plant sales can bring April flowers … there’s an example from the Providence Mount St. Vincent (map) plant sale/bake sale/mini-bazaar happening right now, till 4 pm. Arlene Carter from The Mount took photos just as things got under way, and sent them to share. She says, “Lots of home-baked goodies, wonderful bedding plants and fun things to buy. All proceeds benefit the residents and programs of The Mount. Sponsored by the Providence Mount St. Vincent Foundation Auxiliary.
Any time you have an event under way, we do our best to get in-progress updates here (and elsewhere, particularly Twitter) but we just can’t be EVERYWHERE, so you are ALWAYS welcome to send a “happening now” photo to anything here that works for you.
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