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West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup report #2: The protectors
July 18, 2009 5:05 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Grand Parade wrapup report #2: The protectors
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
The U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flyover (the chopper is based at Port Angeles) provided a memorable moment early in today’s West Seattle Grand Parade. There was military presence on the ground as well – with the color guard from Fort Lewis:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Two police motorcycle drill teams opened the parade, as usual, and we have video of both – first, Seattle Police:

Then, their counterparts from Vancouver, B.C.:

Representing the Seattle Fire Department, West Seattle’s own Engine 29:

(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
You can see more of Christopher’s photos in his Flickr stream here; we’ve also got photos in the West Seattle Blog Flickr group here. And more parade reports to come – including within minutes, the list of winners.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Second-floor break-in
July 18, 2009 4:34 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

Just got a note from a Highland Park resident who wanted to alert people to the break-in at her home near 16th and Cloverdale (map)- read on for details:Read More

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Video: West Seattle Rotary Kiddies’ Parade 2009
July 18, 2009 4:09 pm
|    Comments Off on Video: West Seattle Rotary Kiddies’ Parade 2009
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

(Grand Parade report #1 is here)

This one’s a parade all its own, so we’re presented a video clip and will add some photos as pix continue coming in. Right before the West Seattle Grand Parade, the Rotary Club of West Seattle presents the Kiddies’ Parade, open to whomever wants to participate – as you can see in the video, Hi-Yu Junior Royalty and the Denny Middle School Marching Band were among today’s participants. (The Kiddies’ Parade runs from California/Genesee just north of The Junction to the same ending point as the Grand Parade, California/Edmunds, so it wasn’t seen by those who watched from points farther north.) ADDED: Two photos from before and after the Kiddies’ Parade:

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West Seattle Grand Parade aftermath report #1: Side notes
July 18, 2009 2:56 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Now, the followup to our as-it-happened West Seattle Grand Parade coverage (which you can see here – be sure to follow the photo links!) – we’ll do this in several installments. First: We told you weeks ago that designer/barista/Project Runway star Blayne was going to be the Grand Parade Grand Marshal – but just how grand, managed to stay a secret till Parade Day. That photo’s from shortly after Blayne showed up with his “unicorn” in tow. We heard from Lora at Hotwire weeks ago that Blayne had the idea of riding a unicorn but they weren’t sure they’d find a white horse to fit the bill – they did. Blayne told us that when he showed up to check in, the parade coordinators were impressed, saying they hadn’t had a horseback rider in years. WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli caught him further down the route:

Speaking of design, from the staging area, here’s a famous car – the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) bug, promoting Pencil Me In for Kids, and the car wash at West Seattle Eagles tomorrow – that’s Heather behind the wheel:

Also photographed in the staging area where we all waited along Lander by Lafayette Elementary, the Pathfinder K-8 unicyclists:

West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival president Tim Winston and wife Carol Winston got to make two tours of the parade – after they accompanied the float, royalty and candidates, they circled back to ride in our entry, celebrating West Seattle Volunteers (they are among the first West Seattle Volunteer Recognition honorees announced at the Concert in the Park just this past Tuesday):

Honoree Beth Grieser walked with us too. Other unsung heroes of the parade include the police who keep everything orderly and watch the closed streets – but perhaps the most unique officer on view was Officer Lumpy:

He’s actually a Seafair Clown who lives in West Seattle, and is seen there checking the cab of the concrete mixer that led the clowns’ series of vehicles. Many non-clown officers were IN the parade, too, including the motorcycle drill teams from Seattle Police and Vancouver, B.C., Police – one of the latter got an offer of a cool-down shpritz about mid-route – thanks to Luckie for the photo:

Of course, our favorite parade people of all include YOU! – everybody who lined the parade route. We have loved the parade for so many years and walking in it is a real kick – great to see everybody still out there after more than two hours (we were toward the end of the lineup)

Back toward the start of the route, here’s the smoke clearing from the very first Seafair Pirates cannon blast of the parade – the crowd whooped mightily afterward:

Then back to the end of the route – after you’ve walked 2 miles or so in hot sunshine, the adrenaline can start to wear off – as it did for Junior Member of the Team, who assisted our Volunteers of West Seattle entry mightily by handing out candy to parade watchers all along the way – Christopher caught him in the home stretch:

We’re expecting word shortly of who the judges chose for Grand Parade awards – we’ll publish those in another update as soon as they’re in! P.S. Thanks to Rhonda from The Mortgage Porter (WSB sponsor) for adding tons of parade photos to the West Seattle Blog Flickr group pool – if you’re uploading parade photos to Flickr, please consider doing so too – that way we all have a HUGE pool of great pix!

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Next on the doubleheader: Outdoor Movies on the Wall tonight!
July 18, 2009 2:18 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | West Seattle Outdoor Movies

(“Princess Bride” DVD trailer)
Doors open at the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff (next to the Junction Post Office) at 7 pm for the first of six Saturday night West Seattle Junction Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall (co-sponsored by WSB). Tonight, it’s “The Princess Bride” after a NFFTY short AND the pre-show “Dating Game.” Free, but bring money for concessions (by request, frozen Junior Mints will be offered, we hear) and raffles (Dream Dinners [WSB sponsor] $100 gift certificate). Bring your own chair and/or blanket. See you there!

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West Seattle Grand Parade updates via Twitter
July 18, 2009 9:27 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

What you should see above this paragraph is a box with our latest posts to Twitter – which is easier for us to access while mobile than the site itself, though if any major news happens, we do have access and will publish it separately. When you see a Web address in one of the “tweets” above, it IS clickable, and will lead you to one of the photos we’re sending from the parade (and preps) via iPhone. You can scroll through the latest posts by using the vertical scroller on the right. (Also, if there’s major non-parade news, we’ll include it in the stream above – it’s showing whatever we’ve sent to Twitter most recently, regardless of the subject.) If you just see a big black square above, try refreshing the page. POST-PARADE NOTE: The widget remains “live” and has a buffer limit so if you see this sometime after oh say Saturday night, all our parade stuff may be out of reach, replaced in the widget by newer “tweets,” but you can always look at Twitter online (just go directly to our feed page at twitter.com/westseattleblog and keep clicking “more” at the bottom of the page to go back in time!).

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West Seattle Grand Parade and Kiddies’ Parade today!
July 18, 2009 8:02 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

Almost 80 groups/floats/vehicles are on the list for today’s West Seattle Grand Parade – and that means you’ll see hundreds of people participating, from the very low key (like us and those we’ll walk with again this year to honor West Seattle Volunteers) to the bold and brassy – cannon-deploying Seafair Pirates, loud and proud marching bands like the Seattle All-City Band, which got in some practice at school district HQ yesterday:

And remember, there’s more than one parade!

KIDDIES’ PARADE: This happens before the Grand Parade and there’s still time for participants to get back to their seats along the route and enjoy all the sights and sounds. You can walk or ride – just be at California/Genesee and look for the organizers (Rotary Club of West Seattle).

KEEP YOUR TOES OUT OF THE ROAD: The Grand Parade begins with two motorcycle drill teams – Seattle Police and Vancouver (B.C.) Police – and they use almost every inch of the road, so don’t plan on putting your blanket on the street. Here’s another reason you’ll want to stick to the curb:

BE READY TO APPLAUD, SALUTE, CHEER: Plenty of opportunities. You’ll see amazing performers like the Pathfinder K-8 unicyclists and more than a few drill teams. You’ll see the Honor Guard from Fort Lewis. You’ll see famous faces – like Grand Marshal Blayne and the Seafair Clowns’ special guest Jim Dever from Evening Magazine. And you’ll see some of the folks you don’t get to thank for the hard work they do every day, including the police and firefighters (Engine 29 is in the lineup).

ON THE SIDELINES: The official parade lineup is only part of the story. For example, the list only includes three politicians, but we’ve seen notes from several more who plan to be working the sidelines, since this is a big election year for local offices.

FREE, BUT BRING MONEY: With the route on California passing so many West Seattle businesses, you’ll find opportunities to spend. And fundraisers too, like the annual Dogs 4 Cats at Hotwire Coffee just north of The Junction (right at the start of the Kiddies’ Parade route), benefiting Furry Faces Foundation:

3rd Annual Dogs 4 Cats wiener sale this Saturday outside of Hotwire from 11 am to 1 pm. Grab a delicious Hebrew National hot dog or veggie dog and support animal rescue. Cost is $4.00 per dog and we’ll have all the toppings too including the usual stuff plus sauerkraut and even coleslaw. While you’re grabbing lunch browse the tie-dyed shirts made locally or pick up a handmade magnet by WeeJess Buttons.

Hotwire is of course the spot where you’ll want to be back this evening for the first Summer Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation, “The Princess Bride” – more here.

PHOTO TO SHARE? As always, we’ll have photos and video, but if you’re taking pictures, you may capture a moment that we’d completely miss. We’d love to add that moment to post-parade coverage – editor@westseattleblog.com (or share to the West Seattle Blog Flickr group).

FOLLOW VIA TWITTER: We’ll share photos and tidbits from the staging zone – and from the parade itself (though texting might be a little tough while carrying a big sign) – follow us on Twitter at @westseattleblog or check it from the Web at twitter.com/westseattleblog. (Send us a message if you plan to tweet too!) We’ll also add our “latest tweets” widget here before leaving the house – it usually lives toward the bottom of the WSB Twitter page.

Remember that by 9 am, California will be closed from just south of Admiral to the south end of The Junction – so approach from the side to find parking (or take a bus).

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Burglary + car theft = advice
July 18, 2009 7:38 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Karen sends word of a burglary/car theft on 37th SW south of Dawson (map) – it happened a week ago but she and Block Watch neighbors just confirmed it, and it yielded advice she wanted to share:

The burglar(s) stole several large items and got away by stealing the SUV that was parked in the garage. One of the neighbors had noticed the garage door open while walking to work last week, but because he didn’t know the victims were out of town he didn’t bother to check on it.

The burglar(s) tried to pry the front door with either a crowbar or large shaft screwdriver but could not get in that way; they then broke through the downstairs back bedroom window.

Their comment to me: “…didn’t tell us that they were away. It’s really a good idea to tell your trusted close neighbors when you are on vacation or extended period away from your home because we can watch out for one another.”

One great way to get to know your neighbors – have a block party on Night Out, coming up August 4. You need to sign up by July 31 to get approval to close your (non-arterial) street; find out how by going here.

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Not registered to vote? Today’s the deadline for most
July 18, 2009 12:52 am
|    Comments Off on Not registered to vote? Today’s the deadline for most
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Unless you’ve just moved to this state, in which case you have till Aug. 10 to register in person, today’s the day to be sure you’re registered in time to vote in the August 18th primary (which has not only the mayoral, council and county executive primaries, but also the bag fee). You can do it online here.

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Election 2009 close-up coverage: Council candidate David Miller
July 17, 2009 11:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgPrimary Election Day is a month from tomorrow; your ballot will arrive in about two weeks. So we’re ramping up our close-up looks — with West Seattle-specific questions — at races including the three Seattle City Council contests you’ll find on the primary ballot, starting with Position 8, which Richard McIver is leaving. Six candidates are running; last night we looked at Robert Rosencrantz, who won one of the 34th District Democrats‘ “dual endorsements” in this race; tonight, the other endorsee, David Miller:

By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Most people wouldn’t admit a fascination with land-use codes, but Seattle City Council Position 8 candidate David Miller, a 42-year-old Maple Leaf resident, doesn’t hesitate.

He has experienced its intricacies up close and personal as past President of the Maple Leaf Community Council, as a member of the Parks and Green Spaces Levy Citizen Advisory Committee, and while working on several other environmental committees.

He helped develop the Parks and Green Spaces Levy that voters approved last fall.

Since he announced his candidacy, Miller seems to be at every possible gathering throughout the city, whether it’s an early breakfast meeting on Saturdays or waving to supporters at community events.

Read More

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West Seattle Whole Foods site’s potential buyer drops out
July 17, 2009 10:17 pm
|      39 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(June photo looking into the Whole Foods site excavation from its southeast side)
E-mail this week jolted us into realizing a whole month had passed since our last official update on what has become known as the “Hole Foods” site, the excavated hole where Whole Foods, Hancock Fabrics and more than 100 residential units were supposed to be built, till construction idled last fall and lawsuits erupted (as first reported here). If you have been following along, you may also remember that news broke in January of a new deal pending for the site, and two months later, an entity calling itself Alamo Manhattan surfaced, led by West Seattleite Matt Segrest, confirming Alamo Manhattan was “under contract to purchase the site” (4/7 WSB report here). We subsequently checked in with Segrest periodically for progress reports; last month, he told us he was “still working on a deal.” So with four weeks having passed, we pinged him on Wednesday to ask if he’s still pursuing the project. The answer that came in today: No. Segrest’s exact quote, via e-mail:

At this time, Alamo Manhattan has chosen to not move forward with the purchase. (We maintain interest in the opportunity, though.)

That’s all the details we have. Since we found this out late on a Friday, we won’t be able to check with others – such as the site’s current owner – till Monday. Meantime, the lawsuits involving the site are still listed in court records as pending, and a check of online records regarding the parcel shows 12 liens in all filed since late last year. (We couldn’t check further into court documents tonight – the service that makes them available online shut down for the night earlier than usual.)

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Followup: West Seattle High School cheerleader BBQ winner!
July 17, 2009 8:46 pm
|    Comments Off on Followup: West Seattle High School cheerleader BBQ winner!
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

During West Seattle Summer Fest coverage last Sunday, we showed the West Seattle High School cheerleaders who were raffling off a barbecue while tabling outside TrueValue in The Junction. The winner — Matthew Mors, who sent that photo of the prize delivery, and this info:

The proceeds of this event will help the cheerleaders with their expenses for camp and uniforms. The cheerleaders would like to thank Junction True Value for the partial donation of the barbeque, and for allowing them space in front of their store for the three days of the street fair. The cheerleaders would also like to thank everyone that donated and really appreciate the support of the West Seattle community.

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West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Parade! Movie! “Stuff”! Gardens!
July 17, 2009 7:25 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

piratelight.jpg

The West Seattle Weekend Lineup was stuck in traffic today and just arrived here on the page tonight, but we’ve been talking a lot about the big events anyway (and much of it has been on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar for months) … First, tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade (above, 2008 photo of a Seafair Pirate having a blast – they’re here tomorrow of course) and Rotary Kiddies’ Parade (more here with road-closure info too) … then a great chance to cool off tomorrow night:

thebigscreen.jpg

Outdoor Movies on the Wall (co-sponsored by WSB) starts its six-week run in the courtyard between Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) and Dr. Wolff, with “The Princess Bride,” tomorrow night (doors open @ 7) … Then on Sunday during the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, it’s all about DIAPERS!

busfinale.jpg

That’s how things went during WestSide Baby‘s “Stuff the Bus” one-day diaper drive last year but this year (also co-sponsored by WSB) you can do even better – get your donations to the bus parked at the Farmers’ Market 10 am-2 pm Sunday!!! And once you’ve dropped off those diapers, off to enjoy beautiful West Seattle gardens …

The West Seattle Garden Tour, which benefits local nonprofit endeavors, is all day Sunday and your ticket includes not only visits to all the gardens (like the Hailey Family Garden in Admiral, above) but also a chance to see/hear Ciscoe Morris at noon at The Kenney. But wait! There’s more! Like the Mediterranean Fantasy Fest, the Alki Classic Car Show and Shakespeare in the Park … more than 50 events in all, ahead in the slightly belated Friday night-Sunday night West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … here goes!Read More

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Sales-tax increase for crimefighting, courts and public health?
July 17, 2009 4:56 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

That’s what interim King County Executive Kurt Triplett is proposing – a one-tenth of one-cent increase – though he says that still wouldn’t hold off all potential cuts. He’s asking the County Council to send it to voters in November. Read on for the full news release just sent by the county:Read More

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Another “Nickelsville” showdown ahead? No new extension
July 17, 2009 4:18 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(mid-June photo by Revel Smith)
We sent a note this morning to Revel Smith, asking for an update on the homeless encampment in eastern West Seattle that calls itself “Nickelsville” – since the last update two weeks ago had said their latest extension for staying at the state-owned 2nd SW/Highland Park Way site was only through this Monday. Smith has just sent out a news release saying there’s been no new extension:

Nickelsville’s State-granted 2-week extension to stay at the West Seattle site ends Monday 7/20/09. With understanding from the State of their dilemma, they’ve been able to continue their aggressive search for a place to relocate. Conversations continue as Michael Ramos of The Church Council of Greater Seattle and Rev. Paul Benz, Director of the Lutheran Public Policy Office, and others participate in the search for a new place for Nickelsville. However, nothing certain has been confirmed in this short time.

Nickelsville hopes The Governor and the State of Washington will extend the deadline beyond 2 weeks for this search. In absence of a permanent place to relocate to, they are committed staying at the West Seattle Site.

Nickelsville is calling on the help of friends and supporters to stand with them through the deadline. They ask everyone also contact the Governor’s office at (360) 902-4111 or e-mail: govcommoffice@gov.wa.gov

The encampment returned to West Seattle six weeks ago, moving onto a site (map) just a stone’s throw from the one they briefly occupied last fall.

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It’s done! Delridge Playground-building report #2
July 17, 2009 2:00 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

After less than five hours of work, involving more than 200 volunteers, after months of preparation, Delridge Community Center‘s brand-new playground is done! The closing ceremony for the day is moments away. More to come; our earlier coverage is here. (But remember, the playground isn’t immediately usable – its official opening will be next Thursday night, but we’ll be asking whether it’ll be put into unofficial use sooner.) ADDED 3:10 PM: Answer to that is “no,” so far. Meantime, the best shot at day’s end:

We asked the folks from North Delridge – the ones who’d been pursuing a better playground in other ways before this opportunity presented itself, the ones who keep working to improve their neighborhood bit by bit – to stop for a second and pose for a group photo. (After which, we hope they have all gone home for a big glass of ice water, or something.) Here, meantime, is a different angle on the brand-new playground they and other West Seattle families will be enjoying in a few days:

Yet more visuals from the day to be added later, including the big group shot of all the volunteers, and video of the ribbon-cutting, which actually involved some of the kids tearing up a paper chain! 3:43 PM: But first – the DJ, who kept high-energy music going and got a big shout-out at the end (and the loudest applause):

And the guy who led Team Elmo – couldn’t resist a closer look.

We were curious about exactly how KaBOOM! works, so we looked online for a third-party analysis. Found this, just in case you were curious too.

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Congratulations to the new West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court!
July 17, 2009 1:56 pm
|    Comments Off on Congratulations to the new West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court!
 |   West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival | West Seattle news

At Hiawatha within the past hour, the new West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival Junior Court was coronated — they’re seen here with their predecessors — with flowers, left to right (second, fourth, and sixth from left in the photo), 9-year-old Princess Isabella Carufel, 9-year-old Queen Kailin Jo Alexander Spencer, and 10-year-old Princess Kaitlin Morgan. We’ll add more info about them and a few more photos in a bit. Look for them at tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade, and at the Hi-Yu Community Breakfast at the American Legion Hall on Sunday, as well as the Senior Court Coronation on Monday night at West Seattle High School. ADDED 4:05 PM: Another photo — the entire lineup of the previous Junior Court and all eight of this year’s candidates:

Forgive us for not having our left-to-right ID correct but we do want to give them all a shoutout: In addition to the newly crowned Junior Queen and Princesses, the candidates also included, in alphabetical order, Sadie Botuchis, Tess Carden, Jaeley Helmstetler, Caroline Rouse and Lindy Tongol. And of course a big congrats for a big year of excitement, to outgoing Junior Queen Zoe Mahn and Princesses Anna Fuller and Elyse Mitchell, and to Diane Szender, who coordinated the Junior Court process (and reminded everyone that next year’s applications will be out in May 2010, at the Hi-Yu website and here at WSB – thanks for the shoutout!).

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Can you play host to a visiting teacher?
July 17, 2009 12:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Can you play host to a visiting teacher?
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

From the principals of Chief Sealth High School and Denny Middle School – they’re looking for a West Seattle-area family who can host the Chinese Guest Teacher who’ll be working at both schools this fall:

This is a great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and pick up some Mandarin Chinese, while doing a great service for our schools. Hosting the Guest Teacher is much like hosting an exchange student, families are responsible for providing the teachers with a room of their own, including the teachers in family meals, and providing them access to things like a washer and dryer. The teacher will receive a modest salary through the Chinese Ministry of Education, and will be provided a car from the schools as transportation.

This year, our Guest Teacher is Mr. Yang Dawei. He will be arriving in early August. If you are interested in serving as a host family, or know of someone in West Seattle who would be interested, please have them contact the Chief Sealth Main Office at 252-8850.

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West Seattle Grand Parade tomorrow: The route & road closures
July 17, 2009 12:07 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news


View Larger Map

That’s our very simple Google Map showing (top) where the American Legion-presented West Seattle Grand Parade starts tomorrow at 11, (center) where the Rotary Club-presented West Seattle Kiddies’ Parade starts tomorrow at 10:30, and finally, where both end (California/Edmunds). Note that the streets (which are already posted for “no parking”) close around 9 am, according to police – and there are restrictions on a few side streets too, particularly 44th near the start and end of the route, and Lander on both sides of the route because of staging (as we showed last year, which was our first time ever walking in the parade – we’ll be doing that again tomorrow, in celebration of West Seattle volunteers, and some of the newly announced West Seattle Volunteer Recognition honorees have promised to join us) – here’s a staging photo from last year:

preparadedownlander.jpg

Also in the parade tomorrow, almost 80 entries, including three marching bands (Seattle All-City Band, led by Denny Middle School music director Marcus Pimpleton; Kennedy High School; Sumner High School), two motorcycle drill teams (Seattle PD and Vancouver, B.C., PD), more than a dozen drill teams and cheer squads, plus four good old-fashioned floats (including West Seattle Hi-Yu), and as we reported Tuesday morning, JP Patches is back! Other parade favorites on the list include Art and Gloria, “still married” (2008 photo):

artandgloria.jpg

If you want to get a taste of the past few years’ parades, here’s our archived coverage, newest to oldest.

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Followup: Latest on the Myrtle (and Beacon) reservoir problems
July 17, 2009 10:33 am
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

When we broke the story on Monday night of hundreds of leaks requiring the waterproofing membranes to be dug up, removed and reinstalled at Myrtle Reservoir in West Seattle and Beacon Hill Reservoir, our story was cited and linked to by more than half a dozen citywide media sources, including SeattleTimes.com (almost 4,000 people clicked from there to come see the story here). Now today, three days later, the Times has done its own followup, also appearing in the print edition – which (thank you!) again credits WSB for breaking the story – read the new Times story here. The reporter, Susan Kelleher, is the same one who just last weekend broke the story of SDOT do-overs (including ramps along Fauntleroy Way) – she also was unable, however, as were we, to pin anybody down on specifics of cost/blame re: the reservoir membranes – but SPU has promised some cost information next week, so we’ll bring that to you as soon as it’s available. Meantime, we had asked SPU’s Andy Ryan some other followup questions — read on for the answers:Read More

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“It’s really happening!” Building Delridge Playground, report #1
July 17, 2009 9:18 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

At the center of that photo, joining a quick pre-construction stretch with 200+ other volunteers, is Betsy Hoffmeister, co-vice-chair of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council. About 15 minutes earlier, when we first saw her here at Delridge Community Center (where we’ll be on site much of the day), she shouted, “It’s really happening!” Before the playground-in-a-day volunteer project that has just kicked off here, she spent many months working through the difficult process of trying to get playground improvements at another Delridge park not far from here. Then came the KaBOOM’s offer to redo the community center’s dilapidated playground, and Betsy and other members of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council threw themselves into organizing what it took to make this work.

What it’s taking for one is volunteers – Mayor Nickels, seen here between two of those volunteers, told the crowd during the kickoff ceremony that he’ll announce later this month that his stated goal of 10,000 new Seattle volunteers this year has been met. (Also at the kickoff ceremony, city Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher, as we noted with photo links and short updates via Twitter.) And it’s taking donated materials – which are coming from a variety of sponsors, particularly the Bank of America Charitable Foundation (this is the 5th of KaBOOM’s 1,651 playground projects that it’s funded) – we passed the shovel/rake station as we arrived at the site:

Right now, the volunteers have broken into small groups, each with a KaBOOM leader and a mascot/symbol, from Hello Kitty to Elmo to, in this group’s case, the American flag:

Theyre engaging in all sorts of assembly and carpentry tasks, spread all over the parkland around the community center, before, sometime in the next six hours or so, everything moves to the site itself:

More photos shortly – we’ll post several updates during the day, and we’ll add a few video clips from the opening ceremony, too. 10:12 AM UPDATE: The small group work continues – with an energizing soundtrack :

The work zone is for ages 18 and up only, but there’s child care on the nearby tennis courts – and all the kids there have been issued their own little hard hats:

The groups will be taking lunch breaks in staggered shifts starting around 11:30. Part of the playground site itself is already starting to take shape! 11:07 AM UPDATE: Some more pix. First, the playground!

Second, pieces of the playground as they were moved into place:

Third, we haven’t mentioned that some other work is being done here today for the community center – like new cubbies:

They’ve also just put a call out around the site for people who write “languages other than Spanish, French and English” to go write messages of peace on a section that’s under construction. Anyway, we’re leaving the site for a while to go cover the Hi-Yu Junior Court Coronation and Hiawatha Fun Festival (it’s almost lunchtime for the volunteers, anyway) but will be back here in early afternoon for a new round of progress reports on Delridge’s new playground (which will officially open with a ceremony next Thursday night).

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Alki Community Council: Guns in parks, plus: Paper or pixels?
July 17, 2009 7:41 am
|      24 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

From last night’s Alki Community Council meeting (held at Alki UCC because the Alki Community Center‘s closed till July 25th):

PARK GUN BAN? The ACC has sent city leaders a letter urging support for a ban on guns in parks. Even if it’s not the city’s jurisdiction – if that would have to go through the state Legislature, as was suggested after the mayor proposed such a ban last year – ACC’s Paul Carr says they hope the city would lobby strongly for a guns-in-parks ban. The ACC’s support for this is a result of discussions that followed the May 1st Alki shooting (photo at left). Carr stresses that this is not a challenge to individual gun-ownership rights – but if firearms can be off-limits in a particularly vulnerable public place like a school, he asks, why not parks?

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Happening today: Playground, “citations,” Fun Fest, coronation …
July 17, 2009 6:48 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today: Playground, “citations,” Fun Fest, coronation …
 |   Safety | West Seattle Hi-Yu Festival | West Seattle news

DELRIDGE PLAYGROUND-BUILDING DAY: As previewed here last night. It’s been less than four months since first word that a new playground at Delridge Community Center could happen largely thanks to donated materials, time and labor, and today’s the day, with hundreds of volunteers on site.

“SAFETY CITATIONS”: 10-11 am, firefighters from Engine 29 will be on Alki looking for kids wearing their helmets properly – and they’ll get “safety citations” good for free Subway sandwiches!

HIAWATHA FUN FEST: Noon-3 today at Hiawatha Community Center – games, activities, prizes.

WEST SEATTLE HI-YU JUNIOR COURT CORONATION: During the Fun Fest, starting around 12:45 pm, the new Hi-Yu Junior Court will be announced and coronated (look for the stage on the east lawn @ Hiawatha).

FREE GUIDED ECO-HIKE: Once a month, the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium< offers a free guided hike through the West Duwamish Greenbelt, where it works on forest restoration, and today’s the day – 1 pm, meet at trailhead at 14th SW/SW Holly (here’s a map; RSVP if you can to lisa@naturec.org).

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