West Seattle, Washington

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Spotlight Stories


  • Remembering

    WSB CO-FOUNDER DIES: Remembering Patrick Sand

  • Festival

    FALL FESTIVAL: Fauntleroy’s traditional fun

  • Bridge

    LOW-BRIDGE CLOSURE: This Friday-Sunday

Yet more West Seattle (and vicinity) weekend scenes
July 20, 2008 11:21 pm
|    Comments Off on Yet more West Seattle (and vicinity) weekend scenes
 |   How to help | West Seattle jail sites | WS culture/arts

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They’re known more for washing (and styling) hair than for washing cars, but today the staff of Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) became volunteer vehicle-scrubbers to raise money for Pencil Me In For Kids. When we dropped by the car-wash site outside the West Seattle Eagles‘ HQ in The Junction during the car wash’s final hour, they were already closing in on 30 cars. Speaking of volunteer power, we got an “after” photo from Saturday’s last round of portable-painting at Pathfinder K-8:

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Eric Baer reports almost 50 volunteers were on hand, including two teams from Seattle Works (which had declared this a “hot project”). Now on to volunteer neighborhood-issue activism:

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Those three are from the Highland Park Action Committee (from left, Jessie, Dina Johnson, Blair Johnson), which maintained a presence at White Center Jubilee Days all weekend as part of its campaign against the two potential city jail sites in southeast West Seattle. (Wondering about the costumes? Blair’s is obvious; Jessie and Dina were going with the WCJD “Pirates” theme.) HPAC’s next meeting is 7 pm tomorrow (Monday) night, Highland Park Improvement Club @ 11th/Holden, where they’ll plot strategy for Saturday morning’s city-organized jail-sites forum @ South Seattle Community College‘s Brockey Center (9 am-noon). Dina also sent photos from an entirely unrelated event – the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival this weekend at Hiawatha:

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That’s Habib, dancing solo. Dina shared a few more Medfest photos, which (if you’re viewing this from the home page) are a click away:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: P-Patch pilfering
July 20, 2008 9:04 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Gardening | West Seattle news

Lots of gardening-related news today already (Community Harvest update here; West Seattle Garden Tour report here), but here’s one we wish we didn’t have to report. Maybe it’s a simple case of misunderstanding, rather than outright deliberate theft, but whatever it is, Lincoln Park P-Patch coordinator Michelle wants it to stop – here’s what she e-mailed us:

I was wondering if you would post a note on your blog about the rise in the number of theft incidents from the Lincoln Park P-Patch over the past couple of months. We have had entire vegetable plants stolen from the beds as well as produce prematurely harvested.

With the rising cost of food and fuel, we recognize that everyone is feeling the pinch at the stores lately. That, and the concern over the safety of mass produced food, is why many of us find growing our own vegetables and herbs to be our best option. Quite a bit of sweat and effort goes into growing the gardens, so to have someone come along and pluck until their heart’s content is very discouraging. We want to let the community know that they are more than welcome to wander and admire the variety of flowers and vegetables there, but the produce and plants are not up for grabs. If anyone is interested in gardening a plot of their own, they can find more information at: www.ci.seattle.wa.us/neighborhoods/ppatch/gardening.htm.

We’ve also reported here in recent months about various group gardening efforts that are using volunteer help and sharing the harvest with those who helped do the work (like Longfellow Creek Garden in the Delridge area), so watch for more word of chances to get involved with gardens like those. TUESDAY MORNING P.S.: After this WSB item appeared Sunday night, two citywide media outlets contacted us Monday asking about the story; here’s the KOMO version.

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West Seattle Grand Parade report #6: The winners
July 20, 2008 7:17 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Grand Parade report #6: The winners
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

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From the other side of the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run – and a few miles’ drive beyond that – came the winners of both the Float and Overall categories in Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade, the Port Orchard Fathoms O’ Fun float (check out the royalty’s dance moves). Our parade coverage continues (previous installments are archived here) with the full list of winners, and more photos, just ahead:Read More

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West Seattle Garden Tour: “Couldn’t’ve asked for better weather”
July 20, 2008 4:36 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | West Seattle news

That’s what we overheard as we walked up to this West Seattle Garden Tour stop:

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The “Southern St. Communal Garden” stop on the tour (aka “Color Crazy”) involved a group of homes a block west of California (intersection map here) on the hillside over southern Lincoln Park. This mini-subdivision made news last year when the mysterious “West Seattle Art Attack”-er was on the prowl — third photo in this post shows the tile-decorated mail drop out front. The theme resurfaces on one of the garden paths:

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We also photographed a pair of young ladies taking advantage of the traffic for an on-the-spot fundraiser: Alex and Alissa were selling lemonade to raise money for Alex’s Explorer West Middle School trip to Rome:

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Nine gardens in all (all outlined on the WSGT website) were on this year’s West Seattle Garden Tour, with a portion of the proceeds going to nonprofits including ArtsWest and the Seattle Chinese Garden (which also had tables at the stop we visited); admission also included an hourlong lecture at The Kenney by PlantAmnesty founder Cass Turnbull. The WSGT runs on a whole lot of volunteer power, even as a self-guided tour, so if you couldn’t help out this year, think about pitching in next year – contact info is on the WSGT website.

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Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle celebrates first harvest
July 20, 2008 12:56 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | How to help | West Seattle news

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harvest1.jpgThat’s part of the haul from this year’s first fruit-tree harvest by Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. If you have a fruit tree whose yield could go to help make sure everyone in our community has good healthy food, yours could be next – harvesting help is needed too. Here’s the latest update from Aviva of Community Harvest (who also sent the photos – thanks!):

Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle, the group that harvests surplus fruit from residential trees, had its first harvest on Friday. Six volunteers met for a few hours in the backyard of a house near Westwood Village. The result: 113 pounds of beautiful ripe cherries to be distributed at the White Center Food Bank on Monday. If you are interested in joining this effort or know of a tree to donate, have a look at their website: www.gleanit.org.

Community Harvest has also published the map for the 1st Annual Edible Garden Tour of West Seattle. It is a very diverse group of gardens, including a condo food jungle, a parking strip farm, permaculture gardens, community gardens, as well as more traditional backyard vegetable patches. Read more and get the addresses on www.gleanit.org/tour.html. Come get inspired August 2, 10 am-2 pm.

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Today: Hi-Yu brunch, Market, Garden Tour, Jubilee Days, more …
July 20, 2008 6:30 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle festivals

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HI-YU COMMUNITY BRUNCH: You loved the Concert in the Park (WSB coverage here); you cheered the Junior Court Coronation (WSB coverage here); you saw the Hi-Yu entry in The Parade (part of the contingent shown above); this morning, keep the Hi-Yu Festival party going at the Community Brunch, 9 am-noon @ American Legion Post 160 (36th/Alaska), $6 adults/$3 kids.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET FRESH SHEET: Also in The Junction, it’s Farmers’ Market day. We link to the fresh sheet here every Sunday morning for your pre-shopping convenience. Here’s the latest.

WEST SEATTLE GARDEN TOUR: 9 am-5 pm. Self-guided tour, so go where you want, when you want – with the map you get for the price of admission. Here’s where to find tickets (locations include West Seattle Nursery, which, by the way, has a brand-new website).

And then there are festivals …

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JUBILEE DAYS: Thanks to “Trick” for sharing that photo of one of the street-fair-staple (you saw them at West Seattle Summer Fest) nuns, from day 1 of the Jubilee Days street fair in White Center (map and more info here), continuing today.

MEDITERRANEAN FESTIVAL: Hiawatha plays host to belly-dancers and much more for day two of Medfest today, 10 am-8 pm. More info here.

That’s just the start. Click here to go directly to the Sunday section of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup to see what else is up today/tonight – like the Pencil Me In For Kids car wash!

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West Seattle Grand Parade report #5: The pets
July 20, 2008 5:03 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

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Thanks to Meredith K. Hailey for sharing her West Seattle Grand Parade photos, including that great close-up of one of the dogs that accompanied the Luna Park Cafe contingent (who won second place in the Commercial category) toward the end of the parade. No cats in the parade, but the next best thing — video of Furry Faces Foundation promoting its fall “Catsino” fundraiser:

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A few more pet sightings from the parade – including the inanimate kind – just ahead:Read More

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Courtyard crowd for “Movies on the Wall” 2008 season premiere
July 19, 2008 11:59 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

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That’s part of the crowd that had staked out spots in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) while it was still light enough for us to get a decent photo – by the time the movie (“Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” preceded by a NFFTY short) started around 9:25 pm, we estimate, somewhere between 150 and 200 people were on hand (and still room for more – down front, as Sidewalk Cinema‘s Philip Borgnes pointed out in his pre-show remarks, although we’d advise arriving no later than 8:30 pm). Aside from a brief technical speed bump that resulted in the opening credits running twice, plenty of fun — the fundraiser raffle ($1/ticket, 3 for $2) offered movie-appropriate prizes (shrubbery, Knights Who Say “Ni” cupcakes) among other loot (Hotwire prepaid $20 coffee card); the concessions courtesy of West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor), with proceeds benefiting West Seattle Food Bank (same as the raffle) are nicely priced (popcorn, candy, beverages including $1 water or soda); the pre-movie short was a touching little feature produced by students at Ballard High School. Beautiful clear night but it cooled off fast, so a blanket and/or jacket is usually a good idea. Next Saturday night, the movie is “The Goonies” (trailer); the full series list is on this page, along with each movie’s sponsors (we’re a co-sponsor for the entire series and also presenting “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” an old fave, two weeks from tonight).

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Parade report #4: Kids, and the people who help them
July 19, 2008 8:05 pm
|    Comments Off on Parade report #4: Kids, and the people who help them
 |   How to help | West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle video

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The kids in that video clip were among the participants in the Kiddies’ Parade presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle right before the Grand Parade — it’s open to all who show up, on a shorter route. There also were many young participants in the bigger parade, as well as entries promoting events coming up to help local kids:

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On the hood of the Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) VW Bug, you’ll see a logo for Pencil Me In For Kids — the pink sign on the car’s sign was a reminder about a car wash tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm at the West Seattle Eagles parking lot, with Illusions staffers scrubbing vehicles to raise money for PMIFK, which buys school supplies for kids in need. And a week from tomorrow, it’s the annual WestSide Baby “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive:

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WestSide Baby‘s Nancy Woodland broke the news to WSB during Summer Fest last weekend, right after First Student offered her organization space on that bus (which took second place in the Community Floats category!) to promote “Stuff the Bus” during the parade (right after the WestSide Baby marching unit) as well as a bus for the diaper collection on July 27. All you have to do is show up at the bus that day – it’ll be parked right next to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market on 44th south of Alaska – with one or more packages of disposable diapers, to help “Stuff the Bus.” Meantime – yet more parade coverage later tonight!

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Reader reports: Roxbury ex-(?) 76 station reopens
July 19, 2008 7:37 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

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One month after a sighting of a fuel-tanker truck at that long-closed gas station on Roxbury a few blocks east of 35th, multiple reader reports say it’s now open – thanks to Tom for the photo. You’ll note its branding is still under wraps; the station’s official name is simply Roxbury Gasoline, according to the liquor-license filing we saw a day after the truck sighting.

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What else happened today: Alki car show; plus, one coming up
July 19, 2008 5:18 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

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Thanks to David Hutchinson for sending photos of the classic car show on Alki today. More pix ahead plus details on a new annual car show coming to West Seattle in a few months:Read More

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Parade report #3: The citywide parade stars, in West Seattle
July 19, 2008 4:49 pm
|    Comments Off on Parade report #3: The citywide parade stars, in West Seattle
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

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From sword-scraping to cannon-lighting (and firing), that clip captures the essence of a Seafair Pirates parade appearance – the West Seattle Grand Parade is part of a busy summer slate of parade appearances for these swashbucklers. Here’s a snapshot of that cannon-lighting moment (look close and you’ll even see the blue lighter):

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After the jump, video of another multi-parade attraction, the Seattle Schools All-City Band — led by Denny Middle School music director Marcus Pimpleton — and a few other biggies, including a visiting group you DON’T see in most other local parades, the Vancouver (B.C.) Police motorcycle drill team:Read More

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Parade report #2: Before it all begins
July 19, 2008 4:41 pm
|    Comments Off on Parade report #2: Before it all begins
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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So before the parade gets to you – whether you’ve set up a creative seating area like those folks we snapped as we walked down the parade route, or whether you’re just standing at curbside – there’s months of behind-the-scenes work, and hours of same-day setup. Participating in the West Seattle Grand Parade for the first time, we got a closer look at some of that setup – and what it’s like to be in the staging area before the fun begins.

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That was the pre-parade view westward down Lander, where we were staged on the south side of Lafayette Elementary School with other “community” entries. Same street, other side of California, is where some major marching entries queued up:

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The flag-twirlers are from the Calgary Roundup Band, which won first place in the Bands category (and would have won “came from farthest away” if that category existed!). More preparade scenes ahead:Read More

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Reader reports: Potential “red tide” @ Lincoln Park
July 19, 2008 3:09 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

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Michale Farrar sent that photo along with one of two WSB reader reports we have received today about this unusual coloration along the northern Lincoln Park shoreline. (Thanks also to Amy for e-mailing about it.) The state Health Department‘s biotoxin page doesn’t include any new “red tide” alerts, nor does its hotline; we’ll let you know if we find out anything from anyone else. UPDATE: In comments, JanS notes a tv story last night about the same thing at Seahurst Park in Burien, and says that report described it as a nontoxic algae bloom.

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Parade report #1: Art and Gloria, “still married”!
July 19, 2008 2:56 pm
|    Comments Off on Parade report #1: Art and Gloria, “still married”!
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle people

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Back from The Parade. We’ll be presenting coverage in various chunks – photos and video, and with two perspectives – covering it from the sidelines, and participating in it. From the latter viewpoint, we were fascinated to see how everything happens “behind the scenes” BEFORE the parade. Participants are staged in several groups radiating like sun rays from the intersection where it all begins (California/Lander); one of the entries near ours was the couple you see above, Navy veterans Art and Gloria Peters — since we have mentioned them in our parade coverage the past few years, we had to go up and say hello. Art and Gloria have been married 61 years; as the sign on their truck noted, Art’s now 82 and served in WWII and Korea. They live in White Center — “same house, 53 years, it’s all paid for now,” Art notes — and spend some of their time visiting schools to offer history lessons. They’ve been in the parade “four? five years now?” Gloria believes, and participate in other parades too (like the 4th of July parade two weeks ago in Burien) – here’s our video of them from today’s parade, an hour or so after our chat:

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While we were talking with Art and Gloria, one of the Seafair volunteers who help American Legion Post 160 coordinate things on Parade Day came up, gave them a hug, and said it’s good to see them again this year because it reminds her we’re all living longer these days. That occurred to us, too. Many more parade vignettes and pix to come.

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Parade Day: Watch this spot for updates (including other news)
July 19, 2008 10:30 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

While we’re covering (and participating in) the West Seattle Grand Parade, we’ll be able to update Twitter via mobile phone (as we did while watching the 4th of July fireworks from Alki), so updates, parade-related and otherwise, will appear here:

(LIVE COVERAGE OVER NOW, SO THE TWITTER WINDOW IS GONE)

The space above this line shows our four most recent updates. Doesn’t look like there’s a way to go to the archives from there but the Twitter “what am I doing” box halfway down the right sidebar does access archives via the lower-right arrow (if necessary).

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West Seattle Grand Parade today! Here are the basics
July 19, 2008 8:07 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Grand Parade today! Here are the basics
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle Grand Parade

THE ROUTE: At 10:30 am, from the purple marker to the lower green marker, the Kiddies’ Parade travels southbound from California/Genesee to California/Edmunds. At 11 am, between the two green markers, the Grand Parade travels southbound from California/Lander to California/Edmunds:


View Larger Map

WHAT YOU’LL SEE: More than 70 entries, including floats, marching bands, clowns, the Seafair Pirates (who are in a class of their own) – and at the start of the parade, two motorcycle drill teams that perform a block or two at a time, Seattle Police followed by Vancouver (B.C.) Police. Very different styles, and at the end of the parade route, the Seattle officers usually come over to the sidelines to watch their Canadian counterparts.

HOW LONG IT’LL LAST: Lots of variables. Count on about two hours. The traffic restrictions could be in place till about 3 pm at the latest.

WHO PUTS THIS ON: American Legion Post 160 in The Junction presents the Grand Parade. While it is a major highlight of the peak time of the West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival, and Hi-Yu has a unit (float, royalty, volunteers) in the parade, it is not officially presented BY Hi-Yu. The Kiddies’ Parade is presented by the Rotary Club of West Seattle.

IF YOU’RE READING THIS BEFORE 10 AM, TWO WAYS TO BE PART OF IT: All kids are welcome in the Kiddies’ Parade; sign up starting at 9:45, California/Genesee (purple marker on the map above). Everyone who’s ever done volunteer work is welcome to join the West Seattle Volunteers Grand Parade Marching Unit (walking the route between a Mini-Cooper), gathering at 10 am at California/Lander (top green marker on the map; more info – and freebie incentive! – here), call 206/293-6302 if you can’t find us.

NEWS DURING THE PARADE: We’ll be setting up an entry atop the WSB home page with the capability for short updates via Twitter, as we did on the 4th of July, so that we can keep you up to date even while we’re covering the parade inside and out.

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Pathfinder portable-painting: The final chapter
July 19, 2008 8:05 am
|    Comments Off on Pathfinder portable-painting: The final chapter
 |   Genesee Hill | How to help | West Seattle schools

The portables at Pathfinder K-8 on Genesee Hill used to look like this:

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Then after a big painting party a few months ago, most of them had a more colorful facade, as you can see in the background of this photo:

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But there’s still work to do, and Eric Baer sends work that volunteers including a corps from Seattle Works will be getting the job done at Pathfinder 10 am-2 pm today. Since we’re walking in the parade to pay tribute to local volunteers, hats off to them and everybody else who makes West Seattle a spectacular place to live.

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Other traffic alerts today besides The Parade
July 19, 2008 7:42 am
|    Comments Off on Other traffic alerts today besides The Parade
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

In addition to the road closures/restrictions on and around California SW because of the West Seattle Grand Parade (detailed here) — and a parking crunch expected around Hiawatha all weekend because of the Mediterranean Festival — the city also has announced three road-work projects for today: Holden is closed most of the day between 11th and Highland Park Way (as noted here) for pavement work; the city expects to reopen Holden to eastbound traffic by 5 tonight, to westbound by noon tomorrow. Two smaller projects: Another SDOT crew is repairing pavement on Delridge in two spots, and flaggers will be used at each: First, they’ll work on Delridge between Alaska and Edmunds; when done there, they’ll move on ot a spot between Hudson and Puget Blvd. Finally, the third spot: Expect eastbound lane restrictions on Roxbury between 15th and 16th, 9 am-3 pm (approximately) as SDOT does sidewalk repair at the southeast corners of those intersections. The sidewalk on the east side of Roxbury will be closed at those spots during the work; westbound traffic and the west-side sidewalk won’t be affected.

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Another parade – and movie – note: Hot dogs outside Hotwire
July 19, 2008 12:21 am
|    Comments Off on Another parade – and movie – note: Hot dogs outside Hotwire
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | Pets

Just fished this out of the WSB inbox, from Teri Ensley at the animal-rescue group Furry Faces Foundation – not only will F-Cubed be in the parade, they’ll be raising $ with a concession on the route (and again tonight):

Dogs 4 Cats is back at it during the Grand Parade …this time with ‘Hebrew National Dogs’, states Wiener Specialist Scott Lewis, ‘We Dogs just want to have more cats spayed and neutered, because ‘FRANKly’, there are too many kittens being born! Our ‘All Beef Dogs come in Natural Regular, Light Dog and Fat Free, plus we have Veggie Dogs too. All are available—with the trimmings–for just $4.00 during the Grand Parade on Saturday, July 19th, from 10 am – 2pm AND 7 pm to 8 pm during the Sidewalk Cinema showing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse, located at 4410 Calif. Ave. Help us Dogs help ourselves [and the cats].’

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3 more reasons to see West Seattle Movies on the Wall tonight
July 19, 2008 12:14 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | How to help | WS culture/arts

#1, the killer bunny:

That’s from “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” showing tonight at dusk in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), the first of six West Seattle Movies on the Wall over the next month and a half of Saturday nights (full list here – in part the result of YOUR suggestions, via WSB and Junction ballot boxes!). Reason #2: Sidewalk Cinema, which makes the movie magic happen, promises a preshow feature – a youth-made film from NFFTY! Reason #3, help the West Seattle Food Bank – bring a nonperishable food donation (admission is free), and buy something from the concession stand set up by West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor) — proceeds go to WSFB. See you there!

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West Seattle Grand Parade countdown: Photos from the past
July 18, 2008 9:11 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle history

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Thanks to Gina Terrana for sending those undated photos of West Seattle Grand Parade scenes in years gone by, taken by her grandmother, Alice Webb. Unless you’re very new to West Seattle, it’s fairly easy to tell where they were taken (though the signage certainly has changed):

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Gina explains that her grandmother was active with Eastern Star, so most of the photos involved Masonic parade entries:

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Gina tells us a little bit more about her grandmother, who died in 1986:

Alice Webb was also the wife of Arthur J. Webb. and the mother of Arthur C. Webb; both owned construction companies that did quite a bit of building in West Seattle. A.C. was the builder behind Fauntlee Hills. A.J. built the brick duplex next to the P.C.C., that was his basic construction style. Both styles of construction look the same to me, but my mother was always able to tell, “my father built that. my brother built this.” Grandma Webb thought that they had built everything, everywhere by the time I knew her.

Now go make your own history and check out the parade tomorrow – watch it from anywhere along the route (map in this post last night) OR if you’ve got some volunteering in your past/present (who doesn’t?) you can join the fun little group that West Seattle community volunteer/organizer extraordinaire Cindi Barker is rounding up, with support from WSB (your editor here will walk with the group, and Junior Member of the Team will be handing out candy on the sidelines – no throwing candy, we’ve been warned, but handing it out is OK). We’re scheduled to be about a third of the way down the lineup of 70-plus entries. The Rotary Club of West Seattle presents the Kiddies’ Parade (all participants welcome) at 10:30 am (sign in @ California/Genesee starting at 9:45 am), American Legion Post 160 presents the Grand Parade immediately afterward, starting at California/Lander.

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West Seattle Grand Parade countdown: Traffic alerts
July 18, 2008 8:14 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle Grand Parade | West Seattle news

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Though the West Seattle Grand Parade (and the Kiddies’ Parade preceding it) follows a straight line down California (see the map in this post from last night), other streets are affected, as you may have discovered if you came home to signs tonight (if not sooner). We asked one of the lead parade organizers, Jim Edwards – who along with others put in ENDLESS volunteer hours to make this happen – for a general outline of what you need to know tomorrow, from early morning through mid-afternoon – note this is an anecdotal sort of description but hopefully helpful:

Edmunds is open across California, I believe, but Southbound California is still closed to Dawson St East approach.

Northbound California (from south of The Junction) is open to Edmunds, but limited to the curb lane.

Oregon and Alaska will have emergency vehicle access. a soft enforcement of the crosswalks essentially.

44th Ave will be cleared to allow a north south detour between the Junction and Stevens, then it is diverted down to 45th through to Admiral Way

Assembly will close:

44th from Stevens to Lander

Lander from 45th to 41st

42nd from Admiral to Lander will be local access only (Safeway)

41st will be cleared to permit a Metro bypass between Admiral and Kander

Stevens from 44th to California will be local access only (PCC/McDonald’s)

The three blocks between Admiral and Hanford on California are closed first thing in the morning.

If you try to drive through you put in danger the many volunteers who bring this parade to you each year.

and dozens, ….. DOZENS of cars do this every year.

If you must get to Safeway to do your morning shopping…. Follow the detours down to Admiral Way starting at Hanford, (44th and 45th) then up Admiral to 42nd to get to Safeway.

It is well posted. but every year people drive by all these signs, claiming they have to get to Safeway.

We designed this assembly area to keep Admiral Way open throughout the parade, and to keep access to the major businesses open throughout the parade.

Jim also believes Metro will start diverting around 7 am, based on what they’ve done in years gone by. More parade countdown coverage a bit later tonight – including some photos from the past – fun to see what the businesses looked like, as well as parade spectators/participants. And note that everything will be open again by tomorrow night, when Saturday night Movies on the Wall begin in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) – bring a nonperishable food donation for West Seattle Food Bank – come enjoy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” starting around dusk (stake out your spot sooner); concessions are offered by West Seattle Christian Church (WSB sponsor), with proceeds also benefiting WSFB.

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