West Seattle, Washington
10 Saturday
(WSB photos by Tracy Burrows. Above, WSHS’s Iris Christian)
By Tracy Burrows
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Friday night, the West Seattle High School girls’ water-polo team made history, playing in the first-ever high school water polo match at Colman Pool.
The girls won a thrilling match against Bellevue High School by a score of 9-8. The Wildcats led for much of the game, led by outstanding goalie play by Matty Ogle (above) and great passing work that opened up effective shots.
In the fourth quarter, Bellevue came storming back, tying the game 8-8 on a penalty shot. With 1 minute left, West Seattle’s Marlo Pietch (above) rocketed a shot into the goal and the team hung on to win, 9-8.
The West Seattle team is now tied for first place in their district — an outstanding achievement for this new sport at the school. After the game, Coach Steve MacKinnon said he was super proud of all the girls who played in this historic match. He noted that water polo’s popularity is growing. “That’s especially exciting for girls’ water polo, which hasn’t traditionally gotten as much attention,” he said.
The Junior Varsity team also won their game by a score of 7-4 against the Bellevue squad, powered by a flurry of scoring in the 4th quarter.
As mentioned here earlier, the Chief Sealth IHS Seahawks were due to play in the 2A district semifinals this morning at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center. They emerged victorious, 11-1, over Sultan, and will play for the district championship at 7 pm Friday (May 16) vs. Nathan Hale, also at Steve Cox. And because they made it to the district championship game, they’re guaranteed a berth in the state tournament.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN BLUE ELANTRA: From Julia:
My car was stolen last night from SW Stevens and 53rd Ave near Schmitz Park. It is a 2012 light blue Hyundai Elantra, license plate CDV1250. It has two bumper stickers and dents on the side of the car from the last time this happened to me LOL. It will also be missing a door handle, presumably the driver’s side one. That was all that was left of it this morning. The incident number the officer gave me is 25-126107.
Call 911 if you find it.
SUITCASES TAKEN IN CAR BREAK-IN: We’re still missing some details on this, but if you happen to find strewn suitcases full of men’s clothing, they might be the ones Rick is looking for: “My car was broken into last night (Friday) and two suitcases of clothing were stolen dedicated to the Welcome Table (sponsored by the Westside Interfaith Network), for our guests, who are generally lower income or homeless.” When we find out (a) where the break-in happened and (b) what the suitcases look like, we’ll update.
That’s a photo from a volunteer helping out at the West Seattle Junction Post Office as letter carriers and volunteers sort the donations received during today’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive. It’s a nationwide food drive organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers every year on the second Saturday in May; you leave a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox or slot, your carrier picks it up, and it’s destined for local food distributors like Food Lifeline. This morning, we got a call from a woman who identified herself as a local carrier and said she wanted us to convey thanks to everyone who donated – she explained that the carriers are no longer provided with thank-you cards, but wanted to express their gratitude for so much generosity.
(The online WSCGSD sale map is here … printable PDF list/guide is here … Scroll down for frequent updates!)
9:04 AM: The 20th-anniversary West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is on! Above all else, it’s a fun day of community connection, and what’s above is one of the most fun photos we’ve seen so far, Drew at Sale #162 (6038 49th SW) – one of the lemonade-stand sales listed here. … At least one sale is so exciting, it has people waiting in line:
That’s Thunder Road Guitars (6400 California SW; WSB sponsor), Sale #73, where Frank and team have a huge Garage Sale Day Sale every year, and one of our photographers noticed the crowd. … In Gatewood, multi-family Sale #150 (7800 39th SW) has “a lot of vintage table pieces,” our photographer reports:
Toward the south end of the WSCGSD map, Sale #1, the White Center Eagles‘ multi-seller site (10452 15th SW) is set up outdoors:
Vintage stuff we spotted there included classic sci-fi movies on VHS, and padded barstools … Meantime, just in via text:
Crazy Bob’s (#437, 3243 56th SW) is back! Look for the Snowman Tube Guy. Gnomes galore. New kites. New outdoor equipment!
9:58 AM: The second hour is about to begin! One of the big sale sites (all listed here) is Our Lady of Guadalupe (Sale #170, 7000 35th SW, in the gym) which has tons of baby/kid stuff, including these cribs:
At OLG, we’re told, “We have a ton of stuff and will be offering 50% off at the end of the day and possibly free items.” … In Arbor Heights, Amy‘s plant sale raising money to fight lung cancer – in honor of her mom Sue – is a WSCGSD tradition:
That’s Sale #27, 3703 SW 107th. … Also in the south end, the Community School of West Seattle (Sale #530, 9450 SW Roxbury) is having its first collective sale in years:
Turning north, here’s another WSCGSD tradition, the art glass extravaganza (Sale #302, 3241 47th SW)!
Also on 47th (4142, to be specific), Sale #413 is highlighted by a bake sale raising money to fight breast cancer, and they had quite a crowd when we visited:
Same block has other sales – including more baked goods at 4111 47th SW, Sale #517 – the Scout Troop 284 fundraiser:
Looking for chairs? Here are options! Iris sent this photo from Sale #298 at 4333 SW Hudson:
11 AM: Hour three of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day begins! Here’s a combination business/fundraiser sale, at Potter Construction (5639 California SW; WSB sponsor), Sale #50, they’re donating proceeds to the West Seattle Rotary Foundation:
(Our photographer just came back to HQ with a $10 office chair from that sale!) … Also on the fundraiser beat, Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby has a benefit sale in Highland Park, 7755 12th SW (Sale #550), to help pay for competition trips, with skates and a bike among the merchandise:
As mentioned in our daily highlight list, the skaters have a home bout tonight, too! … Got young shoppers with you who need a play break? Tilden School (out back of 4105 California SW; WSB sponsor; Sale #333) is positioned as a “Rest Stop” for families – our photographer reports, “Games for the kids, including cornhole, along with refreshments for sale and a few items, including vintage school chairs.”
There are also activities inside Combat Arts Academy (5050 Delridge Way SW; Sale #545) – and unique merchandise, even tie-dyed martial-arts apparel:
Historic Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW) is raising money again this year with a Swap ‘n’ Shop sale featuring music equipment, records, and guest DJs all day:
Records – as in vinyl – are also a hot item at Sale #360, 1738 Alki SW:
A different kind of hot – just in from Sale #153 at 9640 42nd SW:
We still have a great Weber Kettle with plenty of fun accessories for pizza and smoking. Someone out there in West Seattle is probably needing this! :)
12:04 PM: WSCGSD enters hour 4! If you haven’t been to the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse multiseller site yet (out back at 9131 California SW, Sale #96), the primary goal is to raise money for a new van for Fauntleroy Children’s Center:
Also fundraising in Fauntleroy, this crew at Sale #88, 4313 SW Concord – Tricia explains it’s “for Seattle Children’s Hospital in the fight against AML.”
Looking for Mother’s Day gifts? Eddie sent this photo:
My daughters and her friends working our garage sale location #130. They have been working for several weeks creating hand-made jewelry for the garage sale. Bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and more.
They’re at 8812 39th SW. … We’ve encountered a lot of music-related merchandise today. This is part of the layout at the sale nearest to WSB HQ, at 8237 California SW (Sale #156):
A big part of Community Garage Sale Day is the spirit. Sellers at 8647 Delridge Way SW (Sale #563) had plenty of that when we stopped by (lemonade and hot dogs too):
1 PM: In The Junction, the California/Genesee sale (#431) is always popular. You never know what Mike (who sent the photo), John, and friends are going to have:
This is right across Genesee from the multi-seller Hotwire Coffeehouse site (4410 California SW; #431). … Elsewhere – Barbies, anyone?
Kristin sent the photo from Sale #293 (5707 SW Bradford). … Update from the Our Lady of Guadalupe sale (#170, 7000 35th), everything is now half-off and cribs (see pic above) are still available … Another update: We checked back at Thunder Road Guitars (Sale #73), where we showed the pre-opening line in the early going. Proprietor Frank Gross remains exuberant:
He told us that along with deals inside the store, there’s a large selection of discounted guitars and other equipment in the parking lot behind the store.
1:35 PM: Just under an hour and a half left to shop and sell! Sale #38 outside Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle) is a benefit for the Chief Sealth IHS Gymnastics Team:
At Sale #538 in South Delridge (8124 18th SW), the description mentioned an art show of small clay sculptures – here they are:
Meantime, more enterprising young sellers .. via text, we received this photo and report:
Plant and 3-D-printed fidget sale run by 1st graders at 5636 47th SW (site #98).
And at Sale #94 (5646 46th SW), a mango lassi stand!
2:10 PM: Final (official) hour! Among some photos sent in the early going, this one from Sale #403 (3628 61stS SW) offered an unusual collection:
“Nerf gun arsenal” is how Liam described all that … Not far from there, Sale #457 at 1338 Alki SW is a five-family sale:
And if you’re going to Alki, for sales or otherwise, you might see orcas – Kersti Muul tells us a group is in Elliott Bay again today!
2:50 PM: A seller on Alki comments below that they just experienced some rain. Definitely wasn’t in the forecast, and the radar suggests it was a brief shower with nothing behind it … If you want to keep shopping even though official WSCGSD hours are ending, we’ve made a list of sales that planned to continue tomorrow (Sunday, May 11), at least when they registered and sent in their description:
Sale #26: 3205 SW 110th St
Sale #51: 7558 44th Ave SW
Sale #84: 5633 44th Ave SW
Sale #107: 5032 48th Ave SW
Sale #174: 5911 38th Ave SW
Sale #200: 7333 29th Ave SW
Sale #212: 9705 35th Ave SW
Sale #227: 8155 28th Ave SW
Sale #238: 3209 SW Juneau St
Sale #284: 9220 35th Ave SW
Sale #315: 1317 44th Ave SW
Sale #324: 2485 55th Ave SW
Sale #356: 5103 SW Waite St
Sale #362: 4732 49th Ave SW
Sale #365: 6606 SW Admiral Way
Sale #375: 1111 Harbor Ave SW
Sale #395: 4016 47th Ave SW
Sale #396: 2237 California Ave SW
Sale #416: 3710 40th Ave SW
Sale #505: 4056 44th Ave SW
Sale #511: 844 SW 96th
Sale #518: 7943 11th Ave SW
Sale #526: 1600 SW Graham
Sale #539: 4712 25th Ave SW
3:12 PM: Texter says Fauntleroy Schoolhouse/Children’s Center sale (Sale #96, 9131 California SW) still has lots left and is now “pay what you want.”
Yes, some garage sales do happen in garages ..
That’s from Lisa at Sale #356, and this is from Bobby at Sale #59:
Those are two more of the preview pics we received from sellers (see others, featuring unique items, by scrolling through this archive) leading up to today’s marquee event:
WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY: This isn’t just any old WSCGSD, it’s the 20th anniversary, and it’s another record-setting list of sales. More than 570 sellers signed up. As is the case every year, we’ve had some last-minute cancellations; the numbers are in the updates and links atop the WSB page where you’ll find the clickable map (if you’d rather use the printable PDF guide/list, find that here). Sales are all over the peninsula, all sizes, all types; official sale hours are 9 am to 3 pm, but some start early, some end late, some even plan to continue tomorrow. See the sale descriptions as well as locations on both versions of the map, and even if you just stroll to the sale nearest you, have a great day! We’ll start as-it-happens coverage at 9.
Now, today’s other West Seattle happenings – mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SET OUT YOUR BAG FOR ‘STAMP OUT HUNGER’: Every year, besides West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, the second Saturday in May also brings “Stamp Out Hunger,” the National Association of Letter Carriers‘ door-to-door food drive. Fill a bag with nonperishable food – the special blue bag, if you got one with your mail this week, or another other sturdy bag – and put it by your mailbox/mail slot early this morning.
CRAFT FAIR AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 8 am-2 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), as part of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (#61!), browse and buy craft creators’ work.
SATURDAY GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) at 8 am for the free weekly group run.
FREE FIT4MOM CLASSES AT ALKI: Three events this morning, including a Family Fun Run at 7:30 am – details in our calendar listing.
HEAVILY MEDITATED: Free community meditation, 9 am at Inner Alchemy‘s sanctuary/studio (3618 SW Alaska)..
INTRODUCTORY WALK: First of two sequential weekly walking events – meeting at the same spot, 47th/Fauntleroy, first at 9:30 am for a flat-terrain 1-mile walk.
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: The second event is this walk in which you can participate regardless of whether you were on the introductory stroll. Meet at 47th/Fauntleroy.
MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND BRUNCH: La Chingona Taqueria (2940 SW Avalon Way; WSB sponsor) invites you to celebrate both days this weekend with 10 am-2 pm brunch featuring food, drinks, and live music.
MASTER GARDENERS: They’re out again in the community, ready to answer your questions! Saturdays this spring and summer, they’re at The Home Depot (7345 Delridge Way SW), 10 am-2 pm.
KENYON HALL SWAP & SPIN: 10 am-3 pm at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW). Record sale, local DJs, “lunch on the lawn” by neighbors The Locöl!
VASHON ISLAND SPRING STUDIO TOUR: Visit artists’ studios around the island 10 am-5 pm today and tomorrow! Tour organizers are sponsoring WSB right now to amplify the free tour. Details in our calendar listing!
FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am – “This is a free, weekly, in-person active writing group grounded in the Amherst Writers and Artists method. It is a safe, critique-free space. Writers of all levels welcome, 16 and up.” Our calendar listing has location and RSVP info.
FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), stories and songs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.
FAMILY READING TIME: At Paper Boat Booksellers, 11 am family reading time. (4522 California SW)
OPENING DAY FOR COLMAN POOL: The heated salt-water outdoor pool at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) opens today for the first of six preseason weekends, noon-7 pm, with four hour-and-a-half swim sessions, each half lap swimming and half open swim – see the schedule here. (And see our behind-the-scenes photos here.)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM OPEN: Explore the present and past at the home of West Seattle history, open for your visit, noon-4 pm – see the newest exhibit, about the West Duwamish Greenbelt! (61st/Stevens)
VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER OPEN: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)
SHOE LAUNCH: Visit Carmilia’s noon-4 pm and see these new shoes for yourself! (4528 California SW)
VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM/WINE BAR: Tasting room open – wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
FREE MASSAGE: Walk into Nepenthe (9447 35th SW) 3-5 pm for short, specific free massage.
WEST SEATTLE INDIVISIBLE: General meeting, 4 pm at The Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).
SOUTHSIDE REVOLUTION JUNIOR ROLLER DERBY: Bout night at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), 4:15 until 8 pm-ish. Get your ticket(s) here.
LIVE AT C & P COFFEE: 6-8 pm, Riley Majzun performs at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all ages, no cover.
CHARCUTERIE WORKSHOP: Join Boards by Erica at Mr. B’s Mead Center (9444 Delridge Way SW) at 6 pm to learn how to make charcuterie, while sipping on crisp mead. Check here for remaining tickets.
CHORAL CONCERT: The Boeing Employees Choir sings for you tonight at 7 at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), $10 suggested donation.
MONSTERWATCH LIVE AT EASY STREET: Album-release show! 7 pm at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW), free, all ages.
LIVE, BUT NOT MUSIC, AT THE SKYLARK: Quizfix Presents: Draft Night – THE DUNDER MIFFLIN DRAFT!, doors at 7, game at 7:30, all ages, admission = donation to Skylark Relocation Fund. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: Saturday spinning starts at 9 pm – tonight it’s Soul Focus FM at Revelry Room. (4547 California SW).
MACHINE LEARNING DANCE NIGHT: 9 pm-2 am at The Lumber Yard (9630 16th SW) in White Center.
KARAOKE AT TALARICO’S: Saturday night singing, 10 pm at Talarico’s Pizzeria. (4718 California SW)
Got a West Seattle event coming up? If community members are welcome, your event is welcome on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
West Seattle High School‘s softball team is headed to the district tournament after finishing the Metro League tournament in sixth place. That’s where the Wildcats wound up after a win and a loss at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex on Friday, beating Seattle Prep 14-7 in the afternoon, then losing 6-5 to Holy Names in the evening. Their first district game will also be at NCSWAC (2801 SW Thistle), 4 pm Monday (May 12). … Also Friday night at NCSWAC, WSHS baseball scored a win, 1-0 over Bishop Blanchet. Their next Metro tournament game is 4 pm Monday at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center (1321 SW 102nd), vs. Eastside Catholic. … And Steve Cox is where the Chief Sealth International High School baseball team plays Sultan at 10 am today in the 2A district semifinals.
You might find a true treasure at a tiny sale on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day tomorrow (Saturday, May 10, 9 am-3 pm, map here, printable list here). But just in case your shopping time is short – here are most of the big sales (you’ll also find some “block sales” in the guide, in addition to the following):
#1 – White Center Eagles
#27 – annual lung-cancer-fighting plant sale
#44 – EOS Apartments
#61 – C & P Coffee Craft Fair
#70 – The Kenney
#82 – another annual tradition, Delta Kappa Gamma
#86 – Hazelwood Preschool
#96 – Fauntleroy Schoolhouse/Children’s Center
#115 – Maarten Park
#170 – Our Lady of Guadalupe (which sent the pic above with some of what’ll be in the gym)
#180 – Cub Scout Pack 799 at VFW Hall
#253 – Brownie Troop 41268 with 19 families participating
#302 – annual Art Glass sale
#314 – Admiral Church
#333 – Tilden School north of The Junction, offering a “rest stop” for shoppers who need a break
#355 – Hotwire Coffeehouse courtyard
#514 – Wanderlust Nursery
#530 – Community School of West Seattle
#545 – Combat Arts Academy (also offering face-painting and an obstacle course for kids)
Find the location and description of any of those sales (or any others) by clicking on their line on the list at the right side of the map page. You can also click on any map marker to open its infobubble with address and description. We’ll of course be publishing as-it-happens coverage starting right at 9 am. Before you start the day – whether selling or shopping – check the map page for updates such as the list of last-minute cancellations and links to all the lists we’ve published. And let us know if you encounter any great discoveries! westseattleblog@gmail.com (be sure to include the sale #) or text 206-293=6302. We wish everyone successful selling and shopping!
Thanks to Chief Sealth International High School athletic director Ernest Policarpio for the report and photo:
Congratulations to the Chief Sealth 2025 Washington Athletic Club /101 Club award winners:
Winners were Micah Policarpio, Jay Johnson, and Xavier Nguyen; Riley Yup, Hannah Mueller, and Allison Ohta
The WAC & 101 Club Awards honor 3 boys and 3 girls from each school who have athletic & academic achievements.
Earlier, Kersti Muul told us, a humpback whale was hanging out off Pier 70 on the north downtown waterfront. Now “a baleen whale” – possibly that humpback – is reported off Anchor/Luna Park in West Seattle. Let us know if you see it!
Police are just now being dispatched to a crash scene in the 6700 block of West Marginal, though it happened more than an hour ago. A driver hit and knocked down a tree, according to dispatch and a tip we received. Dispatch tells officers that the driver’s parent picked them up and took them to an emergency room; the car is still there, though police are now calling for a tow.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In a White Center warehouse full of baby and kid gear from diapers to car seats, two elected officials and others gathered this morning to decry the president’s tariffs as “Trump’s Baby Tax.”
WestSide Baby‘s warehouse hub was the setting for U.S. Senator Patty Murray and King County Executive Shannon Braddock (a former WS Baby board member) to warn about the bite tariffs will take out of young families’ budgets, among others.
“The baby tax is not just expensive, it’s dangerous,” warned Sen. Murray, first elected 33 years ago as a “mom in tennis shoes” (and sporting that type of footwear for the occasion, as was Braddock).
She urged anyone and everyone concerned to urge Congress to take back its power over tariffs, which she said are not supposed to be something presidentially decreed.
Braddock noted the recent presidential comment that tariff costs might just mean a kid gets “2 dolls instead of 30,” and observed that many families can’t afford any gifts. “Working families should not be collateral damage in a trade war … we need a federal government that works for us, not against us.” Here’s the entirety of how she and Sen. Murray opened the briefing:
Allie Lindsay Johnson, starting her second year as WS Baby’s executive director, said the nonprofit that assists tens of thousands of families has already noticed many baby-item brands raising their prices. But “car seats, strollers, cribs are not luxuries, they are absolute necessities.”
But, Sen. Murray observed in her opening remarks, most of them are made in China, currently facing a 145% tariff as ordered by the president. Lindsay Johnson suggested at least “tariff exemptions” should be considered for items like these.
Speakers also included a Ballard store owner who said her suppliers were trying to hold off major prices as long as they could but can’t hold off much longer, and a mom of four, ages 1 through 14, holding her youngest, saying she wanted to speak out “because if not me, who?”
In Q&A, we asked Lindsay Johnson for more specifics on what WestSide Baby has noticed so far. She named several manufacturers/suppliers. We and another reporter also asked Sen. Murray for specifics on what Congress could do and what people could do to express their opinions:
Afterward, we also asked Lindsay Johnson about any other financial hardships they had faced or expected to face as a result of changes in D.C. She said that half of WS Baby’s bulk diaper purchases are federally funded and the grant covering that for a few more months is not likely to be renewed.
Meantime, this is the bipartisan bill to which Sen. Murray referred, co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Looking for plants? West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (tomorrow – Saturday, May 10, 9 am-3 pm) has sales for you!
That’s the photo sent to us by Sale 386, one of 28 sales mentioning plants, along with 15, 27, 43, 51, 62, 72, 76, 87, 101, 120, 186, 213, 369, 384, 387, 406, 407, 408, 464, 500, 514, 527, 538, 552, 566, 571, 572. Or if you need something for your plant(s) to grow in …
Those cedar planters are part of a woodworker’s sale, #144. Two other sales promise planters – 256 and 572. Whatever you’re seeking, somebody probably is selling it – amid the stuff (24 sale descriptions use that word), knickknacks (10 sales), tchotchkes (2 sales), bric-a-brac (1 sale), or “junk” (6 sales). Explore the map here (where you’ll also find the link to the printable list/guide).
One more note – if you’re selling kid/baby stuff (dozens are!) and have any leftovers, WestSide Baby tells us today they’ll have donation bins outside for dropoffs – their HQ is a big warehouse-type property at 10002 14th SW in nearby White Center. (Any other nonprofits interested in donations of unsold items, let us know so we can mention that!)
Still more previewing to do – and you can scroll through our past previews and other pre-sale coverage by going here. WSCGSD has been a tradition on the second Saturday in May since 2005 – coordinated by WSB since 2008.
(WSB photo, April 23)
When we covered SDOT‘s South Delridge/Westwood walking tour last month, looking at routes where the Transportation Levy might fund new sidewalks/walkways, a plan was mentioned for a May 21 walking tour in Highland Park. Now SDOT has asked us to share the official announcement:
Building Sidewalk and Walkway Connections
Want to see new safe places to walk in the Highland Park neighborhood? Thanks to the Seattle Transportation Levy we can build at least 10 blocks of new sidewalk or walkway in Highland Park. Please join us for a neighborhood walk and share with us where you would like to see new walkways and/or sidewalks.
Date: Wednesday May 21st, 2025
Time: 5:00-6:30 pm
Location: Gather at Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton St) in the covered area of the playground, and then walk the neighborhood with us!
Kids are welcome!
Rain or Shine
Here’s the announcement flyer.
(White azaleas, photographed by Gary Pro)
Here’s our Friday highlights list, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
EARLY SALES: West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is TOMORROW, but a few sales are starting today (use these numbers to look up locations and descriptions on the map/list), including Sales 26, 43, 66, 136, 375, 395, 458, 486.
STAY ‘N’ PLAY: 10 am-11:30 am open gym for little kids is back at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd).
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: The center (a WSB sponsor) is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
BABY STORY TIME: Noon at Delridge Library, free! (5423 Delridge Way SW)
QI GONG AT VIVA ARTS: Fridays at 12:15 pm – info in our calendar listing. (4421 Fauntleroy Way SW)
SOFTBALL: Postseason game for West Seattle HS vs. Seattle Prep, 1:30 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
WEST SEATTLE INDIVISIBLE POSTCARD WRITING: 1:30-4 pm at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).
SEATTLE BEER WEEK – FREE FRIES! 4-9 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), free fries with an SBW beer purchase.
KENYON HALL CABARET: Monthly drag show at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW), all ages, doors at 6, show at 6:30, tickets here.
SONGWRITERS AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: 6-8 pm, enjoy the monthly Songwriters’ Showcase at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW). Free, all ages.
WEST SEATTLE SOCIAL GUILD: Happy 2nd anniversary! The group celebrates at 6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Check the link in our calendar listing to see if tickets are still available.
SIP ‘N’ SPIN: Spend your evening at Rain City Clay in Arbor Heights! 6 pm start; see if there’s room.(4208 SW 100th)
WATER POLO: The West Seattle girls play their first home contest tonight at 6:20 pm at Colman Pool vs. Bellevue, spectators welcome.
RAINBOW GIRLS: Girls 10-20 are invited to join the group for a Mother’s Day scrapbooking and collage activity, 6:30 pm at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds), details in our calendar listing.
BASEBALL: 7 pm, West Seattle HS vs. Bishop Blanchet in a postseason game at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Abbigale, Evan Wallace and the Death and Texas Band, doors 7 pm, show 8, at The Skylark, $10. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ Jules Esq. tonight! (4547 California SW)
MAKE IT LOUD: Skating to live music at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), doors at 9 pm, $18 cover, $5 skates, 21+. Tonight: Dual Analog, Prismia.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Just another quick reminder that the 20th-anniversary West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is now 24 hours away – official sale hours are 9 am-3 pm Saturday (May 10), and the sales are mapped/described here, where you’ll also find a link to the printable (PDF) list. You can use the search function explained below the online map to create your own mini-list(s) of whatever type of item you’re looking for; since the descriptions are fairly short, searching works best with just one keyword, like toys.
One tradition on Community Garage Sale Day is the lemonade stand, often operated by the youngest members of the household. Lemonade is mentioned by Sales 5, 19, 62, 64, 88, 107, 112, 115, 162, 173, 183, 221, 241, 253, 314, 336, 348, 410, 427, 446, 475, 502, 563. And Sale 521 is promising matcha beverages.
If you just can’t wait to start shopping, a few of the 560+ sales are starting today – search the map for mentions of Friday or Fri. More previews later today!
6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Friday, May 9, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Partly sunny, high in the low 60s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:39 am; sunset will be at 8:33 pm.
WEEKEND NOTE
-560+ sales big and small in all of West Seattle’s neighborhoods Saturday for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day.
STADIUM ZONE
–Mariners are back home starting tonight, 6:40 pm game vs. Toronto.
ROAD WORK
-Street work for the Alki Standby Generator Project is under way – details and map here, along with what’s next after this first phase.
-The Admiral Way Bridge’s outside lane on the eastbound/southbound side is still closed; here’s a project update.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, with later-evening sailings Fridays (tonight!) and Saturdays.
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Salish is serving as the “bonus boat”. P.S. Next round of community meetings – online, systemwide – have been announced for later this month.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
Photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB
On Saturday, Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore officially opens for the year, and one last work party today got it ready. Photojournalist Oliver Hamlin was there for WSB. Above, lifeguards Rommel D (left) and Patrick K dismantle an old lane line before discarding it in a dumpster outside the pool. This year Colman Pool has new lane lines and reels thanks to a donation from the Greater Seattle Swimming Association. You can see them in the next photo, behind Aquatic Technical Supervisor Robert Danielson preparing the diving board:
Lifeguard Patrick K tested out the diving board after installation:
Another kind of board was also addressed today – the protective wooden boards were removed from the Plexiglas around the pool (we showed you a reader photo of the work in progress earlier).
Other work was done inside. Below, Aquatic Center Coordinator Wendy Van De Sompele points toward the filtration system in the Colman Pool pump room. The pump room contains a mix of newer and original pipes from the 1940s.
These are the wells that bring Puget Sound water into Colman Pool, visible during low tide today. The pool can only be filled during high tide, meaning sometimes work must get done in the middle of the night.
Colman Pool celebrated its milestone 75th anniversary nine years ago. This year, as we first reported last month, it’ll be open for “preseason weekends” through mid-June, then seven days a week (except for swim-meet closures June 26-28 and July 18-19) through September 1, and two “postseason weekends” after that. For those who have asked about the slide, it’s only open during private events; they’re keeping it out of service the rest of the time, Van De Sompele told us, because it gets in the way of lap swimming and creates staffing challenges, and the diving board is considered a more accessible feature to keep open.
See the pool schedule here; plus, you can get a sneak peek at the pool during Friday night’s West Seattle Water Polo matches starting at 6:20 pm.
If you play pickleball, the West Seattle Booster Club has an invitation for you!
Who will be crowned the pickleball champions of WSHS?
We are excited to invite you to participate in the WS Booster Club’s inaugural Paddle Battle Pickleball Tournament, benefiting student-athletes at WSHS. Please sign up and bring your family, neighbors and friends to join us for this fun community event benefiting WSHS.
Learn more and REGISTER NOW:
The tournament is set for all day June 1 on the courts west of Southwest Pool.
6:46 PM: If sunset whale-watching (from shore, of course) sounds good, you’re in luck tonight – with more than an hour and a half of daylight left, orcas are off Alki right now, reports Kersti Muul – headed southwest, off the Bathhouse (60th/Alki). Let us know if you see them!
6:48 PM: They’re moving fast, Kersti says – now reported around Alki Point and off Constellation Park.
6:13 PM: We’re in The Junction tonight as the May 2025 West Seattle Art Walk enters its second hour:
Artist Nalisha Estrellas is at Compass Real Estate-West Seattle (4531 California SW) tonight, doing some live painting. We mentioned her most recently as she’s the artist for the project to paint a mural on the long concrete retaining wall by the shore at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook. … A bit further up the same block, CAPERS Home (4525 California SW; WSB sponsor) is hosting artists from the West Seattle Garden Tour competition, including Memo Luna:
And Stacey Almgren:
Most Art Walk receptions continue until 8 pm (see all your options here). Right now, though, a special feature this month – 11 mini-concerts comprising Muse Fest: The Power of Women’s Voices, concurrently until 7:45, so we’re headed off to record a musician or two!
6:40 PM: We hopped a block south to listen to Havilah Rand at Great American Diner & Bar:
She’s playing all originals. Her venue is at 4752 California SW. We’re still in The Junction and off to check out another Muse Fest performance.
7:31 PM: That’s Champagne Honeybee, the Muse Fest performer at Darby Winery tonight. … And a reader report from Kate, with an artist who’s at West Seattle Arcade in Alki tonight:
An art walk update from Alki! Drew Mortenson’s art is so fun in the West Seattle Arcade!
Save the second Thursday of EVERY month for the West Seattle Art Walk! But also remember that many artists’ work is up all month long at the venues where they’re featured tonight, so you still have many chances to get out and enjoy local art.
Time for another quick look ahead to West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (570+ registered sales) this Saturday! More photos from sellers, showing their spotlight items:
That’s “a Western show saddle with hand-carved leather and sterling silver accents” and it will be at Sale #279. Or how about a classic camera?
You’ll find that “Leica IIIf camera with several lenses” at Sale #133. And from Sale #416:
That’s an “authentic Chanel Handbag in mint condition ~ box, dust jacket & original price tag included.”
Treasures (a word used in 21 sale descriptions) abound, with more than 570 registered sales – moving sales, cleanout sales, estate sales, more. Ready to plan your stops? Here’s the online map; here’s the printable list/guide. And a couple more quick notes:
STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEPLACE TO SELL? We’re still hearing from people who missed registration (we can’t add sales after it closes). If you don’t have a ton of stuff, check if these multi-seller sites still have space.
CHECK THE MAP BEFORE YOU SHOP: Reminder that the map page here on WSB is where we’re noting last-minute changes (such as canceled sales, which we cannot change in the printable list but do mark in the online list, and mini-lists of sale types), so check there before you head out on Saturday!
STAMP OUT HUNGER ON SATURDAY: Another reminder – before shopping or selling on Saturday, if you can, set out a bag of nonperishable food for your postal carrier to pick up as part of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive (you might have already received a bag in your mailbox/slot – that’s a photo of ours above – but if not, any bag will do).
Still more previews to come! Official sale hours are 9 am-3 pm Saturday, but some are adding extra hours and/or extra days – check the sale descriptions.
(WSB file photo)
Just under one month until West Seattle hosts the city’s only obstacle-course 5K (you can run/walk it without obstacles, too), Loop the ‘Lupe! It’s four events in one at Walt Hundley Playfield on Saturday, June 7, benefiting the community/social work of nearby Our Lady of Guadalupe. You can enter the obstacle-course 5K, the fun run, the Youth Dash, or the Senior Saunter. Organizer Brian Callanan says one incentive for signing up now is that they’re about a week away from putting in their T-shirt order, and you’re guaranteed to get the size you want if you’re registered by then. A second reason to sign up ASAP if you haven’t already – there are still spots in the bonus Penalty-Kick Shootout for entrants 18+: everyone who enters the shootout ($25, while tickets last) gets free tickets to a West Seattle Junction FC or Rhodies FC match (players will be there for a 1:30 pm exposition match before the 2 pm shootout). The shootout winner gets “a special West Seattle soccer prize pack!” Here’s where to register.
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