West Seattle, Washington
14 Tuesday
Till 7 pm, White Center Food Bank‘s turkey drive continues – frozen turkeys, chickens, other kinds of holiday food; WC Food Bank executive director Rick Jump told us when we dropped by a while ago that they had about 150 turkeys but need 700. They also need cereal, cake mix, crackers, cookies, among other types of “trimmings” (longer list in our original announcement). The White Center Food Bank – which serves southern West Seattle as well as WC and environs – is at 10829 8th SW (map). If you can’t make it to WC, the West Seattle Food Bank at 35th/Morgan is accepting turkeys today too, 4-5 pm.
A long line as always this morning along 39th south of Oregon for the Eastridge Church turkey giveaway. This year, Eastridge had 1,000 turkeys and grocery bags to give away, split between their two campuses, West Seattle and the Eastside. We checked out the setup just as it was getting under way – here are some of the amassed bags of groceries:
Eastridge has been doing this for nine years, starting at its Issaquah campus before expanding to West Seattle.
A few weeks into the Fauntleroy Creek watch for coho spawners, and Judy Pickens reports that volunteers just spotted three of them above the fish ladders: “Time to ramp up the watch!” Judy reports. If you’d like to see the fish – no guarantee you’ll see them, but Judy says the best viewing is during the five hours after high tide (which was at 11:15 today; we have a tide chart on the WSB West Seattle Weather page). The fish-ladder viewpoint is just south of SW Director off upper Fauntleroy Way SW (up the embankment that’s across the street from the Fauntleroy ferry dock).
Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, from car thieves caught on video, to interrupted burglars – read on:Read More
What originated as a fire call at a tanning salon at California/Hinds (map) turned out to be an electrical problem – no fire, nobody hurt, according to firefighters at the scene. But it was a big initial response – as required for any kind of “fire in a building” report – so until the units clear out, traffic is blocked there.
(Fall in Schmitz Park, by Mark Bauschke)
Happy Saturday! With business open houses/sales and pre-Thanksgiving giving opportunities, the holiday season is really revving up today. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
DONATE TURKEYS: White Center Food Bank turkey-donation drive 9 am-7 pm (frozen turkeys, chickens, holiday food); West Seattle Food Bank accepting turkeys and other holiday food, 4-5 pm today (and all day Monday); for more details on donating to both food banks at other times, see our roundup here.
DONATE FOOD AT THE TURKEY BOWL: Beer Church Turkey Bowl charity benefit, 6 pm tonight at West Seattle Bowl; even if you’re not bowling, you are invited to drop off WS Food Bank donations starting at 5:30 pm – last year the event netted a ton and a half of donated food!
GET A FREE TURKEY: If you or someone you know is in need, Eastridge Church is giving away turkeys starting at 9 am today – 500 turkeys and bags of groceries. 39th/Oregon, first come, first served (details here).
Also:
J.F. HENRY HOLIDAY SALE/OPEN HOUSE: 9 am-6 pm today and 10 am-5 pm tomorrow, deals and treats (their famous cookies!) at J.F. Henry Kitchen, Tableware and Gifts (WSB sponsor), 4445 California SW in The Junction. Get money off your purchase by using the coupons on their home page – find them here.
GOT PRE-THANKSGIVING WORK TO DO? West Seattle Tool Library open at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (east side of main building) 9 am – 2 pm Saturday.
JUNCTION TRUEVALUE OPEN HOUSE: Junction TrueValue has its annual holiday open house 10 am-2 pm, with refreshments, prizes, discounts.
NORTHWEST ART AND FRAME OPEN HOUSE: 10:30 am-5:30 pm, the annual Holiday Open House at NW Art and Frame in The Junction (4733 California SW), with live artist demos, open house specials throughout the day, drawings, decorations, samples, treats.
JAMTOWN AT HIGH POINT CC: Fabulous Family Fun Series presentation at 10:30 am at High Point Community Center (6920 34th Ave SW)! JAMTOWN Rhythms, with hands-on music and art for children, families, and music lovers of all ages. Become a part of a percussion instrument ensemble as you explore the music of Africa using handcrafted indigenous musical instruments ($5/person).
FAUNTLEROY FAIR: The 2011 Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Fair continues 11 am-3 pm today at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) for the weekend with something for everyone by West Seattle artists.
DONATE BIKES, TASTE WINE! Noon-5 pm at South Seattle Community College, it’s WIne & Bikes – donate unneeded bikes/parts, enjoy the new release of NW Wine Academy wine. More details here.
DESSERT WINE EVENT: Cairdeas Winery Special Release Event – 2009 Corcra, a Syrah-based dessert wine. Noon-5 pm, 3400 Harbor Ave, Suite 113. This event is in conjunction with Seattle Urban Wineries Holiday Open House.
PREPARING FOR ‘OCCUPY THE CAPITOL’: West Seattle Neighbors Against the Budget Cuts gathers at noon, Salvadorean Bakery, details here.
DISCOVERY SHOP’S ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Discovery Shop in The Junction (4535 California SW), raising money to fight cancer, celebrates its 21st anniversary, in The Junction. Refreshments are served 1 – 3 p.m. and all clothing is 2 for 1.
LAST CHANCES TO SEE ‘BEAN’: “Bean: The Musical Fruit” musical for kids of all ages, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 2:00 and 6:00 pm.
BLOCKBUSTER OPEN HOUSE: Weekend of special events at the Blockbuster store (2222 California SW). Today, they’re hosting a game tournament, featuring the newly released Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 at 4 pm. Entry is free with first-prize winner earning 6 months of unlimited movie/game rentals.
HUMANE SOCIETY FUNDRAISER: Charity Shopping & Silent Auction from 6-8 pm, at Pet Elements in Morgan Junction. Great event to help raise money for Seattle Humane Society! Bid on all sorts of gifts and certificates to awesome local businesses. Or, just come to shop. Pet Elements will be donating back 10% of all sales during event.
‘THE ROAD TO HIGH STREET’: At Kenyon Hall at 7:30 – Andrew Potter in “The Road to High Street“: Digital stories, music and video from a San Francisco street performer. Visit theroadtohighstreet.com for more information.
’80S FLASHBACK ADULT PROM AT SEALTH: Awesome ’80s Flashback Adult Prom at Chief Sealth International High School, to support the Class of 2012 Prom and Grad Night. Entire West Seattle community invited! 8-10 pm; details here.
FOOD TRUCKS TODAY: 3 food trucks back at Highland Park Improvement Club (12th/Holden), 11 am, list here; Marination Mobile at 35th/Graham, 11 am-2 pm.
From Kathleen just a short time ago:
It’s 9:43 pm and I just saw two adult coyotes go down Kenyon off 11th S.W. and then down the alley. All small animals better be inside!!! (Highland Park)
Note that they come out in the daytime too – the proof is in our ever-longer archive of coyote sightings (many with photos), which you can scroll through here.
ADDED 12:13 AM: More coyote news – Anna e-mailed to say, “My neighbor and I heard a group of coyotes howling at 9:45 pm tonight, Friday, coming from Schmitz Park. We live on 63rd SW & Beach Drive. I’ve never heard such a loud and long commotion like that before, it was very eerie.”
West Seattleite Maria Federici sent word that her grandfather Robert (Bob) Abel died early today. She says longtime West Seattleites would remember him as vice president of Westside Federal Savings and Loan, which she says was located where Rocksport is now. Today also happened to be the 61st or 62nd anniversary of Mr. Abel’s marriage to wife Jorene, she notes, adding, “Thank you, West Seattle, for providing a lovely home base for my Grandpa.”
(Photo courtesy Hope/Seattle Lutheran)
With Thanksgiving less than a week away, some words of thanks tonight for those who spent last Friday night giving to two local schools:
Last Friday night, on 11-11-11, over 360 people gathered at Hope Lutheran and Seattle Lutheran High Schools to “Light up the Night” for the kids – and Light it up they did! Head auctioneer Graham Crow kept the bidding fast and furious as items ranging from signed Seattle Sounders gear to paradise vacations to handmade gifts were auctioned off. In addition, the schools’ fund-a-need for Smart Boards was met with tremendous generosity, and as a result every classroom will soon be equipped with this technology! Scholarship funds were also funded to help ensure that we can provide assistance to families that need it.
In the end, all the goals for the event were exceeded, and the community surrounding these kids shined brighter than ever. We want to thank everyone that contributed in some way to the event; parents, students, alumni, church members, business owners, etc. It was inspiring to see how everyone came together for the kids.
Thanks
Stephanie Jensen and Myrna Burnett
Hope Lutheran & Seattle Lutheran 2011 Auction Co-Chairs
5-8 pm tonight, it’s your first of three chances to browse and shop this year’s Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show. It’s at Fauntleroy Church, 9140 California SW; we dropped by a bit earlier this afternoon for a quick peek, and spotted the Fauntleroy Y Piecemakers – who are the only participants displaying their work, not selling it. Here’s the list of participants. If you can’t get there tonight, 11 am-3 pm tomorrow and 11 am-1 pm on Sunday.
(2008 WSB photo of the former Westwood Santa)
As reported here earlier this week, Westwood Village is changing the way the center does Santa Claus photos. They’re adding days and hours – Santa will be there daily starting right after Thanksgiving. But they’re also changing the procedure, and the person. They are now contracting with Arthur and Associates, a longtime Seattle-based Santa-photo business, which charges for photos – after Westwood Village, for years, offered photos for free, provided you made a food-bank donation. Arthur and Associates told WSB they had asked the longtime WV Santa to work for them this year, but he declined. Then, in WSB discussions, news emerged that the longtime Westwood Santa just might emerge someplace else, and many expressed interest. We finally got a chance to talk with him today – and we have confirmation of at least one place he plans to be:Read More
A few more follow-ups today, three days after the Drug Enforcement Administration searched more than a dozen medical-marijuana operations around Puget Sound, including GAME Collective, owned by a West Seattle man, with a location in West Seattle and a “lounge” in White Center. 
Last night, Thomas Bates from the U.S. Attorney’s Office was at the South Delridge-White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting. He said the regional operation mostly targeted medical-marijuana businesses “with multiple locations” that were suspected of “large-volume drug sales, money-laundering, and other operations.” While he did not address GAME Collective directly, he did mention that the “returns” from the search warrants had started to come in – those are the official documents showing what, if anything, law-enforcement officers found when they conducted the searches for which they had warrants We obtained the first two returns this afternoon. They are for two vehicles – one belonging to the GAME Collective’s owner, and one belonging to another West Seattle man listed in the original search-warrant documents as being associated with GAME. Though the search warrant empowers agents to seize anything found in a broad range of items listed, from drugs to money to recordkeeping books, the search warrant return for the 2007 Mercedes belonging to GAME Collctive’s owner says “no items seized.” For the other man’s 2010 Subaru Outback, the return document lists items seized as:Read More
Last Monday, we published an update on the 193-unit apartment project that’s now under construction at 26th/Dakota. Then that night, developer and architect representatives visited the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting to present their newest plan for undeveloped city right-of-way across the street that they see as a neighborhood mini-park with access to Longfellow Creek. They said they are hoping to create a “green, welcoming place” as an asset for not only residents of their building, but others who live in the area.
The design is above (see an expanded version here); they are asking for comments before they take it to the Seattle Design Commission for review, which is required since it is city right-of-way. (They are not seeking a street vacation, anticipating instead to have an annual permit for use of the area.)
The area connects to a stairway, and also has to provide access for city crews to change lights. Other than that, the project team hopes the improvements will “create some clarity for the space,” which currently isn’t even recognizable as potential public access. They’re suggesting a simple walkway topped with as-yet-undetermined material, “maybe even asphalt”; the dark green you see in the rendering is “grass-crete.” The project team says the trees they hope to plant are no taller than 15 feet, and the shrubbery would be below knee-level. They’re also working to have as little impact on west-side-of-the-street parking as possible. They are proposing a curb-bulb feature to help pedestrians and provide “traffic-calming.”
In addition to paying to create it, the project/ownership/management team (headed at this phase by Legacy Partners and Barrientos LLC) will be accountable for paying for the annual permit and maintenance. They are also extensively landscaping their side of the street (where dozens of pre-existing trees were taken out for the parking-garage excavation) in hopes of “trying to add a lot more lushness to the area,” as Hewitt Architects‘ Kris Snider told the NDNC meeting. If you have comments on the “mini-park,” send them to Steffenie Evans at Legacy Partners, sevans@legacypartners.com.
(As previously reported here, the project team also is gearing up for an extensive art-procurement process targeting local artists; here’s that story from earlier in the week.)
This story is still developing, but the victim’s family is sending a regional request for help in solving the attack: A developmentally disabled man is in the hospital with major injuries suffered last night – though no one is sure exactly what happened or where. He was found at his Burien home. Here are more details from our partner site White Center Now; our partners at the Seattle Times are covering it too.
This morning, WestSide Baby is receiving a 100,000-diaper donation from Huggies – we dropped by for photos just as the truck was getting unloaded. But that’s not the only big news at WS Baby: Executive director Nancy Woodland will serve as a founding board member of the brand-new National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN). It’s been launched “with a mission to raise awareness of diaper need and build the capacity of diaper banks,” according to the official announcement, which reminds us all of the problem:
Local families in poverty or crisis are unable to purchase an adequate supply of diapers to properly diaper their babies. At nearly $100 per month per child, families struggling to put food on the table or pay utilities must often choose between food and diapers. Because they are expensive and not covered by food stamps, diapers end up rationed or reused and babies suffer from diaper rash and other serious health issues.
Nancy says one in three American families falls into that category – so NDBN will create “a national network of community partners” to make sure there is a supply of diapers wherever needed to protect those children’s health. Huggies is the founding sponsor of NDBN and is currently on a cross-country “12 Days of Thanks” tour donating 12 million diapers in 12 cities (including Nancy’s childhood hometown, Detroit). Huggies has been donating diapers to WestSide Baby through its “Every Little Bottom” campaign.
But community donations still make up the lion’s share of what they provide to local families in need – and it’s not just diapers. So we asked WestSide Baby to please share its holiday-season wishlist on behalf of those families:
Winter Coats – all sizes
Newborn Diapers
Boy and Girl Pull-Ups : 4T-5T
Car Seats (Combinations seats from 20-80 lbs are most requested)
Hygiene Items (baby wash, diaper cream, lotion)
Baby Wipes
Warm Clothes: Sizes 5T-12
Socks and Underwear : new packagesAs always, we accept all diaper sizes but distribute the most 4’s, 5’s and 6’s!
Where and when can you donate, you ask? That information is on the left side of WestSide Baby’s home page. You can donate money, too – here’s how to do that online.
Thanks to Max for the photo looking out over downtown late last night. The clouds haven’t brought those rumored snowflakes so far, but the chance remains in the forecast. From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
WEST SEATTLE GARDEN CLUB: Monthly meeting, 10 AM to 2 PM at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor), 2615 SW Barton St., Building #1. Registration and social time first, then business and the morning study program at 10:30 AM, Julie Gramm will share a collection of Basket Weaving Projects made by her mother Barbara Gramm. Commentary on the design and horticulture exhibits will follow. Lunch is at noon, brown bag with dessert and beverage provided by the club. It will be “Coming up Roses” for the afternoon program at 1 PM, when “consulting rosarian” Margaret Harris shares her love of roses. She will also touch on “Shakespeare in the Garden”. Visitors are welcome. Donation $5.
AFTERNOON DANCE: Dance to the music of Lauren Petrie at Delridge Community Center, 1:30-3:30 pm
MENASHE AND SONS JEWELERS’ EVENING EVENT: Event at Menashe and Sons Jewelers (WSB sponsor) tonight. You’re invited into their Junction store (4532 California SW) in for hors d’oeuvres, bubbly, and Bakery Nouveau cake, 5-9 pm.
FAUNTLEROY ART/GIFT FAIR BEGINS: The 2011 Fauntleroy Fine Art & Holiday Gift Fair takes over Fellowship Hall at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California Avenue SW) for the weekend with something for everyone by West Seattle artists. 5-8 pm tonight (continuing tomorrow and Sunday); more details here.
STORYTELLING: Storytelling event at White Center Cultural Center (9421 18th Avenue SW), 5:30 pm, “Stories from a Filipino Life” with Chris Genese, an organizer with Washington Citizen Action Network.
TASTE SPANISH WINES: Bin 41 weekly wine tasting: Spanish wines from Frontaura y Victoria.
3 MORE CHANCES TO SEE ‘BEAN’: The original musical “Bean: The Musical Fruit” – for kids of all ages! – continues at 7 pm tonight, and 2 and 6 pm tomorrow, at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Come early to meet, and take photos with, the characters!
MUDPIES AND LULLABIES: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, 7904 35th Ave SW: (trio) lexicon presents — Mudpies and Lullabies: a guide to growing up. (trio) lexicon is a collaboration between Madeline and Richard Bersamina (vocalists) and Christina Bach (piano). Drawing on songs by Leonard Bernstein, Mozart, Mister Rogers and Sesame Street and poetry by Shel Silverstein and Lewis Carroll, this evening of singing and stories chronicles childhood and coming of age.
DONKEY BASKETBALL: Fundraiser tonight at West Seattle High School gym, 7 pm, adults $9/students $7, kids (K-6) $5. Teacher team vs. student team.
(October photo of Nickelsville, by Kevin McClintic)
On a cold morning, with possible snow showers looming, people are still sleeping outdoors all over the city – including more than 100 in the West Seattle encampment that calls itself Nickelsville. Nichole, the Active Living Director at Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights (WSB sponsor), says residents choose a community service project this time of year, and they’ve chosen to adopt Nickelsville, but they need YOUR help to really make it big. She is planning an event to gather donations – with collections starting immediately, and a “Stuff the Bus” day on December 3rd, 10 am-4 pm. She toured the encampment this week and has this list of needs so far:
Tarps
Tents
Firewood
Wool socks
Female hygiene supplies
Blankets
Camp Stoves
Propane for Camp Stoves
Canned food
Before the actual “stuff the bus” event, you can still drop off items 7 days a week, 8 am-8 pm. Nichole also hopes to put up a giving tree, so that on December 3rd, you can pick up a tag and bring back a gift. She says, “My residents are 100% behind this and very excited to have a project where they can make an impact on the homeless community.” She’s still collecting information about other needs at the camp, and we’ll add it when available. Merrill Gardens-Admiral Heights is at 2326 California SW.
2:05 AM: That’s the aftermath of the second of two car fires in two hours in eastern West Seattle tonight. There’s no official information on the two fires, not even whether they’re potentially related, but we do know that police and fire investigators were sent to both scenes. Our photo is from 28th/Brandon, an undeveloped street north of eastern High Point, where the burning car was found after midnight. About two hours earlier, another car fire was investigated at 18th and Myrtle, a mile and a half away (as this map shows). We hope to find out later this morning if arson is suspected in either or both.
9:37 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says their investigator determined both fires to be arson: “There are no witnesses and no suspects. It is under investigation whether the two car fires are related or not.”
2:48 PM UPDATE: More information just in from SFD’s Moore: The 18th/Myrtle fire involved a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee and did $6,500 in damage. The 28th/Brandon fire (as shown in our photo above) involved a 2005 BMW, with damage estimated at $16,000. Both fires are currently under investigation by SPD.
(Photo by Janet Sherwood)
This weekend, you just might see film crews out and about, as West Seattle’s Corwood Productions shoots its next production at six locations, including five in West Seattle, over the next three days. Here’s the official announcement:
Corwood Productions, creators behind the Seattle-based TV pilot “The Divine Marigolds,” is gearing up to shoot a new film, titled “All My Presidents,” Nov. 18-20th in West Seattle. All My Presidents is a short film created by West Seattle resident and executive producer Sarah Mackay as a tribute to her grandfather. All My Presidents is about a young boy who, after losing his father, grabs ahold of the only thing left, the ideology of US Presidents. The film is set in 1954 through 1992 and explores the coming of age in a political world and finding your own voice.
Nathan Gamble, the star of movies such as “Dolphin’s Tale,” “Dark Knight” and “Marley and Me,” lives in Washington State and will star in All My Presidents. “We are excited to have Nathan on board. It is a testament to our Northwest star talent giving back to the local film community,” says producer/actor Lisa Coronado. “We are focused on bringing heartfelt, creative films that break the mold and are of high production value with top notch talent and crew,” says producer/actor Alder Sherwood.
All My Presidents is directed by Connor Hair, co-produced by Lorraine Montez of Abundant Productions, co-produced by Jeremiah Kaynor of Corvus Eye Productions. Director of Photography is Ryan Purcell and Rick Walters is 1st AD. Also starring David Hogan, Riley Donahue, Brian Sutherland, and other Seattle talent.
Tomorrow’s filming is happening in the Lake Union area, but the five West Seattle location shoots are set for Saturday and Sunday, in and around Admiral-area homes on Saturday, and in the Holy Rosary and “south end of California” areas on Sunday. Of course the movie has its own Facebook page and Twitter account.
From tonight’s meeting of the Southwest Design Review Board: One project on the agenda, 3261 SW Avalon Way, six stories and about 120 units, not too far east of 35th (in the image above, that’s the not-entirely-finished 35th/Avalon building at right). This was the second Design Review meeting for the project, and the meeting concluded with the board recommending approval, with conditions. As was the case in the previous review, they are still concerned about the neighbors on either side (West Seattle Stadium is downslope on the south side), since the building is proposed to take up most of the lot; the only member of the public to speak at the meeting was a resident of a neighboring meeting, concerned about the proximity. Traffic challenges were mentioned too; the building is proposed for two parking entrances off Avalon, and will have about one space for each unit. The project site spans five lots, four of which currently hold single-family homes.
Though West Seattle artist Debbie Numoto is gone, her art lives on – and it’s back at Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) for the holiday season. Here’s the announcement from Illusions:
They’re Baaaaack!
Illusions is proud to announce that we are again featuring the “Snowman” artwork of West Seattle resident (the late) Debbie Dawn Numoto. Debbie was a long time client and friend of Illusions, and for over a decade she has been our featured artist on our art walls during the holiday season. Many knew her because of her many years of employment at NW Art and Frame.
Realizing that her artwork is one of the most highly anticipated showings each year, her family has graciously offered to loan us some of her favorite pieces and framed originals belonging to friends & family. These will not be for sale but will be featured for the public to come and view during regular business hours through the end of December. Fortunately her family has also provided a LIMITED number of her SIGNED prints from her collection available for $25 each.
If you never saw her work please stop by. If you have pieces hanging on your walls, this will be a great opportunity for one last time to admire the incredible life she gave to her many other paintings. Illusions has been honored to be able to showcase her paintings and are thankful for what Debbie has brought to our community as an artist and as a friend.
Ms. Numoto died of cancer three months ago at the age of just 49; here’s the obituary published on WSB.
For those concerned about the big cuts looming in the state budget, Su Docekal sends word of “West Seattle Neighbors Against the Budget Cuts” gathering this Saturday “to do flyering to let people in this neighborhood know about the inhuman cuts that are being proposed for the upcoming special legislative session and about the protests that they can participate in.” The gathering is at noon Saturday at Salvadorean Bakery, 1719 SW Roxbury. She says they are looking ahead to “Occupy the Capitol,” a week of protests planned November 28-December 2. She says the demand will be:
— Oppose all cuts to jobs, services and education!
— Restore services, jobs and benefits by taxing corporations and the rich!
— Pressure the federal government to end U.S. wars and redirect military spending to the states!
If you want to find out more, you can contact Su at sudocekal@comcast.net or 206-953-5601.
The newest forecasts say snow showers are likely somewhere in the metro area tonight and tomorrow morning … but exactly where, they’re not sure. One WSB’er on Twitter claims to have seen a few flakes in this afternoon’s rain, and the National Weather Service backs that up. Here’s their newest “special weather statement.” The city also has issued its traditional “we’re ready” statement. Let us know if things get flaky where you are. As for right now, going into the evening commute – we’ve got a bit of a cloudbreak, so your drive/ride home just might be OK!
| 5 COMMENTS