West Seattle, Washington
29 Tuesday
(Photo by Paul, added 9:45 pm)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:38 PM: Last night, Comet PanSTARRS was briefly visible in a gap between the clouds – and that might be the case again tonight, reports Alice Enevoldsen of Alice’s Astro Info fame and author of “Skies Over West Seattle” updates on WSB – so she’s planning to be on the south end of Lincoln Park at 8 pm. We’ll update if there’s a sighting! (And if you can’t join Alice at the park, the graphic in her March SOWS report shows you where to look.)
9:48 PM UPDATE: Sightings reported! First photo in is courtesy of Paul – added atop this story.
ADDED SUNDAY MORNING: Two photos from Alice’s husband Jason Gift Enevoldsen:
Jason reports that Alice couldn’t get to the beach so he led the comet-viewing there instead:
I took a couple scopes and some binoculars and set up at the south end of the beach again. There was soon a small crowd and we all enjoyed the significantly-improved views tonight – fewer clouds and steadier air (despite the wind). … Many of us were even able to make out the comet without optical aid. The effect was very similar to the second photo below near the top-center, sort of like a tiny speck of dust stuck to your glasses – difficult to see at first and fuzzy, but once you’ve spotted it, it was hard to ignore. I think we probably had about 15-20 people total who stopped by, all ages, and took a chance to view it. We had fun while it lasted; the clouds came in quickly around 8:45 pm, only about 10 minutes before the comet would have set behind the mountains anyway.
What about Sunday night? We’ll see how things look when sunset approaches!
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: If there’s a significant break in the clouds, Alice plans to be out at the south end of Lincoln Park beach around 7:45 tonight for comet- and Northern Lights-watching. You can also watch her Twitter account for updates.
Despite 22 years in Seattle, a lifelong love of parade, and a bit of Irish blood in the household, we’d never managed to make it downtown for the Seattle St. Patrick’s Day Parade until today. But when we heard two local bands would be marching, as well as other West Seattle participants, we couldn’t resist. Above, the West Seattle High School Marching Band – which was near the end of the parade lineup and right in front of the Seafair Pirates‘ cannon-detonating Moby Duck, so the students’ ears might be ringing a bit this afternoon. Next, the Denny International Middle School Marching Band:
Other West Seattleite sightings – the Seattle Police horses, who are based at Westcrest Park in Highland Park:
They were with a large SPD delegation – which also included the summertime-favorite Motorcycle Drill Team at the start of the parade, and, later, two SWAT vehicles:
Along with parade marchers, vehicles of all types were in the parade – even the West Coast Entertainment touring Segways from The Admiral District:
Other West Seattle sightings – County Councilmember Joe McDermott (waving) walked with the dignitaries toward the start of the parade:
Seafair Pirate Rusty Harper:
And the Comerford School of Irish Dance, which has classes at the VFW Hall in The Triangle, was there:
Who’d we miss? We did record the entire parade on video but at least where we were, a couple blocks north of the start, it was so stop-and-go that the video would require a lot of editing for continuous motion, but we can find other West Seattleites for a shout-out! We’ll probably add a few more photos later anyway. The parade, by the way, is sponsored by the Irish Heritage Club of Seattle.
Eight weeks from today – on Saturday, May 11th – it’s the ninth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, 
coordinated/presented again this year by WSB. Whether you’ll be selling or shopping, it’s always a great day to meet your neighbors and engage in what we like to think of as person-to-person recycling – not one big sale, but hundreds of sales all over the peninsula, big, small, and inbetween (you can browse past years’ coverage at westseattlegaragesale.com to see the highlights). Registration is NOT open yet – we plan to start on April 1st, and we’ll announce it here as well as in our other channels – the official WSCGSD website, the WSCGSD Facebook page (as well as the WSB FB page), and the WSB Twitter feed.. Don’t worry about missing your chance to register your sale, because we keep registration open for a couple weeks to make sure everybody gets the word. Sale day, again, is Saturday, May 11th, 9 am-3 pm – stay tuned for signup time!
(EDITOR’s NOTE: Embedded video window removed because of technical problem – please follow the first link in the story to see the video)
West Seattle’s own “Diver Laura” James shares the link to that report from PBS NewsHour earlier this week. Her work documenting underwater Puget Sound sights both beautiful and disturbing is featured along with something you might not have heard about the use of raingardens to intercept runoff pollution: The fact that techniques are being studied to find out more about how they work and how long they work. (Despite the labeling from PBS, the video clip is mostly about runoff, not raingardens.) Laura is now leading the tox-ick.org program to educate people about reducing runoff, not only via stormwater interception but in so many other ways, and she’ll again be part of the team when local advocates join The Whale Trail‘s next presentation, coming up March 28th (look for more details on that from TWT later this weekend).
The house at 20th SW/SW Cloverdale hit by gunfire last Saturday night was shot at again last night, according to police. From SPD Blotter:
The Gang Unit is investigating the second shooting in a week at a West Seattle home. This morning at approximately 1:32 am, officers were dispatched to a drive-by shooting at a house in the 2000 block of SW Cloverdale St. Upon arrival, they located damage from small caliber rounds in the outer wall of the house.
One bullet fragment was removed from the wall and placed into evidence. The only two people home at the time of the shooting were the parents of the family. There is no suspect information and there were no witnesses to the shooting. The residents of the house claim they have no idea as to why anyone would target their home. This is the second drive-by shooting at this house in a week.
Everyone at the scene tonight denied any gang affiliation, but the stairs leading to the front door were tagged with gang graffiti. There were no reported injuries. The Gang Unit responded and processed the scene.
Besides the two incidents involving that house, there’s been at least one other confirmed gunfire case in West Seattle this past week – as we reported last Monday morning, casings were found near 10th SW and SW Elmgrove after people heard shots. No injuries have been reported in any of these incidents.
Four weeks till spring break for Seattle Public Schools and others that follow their schedule – and it’ll feature a weeklong Sounders FC youth camp based at Delridge Playfield. The organization e-mailed us to help get the word out, as well as news of their three summer-camp weeks. Spring-break camp is April 15-19; summer camps are July 15-19, August 5-9, and August 26-30, described as “week-long training courses that are designed for the beginner to intermediate level player ages 4 – 15 years old,” with half-day/full-day programs. Details and registration info are on the Sounders’ website.
(Bald eagle amid the greenery; photo by Alki Pete, shared via WSB Flickr group)
A weekend full of greenery – in so many ways – begins. From (mostly) the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FREE FAMILY BOOTCAMP: 8 am at Jack Block Park with Jill – details here.
SOCCER! Up early? West Seattle Sunday Soccer also plays Saturday pickup games around 8 am at Delridge Playfield (4458 Delridge Way SW).
SEATTLE TILTH SPRING EDIBLE PLANT SALE: Not in West Seattle but not far – it’s at the Pacific Market Center garage in SODO/Georgetown, 9 am-3 pm. Details here.
RECESS MONKEY! They’re performing at High Point Community Center in West Seattle this morning as part of the Fabulous Family Fun series – details here.
CELTIC SWELL ST. PATRICK’S DAY WEEKEND: Music at noon and the pet-costume contest 2-4 pm (here’s our preview from when it was announced) – just part of the Alki establishment’s big slate you can see here.
LOCAL BANDS IN ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: Not in West Seattle, but the WSHS and Denny IMS Marching Bands are scheduled to join in, as is the Tony Comerford School of Irish Dance (which has classes in West Seattle) – the Seattle St. Patrick’s Day Parade, traveling northward on 4th Avenue South from Jefferson, 12:30 pm, map and details here, participants’ list here.
‘CIRQUE DU PATHFINDER’ AUCTION: 5 pm at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor)’s Brockey Center, the sold-out benefit for Pathfinder K-8 is happening tonight – here’s our preview story.
SHOREWOOD AUCTION: 5 pm at the school (10300 28th SW), tonight’s gala event – details here.
CORNED BEEF WITH THE EAGLES: It’s a St. Patrick’s Day weekend tradition and a benefit to fight MS – dinner with the West Seattle Eagles in The Junction, 5:30 pm, details here.
‘NEXT FALL’ AT ARTSWEST: It’s the first weekend for the Seattle premiere run of this Tony-nominated play continues tonight at 7:30 pm at ArtsWest in The Junction (4711 California SW). And it’s already gleaned a positive review from The Seattle Times (WSB partner).
NORTHWEST SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: Performing at 8 pm at West Seattle’s Holy Rosary Church, the NWSO’s “Spotlight on the Orchestra” includes “Entry of the Gods into Valhalla,” from Das Rheingold, one of the four operas that comprise Richard Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelungen” cycle. More info here; ticket info here.
‘CROSSING DELANCEY’: 8 pm at Kenyon Hall; this show is a special benefit for West Seattle synagogue Kol HaNeshamah. Ticket info here.
BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISER, NIGHT 2: Again tonight, the slate at the Benbow Room in The Admiral District (4210 SW Admiral Way) is an all-female lineup with half the proceeds going to fight breast cancer, including local favorites Daughters of the Dead Sea. Music starts at 9 pm.
BEARD BROTHERS AT THE FEEDBACK: An amazing array of classic rock is promised for tonight’s show by the Beard Brothers at Feedback Lounge (6451 California SW; WSB sponsor), 9:30 pm.
Lots more on the calendar – for today/tonight and beyond …
(Click picture for a larger image showing Comet PanSTARRS; photo by Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen)
10:29 PM: As also seen on her site Alice’s Astro Info, that photo shared by Alice Enevoldsen shows Comet PanSTARRS as it could be seen for a few minutes from West Seattle earlier this evening. Alice’s monthly “Skies Over West Seattle” report here on WSB shows its projected trajectory across the western sky this month – but of course the catch is that there has to be at least a patch of clear evening sky in the right place so it can be seen, and tonight, that happened.
4:05 PM: Alice and Jason processed an even-clearer image – see it here.
Another school benefit this weekend! Tomorrow night, it’s Pathfinder K-8‘s turn, with months of planning and volunteer work all coming together in one big event, as Ginny Woo explains:
“Cirque du Pathfinder Auction: An Evening of Love, Chaos, and Community” will take place Saturday evening, starting at 5:00 at the Jerry Brockey Center at SSCC. The money raised that night will go directly to supporting the students through our programs at our alternative public school, Pathfinder K-8, where children are engaged in expeditionary learning. Pathfinder educates students to become passionate, lifelong learners, respecting themselves, others and the environment.
In addition to wonderful donations from our families and West Seattle businesses and supporters, we will be auctioning off “Clan Art” made by the students at Pathfinder. Each classroom is named after an animal and referred to as a “clan.” These original works of art are a beautiful reminder of the collaboration and dedication the students, parents, and teachers at Pathfinder K-8 have to the arts, the environment, and each other. Mary Lane is our Auction Chair and a Pathfinder parent.
Ginny included photos; since we so often feature bird images on WSB, we’re sharing the one above. P.S. Auction tickets are sold out!
Another followup as the Delridge-repaving project moves from Phase 1 to Phase 2: SDOT announced today that the new southbound detour around the shifted work zone (Thistle to Trenton) is expected to take effect Wednesday (March 20th). We published a revised detour map in this story two nights ago.
Since Legacy Partners announced a year and a half ago that it was taking over an approved-but-dormant development site in North Delridge, the ~200-apartment project renamed Youngstown Flats has had art in the plan – ultimately, works by 14 local artists. What we believe to be the biggest piece was delivered today: A corten-steel sculpture titled Continuity II, by Whidbey Island artist Jan Hoy. It’s a centerpiece at the courtyard fronting 26th SW. The building itself is weeks from completion.
Two West Seattle biznotes to share:
PET ELEMENTS MOVING: The pet food/accessories shop south of Morgan Junction has outgrown its cozy corner location and has announced it’s moving. Only half a block north, though. While the shop’s announcement on Facebook didn’t identify which of the vacant storefronts to the north would be its new home, we confirmed with Pet Elements that they’re taking over the south part of the former Windermere space, immediately adjacent to Subway, in the 6500 block of California SW just south of Fauntleroy, across from West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). They’re hoping to move in early May. (As for the north section of the ex-Windermere space, we haven’t made direct contact yet, but Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker told us recently she’d learned an eye clinic is moving in.)
Biznote #2:
‘THREE LUCKY DAYS’: Today through Sunday, more than half a dozen businesses on the north side of The Junction – including J.F. Henry and Co., whose proprietor Tom Henry and son Drew Henry we photographed under their outdoor tent – are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day weekend with games, prizes, and coupons. The businesses are all located on California SW, from Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) southward to just north of Oregon – look for the green and yellow balloons; the full list is on the West Seattle Junction Association website, along with the coupon sheet.
Six years after Seattle Public Schools closed Fairmount Park Elementary (map), there’s news in what you DON’T see in that photo (shared by Deborah) – the old portables that had remained on the closed campus were demolished by district laborers following asbestos abatement by district maintenance,” district spokesperson Teresa Wippel confirms to WSB. She says they “had been vandalized and were beyond repair.” And this is also a sign that renovation and addition work on the Fairmount Park campus is getting closer. According to Wippel, the district will advertise for bids starting Monday, will open them in mid-April, and expects construction to start “sometime in mid-May. Construction activities will last until mid-July, 2014, with move-in immediately following.” The work includes a wing of new classrooms so that it would be able to handle to 500 students. The district has yet to announce whether it plans to reopen Fairmount Park as a neighborhood school or something else (such as home to K-5 STEM, which is in its first year of operation and temporarily housed at the Boren campus).
(Song sparrow at Lincoln Park; photo by Mark Ahlness, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
Five highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, where you’ll find even more of what’s up today/tonight:
WINE TASTING: 1-4 pm at Northwest Wine Academy on the South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) campus, 6000 16th SW, details in our calendar listing.
‘BOBCAT BOB’: The popular musician is back at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) tonight, 6-8 pm.
ON A ROLL: Alki Community Center‘s Friday night skate session runs 6:45-8:45 pm; details on the calendar.
‘NEXT FALL’ AT ARTSWEST: The first week of the Seattle premiere run of the Tony-nominated play continues tonight at 7:30 pm at ArtsWest in The Junction (4711 California SW).
BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISER: Tonight’s slate at the Benbow Room in The Admiral District (4210 SW Admiral Way) is an all-female lineup with half the proceeds going to fight breast cancer. Details here; music starts at 8:30 pm.
(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
6:07 AM: No classes today for Seattle Public Schools, so traffic might be a bit lighter if some parents are staying home as a result. No major closures this weekend, but here’s the roundup of events that might affect you in and around downtown today through Sunday.
6:24 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Paul for the pic – he reports a RapidRide bus is stuck on southbound California just south of Findlay:
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
One last time, motorcycles lined the street outside Alki Tavern on Thursday night. A sign set aside the parking just for them:
(Photo by Cami MacNamara)
A wider view shows how many had arrived even before sunset, for one last tribute:
(Photo by Russ Walker)
One last … taco:
(This photo and others below by Cami MacNamara)
With the tavern closing after Sunday night, it was one more tradition to say farewell to.
3 reader reports in this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup. First, from a Gatewood resident who didn’t want to be identified:
Second, we received a brief note from a Fairmount Park-area resident about a tire-slashing overnight, Wednesday into Thursday, in their driveway.
Next, we have two reports of suspicious behavior involving people in vehicles – Bill reported this from Lincoln Park:
Noticed a suspicious vehicle (dark Chevy SUV, tinted windows, license 723-Y–) pull up in front of a neighbor’s house and park (near 46th Ave SW near Monroe). It’s an odd, out-of-the-way place to park, unless you live in one of the houses or are visiting someone there. Male passenger got out and walked toward a mailbox, then returned to the car. He and female driver lingered around the car, then got back in and started to drive away. I was able to get the plate and, as a precaution, decided to call 911.
About an hour later, I got a call from an officer saying they had located the vehicle and briefly questioned them. They say the male passenger is a known burglar. While they couldn’t find any evidence a crime had occurred, they were appreciative of the call and encouraged me to spread the word to neighbors. The officer reiterated to call 911 every time you see suspicious activity like this. I didn’t get a good look at them, but the male appeared to be late-20’s, medium-build, caucasian with a shaved head. Female was also late-20’s caucasian.
And this one from an anonymous Seaview resident:
My neighbor reported a suspicious white panel van casing the 5400 block of 49th SW this afternoon just before 2:30 PM. She reported it to the police to advise them.
This is after a reported stolen car just off of Genesee Hill a few days ago. Our neighborhood has been fairly anxious because of the numerous reported burglaries recently.
This month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is just days away – next Tuesday, March 19th, at the Southwest Precinct. Graffiti is the featured topic, but all issues/questions are welcome.
Two scenes from The Junction during Thursday night’s West Seattle Art Walk – above, artist Michelle Salazar (left) at Wallflower Custom Framing (4735 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) with proprietor Courtney Sievertson. Wallflower is a fun stop on Art Walk night, not only because of the variety of artists showcased, but also because it’s a comfortable venue for the Art Walk reception-style experience, a sip, a snack, a chat with the artist … You can read about Michelle and her work here.
Not far away, at Click! Design That Fits (4540 California SW; WSB sponsor), metal/jewelry artist Sarah Loertscher was in the spotlight:
Click! shared the photo of Sarah, whose unique work is described here. It’ll be on display at Click! for two months, so if you missed Art Walk night, you can still view (and purchase!) the art – many of the participating venues keep the displays up all month.
Tonight, the first big Election 2013 event in West Seattle – King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s re-election campaign kickoff filled The Hall at Fauntleroy, where he kicked off his State House campaign 17 years ago. He was introduced by County Councilmembers Larry Gossett and Joe McDermott (Constantine starts speaking about 7 minutes into the video):
We’ll add a few more photos later. This year’s primary is August 6th, and the general election is November 5th.
ADDED: Some other sightings from the event – and what public records show about who’s running:
So beautiful tonight just before sunset – if you looked west, golden sunlight started to overtake the clouds, as a misty shower passed through, and looking northeast, you might have seen the view above, a rainbow over downtown along with the golden glow. Thanks to Stephen Bergenholtz for sharing the photo, taken outside Marination ma kai (WSB sponsor) at Seacrest. Might have a chance for sun/showers mix again in the days ahead, judging by the forecast.
SDOT has shared one of their trademark weekend-traffic heads-up notes most commonly seen in the summertime – because there’s a lot happening that might affect how you get around and through the heart of the city in the next three days. That includes Saturday’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown (with two local schools’ marching bands, as previously mentioned) and more – Read on for details:
Don’t know how many days ago this happened, but we just noticed it today while turning around in the SW Yancy dead-end adjacent to Longfellow Creek, across from Allstar Fitness – the asphalt-topped parking lot installed after an old industrial facility was torn down has been torn out. Now the lot is just dirt. Checking the city’s online file, repeated violation notices were issued because the parking lot (“more than 2,000 square feet of impervious surface”), the city says, was installed without a permit. The removal was done with a permit, which was “finaled” by a city inspector yesterday (and there also was a permit for last year’s demolition of the buildings on the site). There have been previous proposals for new commercial buildings on the site, but none appears to be active right now.
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Most business-fixture auctions are anti-climactic … days or weeks after the shutdown, with the business space a near-empty echo of its past. But Alki Tavern, ending its 38-year run this Sunday, decided not to do it that way. Tavern owner Gill McLynne (above) decided to auction off the memorabilia last night – in a raucous atmosphere among friends, with the tavern still open and rocking. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there. No surprise, it drew a crowd:
Adam Price served as auctioneer:
Any winning bid was cause for celebration – here’s Marshall Thomas to celebrate:
Ahead, some of what was bid on – no, not all beer signs!
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