West Seattle, Washington
06 Monday
That’s the Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band last night at The Kenney‘s annual barbecue – tonight, you can see and hear them at Providence Mount St. Vincent in the first of four Summer Outdoor Concerts at The Mount. (Bring a sweater, it’ll be fun.) Then make music with us and a few hundred of your closest friends tomorrow night in the courtyard next to Hotwire Coffee (which, like The Mount’s event, is a WSB sponsor):
Singing along to those five famous notes from “Close Encounters to the Third Kind” (practice up!) is part of the preshow fun before CE3K takes the big screen at tomorrow night’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall. And if you’d rather have fun indoors – here’s a highlight tonight:
That’s Manooghi Hi, playing Admiral Theater tonight, as part of a double bill that includes a movie, too. Also on tap – though it’s in South Park, the Duwamish River Festival tomorrow is all about the body of water on West Seattle’s eastern border, so be there … these are among more than four dozen events ahead in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … here goes!Read More
It’s big, it’s bold, it’s brassy, it’s a classic, and it’s playing in West Seattle the next three weekends: “The Music Man,” presented by Twelfth Night Productions at West Seattle High School Theater. Twelfth Night is returning as a WSB sponsor to get the word out; here’s the official news release about the show:
Twelfth Night Productions (TNP) is pleased to announce its next offering, Meredith Willson’s ode to Americana, The Music Man, an affectionate tribute to small town USA of a bygone era. The Music Man follows a fast talking traveling sales man, Harold Hill as he cons the people of River City Iowa into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band he vows to organize. This despite the fact that he doesn’t know a trombone from a treble clef. His plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when he falls for Marian the librarian, who transforms him into a respectable citizen by curtain’s fall.
TNP is excited to partner with the All City Band for this cherished musical. Expect surprises, laughter, fun and an old fashioned good time this summer as Twelfth Night Productions presents The Music Man. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the All City Band.
TNP is a non-profit performing arts organization located at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. This production features several artists from the West Seattle community as well as the greater Seattle area.
The Music Man runs in a special limited engagement at the West Seattle High School, 3000 CALIFORNIA AV SW. Show times are: August 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22 at 7:30 PM, with matinees at 3 PM on August 9, 16 and 23. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students & seniors, and are available through Brown Paper Tickets (www.brownpapertickets.com), and at West Seattle High School two hours before each performance.
Tonight’s hot-ticket (but still free) special offering: Face painting. As Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Katy Walum explained as the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series she spearheaded made its debut last month, they procured grants to offer facepainting twice during the series; tonight was #1, and artist Lynn from Wild Smiles Face Painting estimates she had up to 40 takers. That would be about one of every five showgoers, by our estimate of the crowd peaking at 200:
No video – technical difficulties with our camera – but we did get pix of the acts on the double bill, Cajun/Zydeco specialists Swamp Soul (find out more about them here):
… and Neil Young tribute specialists Ragged Glory (find out more about them here).
Next week is the fourth of six Thursday night shows (all listed here), free of charge thanks to a big team of sponsors (all listed here) including WSB, and you’ll see and hear the Elizabeth Carpenter Trio that night on the Hiawatha east lawn.
“DOG DAYS OF SUMMER”: Michele at West Seattle Thriftway just sent word that CityDog Magazine is coming back for its next cover-dog search, Sunday, August 16th – last year, the winner was one of the dogs “discovered” at WST, Cohen (left)! This is part of the store’s “Dog Days of Summer” promotion, including barbecues the next four Saturdays to raise money for local animal-advocacy groups. Plus, on cover-dog-search day 8/16, as well as the following Sunday 8/23, the Humane Society’s MaxMobile will be at Thriftway with adoptable pets.
HIAWATHA CONCERT TONIGHT: One more reminder, two acts for the price of one – actually there’s no price, because it’s free! – at tonight’s Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show: Neil Young tribute band Ragged Glory and Cajun/Zydeco band Swamp Soul. It’ll be chillier than last week but the forecast still calls for the sun coming out before showtime, 6:30 pm, east lawn of Hiawatha.
AND MORE OUTDOOR ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY/SATURDAY: Same basic forecast – cooler than usual – for those nights, but don’t let that keep you inside: Friday night is the first Summer Concerts at The Mount (WSB sponsor) show (also free), with the Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band (gates open at 5, music at 6) and Saturday night is the next West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall screening, with the ’70s classic “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (so many scenes in that one are perfect for the big screen), ALSO free, gates open at 7, movie at dusk, courtyard by Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor).
CROSS-BAY PIE WAR: Our friends at fellow independent neighborhood-news site Magnolia Voice are thinking a Magnolia-vs.-West Seattle pie war might just be in the works. Here’s why.
COOKING WITH CLASS: (added shortly after we first posted this roundup) Just got the news that registration is open for Cooking With Class, the annual event at Salty’s on Alki that’s a nonprofit fundraiser, a cooking class and a gourmet food/wine dinner all in one. It’s set for September 15. Full details here.
Add another festival to the August calendar, which already has the Duwamish River Festival this Saturday and Arts in Nature Festival at Camp Long (August 22-23). From just south of the city/county line, we received this invitation to share with all WSB’ers – we’ve of course published it on partner site White Center Now, too, but West Seattleites get a special shoutout:
Hello Friends of the West Seattle Blog:
My name is Frank Cantwell, and I am the Principal of Holy Family Parish School located at the intersection of 20th and Roxbury in White Center. I would like to invite you to “El Carnaval” that we are holding on August 29 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and August 30 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) 2009. We are planning to close 20th Street from Roxbury for one block between the Parish and the School, and open this area to the entire community for an opportunity to meet our neighbors. We plan to have bands, a variety of food, and a beer garden. We will have our school open to everyone. We are also planning to have lots of fun and games for the children.
Holy Family Parish School has a rich history, having served the White Center community for over 80 years. We are a very diverse community and we are welcoming everyone to come together to have a lot of fun. We would love to see the entire West Seattle community come together to meet each other and have fun.
Thank You, Frank Cantwell
It’s on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar now too.
Looks like late-in-the-day sunshine tomorrow for the third of six Summer Concerts at Hiawatha, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association (with more than 20 sponsors – all listed here – including WSB). The group in the clip above Neil Young tribute band Ragged Glory, is on a double bill with Cajun/Zydeco musicians Swamp Soul (shown in the 2007 clip above). Special feature tomorrow night: Face-painting for kids! 6:30 pm on the Hiawatha east lawn, b/y/o chairs/blankets.
Thanks to Dina Johnson for sharing that Night Out photo from the 9000 block of 12th SW – she says some 13th SW neighbors joined in, too, and that the party had live music – piano and drums – adding:
The singer/piano player’s name is Danny (in gray tee), we’re posing in front of his house. Red-haired guy in green shirt is the drummer. Thanks for the entertainment! Samantha Updegrave (at left) is holding her 8 week old baby, Blair Johnson is to her left, I’m at lower right in African print shirt. Marie Figgins, blonde at lower left is holding her blonde son Lincoln. The older gentleman at upper right is a good dancer. In the purple tee is a UW student majoring in bioengineering.
We had two people roaming West Seattle to drop in on some of the peninsula’s 250+ Night Out block parties; our first report included photos and video primarily from the north half of the peninsula, where we published notes as the night unfolded; now, here are pix from our other stops. Like Fauntleroy, where Gary Dawson invited us to the SW Henderson celebration just east of Fauntleroy Way:
Near Gatewood Elementary, we met the neighbors of quiet Sylvan Lane (thanks to Hilary for the invite here):
Uphill in Gatewood, Engine 37 made a post-dusk visit to the 39th/Elmgrove vicinity:
Thanks to Mark Ahlness for sharing that photo. In nearby Westwood, there were games aplenty at 32nd/Thistle, like bean-bag toss:
Kelly had alerted us her block party would have “a lawn/street game triathlon (croquet, bean-bag toss, and ladder golf), chalkboard pictionary, and a potluck (serving Ube and Mexican chocolate ice cream from Full Tilt).” Enticing eats in many places on Night Out – even sushi on 26th SW in North Delridge:
Thanks to Gary for telling us about that party, which he explained was either the first-ever two-block party in that area, or the first in a long while! Side note: Night Out celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, according to this online history. If you want to get a jump on next year, and help keep your neighborhood safer all year round, one thing you can do now is make sure you have a Block Watch – here’s more info on the program.
Thanks to Tony for sharing the news of a big event happening at High Point’s Commons Park right now – hundreds of people gathered for a resource fair and family fun (note the bouncy house!), to be followed at 6 pm by a community barbecue and Night Out celebration – beautiful afternoon to be out in the not-too-hot-now sunshine. (And remember the High Point Market Garden opens shortly, 4:30-7 pm at 32nd/Juneau.)
After most (but not all! Arts in Nature, for one, is still to come) of the festivals are over, August is a time for subtler summer fun. Two “garden parties” are coming up to raise money for major local organizations:
SENIOR CENTER OF WEST SEATTLE: Carol Johnston from the Senior Center shares word of “A Sunset Patio Party” that lifelong West Seattleite Florabelle Key is hosting at her Morgan Junction apartment at 7 pm next Monday (August 10th). Carol says, “The beautiful gardens with its flower garden and candles and many patio tables and chairs will be filled while guests enjoy appetizers and assorted desserts while being serenaded by The Ukes, a ukulele group. Donation is $8 and guests may bring their own spirits. Paid reservations can be made at the Senior Center and info (is available) by calling 206-932-4044, ext. 3.”
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Days before the primary-election votes are counted, West Seattle’s biggest political group will gather for its biggest fundraiser of the year, the Garden Party, 6 pm August 14 at West Seattle Nursery. Emcee this year is Gatewood’s own New York Vinnie. Lots more info here.
Not everyone is taking August off. For example – consider the two troupes of ArtsWest Summer Musical Adventure Theater Campers who are getting ready to put on a show for you: Young performers 8-12 years old, staging “A Year with Frog and Toad, Kids” tomorrow through Sunday. There are two groups – “FROG Group” will perform at 7:30 Wednesday and Friday and 3 pm Saturday; “TOAD Group” puts on the show at 7:30 Thursday and Saturday and 3 pm Sunday. Read about the show on ArtsWest’s website; you can buy tickets online.
From a Mercer Island gig last fall, that’s Swamp Soul, the Cajun/Zydeco band that’s on a double bill with Neil Young tribute band Ragged Glory at this Thursday night’s Admiral Neighborhood Association-presented Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show. Third one so far and both have drawn hundreds – it’s a big lawn, though, so plenty of room, even if you can’t get there till the last minute. 6:30 pm, east lawn of Hiawatha Community Center. Then on Friday night, Providence Mount St. Vincent starts its four-week Summer Concerts at The Mount series, and has rejoined WSB as a sponsor to promote the shows, which also are free. First up, this Friday, it’s the Duwamish Dixieland Jazz Band, seen here in a June performance:
The DDJB opened last year’s Summer Concerts at The Mount, too. Food goes on sale (as does beer/wine) at 5 pm, music at 6; special activities will be available for kids, too. Go here for the full schedule of the four-week series at The Mount, and here for the full schedule of the remaining four weeks of the six-week series at Hiawatha. (Bring your own chair/blanket for both.)
Thinking of a garage/yard sale, but no room at your house, not sure you want to advertise your address, etc.? Here’s an option: Jolene Williams sends word that the 1st annual Duwamish Community Garage Sale is set for Saturday, August 15th, and you’re invited to come “sell your stuff and make some extra money!” Spaces are free, first come/first serve; 10 percent of sales will go to the Duwamish Tribe Legal Fund (they’re fighting for federal recognition in Congress and in court). On sale day, tribal chair Cecile Hansen‘s famous fry bread will be available, as will the tribe’s legendary salmon lunch. 9 am-6 pm August 15th, Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center in West Seattle (4705 West Marginal Way SW; map); questions? Call 206-431-1582.
We’ll add video later, but in the short run, that photo should give you an idea of the exuberant preshow fun at tonight’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall event, before the crowd hooted and hollered their way through the ’80s classic “Footloose.” In the back of the photo, by the speaker, that’s Jackie Helton from Fusion Studio (WSB sponsor), and her fellow “go-go dancers” — boots and all! — were the crew from one of tonight’s sponsors, The Body Bar in The Junction (which also offered chair massages before the movie, while another sponsor, Stella Ruffington’s, handed out dog treats). [Here’s our video, added Sunday morning – note the young moviegoers joining in, about a minute into the clip]
As with “Princess Bride” two weeks ago (last week was an anomaly, with a last-minute movie change, and a sudden shower forcing moviegoers to the nearby indoor backup at West Seattle Christian), the courtyard was jampacked. Next week, it’s a big-screen journey back into the ’70s, for “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”:
Every series co-sponsor got to pick a particular movie to attach themselves to, and this one is “ours” – preshow activities include tinfoil-hat-making and a crowd singalong to the famous five-note theme. Doors open 7 pm – b/y/o chair and/or blanket – the preshow fun will start at or shortly before 8:30, with the movie at dusk.
That’s “The Bee Keeper’s Yard” at 6750 35th SW – one of 10 stops on the West Seattle Edible Garden Tour, free and self-guided, happening till 4 this afternoon. Those boxes you see are for the bees – no, they don’t live in the iconic conical “hives.” Beekeeper and gardener here is Brian Allen:
You may also know Brian as secretary of Sustainable West Seattle. Visit his garden and any or all of the 9 others till 4 pm today – find the addresses and a downloadable map at ediblewestseattle.org.
Tomorrow’s the day for a new West Seattle tradition, in its second year – the Edible Garden Tour (free!) presented by 
Community Harvest of Southwest Seattle. And of course it’s Seafair weekend, which means Blue Angels sightings, bridge closures, etc. … West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall gets “Footloose” on Saturday night … help clear off a park-like section of land on Saturday morning with St. John’s Episcopal Church (one of several work parties you can join that day) … And on street-food watch, note that Skillet is NOT scheduled for The Junction this Sunday, but Marination Mobile will be back at High Point on Saturday … more than four dozen events, ahead in this edition of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club … here goes!Read More
Young concertgoers are getting free treat samples at the PCC Kid Picks van, here on the east lawn of Hiawatha, where the second show in the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series is about to get under way. We’re tabling tonight along next to the ANA’s team, steps away from Kid Picks (PCC is a co-sponsor of the series, as is WSB), and the temperature is INCREDIBLY pleasant. All caps because it is such a relief after all that heat. It’s probably in the 70s back here. Tom Colwell and the Southbound Odyssey are playing tonight (folk classics and more) – he was just introduced as “having first picked up a guitar in 1957” and still going strong. Here’s ANA president Mark Wainwright saying a few words to the crowd (that’s Colwell in the background at right):
Admission’s free – bring your own chair, blanket, food and beverages, this’ll be continuing till 8 or so. 6:51 PM NOTE: Adding a few more photos, a couple songs into the show – after a couple folk classics, they’re playing an Eagles song. Tonight’s theme: “Songs for the Journey.” We’d estimate at least 150 people here. Still lots of room on the grass – it’s a big lawn! 7:46 PM UPDATE: The band just resumed after a short break – they are likely to be playing till 8:30 if you’re still thinking about coming down:
By the mid-show break, the crowd had grown to about 200. Wide-ranging music selection – including “Circle of Life” from “Lion King,” the folk classic “Guantanamera,” and now “Ramblin’ Man.” We’ll add some video later. Four more concerts in the series, and next week, there are two groups – Swamp Soul, with Cajun/Zydeco music, and Ragged Glory, a Neil Young tribute band. The full schedule, and more information about Admiral Neighborhood Association, is all here. ADDED 11:44 PM: Video of one of the band’s songs from tonight’s show – shot wide so you can see the family fun in front of the stage:
Last time that world-renowned group performed at West Seattle Christian Church, they drew a capacity crowd, and Pastor Dan Jacobs says some would-be concertgoers even had to be turned away. So we’re giving you advance notice – mark your calendar for the African Children’s Choir‘s return to West Seattle, 7 pm August 25 in the new WSCC Activity Center (4400 42nd SW; map). Free admission, but an offering will be taken to support the group. According to the ACC’s website, the children who will be touring next month are from Kenya and Uganda. Questions? Pastor Jacobs can be reached at 932-2098, extension 102.
Hard to believe three weeks have passed since West Seattle Summer Fest. But the West Seattle Junction Association’s not letting any moss grow under its feet. (Not that this is moss-growing weather anyway.) Executive director Susan Melrose says local merchants are making plans for the “Big Bonanza” Junction-wide sale on Saturday, August 22nd, 
with special sales and events to entice you to spend the day in the heart of West Seattle – more details to come. That’s less than a month before a big event already announced for The Junction – the second annual West Seattle Junction Car Show (with co-sponsors including WSB). Michael Hoffman from Liberty Bell Printing, who’s organizing the show again this year, just sent around a sneak peek at its hot-off-the-drawing-board official poster (shown at left). As reported here earlier this year, the car show will have “the same footprint as Summer Fest” this year, in terms of street closure – so September 20, 8 am-4 pm, will be one big day of closed-road, wander-around fun in The Junction. Want to register a car to be part of the show? Go here to get the scoop – note the first prerequisite is “pre-1975 cars and trucks.” More info at the official website, wsjunctioncarshow.com.
THURSDAY NIGHT TUNES: The second show in the Admiral Neighborhood Association’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series (co-sponsored by WSB) is tomorrow night, 6:30 pm, east lawn outside Hiawatha Community Center. That spot gets shady hours earlier because of the building and the trees. Tomorrow’s performers: Tom Colwell and the Southbound Odyssey, a smash hit during the Pete Seeger 90th birthday event at Admiral Theater earlier this year. Speaking of The Admiral:
AIR-CONDITIONED MUSIC FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT: Admiral Theater has live music both nights: Troupe de Ville with Steve Thoreson (“a voice more powerful than Pavarotti”), Eric Fridrich (“soulful”) and Segovia-trained Italian guitarist Andre Feriante at 9 pm Friday (tickets here), Billet-Deux “gypsy jazz” at 9 pm Saturday (tickets here). And outdoors, to the south, that very night, you can get “Footloose.”
SATURDAY NIGHT “MOVIE ON THE WALL”: Doesn’t seem right now like much chance that last Saturday night’s semi-freak rainburst will be replicated (although it’s great to have the backup indoor site nearby). So plan on being in the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard for the West Seattle Outdoor Movies on the Wall presentation of”Footloose” at dusk Saturday, with preshow activities (go-go dancers!) around 8:30 pm. Free, but bring a few dollars for concessions provided by West Seattle Christian and Coffee to a Tea with Sugar, and raffles for local merchant gift certificates, all benefiting local nonprofits. Gates open at 7:00 pm with pre-show fun starting at 8:30 pm. 4400 California Ave SW (map).
UPDATE: 2:17p, Thursday 7/30 – The registration period has been extended to Monday, August 3 at 9:00 AM.
We’ve mentioned it at the end of many recent crime reports, but now that the deadline’s just days away, this deserves its own mention: Night Out is a week from tomorrow — Tuesday, August 4 — and if you want to close off your (non-arterial) street for a neighborhood party, you need to register with SPD by THIS FRIDAY. Go here to sign up; once you’re signed up, go here to get printable signs, neighborhood letters, and info on firefighters’ neighborhood visits. (And if you wouldn’t mind having WSB visit your block party, please e-mail us the address and who to ask for – editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – it was great to be able to chronicle the night last year, and this year we’re hoping to feature even more scenes from West Seattle’s Night Out.)
ALKI ART FAIR, DAY 2: 10 am-5 pm on the promenade. Here are a few scenes from Day 1.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. Here’s the “Ripe ‘n’ Ready” list.
FREE SUNDAY YOGA: 11 am-12:15 pm at SoundYoga (WSB sponsor).
AUTHOR EVENT AT CAPERS: Judy Lane and Robert Maughan will read from and sign their new book Keiko & the Crow, noon-2 pm.
HIGHLAND PARK COMMUNITY BARBECUE AND KICKBALL: 2-6 pm, Highland Park playfield, presented by Highland Park Improvement Club.
That’s just part of it – the full Sunday slate is in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.
(Seafair Pirates passing City Hall – without invading it! – parade-bound at 5 pm)
If you’re thinking about going downtown for the Seafair Torchlight Parade, better hurry. We drove most of 4th Avenue from Westlake south and curbside space doesn’t open up till City Hall at 4th/James. You can of course watch on TV (channel 7, 7:30 pm) or online (kirotv.com). Remember that The Viaduct closes its northbound lanes approximately 5:30-7:30 pm for the Torchlight Run, which precedes the parade; 5:30 is also when 4th Avenue closes, according to the citywide weekend-events traffic alert, and that’s from Seattle Center all the way to the International District, where the parade ends. We’ve learned of at least one more West Seattleite in the parade — Delridge resident Lisa Keith‘s son Zachary is one of the winners of a Boeing contest to choose kids to ride their bikes in the parade, pulling wooden hydros (which they had to build) like kids did way back when (Seafair is celebrating its 60th anniversary and that means extra nostalgia). The major West Seattle representation comes from the Hi-Yu float, royalty and accompanying volunteers; it’s fairly high up in the parade order this year, according to the lineup published on KIRO’s website. And of course there are West Seattleites in the Seafair Pirates, Seafair Commodores and Seafair Clowns organizations. West Seattle has two reps in the Miss Seafair competition pre-parade, as we noted here on Friday; and the mayor plans to ride in the parade this year, so there’s another well-known West Seattleite. We’ll be taking pix of the West Seattle parade participants to publish later (and we’ll add the Miss Seafair winner to this post – unless it’s a West Seattleite, in which case we’ll publish something separate)! Meantime, we’re staked out watching parade participants head toward the start of the route – the photo above shows the Pirates going by a few minutes ago; the Chinese Community Girls Drill Team passed just before them, in their yellow school bus. Again, whether you’re watching in person or at home, here’s the published parade order. 7:48 PM UPDATE: Jacqueline Saarenas was just chosen Miss Seafair – she’s a Seattle University student representing the Seattle Filipino Community.
Not only does every picture tell a story, every artist tells a story. June Anderson Evanoff is one of the painters exhibiting/selling at this weekend’s Alki Art Fair, and she can tell you about the work she has at the Smithsonian — a demonstration painting she was creating on the Mall in Washington, D.C., during the Bicentennial celebration in 1976, on behalf of the Swedish-American community. She lives on Mercer Island and what you see behind her in our photo is just some of her work – she’s set up just east of the Statue of Liberty Plaza. (By the way, the Smithsonian has a West Seattle link – Patty Stonesifer, who lives part of the time in West Seattle with writer husband Michael Kinsley, chairs its board.) A little further west, you’ll find Amanda Askren and her bags:
She says she’s been told she’s the only person selling tote/handbags at the fair this year (we didn’t see any others, but forgive us if we missed someone). The one behind her is just one of many brightly printed bags she’s selling for $35, along with other items such as cardholders for $5. And just west of the last (or first, if you’re walking east) booth, around 64th, we found this sign:
It’s not an official part of the fair, but Joy Anderson, who’s continuing to pursue a legal challenge to the closure of Cooper Elementary (where the district is moving Pathfinder K-8), is tabling with kids’ crafts and free drinks, plus a donation jar for their legal fund. Meantime, as for the official part of the fair, there’s entertainment in the Bathhouse area – and it all continues till 7 tonight, and again 10 am-5 pm tomorrow.
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