July 2013

The Seafair Pirates will perform their annual invasion of Alki Beach today July 6 between 11:30am and 12:30pm depending on the tide.

Massive crowds attend this event which actually opens at 9:30am with vendors, music and more lining the Alki Beach Promenade near the Alki Bathhouse at 1702 Alki Ave. SW. Bring your camera and in the afternoon kids who dress up like pirates can win prizes in a look-alike contest. It's also the start of West Seattle's annual Hi-Yu Summer Festival. Hi-Yu is a non-profit organization, established in 1934 by West Seattle's service clubs to produce a summer festival to promote the West Seattle Community.

The annual Hi-Yu Summer Festival is held the third week of July. Dozens of events occur throughout the neighborhood during this week. The kick-off event is the Pirates Landing, and it finishes over a week later with the Miss West Seattle Hi-Yu Scholarship Program.

Here's how the Pirates themselves put it:

Information from King County

On Wednesday, July 3, crews will remove a section of steel sheet piles at the Barton Pump Station.

Removing the piles requires the use of a vibrating hammer, which is likely to increase levels of noise and vibration. The crew will be closely monitoring vibration levels to minimize disruption and protect against property damage.

The pile removal is expected to be completed by 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 3.

Crews will need to drive additional piles in the near future. King County will notify the community prior to the upcoming pile driving work.

What to expect

· Increased noise and vibration around the project site
· Flagger to continue moving traffic through site and in and out of the ferry terminal entrance
· Heavy equipment on site
· Work hours typically 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday
· No work to be performed Thursday, July 4 or Friday, July 5
· There will be no lane closures during this work

The West Seattle Grand Parade will be held on Saturday, July 20 starting at 11:00 AM. It will be preceeded by the 2nd annual Float Dodger 5K run, and the Kiddies Parade. The West Seattle Grand Parade's sponsors this year are the West Seattle American Legion Post 160, the West Seattle Y, and Sound Ad Group.

Along with the usual pagentry of local courts from throughout Puget Sound, and the antics of the Seattle Seafair Pirates, Seattle Seafair Clowns, Lake City Vigallantes, and the Keystone Kops, we also have our great bands of the Seattle Schools All-City Marching Band, Kennedy High School Marching Band and the Calgary Stampede Marching Band.

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Not everyone is attuned to the feelings and sensibilities of others. It takes a person who has learned to read cues and signals from other humans to be able to feel empathy. Since I was the youngest in a large family I witnessed lots of interactions between my siblings and it gave me a real insight into behavior. I suspect that is why I chose counseling as the focus of my career in education.

Often I have to keep what I notice about the non-verbal behavior of others to myself because if I chose to speak about it, it might be denied. As a person who is outspoken at times I am thought to have a rather thick skin. But that is not the case.

I have such a radar equipped personality that I often hurt inside with what I am able to take in from my environment.

Volunteer Intro Session -- Saturday morning, July 13, 2013

11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 13, 2013
Log House Museum, 3003 61st Ave. S.W., one block from Alki Beach

Got time to volunteer? The Southwest Seattle Historical Society needs you! Like to interact with people? Fix computers? Update databases? Make small repairs? Transcribe interviews? Shoot and edit videos and still photos? Plan events? Get a glimpse of our community?s past?

Whether you have lived here one year or 50, come learn about how to turn your desires and skills into meaningful tasks that will help preserve and promote the heritage of West Seattle and the greater Duwamish peninsula. Here's a way to look to the future by helping others explore West Seattle's past. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which operates the Log House Museum, offers this introduction to volunteering, led by Clay Eals, executive director. It will include a brief primer on West Seattle history. The museum is one block from Alki Beach, at 61st and Stevens. More info: 206-938-5293, loghousemuseum.info.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206-937-7169

The West Seattle route of the King County Water Taxi will operate on a Sunday schedule for the 4th of July. We resume our normally scheduled service on Friday, July 5. Please note that we are running an extended schedule on Wednesday, July 3, for the Seattle Sounders soccer match.

See our website for schedule information.

By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

Both West Seattle Little League teams opened on the right foot at the District 7 all-star tournaments the charter is hosting at the Bar-S fields above Alki Point this week.

West Seattle slammed Renton, 19-6, in its Sunday age 9-10 opener and the Majors age 11-12 team outlasted Renton in a 13-12 slugfest -- also on Sunday.

Both teams received first round byes for Saturday.

Henry Muench hit two home runs and a double for the West Seattle Majors in their win and Jaden Sadis hit a key three-run triple for the West Seattle age 9-10 team.

With the Sunday victories both teams advance to their respective winner's bracket finals at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The age 9-10 team will play on Bar-S field one and the Majors team on field two.

The Majors are playing the PacWest team from Burien and SeaTac and the age 9-10 squad plays South Highline National from Normandy Park.

Wednesday's winners go straight to championship play starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. The if-necessary championship for the double-elimination tournament or tournaments would take place at 1 p.m.

From City of Seattle

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning for Seattle and surrounding communities until 11 p.m. Monday evening. In response, the City of Seattle is offering services and information to help members of the public deal with the heat wave.

"Hot weather isn't frequent in Seattle, so it's important that we make sure we're enjoying it safely," said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. "Please take a moment to check on your elderly neighbors and relatives to make sure they are staying cool."

Many homes in Seattle are not equipped with air conditioning and may get very hot during the day. The City offers many locations for you to cool down when the temperatures start to rise. Visit 18 of the City's libraries, senior centers or Seattle Center facilities for some relief to today's record-breaking heat. See the lists below.

ArtsWest Theater's Apprenticeship Program's production of CHESS, presented July 17-27 is featuring a unique contest offering. To win two season tickets you must figure out where their "Queen" is, which they say is a person, location or thing, and take a photo of yourself with said Queen, and post it to the Theater's Facebook page. They'll post daily clues and the first right entry wins.

Here's the first clue:

FIND The QUEEN!! CLUE #1!!
"Somewhere in West Seattle I reside. It's up to you to find where I hide - let the CHESS match begin!

CHESS

By Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice

Directed by Christopher Zinovitch

Music Direction by Julia Thornton

Choreography by Bo Mellinger