May 2024

By Tim Clinton

SPORTS EDITOR

High schools

Baseball

West Seattle battles Ballard with the Metro League playoff championship on the line at 7 p.m. Saturday at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center.

Boys soccer

Ballard also made the Metro League playoff championship in boys soccer, playing Seattle Prep in a 7 p.m. Friday match at Seattle Memorial.

Softball

The Metro League tournament continues Friday, with West Seattle playing Seattle Prep and Ballard taking on Garfield in 3:30 p.m. games at the Southwest Athletic Complex.

Kennedy Catholic hosts Mount Rainier for a 3:15 p.m. Friday regular season finale at Valley Ridge.

Pros

Mariners

Long associated with West Seattle and it's own history, Vicki Schmitz Block shared something with Westside Seattle that predates even her family's history here.

It's a Glacial Erratic excavated from under the Third Runway at SeaTac.  She said, "It was installed in front of my house by the sidewalk for 20 years.  
I had the Port of Seattle remove it and keep it until it can be installed in the Jack Block Park."

Workers from Gary Merlino Construction unearthed the rock which geologists said is at least 250 million years old. It was put up for auction and Vicki bought it for $600. It was later delivered to her home on Fauntleroy near the ferry docks. She has since moved and the rock is now destined to be installed at Jack Block Park in West Seattle.

There is no current timeline on the move or plan as to exact location but that's the intention and wish of Vicki who was married to the park's namesake Jack Block for nearly 18 years.

This year’s Muse Fest: The Power of Women’s Voices music festival will be presented during the May 9 Second Thursday West Seattle Art Walk. It features female musicians exclusively who will perform at 11 different West Seattle venues from 6 to 7:45 pm (with a 15-minute break at the midpoint). Muse Fest is co-presented by The Art of Music and local musician Sue Quigley. You can view the Muse Fest overview page with details about the performers and venue information HERE.

By Beth Dayo

Balance is receiving significant attention in the media, particularly among the aging population, with claims suggesting it as a vital factor for a longer and healthier life. While various activities are proposed to enhance balance, the essence lies in understanding the issue of imbalance to ensure movements yield the intended benefits.

The importance of good balance as we age is obvious in regards to its role in preventing falls. Additionally, balance plays a crucial role in maintaining cognitive sharpness and reflexes, contributing to overall agility and responsiveness.

GiveBIG is a statewide fundraising campaign where individuals and organizations come together across Washington to invest in our communities. When we give, we take a proactive step towards creating the society we want to live in.

Every spring, the excitement for GiveBIG builds through word-of-mouth, social media, and an extensive multimedia promotional campaign, with local celebrities and sports teams firing up the community to show their generosity. 

GiveBIG 2024 will kick off on April 23 and culminate in a 48-hour giving event on May 7-8!

In 2023, 46,034 donations were made by 22,714 donors. These donations, combined with donor-advised funds (DAF) and IRA contributions, matching donations from individuals and companies, sponsors, and in-kind contributions from local media companies totaled $12.8 million!

Seattle City Councilmember for District 1 Rob Saka posted his remarks as he began work on the City of Seattle's Transportation levy:

"This is truly a momentous day for this Council. The work we do here in this committee will be some of the most impactful work any of us do during our entire time on the Council. It’s an opportunity that comes just once every decade to build a better future for Seattle.  

I thank the Mayor’s Office and the Seattle Department of Transportation and for their initial proposed levy. This proposal was a tremendous amount of work. It will serve, no doubt, as a strong foundation for the Council to build upon in the weeks ahead.  

The West Seattle Grand Parade returns on July 20 at 11am! Get ready for a community celebration to honor the 90th year of the founding of this parade.

The parade starts Southbound on California Ave SW and SW Lander Street at 11:00am and ends on California Ave SW and SW Edmunds St.

If your business or organization would like to participate in this parade, send us an email at WestSeattleParade@gmail.com to get an application.