White Center Now: The blog about White Center

(WCN photo, 2018 White Center 5K)

For the first time this decade, the White Center 5K is returning! Here’s the announcement:

For the first time since 2019, and back by popular demand…get ready to lace up your running shoes and join us for an exciting 5K event in the heart of White Center! Come support three important community-based organizations helping White Center thrive.

A benefit for:
– WHITE CENTER FOOD BANK
– YES! FOUNDATION OF WHITE CENTER
– WHITE CENTER COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

Start and finish line at Steve Cox Park. T-shirt and run time included with entry fee.

Date: May 3, 2025
Time: 9 am-12 pm
$30 PER ENTRY, Kids 12 and Under Free
SUPER HERO COSTUMES ENCOURAGED

Tickets: HERE

Volunteer Registration Info: HERE

After a month without a meeting, the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council reconvenes for April, this coming Thursday, and the meeting announcement sent today indicates that public safety is in the spotlight:

Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard With the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council!

When: Thursday, April 3. 2025, at 7 pm

Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center (Parking and Entrance Are Behind the Station)

Please join NHUAC on Thursday, April 3rd, at 7 pm in North Highline’s Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th in White Center. Public safety will be the focus of our special guest presenters, Chief Jason Gay of the North Highline Fire District (NHFD) and Burien’s King County Fire District 2 (KCFD2) and Captain Chris Przygocki of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). Captain Przygocki will be joined by Community Service officer Nate Hammock to answer any questions about what is happening in White Center and KCSO’s storefront office at Steve Cox Memorial Park.

In 2019, NHFD entered a 20-year consolidation contract with KCFD2. As a result, all NHFD employees became employees of KCFD2. Through our consolidation with KCFD2, NHFD serves about 20,000 community members. Chief Gay has been with KCFD2 since 2005. He was promoted to Captain in 2012 and to Fire Chief upon Chief Marrs’ retirement in November of 2023. Upon his promotion, Chief Gay also became Chief of NHFD.

Captain Chris Pryzgocki became a member of Southwest Precinct 4 of the KCSO in October of 2024. Precinct 4 is responsible for law enforcement in the cities of Burien and SeaTac and a variety of unincorporated areas including North Highline. KCSO recently announced that it is changing its response protocol. We look forward to getting to know Captain Pryzgocki and Nate Hammock and learning what a new “response protocol” means for North Highline.

Do you have questions or something you want to share? Join the conversation and bring a friend!

Knowledge is power. Learn, share and help make our community a better place.

April 3, 2025 at 7 pm

Bring a Neighbor!

(Also published on partner site West Seattle Blog)

(WCN/WSB photos by Dave Gershgorn)

Saturday’s most vivid event: The White Center Roper Romp, a chance to put on wig, shades, caftan, and sandals before channeling the spirit of TV’s classically sassy Helen Roper. Photographer Dave Gershgorn surveyed the scene for us. Above, Bradi “Helen” Jones rocked the hatch seating outside Tim’s Tavern, before she and other Helens gathered for their fabulous photo-op:

Tim’s was also hosting the White Center Vintage Sale on Saturday, and what crowd could better appreciate the concept?

David “Helen” Mazza was among those browsing the wares (and wearables):

Tim’s was also a venue for this weekend’s Tikipalooza, so some aloha-wear was co-mingled with the caftans. Everyone had their own slightly different twist on being Helen-esque – note Ingrid “Helen” Falid‘s outerwear:

The Helens crawled White Center’s bar scene, including a stop at Beer Star across from Tim’s:

Though Helen Roper’s been gone from TV for more than 40 years, clearly she’ll never be forgotten!

King County Roads announced late this afternoon that its closure of 16th SW/SW 104th is ending earlier than planned:
>We’re opening early! Our crews plan to reopen the intersection of 16th Ave SW & SW 104th St today, March 28th. Expect lane restrictions & reduced parking thru April 18.

The closure, originally expected to continue until April 1, was for utility work preceding a bigger project to rechannelize and repave stretches of 16th between. 100th and 106th. Here’s the backstory.

Saturday is the next huge day of events in White Center – including this:

The event is on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from Noon to 6 PM for a FREE event featuring over 30 vendors offering a curated selection of antiques, collectibles, and vintage treasures of all kinds.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Locations:
Main event is at Tim’s Tavern (9655 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106) with vintage vendors and DJ Vodka Twist Dance Party at Noon! Roper Romp meet-up starting at 3pm! Caftan Crawl and shopping extravaganza!
The Lumberyard (9630 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106) Muu-Muu’s and Mai-Tai’s and Old VVitch is our hostess!
Cher Baby Vintage Clothing (9616 16th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106)
The Mystic Sons Lodge (9440 17th Ave. SW, White Center, Seattle, WA)
Cartwheel Vintage ( 9422 Delridge Wy SW, Seattle, WA 98106)

This vibrant marketplace will also feature pop-up vintage shops and specialty vendors, giving shoppers a unique opportunity to discover hidden gems while supporting local businesses. Whether you’re searching for rare antiques, timeless fashion, vintage home décor, or quirky collectibles, you’re bound to find something special!

Make a Day of It!
White Center is home to some of Seattle’s best eateries, bars, and cafés—so come for the shopping and stay for the food! Enjoy a meal at one of the many delicious local restaurants while soaking in the lively atmosphere of this one-day vintage extravaganza.

Why You Should Attend:
✔ FREE Admission – No tickets required!✔ 30+ Vendors – A massive selection of unique vintage goods✔ Multiple Venues – A walkable shopping experience across White Center✔ Support Local Businesses – Shop small and discover incredible finds

Tonight’s the night – the Rat City Art and Food Walk is back, 5-8 pm. Here’s where to go:

3:45 PM: If you can get to BECU‘s new White Center branch before 5 pm today, you can join in their grand-opening celebration. They’re in the new mixed-use Elevation 16 building at 16th/107th, and company managers are talking with the crowd right now, including this location’s manager, Andrew Blanco.

This is the 66th location for BECU. As previously reported, with this opening, they’re closing the mini-branch at Roxbury Safeway at the end of May, but Blanco said everyone from there will be transferred here.

ADDED WEDNESDAY EVENING: One more photo, added above – the ribboncutting!

The King County Sheriff’s Office just announced it’s reassigning some deputies in other unincorporated areas – and while the reassignments aren’t happening here, this area will be part of a change in “response protocol”:

In response to current and potentially sustained budget constraints, the King County Sheriff’s Office has made the difficult yet necessary decision to reduce minimum staffing at our North and Southeast precincts effective immediately. This includes the affected communities of Redmond Ridge, Fairwood, Fall City and other areas in unincorporated King County. As this is simply a redeployment of resources, no King County deputies are losing their jobs. This change will not affect police services in contract cities served by the King County Sheriff’s Office.

With this modified staffing, King County deputies in all three unincorporated precincts will only be dispatched to alarms verified by alarm companies or video/audio evidence. Additionally, our 911-dispatchers will refer all non-injury and non-blocking collisions or those on private property to the Washington State Patrol website: wsp.wa.gov/driver/collision-records. Deputies will still respond to collision associated with crimes such as hit and runs or impaired driving.

Any non-emergency 911 calls regarding a behavioral health crisis will be referred to the Sheriff’s Office Therapeutic Response Unit.

Residents of King County can report crimes such as abandoned vehicles, mail theft, vandalism and lost property here.

We are taking these critical steps to ensure King County deputies are safe and available for life-safety emergencies, which will always remain our top priority.

State legislators are in the second half of a session with some huge decisions yet to be made, and you have the chance tomorrow night to hear updates from local legislators as well as ask questions and offer comments about what they should do. The three legislators who represent the 34th District – including White Center, West Seattle, and Vashon/Maury Islands – are having a “telephone town hall” tomorrow night (Monday, March 17). This is an audio-only event, 6-7 pm, with State Senator Emily Alvarado and State House Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon (who is also House Majority Leader) and Brianna Thomas. Many phones in the district should ring right at 6 pm with the invitation to join the meeting; if you don’t get the call, or if you just want to proactively call in anyway, at 6 pm call 855-756-7520 and enter 120781# when prompted for the extension number.

Here’s what the King County Sheriff’s Office tells us about an overnight incident that involved two locations in unincorporated North Highline:

– Around midnight, deputies responded to reports of a shooting in the 10000 block of 1st AVE S.
– Fire transported one victim to Harborview for medical treatment.
– Deputies report the incident began at the West Seattle Marijuana Store, where an unknown number of suspects attempted to break in.
-No suspects at this time.
-Case number: C25007631

(Despite its name, the WS Marijuana Store is located in Top Hat, at 10825 Myers Way S.) If you have any information, call 911 and refer to the case number noted above.

An updated reminder from King County Roads as the 16th SW closure approaches:

Drainage system upgrade to close 16th Ave SW intersection in White Center, March 11 to April 1

The north half of the 16th Avenue SW and SW 104th Street intersection is scheduled to be closed March 11 through April 1 as King County crews replace an aging drainage pipe. The work is being done by the Road Services Division of the Department of Local Services.

The intersection closure is Phase 2 of a three-phase drainage upgrade on SW 104th Street between 15th and 17th Avenues SW. The entire project, which began March 3, is expected to take up to six weeks total.

This work lays the groundwork for upcoming pedestrian and traffic safety improvements as part of the 16th Avenue SW Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming Project.

Businesses on 16th Avenue SW remain open, traffic detour on 15th Avenue SW

Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians will follow a signed detour onto 15th Avenue SW between SW 102nd and SW 106 streets. Local access on both sides of the intersection will be maintained, and businesses on both sides of the intersection will remain open throughout the closure.

After the road reopens, work on SW 104th Street will continue through April 18, with lane shifts, parking restrictions, and temporary traffic control.

Detour map:

Part of a bigger plan to improve safety on 16th Avenue SW

This drainage project is the first step in a larger effort to improve 16th Avenue SW for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Starting this summer, the 16th Avenue SW Pedestrian Safety and Traffic Calming Project will bring major safety upgrades, including:

-New paving on 16th Avenue SW from the White Center Cutoff (north of SW 100th Street) to SW 107th Street. All paving work will happen at night.
-New road design with one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, and bike lanes.
-Sidewalk curb extensions at key intersections to improve visibility and shorten pedestrian crossings.
-Flashing pedestrian crossing lights and high-visibility signs at intersections without traffic signals.

“We’re taking a smart, step-by-step approach to improve this intersection,” said Tricia Davis, Director of King County Road Services Division. “By replacing the underground pipe now, we avoid tearing up the road twice. We appreciate the community’s patience as we make these much-needed improvements.”

By upgrading drainage now, King County prevents future disruptions and keep summer improvements on track.

For more information, visit www.kingcounty.gov/16thAveSW, contact Broch Bender (Bbender@kingcounty.gov or 206-263-1189) or email AskLocalServices@kingcounty.gov.

The big 16th SW project is about to start. First, work starts today on pipelines under part of 104th. Here’s the phasing as detailed by King County Roads:

Construction will last about six weeks in three phases. Expect detours, temporary road closures, and no-parking zones at different times. Businesses will remain open! The anticipated construction dates below are subject to change due to crew or material availability.

Phase 1: March 3 – April 18

Where: SW 104th Street Between 15th Avenue SW & 16th Avenue SW
What’s happening: Replacing drainage pipes under the north side of the road
Impact: Limited parking for duration of the project, lane restrictions
Access: Local access will be open, and businesses will remain open

Phase 2: March 11 – April 1 – Intersection Closure at 16th Avenue SW & SW 104th Street

Where: The north half of the intersection where 16th Avenue SW meets SW 104th Street will be closed to all through traffic, including pedestrians and bikes.
What’s happening: Pipe replacement under the intersection
Impact: The intersection will be fully closed for two weeks. More time may be needed, depending on weather and equipment availability.
Access: Local access will be maintained on 16th Avenue SW on both sides of the road closure, and businesses will remain open

Detour route:

Northbound (toward SW Roxbury St.): SW 102nd St → 15th Ave SW → 16th Ave SW
Southbound: (toward SW 107th St.) SW 106th St → 15th Ave SW → 16th Ave SW

Phase 3: April 2 – April 18 – Limited Parking on SW 104th Street

Where: SW 104th Street between 16th Avenue SW & 17th Avenue SW
What’s happening: Final pipe replacement under the road
Impact: Limited parking for 1-2 weeks
Access: Local access will be maintained, and businesses will remain open

The first Thursday of March won’t bring a North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting. Here’s their announcement:

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council will not be holding a March meeting.

We will be back to our regularly scheduled 1st Thursday of the month meetings on Thursday, April 3rd at 7pm. So Mark your calendars and plan on joining us in April.

As always it is a great Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – and see you April 3rd at the North Highline Fire Station (meeting details coming soon).

From the King County Sheriff’s Office:

Missing Child Alert. This 7-year old boy is autistic and was last seen about 1 pm in the White Center area of 4th avenue and S. 112th. He was wearing a black Pokémon t-shirt, shorts, and black shoes. If you see him, please call 911.

(2023 photo by Gill Loring)

King County Parks asked us to share this announcement with you:

Come join us at North Shorewood Park this Saturday, March 1st, for a morning of learning about the plants of the park and digging out plants that are crowding out plants that are more beneficial for the health of the park. No experience needed, and we supply all tools/equipment and instruction, all are welcome! Click this link to learn more and sign up: x.gldn.io/e/q6pHMIvBgRb

North Shorewood Park is at 10044 24th Ave. SW.

Two major effects of the windstorm this morning:

That 6,100-customer outage started with a fallen tree around 6 am at Delridge/Thistle in West Seattle, and stretches into White Center.

Meantime, Highline Public Schools are on a two-hour delay today.

We first noted here in June that BECU has been building a Neighborhood Financial Center in the new mixed-use development at 16th/107th, and the credit union says it’s now open. They’re planning a grand-opening community celebration at 3 pm Wednesday, March 19. Readers have asked if the Roxbury Safeway BECU mini-branch will close; a BECU spokesperson told us today, “At this time, we have not announced plans for our Roxbury location.”

If you haven’t already noticed the blustery weather, take note that it’s packing a potential punch of up to 60 mph wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service’s High Wind Warning alert, so be careful! Rain and even thunder has swept through the area too.

Third Thursdays always bring something lively to the heart of White Center. This month, on Thursday, February 20: The Rat City Bar Walk.

The Lariat Bar crew shares these highlights:

Join us and our neighbors for Rat City Bar Walk here in beautiful White Center. We’re running tag team specials with 2 Fingers Social throughout the event and our bar is featuring our Spam Musubi Eating contest with Patrick’s Cafe and Bakery starting at 6 pm. Our friends and neighboring businesses will also be participating. Tim’s Tavern has Jesse James and the Mob at 8 pm and Southgate Roller Rink and Boombox are running Karaoke starting 9 pm – Christopher Mychael with be here at Lariat for CM Funk Karaoke also starting at 9 pm. There is something for everyone!

Happening both days this weekend at Future Primitive in White Center (9832 14th SW):

Sauna & Sounds @ Future Primitive Brewing
When: February 15 & 16
=
We are kicking off National Sauna Week in proper form with our first-ever Sauna & Sounds event at Future Primitive Brewing in White Center! Join us for an unforgettable evening of soothing sauna sessions and soul-stirring live music by West Seattle’s own PatRiff. Tickets give you access to our woodfired sauna, cold plunges, lockers, and towel service. Book an entry window and arrive anytime during that hour. Live music will be from 3-7 pm both days.

As always, if you cold plunge for 60 seconds, we will buy you a drink.

The first 20 people who book will get a free hooded robe rental.

Tickets are $45

Where:

Future Primitive
White Center

Link to book: https://pnwmobilespa.com/events-6