"After 16 and a half wonderful years, our time serving this community has come to an end," Argelia Sahagun wrote on September 16, announcing that Archie's Mexican Restaurant on First Avenue South would close permanently.
The restaurant closes October 9. That puts it in the same month the city's usual fall venue is behind construction fencing. Normandy Park is heading into autumn with fewer places to gather than it had a year ago. The events on the October calendar have adjusted. Some moved, one is hosted by a private club that owns its own hall, and the newest one needs no gathering place at all.
The fence at Marvista
Marvista Park has been the default address for much of Normandy Park's community calendar. For now it's closed. The city's project page says the park and playground close during construction. Phase 1 is expected to run from August 1 through December 31, 2026, though the page still lists actual start and completion dates as TBD. Coverage of the August council discussion said the closure could last until early 2027.
The project includes:
- Sidewalks, curb and gutter, wider parking access, and drainage work along 4th Avenue SW and SW 200th Street
- New park walkways, landscaping, and irrigation
- A bocce court
- A food-truck pad
The bocce court and food-truck pad will add more reasons to gather at Marvista once it reopens. Until then, every fall event that would have used the park has to go somewhere else.
The Cove already has a room
The first big night of the month doesn't depend on the city at all. The Normandy Park Community Club hosts its fourth annual Chili-Oktoberfest on Wednesday, October 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Cove, 1500 SW Shorebrook Dr.
It's a chili cook-off with an Oktoberfest twist. Admission covers tastes from 15 neighborhood cooks, plus pretzels, salad, dessert, and non-alcoholic drinks. Manuela Horn, billed as the Oktoberfest Queen, provides the entertainment. There are both People's Choice and Judge's Choice awards this year, crafts for kids, and beer for purchase.
Ticket prices went up as the date got closer. Early tickets were $15 until September 15 and $25 through September 30. From October 1 through October 7 they cost $30 per person, with no refunds. The event page says kids 8 and under get in free, but the club's registration form lists the cutoff as 12 and under, so families with kids in that range should check with the club before buying. Julie Fry is the volunteer contact, and cook-off entries go through the club's email.
The Cove's calendar runs on its own schedule. Its Holiday Bazaar is already set for Saturday, December 5, and vendor registration is full. A club with its own building and a steady group of volunteers isn't affected by construction at a city park. Two days after Chili-Oktoberfest, Normandy Park loses a gathering place that did depend on someone else's decisions.
October 9 on First Avenue South
Archie's opened at 17821 First Ave. S. in January 2010, on the corridor that links Normandy Park with Burien and Des Moines. Sahagun was already a veteran of the local restaurant scene. A 2015 Waterland Blog profile notes she owned Lago Azul in Des Moines from 1995 to 2008.
Local coverage describes Archie's as a family restaurant known for daily specials, weekend brunch, and space for meetings and groups. The restaurant's civic role has a paper trail. It hosted a Seattle Southside Chamber business-and-arts mixer on September 21, 2022. On May 13 of this year, it hosted the first Community Connect gathering run by the City of Normandy Park and the Seattle Southside Chamber, a series meant to bring residents, businesses, and city leaders together.
So the city launched a civic series in a restaurant dining room less than five months before that dining room closes.
"We are excited to pass the torch to the new owners. We hope you will extend the same wonderful support to them on their new journey."
The announcement didn't name the new owners or say what they plan for the space. As of September 30, no local outlet had reported who they are or whether any farewell events are planned. Sahagun asked customers to come in before the final day, share memories, and say goodbye in person. Anyone who wants a last brunch has until the closure on Friday, October 9.
Pumpkins at City Hall Park
With Marvista unavailable, the city moved its largest fall event to a smaller site. The free Fall Frolic is Saturday, October 17, from 10 a.m. to noon at City Hall Park, 801 SW 174th St. The city's event page notes the "special location change this year due to construction at Marvista Park."
The event has three draws:
- Free pumpkins, while supplies last, plus warm drinks and music.
- A costume exchange at the WM booth, where families can take a costume or leave one. Waste Management and the city are running it to keep textiles out of the landfill.
- A pet-supply drive run by Normandy Park Police, collecting donations for Burien CARES.
The timing of the costume exchange matters. It comes two weeks before Halloween, early enough that a costume picked up at the WM booth can go straight into rotation. Because "while supplies last" applies to the pumpkins, people who come closer to 10 a.m. than noon will have a better shot at one.
Five days later, City Hall hosts again. On Thursday, October 22, from 6 to 8 p.m., an art reception features work by researcher Nathan Ivy, including material connected to the salmon study at Miller and Walker Creek. With Marvista closed, City Hall has become the busiest public venue in the city this month.
A contest that uses front yards
The newest event on the calendar is the one most clearly built for a city without its main park. Fright the Park, presented by the Normandy Park Arts Commission, asks residents to decorate their homes for Halloween. Commissioners will drive around town, pick standout displays, and present yard signs to the winners on Saturday, October 24.
City and local descriptions mention no registration, nomination form, map, or categories. The commissioners do the scouting. The city suggests getting displays ready one week before Halloween. But awards come on October 24, a full week before October 31, so a display that goes up on schedule has only a few days to be seen before the judging. Anyone hoping for a sign should have their yard ready before that Saturday.
The model is already familiar. The city calls Fright the Park the "spooky new counterpart" to Light the Park, its winter holiday-display tradition. Light the Park goes back to at least 2019, when local coverage said police, Arts Commission members, and Friends of Normandy Park would tour decorated homes and hand out awards. It ran again in 2023 and 2024. The 2024 organizers said they wanted to recognize as many displays as they could. The 2025 edition was held Monday, December 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with winners chosen for creativity, design, and overall impact.
Both contests skip the need for a venue. There's no permit, no parking plan, and nothing to move when a park closes. During a season when Marvista is fenced and one of First Avenue's longtime dining rooms is changing hands, the Arts Commission's new tradition takes place on residents' own front lawns.
Dates for the fridge
- Wed., Oct. 7, 6–9 p.m.: Chili-Oktoberfest at the Cove, 1500 SW Shorebrook Dr.
- Fri., Oct. 9: Scheduled closure of Archie's Mexican Restaurant, 17821 First Ave. S.
- Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–noon: Fall Frolic at City Hall Park, 801 SW 174th St.
- Thu., Oct. 22, 6–8 p.m.: Art reception featuring Nathan Ivy at City Hall
- Sat., Oct. 24: Fright the Park awards
- Fri., Nov. 6, 11 a.m.–1 p.m.: Community Foresters volunteer session at Marine View Park, planting trees and shrubs
Marvista's reopening date is still listed as TBD, so check the city's project page before planning any winter event around it.
Front yards are doing a lot of community work in Normandy Park this fall. If yours ends up with a Fright the Park sign and you start wondering what the whole property is worth, Michelle Codd Homes can give you a clear, local number. Get Home Value and see where you stand.
