Current and upcoming

It was a warm, sunny day and the lifeguards were back on duty at the beach yesterday,so this must be summer!  Through September 22, the lifeguards will be on site from noon until 7 pm each weekday and from 11 am until 7 pm on weekends. The water temperature at the beach yesterday, by the way, was approximately 64 degrees, which was enticing enough for many swimmers to dive in, sans wetsuits.

Here's a roundup of what's happening in the general vicinity of Madison Park (or is about to happen):

On Monday there will be a dedication of a garden sculpture in Triangle Park in memory of longtime Madison Park shop owner Martha Harris, who died of cancer last fall. The dedication will occur at 11 am, with a wine reception to occur immediately thereafter, hosted by Bing's.  This, according to Nicole Brodeur, as reported in The Seattle Times last week.

The UW Athletic Department will apparently be doing a check of  Husky Stadium's new sound system today between 9:30 and 3:30, so it is just possible that some residents on the North side of Madison Park will hear intermittent "white noise" at various points during the day. Don't be disturbed.

Madison Parkers will not have to exert themselves in order to get to see all of the eight Mayoral candidates in one place at one time.  On Monday, July 1 there will be a candidate forum at the Martin Luther King, Jr. F.A.M.E. Community Center in Madison Valley (the building that originally housed the MLK Elementary School, 3201 E. Republican St.).  The topic of the forum, which begins at 7 pm, will be "Liveable Streets."  You can register online, if you wish, here.

We have a couple of swimming events coming to Madison Park Beach in the next couple of months:  The Fat Salmon Open Water Swim will be back on July 20, and the Puget Sound Blood Center's Swim for Life arrives on August 21.  More details as we get closer to these dates.

On June 29 (9 until 11 am) you can "Walk with the Conscientious Gardener" as Dr. Sarah Reichard, Director of the UW Botanic Gardens, discusses practical tips on garden conscientiousness from her book (The Conscientious Gardner, of course) while leading a tour of the Arboretum.  On August 10 (8 until 9:30 pm), the Botanic Gardens' environmental education team will be leading another "Park in the Dark" hike through the Arboretum in search of "crepuscular and nocturnal" forest movements.  Additional "Park in the Dark" nights will be held on August 31, September 12 and 28, and October 12. Details of these UWBG events can be obtained by calling (206) 685-8033, and registration is available here.

And speaking of the Arboretum, the annual "Garden Party" fundraiser for the Japanese Garden will be held this year on July 26 in the Garden, beginning at 5:30 pm.  The event features a dinner, the opportunity to stroll the grounds on a (hopefully) warm summer's evening, and an auction. More details and tickets are available here.

A new Washington Park residence (4100 E. Highland Drive) designed by architect Eric Cobb will be featured as the AIA Seattle/NW Home "Open House of the Month" on July 21 (noon until 3 pm). The house is profiled in this month's edition of Seattle magazine, which also has a short feature on Washington Park designer April Pride and her "miracle dress."

Finally, don't forget:  the first weekend after the Fourth of July the annual Kids Parade and Picnic returns.