Realogics putting out call for Madison Park Home & Garden Tour entries

#There’s still time to sign up or nominate a neighbor to be a host for the 2019 Madison Park Home & Garden Tour, which every year benefits McGilvra Elementary students.

#Lead sponsor Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty is curating the tour and still looking for homes and gardens to feature this year. It’s a great way for people to meet their neighbors, and for Realogics to support the community, said real estate agent and McGilvra alum Leslie Dickinson.

#So far those who have signed up to host are as far north as Canterbury and south to Denny-Blaine, with just one home on the tour. Dickinson said plans for this year and the future will be to focus more on gardens.

#“It’s just much less intrusive. That also is sort of in keeping where the garden tour started many years ago,” she said. “Even opening up the gardens has become very challenging.”

#The McGilvra PTA is helping put out the call for entries for the Madison Park Home & Garden Tour, which last year provided $4,000, down from $10,000 in 2017, when the tour was revived.

#The Madison Park Garden Club had put on a home and garden tour since the 1980s, which ended years ago. Realogics worked with the PTA to bring it back as a fundraising opportunity for McGilvra Elementary.

#Funds are used to support a food pantry for McGilvra students experiencing food insecurity, math and reading specialists, a guidance counselor, and art and other programs that are not fully supported by Seattle Public Schools dollars, said Shanna Kritser, fundraising chair for the McGilvra PTA.

#“It all goes into the pot, and then we figure out where it’s needed,” she said.

#Dickinson said host homeowners don’t have to have million dollar-homes or expansive gardens to be a host. If people are proud of their homes, whatever its size or style, they’re welcome to be a part of the tour. Last year’s tour included a mix of new development and longtime Madison Park homes.

#“Some of the homes were amazing, but some of them were modest,” Dickinson said. “They weren’t over the top, they were just pretty and worth seeing.”

#The tour runs noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 9. People can stop by Realogic’s Park House, 4031 E. Madison St., that day or the night before to pick up a tour map and the wristband that provides them entry to the homes and gardens. Tickets can be purchased for $25 at Park House or at MadisonParkHomeTour.com. Children under 16 can join the tour for free if accompanied by a paying adult.

#Homeowners wanting to have their home and/or garden featured this year can contact Dickinson at 206-200-2174 or send a message at parkhouseevents.com.