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.