Public Meeting: Amphitheater ProjectSeattle Parks and Recreation will host a public meeting at Miller Community Center on next steps for the Volunteer Park Amphitheater Project. Come learn about the construction schedule, meet the design team, see the updated schematic drawings and get your questions answered!
The Seattle Park District Major Projects Challenge Fund provides $900,000 in funding to move the community-initiated Volunteer Park Amphitheater Replacement project forward through the final design phase and construction.
The existing amphitheater is not accessible to folks of all ages and abilities and is lacking as a performance venue. The new amphitheater will be fully accessible, have overhead weather and sun protection for the performers and include public restrooms.
Please join Seattle Parks and Recreation, Volunteer Park Trust and your neighbors to learn more about this project. We will re-introduce the design team, provide a design update and review next steps for the amphitheater. At our previous meeting in August 2018, the Volunteer Park Trust presented the amphitheater design studies to the community and received valuable feedback. The amphitheater design is based on extensive outreach with the community, and input from the Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks and the Landmarks Preservation Board.
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2nd Saturday Work PartyCome meet your neighbors and friends, and enjoy gardening in Volunteer Park at our monthly 2nd Saturdays Stewardship event, 10 AM to Noon.
Look for the sign at the Black Sun sculpture across from Seattle Asian Art Museum to tell you where we’ll be in the park.
We clean garden beds, weed, mulch, and remove invasive plants to keep our park beautiful. No experience needed and we can sure use your help! We provide gloves and tools. Remember to dress for the weather and bring a bottle of water.
Help us get the word out — like, share and tell your friends on Facebook!
Holiday in the Park!Thank you to everyone who came out to make this fun holiday event such a success!
Check out the photos of this event in our Facebook album.
Holiday in the Park offered revelers the opportunity to:
Walk the Volunteer Park pathways beautifully lit by hundreds of luminarias creating a magical wonderland!
Listen to live joyful music from local choral ensembles:
Bring the kids to have fun at our children’s activity booth sponsored by Kaiser Permanente!
Warm up in the Volunteer Park Conservatory and see the fantastic
Holiday Express Train!
Enjoy FREE cookies and hot cocoa from Aegis Living on Madison!
Thank you to our Holiday in the Park gift basket donors:
Thank you to our Holiday in the Park Community Partners:
Thank you to our Holiday in the Park In-Kind Donors:
Giving TuesdayWe met our $1,000 challenge match! Thank you to the dozens of generous donors who gave on Nove 27th!
Seattle Parks Foundation offered a Giving Tuesday challenge to each of its partner organizations — if we got at leaste 15 donations in any amount, they would award us $1,000.
You helped us to meet our goal!
Your donations will help Volunteer Park Trust to continue restoring and maintaining Volunteer Park with our twice-yearly restoration days and monthly 2nd Saturday Work Parties.
You’ll help us keep producing fun, free community events like Picnic in the Park, Halloween Pet Parade and our upcoming Holiday in the Park.
You’ll support major improvement projects like our recent lily pond fencing and the upgrade to the park lighting.
We can’t do all of this without your support. Thank you!
Halloween Pet ParadeThank you to everyone you came to Volunteer Park to make our first-ever Halloween Pet Parade such a success! And CONGRATULATIONS to our costume prize and raffle winners!
See photos of the event at our Flickr site and on our Facebook album.
Check out the photo slideshow from The Seattle Times and the video posted on Facebook by Q13 FOX. 
See the full details of the event on our Halloween Pet Parade page!
Thank you to our Halloween Pet Parade event sponsors:
Thank you to our Community Partners:
Outdoor Yoga in the Park with Aimee ChevalierWe want to give a big THANK YOU to instructor Aimee Chevalier for offering these free classes in Volunteer Park! You can look forward to more free yoga in the park next summer.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Aimee Chevalier first discovered yoga around 20 years ago. In her classes she guides movement with breath, alignment, intention, gratitude, and joy. The grounding presence and union of a yoga asana (pose) practice are a meditation in motion. These Hatha Flow Yoga classes are open to all experience levels!
Aimee relocated to Seattle from Boston and loves to share the practice with all! She has completed trainings with Synergy School of Yoga in Seattle, with Mount Madonna Center in California, and is a student for life
Fall Restoration DayThank you to the more than 50 volunteers who helped out at our annual Fall Restoration Day in Volunteer Park! We weeded, edged and mulched the major garden beds along the park’s east edge at 15th Ave East.
Thank you to Mighty-O Donuts for providing us with dozens of delicious donuts. And thank you to Aegis Living on Madison for providing us with coffee to keep us going. A special shout-out goes to the hard-working teams from BECU and from Pugh Capital Management. Great work, everyone!
See photos of the event at our Flick site.
Thank you to our Fall Restoration Day Community Partners:
And thank you to our Fall Restoration Day Event Sponsor:
Summer Picnic in Volunteer ParkThank you to everyone who made our 7th annual community festival such a fun success! See photos of the event on our Flickr site.
Lydia Ramsey returned bringing her original folk and Americana songs to the picnic stage. See her feature on NPR and view her evocative music video here.
Five Fantastic Food Trucks!
Molly Moon’s served out FREE ice cream!
Aegis Living on Madison provided a free hydration station with flavored waters!
Here is a link to this event on Facebook
A big thank you to our event sponsors and in-kind donors, including Heritage Bank, Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream, 4Culture Sustained Support, Aegis Living on Madison, and The Red Balloon Company.
Lily Pond FencingOur Design Booth at Summer Picnic allowed the public to preview the designs for the new wrought iron fencing to be installed around the Lily Ponds in late summer.
This project is funded by Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Volunteer Park Trust, and by donations from friends and neighbors of Volunteer Park.
GiveBIGThank you to everyone who donated to Volunteer Park Trust during GiveBIG! The amount of community support was simply overwhelming, and every dollar given will go to help our mission of preserving and enhancing Volunteer Park.
Good news! We’ve met the giving challenge presented by Seattle Parks Foundation and received a $1,000 bonus from them. Even more astounding is that we won an additional $2,500 from Seattle Foundation as a part of their Dollars for Change random drawings! Our gratitude goes out to these two organizations for providing such amazing opportunities, incentives, and funding.
Spring Donor ReceptionThank you to the more than 65 people who joined us at the Volunteer Park Conservatory to hear updates on coming changes to Volunteer Park. Brian Giddens, chair of the VPT Steering Committee reported on a new fund from Seattle Parks and Recreation dedicated to supporting Olmsted Parks in Seattle which will help fund major improvements to the park’s southeast entrance. He also gave an update on the Amphitheater Project and the coming new fencing around the lily ponds.
Thatcher Bailey, Executive Director of Seattle Parks Foundation, spoke about the many connections Volunteer Park has to other Seattle neighborhoods and how the Trust has helped Seattle Parks Foundation become an even better provider.
Outstanding food was provided by caterer Alice Kraus, paired with four kinds of wine, along with sparkling waters, which our guests enjoyed while walking among the blooming orchids and tropical plants in the beautiful Conservatory.
View photos of the event at our Flickr site!
Thank you to Seattle Parks and Recreation and Volunteer Park Conservatory for providing the venue for this event. And a special thanks to Volunteer Park Senior Gardener David Helgeson for his help and hard work in making this event go so smoothly!
Spring Restoration Day!
Thank you to the over 145 volunteers who made our Spring Restoration Day such an incredible success! This was our largest restoration event ever.
We removed invasive plants like ivy and blackberry, weeded, picked up litter, and spread dozens of yards of mulch to beautify the garden beds along 15th Ave East.
A big shout-out to the hard working teams from the UW medical student fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon, as well as from US Bank and Target!
See photos from the event on our Flicker site here.
THANK YOU to Mighty-O Donuts for providing their delicious certified organic donuts for our volunteers.
THANK YOU to Aegis Living on Madison for providing coffee for our volunteers.
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End of Year GivingDonations from friends and neighbors like you help us continue our work restoring the park; making improvements to the park’s infrastructure; and producing fun, free events for the whole family. Help us meet our matching grant for the Lily Pond Fencing Project.
Your gift is vital to maintaining the beautiful green oasis that is our beloved Volunteer Park. Seattle Parks & Recreation does not have the resources to maintain the park’s 48 acres alone. It’s up to us to pitch in and do the work needed. Help us wrap up our Fall Campaign with a year-end gift to Volunteer Park Trust!
Make a gift to Volunteer Park Trust through our fiscal sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation. Thank you!
Holiday in the Park!
Thank you to everyone who made our 5th annual Holiday in the Park our most successful one ever!
Read all about it in the Capitol Hill times.
See pictures of the event on our Flickr site here.
About the event:
Walk the Volunteer Park pathways beautifully lit by hundreds of luminarias creating a magical wonderland!
Listen to live joyful music from FIVE choral ensembles:
Create a glow-in-the-dark headpiece at the kids activity booth!
Warm up in the Volunteer Park Conservatory!
Enjoy FREE cookies from Whole Foods and hot cocoa provided by Darigold!
Tell your friends by sharing our Facebook Event
Watch The Beaconettes perform their hilarious Seattle rendition of 12 Days of Christmas from last year’s Holiday in the Park on Youtube.
Many thanks to our event donors: Seattle Parks and Recreation, Volunteer Park Conservatory, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Whole Foods, Seattle Glassblowing Studio, Flowers on 15th, Victrola Coffee Roasters, and Ragen and Associates. Thanks also to 4Culture Sustaining Support.
Giving TuesdayWe celebrate on Thanksgiving Thursday, and shop for deals on Black Friday & Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday gives us the chance to give back to our community.
Thank you to all the generous people who helped us meet our goal! The great folks at Seattle Parks Foundation set a fundraising challenging: If we could get just 15 donations on November 28 for ANY amount, they would add an additional $1000. You helped us meet the challenge!
Many thanks also to Seattle Parks Foundation for this generous and inspirational challenge that was based on outreach rather than dollars. You are terrific!
Fall Restoration Day in Volunteer ParkOur 6th annual fall clean up event was a HUGE success! Over 55 volunteers showed up to weed, mulch, and remove dead shrubs. For the first time in our history we finished early due to the incredible hard-working teams that came to help make Volunteer Park more beautiful for everyone. We can’t thank you enough!
This year’s clean up was held at the East Prospect Street and 14th Ave East entrance to the park. The garden beds along Prospect and extending down the hill were thoroughly weeded and heavily mulched. The beautiful results are expected to last three years before we have to weed again.
See photos of this event at our Flickr site here.
THANK YOU to Tully’s Coffee for once gain providing coffee to keep our volunteers going.
And THANK YOU to Mighty-O Donuts for providing their delicious certified organic donuts to sweeten the day!
Thanks also to 4Culture for their Sustained Support!
Free Outdoor YOGA in the ParkThank you to everyone who made our 2nd free Yoga in the Park series a success! And a big thanks to our volunteer instructor Patty Helberg certified in Vini and Anusara Yoga, who tirelessly worked with people young and old every Wednesday morning in July and August this year.
Summer Picnic in Volunteer ParkThank you to everyone who made our 6th annual Summer Picnic such a success! Our blow-out community-wide summer celebration had live music, food trucks, free ice cream, interactive artwork, and more! See pics of the event at our Flickr site.
Our 2017 year performer was rising star Lydia Ramsey, bringing her original folk and Americana songs to the picnic stage. See her recent feature on NPR and view her evocative music video here.
Fantastic Food Trucks! We had six different food trucks this year: Where Ya At Matt, Coney Island Ave Woodfired Pizza, Dante’s Inferno Dogs, Rancho Bravo Tacos, Stacks Burgers and Veg-Wich
Family fun! Seattle Asian Art Museum brought artist Naomi Kasumi to lead families in making pom-poms and creating a ‘dandelion garden’ as a temporary community artwork.
Molly Moon’s served FREE ice cream!
People tested their skills at our Bean Bag Toss!
We had free face painting for the kids!A big thanks to our sponsors, including Aegis Living on Madison, Puget Sound Bank, and 4Culture Sustained Support.
And thank you to our partner organizations and in-kind contributors Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream, Seattle Asian Art Museum, and Friends of the Conservatory.
2017 Spring ReceptionThank you to everyone who attended this exclusive event for our donors and community partners featuring wine, hors d’oeuvres and a chance to meet more friends and neighbors of Volunteer Park.
And a special THANK YOU to our generous host, Roger Nyhus who graciously opened his home on Capitol Hill to us.
If you’d like to attend next year’s event, become a donor to Volunteer Park by clicking here. Thank you!
GiveBIGThank you to everyone who donated so generously to Volunteer Park Trust during GiveBIG!
We met our match from Seattle Parks Foundation for $2,500!
We look forward to seeing you all at our Spring Reception on June 8th (see above!).
Spring Restoration DayThank you to the more than 80 volunteers who braved the drizzle to come transform Volunteer Park — you are AMAZING! We cleared out, planted, and restored five different areas around the reservoir, surpassing our goals and making a lasting impact on the park.
Pictures of the event can be seen at our Flickr site here.
We even made the news when KOMO5 showed up! http://komonews.com/news/local/photos-volunteers-help-restore-historic-seattle-park
Many thanks to our sponsors, Tullys’ Coffee, Aegis Living, Mighty-O Donuts, and 4Culture Sustained Support.
Amphitheater Design – Open HouseThank you to everyone who came to see the finished schematic design for the new Volunteer Park Amphitheater at our First Thursday Open House at the Volunteer Park Conservatory with free admission. What a great turnout!
ORA Architects, the design firm leading the project, has been working on many facets of the evolving design to address the needs of performing groups, neighbors, Seattle Parks & Recreation and ADA officials, as well as the Seattle Landmarks Board, acoustic and structural engineers, and the general public.
Throughout this process, the team has maintained a balance between whimsical design and required functionality. A key element of the design is the building’s ability to transform from an enclosed performance space to an open, pass-through pavilion. Also important is the restoration of the west lawn pathway and landscaping, which will bring back the Olmsted intent for the park.
Many thanks to the Volunteer Park Conservatory and Friends of the Conservatory for hosting this important event. And also to 4Culture for providing funding support for our programming.
Amphitheater Design Feedback Session for Runners & Fitness GroupsEmily Perchlik, former Fleet Feet staffer and current participant in our fun runs, is working on the team designing the new Volunteer Park amphitheater. With runners frequently using the park, we asked for your input into the design and how runners and fitness groups might use the space with its covered roof when it’s not being used for performances. Thanks to everyone who attended and gave us their great ideas!
THANK YOU to the 7th, 8th, and 9th grade boys who descended on Volunteer Park to help weed, mulch, and clean garden beds as part University Prep’s school-wide day of service.
Volunteer Park Sustainability CoalitionMore information about the study can be found at http://
MLK Day of Service
THANK YOU to the 50 Members of Phi Delta Epsilon who banding together to once again do major restoration work in Volunteer Park. See pictures on our Flickr page here.
2016 End of Year GivingTHANK YOU to everyone whose community support for Volunteer Park made our Fall Campaign such a success!
Our annual fund raising drive supports our mission to restore, protect and preserve the city and national landmark of Volunteer Park for today and for generations to come. For 2016 the leadership of the Trust once again matched gifts up to $25,000.
Click here to read our full ask letter.
As a volunteer-driven organization, Volunteer Park Trust relies on support from the community of neighbors and park lovers to keep going. Your end of year gift will provide much-needed funds for operating costs, materials, plants, and equipment. We welcome donations from everyone. Any amounts, large or small, are appreciated and will support the restoration and upkeep of the beloved green oasis of Volunteer Park.
If you’d still like to contribute click here to donate through our fiscal sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation. Thank you!
Volunteer Park Trust’s free, non-denominational Holiday in the Park was a big hit in Volunteer Park! Our annual holiday event featured carolers, free cookies and cocoa, and a children’s activity booth where kids floated candle-lit make-a-wish-boats. Hundreds of luminarias lit the pathways of Volunteer Park creating a magical holiday wonderland!
2016 marked the return of Total Experience Gospel Choir, The Beaconettes, Columbia City Community Chorus, and Sing Noel performing live.
See fabulous PHOTOS of the event on our Flickr site here. 
Read all about it and see more pics in the Capitol Hill Blog here.
We couldn’t have done it without the help from dozens of incredible volunteers. Thank you!! See photos of our hard working helpers setting up the event on our Flickr site here.
And many thanks to Seattle Office of Arts & Culture for a smART Ventures grant to assist with outreach to our underserved neighbors for this event.
Giving TuesdayTHANK YOU to everyone who so generously gave on Giving Tuesday, the giving event created to raise funds and awareness for non-profits!
After the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy of Black Friday and the online buying blitz of Cyber Monday, now there is a way to support your community during the season of giving.
If you missed out, don’t worry: it’s never too late to help Volunteer Park with a donation! Simply click here to donate through our fiscal sponsor Seattle Parks Foundation. You’ll be glad you did!
Volunteer Park Walking ToursOur new tours for 2016 explored Volunteer Park’s history and its design by the famous Olmsted Brothers, with its many astounding architectural elements, including:
We also discussed the surrounding Capitol Hill neighborhood, originally created by James Moore, and the adjacent “Millionaires Row,” where many of Seattle’s influential and wealthy residents relocated from the downtown area which was rapidly being redeveloped. Past, present and future all in one walking tour with our fantastic docents.
The free events booked up fast. Look for more tours to come in 2017!
Fall Restoration DayThank you to the many dozens of volunteers who came out to Volunteer Park on a beautiful sunny Sunday to plant a huge new garden by the south Lily Pond!
This event marked the finish of years-long planning and preparation, starting with grant funding from the Seattle Garden Club. A previously overgrown and neglected garden bed has now been transformed back into its original Olmsted design and will produce a field of yellow blooms. Many thanks to Tulley’s Coffee for providing much needed java for the crew. And to QFC for helping fund boxes of yummy Top Pot Doughnuts.
Read more about Fall Restoration Day in the Capitol Hill Times here. See photos of the event at our Flickr site here.
Free Outdoor YOGA in the ParkThanks to everyone who made our first series of Yoga in the Park such a fun success. Taught by Patty Helberg certified in Vini and Anusara Yoga.
Where: Volunteer Park at the northeast lawn by the dahlia beds — directly north of Seattle Asian Art Museum.
Public Meeting: Amphitheater Project Concept Design PresentationProject consultants ORA Architects and Walker Macy Landscape Architects presented models and drawings of the conceptual plans being developed over the summer in consultation with Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Seattle Landmarks Board and key stakeholder groups.
A short presentation explained how this design was derived from and addresses recommendations in our Feasibility Study, which gathered input from over 30 performance and arts organizations, as well as from neighbors, acoustic and traffic specialists, and the general public.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 6:00 PM — 8:00 PM
WHERE: Miller Community Center — 330 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
Read more about the meeting in the Capitol Hill Times and in the Capitol Hill Blog.
See images of the four concept designs in the Capitol Hill Times here.
Summer Picnic in the Park!What a great picnic! Thank you everyone for coming out to enjoy the great weather, music and food. The west lawn was just packed with people enjoying the revels of the SANCA circus teams, the fabulous live jamming of Lovecitylove, face painting, four food trucks and the Cupcake Royale FREE ICE CREAM!
We’ve posted a few quick pics to our Flickr site here – more to come soon.
Many thanks also to: Aegis Living for sponsoring our music and giving out free flavored water; Anthonio Pettit and the Volunteer Park Conservatory for all the amazing help; Seattle Parks Foundation for giving free t-shirts, and Seattle Parks and Recreation. We couldn’t have done it without you!
A private, free event exclusively for our donors.
Over 65 people attended our Spring Reception at Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park to hear special announcements from our board Chair, and an update presentation by ORA Architects on the status of the Amphitheater project. The annual event, held for the benefit of our donors and development partners, also featured wine, hors d’oeuvres and a chance to meet more friends and neighbors of Volunteer Park. If you’d like to become a donor to Volunteer Park, you can give now by clicking here. Thank you!
GiveBIGTHANK YOU to everyone who made our GiveBIG event such a success. Your patience through the glitches was commendable!
Every donor to the Trust is invited to our free private Spring Reception on May 12th. (See the event information above.)
Without the generous contributions of friends like you, we couldn’t continue to make the amazing improvements to our beloved Volunteer Park. You make a difference. Thank you!
THANK YOU to everyone who came out in the rain on Sunday for our Spring Restoration Day!
We had over 45 exceptional volunteers show up to plant rugosa roses and remove some massive, overgrown rhododendrons. The huge rootballs presented weighty challenges to our toughest volunteers, but strength and engineering won out to triumphant cheers.
The removal of the crowded and overgrown rhododendrons (which are not in the original Olmsted plans for the park) brings light into these major garden beds, and allows for planting of healthy, ground covers and medium sized blooming shrubs.
A big thanks also to our terrific sponsors:
See more pics of the event at our Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/136748765@N04/
2nd PUBLIC MEETING Volunteer Park Amphitheater ProjectAmphitheater Project lead ORA Architects presented the draft of the Amphitheater Project Feasibility Study & Design Program containing findings and recommendations from their months of community outreach and study. YOUR public comments will be included in the final published version of this report. Thank you for being a part of this amazing project and letting us know your ideas and thoughts.
WHEN: Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
WHERE: Miller Community Center — 330 19th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98112
y of Service
What a great MLK Day of Service! We had not one, but TWO amazing volunteer groups and over 50 volunteers:
Seattle University Women’s Law Caucus brought 15 people working for 5 hours in the south side of the reservoir prepping for spring planting – removing and sheet mulching sod, weeding, mulching, etc. They had time left over to mulch groups of large trees south of the museum. Wow!
Phi Delta Epsilon, the UW medical fraternity, brought 20 people for 3 hours. They stripped sod, turned soil and mulched the bed triangle at northwest corner of the reservoir, preparing the area for rugosa rose planting. They also edged and mulched the south bed edge all along the reservoir. Incredible!
Special thanks to volunteer Ben Streissguth and our VPT Steering & Events Committee members and families who helped set up, direct, and take down for the event.
A big shout out to Aegis Living who provided coffee and giant cookies for everyone.
The enthusiasm, energy and cheerfulness among participants was great, and produced results far exceeding our expectations for the day. Thank you everyone!
Our fun and successful event was extremely popular — over 1,200 people enjoyed free cocoa, cookies, and four different choral groups! Read more here.
See pictures of the event at our Flickr site here.
Thank you for coming to our first Amphitheater Public Meeting – read all about it!
Capitol Hill Times | Capitol Hill Blog
