Author Archives: Volunteer Park Trust

About Volunteer Park Trust

The mission of Volunteer Park Trust is to preserve and enhance this city and national landmark for today and for generations to come.

Capitol Hill Community Post | Volunteer Park Trust Seeks an Event Producer for Our Summer Series

Posted on by

Volunteer Park Trust (VPT) is seeking an Event Producer to handle all aspects of a 7-event Summer Performance Series in Volunteer Park. Duties include securing all talent, production equipment and staff for these free to the public activities under the direction of the Volunteer Park Trust; and document and invoice all expenses for production services and equipment. Services to be delivered include:

• Design with VPT a Grand Opening event and Summer Performance Series that reflects the multi-cultural population of the Pacific NW Arts and community.
• Book and secure talent as approved by the VPT. Talent should include opening and main acts, a wide variety of music genres, one dance evening, and one theater evening.
• Maintain all costs at or under budget.
• Build a stable working team of production staff to operate the venue for these events.
• Maintain notes and comments from all of the artists on ways to improve their experience.
• Suggest possible partnerships with media and cultural institutions

Event Dates:
• May 21, 2022 – Grand Opening 10am – 10pm (tentative) This event will feature keynote public speakers.
• July 14, 2022, 6-8PM
• July 21, 2022, 6-8PM
• July 28, 2022, 6-8PM
• August 4, 2022, 6-8PM
• August 11, 2022, 6-8PM
• August 18, 2022, 6-8PM

This event series is not yet fully funded. Interested individuals or production companies should email qualifications and past experience along with proposed compensation to Jeff Rinedahl, Administrative Services Manager, [email protected] by 5:00 PM Thursday, January 20, 2022.

Volunteer Park Trust is a nonprofit operating under the fiscal sponsorship of Seattle Parks Foundation. For more information see our website at volunteerparktrust.org.

Capitol Hill Community Post | An Amphitheater for Everyone

Posted on by

From the Volunteer Park Trust

The Volunteer Park Amphitheater is about to undergo a major transformation. By next summer, the park will have a new venue with a roof, new restrooms, and many amenities for performers and performances. Funded by hundreds of donations from community members and public funding for arts and recreation projects, the new amphitheater is this generation’s contribution to the historic and beloved park.

Over the past five years, the Volunteer Park Trust has led the effort to assess the existing structure, gather community input, and raise funds to design and construct the new amphitheater. Read below for more information about project.

Why is Seattle Parks and Recreation replacing the Amphitheater in Volunteer Park now, at a time when there are so many social and economic concerns?

The short answer is that the existing stage doesn’t work for the community, and Volunteer Park Trust raised over 99% of the needed funds before the pandemic struck, starting in 2015 and engaging years of extensive outreach to the community.

The Volunteer Park Amphitheater is an important community resource for everyone. Anyone may attend for free more than 50 events produced here each year, such as hip hop and world music concerts, Shakespeare in the Park, children’s theater, the Pride Festival, social justice rallies, and dozens of other celebrations and performances. Continue reading →

Capitol Hill Community Post | Holiday Magic at Volunteer Park this Thursday

Posted on by

Volunteer Park Trust invites you to our fifth annual Holiday in the Park this Thursday, December 7 from 6:00-8:00pm. This fun, free event features five different choral ensembles, a kids’ activity booth, and free hot cocoa, cookies and eggnog! Once again over 600 luminarias will be lining the walkways transforming Volunteer Park into a magical wonderland.

This year’s schedule of fantastic choral groups will keep you cheery and inspired the whole evening:

6:00pm – Holy Names Vocal Ensemble
6:20pm – Sing Noel
6:50pm – Lakeside Acafellas
7:10pm – Voices of Inspiration
7:30pm – The Beaconettes

We will be giving out free cookies thanks to Whole Foods, and Darigold will be handing out free samples of hot cocoa and eggnog. At this year’s activity booth, toddlers and kids will be able to make their own glow-in-the-dark headwear.

Adding to the festivities, the Volunteer Park Conservatory will be open late and offering free admission. You can warm up in the tropical heat and watch the Holiday Express train make its way through the towns and hills of the wintery miniature display.

Please join us!

More information on Holiday in the Park can be found on the Volunteer Park Trust website volunteerparktrust.org as well as on Facebook.

Please note: the Volunteer Park main concourse will be closed to cars. You can still drop guests off at both entrances to the park, and the lower loop road will be open for parking.

Capitol Hill Community Post | Fall Clean Up Coming to Volunteer Park

Posted on by

On Sunday September 17, the Capitol Hill Community will join forces in Volunteer Park at the annual Fall Restoration Day to weed, prune, clean garden beds, and make the park more beautiful for everyone.

Local sponsors are once again providing refreshments for the 60-100 volunteers expected to attend this major restoration event. Tully’s Coffee on 15th Ave E will be donating gallons of java and Mighty-O Donuts will be sending dozens of their prize-winning organic donuts.

The nonprofit Volunteer Park Trust is requesting that people gather at the East Prospect St. and 14th Ave E. entrance to Volunteer Park at 10:00 AM. Restoration will continue until 2:00 PM. Working with Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Trust provides all tools, gloves, and equipment.

Fall Restoration Day is great way to meet your neighbors, have fun working outdoors, and make a tangible improvement in your community. Perfect for families and people of all ages, no experience is required, and you can stay for as long — or as short a time — as you like. Every bit helps!

For more information visit: http://volunteerparktrust.org/

Capitol Hill Community Post | Rising Star Lydia Ramsey to Perform at Summer Picnic in Volunteer Park

Posted on by

Singer-songwriter Lydia Ramsey will perform LIVE next Thursday, July 13th 6PM at the free event Summer Picnic in Volunteer Park.

Lydia’s unique genre-crossing style moves from folk/Americana to country, rock, and haunting love songs. A multi-layered musician, song writer, and singer, Lydia was born in Washington and grew up in a musical family, developing passion for music that runs as deep as her family roots.

Her debut album “Bandita” was released in February to critical acclaim, including in NPR’s All Songs Considered, Lemonade Magazine, and Monarch Review. The album features Lydia’s extensive talent on keyboard, guitar, banjo, and trumpet, as well as evocative vocals that lure listeners deftly into her dream world.

Called “a must own record” by Equality 365 and “brilliantly constructed” by Lemonade Magazine, “’ Bandita,’” Lydia says, “represents this idea of grabbing life by the horns and doing exactly what you want with the short time you’ve been given.”

Don’t miss your chance to see Lydia Ramsey perform live at Summer Picnic in Volunteer Park, the largest annual event produced by Volunteer Park Trust. Now celebrating five years, the Trust is a nonprofit organization founded by friends and neighbors to preserve and enhance Seattle’s Volunteer Park.

Along with Lydia Ramsey’s concert performance, Summer Picnic in Volunteer Park will feature five food trucks, lawn games, interactive family artwork by Naomi Kasumi, and free Molly Moon’s ice cream while it lasts. The event is sponsored by Aegis Living on Madison and Puget Sound Bank and is produced in partnership with Seattle Asian Art Museum, Friends of the Conservatory, and 4Culture Sustained Support.

Capitol Hill Communit Post | Spring Restoration Day to Brighten Up Volunteer Park

Posted on by

This Sunday Volunteer Park Trust will be hosting its annual Spring Restoration Day and invites everyone to come lend a hand from 10:00AM to 2:00PM to make Volunteer Park more beautiful for everyone.

Volunteer Park Trust was founded by friends and neighbors of the park to preserve and enhance Volunteer Park, and is the force behind planning the new Amphitheater.

Their Spring Restoration Day typically draws forty to a hundred volunteers and focuses on a different portion of the park each year to remove invasive plants, re-gravel pathways, pick up litter, mulch and clean garden beds.

The event is family-friendly and kids of all ages are welcome. The Trust will supply gloves and tools, as well as free Tulley’s coffee and Top Pot doughnuts.

Capitol Hill Community Post | Volunteer Park Trust’s Fall Campaign a Success

Posted on by

Thank-you-2-Hi-ResVolunteer Park Trust, the non-profit group formed to restore, preserve and enhance Volunteer Park, has just announced the success of their Fall Campaign.

“Thanks to the incredible outpouring of community support, we met our 2016 fundraising goals,” says Ellen Look, Chair of the Trust’s Development Committee. “We are starting 2017 with renewed energy for caring for the park.”

In addition to hosting free community-wide events such as the December Holiday in the Park and July Picnic in the Park, the Trust harnesses the power of community volunteers to help maintain Volunteer Park’s 48 acres. Monthly “2nd Saturday” work parties and semi-annual restoration events bring scores of people to weed, prune, clean, and mulch its many garden beds.

“We already have two school groups scheduled to work in January,” says Look. “And plans are underway for this year’s Spring Restoration event.”

Volunteer Park Trust is also leading the Amphitheater Project to replace the park’s aging performance stage with a modern new facility. The project is currently in the schematic design phase. A public meeting to share information and provide an opportunity for input is planned for late February.

More information on Volunteer Park Trust can be found on their website: http://volunteerparktrust.org/

Capitol Hill Community Post | Volunteer Park Trust Receives 4Culture Award

Posted on by

4culture_color-LODGING-TAX4Culture has awarded Volunteer Park Trust $2,500 per year for 2017 and 2018 through the Preservation Sustained Support program. The grant provides vital funding to support the non-profit organization’s mission to preserve and restore the historic property of Volunteer Park.

This was the Trust’s first year applying for this grant, which is a highly competitive process. Preservation 4Culture “works with partners in the field to support historic preservation of buildings, neighborhoods and landscapes.”

Funding for this program comes from both state and county sources, and Volunteer Park Trust wishes to thank 4Culture along with Dow Constantine, King County Executive, the King County Council, and the Washington State District 43 Legislators: Senator Jamie Pedersen, Representative Brady Walkinshaw, and Representative Frank Chopp.2016-VPT-Fall-Restoration-Day-12016-VPT-Fall-Restoration-Day-2

Capitol Hill Community Post | Holiday in the Park Needs Volunteers on December 8th

Posted on by

2015-Holiday-Set-UpVolunteer Park Trust is seeking volunteers to help set up its Holiday in the Park event on December 8th.

If you have the afternoon free, come help assemble the 600 luminarias that will transform the evening park into a magical wonderland. We’ll also be setting up canopies and hanging decorations. Volunteers are asked to sign up using Google Forms here: bit.ly/HolidayGoogleVol

Everyone will meet at the Black Sun sculpture in Volunteer Park at 2:00 PM on Thursday, December 8th. We’ll be working until the event starts at 6:00 PM but even if you can only help out an hour or two every hand is needed!

For more information contact Jeff Crandall: [email protected]
You can also see the volunteer call on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/333635820331596/2015-Vol-22015-Vol-1