Wedgwood Rock(s)!

By Staff Writer, Molly Joylee

Second in a series of Special Reports:

What makes Seattle neighborhoods special, and how can that specialness inspire Maynard Park in a quest for its own specialness? That’s what a band of Maynard Park movers and shakers have set out to do in pursuit of creating, finding, or repurposing something to help define Seattle’s Fabulous Maynard Park Neighborhood.

Fresh on the heels of Fremont, the gang again climbed aboard the “Crepe-Mobile” and headed out to Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood. On this recent sunny day, everyone in Wedgwood seemed like they were in a particularly good mood. “Everyone’s so nice here,” someone said from the back of the van. “It’s a little off-putting. I don’t know if I trust people who are always kind, considerate and friendly.”

On our way to our target destination, we drove down a tree-lined street, the sun glinting through the leaves. We passed a bright red squeaky-clean Fire Engine, got waves from the crew, passed some kids playing stick-ball in the street, saw some other kids with a lemonade stand, passed an older couple walking hand in hand carrying an American flag, and I swear we saw a squirrel walking with a little pink parasol.

Then, suddenly…we were upon it! Wedgwood Rock!! It’s not technically in Wedgwood, but being from Maynard Park, we don’t get too hung up on the whole neighborhood boundary political correctness. If a neighborhood “attraction” has the neighborhood’s name in its name, then it’s in the neighborhood.

We climbed out of the van, and quickly encircled the behemoth rock.

Ed Mantra read aloud some specific factoids about the rock from Wikipedia:

· It’s 14 million years old…wait, he corrected himself… it’s 14,000 years old (still, that’s old)
· It arrived in the neighborhood when it was still a dense forest
· A glacier moved it there
· Dinosaurs played around the rock at one time (not specifically in Wikipedia, but we could read between the lines…)

“Do we have anything this old in Maynard Park?” Gretchen Oublie pondered aloud.
“Nope”, answered Andy Plateau, “Nothing artificial, natural, or glacier-driven. Only way we’re going to have something like this in Maynard Park is if we make it ourselves.”

Feeling a little dejected, but full of the warm glow of Wedgwood, the Maynard Park team retired to the Wedgwood Broiler for Prime Rib ($19.25 Wedgwood Cut), Chicken Fried Steak ($11.50), the Captain’s Plate ($17.00) and plenty of friendly Wedgwood neighbors to keep us company.

We then soldiered on in search of new inspirations for making Maynard Park special.

 Next stop… West Seattle!!!

Sky-High Fashion Returns to Maynard Park

By Fashion Editor, Dixon Clark
Don’t miss THE event in Maynard Park this weekend. All day Saturday and Sunday, it’s the 7th Annual “Maynard Park Wearable Kite Fashion Festival.”

The rules are simple. 1) Get some kites, 2) Stitch ‘em together into a cool outfit, and 3) Step it on out!

This high-flying judged event will parade contestants on the “Runway of Dreams” before one lucky winner will be awarded the grand-prize of a year’s worth of free Crepes from the Maynard Park Crepe-Ateria.

When Maynardites dress up in kites, we know that summer can’t be far away.

Journey to the Center of the Universe

By Staff Writer, Molly Joylee

First in a series of Special Reports:

Editor's Update: After posting, we learned of the passing of "Waiting for the Interurban" Artist, Richard Beyer.  Quoting Fred Bassetti, in a related Seattle Times Article, "He had a thoughtfulness about the human condition."  He also had a sense of humor and a belief that anyone can make art, and that's an inspiration for any neighborhood...

With great anticipation, we loaded ourselves into the big blue van with the fiberglass Crepe on top—our transportation being a kind gesture of support from the Maynard Park Crepe-Ateria. There were seven of us, six real people, and me (the “imbedded reporter”), crowded with expectation on a quest to find inspiration for a new signature centerpiece for Seattle’s Maynard Park neighborhood.

Rather than searching in our own back yard, this was a journey of discovery to the neighboring neighborhoods to find out what makes them special. With that enlightenment, Maynardites hope to give voice to their own grand ideas to give Maynard Park “something” to uniquely identify itself.

We headed East, then jogged North a little, and finally went a bit South until we arrived in Fremont, the Center of the Known Universe. As we rounded the curve in the road, the imposing bronze figure of Lenin suddenly appeared, and someone in the van shouted, “Let’s get something to eat at Taco Del Mar!”

As we sat, consuming the indigenous food of Fremont, we gazed up to marvel at the spectacle of the fallen communist dictator, now resurrected on a taco dining patio.

“I wouldn’t want to copy them exactly,” puzzled citizen leader, Gretchen Oublie. “But, could we get our hands on a 16-foot tall (or better) bronze statue of Stalin?” iPads were blazing to eBay and Craigslist to find an equally imposing Stalin for Maynard Park, but there just wasn’t anything big enough. Ed Mantra suggested the purchase of several tabletop-sized Stalin statues for an envisioned “Maynard Park Stalin Garden.” Ed’s unique vision was to “plant” or partially bury a dozen or more of the diminutive dictators in and around the Maynard Park P-Patch. With a spirit of all-ideas-are-good-ideas, the suggestion was noted and recorded, and the team pressed on to the next Fremont Neighborhood attraction for further inspiration.

On the road again, the visionaries slowed a bit alongside “Waiting for the Interurban”, and there was a collective, “well...maybe something like that?” We then quickly came upon the newer statues of “J.P. Patches and Gertrude”, and everyone went, “Ohhhh. Wish we had something like that.” But, alas, while Maynard Park has plenty of spirit, the neighborhood is considerably lacking when it comes to endearing local celebrities. The closest we have is retired Psychic-to-the-Stars, Carmelita Chi Chi, who holds court at one of the Maynard Park Starbucks, but she’s far less than “Legend” status.

So, we pressed on, and pulled up to the Fremont Troll. Everyone looked at each other, then at the Troll, then back at each other again. “This is what I’m talking about,” declared Andy Plateau. “It’s so spontaneous!”

So, there it was…13,000 pounds of spontaneity.

Gretchen reminded the team that this was their first sojourn, and there were several more Seattle neighborhoods to visit before settling on a signature vision for Maynard Park.

It was a good day. Minds were open. Foods and beverages flowed freely, and pleasant dreams were had by all.

Next stop…Wedgwood.