Sign Up: Volunteers needed to beautify our Front Doors

Entrances to the neighborhood are about to get a grand makeover thanks to the Chamber of Commerce and others who are organizing an effort to improve the signs leading to our Oasis-on-the-Bluff. At the top of the Garfield Street Bridge and at the corner of 20th Avenue West and West Dravis Street, are actual welcome?signs that have suffered through years of rainy?weather and benign neglect. Thanks to the energy and donations from?the good folks at Ace Hardware, Magnolia Garden Center, along with others, the welcome signs and environs are about to receive a thorough?rehabilitation by way of rakes, shovels, and volunteers.

?Right now they have a lot of weeds. It?s overgrown and looks like no one cares,? observes Eileen Quackenbush of the Magnolia Chamber of Commerce. ?We?re trying to beautify the entryways to Magnolia to show that it?s a welcoming community, and to show that we have pride in our community.?

Magnolia resident and experienced landscaper Keith Drechsel, conceived the notion to beautify the entrances to the area ? an idea that was developed into the Front Doors Project. To incorporate the landscape design, volunteers are requested to come forward and add their labor to the effort in bringing the plan to life. Saturday, October 4 is the date to circle on your calendar when the work party kicks off. The goal is to complete the overhaul at two locations in one day.

?The City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods has approved our grant request for $1,000,? reveals Greg Carnese of Leroux Apparel in the Village. ?As of (last week) we raised about $1,900 ? in addition to the grant monies from the city ? in cash donations.?

On top of landscaping, there is talk of possibly acquiring new signs, but that would take an even bigger effort.

?I would love for a sign company to come forward to volunteer design and installation of a new sign for Magnolia,? adds Carnese. ?That would be terrific.?

The Chamber sends a special thanks to Ace Hardware for providing tools, and the Magnolia Garden Center for their design expertise along with the plants that will constitute the finished layout.

?We would like to have additional donations to help maintain the landscaping,? requests Carnese. ?They can be made by stopping by Leroux Fashions in Magnolia Village. People have stopped me on the street with a $20 bill saying, ?We want you to do this. We?ve needed it for a long time.??

Volunteers, let Greg Carnese know you?ll help out by dropping him a line: gregc@lerouxmagnolia.com

?