The main entrance to Madrona Park has long been an eye-catching bright spot for pedestrians and motorists driving past on Steilacoom Boulevard. The local beautification spot was begun about 30 years ago. Madrona resident Peggy Hemphill, is pleased.
She’s long been the woman behind the colorful, welcoming green spot whose vegetation changed with the seasons. Now she has “passed the spade on,” and others have taken it up. Peggy, along with several garden-minded women in this edge-of-the-hillside neighborhood, such as Rosa Kreger, are relieved, too, that others have taken on the upkeep challenge.
Neighbors Connie Kirkpatrick and Mary La Tourelle are the newest ones to take on the project. According to Kirkpatrick, this past summer many of the 200 Madrona-area residents contributed funds for the project.
This past December the original wood entrance sign was replaced with a sturdier, fresher one. Mondo grass and colorful heathers will soon be planted. Father Nature Landscaping of Tacoma built the pillars, while Valley Signs of Orting crafted the sandblasted sign that reads, “Madrona Park.” (Valley Signs, Kirkpatrick added, also designs Starbuck’s signs.)
The sight of this off-the-road beauty spot, like several others around town, underscores a friendly “welcome to our community.”