Fremont Statue Honors J.P. Patches & Gertrude

Seattle is not really a city filled with statues, as many others are, and the community of Fremont seems to have the corner on the city’s statue quota:  Lenin, the Fremont Troll, and Julius Pierpont Patches.  While other cities may erect statues honoring founding fathers, local heroes, and outstanding citizens, we have the a Russian Marxist revolutionary, and the Mayor of the City Dump and his girlfriend.

With JP Patches heading one way, and Gertrude the other, it's no wonder they're "Late for the Interurban"

J.P. Patches, portrayed by Chris Wedes, was both the Mayor of the City Dump and the host of the J.P. Patches show.  Originally airing twice daily on weekdays, before and after school, the show was broadcast live and unrehearsed, in an improv fashion, long before that style became typical.  The set was a shack in the dump (the Montlake Landfill which had been a dump at one time) where J.P. welcomed guests ranging from local scout troops, local and national celebrities, and a cast of quirky characters including Ketchikan the Animal Man, Esmerelda, Grandpa Tick Tock, I.M. Rags, and Gertrude.

If you grew up in Seattle during the 60’s you wanted to be a Patches Pal.  Parents appreciated J.P. for encouraging kids to be a member of the Clean Plate Club, to practice good manners and to read.  They also appreciated some of his sly double entendres, with humor on both an adult and child level.  Kids who were really lucky got to visit J.P. at the City Dump, a first television for many, or were wished a happy birthday as he looked out at you through his ICU2TV, a cardboard television set.  Even more had a chance to meet him at local events, parades, and celebrations as he kept up a busy schedule of appearances.

Re-live your childhood with JP Patches action figure

J.P. Patches eventually was reduced to once a day, then later only on Saturday, until it went off the air in 1981.  It is the second longest running children’s show (Sesame Street is first), and one of the first non-news televisions shows to be non-scripted.

Honoring this man with a big heart, sculptor Kevin Pettelle created “Late for the Interurban” to honor the 50th anniversary of the J.P. Patches show, August 17th, 2008.  Lots of Patches Pals were there for the unveiling of the statue of J.P. and Gertrude, located not far from the sculpture “Waiting for the Interurban.”

With or without their make-up on, Chris Wedes and Bob Newman (who played girlfriend Gertrude and most of the other characters on the show) love kids, and they continue to make public appearances and raise money for children’s charities.  The statue of a television clown and his girlfriend honors two of Seattle’s outstanding citizens.

Location: Solstice Plaza at North 34th, Fremont (map)

Photo credits:  martialstax @flickr (statue); Amazon (action figure)