Seattle, WA
JP Patches clown statue vandalized in Fremont, fans hope to make repairs
Iconic Seattle clown statue vandalized
Community leaders in Fremont are hoping to repair the statue of Seattle’s most famous clown after it was defaced by a vandal within the past few weeks.
SEATTLE – Community leaders in Fremont are hoping to repair the statue of Seattle’s most famous clown after it was defaced by a vandal within the past few weeks.
J.P. Patches was the star of a long-running show from 1958-1981, with many members of the community appearing on the program over the years.
The statue was unveiled in 2008 with a street later named after the iconic clown. The picture below shows what the statue used to look like before and after the vandalism.
What they’re saying:
“I am a long-time Seattleite and I know who J.P. Patches is and Gertrude,” said superfan Suzie Burke, a J.P. Patches statue supporter.
Burke says during his three decades on TV, J.P. Patches worked to make people happy.
But, things took a sad turn after the statue honoring J.P. Patches and his sidekick, Gertrude, was vandalized with black paint. Someone inked out the facial features that made the characters come to life.
“J.P. Patches was our clown,” she said, pictured below looking at the damage.
“We have to fix it!,” said Burke, pointing to the statue. “His face is supposed to be white, with the red lips and the red nose.”
Fans of the late clown and the statue say the person who was responsible for defacing the statue wasn’t just clowning around, as the vandalism disrespects the memory of both the clown and the man behind him, Chris Wedes.
“J.P. Patches is a Seattle icon. Any kid that grew up from the 60s and 70s grew up watching JP Patches,” said Curt Hanks, webmeister of JPPatches.com.
After Chris passed away in 2012, FOX 13 interviewed his co-star Bob Newman during a 2013 street-naming celebration in his honor.
“We could do crazy dumb stuff, you know, and people loved it,” said Newman. “They just loved to be talked to, you know, and we just had a great time.
As for who is responsible for the damage, that’s unclear. For now, Hanks with JPPatches.com says “Patches Pals,” as fans are called, will likely rally to make repairs.
A restoration fund for the statue is now live on the J.P. Patches website.
“I raised funds for the last restoration of the statue about three years ago, and we raised funds for these pavers at the base of the statue,” said Hanks.
“We take that pretty seriously, even when it’s a clown,” said Ryan Reiter, managing director for the Fremont Sunday Market, in reference to the vandalism.
Reiter is also hoping to host a parade in Fremont to raise money for the cause.
“We’ve just been spit-balling. We want to find a way to help fix J.P. Patches,” said Reiter.
He’s hoping to host that parade at the Fremont Sunday Market location. He said he could host the event as early as May 25. He plans to make an announcement on social media soon.
FOX 13 reached out to Seattle Police to see if officers are investigating the vandalism incident, and we are waiting to hear back.
The Source: Information in this story came from the J.P. Patches website and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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Thanks to Carrie Brown for the westward view of our Saturday night sunset. The high today hit 68 at the airport – eight degrees above normal – but nowhere near the record for this date, which was 89 degrees back in 2016. The forecast suggests two more days of partly sunny, almost-70-degree weather, before the chance of rain returns.
CHICAGO (AP) — The struggling New York Mets placed former Seattle Mariners second baseman/designated hitter Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right wrist contusion.
Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Robles, Vargas and more
The move was made retroactive to Wednesday, a day after Polanco went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 32-year-old Polanco is batting .179 (10 for 56) with a homer and two RBIs in his first season with New York, which has lost nine straight.
“When doctors first took a look at him, it looked like he got hit by a pitch when he didn’t,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “In talking to him, it was just a couple of swings that he took that night. … He didn’t think much of it, but just got worse the following day.
“So you just got to let it calm down a little bit and then we’ll go from there. But we don’t have a timetable for how long this is going to last.”
Polanco, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Mets in December, also has been dealing with an ankle issue.
“He was trending in the right direction,” Mendoza said of the ankle injury. “It’s definitely going to help, obviously now with him being shut down. But the biggest thing now is that we’ve got to take care of that wrist.”
Polanco spent the previous two seasons with the Mariners, who acquired him in a February 2024 trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Polanco struggled during his first season with Seattle in 2024, hitting just .213 with 16 homers in 118 games while playing through a knee injury that didn’t become public knowledge until after the season.
But after the Mariners somewhat surprisingly brought him back for a one-year contract in 2025, Polanco rebounded to hit .265 with 26 homers and an .821 OPS in 138 games last season. He then added three homers during Seattle’s playoff run, along with a 15th-inning walkoff single in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that sent the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years.
Seattle Sports staff made additions to this post.
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Seattle, WA
Brandon Nimmo hits leadoff homer, Jacob deGrom works 4 scoreless as Rangers beat Seattle Mariners 5-0
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – APRIL 17: Corey Seager #5 of the Texas Rangers tags out Dominic Canzone #8 of the Seattle Mariners during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park on April 17, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
SEATTLE – Brandon Nimmo hit a leadoff home run, Jacob deGrom threw four shutout innings and Gavin Collyer earned his first career win as the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 5-0 on Friday night.
Seattle lost its fourth straight game, and was shut out for the fourth time in 21 games, falling to 8-13. The Mariners were shut out six times during the 2025 season. Texas won its third straight game.
Nimmo led off the game with a 372-foot shot to right field off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert (1-3). It was Nimmo’s 16th career leadoff homer and second of the season. He also hit a leadoff home run on April 11 in a 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DeGrom effectively maneuvered through Seattle’s lineup, and worked out of a one out, bases-loaded jam in the first inning. The two-time Cy Young Award winner recorded two of his three strikeouts after walking Josh Naylor to load the bases. Randy Arozarena fanned on a curveball, and Luke Raley swung through a fastball.
Texas added to its lead after Nimmo’s homer. Wyatt Langford’s single to left scored Corey Seager, who led off the third inning with a double. The Rangers stretched the lead to 3-0 on an RBI single from Jake Burger in the seventh.
The Mariners’ best scoring chance came in the sixth after Collyer (1-0), who worked 1 1/3 scoreless innings, left the game.
J.P. Crawford singled to left off Tyler Alexander with two out, and Mariners third base coach Carlos Cardoza sent Naylor from second base, but he was thrown out by Langford.
Texas added two more runs in the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Andrew McCutchen and an RBI double by Josh Jung.
Seattle third baseman Brendan Donovan left the game early due to a left hip issue.
Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller, who started the year on the injured list with a left oblique injury, was at T-Mobile Park for the first time this season. He will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma on Saturday.
Up next
Mariners RHP George Kirby (2-2, 3.25) will face Rangers righty Nathan Eovaldi (2-2, 5.40) on Saturday afternoon.
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Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
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