J.P. Patches made history in Des Moines Feb. 13 when he appeared out-of-costume and without makeup for one of the few times in his career.

Dressed in casual street clothes for this Des Moines Historical Society sponsored event, Chris Wedes (pronounced We-dus) was still the lovable J.P. to a standing-room-only gathering of "Patches Pals" of all ages - and their children.

Julius Pierpont Patches, aka Mayor of Seattle's city dump and better known as J.P. Patches, entertained these enthusiastic, long-time fans for almost two hours of laughs, memories and questions galore about his long-running, award-winning show on KIRO-TV.

Although the show's "city dump" was not a real dump, to some kids it must have seemed real because, Wedes recalled, city dump officials called almost daily to say they had to shag kids out of dumps looking for J.P.

With or without makeup, his sense of humor was keenly intact, and for many fans it was "J.P. Patches time" all over again.

The difference was that today some of these Patches Pals asking questions were six feet tall and/or showed a tinge of gray hair, and many brought their own kids to meet the man who is the magic of J.P.

One pal asked, "Do you remember me when our school class came to your show?"

Wedes replied that hundreds of children visited the city dump television set, often after waiting for six months. "I tried to make their visit memorable for them."

"How many of you visited me on the show?" he asked. At least a third of audience members' hands went up.

Memorable moments Wedes recalled were celebrity guests such as Colonel Sanders (of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame) and his entourage, when the Southern man dressed in white jokingly told J.P., "I'm here to find out why you're not following my recipe."

Or when character singer Tiny Tim played his ukulele and sang his signature song, "Tip Toe through the Tulips"

"Fortunately we had some very funny people because there was no script to follow," Wedes noted.

The dialogue was spontaneously made up with very few slip-ups, "except for a time or two when we accidentally said something we shouldn't say and quickly covered it."

Regrettably, the J.P. Patches TV programs were not recorded.

Talented Bob Newman, known as Gertrude, J.P.'s girlfriend, seldom appears in public now due to his health. However, in a recent special appearance on KCTS Channel 9, the legendary duo raised $155,000 for the public television channel.

2008 marks 50 years of J.P. Patches in Seattle. He has inspired people, changed lives, and even helped children get through tough times in some dysfunctional family environments. Two times a day those kids could depend on J.P. to make them laugh.

In honor of that dedication, citizen volunteers have launched a campaign to raise money to build a life-size bronze statue of J.P. Patches and Gertrude next to Rich Beyers' "Waiting for the Interurban" statue in Fremont.

J.P. and Gertrude's statue depicts them in a characteristically frenetic dance titled "Late for the Interurban" by Sculptor, Kevin Pettelle.

Also depicted is the ICU2-TV where Patches Pals were surprised with personal birthday greetings. Now that slot will be used as a built-in bank for depositing donations to Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center.

Wedes is a long-time devoted supporter of the hospital and the children it serves.

Recently, Pemco's Stan McNaughton and other Patches Pals in the CEO and business management world issued a challenge to donors that you just can't resist.

For every cash donation made for the statue, this Patches Pals group will match that donation dollar-for-dollar up to $50,000 to help get this statue funded and installed.

Any money received over the final cost of the statue will go to Children's Hospital.

Statue Committee chairman Bryan Johnston of KIRO-TV estimates that $80,000 is needed to complete the project. All donations are tax deductible.

Des Moines fans and Patches Pals donated about $1,235 at this event that was then matched by the business group - doubling the total to $2,470. Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center will benefit from J.P. statue donations for years, thanks to the built-in bank in the statue.

And observing Patches Pals will likely smile at the amusing and amazing statue, saying, "I remember them well."

For more information, go to Wedes' Website: www.jppatches.com or directly to the donation page: asi-seattle.com/agent/jppatches/register.php or call Urban Sparks, a non-profit arts group, at 206-992-2779.

Thought for the day: "The average person has five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing. The genius has two more ... horse and common" - Anonymous.