Jame River Park’s Winter Solstice Celebration

On December 21 Jame River Park System will co-host a midday nature hike for the public around Belle Isle to be led LERN naturalists Bill Shanabrauch and Stacey Moulds (Local Ecotype Richmond Natives) at 12 PM. Meet at the Belle Isle side of the suspension bridge.

In the evening, JRPS Programs hosts a night hike at 6 PM. Hot chocolate provided by Friends of James River Park. Both events meet at the Belle Isle side of the Suspension Bridge. Email programs@jamesriverpark.org for more information.

OHNA Meeting Tomorrow Night

From email:

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 18 December 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be held by Zoom, at the link below.

Topic: OHNA Monthly Meeting – December 2023
Time: Dec 19, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
(Editor’s note: Meeting information redacted but please email ohnarva@gmail.com if you would like to receive it)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney

Updates:

1. Continued automobile accidents in and around neighborhood.
· While some traffic calming measures are planned to coincide with repaving in 2024, are these enough?

2. Any updates on the restaurant planned for the former Mama Zu space?

Continued Business

3. A volunteer has agreed to head up a committee looking into locations for a dedicated dog park in Oregon Hill and addressing the various city requirements for such an undertaking.
· A Friends of Oregon Hill Parks has been created to plan park improvements, plantings, and to e investigate a location for a dog park

New Business

4. Any other new items?

Bryan Clark Green, President
Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Mike Matthews, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer

OHNA Meeting Tomorrow Night

From email announcement:

Monthly Meeting Agenda
Tuesday 28 November 2023
7:00PM
This meeting will be held by Zoom, at the link below.
Topic: November OHNA Meeting
Time: Nov 28, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

(Editor’s note: Meeting information redacted but please email ohnarva@gmail.com if you would like to receive it)

Welcome
• Treasurer’s Report

Community Updates:

1. Lt. Brian Robinson, City of Richmond Police Section Lt, 4th Precinct
2. Officer Luke Schrader, Police Liaison, VCU
3. Ms. Verenda Cobbs, VCU
4. Ms. Stephanie Lynch, 5th District Councilperson
5. Ms. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney

Updates:

1. Pleasant’s Park upgrades
· Thank you to all of the volunteers who came to the two Saturday workdays to help construct the new fence in the park, paint new picnic benches, and otherwise clean up the park. Thank you also for Parks & Recreation for bringing out the heavy equipment and staff to remove the old chain -link fence and to dig the holes for the new posts.
· Thank you to everyone who sawed boards, dug holes, broke up brick in the holes (ugh), set the posts in concrete, attached the new boards, and did all the many other tasks it took to complete this project.
· Parks & Recreation provided the heavy equipment and knowledgeable staff; OHNA purchased the new materials, and the neighborhood provided many volunteers to see the job through.
· Once the new wood has been able to age a bit, we will return to apply a protective stain to the fence.

2. Infrastructure walk held 4pm – 5:30 Friday Oct 27.
· Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped out.

Continued Business

3. A volunteer has agreed to head up a committee looking into locations for a dedicated dog park in Oregon Hill and addressing the various city requirements for such an undertaking.
· A Friends of Oregon Hill Parks has been created to plan park improvements, plantings, and to e investigate a location for a dog park

New Business

4. OHNA elections
· Anyone interested in running?
5. Any other new items?

Bryan Clark Green, President
Harrison Moenich, Co-Vice-President
Jennifer Hancock, Co-Vice-President
Mike Matthews, Secretary
John Bolecek, Treasurer

Second Pleasants Park Workday This Saturday

Neighborhood volunteers will be hard at work this Saturday and invite others to join them-

Please join Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association and Parks and Rec in overhauling Robert Pleasant’s Park! We will arrive at 9am and work until we finish the remaining two sections of fence in the park. We will also move some pavers to make a designated area for a pollinator section of bushes and native wildflowers (to be planted in the Spring). Refreshments will be provided for breakfast and lunch, as well as plenty of water. Please come dressed appropriately for the weather, with work gloves! If you can bring shovels (flat and trench) that would be helpful!

Please see link here:
https://www.meetup.com/rva-clean-city-sweep/events/297194814/

Two Meetings

Councilperson Stephanie Lynch has highlighted two meetings this week in her 5th District newsletter:

We have two big meeting this week! The first will the virtual Cultural Resources Management Plan (CRMP) tomorrow – Wednesday, November 15 (flyer below).

The second meeting will be the last 5th District Town Hall for the year on Thursday, November 16 at 6pm at Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts (3411 Semmes Ave). We will have DPW Director Bobby Vincent and Police Chief Rick Edwards (flyer below). Please note that we will not have access to the building until 6pm.

Pleasants Park Volunteer Workday This Saturday

From announcement:

Pleasant’s Park makeover! Sign up here! Two shifts! 9am-1pm, 1pm-5pm. Coffee, water, snacks, and lunch provided! Parks and Rec will be there to help! Come out and hang with your neighbors and help make this park shine!

From Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association:

We are partnering with Parks and Rec to host a two day event to revitalize Pleasant’s Park. The first two years of the block party we raised funds for beautification projects in our parks. This is a direct result of that fundraising. Please join us in helping to make this park shine! The link is in our bio to sign up. We will provide food and drinks! Hope you can make it out, Nov 4th & 11th, 9am-1pm and 1pm-5pm.

Contact OHNA through this email address: ohnarva@gmail.com

Why is it called Pleasants Park?

From the Richmond Friends website (click here for link):

Robert Pleasants, who was born at Curles in Henrico County, Virginia in 1723 and died in 1801, was one Virginia’s most noted Quaker abolitionists. As one of the founders of the Virginia Abolition Society in 1790, he served as president. In 1782 he successfully lobbied for the Manumission Act, which, within one decade, was responsible for freeing over ten thousand slaves in Virginia. In 1792 Mr. Pleasants submitted a petition to the U.S. Congress from the Virginia Abolition Society calling for the end of the slave trade. Mr. Pleasants went to court repeatedly to free hundreds of slaves. He wrote to Virginia leaders such as George Washington and Patrick Henry, asking that slavery be abolished.
Several of these documents are contained on this website.

In 1784, two years after manumitting his slaves, Mr. Pleasants founded the Gravelly Hill School, the first school for free blacks in Virginia, and set aside 350 acres of land to maintain the schools. Henrico Parks and Recreation will dedicate a historic maker on the Gravelly Hill Site in 2003.

The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association successfully petitioned the Richmond City Council in 2003 to name Pleasants Park at 401 South Laurel Street for Robert Pleasants.

This is history that is not part of the City’s Liberty Trail.

Free Popcorn and…

…a reminder that the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association is holding its Annual Block Party in conjunction with Open High’s Fall Festival this Saturday!

From announcement:

Thanks so much to our friends at Pine St. Baptist for supplying popcorn and snow cones! Later in the evening they will also be screening our annual Block Party sunset movie! This year is CASPER, and they’ll be providing hot dogs, sides, and drinks! Free!!

Oregon Hill/Open High Fall Festival This Coming Saturday

Other than some illegal parking, this past Saturday’s Richmond Folk Festival passed without incident. Thousands of people were able to enjoy music from all over the world just down the Hill.

Now, neighborhood residents and Open High are looking forward to this Saturday. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has combined its neighborhood’s fall celebration with Open High’s Annual Fall Festival (Reminder that the proceeds of this years event will be going toward scholarships for @openhighrva students to study abroad!)

Among vendors and games, t-shirts will be for sale.

And many residents are looking forward to taking part in the raffle…

Save The Date- Oregon Hill Fall Festival on October 21st

Folks who attended the OHNA meeting Zoom call got to hear about planning for this year’s Oregon Hill Fall Festival, scheduled for October 21.

Paraphrasing…
The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association (OHNA) is cosponsoring the festival with Open High this year, so it will be on China St. There will still be a movie in the evening over in Pleasants Park (vs the parking lot) with Pine St Baptist.
There will be a few raffles going on.
Money raised will go towards Open High scholarships for students for international educational trips.
There are 3 costume contests at the festival: kids, YA, and adult. There is also a best decorated Halloween house contest. Judging for the house contest takes place before the festival and the winner is announced at the festival. Costume contests are judged at the Festival and winners announced shortly after the judging.