Monthly Archives: August 2009

The Food is Slammin’ and the Music is Jammin’ at the Byrd House Tomorrow

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Byrd House Market – corner of Linden and Idlewood

This time of year, the produce is heaving at the market so don’t miss out on all Virginia farmers have to offer you and your family. Don’t feel like cooking? Enjoy prepared food to go or sit in the shade of our cafe tables. Listen to the Byrd House Open Jammers play acoustic bliss from guitar to autoharp, to violin and this week – Irish bagpipe!!! To find out what our vendors are bringing this week, go to www.byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com

Activities:
Storyteller in the garden 4 to 5 p.m.
Facepainting 5 to 7 p.m.
Open Jam Music 5 to 7 p.m.

Bad Boys of 1900

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Times Dispatch, August 24, 1900:

Fathers Place Sons in Jail

G.T. Vaughan and Thomas E. Farmer, two white men who live on Oregon Hill, marched their two sons, Thomas Vaughan and Walter Lee Farmer, into the Second Police Station between 9 and 10 o ‘clock last night and swore out warrants against the lads, charging them with being incorrigible and beyond the control of their parents.
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From what can be learned regarding these boys, they are simply bad. Tommy and Walter live on Oregon Hill, and are members of the famous organization known as the “Oregon Hill Cats”, a juvenile fraternity that enjoys the old custom of throwing stones at everything and everybody, and of committing mischievous and nasty little acts which tend to make burdensome the lives of those persons who are thrown into contact with them.

Learn To Recycle

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Memo to 200 block S. Laurel residents and property owners, this is NOT the proper way to recycle. For one thing, recycling and trash pickup is on Wednesday morning, not Saturday when the above picture was taken. Also, though it may be hard to make out in the pcture, about half of the stuff is recyclable, while half is trash and food waste. Maybe VCU needs to offer a class on living in the city, but certainly landlords should know better also.

For example, the owner of 231 S. Laurel Street, according to City property info, is
INVESTMENTS ETC INC
ASSESSMENT MAILING ADDRESS: 1 S BOULEVARD
ASSESSMENT MAILING CITY: RICHMOND
ASSESSMENT MAILING STATE: VA
ASSESSMENT MAILING ZIP CODE: 23220

Graffiti Related To Best Friends Day?

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A neighbor saw someone putting this graffiti on the Overlook this
morning. She described offender as a “bff scenster kid”.

“I saw him doing it. I was totally enraged…tired of all the beer
cans tossed everywhere, (am planning to go out and pick up some
later.) Two people in the townhouses came out though could not hear
exactly what was going on. I got home fairly quickly and called the
police. They got here fairly quickly.They drove around and ousted some
campers…I asked them to make sure they made them pack their trash up
too. He said that was his plan and he had been in the area all day
yesterday dealing with them. I just find the whole bunch so self-
centerred and oblivious of any community consciousness/respect.”

I will note that the Overlook was destroyed after Tropical Storm Gaston a few years ago. FEMA money paid for replacing it. It has been tagged by graffiti repeatedly. The Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association has asked for security cameras, because the graffiti situation has also become worse underneath the Lee Bridge.

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A new alley stop sign also got tagged recently.

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I am not sure if this upsurge in damage is related to Best Friends Day this weekend or simply that VCU students are back in town. What I do not know is that the neighborhood association will seek the greatest punishments possible (including expulsion from school) for vandals. This all really puts a damper on a beautiful Sunday.

More Concerns About New Paving

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While Oregon Hill residents are glad to see the City working on improving our streets (and clearing up confusion about the process), many have complained that new paving is obliterating any height difference between street and curb. The old stone curbs and remaining brick sidewalks are distinguishing features of the neighborhood.

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Its not just about appearance. There are health concerns about what happens when stormwater washes over onto the sidewalks. The new Pescado’s restaurant, when it opens, may have more than seafood-hungry patrons coming through its doors…
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Stormwater Work

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According to the City of Richmond Department of Public Utilities blog, recently completed stormwater projects include “rehabilitat(ing) 3,300 feet of combined sewer pipe, 4 new manholes, and 5 rehabbed manholes in Gambles Hill area.”

Work planned for the 5th Council District includes cavitation repairs on the 700 block of Idlewood.

In the meantime, the local Sierra Club is fully supporting stormwater regulations for the state, and neighbors are watching VCU’s plans.