Veggie Potluck/Documentary This Thursday

From announcement:

Last Chance this year for dinner and a documentary night!
Veggie Dinner and a documentary will start again in late winter, early spring of 2010.

Bring your veggies to share (6pm) and come see short segments of Ken Burns “The National Parks” (7pm) Thurs. Nov 5, 2009.

Bring photos and experiences of your trips to National Parks to display!

If you have your own videos/cds/dvds of your trips to National Parks and know how to show them, bring them!

Please let us know if you’re coming to the William Byrd Community House at 224 South Cherry Street by RSVP carolion1@yahoo.com or 783-6316 to John or Caroline

Don’t forget your plates and utensils!

Appreciation for successful OHNA party/social

I would like to express my appreciation to neighbors the
Hargers (Shawn, Misty, and their relatives), Kyle Meyer, and Roxanne
Schwartz, who were the primary organizers for the Oregon Hill
Neighborhood Association
party/social we had this past Tuesday night.
They prepared a great spread. We also had some wonderful donations
from area businesses, including 821 Bakery Cafe, Mojo’s, Pescados Seafood ,
Ukrop’s, Chick-fil-A (guys, please let me know if I am missing anyone). Of
course the William Byrd Community House and Robert Bolling deserve
thanks as well for hosting. And, last but not least, all the Oregon
Hill residents who attended. Some of you won some nice door prizes as
well. Overall, a very successful evening, despite the rain.

‘Dog Rowe’ 1900

From the October 28, 1900 copy of the Richmond Times Dispatch :

Mr. Charles E. Barfoot had David Rowe arrested for stealing his orange-and-white hound pup.
The Great Dispenser knows much of human nature, and dreads a dog case.
The parties live on Oregon Hill, and Mr. Rowe declared he hadn’t been there long, and never had any trouble in his life until he went there. Since he lived on Oregon Hill he had slept on trouble, and had trouble for breakfast, lunch, and supper- trouble at every turn- and now he was accused of stealing his own dog.

ANIMATED SECTION

Mr. Rowe declared if anybody’s life was too stale and too slow, all he had to do was move to Oregon Hill, where animation lays around in chunks.
The Great Lawgiver declared before he opened up the case that there was no telling what a man wouldn’t do for a dog- especialy if it was in hunting season.
He enquired first about the license- always the license first. There was no license on the dog. The warrant had not been paid for, because Mr. Barfoot did not have the ready cash.
“Then in the name of General Jackson and the James river, how did you buy a dog with no money,” bawled the Great Dispenser.
Mr. Barfoot modestly declared that he had borrowed the money from a friend to buy the dog.
Mr. Rowe swore the dog was his, and that he was not orange and white at all, but a white hound, with black spots and tan ears, that he had bought from a nigger for a pistol, and that he took the dog from Mr. Barfoot’s yard, in the presence of his wife, when he had a door over the dog, and sawed wood piled over the door to keep him from getting out.
The Great Lawgiver declared that unless Mr. Barfoot could disprove Rowe’s statements, he was out 75 cents and a dog, and the nigger in a pistol and the money, and that a warrant in detinue was the proper caper in the case.

Editor’s note: I left the term “n-word” in this account as that what was printed in the record and what was commonly used in that time period. Certainly, I recognize that today that term is considered a racist epithet and I do not mean any offense with this historical post.

St. Andrew’s Oregon Hill House Warming

From announcement:

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is offering basic home energy-saving devices to households on Oregon Hill that want and need assistance in this area. Items include weatherization strips for doors and windows and interior window insulation kits. Windows and doors can account for up to 20% of the air leaks in a house. Reducing them and the solar gain in houses can save as much as 10% to 25% on heating and cooling bills (See Energy Savers: Tips on Saving Energy and Money at Home, produced by the US Department of Energy). Our hope is to help households reduce the cost of utility bills while also caring for God’s creation.

On October 31 from 10:00 am to Noon and on November 1 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, volunteers will be canvassing the Oregon Hill neighborhood to identify those households that need and want this assistance. If you are home and interested, please welcome them!

If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact Abbott Bailey at abailey@standrewsec.org. Volunteers will be given a simple script to follow and an area to cover. We’d love to have some more neighborhood folks join us in our House Warming efforts.

RETHINK AFGHANISTAN program Wed. evening at VCU

There is a free screening of the new documentary film Rethink Afghanistan on Wednesday, October 28, at 7:00 PM in the VCU Student Commons Forum Room (907 Floyd Avenue).

Rethink Afghanistan is a documentary about the U.S.’ escalating military involvement in Afghanistan directed by Robert Greenwald and distributed by Brave New Foundation.

The film will be followed by a discussion moderated by Dr. Mark Wood, of VCU’s School of World Studies.

This event is co-sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center, the Network of Spiritual Progressives Student Organization (nspvcu@gmail.com), and the VCU Religious Studies Program.

Urban Forestry Commission moves forward

Received this notice from neighbor:

Does Richmond Need a Citizen Tree Commission?
Information about Ordinance 2009-174

Council representative, Chris Hilbert, has introduced an ordinance to establish a citizen tree commission to be called the Urban Forestry Commission, to reflect the broad vision for the group. The purpose is to improve the City’s urban forestry resources through policy development, advise, education and fundraising. Key responsibilities include:

Serve as an advisory body to Council regarding legislation and policies regarding public trees.
Facilitate the development and passage of a tree maintenance and management plan for City-owned trees.
Assist with public relations and education programs to increase public understanding of urban forestry issues.
Conduct fundraising for city tree projects.

Members will be appointed by City Council and the Mayor and will include persons with expertise in areas such as tree care, urban forestry, and landscape design. Other members may include individuals with business interests and citizens interested in the beautification and well-being of our city.

Commissions in other localities in Virginia increase awareness of the critical role that trees play in our green infrastructure. They help shape policies and procedures that have long term impact on the livability of a city.

Yes, Richmond needs an Urban Forestry Commission to help maintain and improve our urban forest and to work towards a goal of increased tree canopy. We need a group with vision to help guide priorities based on the value of trees for all citizens and neighborhoods.

Please ask your Council Representative to support the establishment of a citizen Urban Forestry Commission. Come to City Council on Monday, October 26 at 6 pm — Wear GREEN to show your support! Thank you!!!

To reach the office of the City Clerk call 646-7955. Contact information for City Council members can be found by clicking here.

Prepared by the Friends of Urban Forestry. For further information, call Alli at 782-1170 or email allialligood@verizon.net

Terrible Accident At Work, 1902

From the Richmond Dispatch, October, 25, 1902,

Jack Burgess, who lives on Oregon Hill, in Richmond, suffered a terrible accident at work in the plant of the Richmond Standard Steel, Spike and Iron Company in Manchester yesterday afternoon. He was operating one of the heading spike machines when he slipped and fell and was thrown around the machinery. His jawbone was broken and he was otherwise hurt.

Dr. E.T. Rucker was called in and did all he could for the injured man.
Mr. Burgess was taken to his home in Richmond, where he was resting quietly this afternoon.