Category Archives: community

Market Parking Woes

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Yesterday before the market opened, Ana Edwards, Byrd House Market Manager, sent this email:

Greetings Shoppers and Friends –

It seems our Tuesday No Parking Signs may have blown away. Couple that with VCU classes beginning this week and Idlewood Avenue is loaded with parked cars. This may improve some as the day goes on, but it does mean that street parking will be limited. So, because we have no childrens’ programs running this week, we can open the playground and soccer field areas for market parking.
Thank you for your patience.

A neighbor had this to say:

Parking has been a huge problem today for the neighborhood. The shoppers are taking all of the spaces on cherry street and residents have nowhere to park….
It would be sad if Byrd Market was the catalyst that causes the neighborhood to succumb to permit parking. Please review your options for accommodating the overload of cars currently brought in by the market.

Hopefully this can be resolved for next week’s market day. Its pretty clear that this part of the neighborhood sees a lot of activity on market days and the issue does deserve attention.

St. Andrew’s School Fundraiser with Shaka Smart Wednesday

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From announcement:

Shaka Smart, VCU men’s basketball coach will be making an appearance as a “celebrity bartender” on behalf of St. Andrew’s School at Mosaic Café on Wednesday, August 31 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

From 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. that evening, Mosaic Café, will donate 13% of food sales made from those who mention they are there to support St. Andrew’s School and 100% of tips made by the “celebrity bartender.”

Please come by and bring family and friends to celebrate the beginning of the new school year with us and Shaka Smart!
This event is up on our facebook page so please check it out, let us know if you will be attending, share it or pass on this e-mail.

The Byrd House Farmers’ Market Wins

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From Byrd House Market announcement:

Byrd House Market will be open
for business Tuesday, August 30, 2011
3:30-7:00 pm

REGARDING IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE IRENE:
Visit the www.Richmondgov.com for announcements about city services.
If you need help with food, utilities or shelter, call the Red Cross, 804-780-2250
Stay in touch with friends, loved ones and neighbors who may be in need.
———————————–

Congratulations to our WBCH Shutter Bug kids for taking and submitting the most photos for a single market in the Va Grown photo contest! Not only were they prolific, the kids’ photos were beautiful! The links to the 83 photos from all over the state, including the 10 from our market alone, is below. Enjoy!

August 25, 2011
WINNERS IN THE VIRGINIA FARMERS’ MARKETS WEEK PHOTO CONTEST REPRESENT NORTHERN VIRGINIA, THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY AND THE MIDDLE PENINSULA
Contact: Elaine Lidholm, 804.786.7686

For Virginia Farmers’ Market Week August 7 – 13, 2011, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) sponsored a photo contest. VDACS invited individuals to submit photos that showcased the beauty and abundance of Virginia agricultural products found in the state’s farmers’ markets. There were separate categories for children 12 and under, youth 13 to 18 and adults 20 and over, and the market receiving the most entries received a special prize, as well. [see these 3 winning photos]
Judges for the contest included Mark Fagerburg, Manager, Photo and Digital Imaging Services, Library of Virginia, Richmond; Stephen Katz, Staff Photographer, The Virginian Pilot, Norfolk; Sonda Anderson Pappan, Art Director, Virginia Living Magazine, Richmond; and Charles Green, Director of VDACS’ Division of Marketing.

The individual winners each will receive a Virginia Grown/Virginia’s Finest gift basket filled with locally-grown and produced items. The Byrd House Farmers’ Market of William Byrd Community House in Richmond won for the most entries for a single market with ten photos submitted.

All entries are posted on a Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/vdacs/sets/72157627108997493/.

“These photos capture the vibrancy, diversity and appeal of Virginia’s farmers’ markets,” said Matthew J. Lohr, VDACS Commissioner. “I hope they inspire consumers all over the state to visit their community farmers’ market to find local, Virginia grown farm products.” Lohr noted that the season doesn’t end at Labor Day, but in most parts of the state continues into October or even November or December, and many markets are open all year long. He added that Virginia is home to nearly 200 farmers’ markets, and he encourages consumer to go to www.virginiagrown.com to locate a nearby market.

http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/releases-b/082511photocontest.shtml

Oregon Hill Recovers From Irene

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For the most part, it looks like the neighborhood survived Irene intact, perhaps better than previous hurricane Isabel.

Canal/Cumberland Street at the 7-11 was blocked by a big tree this morning, but that should be cleared pretty quickly if it has not been already.

From what I can tell, there is only one or two blocks or so that are without power, 800 block of Riverside Parkway and the 600 block of S. Cherry/Laurel, and they are expected to be repaired this evening.

It was great to see neighbors out and about, checking on things and cleaning their sidewalks.

Please feel free to send more pictures and tales of survival to info@oregonhill.net

Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Etc.

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It’s been a crazy week, and I apologize for not posting more. As far as I know, no one in the neighborhood has reported any noticeable, significant damage from the recent earthquakes. There have been some downed tree branches and at least one downed power line, but some of that may be attributed to the thunderstorm that came through the area last night.

Now many neighbors are wondering what Hurricane Irene will bring– besides refugees from the southeast. Many neighbors remember all the trees knocked down by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. Anyway, please feel free to post some good Oregon Hill survival tips and stories in the comments section below. Hope folks have chain saws ready.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_Hurricane_Isabel_in_Virginia

http://rvanews.com/features/are-you-prepared-for-severe-weather/37982

Oh yeah, welcome back VCU students!

Field Trip and Capitalism Critics Crimethinc On Flying Brick’s Calendar

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The Flying Brick Field Trip!:

On Sunday August 28th, meet at the Flying Brick Library, 506 S. Pine St in Oregon Hill for a trip to Washington DC to visit the Museum of the American Indian, as well as the National Museum of Natural History to see the RACE: Are We So Different?,exhibit, developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, It is the first national exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States.

Folks will need to bring money for food, metro fair, and gas. If you can’t afford this, there is a chance that the Library can sponsor a few people.

Contact theflyingbrick@riseup.net to RSVP (for carpool info) or to ask about funding. If this field trip goes well, there could be a trip to Harper’s Ferry in the future!

Also,

On Monday, August 29, from 7 to 10 pm, the Flying Brick is hosting a couple members of Crimethinc on tour for their latest book, Work. This is from the website, crimethinc.com:

After so much technological progress, why do we have to work more than ever before? How is it that the harder we work, the poorer we end up compared to our bosses? When the economy crashes, why do people focus on protecting their jobs when no one likes working in the first place? Can capitalism survive another century of crises?

Our newest book, entitled Work, addresses these questions and a great many more. To answer them, we had to revisit our previous analysis of employment and develop a more nuanced understanding of the economy. We spent months studying obscure history and comparing notes about how we experience exploitation in our daily lives, slowly hammering out a grand unified theory of contemporary capitalism.

All Flying Brick events are sober unless otherwise noted. Please no booze. Hope to see you there :)

WBCH Carnival/Community Movie/Best Friend’s Day/Chair

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Looks like a busy weekend-

William Byrd Community House’s Carnival is tomorrow afternoon and evening.

If it does not storm, there is an outdoor movie in Pleasants Park tomorrow evening.

Also, BFD activites at Mojo’s:

11 am- FIELD DAY SIGN UP
12 pm- SHOW
FREE
Sexy Crimes
Grown Ass Men

Saturday morning has a great yard sale…and…

Best Friends Day
@Fine Foods Grocery
10 am
FREE
Night Birds (surf-punk!?)

Hey, and if that’s not enough- get a plush chair!