Scenes from the Oregon Hill Keep It Cool event at the Jacob House this past Saturday:
One part of it was a presentation on the varying temperatures of materials.
Another portion was a small workshop on adding shade cloth to exterior window screens. Imagine how much air conditioning energy could be conserved if every Oregon Hill house used shade cloth.
Thanks to Commonwealth Solar for lending their expertise.
If you missed this event, there is already talk of holding another one soon.
From media release:
July – August Activities
Grace Arents Library & Education Center
July 16: Cooking as a Second Language – Challah Bread – A Jewish Tradition, chef Rabbi Andrew Goodman: This WBCH Grace Arents Nutrition Education program features global cuisine cooking classes every 3rd Saturday of the month, 9:30 am – 12 noon. Learn geography, history, folklore and math DELICIOUSLY. Register online at EatGoodGrowGreat.blogspot.com, or call 643-2717, by Thursday July 14. August = Vietnamese / September = Iranian. $10/class, free for WBCH families, ages 10 to 100 welcome!
Genealogy Research – Walk-in Hours – Start or continue your family history, African American genealogy research; connect with experts and resources in our area. Online access to resources to further your research goals. Thursdays 10 am – 2 pm / 3rd Saturdays 10 am -12 noon.Byrd House Market – Tuesdays 3:30-7:00 pm
July 26: SPCA comes to Byrd House Market – Sharing information about their programs and upcoming annual Fur Ball, our friends at the SPCA will bring a few canine and feline friends, if it’s not too hot that day. More market information at ByrdHouseMarket.blogspot.com
August 5: First Tuesday Wine Down at Byrd House Market – The first Tuesday market at the month features Byrd Cellars Winery, a refreshing stop during your shopping day. Taste, then buy some of our area’s best and reasonably priced locally produced wine. Shop the market for goodies to complement your wine selection.Special Events
August 7: Annual Mamma Zu’s Dinner for WBCH, 5:30 pm – Mamma Zu owner Ed Vasaio will create and prepare a special multi-course traditional Italian menu that is not to be missed. Mamma Zu is at 501 South Pine Street 23220. Tickets $75.00 per person and can be purchased through the WBCH Finance office, call 643-2717 or email doffice@wbch.org to get yours today! Details at www.wbch.org
Friday, July 8 at 8:45 pm
Pleasants Park
Refreshments Served
This coming Saturday morning, there is an Oregon Hill Energy Efficiency/Home Cooling workshop at the Jacob House, the City’s The Clean City Commission is partnering with the 2nd Precinct MPACT Co-Chairs to host the 4th Annual Civic Association Community Workshop, the Better Housing Coalition’s Center for Neighborhood Revitalization has a FREE Renovation Lending Workshop, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network is having a workshop on lobbying for offshore wind.
That last item might sound a little out of place, but since the redistricting, Oregon Hill is likely to change representatives from the pro-renewables McEachin to Chesterfield developer and recent French nuclear tourist, Watkins.
From email announcement:
SNAP EBT now available at our market.
Feed your family fresh, delicious, health fruits, vegetables, dairy, grass-fed meats, free range poultry, breads and desserts, preserves/jams/honey, food plants and pizza kits. Debit/Credit Card purchases may also be ready tomorrow. Will post via Facebook and Byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com when confirmed.First Tuesday Wine Down with Byrd Cellars Winery
Always delicious, refreshing white grape and apple wines.WRIR is our Featured Nonprofit: Richmond Independent Radio is a fresh new voice, on the air since January 1, 2005. Broadcasting music you DON’T hear on the radio dial with LIVE LOCAL DJ’s doing REAL LIVE SHOWS. In addition to our locally produced music shows, we offer a wide range of National and Local NEWS programming that covers issues underrepresented by other media. WRIR is a true community radio station: • We are locally owned, and by charter can never be bought out by any non local entity. • The station is operated by volunteers from the Richmond community. Our staff consists of your neighbors playing music, sharing news and operating the station.
Visit www.WRIR.org – Richmond’s Radio for the Rest of Us. and in case you didn’t know it, both your market manager Ana Edwards and vendor Patricia Stansbury (Epic Gardens) broadcast weekly programs on WRIR. check their schedule page for description and times.Many thanks to Project Burning Bush summer institute, Shalom Farms interns, WBCH staff and all our volunteers for their patronage and ongoing assistance – You broaden the community and share the spirit of our mission to build sustainability and transform lives.
with sincere appreciation,
Your Byrd House Market Manager
AnaSee you at the Market!
Announcement:
Hello everyone
Just a reminder that OHNA will be holding its monthly meeting tonight, Tuesday, June 28th, at 7 PM at WBCH.
Hope to see everyone there
Jennifer
Reminder: Tomorrow morning is the scheduled date for the City’s trash and recycling pickup.
In regard to Issue #1, at a meeting last week between the Virginia Commonwealth University administration and Monroe Park campus community and neighborhood leaders, VCU President Michael Rao dismissed calls for lasting compacts for the university’s physical expansion and instead suggested that input be given in the next VCU Master Plan process.
The problems with that are numerous:
Oregon Hill residents in particular have no reason to trust VCU’s Master Plan process, simply because VCU now has a history of abruptly changing it’s Master Plan at any point to serve its own purposes. Add VCU’s assumed powers and history of encroachment on top of that, and there is even more reason for nearby neighborhoods to feel threatened. There’s no “community partnership” in that!
Another reason to look askance at the VCU Master Plan process is that Richmond in general has always discounted any citizen input into planning, including it’s own Downtown Master Plan. This city has a bad history of patrician rule that is not above playing racial politics with whole neighborhoods. It’s again worth noting that the initial draft of the City’s Downtown Master Plan asks for more protection of Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
One thing that I conveyed to President Rao was how the administration’s willingness to disregard community concerns about VCU encroachment in turn fosters a disrespectful attitude from some VCU students and boosters. And it’s not just Oregon Hill that bears the brunt of this arrogance, especially in discussions over possible football stadium locations.
In the end, the VCU Public Relations Department can keep acquiring awards, but until the VCU administration takes the positive step of making a lasting, reliable border agreement with its neighbors who have been asking for one for years, then there can be no true “community partnership”. The thirty+ year siege of Oregon Hill continues.
From announcement:
June 28 will be the 3rd Byrd House Market day that EBT purchases are possible for our shoppers received SNAP benefits – thanks to a Federal grant through Va Dept Social Services. The first day, $4 in EBT sales were made and last week $47! An exponential increase! We knew this was a good idea. So spread the word. Better food for all, Better business for our food producers. Win. WinWin.
Our featured vendors this week? ALL of them! and Bill & Joyce Heath (in photo there)
Appearing in this week’s rotation: You! and the Richmond Public Library and Triple Stamp Press
Bernie’s Baked Goods returns for the summer.
Storyteller: Richmond Public Library brings books! (and voice)
Frank deAlto plays and sings under the Mulberry Tree, sharing the shady venue with Thea and/or Nadine on violin
Visitors: You! and Project Burning Bush Summer Institute
Coming soon:
July 5: First Tuesday Wine Down with Byrd Cellars
July 12: St. Andrew’s Church returns with their special canned yummies…
July 16: Cooking as a 2nd Language: Holiday Jewish Cuisine – What’s it All Mean? (and how to make it!) with Rabbi Andrew GoodmanKeep up with the good stuff!
ByrdHouseMarket.blogspot.com
and
EatGoodGrowGreat.blogspot.com
From announcement:
There will be a celebration today for Reverend Philip Turner’s 20th. anniversary at Pine St. Baptist Church. There will be a program and reception to follow at 4pm at 400 Pine St. at the church. All are invited and child care is available.
(Ed.’s note- I apologize for the late post, though I did forward to the neighborhood Yahoo email list as soon as I received notice. Rev. Turner deserves much thanks for everything he does for the community.)