History Hounds This Saturday

Announcement:

Valentine Richmond History Center’s annual History Hounds walking tour of Oregon Hill occurs Saturday, April 10th, 10am-12pm. It’s only $10 a person (dogs are free!), but reservations are required. Call 649-0711 x301

Dogs must have current shots, mix well with others and remain on a leash. Owners are responsible for water and cleaning up after their dogs. Meet at Cherry and Idlewood streets..

P.S. Form a team for the 2010 Stride Through Time 10K on June 5th and raise funds for the History Center and Historic Richmond Foundation.

Spring Has Sprung At Byrd Market

Announcement:

Byrd House RENEGADE Market (Playing Now thru April 27)

ONGOING thru 5.1.10: Eat Good Grow Great Challenge Grant!
Give now and your contribution counts twice! WE NEED YOU!

4.17.10: Crop Mob (Part 2) VCU Social Networking Project “CROP MOB” (Part 2)
will add rows and plant crops to Byrd House Farmlet.

4.24.10: Next Cooking as a 2nd Language class: Bangledeshi Cuisine

5.4.10: Byrd House Market 2010 Season Opening Day – SAVE THE DATE!

Details on these happenings and more on our Blog
www.byrdhousemarket.blogspot.com

Learn more about William Byrd Community House and why Byrd House Market is a Market with a Mission!

Become a Fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/gracearents

OHNA Endorses May Day Parade

At last week’s meeting, the Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association voted to endorse this year’s May Day Parade.

More from OHNA Interim President Jennifer Hancock’s recent announcement:

OHNA has voted and agreed to endorse May Day 2010. The May Day organization is offering the neighborhood a couple of different ways to participate if you are interested.

a). Attend a parade.

From the website http://maydayrva.org/

“a rally and parade through Jackson Ward (a historically black neighborhood struggling with gentrification) and Broad St (a business district laden with art galleries and restaurants, who contribute to said gentrification of Jackson Ward) led by All The Saints Theater Company (a local socially conscious collective of puppeteers)”.

b). Have an idea for a lecture? Connected to an organization with a mission for social justice and no name recognition? Now is your chance. May Day 2010 is looking for proposals for workshops.

Again, from the May Day website

“In an effort to facilitate dialog and provide an opportunity for the community to network, share information and become involved with the various existing movements in Virginia, May Day 2010 will play host to a series of workshops, discussions, and lectures on Friday April 30th and Saturday May 1, 2010”

To make a proposal, May Day 2010 has a form on its website that you can fill out. It can be found at
http://maydayrva.org/propose_workshop.php

c). Attend a workshop for puppet making. Lily Lamberta, of the All the Saints Theater Company will be running a general puppet making workshop at Plant Zero. Details to follow.

d). May Day 2010 is hosting a workshop for kids, as a part of Slaughterama, on Belle Island, Saturday at 2 PM. The kids will be making wings that they can wear in the parade, if they so wish.

Lost Cat on Laurel Street

From Craigslist ad:

An indoor cat got out on Thursday in the 400 block of Laurel St. in Oregon Hill. Black with white spots on chest and stomach. Red collar (may be gone) with tag with name “Oscar.” He has not come back and we have not found him. The sooner the cat is located and returned the more substantial the reward. If they have found this cat. Call me at 703-431-7778 or 202-450-7863.

RPEC Sponsors Anti-War Film and Discussion At VCU

From press release:

Discussion of War as Entertainment and the Militarization of Culture

Next Wednesday, March 31, join us for a forum on War as Entertainment and
the Militarization of Culture at 7p.m. in the Commons Forum Room, in the
VCU Student Commons building (907 Floyd Ave.). The showing and discussion
is free and open to the public.

The forum will include excerpts from the film Militainment, Inc., from the
Media Education Foundation, which offers a thought-provoking and timely
glimpse into the militarization of American popular culture. It examines
how U.S. news coverage has come to resemble Hollywood film, video games,
and “reality” television in its glamorization of war.

The film will be introduced by Dr. Paul Achter, Associate Professor of
Rhetoric, University of Richmond. Following the showing, audience members
will be invited to discuss the presentation with an informal panel
including Adria Scharf, director of the Peace Center, VCU professor Mark
Wood, and Jonny Cecka of the Network of Spiritual Progressives at VCU.

This event is co-sponsored by the Richmond Peace Education Center, the
Network of Spiritual Progressives at VCU, Bon Air Presbyterian Church
Peace Study/Action Group, and the VCU Religious Studies Program. For
more information, contact RPEC at 232-1002 or rpec at rpec.org,
or NSP-VCU at nspvcu at gmail.com.

WBCH Hosts Crop Mob on Sunday

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RICHMOND, VA—Richmond Crop Mob will hold its first “mob” event Sunday, March 28, at the William Byrd Community House’s (WBCH) new urban Farmlet. The event will begin at 12pm and continue all afternoon, followed by a casual dinner hosted by WBCH and Crop Mob coordinators.
Richmond Crop Mob is an initiative of Richmond Ground Up, a network established by VCU graduate students to utilize social media in addressing community needs. Through media such as Facebook and Twitter, Richmond Crop Mob will alert all of its participants and followers to urban gardening volunteering opportunities, including dates, times and locations. Followers can choose to attend these “mob” events, spend time working outdoors, learn tips and tricks from other urban farmers, and help build a sustainable urban agriculture movement here in Richmond. The Richmond Crop Mob is based on the original Crop Mob initiative based in the Triangle region of North Carolina.
Richmond Crop Mob’s first “mob” will take place March 28 at WBCH’s Byrd House Farmlet. The Byrd House Farmlet is an urban farm intended both to feed the WBCH community and to educate youth enrolled in WBCH’s Early Childhood and After School Programs about “the cycle from seed to plant to market to plate by gardening and growing their own food and selling it at the Byrd House Market.” Please visit www.wbch.org for more information. Participants, called “mobbers,” at this event can anticipate planting, building a hoop house, spreading wood chips, clearing brush and building compost bins.
Those who wish to join the Richmond Crop Mob initiative should email richmondgroundup at gmail.com, or visit our website richmondgroundup.blogspot.com.

Street Closings, Restrictions for Monument 10K

From City’s press release:

The Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10K celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The 10K events begin 8 a.m. Saturday, March 27, with the First Market Mile Kids Run. The first wave of the 10K steps off 8:30 a.m. near Broad and Harrison streets. The 10K’s finish line is on Franklin Street next to Monroe Park.

Logistics of the 10K will require numerous street closings and traffic pattern changes throughout the city. Following are the Richmond Police closings and changes scheduled from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday:

· Broad Street from Belvidere Street to Lombardy Street will be closed from 4 a.m. to noon. The recommended detour for westbound traffic on Broad is right on Belvidere, left on Leigh Street and left on Allen Avenue. The recommended detour for eastbound traffic on Broad is left on Allen, right on Leigh and right on Belividere.
· Laurel Street will be closed from Main to Grace streets from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m.
· Franklin Street will be closed from Shafer to Belvidere streets from 4 a.m. to
2 p.m. and from Lombardy to Shafer from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
· Lombardy Street will be closed from Broad to Park Avenue from 7:30 to 11 a.m.
· Grace Street will be closed from Belvidere to Allen from 7:45 to 11 a.m.
· Monument Avenue and Franklin Street will be closed from Staples Mill Road to Stuart Circle (Lombardy Street) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The recommended detour for eastbound traffic is left on Staples Mill, right on Broad, left on Allen, right on Leigh and right on Belvidere. The recommended detour for westbound traffic is right on Belvidere, left on Leigh, left on Allen and right on Broad.
· The Boulevard will be closed at Monument Avenue from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The recommended detour for northbound traffic is left on Park Avenue, right on Thompson Street to I-195. The recommended detour for southbound traffic is right on Grace Street, right on Thompson Street, left on Broad Street, left on Hamilton Street to I-195.
· Park Avenue will be close from Cherry Street to Lombardy from 7:45 to 8:15 a.m.

There will be many street closings for all north and south streets intersecting Monument Avenue and Franklin Street from Staples Mill Road to Belvidere Street. Motorists are strongly encouraged to use I-95 and I-195 to travel around the city.

In addition to the street closings, parking will be prohibited prior to and during the 10K on the following streets:

3 p.m. Friday, March 26, to noon Saturday
· Both sides of Broad Street from Belvidere to Lombardy
· Both sides of Franklin Street from Belvidere to Shafer
· Both sides of Laurel Street from Grace to Cathedral

4 a.m. to noon Saturday
· Both sides of Monument Avenue from Stuart Circle to Staples Mill
· Both sides of Franklin Street from Stuart Circle to Shafer
· Both sides of Laurel Street from Cathedral to Main
· Both sides of Park Avenue from Harrison to Linden
· Both sides of Lombardy from Park to Monument

4 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday
· Both sides of Chantilly Street from Monument to Monumental
· Both sides of Kent Street from Wythe to Monument

In addition, parking will be prohibited on both sides of Lombardy from Broad to Stuart Circle from 4 to 10 a.m. Saturday and both sides of Grace from Belvidere to Allen from 4 to 10:30 a.m.

Richmond Police reminds all 10K event participants and attendees to take advantage of parking in the decks near the start and finish lines and to not leave any items that may tempt would-be thieves in plain view in your vehicle, regardless of where you park.

~James Mercante
Richmond Police Department
Public Affairs

Hopefully, the traffic situation will be an improvement from last year. On a more positive note, there must be some Oregon Hill residents who are taking part in this fantastic, family-friendly, fitness event for the whole region.

Meeting on Proposed City Budget on Monday

According to Times Dispatch article, there will be a public meeting on Monday of next week at the Richmond Main Public Library, 101 East Franklin Street.

Citizens will get a chance to find out more about the proposed City budget. And they are encouraged to attend, for there’s a lot to look over….

For example, officials proposing to switch from an annual to a semi-annual collection of real-estate taxes.