Byrd House Market Needs Musicians

The Byrd House Market needs musicians to play on Tuesdays any hour between 5 and 7 p.m. for the months of September or October. You can plug in on the BHM stage or be unplugged in the garden. You’re reward is bagfuls of fresh produce and meeting some of the finest people in Richmond — our shoppers! Bands are welcome to sell CDs or swag and have a hat out for tips. If you’re interested in playing a tuesday email Laura Morand Bailey at byrdhousemarket@gmail.com

Veggie Potluck/Documentary Thursday At WBCH

Veggie Potluck and a Documentary at the
William Byrd Community House

Thursday 9/3/09– 6pm Potluck, 7pm documentary
Hosts John Richmond and Caroline Cox

Documentary Maker Jen Lawhorne presents her work:
“Little Trip of a Dream,” a film about the stories of undocumented people in Richmond, the lives they left behind in Mexico and the reality of crossing the U.S./Mexico border.”

RSVP
Carolion1@yahoo.com
Please bring plates, cups and silverware to save landfill space.

Congressman Scott announces Health Care Community Forum

Speaking of local politicians, Church Hill People’s News has this announcement:

August 28, 2009
Congressman Scott announces Health Care Community Forum
Congressman Bobby Scott (VA 3rd District) will be holding a Richmond Health Care Community Forum on Thursday, September 3, from 7-8:30PM at the General Assembly Building. Congressman Scott will do a brief presentation on H.R. 3200, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009. Afterward the Congressman will take questions from the audience. This event is open to the public. Seating will be limited.

Richmond Health Care Community Forum
Thursday, September 3, 2009
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
General Assembly Building
House Room D
910 Capitol Street
Richmond, VA 23219

OHHIC Flyers

Oregon Hill residents may notice a yellow flyer in their mailbox this weekend. Its the reminder for the Oregon Hill Home Improvement Council‘s upcoming annual meeting on Sunday, Sept. 27. One of the topics of the meeting will be the status of the 600 block of S. Laurel development, and there will also be a discussion of making Oregon Hill an official City Old & Historic District. And yes, OHHIC is still looking for new home buyers, especially affordable first home buyers!

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Pardon me while I climb on the soap box a bit- OHHIC is not just the oldest and the only surviving neighborhood-based community development nonprofit left in Richmond, its also one of the few remaining nonprofits to still be under the control of a voting membership. In this day and age of greed and concentration of power, OHHIC stands as a true democratic community institution. Make sure you turn your membership application in and show up to vote for new OHHIC Board members.

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

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

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.
….
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.