St. Andrew’s Church Co-Sponsors Jack O’ Lantern Contest; Prize Money Increases

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Scott

St. Andrew’s Church is now cosponsoring the First Annual Oregon Hill Jack O’Lantern Contest. More details forthcoming, but they will be assisting with judging and promoting the contest. With their help, the grand prize has increased to $50 and there will be runner up prizes also. Remember, this is only open to Oregon Hill residents (that includes student renters) and click here for the full rules. Get those photo entries in!

Announcing The First Annual Oregon Hill Jack O’Lantern Contest

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Scott

I have been wanting to do this for a while, and I think this is the year… I am hereby announcing the first annual Oregon Hill Jack ‘O Lantern Contest. First prize so far is a measly $20 from yours truly, however I am also announcing that I am looking for a local business to co-sponsor and help to significantly increase the prize money. (In other words, this could quickly become the ________/Oregon Hill Annual Jack O’Lantern Contest with the right advertising contract).

Creative Commons image- A Jack o’ Lantern made for the Holywell Manor Halloween celebrations in 2003. Photograph by Toby Ord on 31 Oct 2003.

So…rules…let’s see…

Submission Info

OregonHill.net invites submissions for its first annual Oregon Hill Jack O’ Lantern Contest. Entrants should read the following rules, terms, and conditions before submitting any photos or documentation.

Eligibility

Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. All entrants younger than 18 years of age must submit a note of parental consent with their entry. All entrants must be a resident of the Oregon Hill neighborhood to be considered. Contest is void where prohibited by law.
Contest judges (which is so far just me) and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.

Entries

Entries will start being accepted from October 15, 2016 at noon through October 27, 2016 at 11:59 pm. A winner and runners-up will be announced and presented on OregonHill.net on Friday, October 29, 2016 at noon. Please submit entries by emailing a photo jpeg file, size between 200 kb and 1.5 mg, of the entry to info@oregonhill.net, including a (real) name and a (real) address. Submitted photo should be of a carved or altered pumpkin in front of address. All entries must be original, newly-produced works, created after October 1, 2016. Entries must be original creations, with photo by the creator, and not infringe on the copyrights of any other parties. Any entires suspected, in the discretion of OregonHill.net, to be in violation will be rejected immediately from the competition.
OregonHill.net does not grant entrants the right or access to photograph private property or use of its name to secure access. Entries may have multiple co-producers, but one should be listed as the primary contact upon entry. The fair dissemination of any prize winnings will be the responsibility of the primary contact. Participants may submit multiple entries, however 1 photo entry per email. All forms of photos that are not produced by the entrant must be credited to the original photographer. Entries containing immoral, defamatory, obscene or scandalous content, or any other content which, at the sole discretion of OregonHill.net, is not in the keeping with OregonHill.net, will be deemed ineligible. By submitting a photo entry, each participant represents that the photo submitted is an original work that does not infringe on the copyright or intellectual property right of another party, and each participant agrees to indemnify OregonHill.net, and its contest judges from all liability arising from any alleged infringement in this regard. Photographer retains ownership rights to the submitted photo. However, the winning entrants grant to OreognHill.net the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and license to use the photos and the winners’ names in perpetuity without compensation, notification, or other limitation or condition, both in conjunction with the competition and promotion of the competition and promotion of OregonHill.net generally.
OregonHill.net is not responsible for entries that are not received or not received properly, or for any technical problems with corrupt digital files, internet outages, computer failures, and the like. OregonHill.net is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries. OregonHill.net is not obligated to acknowledge receipt of entries.

Judging

Entries will be judged by a panel made up of OregonHill.net editors and Halloween experts invited by OregonHill.net. Judges’s decisions will be final and binding.

To select the winner, entries will be by judged by awarding of points based on the following criteria: (1) originality (40%), (2) composition and coherence (20%), (3) quality of photo (20%), and (4) consuming/recycling/composting of materials (20%) (this can be signified by a statement of intent included with entry). In the event of a tie score, the tie will be broken by awarding the prize to the entrant with the highest score in the first of the above-listed criteria (in order of appearance) as to which there is no tie.

Prize

Prize consists of $20 in U.S. currency, prominent featuring on OregonHill.net, and bragging rights. Runners-up will receive prominent featuring on OregonHill.net, and bragging rights. Applicable federal, state, and local taxes on prize are the sole responsibility of the winner.

Lastly, OregonHill.net reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, suspend, or cancel the contest for any reason.

I think that covers it.

In addition to possibly having a co-sponsor, there is the possibility that the contest judging will change to online public voting on OregonHill.net to determine winner, but that possibility may or may not happen for this year’s contest.

Good Morning, Oregon Hill

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Scott

Pine Street neighbor Michael Gahan caught the first glimpse of sun coming over downtown’s high rise buildings.

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Folk Festival Cometh

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Scott

The noncontroversial stuff:
This weekend is the Richmond Folk Festival, which takes place just down the hill. It starts Friday night and continues till Sunday evening. It celebrates culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling and food. It started with Richmond hosting the National Folk Festival and has continued since then, becoming one of the best music festivals in the state if not the country. It has always had free attendance, though donations are encouraged and heavily solicited to augment the local corporate sponsorships. It goes on rain or shine.

Personally, I have attended every year and have enjoyed countless performances by musicians that I probably would never have been able to travel to and afford to see otherwise. I remember going to the first night of the National Folk Festival a dozen years ago when no one really knew what to expect. It was rainy and I was often one of the tens of people there at the tents as opposed to the thousands who now attend. I also enjoyed volunteering for the festival for a few years, helping with its recycling program.

So every year I do look forward to seeing the schedule and picking out the performances I want to attend. This year I am really looking forward to seeing L’Orchestre Afrisa International, Marquise Knox, Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY, Kaynak Pipers Band, and Conteño, to name a few. Definitely take the time to at least check out the list and listen- there may be something that will pleasantly surprise you.

This year the weather is looking soggy and possibly windy. Regardless, having walked down there yesterday, I can promise it will be muddy. My suggestion is to wear old clothes, bring a rain jacket and umbrella, and open ears. The weather is no excuse to not take advantage of this great festival.

The controversial stuff:
I only bring up controversy in conjunction with this happy event for three reasons:

One is that it is pretty clear that the Folk Festival, as great and amazing as it is, has also been used as cover to push some inappropriate riverfront development, brushing aside citizen concerns about impacts on the environment, historic preservation, and quality of life issues for nearby neighbors. What has been particularly disturbing about this is the suggestion that anyone bringing up concerns is anti-Folk Festival and trying to end it. That is false.

Secondly, it is definitely worth noting that Venture Richmond, the nonprofit that runs the Folk Festival, has still not come to terms with this neighborhood over some very reasonable requests for the future use of the site, BEYOND the Folk Festival. Venture Richmond describes itself as a ‘public private partnership’, but has never had any real checks and balances for its overall role in the City, and it has served as the de facto marketing arm for a local corporate agenda that is often at odds with the public. For example, it was behind the wasteful lobbying for the failed Shockoe stadium proposal.

Lastly, and perhaps most urgently, former Venture Richmond executive director Jack Berry is running for Mayor (Election Day is only a few weeks away!), and has used the Folk Festival throughout much of his own campaign to give people the impression that he has values of diversity and inclusivity. I urge people to look past this advertising and take the time to learn about the Jack Berry that many City residents have come to know- someone who will arrogantly say anything but cannot be trusted on anything. Last week he came to the Oregon Hill neighborhood association meeting seeking votes but still refused to make any amends for past breaks in trust or, more importantly, make any commitments to how he would help and protect THIS fragile, historic neighborhood in the future.

I sincerely hope everyone enjoys the Folk Festival, appreciates the volunteers and performers who help make it happen, but also keeps in mind these last three points. The Folk Festival comes once a year, and, as has often been expressed- it has an impact that goes well beyond that.

5th District Meeting This Thursday

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Scott

Wyn Price

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Scott

Sad news this week was Wyn Price’s passing. Wyn was one of the guys from the City’s park employees who helped take care of Oregon Hill’s parks. He will be greatly missed.

Click here for the full Times Dispatch obituary.

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Discussion On Poverty At St. Andrew’s Church On Wednesday

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Scott

See flyer.

Dr. Moeser has done a lot of presentations on poverty in Richmond over the years. Here’s a post on one of them from 2011-
https://www.oregonhill.net/2011/03/19/oregon-hill-has-gained-in-poverty-since-last-census/

11th Annual Halloween Parade Announced

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Scott

From the FaceBook event page:

Richmond’s 11th Annual Halloween Parade presented by ALL THE SAINTS THEATER COMPANY is around the corner!

A Funeral March for Demons of the Day: the Goddesses and Elements are here to wash them away!

Monday, October 31st
7pm sharp
Monroe Park (near VCU Campus)
Richmond VA

Guys and gals and all non binary conforming pals, join us in this all inclusive Richmond tradition! Dress up in a costume, make your own giant puppets or flags, and/or volunteer to assist withour giant puppets, flags, props and more!

What are the demons of the day?! There are many! And they are very very spooky! All the Saints sees racism, extraction, corporate greed, bombs, droids, war, hunger, privatized education, and police brutality batting the goddesses of our ancient consciousness collective and ancestors using the elements as the one true tool, and Mother Earth and her green medicinal herbal allies as a way to defeat these demons!

We will make one huge “demon of the day” puppet which we invite folks to write their demons of the day on fabric and attach it to the puppet on site before parade begins. We will find a place to burn the demon of the day of the shadow of the day of the dead. We will make many larger than life 3 person goddess puppets and will have an army of burning skeletons. We will color code the parade separated by EARTH, WIND, WATER, and FIRE. The space between or the etheral will be the section for all the demons of the day!

We need music, bike ushers, and folks to help make puppets!

Free puppet making workshops starting Thursday October 6, and every Tuesday and Thursday to follow. First workshop at the Wizard Shoppe. 1607 Hull St.

We will post address for the later workshops at a later time.

Join us for fundraiser for this years parade at Tuesday October 25th for potluck and cabaret and puppet making at the Earth Folk Collective!

https://www.facebook.com/events/177042846062762/

Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association Meets Tuesday

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Scott

From email announcement:

Good afternoon everyone

OHNA will be meeting Tuesday, September 27th , for its monthly meeting at 7 pm, at the Parish House at St. Andrew’s.

Thanks
Jennifer

On the agenda:

VCU Chief Venuti will be attending with VCU Police Officer Greg Felton.

Jack Berry, or a represantive from his campaign for Mayor, will be attending.

A representative from ToolBank may be attending.

Volunteer Sidewalk Effort A Success

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Scott

From Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s FaceBook post:

Stephenie Harrington thank you for the vision & planning! Jimmy Blackford & Chris Hughes thank you for the oversight & muscle. The sidewalks that were worked on look great!

Oregon Hill neighbors lead a two day “Edge to Edge” volunteer event sponsored by Dominion Virginia Power and Richmond Community ToolBank to clear brick sidewalks in the neighborhood.

Today, Virginia Commonwealth University students went “Into the Streets” (an annual event) to continue the clearing.

Thank you to everyone for coming together.

FYI the bags are suppose to be picked up today by DPW.