My dad was the king of scaring the neighborhood kids on Halloween, and scary music was key. I made this Halloween music mix and thought I’d share it with the Woodlawn neighbors, in the spirit of a really great holiday. You can download it from this site where I’m hosting it.  It sounds pretty spooky coming out of your front door area, even if you don’t have any decorations up.  I keep mine running through a vent in the garage that pipes it to the outside, without having to hear it constantly inside (all that much). That way my equipment is also secure. The mash-up is 15 minutes long.

http://yeabikes.net/uploads/Halloween.m4a
If you’re having a hard time grabbing it directly, try getting it from this list.

Enjoy!

You’re invited to a public hearing addressing the challenges of developing affordable rental housing, as part of the process of developing the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan.

Where: United Way of Oregon—619 SW 11th Avenue.
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Time: 2:00-4:00 pm
Trimet: Bus lines: 15, 51 & Max Blue/Red Lines/Streetcar

Read the rest of this entry »

Join Lenore Bijan, a feisty and vibrant 78-year-young instructor as she generously shares her enormous talents with our neighborhood through yoga classes offered at Believe Movement Studio (8th and Dekum). Classes are free for seniors Mondays from 1-2 PM and everyone (of senior age) is welcome and encouraged to attend – even if you have never tried yoga. The greater the demand, the more classes Lenore will be able to offer, so spread the word and help this neighborhood resource/business thrive.

Article contributed by Laura Demeri

The back lot of 728 NE Dekum: Once a pile of dirt and weeds but now the thriving home to Sandra Galli’s Buffalo Gardens. The transformation has brought to our neighborhood a beautiful retail garden shop with strategically placed plants that make you feel as if you’re shopping in Sandra’s backyard. The products are reasonably priced and Sandra and Farley, her black lab mix, are always on hand to answer any questions.

Also in residence is Sandra’s registered and approved rooster Sam and his harem of hens. Buffalo Gardens is a great place to bring the family to reconnect to nature. We are so fortunate to have whisked her away from the busy Alberta street location she once occupied. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

The doors are finally open at Believe Movement Studio with a class schedule that suits everyone’s needs and desires.  There are classes for the entire family and the first class is free.  Many of the instructors on the schedule live directly in our neighborhood and want to support you in your health.  Owner Laura Demeri says, “Come on in to see the space and pick up a schedule!” You may also check out what’s being offered on the Believe Movement Studio website.

Article contributed by Laura Demeri

There’s still time to sign up for the Woodlawn planting on February 20th.   Before you can purchase these “highly discounted” trees, the city needs to assess the parking strip to determine the proper size and types that can be planted.   Therefore it would be to your advantage to register now in order to take advantage of the inventory that will be available.  Register on the Friends of Trees website.

Lawn signs are a great way to have a $5 discount on your order.  Even if you’re not purchasing a tree this year, support Friends of Trees and get the word out to neighbors by having one on your property.  There are plenty in stock and can be picked up at Believe Movement Studio, 728 NE Dekum Street.

Article by Marilyn Mauch, Coordinator of the Backpack Lunch Program at Fremont United Methodist Church

For many students, the federally-sponsored school lunch is their main source for a nutritious, satisfying meal during the day.  If there’s not enough food in the house, these children can go hungry on the weekend when the school lunch isn’t available.  In its second year of operation, the Backpack Lunch Program puts food items for two weekend lunches each Friday into the backpacks of 40 children at Woodlawn Elementary.  The need is much greater.

Your food donations can make a difference.  We invite you to bring food donations to the monthly Woodlawn Neighborhood Association meetings, so that we can reach more Woodlawn Elementary students who are at risk of hunger on weekends.

Food items to donate:

* cans of chili, soup, ravioli in meat sauce, cans/boxes of mac n’ cheese

*  small juice boxes—100% juice only, no foil containers

*  individual-size fruit cups

*  small packages of crackers w/cheese, raisins or fruit snacks,

* granola bars (no peanuts)

Four NE Portland United Methodist Churches, including Woodlawn United Methodist, are working with community friends in this non-profit, all volunteer effort.  To learn more about the program, contact Marilyn Mauch at 503/287-3014 or Fremont United Methodist Church at 503/284-4647.

All residents of our community deserve equal access to services and opportunities. The trouble is that good jobs, high performing schools, social service agencies, and even grocery stores are not always conveniently located. Census data shows that poverty now extends past the inner Portland neighborhoods to the County’s outer reaches. Yet, basic amenities and services such as parks, sidewalks, health clinics, and social service agencies are still concentrated in Portland’s inner core. Language and other cultural barriers may also stand in the way of people of color and immigrant communities seeking to connect with these vital resources.

Your input will inform how federal dollars are spent on programs addressing equitable access to services for households in Multnomah County.  You’re invited to a public hearing on equitable access to services, as part of the process of developing the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan.
Where:          King Elementary School Cafeteria
Date:           Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Time:           6:00-8:00 pm
Trimet:         Bus lines 6 & 72 (www.trimet.org)

If you can’t attend this hearing, there are four other convenient ways to comment. Read the rest of this entry »

The Woodlawn neighborhood was fortunate to be involved in a visioning process with the city. The result was the Woodlawn Triangle Master Plan [ read more here], a plan created by over 100 engaged neighbors to help guide our neighborhood’s growth.

I think the name of that plan is important, and it was a consciously chosen name. Lately I’ve been hearing our neighborhood’s retail district referred to as the Dekum Triangle, and while that’s an accurate description given that our retail is mainly on Dekum, our vision plan chose a different name. In the planning process, a neighbor (perhaps it was historian Anjala Ehjelebe) brought up the point that it would wonderful to choose a name that honors our neighborhood, more so than honoring only the street that runs through our neighborhood. We weighed the options, Dekum Triangle… Woodlawn Triangle… rolled those names around, had discussion, and collectively the people at that meeting (the two large meeting had around 100 and 50 people, respectively) decided to go with Woodlawn Triangle. Read the rest of this entry »

From neighbor Gregg Lavender, a re-post from LivableStreets.com:

Where are social networks created? The answers often embrace institutions such as work and school and today, a host of online communities, while the neighborhood block, a historically vibrant source of local relationships, has largely become a disconnected collection of houses and residents. For many communities, this trend of fewer informal links within a neighborhood has been associated with a heightened sense of risks that threaten the health and well being of neighborhood residents and their children. Furthermore, studies have shown that neighborliness influences perceptions of health and reinforces the local relationships enabling response to community concerns. Read the rest of this entry »