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!

From Woodlawn resident Jennifer Coughlin:

Woodlawn Neighborhood Association and Woodlawn Elementary School are slated to celebrate National Night Out on Tuesday, August 4, 2009, starting at 4pm, in Woodlawn Park. An all-ages event, it will feature fun activities, local music, and educational programs. The grand finale of the event will be a screening of the 1970’s classic, “The Wiz” starring Diana Ross and the late Michael Jackson in the park’s amphitheater, courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreations Movies in the Park program.

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The ReBuilding Center—North America’s largest non-profit center for used building materials—is offering four hands-on workshops this summer for youth ages 11-17.

SCHEDULE: July 6-9, 1-4pm (Sliding scale $55-$135 or $15-$35 per day)

Workshop topics include learning basic woodworking skills; create one of a kind curio cabinet; transforming salvaged materials into works of art; designing and creating a coat rack and a clock from recycled wood and hooks, knobs and all kinds of miscellaneous objects; crafting a racecar and other mobiles; learning to make curves on the bandsaw and how to shape wood by hand; and much more.  The workshops focus on using found and salvaged objects available at the ReBuilding center

To register and for more information, see the ReBuilding Center website.

A group of Woodlawn neighbors has come together to discuss plans to revitalize the underused “pocket park” at the corner of Holman, 13th, and Durham. There’s been some good work done and some great ideas generated but now…..WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! This project will only be successful if we get help, ideas, and creativity from a wide range of our neighbors in Woodlawn. Please join us in creating a fun and beautiful park that we can all be proud of.

WHERE: The park at Holman, 13th and Durham
WHEN: Saturday, April 25th, 11am to 1pm

Neighborhood historian Anjala Ehelebe sends this along, a little holiday cheer for our neighbors.  I tried to embed the video right here, but wasn’t successful so you’ll have to follow this link to watch the video and hear the song.

Happy holidays!

To comment on this article, leave your comment below then send an e-mail to Comments [at] GoWoodlawn.com so we can push it on through.

Snowy days make great photos! Have you been out taking photos in this crazy weather? We started a Flickr internet-based photo sharing group for Woodlawn. It’s free to post or view photos, and we hope you’ll take part. Flickr makes it easy for even non-tech-savvy neighbors to easily upload photos.

Please add your photos to our group (you’ll need a free Flickr account first). And we’re not just talking snow photos; we’d love a glimpse at what you are seeing in the neighborhood, what catches your eye and what strikes you.

// View our slide show >>

// View our GoWoodlawn photo group >>

To comment on this article, leave your comment below then send an e-mail to Comments [at] GoWoodlawn.com so we can push it on through.

Article contributed by Alan Armstrong

Last week, a group of about 20 Woodlawn residents got together to discuss the possibility of working with City Repair to enhance one of our intersections and create a  multi-purpose gathering place that engages our neighbors.  Several other neighborhoods in Portland have created similar projects with City Repair, a non-profit organization that educates and inspires communities and individuals to creatively transform the places where they live.

While this spot doesn’t have to be the final project location, the intersection that is at the top of the list right now is the odd corner where Durham, Holman, and 13th all merge together. There is a small, under-utilized park that could be re-purposed as part of the project. Rich Mackin, a Woodlawn resident, has also proposed a project to designate the intersection of Rose Parks and MLK as a Civil Rights Square, which could be the location where our City Repair project takes place.  Or maybe we can do both!

A lot ideas were generated at the meeting including:

Play area, play house and/or play structure
Food/harvest box
Free bin
Book exchange box
A fabulous light
A street mural
Road curves
Sheet mulch

Pavers and/or bricks
A bench
Chess table
Tea house
Big community table
Skateboard rail
Oven and/or grill
Kiosk and/or information board

Edible plants
Pee pit
Fire pit
Sand box

Our goal would be that any of these features added would be accessible to neighbors with disabilities and our elderly neighbors.  The next step in the process is to hold a meeting with neighbors to further hone our ideas.   For the project to be successful we need input from a representation of all members of our diverse neighborhood. The more, the merrier!

If you are interested, please join us at the next general meeting on December 2nd at Gregg and Nikki’s house, the big green house at the corner of Highland and Durham.  Potluck food will be enjoyed from 6:45-7:15 and the meeting will take place from 7:15 to 8:30ish.  Please note that Gregg and Nikki have a dog, and while he is large, he is very friendly.

Please follow this website for more information and project updates. If you have any additional ideas for the project please comment below or email Alan at StrongWorkArch //at// Gmail.com.

// See other city repair projects here.

To comment on this article, leave your comment below then send an e-mail to Comments [at] GoWoodlawn.com so we can push it on through.

Nikki Kress is a neighbor and an artist in our neighborhood. With the help of her husband Gregg, she converted her garage into a painting studio. So what is it like to be a professional artist with a home studio? Here’s Nikki’s reflection.

While I work, I open the entire wall in addition to windows for ventilation and light. When I need to look away from the painting that I have been working on for hours, my view is the first signs of spring on my neighbor’s new trees. I am able to see their home improvements progress and their children grow. I have the experience of seeing hard work materialize from an outside, yet personal perspective. Our relationship, to me, is inspiring as well as educational. From my studio, while I’m trying to focus and think creatively the pedestrians and cyclists that pass by encourage me. I’m a woman originally from Texas working in a garage for many hours a day in the Pacific Northwest; 50 degrees now feels warm to me.

I’ve been painting as a career artist for 20 years. There have been moments when I didn’t have the time or space to paint. Now the studio is adjacent to my home. A new understanding of what community support can look like, how much I need it, where it comes from and how accessible it is has become clearer to me. Read the rest of this entry »