New business alert: you’ve probably seen the progress that has been made at the soon-to-open Breakside Brewery.  Word is they will open their doors May 1.  Read more about the beer and the food.

Classic Foods recently had a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the opening of their new facility in Woodlawn.  Look forward to the smells of pasta being made in our neighborhood, and keep an eye out for them at local farmer’s markets!

Auntie Kelly’s Hawaiian Plate Lunch food cart will debut at the Woodlawn Sunday Parkways (coming up May 16!) and has invited Woodlawn neighbors to a tasting party, May 2 from 2-4 at 1724 NE Dekum Street. Enjoy teriyaki chicken, world famous “Maui style” kal bi ribs, mac salad, peanut ginger noodles, sticky rice, and organic greens.

There’s not a grocery store in Woodlawn (yet!) but if you are looking for a way to get your weekly fresh vegetables from a local farm, the Dancing Roots Farm CSA (community supported agriculture) is still taking members for this year.  They will have a pick-up site in Piedmont on Thursday evenings, very close to Woodlawn.  Contact Shari at 503.695.3445 or shari//@//dancingrootsfarm.com for more information.

Want more play by play of local businesses and Woodlawn happening?  If you are on facebook, many of our local businesses have a “fan page” and Sarah Bott at the Dekum Street Guest House is running a lively page called “It’s happening on Dekum Street” with up-to-the-minute news and happenings in the Woodlawn area.

I grew up in an era when Fluffinutter sandwiches on Wonder bread were the lunch of choice, so I knew I was lucky, even then, to be surrounded by fresh food. Now, more than ever, there are plenty of kids who grow up without those experiences. Kids who see tomatoes as those things in grocery stores that sit on a Styrofoam tray, covered in plastic. Some of these kids live right here in our own neighborhood. I believe that kids – regardless of socio-economic background – deserve to delight in the smells of a childhood spent outside, in the dirt, getting to know where good food comes from.

Here in Portland, we pride ourselves on our green spaces. When the choice is available, we make an effort to eat locally produced foods, to spend time outside in this awe-inspiring part of the country, to preserve the wild places. The miles-long waiting list at most of the Portland Community Gardens is a testament to how much stock our community puts in the great privilege of growing one’s own food. My hope is that a new generation of Portlanders will grow up feeling this same compulsion. I hope that we can help grow the gardeners of tomorrow, through important programs like the Woodlawn Children’s Garden.

The Children’s Garden Program

The Children’s Gardening Program began in Portland in 1992. Providing free classes for the entirety of the growing season, this program is unique educational gardening opportunities for youth in Portland. Students get hands-on gardening experience, enjoy freshly-prepared snacks, and take home a share of the harvest. Remaining produce is donated to nearby food shelters, providing up to 400 pounds annually.

While it used to exist in three Community Gardens throughout the district, Woodlawn is the only active children’s garden site remaining. The program is co-sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreation and the Friends of Portland Community Gardens. However, the garden coordinator position, integral to the viability of the program, is reliant on grants and donations; without the coordinator, the future of the garden is grossly uncertain. “The garden is a vehicle for teaching life lessons as much as it is for teaching science, nutrition, or art,” program coordinator Mara Reynolds comments. “Spanning seasons as well as subjects, the garden bridges an educational gap that schools often struggle to fill on their own.”

The Firehouse Benefit Dinner

Just as they did last year, the Firehouse Restaurant is hosting a benefit dinner for the garden. The event will be held on Tuesday, May 11th, with a no-host cocktail hour beginning at 6:00pm, followed by a family-style supper featuring fruits and vegetables grown in the Children’s Garden. Tours of the garden will be held from 5:30pm – 6:00pm.The $50, tax deductible tickets include dinner with wine. Please contact Firehouse for tickets.

“We are dedicated to supporting this program,” says Matthew Busetto, chef and owner of The Firehouse. “Not only does the garden give these kids access to and education about organic food, but it also gives them a connection to the earth and their community.”

You can also help support the program through donations made to the Friends of Portland Community Gardens. You can learn more about them on the web:

http://www.friendspdxgardens.org/children.htm

or send them an email:

info@friendspdxgardens.org

There is always a need for volunteers with varying skills. Please contact:

Mara Reynolds, Children’s Gardening Coordinator
Alice Froehlich, Children’s Gardening Educator
childgard@ci.portland.or.us,
503.823.1617

The Woodlawn United Methodist Church is starting up a community garden.  All neighbors are invited to take part in the set up.  It will be a great opportunity to meet other neighbors and build community.
1pm – 2:30pm
On the SE corner of the church (15th and Dekum).

Also, Woodlawn neighbors Gregg and Nikki got a grant from the city to build an ecoroof! Gregg says the next deadline for the next round of grants is in about a month… it was really easy. He suggests people who are interested check out

Free Portland ECOROOF event THIS weekend March 12-13th
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. both days
Leftbank Annex | 101 N Weidler Street  Portland, Oregon  97227

City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services Presents Ecoroof Portland 2010

Building owners and home owners wondering how to go about building an ecoroof can learn about it at Ecoroof Portland 2010 THIS Friday, March 12 and Saturday March 13, 2010. Ecoroofs are vegetated roof systems that absorb rain to reduce stormwater runoff and last longer than conventional roofing.

Ecoroof Portland is a free event open to the public. Architects, consultants, contractors, landscape architects, manufacturers, nurseries, structural engineers and suppliers who specialize in ecoroofs will be on hand. A full speaker program both days will showcase local ecoroof case studies and success stories.

EVENT DETAILS:
Ecoroof Portland 2010
Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. both days
Leftbank Annex | 101 N Weidler Street  Portland, Oregon  97227

http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/ecoroofpdx

Go to friendsoftrees.org to register. It only takes a couple of minutes.

More information from Gregg Lavender…

We will have more information at the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association on Wednesday December 16th at the church on the corner of Dekum and NE 15th.

For 35 bucks (no one turned away by lack of funds), you can get a tree (Some of which would be 300+ dollars if you bought it from an arborist and had it installed.) The cost also includes a planting permit from the city, an inspection (to make sure there are no gas or water lines under there) METRO digs the holes, we plant the trees together in with our neighbors, and we even have a breakfast and lunch party! Other neighborhoods get a great deal for 75 dollars (which is a huge discount.) We pay only 35 bucks in Woodlawn. No one will be turned away by lack of funds- we have one neighbor willing to pay for a portion/ or all of a tree for neighbors who can’t afford the 35 bucks. (Contact woodlawntrees// @// gmail.com)

Trees absorb carbon. They cool in the summer, and protect from wind in the winter. They provide oxygen to us all. They provide food and shelter for birds. They slow traffic. They increase your (and your neighbors’) property value. They are beautiful. They fight global warming.

The rich and fancy neighborhoods shouldn’t be the only ones with beautiful trees. Our wonderful Woodlawn neighborhood should also get lots of beautiful trees too.

Last February in one day, we planted 59 new trees in Woodlawn. In 2008 we planted 89 trees in Woodlawn in one day. Right now, we are only have 41 scheduled to be planted. Help us triple that #!

If you want to help plant in February, and to come to our party, contact Friends of Trees.

If you want to help pass out door hangers telling neighbors about their last chance to order for this years planting, come to the Neighborhood Association meeting, or contact Gregg at woodlawntrees// @// gmail.com

Read more in the Oregonian…

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.

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.

LOCATION: 5431 NE 20th Avenue (behind Redeemer Lutheran Church at 20th and NE Killingsworth)

Member / Volunteer Appreciation
Tool Demonstrations
Contests
Entertainment
Silent Auction
Potluck (Veggie and meat burgers provided. Bring something to share…veggies, side dishes, desserts and non-alcoholic drinks.)

“We believe it is important to eat fresh, organic, and locally grown food – both for your physical health and for the health of the community” says Matthew Busetto, chef and co-owner of The Firehouse. “Educating children about the connection they have with their environment, their community, and their own well-being is important to creating a legacy for this belief.”

The children’s garden program began in Portland in 1992. Since then, it has existed both as an after school only program and as it is now  – with classes held both during school, as part of their science and health curriculums, after school, and in the summer. While it used to exist in several schools throughout the district, Woodlawn School is the only remaining children’s garden site. The children’s garden program is co-sponsored by Portland Parks and Recreations and the Friends of Portland Community Gardens. However, the garden coordinator position, integral to the viability of the program, is reliant on grants and donations. At press time, there is no funding to continue the position beyond September, leaving the future of the garden grossly uncertain.

“The garden is a vehicle for teaching these life lessons as much as it is for science, nutrition, or art,” Reynolds comments.

Adds Leslie Pohl-Kosblau, Director of Portland Parks and Recreation’s Community Gardens Program, “the garden is a rich, tactile experience. It teaches lessons about nutrition – it gets some kids to eat foods they might otherwise not be exposed to or inclined to eat.”

Firehouse Restaurant, located in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Northeast Portland, is the brainchild of restaurateur Eric Rose and chef/restaurateur Matthew Busetto. The team came together with a vision of serving honest and good food, made from locally and sustainably farmed ingredients, at a fair price. They are active participants in the revitalization of the neighborhood – expressing their dedication to it through their support of local organizations like Woodlawn elementary school, the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association and the Woodlawn Children’s Garden. Entering their second year in business, their philosophy has caught the interest of the Portland food community and beyond.

Why do YOU Heart Woodlawn?  Email us at Website //at// GoWoodlawn.com and tell your story!