August
September
2002
PDF
version (1.32mb)
Needs Acrobat
Reader
On Saturday, August 3, the stretch of Northeast Fremont Street in our neighborhood will come alive with parading children, sidewalk sales, sports demonstrations, music and community booths. Now in its 17th year, the street fair has regained momentum over the last few years with new activities presented along with the old favorites. One of the festival’s organizers, Byron Ady, notes that the horses will be back to provide free rides along Fremont from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, Chuck E. Cheese has been recruited as grand marshal for the bicycle parade, which will assemble between 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot at Beaumont Middle School. Fremont itself will close for a half-hour starting at 10 a.m. so the kids can make their parade run. As usual, costumes are welcome, andkids are encouraged to decorate their bicycles. The artists’ market has moved to the parking lot of the Arrangement to make room for more sales and activities in the vicinity of Foot Traffic. Another organizer for the event, Dave Pietka, says an untimed run-walk will take off from Foot Traffic to tour the neighborhood at any pace. A pole vault demonstration and competition will run in the south yard of Beaumont MiddleSchool from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Farther along Fremont, Alameda Brewhouse will host its Little Big GuyBrewfest from noon until 10 p.m. featuring music, food and the house beers. More music throughout the day will be provided by Suzanne’s, which has recruited an accordion player; Kidz on Earth, which is staging a singalong; and a DJ who will be posted at the west end of the street. “Three years ago, this thing was kind of losing steam,” Ady
says, “but I’m thankful that I’ve been able to delegate
some portions of it to others.” When asked what additions he’d
like to see in the future, Ady says, “I’ve dreamed of having
a community music stage to showcase neighborhood talent,” noting
that he’s been approached by interested performers. Anyone who would
like to coordinate such an event for next year—Ady has offered to
take care of permits and a stage—should leave a message for him at
Gazelle, 503-288-3422.
Mark your calendars!! It’s time again for the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood picnic at Wilshire Park. This is a great opportunity to visit with neighbors that you may only see at local stores, walking their dogs, or jogging in the park. National Night Out is a nationwide event to focus attention on crime prevention and neighborhood unity. BWNA is one of Portland’s most active associations participating in this important night, with a number of block parties in addition to the Wilshire Park picnic. As always, local merchants have generously donated much of the food for this annual event. Hot dogs, hamburgers, gardenburgers, drinks, and utensils will be provided. We ask each neighbor to bring a salad, dessert, or other potluck dish to share with others at the picnic. To avoid “orphan” dishes, please put your name and phone number on the bottom of your serving items so we can return any “strays” left behind. Also, we encourage everyone to bring an extra condiment to share with your neighbors. If any of you would like to volunteer, especially if you have a pickup, please call José Escobar at 503-282-4156 – or – Baer Charlton at 503-287-5222. We will have great door prizes, generously donated by area businesses. We are hoping for a visit from Mayor Katz, Chief Kroeker and possibly other City officials. Come out and join the celebration. See you there!
By the time you read this, the 4th of July will just be a memory. I hope yours was a happy one. On our street, we celebrated with a block party and a great picnic. Our street became a park and every household on the block joined together as a family. It was a wonderful day with old neighbors and new, friends and family and a few well behaved dogs. The best part of the day was watching the kids play. As soon as the street closed, they began to celebrate their freedom from cars. They played ball, had water balloon fights, and drew giant flags in chalk on the street. Moms and dads and grandparents joined in the fun. I hope you’ll get together with your neighbors this summer and enjoy each other. Take time to chat and catch up instead of waving as you drive by. Make time to play. Create some great memories of your own. You can even share your memories with us by sending your pictures to post on our website. There are two great opportunities to catch up and enjoy the neighborhood this summer. BWNA will be part of the fun at Fremont Fest Saturday August 3rd, and we’ll be hosting our annual neighborhood picnic for National Night Out on Tuesday August 6 at Wilshire Park. Happy summer to all!
Beaumont businesses seem to have a knack for carrying an amazing inventory in small spaces and Small Blessings a new shop at 3430 NE 41st (just south of Fremont) certainly fits that mold. Just opened this year after extensive remodeling, the shop is tucked underground with the entrance on 41st Avenue. You may have noticed the attractive landscaping and statue as your passed by the front of the building. Step inside and you will be surprised there are several rooms, all chock full of decorative items. There are beautiful tables set with china tea sets—all for sale (including some of the furniture). Pick up a piece of the chintz china and look at the name on the bottom. Each piece is labeled with the name of a child adopted through the agency. There are ceramic lamps and rugs and candles and picture frames. There are dolls and tea sets for your dolls. Then there are some wonderfully elaborate handbags that I may never use, but plan to buy. Plan to spend some time browsing—you can’t hurry through this store or you will miss things like the jewelry in the curio cabinet. The prices for these well crafted items are quite reasonable and all proceeds from the store support All God’s Children International (AGCI), a licensed International Christian non-profit adoption and relief agency which is housed around the corner on Fremont. More information on AGCI can be found on their web site www.allgodschildren.com. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm. 503-284-1362.
As the Beaumont-Wilshire area continues to be one of Portland’s great neighborhoods, these are some of the issues and changes the land-use and transportation committee is dealing with: The Rose City Cemetery is in the process of updating its master plan. I met with representatives of the cemetery and the following concerns were discussed: · Neighbors of the cemetery are concerned with the maintenance
of the perimeter fence and landscaping; As with most land-use issues, there may be some competing interests. But the public process the cemetery is engaged in allows for voices to be heard. If you have any concerns or issues, please contact me at the number listed below and I will forward your concerns to the planners and consultants working with the City Planning Bureau. The speed of cars along NE Fremont is a concern to pedestrians. With the warm weather here, lots of folks are patronizing the businesses along this road and are enjoying a meal or a beverage outside at our fine establishments. Sometimes a car zooms by traveling too fast for an active pedestrian area. Do you think traffic is moving too fast along NE Fremont? The lack of stop signs in our neighborhoods has irked neighbors at accident-prone intersections. Recent traffic accidents have raised the awareness of intersections without stop signs or traffic controls. Residents are concerned for the safety of themselves, their families, and their neighbors. There is momentum to explore the options for a Beaumont-Wilshire Neighborhood planning document. The members of the Land-Use/Transportation Committee have been organizing and will be working with the City Planning Bureau to explore the options for developing a neighborhood-planning document. As you can see, there is a lot going on in our area. We all need to be alert and aware of what is happening around us so we can make informed and intelligent decisions for our immediate neighborhood and the greater community we live in. If you are interested in Land Use and Transportation issues and would like to take an active role on our committee, please call me at 503-493-0641. We would welcome your help and cooperation to help keep Beaumont-Wilshire a great place to live.
Life expectancy in the US is climbing with advances in health care, medications, and health education. The traditional model of “old age” may be broken by healthier, longer living adults. It is expected that 1 in 5 Americans will be “senior” citizens in the year 2050. These older adults will require care and services, but can also be helped by the general public with responsible advocacy on behalf of the aged person and their welfare, without doing damage to their dignity or pride. Hairdressers, bus and delivery drivers, pharmacists, nurses, receptionists, and doctors perform tasks on a regular basis that create opportunities to monitor behaviors and problems of the elderly. In addition, bankers, grocery clerks and restaurant staff should be on alert for new faces and “friends” among the elderly and take note as to the nature of the relationship. Here are ways in which you can assist the elderly in your own neighborhood:
As conscientious members of society, we are obliged to provide a watchful eye to those among us who are growing older. We must ensure that support systems remain intact and sincere. Keep your eyes open and stay attentive to the senior citizens you know. Watch out for abuse and be alert for those who may make a living preying on the elderly. If you would like more information on helping the elderly, please contact
Emily Davidson @ 503.284.8240 or email babyem13@yahoo.com
With warmer weather, I’ve noticed a slight increase in the number of graffiti markings in the neighborhood. But, I’ve also noticed many markings are being removed before I can get back to them. To those cleaning: a big thank you and some tips. Portland fire stations provide an orange based cleaner which is easy to use and effective. This cleaner is a great match for crayon, felt-tip markers, and some paints. Lately, I have run across silver metallic ink that needs ‘Goof Off’ or acetone. A small can of ‘Goof Off’ can go a long way on some of the new paints being used: light tan and thick, or the black paint showing up on the stop signs. These appear to be “heat” paints, and take the power of acetone or ‘Goof Off’ to remove. For many years, Mike from Beaumont Hardware has supplied our project with paint tinted a wonderful “Ugly Brown” common to the power poles. Thanks Mike! Beaumont Hardware also sells ‘Goof Off’. As for forming an “Anti-Graffiti Group”: anyone interested
in graffiti removal, give me a call and I’ll set up a convenient
time to get together and figure out where we want to go with this. Call
me at 503-287-5222. The answering machine will say ‘Snap Clean’,
so please leave a message, or call in the evenings before 8pm. If you
see graffiti and want it removed, also call. The sooner it is removed,
the more likely it is that it won’t be rewritten.
The BWNA board recently made a donation to the Back To School Fiesta, an event co-sponsored by the 42nd Ave. Target Area program and Hacienda Community Development Corporation. The funds will provide school supplies for kids whose families cannot afford them. There will be information on community resources and heath care issues at the Fiesta. You can support the project as well. Last year 500 children were served.
This year, the demand is greater due to the depressed economy and unemployment
rate. If you wish to volunteer there will be sign up sheets at both Fremont
Fest and the picnic, or call Debra Kennedy at 503-287-8060 for more information.
On Sunday, August 25th from noon to 2 p.m. a van full of animals from the Oregon Zoo will again come to our neighborhood, thanks to the large turnout last time! Parents and children of all ages are invited to pet and see ducks, rabbits, snakes, walking sticks, and Madagascar hissing cockroaches! Handlers will be there to answer questions, and there will be animal related crafts for the kids. This is a free special education program of the Oregon Zoo called ZAP
(Zoo Animal Presenters). The ZAP team is a group of teenagers who present,
educate, and reach out to the community by delivering a message of respect
for nature and wildlife. Bethany Lutheran, NE 37th and Skidmore. By John Donovan Painting your house soon? Metro sells good quality recycled latex paint at low prices. Save money and help the environment. Metro has been collecting surplus latex paint from households and business and processing it into high quality recycled paint since 1992. More than 100,000 gallons of paint are processed annually. These paints come in attractive colors that look great on houses, businesses, apartment buildings, barns, schools and more. The paint receives raves from the contractors and painters who use it and at a fraction of the cost of similar quality paint. You can buy Metro paint at the Hazardous Waste Facility at Metro South
Station, 2001 Washington St., Oregon City. Hours are 8am-4pm, Monday through
Saturday. For more information or to get a free color brochure contact
Metro Recycling Information, mri@metro.dst.or.us or call 503-234-3000. Mark your calendars!!
|
