Play Street Event on Croft Street
The City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department and the North Main Community Association would like to invite you, your friends and neighbors to a Play Street event on Croft Street. The event will take place on Sunday, September 18 from 2-5pm. We will be closing Croft Street from Townes Street to Wilton Street to create a safe play space for residents and neighbors. We encourage and invite you to come out into the street and socialize with neighbors and to let the children safely play and ride their bikes. We will have a few games and activities (sidewalk chalk, basketball goals), as well as face painting, a magician, an art banner, and a project for residents to take part in that will enhance the beauty of Croft Park. We will be closing Croft Street from Townes Street to Wilton Street from 12:30pm to 6:00pm on September 18. We ask that you please do not park your vehicles on the street during this timeframe. If you have any questions, please call the Parks and Recreation Department at 467-4355. We also ask that any alcoholic beverages remain on private property.
Fall Community Yard Sale
Start your fall house cleaning now and bring your unwanted ‘treasures’ to the fall Northgate Soda Shop/NMCA Community Yard Sale. Saturday, October 1, 7am – 2pm. Back parking lot of Soda Shop. Free. We’ll be placing an ad in the Greenville News on that Friday and Saturday to attract more shoppers. If there is anything that you don’t sell or if you have any additional clothes or other items, we will take them to Safe Harbor to the Hope Chest. The items sold at the Hope Chest helps the shelters for abused women.
NMCA Fall Social and Membership Meeting
This year we are combining our fall social with a short annual membership meeting. Mark your calendars for Sunday afternoon, October 23, from 5 – 7pm for the NMCA fall neighborhood get-together and potluck dinner at the North Main Rotary Park/Bobby Pearse Community Center. Bring your favorite dish….we’ll supply water, soft drinks and paper goods. Come visit your neighbors and enjoy an evening at the park. We’ll also have marshmallows so bring a stick if you want to roast marshmallows.
Fall Plant/Garden Sales
The Greenville Humane Society plant and garden sale will be held Saturday, October 29, from 9am to 1pm at their new facility on Airport Rd. They will have a wide variety of plants for sale – shrubs, perennials, houseplants, and seeds. They will also be selling great garden accessories like tools, planters, garden art and more! Donations are welcome for plants and accessories! If you have a donation, please contact Terri at 864-235-2068 or ghsplantsale@gmail.com. Dividing your perennials or bulbs and have extras? Consider donating them. They also welcome donations of gently used garden art, tools or accessories….anything garden related. The Native Plant Society (Sept. 24) and the Greenville Council of Garden Clubs (Oct. 15) will also be holding fall plant sales. See calendar below for more information.
NMCA President’s Notes
At the recent quarterly meeting of neighborhood associations there were several topics of interest to our members. The Greenville Police Department has undergone some reorganizations and promotions and will be renewing their emphasis on “partnerships with the community”. The city wide “Safe City Celebration” (formerly known as Neighborhood Night Out) is scheduled for Saturday, October 1 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at McPherson Park. The emphasis will be on crime prevention, awareness and safety. City council members and police and fire departments will be on hand for groups to meet and interact with.
There was also a presentation about the National League of Cities (NLC) Prescription Drug Discount Card program. Administered by CVS Caremark, this program is intended to help city residents save money on the high cost of prescriptions at NO COST to the city. Residents who have prescriptions or lifestyle medications that are not covered by insurance now have an opportunity to obtain them at an average 20% discount off retail price. All major pharmacy chains and most independent pharmacies participate in the discount card network. The card CAN be used for prescriptions not covered by an insurance plan. To learn more, visit NLC’s website at http://www2.caremark.com/nlc/how.htm or call 202-626-3019.
Bicycle Master Plan – Following over a year of planning, public workshops, and stakeholder meetings, the Plan is scheduled to be voted on for adoption by City Council on Monday, September 26 and October 10. Thanks to the over 700 participants of the online survey, bike count volunteers, and hundreds of attendees to the 2 public meetings, the draft plan is a reflection of your feedback, input, and recommendations. Anyone wishing to address City Council in person on the 26th or 10th regarding the Plan, must sign-up to speak prior to 5:30pm the day of the meeting at the City Clerk’s desk on the 10th floor of City Hall.
Be Careful What You Toss in Your Garbage
If you’re like me, you’re used to having someone stop the night before garbage pick-up day and go through your recycle bin looking for cans. Well….we had one neighborhood resident report that she actually had her garbage stolen! Early on the morning of pick-up, she noticed the lid was open and the last bag she had put in was gone. Hard to believe, but some people will go to great lengths to get information they can use to steal your identity. So…be careful what you throw away…just putting it in a sealed bag won’t stop them! Any paperwork that has personal information on it should be shredded. If you don’t have a shredder, the county sometimes has shredding events that you can use to destroy these documents safely. We’ll let you know when the next one is scheduled.
Weather Tidbits/ Climate Forecast
According to climate data, the average maximum temperature for Greenville in September is 81.2 °F, the average low is 61.3°F and the average precipitation (rainfall) is 4.0”. The record maximum temperature for the period 1962-2006 was 96°F on September 4, 1975. The record minimum was 36°F on September 30, 1967. Over that same period, 1975 was the wettest September with 11.65” and the driest was 2005 with 0.16” (Let’s hope we don’t see a repeat this year!) http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/index.php
According to the Southeast Climate Consortium, a La Niña watch has been issued for the upcoming fall/winter. La Niña refers to the periodic appearance of colder than normal ocean waters along the equator in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. In addition, La Niña’s are often multi-year events, especially when the first year is a strong episode. For this reason we have been warning about the possibility of a return to La Niña this fall and winter. Now, several coupled ocean-atmospheric models, including NOAA’s CFS (Climate Forecast System), are now indicating changes in the system and are predicting the return of La Niña. Based on the historical tendency for strong episodes to last more than one year and now the agreement of some dynamic models, we are predicting a greater than 50% chance of La Niña re-developing this fall and winter.”
So, what does this mean? La Niña is known to bring warmer and drier than normal weather and climate patterns to Florida and coastal areas of the Southeast and also Texas and the desert Southwest. Last year’s strong event was the primary trigger for the unprecedented drought in Texas and New Mexico and very dry conditions here in the Southeast. A second year of La Niña could bring similar rainfall patterns and bring continued or even worsening drought to these hard-hit areas. http://agroclimate.org/forecasts/current_climate_outlook.php
How Well Do You Know Your State?
How many of these can you answer correctly? (Answers at the end of the newsletter…but don’t cheat!!)
State tree__________________
State bird________________
State flower_____________________
State butterfly_____________________
State fish_______________
State stone_________________
State dance_________________
State fruit__________________
State animal___________________
New Addition at Rotary Park
Next time you’re at the park, be sure to check out the new bat house….actually 2 houses on one tall pole. You can’t miss it….it’s on the north side of the creek along the path from the BP Center to the ball field. Thanks to a local Eagle Scout project and the assistance of the City of Greenville Parks & Rec. for the new addition to the park. Hopefully we’ll soon be attracting lots of nature’s best ‘mosquito controllers’!
We’ll be scheduling a work day in the park now that the weather is starting to cool down. Watch for information. We’ll have broken limbs to pick up as well as lots of weeding to catch up on!
Calendar
City Council Formal Meeting and Work Session schedules can be found at http://www.greenvillesc.gov/city_government/meet.asp
Now Through October– Saturday Market – Over 50 vendors. Opens at 8 am. www.saturdaymarketlive.com and facebook.com/saturdaymarket. New this year, the market has partnered with The Children’s Museum to provide a kid-centric activities area every fourth Saturday of the month. Children of all ages are invited to participate in this free event!
September & October Educational Activities at the Market Include:
• September – Painting with root vegetables. Take pieces of root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, winter squash, pumpkin, parsnips, etc. and cut the food into slices and have the kids dip them into paint. The kids will be able to see the different patterns of the vegetables. We will also do a root vegetable tasting game where they sample a small piece of a root vegetable cut up and then try and match it with the correct name.
• October – Pumpkin decorating with paint and other craft materials.
Upcoming ‘Booth with a Cause’ Participants:
• September 17- K9.5 Rescue http://www.k95rescue.org/
• September 24 -Taylor’s Lions Club http://www.lionsdistrict32a.org/clubs/taylors.htm
• October 8 – Greenville County Democratic Women http://www.greenvilledemocrats.com/index.php?s=democratic-women
• October 22 – The Circle of the Children’s Museum http://www.tcmupstate.org/
Sept. 15 – Earth Markets Greenville. (No market in October). Holiday Markets – Saturdays Nov.19, and Dec. 17. Michael McDunn Gallery, 741 Rutherford Rd. @ N. Main. 2-6 pm. Septembers’ guest artist: Tom Zumbach, handmade wood turned arts. http://www.mcdunnstudio.com/zumbach.htm Adding new producers each month, and fresh produce in season comes in as ready! Contact janettewwesley@yahoo.com for any questions or visit www.slowfoodupstate.com
September 18 – Play Street Event on Croft Street. 2-5pm. See article on first page.
September 19 – Greenville Humane Society Volunteer Orientation, 6pm. 305 Airport Rd. For more information, email Paula Church at paulac@greenvillehumane.com or call her at 864-263-5602. Orientations are held every third Monday each month. http://www.greenvillehumane.com/join-the-cause/volunteer
September 20 – Native Plants Are for the Birds! And Other Organisms… Native Plant Society Upstate Chapter Meeting. We now know that plant species native to our region are very effective at meeting the needs of our wildlife friends, and it is high time that we consider this connection every time we purchase a plant or establish a landscape planting. Dr Bill Stringer. Founders Hall in Dining Commons, Southern Wesleyan University, Central. http://www.scnps.org/activities_ups.html
September 24 – Native Plant Society Fall Plant Sale. 9:00 am – 1:00 pm. University Center Parking Lot at Antrim and S. Pleasantburg Drives. Wildlife lovers will want to make a special stop at a featured Bird Garden station planned for the upcoming Fall Plant Sale. Upstate Chapter President and retired Clemson professor Bill Stringer will be on hand to offer expertise and advice for those wishing to develop landscapes that are especially attractive to birds. Felicity Henderson, a local landscape designer, will offer free design consultation at the sale to help you create gardens that are beautiful to you and the birds! With our new credit card shopping option, you can design, purchase, and plant your bird garden all in the same weekend! In addition to plants that attract birds, we will have some end-of season discounts from suppliers as well as fall perennials, grasses, shrubs, evergreens, vines, trees and edibles. And fall is the perfect time to plant so that roots can get well established during the cool months! http://www.scnps.org/activities_ups.html
September 24 – Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Fluor Field, Greenville. You may choose to do either the 5K Run/Walk (USATF certified) or the One Mile Walk. A 5K is 3.1 miles. Opening ceremonies will begin at 7:30 am. Please plan to be at the Race site before 7:30 am. The 5K Run/Walk will begin at 8 am, and the 1 Mile Walk will begin at 8:20 am. http://www.komenscmm.org/
October – February – Greater Greenville Master Gardener Training Classes meet weekly at the Clemson Extension Office in the Greenville County Square at 301 University Ridge. For more information go to http://www.greatergreenvillemastergardener.org/html/MGEducation.htm
October 1 – NMCA/Northgate Soda Shop Community Yard Sale. 7am – 2pm. Free. Back parking lot of the Soda Shop on N. Main. Bring your “treasures” and find others!
October 1 – Gateway House, Inc. will be holding their first 5K race and Fun Run at Furman University at 9:30am. Please visit www.gatewayhouse5K.com for more details and register online at www.strictlyrunning.com (Established in 1984, Gateway House is a Clubhouse-model rehabilitation program designed to facilitate the recovery of adults living with a persistent mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Gateway House restores dignity and provides opportunities for members to have jobs, pursue their education, live in a lovely home, and live a “normal” life once again.)
October 13 – Hillcrest Garden Club Program: Gardening and Art. Speaker: Evelyn Jewell-Watkins. Evelyn, a Greater Greenville Master Gardener, HGC member and artist, will assist us in drawing a person and designing a card from wildflowers we bring to the meeting. (The HGC meets at 10am, second Thursdays at the Greenville Women’s Club. Visitors are always welcome. Call Mary Gilreath Roberts, 458-7735 or e-mail megil@infionline.net
October 15 – Greenville Council of Garden Clubs Plant Sale. 10am-2pm. Kilgore-Lewis House. Plants and garden items contributed by members will be available to the public.
October 14-16 – St. Francis Fall for Greenville 2011…. chosen as one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast, by the Southeast Tourism Society. http://www.fallforgreenville.net/ This year area amateur and professional cake decorators compete and showcase their cake decorating skills in the Coppenrath Europe’s Bakery Cake Challenge. A new addition to the festival weekend, the cake decorating challenge will feature a birthday theme in honor of the festival’s celebration of 30 years. More info and entry forms
October 17, 24, 31 – Home Canning Workshops. Clemson University Extension Office. 301 University Ridge. Workshops are 9am – 1pm on these Mondays. Cost is $30 per person per workshop. CONTACT: Kimberly Baker: 864-232-4431 ext. 113 or E-mail: kabaker@clemson.edu For information on topics covered, see the flyer at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/county/greenville/programs/food_and_nutrition/canning_workshop_october_2011.pdf Space is limited…first come, first served basis.
October 23 – NMCA Fall Neighborhood Potluck Dinner and Membership Meeting. 5 – 7pm. North Main Rotary Park/Bobby Pearse Community Center.
October 29 – GHS Plant & Garden Sale. 9am – 1pm. 206 Airport Rd. See article above.
For other community events, check the Greenville City calendar at http://www.greenvillesc.gov/calendar/Calendar.aspx?tID=0
Fall 2011 Programs at the Bobby Pearse Community Center
The following classes will be held at the Bobby Pearse Community Center, 904 Townes St., on the dates indicated. For additional information or to register for programs call Jonathan Jones at 864-467-4331.
Yoga
Date: Mondays; September 12 – October 31 (8 weeks)
Time: 6:30-7:45pm
Cost: Resident Fee – $32 for entire 8-week session or $5 per class
Non-Resident Fee – $40 for entire 8-week session or $6 per class
Registration: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/CommunityCenter/
We invite you to join us at the Bobby Pearse Community Center for this 8 week yoga program, which is taught by Brooke Kleinfelter, who is a certified yoga instructor. This 75 minute class is taught once a week, and all levels are welcome; however, you do not need previous yoga experience to enjoy this class. Participants can pay $5 per class for city residents and $6 for non-city residents upon arrival. Participants are encouraged to register on-line for the entire 8 weeks for $40 for City residents and $50 for non-city residents. Participants do need their own yoga mat.
Baby & Me Yoga in Falls Park
Location: Falls Park (Rain Location – Bobby Pearse Community Center)
Date: Fridays; September 30 – November 18 (8 weeks)
Time: 11:30am – 12:30pm
Cost: Resident Fee – $32 for entire 8-week session or $5 per class
Non-Resident Fee – $40 for entire 8-week session or $6 per class
Registration: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/CommunityCenter/
This 8-week yoga class is taught by Katie Lee, who is a certified yoga instructor. The class is held in Falls Park and geared to caregivers and their babies, ages 8 weeks to 18 months old. Yoga classes for parents and babies can help strengthen the parent/child bond and improve a baby’s overall well-being. The benefits of yoga for both parents and babies are numerous. Yoga can help babies sleep better, digest easier, learn to relax, and stay healthier. For parents, the benefits include increased flexibility and relaxation. Participants are welcome to pay per class or register on-line for the entire 8 weeks.
City of Greenville Chess Club
Location: Bobby Pearse Community Center
Date: Thursdays (on-going)
Time: 7:00pm
Do you enjoy playing chess? The City of Greenville’s Chess Club meets each Thursday at 7:00pm at the Bobby Pearse Community Center. Both rated and informal games are played, and everyone is welcome to join!
Writing Workshops:
In partnership with the Emrys Foundation, the City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department is offering writing workshops this fall at the Bobby Pearse Community Center!
2nd Sunday Writing Workshops
Date: Sundays; September 11, October 9, November 13
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Cost: $5 per class
Contact: Jonathan Jones, 467-4331
Registration: Register at http://www.emrys.org/workshops-seminars/ or the fee may be paid upon arrival to the class.
These writing workshops are led by various members of the Writing Room faculty. They are designed to stimulate creativity and generate ideas for fiction and nonfiction. We’ll use a series of short in-class writing exercises to inspire new work and deepen your writing. Come prepared to write in class, to share your exercises without fear or self-judgment, and above all, have some fun. All levels are welcome!
Write Your Novel Workshop
Date: Tuesdays; September 27 – November 15
Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Cost: $180; $170 for Emrys members
Contact: Jonathan Jones, 467-4331
Registration: Register at http://www.emrys.org/workshops-seminars/
You have an idea for a novel, but you don’t know how to begin. Or perhaps you’ve started writing a draft, but found yourself discouraged. Join a group of people this fall who share a common goal: they want to write compelling novels. Topics in this eight-week workshop will include First Drafts: Write Today, Edit Tomorrow; Creating Compelling Characters; Plot; Dialogue; Setting; Make a Scene and Transform Your Writing; and Revision: Sifting for Gold. The goal for this 8-week course: Begin work or complete a first draft of your novel.
Mindy Friddle is the author of The Garden Angel (St. Martin’s Press/Picador), selected for Barnes and Noble’s Discover Great New Writers program in 2004. Her second novel, Secret Keepers (St. Martin’s Press/Picador), won the 2009 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. Mindy earned her MFA in 2005 from the Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.
Writing for Children: Creating Your Picture Book
Date: Sunday, October 16
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Cost: $25
Contact: Jonathan Jones, 467-4331
Registration: Register at http://www.emrys.org/workshops-seminars/Follow the picture book process from the first draft of the manuscript to the finished book, and discover your role in bringing your story to publication. This workshop is for picture book writers and/or illustrators.
Samantha Bell lives in Northern Greenville County with her husband, four children, and lots of animals. She has published articles, stories, and poems both online and in magazines such as Learning Through History, Boys’ Quest, and Clubhouse Jr. She is also the illustrator of Cathy’s Animal Garden by Alma Little Publishing, as well as the illustrator of a number of picture books by Guardian Angel Publishing, including her own, It’s Birthday Time, Jake! Her children are her inspiration; they appear quite often in the illustrations — and in her stories, too!
Inspiration and Perspiration: Poetry in Revision Workshop
Location: Bobby Pearse Community Center
Date: Sunday, September 19
Time: 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Cost: $25; $20 for Emrys members
Contact: Jonathan Jones, 467-4331
Registration: Register at http://www.emrys.org/workshops-seminars/
In that all poetry remains for most writers a work in progress, we will do line-by-line reviews of every poet’s work. We will address how the poet tightens a line, gets rid of unnecessary clutter, work with juxtaposition that brings added energy to poetry, seeks the necessary amount of sonic play in his or her work. Open to people working in free verse or form. Participants should bring 3 copies of 2 poems, or 3 poems if they are very short.
Arthur McMaster writes short stories, poems, and stage plays. His poetry and fiction have appeared in such literary magazines as Poetry East, Poet Lore, Wisconsin Review, Emrys Journal, North American Review, and Subtropics. His poetry chapbook Awkwardness was selected in 2009 by the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Poetry Initiative. His latest volume of poetry, The Spy Who Came Down with a Cold, is due out from Finishing Line Press, in September. Arthur teaches creative writing and literature courses at Converse College.
Music Together of Greenville
The City of Greenville Parks and Recreation Department is offering Music Together of Greenville at the Bobby Pearse Community Center! The instructor, Elizabeth Boone, who is a fully trained and registered Music Together teacher, works with 6-12 children and their caregiver to offer forty-five minutes of music and movement experiences. Each weekly class offers a dozen songs and rhythmic rhymes. Children and their adults have opportunities to create and improvise—making up new words to songs, offering movement ideas, making silly sounds, and sharing musical ideas from the family’s play at home. These classes are for babies through kindergarteners and their caregivers.
Music Together of Greenville Turns 1!
Join us on Saturday, September 10 from 10 am to Noon at the Bobby Pearse Community Center as the City of Greenville celebrates Music Together of Greenville’s first year of making music with families in the Upstate! There will be fun for the whole family including playing on the playground, making homemade egg shakers, exciting door prizes, participating in a giant music class, and of course, eating birthday cake! RSVP now for this fun, free family event, and don’t forget to invite a friend! http://musictogetherofgreenville.com/
Fall Session:
Date: September 12-November 12
Time: Participants may choose one of the following one-hour classes to attend:
Wednesdays 9:30-10:15am; 10:30-11:15am;
Thursdays 9:30-10:15am; 10:30-11:15am;
Saturdays 9:30-10:15am; 10:30-11:15am
Cost: Tuition for each 9 week semester is $169/1st Child and $129/sibling. Infants 8 months or younger who attend with paying sibling – FREE. There is a $15 registration fee for all new families. This fee is non-refundable. This registration fee will be waived for City of Greenville Residents.
Contact: Jonathan Jones, 467-4331 or http://musictogetherofgreenville.com/Registration: Contact 467-4331 or http://musictogetherofgreenville.com/
Parents’ Night(s) Out
Parents… do you need a night out without the kids? This program will provide an opportunity for you to have a Friday night out while we create a fun, recreational experience for your children! We provide participants with pizza, games, activities, arts & crafts, a movie and popcorn! Participants: Youth ages 5-12.
Dates: September 30, November 4, 6-10pm. Cost is $12 for residents and $15 for non-residents.
Registration: http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/CommunityCenter/
Check out all of the Greenville Parks and Rec Fall Recreation Programs!
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/CommunityCenter/
(Adult and Youth Recreational Programs)
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/AdultPrograms.aspx
(Adult Athletic Programs)
http://www.greenvillesc.gov/ParksRec/Youth/YouthSports.aspx (Youth Athletic Programs)
Answers to State symbols quiz:
State tree: Sabel palmetto
State bird: Carolina wren
State flower: Yellow Jessamine
State butterfly: Eastern tiger swallowtail
State fish: Striped bass
State stone: Blue granite
State dance: Shag
State fruit: Peach
State animal: Whitetail deer
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/southcarolina/
http://www.sciway.net/hist/symbols.html
The use of trade names or advertisements in this publication does not constitute endorsement or discrimination by the North Main Community Association.
