Council Approves Stone Avenue Master Plan
Greenville City Council voted in February to approve the Stone Avenue Master Plan in principle. This means that they have approved the overall goals, guidelines and strategies laid out in the plan. Over the past year, we have all had the chance to think about Stone Avenue — and the adjacent segments of North Main and Wade Hampton — in ways that we have not thought of before. Now we have a framework to begin work to make the vision a reality. This implementation is inherently a gradual process, and we will have many opportunities to discuss the critical details, concerns, assumptions and expectations. But this is a great first step. Thank you to the City of Greenville for making this process happen and thanks to all of you for participating. (Mike Mecklenburg, Friends of Stone Avenue, 864-235-7351)
NMCA Spring Social and Membership Drive
Mark your calendars and plan to attend our 2011 Spring Social and Membership Drive to be held Thursday, April 28, from 5-8pm at the North Gate Soda Shop. Free beer and food…..live music….raffle to benefit the North Main Dogwood Tree Fund. (Funds raised will go towards helping to replace missing or diseased dogwoods in the median of North Main St.) We are challenging all members to bring one new member to the event! So come on down and say hi to your neighbors and old friends and get to know new ones! Watch for more details.
Chick Springs Greenway – Public Workshop
A public workshop concerning the Chick Springs Greenway will be held at the Stone Lake Community Club on March 16 from 4-6pm. The Chick Springs Greenway will build an eight foot wide, approximately one-half (½) mile long, bicycle and walking trail that will link to the City’s sidewalk network. Those interested are encouraged to attend as a strong showing of public support will greatly assist the City in seeking competitive grants to complete the project. For more information, please contact Brian Graham at 467-4350 or bgraham@greenvillesc.gov.
Soda Shop/Other Side Golf Tournament
This year’s North Gate Soda Shop/Other Side golf tournament will be held on Saturday, April 16, at 10 am at Summersett Golf Course. The tournament will benefit Pendleton Place, a shelter for abused and neglected children. The total cost is $60.00 which includes golf, 2 mulligans, lunch, beer cart and charity. Prizes will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place teams; longest drive – men & women; and closest to pin – men & women. Deadline for entering is Monday, April 4. Questions? Contact Judy at 420-6636 or email mcbearty123333@bellsouth.net
New Hurling Club Looking for Members
Most Americans, even those who have traveled to Ireland, don’t know that the Irish first hurl and then they drink. In Ireland to hurl is to play hurling and by drinking we mean rehydrating with water. Hurling is the national pastime of Ireland and is coming to Greenville this Spring! It is already played in most U.S. cities, and regionally in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Augusta. Hurling is mostly the Irish equivalent of field hockey, but with an option to strike the ball in the air. Because the ball travels so fast from one side of the field to the other, the game has been dubbed the “fastest game on grass.” Picture a cross between rugby, soccer, and lacrosse. Fifteen players per team, all carrying a stick called a hurley, each playing with skill, speed, and bravery—it’s bound to be a hit. The Greenville Gaels, our local club, is now forming to play both hurling and Gaelic football. Adventurous men and women are welcome. Facebook Greenville Gaels to find out more about their practices and soon-to-be-launched website. (Stephen Quigley, NMCA member – he’s the guy in blue in the photo)
Weather Tidbits
According to climate data, the average maximum temperature for Greenville in March is 63.5°F, the average low is 40.2°F and the average precipitation (rainfall) is 5.17”. The record monthly rainfall for March was in 1975 when 17.77” fell at Caesar’s head. For at least the last half century, the record maximum temperature was 89°F on March 23, 1995, and the record minimum was 11°F on March 3, 1980. The average snowfall in is 0.9” (that’s right….winter may not be over yet!) and the record snowfall was 11” on March 25, 1971. We typically have 7 days in March where the temperature drops to freezing or below.
Those just itching to get the pruning tools out often ask….”when is the date of the last killing frost here in Greenville?” The answer depends on who you ask. Ask those who have lived here a long time and they’ll often say mid April to be safe. Looking at historical records it can fall anywhere from the end of February to the first of May. Is this going to be one of those years when it was the last of February? Who knows….Mother Nature is anything but predictable!
March 28, 1984, saw the second highest loss of life from tornadoes in this area when 11 tornadoes touched down along a narrow band that extended from Anderson County through Marlboro County. These tornadoes caused 15 deaths, 448 injuries, and damage of over $100 million. These tornadoes also caused several other storm related fatalities. http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/index.php
New Police Newsletter and Facebook Page
The Greenville City Police Department has released the first issue of a new monthly safety newsletter. The newsletter, edited by Crime Prevention Specialist Courtney Palmer, will consist of new and exciting things occurring in the police department as well as in our neighborhoods. Go to the Police Department’s web site and click on the newsletter image on the left hand side of the page.
On Friday, January 21, 2011, the Greenville Police Department also launched its very own Facebook page. They encourage everyone to visit and reference a wide variety of useful information. It contains links which will allow members of the public to report tips on crime, review unsolved cases, search for employment opportunities, and obtain updates on traffic and emergency situations.
Lake Conestee Nature Park Designated an IBA of Global Significance
On November 15, 2010, Audubon South Carolina and Bird Life International designated Lake Conestee Nature Park as an “Important Bird Area of Global Significance”. The Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program is a global effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds and biodiversity by setting science-based priorities for habitat protection and management necessary to safeguard critical bird habitats. Specifically, IBAs are sites that provide essential habitat for one or more bird species of special concern.
The bottomland and wetlands at LCNP provide an exceptional habitat for the largest known wintering population of Rusty Blackbirds east of the Mississippi. The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) breeds in swampy wooded areas of Canada and Alaska and winters in swampy areas, like Lake Conestee, in the southeastern United States. This species has undergone a steady population decline since the mid-1960s due to loss of habitat and, thus, is considered by Audubon as especially vulnerable to continued decline, and is on its Watch List.
Lake Conestee Nature Park (LCNP) is a wildlife sanctuary and nature park encompassing 400 acres of ecologically diverse site conditions supporting a remarkable variety of both breeding and over-wintering populations of birdlife, as well and other wildlife. This rich diversity includes extensive wetlands, riparian forests along four miles of the Reedy River, as well as upland hardwoods, meadows, and successional habitats. Dedicated members of the Greenville County Bird Club have now inventoried an amazing 167 bird species at Lake Conestee Nature Park.
Conestee Foundation Developing Team of Volunteer Park Guides
The Conestee Foundation is frequently asked by school groups, scout troops, civic organizations, or nature study groups to provide guided tours of Lake Conestee Nature Park. These requests are often more than their staff can respond to, so they are training volunteer tour guides to assist with these requests. The objective is to train and maintain a core team of about 12-15 volunteer tour guides. LCNP Tour Guides will be trained in the basic knowledge and history of the park. The basic training will include such things as Historic Conestee Mill, Lake Conestee Dam, Natural History of LCNP, Wildlife and orientation to the Reedy River Watershed. (Photo credit: LCNP)
The park guides will be asked occasionally to conduct tours (typically 2-3 hrs) for various small groups. These requests will be rotated among the guides to minimize the scheduling burden. Dave Hargett, Executive Director of the Conestee Foundation, will typically conduct the training. Training will be on 1:30-4:30 pm on the first Tuesday of each month, with the first Thursday as a rain date. They prefer to have people register by the EOB on the Friday before. This is an ongoing project which they plan to continue until they have a solid group of trained volunteers. If you want to sign up to be a LCNP guide, contact Drew Gonick, Project Coordinator, at conesteepark@gmail.com.
Greenville Humane Society Used Gadgets Drive
Donate your used calculators, cell phones, PDAs, video games, computers, projectors and more…….Visit this website and find the gadget you’re donating. Notify them of your donation and print a PRE-PAID shipping label, pack the gadget and drop it in the mail for free! Your used gadgets can help save lives and stay out of landfills!
Calendar
City Council Formal Meeting and Work Session schedules can be found at the city website.
March 15 – Native Plant Society Meeting. 7 PM. Founder’s Hall in the Dining Commons at Southern Wesleyan University in Central. “Life at the Water’s Edge” presented by Rick Huffman. No matter where we live, we all live in a watershed, and we all impact water quality for ourselves and our families and for the plants, animals, and people downstream. Founders Hall in Dining Commons, Southern Wesleyan University, Central, SC.
March 14 – 16 – Stone Academy Media Center Book Fair. Monday 8am-4pm and 6-8pm. Tuesday – Thursday 8am-4pm. Friday 8am – 11am. Come browse their great selection of books! All profits support the Stone Academy Media Center.
March 15 – 6 PM. Greenville Humane Society Volunteer Orientation. 6 PM. Lobby of Humane Society on Furman Hall Road.
March 15 – Public Meeting on Greenville’s Bicycle Master Plan 6:00 pm. Hughes Main Library. The purpose is to get community input for the plan. If you missed the first meeting, go to this website where you can find more information, complete the online survey and download the presentation from the first public workshop.
March 31 – Chocolate Soirée – Savor the Date. Hyatt Regency, Greenville (220 N. Main St.). Benefits the Children’s Museum. Tickets are $100.
April 9 – Upstate Chapter Native Plant Society Spring Plant Sale. 9:00-1:00. The sale will be held in the parking lot of University Center (the former McAlister Square) at S. Pleasantburg and Antrim Drive. Experts will help you choose the right plant for the right place, increasing your chances of success while reducing your consumption of water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Dr. Jan Haldeman of Erskine College will display and provide information about commonly sold non-native species that are invasive in our region.
April 15 – 16 –Greenville’s Kaleidoscope of Gardens. 10am – 5pm. Tour will cover Frontus St., Capers, E. Tallulah and Woodvale off of Augusta Rd. as well as E. Seven Oaks Dr. and Dominick Ct. in Chanticleer, plus the Kilgore-Lewis House (KLH). Lunch will be offered at the KLH for an additional charge. Tickets are $12 until March 29 and $15 after that date. They may be purchased at the KLH M-F from 10am-2pm. Proceeds benefit the KLH. For additional information, contact Mary Roberts at megil@infionline.net
April 16 – Greater Greenville Master Gardener Plant Sale. 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Location: parking lot behind McAlister Square Mall located at 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville. The sale will include more than 1,000 plants all grown in the Upstate climate, and an Ask A Master Gardener table will be staffed to answer questions about plant selection and care. Please bring a vehicle large enough to contain your purchases, and leave all furry friends at home.
April 16 – 2011 Harbor Run presented by Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. Courses will again weave through downtown Greenville, and 5k team categories are expanded to include husband & wife, mother & daughter, mother & son, father & daughter and father & son…with prizes for all winners. Bring the whole family…all proceeds benefit Safe Harbor, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing the effects of domestic violence in our community.
April 28 – NMCA Spring Social and Membership Drive. North Gate Soda Shop. 5pm – 8pm. Free beer and food…. Live music….Raffle to benefit the North Main Dogwood Tree Fund. Bring a new member!!
April 28 – 4th Annual Sips for Snips. Zen. 924 S. Main St. 6-9 pm. Mark your calendars now for this fundraiser for the Greenville Humane Society. Tickets: $40. Watch for more information on the Humane Society website.
April 29 – May 1 – Santee Bird and Nature Festival – a fun-filled weekend of activities and field trips throughout central South Carolina To register or for additional information visit their website.
Upcoming Programs (Spring 2011) for 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 or email Pam Davis at 864-467-4331 or pdavis@greenvillesc.gov .
Program Name: Outdoor Movie @ N. Main Rotary Park
Dates/ Time: Sunday, April 10, 8:30 pm
Fee: FREE
Description: Come join us in the outfield of N. Main Rotary Park (the baseball field behind Bobby Pearse Community Center) for the showing of the movie “The Sandlot”! Bring your friends, family, blankets and a picnic! (No alcohol and no pets, please!)
Program Name: Baby & Me
Dates/ Time: Now – May 20; Fridays, 10-11am
Fee: $2 per class
Registration: Participants do need to register in advance for this class but fee may be paid upon arrival.
Description: This class will be geared to parents/ caregivers and their babies (6 months to 24 months old) who would like to engage in social and play opportunities with other caregivers and babies. This class will incorporate music, art, games and other activities geared to this age.
Program Name: Homeschool Fitness
Dates/ Time: Now – May 4; Wednesdays; 9:45am – 10:45am for 6-12 year olds
Fee: 1 Child = $35; 2 Children = $60; 3 Children or more = $75
Registration: Call 467-4331
Description: This program will provide fitness classes for homeschooled children on Wednesday mornings. The classes will incorporate physical fitness and nutrition education as the priority. We will also focus on stretching, running, sports and games that encourage physical activity.
Program Name: Yoga
Dates/ Time: ***New Session*** March 7 – April 15; Mondays, 6:30-7:45pm
Fee: $5 per class or $35 for the entire spring 8-week session paid in full
Registration: on-line at the Parks & Rec website or if paying per class, fee may be paid upon arrival.
Description: We will also be offering a spring yoga session starting March 7. This will also be an 8-week beginner yoga class. The instructor, Brooke Kleinfelter, will teach the class at a beginner level; however, it will tailored to the participants, so all levels are welcome to join. You can pay $5 per class or register for all 8 weeks for only $35.
Program Name: The Greenville Chess Club
Dates/ Time: Every Thursday at 7pm
Description: The Greenville Chess Club meets each Thursday evening at 7pm. Both rated and informal games are played, and everyone is welcome.
Program Name: The Greenville Storytellers Guild
Dates/ Time: 7-9pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month
Fee: FREE
Description: Storytellers and listeners are welcome! The stories must be approximately ten minutes in length (or shorter) and appropriate for all audiences. Genres include local folk lore, ghost stories, family narratives and classic tales. The Greenville Storytellers Guild is open for anyone to join.
Program Name: Folk Dancing
Dates/ Time: March 6 – April 10, Sundays, 6:30-8pm
Fee: $30 for 6-week session
Registration: on-line
Description: In this 6-week session, participants will learn social dances that have simple steps and rhythms from countries and cultures all over the world. They may range from slow and meditative to more aerobic and dynamic, and may be done in circles, lines or with partners. Dances from Bulgaria, Israel, Romania, Turkey, England, Scotland, Greece, America, and many other countries will be taught. International folk dancers truly are “Dancers Without Borders.” The classes will provide fun, exercise and a way to meet new people.
Program Name: Tai Chi
Dates/ Time: March 12 – April 16, Saturdays, 8:45-9:45am
Fee: $30 for 6-week session
Registration: on-line
Description: Tai Chi is one of the most effective exercises for mind/body health. It is easy to learn initially – though through continued practice tai chi will continue to offer deeper and more profound benefits over time. The movements are slow and gentle thus making tai chi suitable for people of all levels of ability. The essential principles and benefits include a more holistic mind/body integration, greater fluidity of movement, enhanced balance and coordination, healthier breathing patterns, deeper mental concentration & focus, a more harmonious mental state and deeper levels of relaxation. In this class, we will work with a Tai Chi form developed specifically for people suffering with arthritis – although it is an excellent introductory form for anyone with health concerns or for one wishing to begin the tai chi journey. It is a safe, fun and easy to learn program. Studies confirm that this Tai chi for Arthritis form can help relieve pain, reduce falls and, in general, improve one’s quality of life.
Program Name: Keep It Moving
Dates/ Time: Once a Week: March 12 – April 16, Saturdays, 10-11am
Twice a Week: March 9 – April 16, Wednesdays 6:30-7:30pm & Saturdays, 10-11am
Fee: Once a Week: $12 for six-week session
Twice a Week: $20 for six-week session
Registration: on-line
Description: This class will be geared to children 8-18 years old who are battling obesity. Our instructor, Heather Moore, is a nurse practitioner who works specifically with obese youth. 17% of SC youth are overweight and 14% are considered obese. Prevention is the only way to halt to the obesity epidemic in the United States. This 6-week program is designed specifically for this population to aid in the incorporation of healthy lifestyle changes that will last. Our objective: Get kids moving! We will do this by incorporating activity into a positive, welcoming environment where kids can feel comfortable moving their bodies to overall health. We will determine individual goals and objectives for overall health while taking into consideration strengths and fears in performing activities. Ultimately, we will incorporate didactic into program that includes not only physical health but also nutritional and emotional health.
Program Name: Vision Board Workshops
Dates/ Time: Saturday, March 5 & Saturday, April 2, 1-5pm
Fee: $10
Registration: on-line
Description: One of the best ways to clarify your vision of what you want in your life and accelerate your ability to create that vision in the physical world is through the creation of a Vision Board. Participants will each create their own vision board. They are typically made of poster board on which you paste or collage images that you have cut out from various magazines. It is really easy, fun and inspirational. The concept is to surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to do, what you want to have, where you want to live and/or where you want to vacation and other desires of the heart. No matter where you are on your journey of creating your life, this workshop will help move you to the next level. Materials Required: 1 sheet poster board (in your preferred color and size).
In partnership with the Emrys Foundation, we will be offering the following writing workshops:
Program Name: Monthly Writing Workshops: Out of your Head and onto the Pages
Dates/ Time: The second Sunday of the month: March 13, April 10 & May 8, 2-4pm
Fee: $5 per class
Registration: Register at Emrys or pay at the door.
Description: These writing workshops, led by various members of the Writing Room faculty, 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.
Program Name: Writing about Food Workshop
Dates/ Time: Saturday, March 27, 2-4pm
Fee: $25; $20 for Emrys members
Registration: on-line at Emrys
Description: The potential of a good meal to evoke time and place and company is one of the most powerful tools a writer owns. And so writing about food has never been relegated entirely to the cookbook; this rich sensory landscape strengthens novels and memoirs, as well as forms the core of more journalistic culinary articles. Ashley Warlick is the author of three novels: The Distance from the Heart of Things (1996), The Summer After June (2000), and Seek the Living (2005), all published by Houghton Mifflin Company. She is a recipient of a 2006 fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She teaches in the MFA program at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is editor of edible Upcountry magazine.
Program Name: Nature Writing: Capture the Magic of the Outdoors on the Page
Dates/ Time: Saturday, April 9, 2-5pm
Fee: $25; $20 Emrys members
Registration: on-line at Emrys
Description: Whether it’s fiction, creative nonfiction or essay, the natural world offers the writer many options for moving plot forward, revealing character and more. In this workshop, we’ll look at some writers who use the natural world well in a variety of ways, spend some time outside together learning to read the natural landscape, and do some writing of our own.
Program Name: Poetry Workshop: Finding Your Voice A Craft Workshop co-sponsored by the Poetry Society of South Carolina
Dates/ Time: Saturday, March 5, 10am-Noon
Fee: $20 for Emrys and Poetry Society of SC members; $25 for nonmembers; $30 after Feb. 28 and at door
Registration: on-line at Emrys
Description: Poets are often exhorted: “Find your voice”—as though it were a rock dropped into a lake and hidden among the reeds. What does voice mean—for the poet and for the poem? Is one’s voice ever lost—or has it become so muted, so timid and tentative, that it cannot be heard clearly by the reader? If so, how does a poet take charge of her words, come into her own power and say what is on her mind in a way that only she can say it? Gibson, author of three prize-winning poetry books, often tries to discover/create voices of historical/ mythical women. She calls it “my most difficult task and the most exciting.” She plans interaction with the audience during the workshop (even some writing).
Program Name: Super Summer Day Camp
Dates/ Time: June 13 – August 5
Fee: $175 for 8-week camp; multi-family member discount of $20 for each sibling
Registration: Registration will open on-line on March 21
Description: The City of Greenville Parks & Recreation Department will offer its Super Summer Day Camp program for boys and girls ages 5 to 12 from 7:30am – 6pm, Monday through Friday. The campers will enjoy swimming, arts and crafts, fitness programs, sports, music, field trips and much, much more. Lunch will be provided for each camper. Spots are limited and spaces fill up fast so please plan to register as soon as you can beginning March 21. We are looking forward to a GREAT SUMMER!!!
The use of trade names or advertisements in this publication does not constitute endorsement or discrimination by the North Main Community Association.
