Category: What’s Happening in Sunnyside?

Please Vote; Help Sunnyside Environmental School Win $10,000

Sunnyside Environmental School is one of three finalists in the Umpqua Bank Build Your Block Grant Challenge, a program the bank runs to help improve neighborhoods where its branches are located.

SES has proposed the creation of a rainwater capture system in the fall and winter to help sustainably irrigate its gardens in the summer. The school hopes to create a demonstration project with educational components to water its vegetable garden area and teach neighbors how to do the same.

A 2500 gallon cistern will be located in the SES garden at 34th and Taylor. Rain barrels and other rainwater projects will be developed and installed by the community. Educational signage will be developed by the community and placed near the cistern.

To celebrate the unveiling of the completed project, SES will host a neighborhood gathering and invite people to build rain barrels for their own homes. Money from the challenge will offset the cost of these rain barrels so that more neighbors can afford to install them. Together, we will learn about the importance of storm water reduction and rainwater harvesting!

Starting March 21, anyone may go into Umpqua, 3557 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214, and vote for this project. There will be postcards available listing all three projects, so stop by and learn about the good ideas. Voting closes April 15th, and the winner will be announced April 18th.

If you would like to be involved in installing this project or planning community outreach and education, please contact [email protected].

Lone Fir Cemetery Needs Your Help

Lone Fir Cemetery needs your help…

As spring approaches, bulbs are emerging from many of the muddy areas within Lone Fir. Metro needs the help from the community, leaves and branches have been sitting too long on the ground beneath the wonderful trees making it difficult for this season’s grass to emerge.  With your help, we can fix this! Our Site Stewardship Committee has gathered $150 for grass seed and supplies. That will be leveraged with a discount from Portland Nursery to increase the amount we can get. Metro will help to supply rakes and pick up the debris left alongside the road.  Once the weather improves, seeding can begin. Until then we can rake, rake and rake a little more. This should help keep the cemetery looking better than ever for Memorial Day, (when the cemetery is filled with visitors).  So come join us…let’s help Lone Fir put its best foot forward by coming to Friend’s first clean up of the year!

Ø     Time: March 27th from 12:00-4:00

Ø     Meeting Place: Lone Fir Cemetery 2115 S.E. Morrison St. Check in/Sign in will take place at the Soldiers Monument.

Ø     Activities: Remove as many leaves, branches and needles to allow the grass to grow and in some areas be reseeded.

Ø   Attire/Tools: This event will take place rain or shine. Dress accordingly. Layers are always good if the weather looks unpredictable. Close toed shoes or boots are best. Please bring your own rake and gloves. We will have some on site but the supplies are limited.

Ø     Other: Bring a lunch if you would like. Friends will have bottled water and a few light snacks.

 

 

Fuse Theater Company Entertains Sunnyside

The Portland Mini-Fringe Theater Festival is coming!

Comedy to drama, mask to dance, literary to improv!

The first festival of it’s kind in Portland, the Mini-Fringe features twelve touring theater shows from the Northwest and all over North America. From mid-February through March, come see the best the fringe world has to offer!

Artists from across the US and Canada. Brand new shows, and shows that have toured extensively across the country and around the world.

Six weekends, with two different shows each weekend. Presented along with offerings from local artists, readings and master classes in a variety of areas.

Head here for tickets and more information:

http://www.portlandminifringe.com

Opening Day for Blair Community Garden

March 26th marks the opening of the long-awaited return of the Blair Community Garden. Below is a link to the pdf announcing the Celebration from 11-noon and the Work Party from 9-11am.

The event is sponsored by Sunnyside Neighborhood Association, Laurelhurst Village, and Portland Community Gardens. Go to www.portlandparks.org to sign up on the wait list.

Work Party & Celebration for Blair Community Gardens

Neighbors, Help SES Harvest Rain Water

Umpqua Bank is sponsoring a “Build Your Block Challenge” to select one neighborhood improvement project to fund.  Sunnyside Environmental School invites you to celebrate the rain with us and hopes that our project will be chosen for funding!
Portland gets about 40″ of rain a year. Much of that ends up polluted and in our sewers, and isn’t available to us when we need it most…the summer. Our school is creating a rainwater harvesting system, which will water the school gardens and highlight other ways to capture and reuse water.
We will create educational materials and host a neighborhood rain barrel building event to help the greater community capture and use water!  If you are interested in helping us plan or implement this idea, please contact [email protected].
Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
–Langston Hughes (excerpt)