City Fourth of July Parade Information

Neighbors,

I received the following e-mail, regarding the City of Bloomington Fourth of July Parade. To my knowledge, Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood has never had an entry in the parade. Perhaps this is the year!

In any case, I thought I'd post the following information here. If anyone is interested in putting together a parade entry, a quick post to the SKNA listserv might find other interested neighbors!

The original e-mail came through in nifty red and blue (on a white background, of course) printing, which I won't attempt to recreate here:

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The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation has again teamed up with Downtown Bloomington, Inc. and Indiana Univeristy for the 2009 Bloomington Fourth of July Parade. The theme of the parade this year is "Get Active, Bloomington". Join forces with other community members and get active showing your community spirit. Show us how you get active. Please keep in mind the changes we have made to the parade.

· The parade will start at 10:00 am.

· The route will start at the corner 7th St. and Indiana Ave. Down 7th street, turning left on college. From college turning left on to Kirkwood Ave. Ending at Kirkwood and Indiana Ave. A detailed map will come in your packet at packet pick-up.

· All applications and entry fees will be taken through the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department.

· Applications are due Monday, June 15th. No on-site registrations will be allowed. No exceptions.

· Parade packets must be picked up on Thursday, June 25th in the Parks and Recreation Office, Suite 250 inside the Showers Building, from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. You must have your parade packet prior to check-in on the day of the parade.

· Check-in the morning of the parade will be from 7:00 am – 8:45am and all participants must be in their assigned holding spot by 9:00 am.

[Send an e-mail to Sarah Nix / Facility/Program Coordinator / to receive an application, waiver, and a copy of the rules and regulations / nixs@bloomington.in.gov.] The $15 entry fee and applications are due no later then Monday, June 15th at 5:00 pm. There are only 100 spots available so apply early to secure your spot! You must turn in your completed waiver form at packet pick-up on Thursday, June 25th.

We ask all participants to be creative this year and really add some excitement to your parade entry. Some things that could add some FUN to your entry are a themed float, lawn mower brigade, hula hoops, colorful or patriotic flags, balloons, jugglers, decorated bicycles, music, stilts or unicycles. Please feel free to call or email me with any questions concerning the parade or if you just want to brainstorm some new and creative ways to make your entry stand out this year.

Sincerely,

Sarah Nix

Facility/Program Coordinator

Lynsie Burton

Program Specialist

City of Bloomington

Parks and Recreation

401 N. Morton St. Suite 250

Bloomington, In 47402

p. 812-349-3718

Empty Lot for Sale

Neighbors,

Many of us have noticed that the empty lot at the corner of Wimbleton and Montclair is for sale again. Out of curiosity, our neighbor David Wilcox called the number of the sign and found that the owners are asking $79,000. I believe that there once was a house located on this lot, but that the house burned many years ago. I'm not sure when it burned, though I know that it has been vacant since I moved into the neighborhood in 1998. Perhaps if others have more information about the history of this lot, they could add comments to this posting?

Blooming Neighborhoods

Each year, HAND (Bloomington's office of Housing And Neighborhood Development) hosts an event called "Blooming Neighborhoods." This is an opportunity for all of the Neighborhood Associations around Bloomington to come together to share ideas and experiences, and generally to enjoy all being a part of what makes this town so special.

Each Neighborhood Association is provided with a table, a map of our neighborhood, and a sign. We try to have neighbors sit at the table in shifts, to pass out candy to those who drop by and to answer whatever questions might come up. I've talked to everyone from people who are looking to buy a home to IU students thinking about research projects on community activism.

This year the event is being held on Saturday, June 6.

And in conjunction with Blooming Neighborhoods, the City has invited Jim Diers to do a presentation on Friday, June 5. Diers is the "former director of the City of Seattle's Deaprtment of Neigborhoods and author of Neighbor Power: Building Community the Seattle Way." He will "share the story of Seattle's neigborhoods and insights from communties around the world that are working to build active and creative neighborhoods."

The above information is from the City's website, which you can access here:

<http://bloomington.in.gov/documents/viewDocument.php?document_id=2254>

If you would like to volunteer to sit at the Sycamore Knolls Table for a half-hour shift on Saturday, June 6 (during the Farmers Market), please send me a note here:

<robert_terrill@comcast.net>

Neighborhood Picnic a Success!

Well, as might have been predicted, our beloved Indiana weather simply refused to cooperate: it was cool, damp, and breezy. Nonetheless, our inaugural Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Potluck Picnic (finally) went off as planned on Saturday, May 16.

About a dozen hardy souls met under the shelter at Southeast Park for a very tempting spread, while some of our kids played on the playground nearby. I think I speak for all who showed up and when I say that these were not the ultimate picnic conditions. (And to make matters worse, of course, the sun did manage to shine through later that afternoon!).

But, I also think that I can speak for all when I say that it was a wonderful time to enjoy conversation, to get to know our neighbors, share a little gossip, and even to learn a little neighborhood history!

We're hoping, of course, that next time the weather will be better. But we're confident that there will be a next time!

Once again, a very special thanks to Anita Park for organizing the event!

And, our next scheduled Social Event will be the annual Fourth of July Parade. We'll meet at the bottom of Montclair at 11:00am and march up to Southeast Park. A good time always is had by all.

Now, as some of the folks who have lived in the neighborhood a while will remember, it used to be common to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy after the Parade. Once upon a time, we even had entertainment at the Parade -- a clown, some musicians, face-painting, etc. In any case, I'm hoping that especially civic-minded and/or patriotic soul (or souls) might be willing to head up and organize the Parade this year!

Citizens on Radar Patrol

Gary Wiggins, who has long served as our SKNA treasurer, thought that this might be an interesting idea for our neighborhood to consider, if not at the present then perhaps at some time in the future.

Basically, the idea is that citizen volunteers are provided with some training and then are allowed to use radar speed "guns" to monitor traffic speeds through the neighborhood. Speeders then receive a letter advising them of the observed violation. There is no actual enforcement, but in the cities where it has been tried the presence of the volunteers together with the mailing of the letters is understood to send a strong message.

Read more about this here:

<http://www.officer.com/print/Law-Enforcement-Technology/Citizens-on-radar-patrol/1$45246>

To my knowledge, nothing like this has been done in Bloomington. But, if this seems like something we'd like to pursue, then we might form a committee or bring it up for discussion at our next general neighborhood meeting (which will be scheduled for sometime this fall).

Picnic Scheduled for Saturday, May 16th

Our neighborhood picnic has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 16th, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm. The location will be the shelter at our neighborhood park, Southeast Park.

This will be a "potluck" affair, so be sure to bring something to share! (The Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Association will provide some crackers, chips, drinks, napkins, and paper plates.) This time, we won't be planning to cook any food while we're there -- just come prepared to eat, share, and chat with your neighbors!

If you have questions, you should contact Anita Park at anipark2004@yahoo.com. She has done an outstanding job of organizing (and then reorganizing) the picnic. Hopefully, everyone who was planning on attending the picnic before will attend now, plus even more!

NOTE: If it happens to rain the morning of the 16th (i.e., until 12 noon), the event will be cancelled, and we'll try again next spring.

Neighborhood Picnic Re-Scheduled

By late Friday afternoon, the weather forecast called for a 60% chance of rain for Saturday, May 2, the date of our First Annual Sycamore Knolls Neighborhood Picnic. The decision was made to cancel the event, based on the fact that most folks don't like soggy picnics.

Of course, as we all now know, the forecast was wildly off, and Saturday actually turned out to be a beautiful spring day. Well, that's springtime in Indiana, for sure.

Through the "e-vite" system that Anita Park put together, we at least know that a good number of people would be interested in attending a neighborhood picnic. So, we're hoping that when the new date is rescheduled for later this spring or summer, we'll have lots of our friends and neighbors join us!

Watch this spot, and the SKNA Listserv, and your e-mail -- for news about the rescheduled date.