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04.10.05
Won't You be My Neighbor: Annual Orchard Street Blossom Festival
By Dyah Kartikawening, iRhine
It's not Mr. Rogers but neighbors who invite you to come to the Annual Orchard Street Blossom Festival, this Saturday, April 16th 2005, starting from 6:00 pm, on the green space behind Gabriel's Corner on Sycamore and Liberty Streets. Every neighbor, soon to be neighbor, friends and family are invited. This is a "Bring Your Own Food, Drinks and Chair" party. With the blossoms along Orchard Street, warm weather and green grass, neighbors will enjoy conversations, food and may be a good corn-hole game.
When Christopher and Jessica Pfieffer moved to Over-the-Rhine two years ago, they were attracted with Over-the-Rhine historic district charm and its strategic location. But when they came to the Annual Orchard Street Blossom Festival last year, they knew Over-the-Rhine has more to offer. A sense of community was what they found in North Main Street area.
The North Main Street area has been growing as mixed business and residential uses. Orchard Street is one of the many residential-only streets in Over-the-Rhine. It's a quiet and shady street where a row of historic houses is beautifully standing on each side. According to a long time resident, the City of Cincinnati planted the pear trees in the 1980s.
Mike Uhlenhake who has been living in the area for more than ten years organized the first festival a couple of years ago to bring all neighbor to get to know each other.
A real place is where community can be found. Community involvement is crucial to determine the livability of a neighborhood. As sociologist William T. Whyte, pioneer of placemaking, mentioned, "What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people." Over-the-Rhine might have a glorious history, but what makes this neighborhood a place is the people who inhabit in it. And when community take pride of what they have, other people would see it as a place also.
 "You will find your community by getting involved," said Chris Pfeiffer. Christopher Pfieffer is the Co-Captain for North Main Street Sector. Every now and then, he sends alerts and emails concerning neighborhood happenings. Main Street Safety Sector Meeting is held on every third Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm at Comey & Shepherd City Office, 1440 Main Street. The North Main Street residents led by Mike Uhlenhake organized two beautification projects each year: the Great American Clean Up and Keep America Beautiful with the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. Twice a year, in April and October, they clean up public spaces, plant trees and flowers.
Many residents in this neighborhood have contributed their time and talents to improve the community. Tamara Schwarting is one of active residents who helped to develop grant proposal for the Safe and Clean Neighborhood Fund from the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. The grant that they received this year will be used to develop Northern Row Park (on Melindy and Clay Streets) and to buy tools to clean up the sidewalks.
Residents also develop virtual network through emails to speed up communication. Since February 2005, The City of Cincinnati has decided to cut the Ambassador program in Over-the-Rhine. The City hired Ambassadors to clean up sidewalks along the business district. When residents began to notice the amount of trash on the sidewalks, they noticed that the Ambassador program has been cut. Residents flooded the City Hall with emails to voice their concerns. The City Council voted to bring back the the Ambassadors after going through administrative procedures.
NoMA is not the only group of residents in Over-the-Rhine. Many other groups of residents such as the Republic Street Block Club, Washington Park Residents, Mulberry-McMicken Residents, Brewery Districts Residents and many others have been active in creating a better neighborhood. These various groups consist of concerned neighbors who want to improve their own living environment. Afer all, a good neighborhood will not exist without good neighbors.
Dyah Kartikawening is a free-lance writer currently living in Over-the-Rhine. Contact: dyah@irhine.com
Other North Main Street Happenings
April 23rd: Great American Clean-up, 9:00 - 4:00pm
We will be focusing our energies this year on painting the light poles on along Main, removal of leaves and winter debris, general spring maintenance of the trees wells and power washing the sidewalks along Main. We also be continuing our work on Northern Row Park (Clay & Melindy) thanks to several grants received.. Volunteers will meet in front of Old St. Mary's Church at 9:00 am and we will work all day. Plan to celebrate the successes of the day with your neighbors at the Post party which will start at 6pm.
Great American Clean Up in Over-the-Rhine:
North Main Street (NoMA):
Contact
Tamara Schwarting and Mike Uhlenhake
Phone: 513.703.2352
email: tschwarting@cinci.rr.com
Date and Time of Event: April 23, 2005 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Meeting Location: Old St. Mary's Church - corner of 13th and Main Streets.
Republic St. Block Club:
Contact:
Georgia Keith and May Johnson
Phone: 513.651.0396
Date and Time of Event: April 23, 2005 from 9:00 am to noon
Meeting Location: City Park - next to 1421 Republic Street.
Washington Park:
Contact:
Bobby Maly
Phone: 513.559.0048
email: robert.maly@modelmgt.com
Brewery District:
Contact:
Walter Reinhaus
Phone: 513.241.3855
Email: reinhaus@yahoo.com
Date & Time of Event: April 23, 2005 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Meeting Location: 19 West Elder - Community Council office
Mulberry-McMicken Sector
Contact:
Cathy Frank
Phone: 513.478.1296
Email: cfrank@comey.com
Date & Time of Event: April 23, 2005 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Meeting Location: Main Street stairs - stairs from Mulberry to Goethe
About iRhine
iRhine is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that develops the focus of communication for the many diversified offerings in the historic Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine (OTR). Through the Web site, e-mails, educational meetings, events, and volunteering, iRhine has supported and encouraged socio-economic development for OTR and the Greater Cincinnati Region since 2000.
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Jul 31, 2010
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