ECA social

The ECA writes:

Mark your calendars!
Come out and meet your neighbors old and new at this ECA Social
Where: Studio K Gallery, 2024 E. 7th St. (next to the Friendly Mart).
When: Friday, June 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Food and beverages will be served.

Wascally wabbits

Daybreak seems to be the best time to catch a glimpse of the family of rabbits we have in upper Independence Park. The rabbits are another good reason to keep your dog on a leash in the park.

Clean up the park

Kristan Magas writes:

Elizabeth has officially adopted Independence Park. Severe budget cuts have limited Parks and Recreation staff and the maintenance of our park, so we would like to help them with two ongoing projects:
1. Walk through the park each Saturday afternoon to pick up trash.
2. Help with maintenance or landscaping projects on the second Saturday of each month. 
The park staff is very happy to have as much help as possible. Picking up the small pieces of trash in the park allows the staff to attend to heavier maintenance issues. This is a large undertaking for our neighborhood but we can do it with help from all. This could be a great community service project for groups or kids!

To volunteer, email Kristan: kdm2201 @ gmail.com.

Art breaks out on Elizabeth Avenue

Suddenly, in the vast, cavernous space of upper Elizabeth Avenue there is art outdoors -- thanks to Red Sky Gallery. The new location at 1523 Elizabeth Ave. opened March 25. There is another Red Sky Gallery downtown in the EpiCenter. Welcome Red Sky. I hope your presence helps reinvigorate the area. 

Get your motor running

Progressive Dinner gets its Greek on

The Progressive Dinner Committee writes:

We are so excited in anticipation of Elizabeth's favored neighborhood event: the Annual Progressive Dinner!

On Saturday, April 30, we will celebrate in Greek style!

This is a great opportunity to meet your new neighbors and spend time with your dear friends.  Join us for fabulous food, fun, and laughter!

Please RSVP by April 20th to elizabethdinner AT yahoo.com. Include your name, guest's name, address, and phone number.

We will send more details closer to the event, including times & locations.  Thanks in advance to Elaine Scott and Jerry Tylman for hosting appetizers and to Jessica and Monte Ritchey for hosting desserts.

We are seeking a few more host houses to seat 8-12 people for the dinner portion.  Please consider hosting this year -- it is so easy!  Your guests bring all the food, and you just provide beverages and bread.

Looking forward to seeing you there!  Yassou!

Chip and Lauren Jetton, Chairs
Lydia Arnold
Beth Haenni
Cheryl Smith
Diana Watson
Amy Williams

Put your home on the tour

Diana Watson writes:

Home Tour 2011 will once again share our neighborhood beauty with the greater Charlotte community next October (exact weekend depends on forthcoming Panthers schedule).   The home tour is one of the largest fundraisers for the Elizabeth Community Association and also a great way to visit with all your neighbors. We currently have four solid commitments on homes and three thinking. If you would like us to consider your home or garden for the tour or if you have any recommendations, I would love to hear from you. 

There are other ways to participate as well; we always need volunteers to staff the houses/gardens and always welcome any sponsorships. We have a great mix of homes now on Greenway, Vail, 5th and 9th; we could use some homes or gardens on the east side of 7th.

Diana Watson
Home Committee Chair
diana.watson3 AT gmail.com

A Forum on the Future of Our Children

From the Elizabeth Communities of Faith:

Charlotte and North Carolina face unprecedented and inevitably painful decisions in the coming months that will shape the future for millions of children. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board must cut education funding 5% to 15%, or about $100 million. The budget reductions will return the CMS budget to 2001-2003 levels. Children at every level of education will be affected, including those in vitally important pre-kindergarten programs.

What trade-offs are involved in these high-impact choices?

What factors should the school board consider in making these difficult decisions?

How can parents and students have their voices heard at the local and state levels?

These and other questions will be discussed at a community event on Sunday, April 3, at 7 p.m. at Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church. The event will have two parts. An information forum, featuring:

·      N.C. Sen. Dan Clodfelter (D), an Elizabeth resident and veteran state legislator
·      Bill Anderson, Ed. D, Executive Director, Meck Ed
·      Liz Clasen-Kelly, Director of Strategy and Planning, The Larry King Center, Council for Children’s Rights
·      Barbara Cantisano, Executive Director, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool.

Those interested are invited to remain after the forum to discuss options for advocacy.

An Elizabeth Communities of Faith Forum
Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church
1609 East 5th Street in the Sanctuary

Happy late Christmas

ECA: neighborhood business promotions

Terry Lett writes:

As some of you are aware, there is an email list specifically for the promotion of our Elizabeth businesses; the existing list has been transferred to Google Groups.  Neighborhood businesses may post one neighborhood-specific special or offer for residents each month.  To sign up for this email list, click on the "Visit this group" link below, then click "Apply for Membership." 

LizBiz Promo

Visit this group

Businesses wishing to post an offer may send an email to Terry Lett at terryp.lett@gmail.com.

Party time!

A few reminders for the annual Elizabeth Holiday Party tomorrow night:

• Please bring comfy socks or slippers, as we will all remove our shoes while inside this beautiful, new home.
• Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.  Don't forget your serving utensil.  Disposable dishes are easiest, if possible.
• As always, we thank the ECA for providing the ham and beverages.
• You can still RSVP by emailing:  elizabethparty@gmail.com.

Life on Elizabeth

Welcome to the 'hood, Paul Mitchell The School. Here's hoping you sign up lots of students and can make a solid business at 1516 Elizabeth Avenue. Your contractors did a nice job renovating that old building, but let's face it, the newness sticks out in contrast to what's around it: Next to nothing. Whatever the reason, much of Elizabeth Avenue between CPCC and Presbyterian Hospital has become a desolate embarrassment. Yes, we can still give thanks for Carpe Diem, Customshop, the Visualite and a few others. But really. Does anyone think the empty buildings and gravel lots are better than what was there before?

Notice the buses?

In case you're wondering what all the tour buses are doing around Presbyterian Hosptial, they're driving hospital employees to and from the Blake Hotel downtown where the employees are parking their cars. Seems the employee parking deck at Caswell and 5th may have some structural issues, and until they can be identified and corrected, no parking at the deck. The buses are running every 10 minutes or so all day long.

Dig deeper

Thoughtful look at the CMS situation from Elizabethan John Cleghorn, pastor of Elizabeth's Caldwell Presbyterian Church. The full sermon is available if you'd like to read more (PDF).

Holiday cheer

Here are the details for the Elizabeth Holiday Party. As Maya Packard notes, this is an adult party, so reserve your baby sitter early.

RSVP to: elizabethparty@gmail.com
Saturday, December 11
Drop-in from 7-11 pm
2125 Greenway Avenue
At the home of Kim and Harris Lineberger
ECA will provide drinks and ham.
Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share.

Sincerest form of flattery?

Belated welcome to a pair of Under the Water Towers, one for Lovilla, Iowa, and one -- well I'm not sure exactly where to place it. Somewhere not too far from Philadelphia, I believe. Anyway, welcome.

Kennedy's was hopping

The grand opening last night at Kennedy's Premium Bar and Grill, the new entry in the fight to stay alive as a business at 366 N. Caswell Rd., was festive, at least for the short time we were there. Patsy Kinsey was among the honored guests, although I couldn't be sure if she was politiking or just checking out the noise level. It certainly was loud, kind of midnight loud at 6 p.m., but I guess that's just me getting old.

The menu featured a very nice selection of draft beers, which is always welcome. Nobody should ever make lasting decisions on a place based on opening night, but I'll offer my thoughts anyway. We had shepherds pie, fried goat cheese salad and fish and chips at our table in a kind of good news, bad news affair. The bad news was the fish and chips: They've got a long way to go to be only as good as the fish and chips at Whiskey Warehouse. The good news: The salad was quite yummy (yes, even thought it came to the table sans dressing). Better than that was the shepherds pie, which could have made the ranks of Best Ever if someone in the kitchen held a firmer hand over the saline drip -- there was enough salt in our serving to pay a Roman army.

Overall it was certainly worth another trip, and I hope the new place can stick around longer than previous tenants. One Kennedy's guest last night suggested an excellent Elizabeth trivia question: Name all the restaurants that have graced that building in the last few years. Anyone?

VisArt in jeopardy?

I guess at some point people will have been shopping online for so long that they won't miss the tactile benefits of walking into a well-managed store. They won't miss what an engaged employee can offer. They won't feel the serendipitous buzz of walking out with something sharper than what they came in for. No, the online-only shopper won't miss a place like VisArt Video, but that's his problem. Because right now, VisArt still rocks. (Netflix just lies there.) But how much longer will we be fed by the area's only independent video store? The parent company wants out. Can the employees save the store? VisArt feels so right in Elizabeth. Let's hope so.

Christmas? Really?

Had lunch at Camille's (mostly because I needed wi-fi and had just recently eaten at Sub Station II.) And what to my wonderous ears should appear? Christmas music. Yes, really. Sorry, Camille. Nov. 4 is just too early.

Elizabeth holiday party

Maya Packard writes:

Save the date: Saturday, Dec. 11, for the Elizabeth holiday party, 7-11 p.m. at the home of Kim and Harris Lineberger, 2125 Greenway Ave. More details to follow.