HNA News: Reminder: Weeding in Park/Kids' Play Date Sunday a.m., New Date for Tenth Anniversary, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. Reminder: Work Party in Halcyon Commons Park, Sunday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

2. Reminder: Kids' Play Date, Sunday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.- Noon at Halcyon Commons (and Note re Babysitting Club)

3. Tenth Anniversary of Halcyon Commons: Sunday, October 1, 1-4 p.m. (NEW DATE and volunteer opportunities)

4. Nighttime Neighborhood-Safety "Dog" Walks: Upcoming Schedule (with addition)

5. Free Kitty or Small Animal Litter

6. Next Kitchen Democracy Issue: Traffic Mitigation Fee

7. Save the Date: Design Charrette in Halcyon Commons, Sunday, October 8, 2:30-5:00 p.m.

Please come help out with weeding and trimming in Halcyon Commons Park this coming Sunday morning if you possibly can!  Many thanks!

-Nancy Carleton, HNA Co-Chair and E-Newsletter Editor

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1. Reminder: Weeding Work Party in Halcyon Commons Park, Sunday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Please join us for late summer weeding in Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon Court at Prince Street) this Sunday. If we have enough helpers, we'll also do trash pickup in the surrounding neighborhood and weed the landscaped barrier at Prince and Deakin.

Light refreshments will be served.

Please bring weeding and pruning tools if you have them (some extra tools will be available for those who don't have them).

Children welcome (and note the Kids' Play Date listed in Item 2).

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2. Reminder: Kids' Play Date, Sunday, Sept. 10, 10 a.m.- Noon at Halcyon Commons (and Note re Babysitting Club)

We'll be having a kids' play date during the next gardening event Sunday, Sept. 10th, from 10 a.m. to noon in Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon at Prince).  So far I know of over 20 kids aged 1-11 in our neighborhood, and I bet there are more!  Come meet other kids and families for impromptu play dates that don't require getting in a car!  Bring Frisbees, balls, art supplies, or whatever sounds fun for your kids.  Families with older kids who are potential babysitters are encouraged, too. We'll also be gathering ideas for kids' activities at the upcoming Halcyon Commons Tenth Anniversary Party.

 

For those of you who are interested, ask about a babysitting club.  The idea is to get about 8 families together.  Each Saturday we'll have the parents of 2 families watch all the kids while the parents of 6 families get to go out on dates.  Bottom line,  in exchange for committing to babysit once/month (hosting once every other month), you'll get free babysitting for a date night 3 times/month.  We'd probably start about 4:30 p.m. and pick up all the kids by 9:30 to get them to bed.  Our daughter is 7, so ideally we're looking for kids near that age, but can be as flexible as other families want to be on ages.

 

For questions or to RSVP on either the play date and/or the babysitting club contact Dawn Trygstad Rubin, familyrubin@comcast.net, 510/843-6306.

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3. Tenth Anniversary of Halcyon Commons: Sunday, October 1, 1-4 p.m. (NEW DATE and volunteer opportunities)

We needed to avoid conflicts with the second day of Rosh Hashanah on 9/24, so we've rescheduled our Tenth Anniversary Halcyon Commons Celebration to 10/1. Be sure to mark your calendars now for:

TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of HALCYON COMMONS PARK

Sunday, October 1, 1-4 p.m.

* Block Party in the Park and Halcyon Court (from Prince to Webster)

* Music from Forreal foreals (a Brazilian inspired jazz-rock-reggae band)

* Light Refreshments

* Brief Program on Creation of the Park with words from the founding organizers

* Special guests who used to live in the neighborhood and helped with the park

We still need help with some specific tasks:

* Someone to obtain permit from the City for a block party on Sunday, Oct. 1, 1-4.

* Someone to pick up street barriers from the City's Corp Yard (on Allston) the Friday before the event (9/29), and to return them to the City the Monday after (10/2) (having a truck or van useful).

* Several volunteers to make and donate festive light finger foods (desserts, snacks, or hors d'oeuvres).

* Someone to organize special activities for the kids attending.

We want to make this a special day. If you appreciate the community-building aspects of the park, if your children play there, or if you like to bring your dog there, now is a chance to take on one task and help us celebrate! If you can participate in this way, please email the event organizer, HNA Co-Chair John Steere <<jsteere@igc.org>

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4. Nighttime Neighborhood-Safety "Dog" Walks: Upcoming Schedule  (with addition)

Pamela Dameron, organizer of our Nighttime Neighborhood Safety "Dog" Walks, writes:

"I want to thank everyone who showed up last Sunday morning [in the wee hours].  The walk was very successful, andwe may have averted criminal activity just by being seen by those checking out our neighborhood.

On Sunday Sept, 17, 2006, we will do our next  2:30 a.m. walk (that is late Saturday night and early Sunday morning).  Please email me if you can make it (Pamela Dameron <usasleigh@sbcglobal.net>).  As always, I need at least 4 people to commit for the walk to take place.

Thank you all for your patience and your effort in protecting our neighborhood."

And to remind people of the dates announced by Dawn Rubin:

The next few "scheduled" walks are:

* Sunday, Sept. 10, 9 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Friday, Sept 15, 10 p.m. (meet at Chochmat Halev, corner of Prince/Fulton)

* Sunday, Sept. 17, 2:30 a.m. (that's early in the morning following Sat. night 9/16) (meet at Halcyon Commons Park) NEW

* Thursday, Sept. 21, 9:30 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Saturday, Sept. 30, 9 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Friday, Oct. 6, 10 p.m. (meet at Chochmat Halev, corner of Prince/Fulton)

* Sunday, Oct. 15, 9 p.m.  (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

* Friday, Oct. 20, 10 p.m. (meet at Chochmat Halev, corner of Prince/Fulton)

* Thursday, Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m. (meet at Halcyon Commons Park, corner of Prince/Halcyon)

Come walk for exercise, chat to get to know your neighbors, and learn what is going on in our neighborhood (no dog required)!

For more information and to get the schedule for the future (plus to confirm the dates listed here and let us know you're coming), contact Pamela Dameron <usasleigh@sbcglobal.net>. (Remember: No dog required to participate!)

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5. Two Opportunities to Meet the Candidates for City Council, District 7: Sept. 16 & Sept. 21

The Halcyon Neighborhood is represented by two City Councilmembers: Max Anderson in District 3 (west side of Wheeler Street and blocks to the west) and Councilmember Kriss Worthington in District 7 (east side of Wheeler Street and blocks to the east). Because City Council races are staggered, only District 7 is up for a vote this November. Councilmember Worthington and his opponent, George Beier, will be appearing at two upcoming events.

Meet the Candidates' Coffee

Saturday, September 16, 7-9 p.m.

2221 Prince Street (corner of Fulton), home of Dan & Yolanda

Meet the candidates for District 7 over dessert and coffee at the home of Dan & Yolanda. Councilmember Kriss Worthington, the incumbent, and George Beier, President of Willard Neighborhood Association, are both running for the District 7 seat. Come meet them, hear about their plans for our district, and let them know your concerns. Wheelchair accessible.

LeConte Neighborhood Association Candidates' Forum for District 7

Thursday, September 21, LeConte School, 7:30 p.m., including Q&A

Councilmember Kriss Worthington and challenger George Beier will be present.

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5. Free Kitty or Small Animal Litter

A neighbor announces:

Free: Kitty or small animal litter.  I've got 25 pounds of dried corn cobs  - good litter material for kitties or small cats.  Email me and it's yours:  yogreening@comcast.net

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6. Next Kitchen Democracy Issue: Traffic Mitigation Fee

Robert and Simona of Kitchen Democracy (a growing website allowing Berkeley and East Bay residents a chance to cast electronic votes on issues affecting us) announce their next issue:

* Should developers pay a fee to mitigate the additional traffic generated by their development?

This is an important issue.  It could reduce both traffic and greenhouse gas emissions - or it could merely drive business out of Berkeley.  Go to: http://www.KitchenDemocracy.org/issue/15

Read what experts and neighbors are saying, tell City Hall what you think, and influence their decision.

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7. Save the Date: Design Charrette in Halcyon Commons, Sunday, October 8, 2:30-5:00 p.m.

As part of implementing the Halcyon Commons Rejuvenation Project for which we won the UC Chancellor's Community Partnership Grant, we will be holding a design charrette in Halcyon Commons Park (Halcyon at Prince) in early October. This will give everyone in the neighborhood a chance to give input concerning the entry gateway with animal cutouts, the redesign of the south end of the park, and the halcyon bird sculpture. It should be a fun, creative afternoon with a chance for interested UC students in landscape architecture and urban design to participate along with us. Please mark your calendars!

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime watch notices as well as announcements about events of interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley, including community-building potlucks, greening projects, disaster preparedness meetings, and work parties in Halcyon Commons Park. If you're receiving this email, either you signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor may have forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA always uses bcc and does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Please feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

HNA Listserve:  If you would like to receive messages (and participate in discussions) on the HNA Listserve, please reply to Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com> indicating your interest, and you will receive an invitation to join.

HNA Blog:  If you would like to view previous newsletters online (and comment via a blog format), please visit http://halcyoncourt.blogspot.com/

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