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Happenings in and around Old North Knoxville
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July Park Site Cleanup A Success With rakes and saws and pruners in hand, with wheelbarrows and shovels at the ready, on Saturday, July 31st, seven residents of Old North Knoxville took another step toward turning the once abandoned lots at 412 and 416 E. Oklahoma into Old North's small urban park. Work focused on clearing away the brush under the two stands of trees at the back of the lot. Scrub trees and bushes, vines, pieces of poison ivy, and low-handing branches were cleared away to reveal monkey grass growing around the base of two of the trees. Broken bricks, rocks, empty bottles, and even old record turn table parts were also removed from this area, further revealing the inviting beauty of an area that one day may be home to a picnic table and a bench or two. Work started at 8:30 a.m. and continued until about noon. Brian Easley, Russ Porter, Catherine Suddarth, Cathy Shuck, Kevin and Kelly Hamby, and David Booker not only finished work under the trees, but began work on the fences that border part of the future park. These perimeter areas were tackled on Saturday, September 11th. [Editor's note: click here to see related article.] This park is a joint venture between the City of Knoxville and the Old North Knoxville neighborhood association. The city will own the lots and rent them to the neighborhood association, which will be responsible for developing and maintaining the park. A landscape architect will be sought to help with the design. Grants and other sources of funding are being explored. Full development will probably take 3 to 5 years to complete. Thank you to all those who volunteered for this cleanup and for the first one in June 2004, and to those neighbors who are taking turns mowing the future park site. Keeping the grass cut has gone a long way toward taming what were once overgrown eyesores.
Porches "Light Up" For National Neighbors Night Out On Tuesday, August 3rd, neighbors throughout Old North Knoxville open their porches and hosted gatherings as part of National Neighbors Night Out, a yearly event across the U.S. and Canada used to promote neighborhood awareness and safety. This was the second year Old North Knoxville encouraged safety through porch parties. Neighbors on Grainger, Kenyon, Glenwood, and E. Scott had food, drink, and on porch even music. Members of the Knoxville Police Department stopped by to talk with neighbors.
Geese Get Help From Young Onk'er Eight-year-old Olivia Deck of Armstrong Ave. had an idea. Geese crossing Neyland Dr. from the
U.T. Trial Gardens to the Tennessee River often had to contend with cars and trucks traveling down the 4-lane road. With the help of her parents, she put together a petition and asked people to sign it. The petition asked the
City of Knoxville to erect Geese Crossing signs on Neyland Dr. to warn drivers. She then wrote a letter to
Mayor Haslam and attached the petition. The mayor, who travels Neyland Dr. to get to work, agreed with Olivia's proposal and now when you drive on Neyland near the Trial Gardens, you'll see the signs with a big mama duck and several smaller ducklings following behind. Parkridge Home Tour Oct. 10th The Historic neighborhood of Parkridge is having its second annual home tour on Sunday, October 10th, from 1 - 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $8 each by mailing a request to P.O. Box 27583, Knoxville, TN 37927. Tickets are $10 each the day of the tour and can be purchased at Caswell Park. For more information, call 521-6233. Intra-Neighborhood Garden Tour Planned For Spring 2005 Ever wonder what horticultural marvels are hidden behind your neighbors' fences? You may get the chance to find out next spring during what the Beautification Committee hopes will be the
First Annual ONK Garden Tour. The tour will include five to ten neighborhood gardens and will be open to the ONK community only (i.e., this is not a public event akin to the Home Tour). This is a chance for all interested gardeners, beginners and experts alike, to swap ideas and share experiences. If you are willing to volunteer your garden for the tour, contact
Cathy Shuck at 633-6579 or by .
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