Fort Wood Neighborhood Association Newsletter

April, 2007

MAY MEETING
Thursday, May 10, 2007 is the date of the next general meeting of the Fort Wood Neighborhood Association. We’ll meet at the Kosmos-Woman’s Club at 901 Vine Street at 6:00 P.M. New officers will be elected at this meeting. To be eligible to vote in this election, you must have paid your dues two weeks prior to the meeting. This means checks must be turned in to Robert Stanley, 870 Vine Street, by April 26, 2007. A simple supper of hot dogs, chips, and fresh lemonade will be available at 6:00. Following a brief business meeting and the election, Cynthia Watson will lead us on a tour of her garden. Some of us got an “early tour” of the garden after the gazebo celebration last month. You won’t want to miss Cynthia and her commentary on plants and gardens—and this special opportunity to see her beautiful grounds!

SPRING SPARKLE DAY
The weekend of May 11-13 has been selected for the next neighborhood clean-up. Amanda Tarr is arranging for two dumpsters to be available at different sites in the neighborhood throughout the weekend. On Saturday, our control center will be Perkins Park where water, gloves, bags, and some tools will be available. This is a good time to work on sprucing up your own yard for spring, and then helping with general clean-up tasks around the neighborhood.

FORT WOOD ESTATE SALE
Plans are underway for a yard/estate sale in the neighborhood on Saturday, May 19th. This used to be a Fort Wood tradition, and many people in Chattanooga looked forward to it whenever it was held. There will be an ad in the paper advertising “The Fort Wood Estate Sale.” Perkins Park will be the central location for the sale, and tables will be provided for displaying items. However, if you prefer, you are welcome to set up a sale area along the street by your home. This is a good time to clean out the basement or attic—and turn your trash into someone else’s treasure! Don’t dump it in the landfill—recycle!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MILLIE AND LEXIE TYLER
At the Gazebo Dedication on March 25th, Randall Soules presented the Fort Wood Restoration Award to Lexie and Millie, who live at 951 Vine Street. They have done a beautiful job of turning a house that was all but abandoned into a showplace. Thank you, Lexie and Millie, for saving another historic home.

CONGRATULATIONS TO “HAIR OF THE DOG PUB”
At the Taste of Chattanooga event last month, Hair of the Dog Pub won two significant awards – first, the Signature Dish Award for their Babe the Blue Ox Burger and second, the People’s Choice Award. Fort Wood neighbor Geoff Tarr, 932 Fortwood Street, is co-owner of the pub located at the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in downtown Chattanooga. Hair of the Dog has the feel of an English neighborhood pub inside, and a great porch in back for outdoor seating. Check out its menu at http://www.hairofthedogpub.net.

TALESPIN FESTIVAL THURSDAY MAY 10--SUNDAY, MAY 13
Don’t miss this Chattanooga event that showcases national storytellers and features live music and local cuisine at Ross’s Landing. Get more information at http://www.downtownchattanooga.org.

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE RESTORATION AND LANDSCAPING AWARDS COMMITTEES
Randall Soules, chair of these Fort Wood committees, would appreciate some volunteers to serve on the committees. The restoration award is normally presented in the fall, and the landscaping award is presented in the spring. The award sign is placed in the recipient’s yard for three months.  Please contact Randall at 266-0100 or rsoules3@comcast.net if you are interested.

FORT WOOD HOLIDAY TOUR OF HOMES
Co-chairs Catherine Martin and Jackie Cook are preparing for the holiday tour early in December. They need volunteers to work on several committees. Please contact Catherine (267-6505 or catandmatt@earthlink.net) or Jackie (266-1649 or clacahrack@aol.com) if you would be willing to help with the tour.

MAYOR’S NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING FOR DISTRICT 8
Mayor Littlefield and Councilman Leamon Pierce will be meeting with District 8 residents on Thursday, April 26, 2007, at 5:30 PM at the Central City Complex, 332 l/2 MLKing Blvd. This is an opportunity to express your views about neighborhood and district issues. The mayor’s staff and department administrators will be on-hand also to answer questions. Fort Wood needs to be well-represented at this meeting. Please attend, if you possibly can.

CHRISTINE KANE CONCERT AT THE KOSMOS HOUSE
On Friday, May 25th, singer-songwriter Christine Kane will perform at the Kosmos house, 901 Vine Street in a benefit performance for the club. The event is part of a weekend retreat, sponsored by the Community Health Institute at Chattanooga State, which also features Jennifer Louden, motivational leader and author of several books designed to help women “recharge, renew and rebalance.” Guests of retreat registrants or of Kosmos members may attend the Friday evening concert for a fee of $25.00, payable at the door. Christine Kane has appeared at Nightfall, UTC’s Fine Arts Series, and Rhythm and Brews. Register for the weekend retreat by calling the Office of Continuing Education at Chattanooga State (423-697-3100). Learn more about Jennifer and Christine at http://www.jenniferlouden.com and at http://www.christinekane.com.

ANOTHER SIGN OF SPRING – VANDALISM!
There has been a rash of vandalism in the Fort Wood area lately—specifically, the breaking of car windows. If this happens to you, please call the police, so they can identify a pattern to the behavior and intensify surveillance of our area. Also, the police have urged us not to hire people who come to the door looking for work. Chattanooga has ordinances that prohibit such solicitation, which encourages strangers to wander the neighborhood. Fort Wood is basically a safe place to be, and let’s all work together to keep it that way!

Don’t Miss These Neighborhood Events

Thursday, April 26th – Mayor’s Meeting at Central City Complex, 5:30 PM
Thursday, May 10th – General Meeting at 6:00 PM at the Kosmos House
Weekend of May 11-13th – Neighborhood Clean-up
Saturday, May 19th – Fort Wood Estate Sale
Friday, May 25th – Christine Kane Concert at the Kosmos House