St. Joseph Children’s Home will host the 166th Annual St. Joe’s Picnic for the Kids on Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8, at 2823 Frankfort Avenue. Join them for Friday Night Live from 4:00 – 10:00 p.m. for the official pre-party featuring local craft beers, food trucks, happy hour (4-7 p.m.) and live music. On Saturday, the picnic will begin at Noon.

Volunteers are needed for both days in game booths, serving guests in the Fried Chicken Dining Room, and for clean-up. This is the perfect time for students to earn service hours or for groups and businesses to complete community service projects.  Sign up at www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0844A8AC2EA0F85-2015 or contact Kate Biagi-Rickert at kateb@sjkids.org.

Also, volunteer by donating a cake, or more than one!  The CAKE BOOTH is the most popular booth and is 100% supported by cakes donated by the community.  ST. JOE’S NEEDS YOUR HELP.  It is easy to donate, just drop off a homemade cake 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. the week of the Picnic, or contact one of St. Joe's sponsor bakeries that offer discounted cakes specifically for the St. Joe's Booth. They will take your order over the phone and deliver the cake for you. Call the bakeries now – Bussmann’s 893-3822; Gigi’s Cupcakes - 499-4998; Heitzman’s - 426-7736; Nord’s- 634-0931; Plehn’s - 896-4438.  

Please join us for the 16th Annual Back to School Block Party at the Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center, 201 Reservoir Park on Friday, September 11th from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Enjoy FREE Mellow Mushroom pizza, swimming, door prizes and family fun! We need VOLUNTEERS to make this event successful. If you are interested in volunteering or if you have any questions please contact our office at 574-1109 or email kyle.ethridge@louisvilleky.gov. 

Click here to view our flyer and see a list of sponsors for the event! Youth door prizes are still being accepted. If you are interested in making a donation please contact the office at 574-1109.

Carol and John Findling have had solar panels on their home for decades. After hearing a lecture by a solar architect from Chicago in the 1970’s, they put panels on a home in Southern Indiana.  After living there for twenty-six years, they moved to Louisville eleven years ago.  Their home in the Riedlonn neighborhood wasn’t built for solar, but they’ve installed 16 solar panels on their garage roof.  This provides varying amounts of electric power, depending on the sun and weather, but generally around 40% of their electricity needs.

Of course, the Findlings benefitted from federal and state tax credits (the federal credit is due to expire in 2016) and they expect to recoup the cost of the panels from savings on their utility bills in fifteen years or so, all the while helping the environment.  

We are working to encourage more use of solar throughout Louisville and have co-sponsored a resolution urging all Metro Agencies and Departments to support the vigorous growth of solar energy in Louisville and to aggressively pursue strategies designed to meet this goal.   The resolution lists some specific strategies that should be considered, including a city-wide education program, streamlining permitting, integrating solar into public infrastructure and streetlights, and others.  It also notes the economic and environmental benefits of solar installation.  

The resolution was considered at a meeting of the Sustainability Committee, on which I serve, on July 30, and more discussion is planned.  You can read it by clicking here, then selecting "text".   Let me know what you think!

We’d like to feature your sustainability story - a resident or business doing good things for the environment.  Riding the bus, bicycling, walking, gardening and more - our eNews will feature practices which can benefit all of us.  Send your story to Bill Hollander or Kyle Ethridge. 

Please help me welcome the 5th Division’s new Major, Shara Parks. Major Parks joined the Louisville Division of Police in 2000.  She served as a patrol officer and detective in the Louisville Police Department’s 2nd District.  Post-merger, Officer Parks was selected to be a detective in LMPD’s 5th Division.  She was promoted to Sergeant in 2006 and supervised both patrol officers and flex detectives.  In 2007, Parks was promoted to lieutenant.  Her roles included: adjutant to the Assistant Chief of Police, adjutant to the Deputy Chief of Police, Patrol sector lieutenant, and Patrol shift lieutenant.  She most recently served as the Commander of LMPD’s Professional Standards Unit.

Major Parks was a member of the LPD/LMPD Honor Guard for ten years.  During her tenure she served as both the Assistant Commander and Commander of the unit.  Major Parks is also a founding member of the Louisville Pipes and Drums.  In 2014, she was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to the Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee.

Major Parks received a Bachelor’s degree from Centre College where she completed a double major in Biology and Psychobiology.  She also earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology, from Mississippi State University.  In 2010, Major Parks graduated from the Southern Police Institute’s Administrative Officer’s Course. 

Major Parks is married and has four children. 

I look forward to working with her to make District 9, most of which is in the 5th Division, an even better place to live, work and raise a family.

The July 12 flooding that left Metro Public Works’ East District Operations facility under five feet of water has receded and recovery work is proceeding at a solid pace. In fact, enough progress has been made that MPW reopened the Staffed Recycling Center on July 31. The facility at 595 Hubbards Lane is once again accepting materials for recycling. It rejoins the roster of recycling locations around town that can be found here.

Metro Public Works (MPW) will soon be completing the following paving projects in D9:

• Saunders Ave from Payne Street to 224 Saunders Avenue
• Payne Street from S. Ewing Avenue to Clifton Avenue
• S .Ewing Ave from Frankfort Avenue to Dead End
• Alley from S. Ewing Avenue to Keats Avenue between Frankfort Avenue and Payne Street (behind Walgreens)

Look for more paving projects in the coming months.

Progress continues on the Beargrass Creek Greenway connector project, which is design work to create a shared use path along the creek from Cherokee Park to the river. Metro is currently working with the Army Corps of Engineers to award a contract to the firm that will complete the conceptual plan. They expect an October start date.

More details of the project are here: https://louisvilleky.gov/government/parks/beargrass-creek-greenway-project. Parks will also post updates to this page in the future when the public engagement process begins. Please stay tuned for more details.

Center For Neighborhoods is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Neighborhood Liaison. Under general supervision of the Executive Director, this full time position assists with outreach and technical assistance to existing and prospective neighborhood organizations to empower neighborhood leadership and support the coordination and facilitation of neighborhood improvement efforts to enhance quality of life throughout Metro Louisville. Click HERE for a full job description, and application instructions.

Shine Music & Movement Studio is thrilled to announce their move to the Clifton Center! Shine is now offering daily Nia Technique fitness classes for adults, and Music Together Fall Semester is coming up in September with free demos/dropins beginning in mid-August.

Shine's Grand Open House will be Saturday, August 29th. Details will be on their website: www.shinelouisville.com or find them on Facebook. They offer classes for all ages, shapes and sizes. EveryBody is welcome at Shine!

The heart of their offerings are Music Together ®- an early childhood music and movement program and the Nia Technique® - a fitness class and lifestyle practice. Music Together and Nia classes are offered daily at Shine, and both programs - although seemingly quite different - bring joy and harmony to the lives of those who step into these beautiful practices!

The Joy of Family Music
For babies, toddlers, preschoolers, big kids and the grownups who love them, Music Together at Shine creates a community of music-makers in every class. The 45 minute classes that families attend each week transfers into hours of musical fun at home, seeping wonderfully into every part of family life, creating not only a music-making child, but a music-making family!

The Joy of Movement
Nia’s philosophy is through movement we find health. The Nia Technique is based on the idea that exercise should feel good inside and out. A revolutionary idea in fitness of No Pain = All Gain, Nia's 60 minute classes become a practice that goes with you off the dance floor and into your daily life where you move with awareness and pleasure!

Consciously Creating Harmony
No matter what age -  to be a music-maker - to move to music - and to be in community while experiencing movement and music is every human's birthright and allows us to come into harmony - body, mind and spirit.

The Clifton Center has a new resident that is bringing the joy of making music to the neighborhood! Louisville Folk School is building a home for Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Folk Music -- all the branches from traditional to progressive! Its mission is connecting the deep roots of Kentucky's music traditions with its promising and lively future through lessons, performances, and a supportive community. The Folk School is offering 8 week long, small group classes in banjo, guitar, dulcimer, singing, ukulele, fiddle, mandolin, and bluegrass jamming skills. Their Fall Session begins the week of August 10th, and signups are happening now!

For curious folks who want to learn more, the Folk School is having an Open House on Saturday August 8th from 12-5PM. Feel free to stop in and see their space, meet the instructors and take some sample lessons for free.  If you have a banjo, guitar, or mandolin that's been gathering dust in your closet (or one that's seen a lot of use!) you can bring it along, and get it restrung for free, while supplies last. They will also have an instrument petting zoo for those of you not fortunate enough to have encountered bluegrass instruments in the wild.

For more information on Louisville Folk School, visit: http://louisvillefolkschool.org

The American Printing House for the Blind (APH), 1839 Frankfort Avenue, offers tours and community programs. Take a self-guided tour Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. or on Saturday between 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. No reservations are necessary for small groups. Enjoy their award-winning hands-on museum at your own pace. Guided tours are also available to individuals/small groups (9 or fewer); tour the factory and museum Monday-Thursday (and every other Friday) at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reservations are not needed unless the group has a special need or focus. Guided tours for larger groups are offered Monday-Saturday. Please make reservations at least one week in advance. Contact Rob Guillen at 899-2242 or rguillen@aph.org. 

Scout leaders, teachers and other educators may borrow a braille kit for local classroom use. The kit can be used prior to or after an on-site visit, or may be used on its own. Students can learn about Louis Braille and the braille system and try some braille writing devices. The kit is recommended for grades 3 and above. Contact Katie Carpenter at 899-2213 or email kcarpenter@aph.org.

Staff specialists are available to speak at your meetings on subjects which include: how APH works for the Nation, what to do when you meet a blind person, or APH as a resource for classroom activities or personal research. Contact Roberta Williams at 899-2357 or email rwilliams@aph.org. 

The city is seeking proposals from local arts and cultural organizations that wish to apply for the Our Town grants awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Proposals must be submitted via email to Public Art Administrator Sarah Lindgren (Sarah.Lindgren@louisvilleky.gov) no later than August 24. The NEA requires the local government to submit a formal statement of support designating the project as the one of the up to two applications being submitted for the local government entity. The city’s proposal process allows all eligible organizations to submit and ensures that two applications are identified to the NEA. Click here for more information.

The purpose of the Our Town program is to support creative place making projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core.

There are two project areas:

1. Matching grants for Arts Engagement, Cultural Planning, and Design Projects will provide support for projects that represent the distinct character and quality of their communities. Local government entities must partner with a nonprofit organization to apply as a partnership. One of the partners must be a cultural organization. These grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000 per award.
2. Matching grants for Projects that Build Knowledge about Creative Placemaking are only available to arts and design service organizations, and national or regional industry or university organizations that provide technical assistance to those doing place-based work. These entities may include housing, transit, community development, environmental, and economic development organizations who want to engage in creative placemaking activities. These grants will range from $25,000 to $100,000 per award.