Friday, November 30, 2007

A web of trails for 15 counties


Dave Cable, executive director of the Catawba Lands Conservancy, will talk about plans for the Carolina Threads Trail at the Civic By Design Forum at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, at the Levine Museum of the New South.
The trail looks more like a network or web -- see a potential map.
It is planned to be a regional trail network that will eventually reach 15 counties and link cities, towns, and attractions.
Dan Huntley, long-time columnist for The York Observer, writes about the trail plans here. (The link might not exist forever).
The Levine Museum of the New South is at 200 East Seventh Street. There's
free parking at the Seventh Street garage.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Merry Oaks update tidbits

Deer
They're here, late and early on our neighborhood streets and back yards. Be careful driving after dark, for your sake and the deer. Nancy Pierce spotted one on Flynnwood Drive on a recent evening. They've also been seen in the greenway.

Outside.In
The place-blogging organized aggregator has interesting news and ideas here.

Local business recommendations
Good recent car care recommendations at the Merry Oaks Google Group at the Merry Oaks Google Group.

Merry Oaks events
You don't have to sign up or log in to see events at Neighborhood Link. If you'd like to add an event, you do have to sign in or sign up.
It's here.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Keeping track of neighborhood events

Merry Oaks is definitely cool. A neighbor posted to the Google Group about several recent events involving artists in the neighborhood, and another neighbor responded by asking about calendar tools to keep track of all the cool stuff people are doing.

As online tools continue to improve, friends and neighbors struggle to keep up with the technology and choose the right tool. Newspapers and other media are in the same boat.

No matter the technology, the truth is the biggest hurdle is the inputting of data, just like keeping your own calendar at home.

Artists want to create and perform, not promote. And some like to live quietly in the neighborhood under the radar. And while we all like to keep up with political and community events nearby, as 2008 approaches, we don't just want inbox politician spam.

But sometimes you're just proud of your neighbors and want to share. And sometimes you want help from others to keep track of all the great stuff people are doing.

To reach everyone, we ought to use several tools in these days of fragmentation. And sometimes, word of mouth on a sidewalk or a low-tech flyer posted at Dish still work best. Or sometimes, forming partnerships with nearby neighborhoods like Commonwealth Park and Elizabeth and Noda would make sense. Or maybe we should use all those methods.

Some possible tools:
Facebook. Two "applications" would work: Events and the neighborhood page. (Yes, we have one. Laura Paynter, Marcus Williams and I are there so far). It's not just for teens and college students anymore.
Google calendar. I don't know much about this yet, and I wonder how it integrates with Google Groups. We need a neighborhood expert to explore.
Yahoo events. Also something I don't know much about yet.
Blogs linked to outside.in. Makes an automatic feed of news and blog postings geographically. The real estate blog Hip Hoods feeds to this, and it has stayed remarkably up to date over time because it's someone's actual job instead of a volunteer activity.

Have ideas? We can evolve faster if we share.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Free woodwinds classic concert

Music for Woodwinds in a New Space

Sunday, November 18, 7:30 pm, in the newly renovated sanctuary at St. John's Baptist Church on Hawthorne Lane.
Andrew Howell, Daniel Clark and friends, accompanied by Maureen Howell, will perform a variety of solos, duets, and quintets, from the chamber music of Telemann, Mendelssohn, Strauss, Saint-Saens, Ibert and others.
(Refreshments to follow.)