villagevibe October 2008 : News and views from the heart of Fernwood
Viningpalooza
>> by Mark Powell and Esther Callo
Photos: Eddy Bell
V
ining Street is just three blocks long with a tiny remnant near the Compost Education Centre. That’s three blocks of history with many fascinating stories. On September 7th these three blocks of Vining Street were going to have a block party. A few of us on the street would get together for a potluck. No biggie. Enter the Godfather, Laurie Rubin. Forty-seven sponsors and many volunteers later and you have Viningpalooza. Starting with a three-block garage sale, things really kicked off later when a stage was set up in the intersection of Vining and Stanley. Thanks to Fernwood NRG’s James Kasper, who put together a great lineup of local talent. John Threlfall, editor of Monday Magazine, MC’d for all the talent. He also announced the long awaited juried winner of the “Fernwood Square” baking contest; Nanaimo has a bar … well, now we have a square. Flakey, nutty, half-baked and sweet. Oh so good. The BBQs were ignited mid-afternoon, and the queue for the by-donation picnic fare of burgers,
Chambers Street Party
Photos: Kelly Heggart
O
n Sunday September 7th we on Chambers Street took over the street between Gladstone and Pembroke for our first ever block party. Aside from one misguided motorist trying to plough through the barricade at Pembroke, the street closure was a great success! There was food, coffee, and fresh herbal teas from the Spring Ridge Commons. There were balloons and tents. We drew on the street with chalk, blew big bubbles, honed our disc golf skills, discovered all the amazing things to harvest in the Commons, got ID kits for our kids from Child Find BC, and – best of all – we got to know some of our wonderful neighbours! All residents agreed that it’s high time to do something about the heavy and fast traffic flow on Chambers St. At the end of the party we posted the hydro poles with leftover “Please Slow Down” signs, which we think has
in this issue
hotdogs, veggie burgers, chips, yoghurt, drinks, coffee, etc., kept going well into the afternoon, culminating in delicious ice-cream cones. People relaxed on the grass in the warm sunny Fernwood afternoon, listened to the musicians and watched the hoop girls gyrate. Even a Chambers St. resident, who’d wandered from their own street party was heard to remark it was “amazing.” At the end of the afternoon’s entertainment, anarchists piled their bikes in the square to block traffic and arranged themselves into an impromptu sit-in, taking back the intersection in an act of random freedom. This would have been more impressive if there weren’t already city road blocks erected. The sit-in was very jovial, and they gladly received the last of the ketchup and mustard, bagels and squashed cupcakes. Then, along with the organizers of west Vining, they helped to disassemble the stage and to clean up the after party mess. We’re sure Mark Lakeman has something to say about the power of people occupying a street rather than scattering in four directions so cars can have their way. And if he doesn’t, we have something to say: Thanks to Laurie and many thanks to our generous sponsors and volunteers. Vive la Fernwood!
>> by Sonya Bird already had a positive effect. The next step will be to paint the poles like they’ve done along Fernwood Road so that cars will slow down to check out the art. We are currently working with BC Hydro on funding possibilities for this project. In the longer term, we will be going to the City as well for traffic calming help. Hopefully by our second annual block party, Chambers will be a little closer to the quiet residential street it’s always wanted to be. A great big thank you to the local merchants who provided us with so many great treats: Patisserie Daniel, the Cornerstone Café, Mt. Royal Bagels, and Wellburns. Thanks also to Matthew Kemshaw for his wonderful tours of the Commons, to Steve Orcherton from Child Find BC, and of course to the Block Watch folks for funding and facilitating the event. We’re already looking forward to next year. Watch out Vining Street … here we come!
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