 ¿Tienes libros adicionales?Are there books on your shelf gathering dust? The Diversity in Action team is holding a book drive to gather materials for their bilingual Take-It and Read libraries in the city. All types of books are accepted. It’s your chance to be philanthropic! Donate your new & used books to this cause. Bilingual, cultural, and life-skills books are of top priority. All other donated materials will be sold in a book sale December 7th, 8th and 9th to help raise funds for bilingual reading materials. Please donate all of your used books to one of the following locations: Huffman Travel, Inc. UpDayton Office (G&F Media) Habitat for Humanity Habitat ReStore Please donate between now and December 5th. Monetary donations are also accepted. Questions? Please contact Laura Estandia at[email protected] for more information. |
updayton
Volunteers for Dayton! Opportunities Sep. 25-Oct. 2
Get to know your neighborhood
The City of Dayton and it's 64 official neighborhoods. Image: City of Dayton
Some of our most effective urban revitalization comes from the city’s many neighborhood associations, yet a lot of my well-intentioned friends have never been involved with their local group. Some of them don’t even seem to know what neighborhood they live in. (No, all of Southeast Dayton is not Belmont like your realtor told you.) So I thought I’d take a minute to share with you the City of Dayton neighborhood directory and map, divided into 64 unique planning districts. Sometimes the planning district name might not be the same as the common neighborhood or historic district name – for instance Five Points is now known more as Wright-Dunbar and Historic Inner East as St. Anne’s, Huffman, and Newcom Plain. I also asked our Facebook group members to help me compile a list of neighborhoods with a web presence and here’s what we came up with. Let us know what we missed in the comments section below. Once you find your neighborhood, introduce yourself at their monthly meeting!
- Downtown – Special improvement district
- Eastern Hills – Facebook
- Fairview – Web
- Five Oaks – Facebook
- Forest Ridge – Web
- Grafton Hill – Facebook
- Huffman (Historic Inner East) – Web – Facebook
- Innerwest Priority Board – Facebook
- McCook Field – Facebook
- McPherson Town – Web – Garden – Cats!
- Mount Vernon – Web
- Old North Dayton – Web – Facebook – Business association
- Oregon District – Web – Facebook – Business District
- Patterson Park – Facebook – Web
- Pheasant Hill – Facebook
- Salem Avenue area – Business district – Peace Corridor Web – Peace Corridor Facebook
- Shroyer Park – Facebook
- South Park – Web – Facebook
- St. Anne’s Hill (Historic Inner East) – Web – Facebook
- Twin Towers – Facebook
- University Row – Web – Facebook
- Walnut Hills – Web – Facebook
- Wright-Dunbar (Five Points) – Business district – Business district web
Get Involved
Twin Towers neighborhood teens meet with updayton to plan a new park for their neighborhood
- Our updayton Streetvival team is moving forward with plans to turn a vacant lot at the heart of the Twin Towers neighborhood (Xenia & McClure) into an outdoor ‘reading room’ and performance space with an interactive chalkboard mural. This month we met with the neighborhood association and teens from Peace Academy and Camino de Vida after school programs. In October we will host a Fall Work Weekend to lay the groundwork for completing our pocket park at Xenia & McClure in the spring. Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10am (prep/prime wall and plant trees) and Sunday, Oct 14 at 1pm (paint chalkboard). Contact me to get involved.
- The “Old” Yellow Cab Building is a 7,000 sqft grassroots community arts space at the eastern edge of the Oregon District near Garden Station; both began as initiatives of the Circus Creative Collective. They could always use help from handy volunteers, and in particular are looking for someone with HVAC experience to get furnaces up and running in their garage performance space. Let Jeff Opt know if you’re that person, or if you’d like to use the space for a creative event, contact Christina Lewis.
- Garden Station still needs more volunteers at their weekly Saturday morning work sessions. Show up at 4th and Wayne from 8:30am to noon and Lisa will put you to work!
Bike Miami Valley found some great volunteers for their valet through this column, including these UD students!
- What to do with that vacant lot?– Got some energy to help clear the weeds next door? Get a head start on next year’s season by registering with the City’s Care A Lot program. Or learn how to take it over as your own through Lot Links.
- The Community Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence is hosting a community discussion on what you can do to reduce violence in your neighborhood, Thursday, Sep. 27, 5:30-7:30pm, Northwest Recreational Facility. A nice overview on Dayton’s innovative community policing and its chief can be found here.
- Walnut Hills Delivery Crew – The mayor’s ‘hood, Walnut Hills, is building a team to hand deliver its new newsletter. So if you live in Walnut Hills, leave a comment here.
- The last alley sweep of the year will be in Historic Huffman. I’m sure they’d welcome extra hands from everywhere!: Jeff Heath, 301-8556
- Quick & affordable housing – Check out this cool video of how 100+ Habitat volunteers raised a house in eight minutes last Saturday. To volunteer in the future, visit their website.
- Don’t forget the downtown dog park cleanup we mentioned last week! Deeds Point, Saturday and Sunday, Sep. 29-30, 9am to 1ish each day. Bring your dog, gloves and any brush removal tool you own. Contact Karen Stephens, 510-6900.
Just For Fun
Volunteers led creative PARK(ing) Day activities in the parklets, from yoga to stories to drumming.
- Yarnbomb Dayton (or just knit)! – Noticed any colorful ‘knit graffiti’ around the Oregon District? It was probably the work of the Oregon Sip-n-Stitch, which meets every 4th Thursday (e.g. this Thursday) at Deaf Monty’s Inn Port d’Vino from 5-8. Open to any ‘portable handcrafts.’ Wine, beer and light snacks are available for purchase; BYO snacks to share are welcome. Contact Margot.
- Yogic takeover of the boulevard! When the famous Olmstead Brothers designed South Park’s lovely Park Drive boulevard in the 1880s, I bet they never imagined dozens of yogis praticing their sun salutations. Join the first-ever Yoga on the Boulevard with Practice Yoga, Friday, Sep. 28, 6pm.
- Meet your Salem Avenue-area neighbors at the Festival of Neighborhoods, Saturday, Sep. 29, 3-6pm, Grace United Methodist.
- Blanket concert – The Patterson Park neighborhood has planned a community concert on their commons. Sunday, Sep. 30, 6-8pm.
Don’t forget to e-mail me your items and report back with your successes!
Volunteers for Dayton! Opportunities Sep. 25-Oct. 2
Get to know your neighborhood
The City of Dayton and it’s 64 official neighborhoods. Image: City of Dayton
Some of our most effective urban revitalization comes from the city’s many neighborhood associations, yet a lot of my well-intentioned friends have never been involved with their local group. Some of them don’t even seem to know what neighborhood they live in. (No, all of Southeast Dayton is not Belmont like your realtor told you.) So I thought I’d take a minute to share with you the City of Dayton neighborhood directory and map, divided into 64 unique planning districts. Sometimes the planning district name might not be the same as the common neighborhood or historic district name – for instance Five Points is now known more as Wright-Dunbar and Historic Inner East as St. Anne’s, Huffman, and Newcom Plain. I also asked our Facebook group members to help me compile a list of neighborhoods with a web presence and here’s what we came up with. Let us know what we missed in the comments section below. Once you find your neighborhood, introduce yourself at their monthly meeting!
- Downtown – Special improvement district
- Eastern Hills – Facebook
- Fairview – Web
- Five Oaks – Facebook
- Forest Ridge – Web
- Grafton Hill – Facebook
- Huffman (Historic Inner East) – Web – Facebook
- Innerwest Priority Board – Facebook
- McCook Field – Facebook
- McPherson Town – Web – Garden – Cats!
- Mount Vernon – Web
- Old North Dayton – Web – Facebook – Business association
- Oregon District – Web – Facebook – Business District
- Patterson Park – Facebook – Web
- Pheasant Hill – Facebook
- Salem Avenue area – Business district – Peace Corridor Web – Peace Corridor Facebook
- Shroyer Park – Facebook
- South Park – Web – Facebook
- St. Anne’s Hill (Historic Inner East) – Web – Facebook
- Twin Towers – Facebook
- University Row – Web – Facebook
- Walnut Hills – Web – Facebook
- Wright-Dunbar (Five Points) – Business district – Business district web
Get Involved
Twin Towers neighborhood teens meet with updayton to plan a new park for their neighborhood
- Our updayton Streetvival team is moving forward with plans to turn a vacant lot at the heart of the Twin Towers neighborhood (Xenia & McClure) into an outdoor ‘reading room’ and performance space with an interactive chalkboard mural. This month we met with the neighborhood association and teens from Peace Academy and Camino de Vida after school programs. In October we will host a Fall Work Weekend to lay the groundwork for completing our pocket park at Xenia & McClure in the spring. Saturday, Oct. 13 at 10am (prep/prime wall and plant trees) and Sunday, Oct 14 at 1pm (paint chalkboard). Contact me to get involved.
- The “Old” Yellow Cab Building is a 7,000 sqft grassroots community arts space at the eastern edge of the Oregon District near Garden Station; both began as initiatives of the Circus Creative Collective. They could always use help from handy volunteers, and in particular are looking for someone with HVAC experience to get furnaces up and running in their garage performance space. Let Jeff Opt know if you’re that person, or if you’d like to use the space for a creative event, contact Christina Lewis.
- Garden Station still needs more volunteers at their weekly Saturday morning work sessions. Show up at 4th and Wayne from 8:30am to noon and Lisa will put you to work!
Bike Miami Valley found some great volunteers for their valet through this column, including these UD students!
- What to do with that vacant lot?– Got some energy to help clear the weeds next door? Get a head start on next year’s season by registering with the City’s Care A Lot program. Or learn how to take it over as your own through Lot Links.
- The Community Initiative to Reduce Gun Violence is hosting a community discussion on what you can do to reduce violence in your neighborhood, Thursday, Sep. 27, 5:30-7:30pm, Northwest Recreational Facility. A nice overview on Dayton’s innovative community policing and its chief can be found here.
- Walnut Hills Delivery Crew – The mayor’s ‘hood, Walnut Hills, is building a team to hand deliver its new newsletter. So if you live in Walnut Hills, leave a comment here.
- The last alley sweep of the year will be in Historic Huffman. I’m sure they’d welcome extra hands from everywhere!: Jeff Heath, 301-8556
- Quick & affordable housing – Check out this cool video of how 100+ Habitat volunteers raised a house in eight minutes last Saturday. To volunteer in the future, visit their website.
- Don’t forget the downtown dog park cleanup we mentioned last week! Deeds Point, Saturday and Sunday, Sep. 29-30, 9am to 1ish each day. Bring your dog, gloves and any brush removal tool you own. Contact Karen Stephens, 510-6900.
Just For Fun
Volunteers led creative PARK(ing) Day activities in the parklets, from yoga to stories to drumming.
- Yarnbomb Dayton (or just knit)! – Noticed any colorful ‘knit graffiti’ around the Oregon District? It was probably the work of the Oregon Sip-n-Stitch, which meets every 4th Thursday (e.g. this Thursday) at Deaf Monty’s Inn Port d’Vino from 5-8. Open to any ‘portable handcrafts.’ Wine, beer and light snacks are available for purchase; BYO snacks to share are welcome. Contact Margot.
- Yogic takeover of the boulevard! When the famous Olmstead Brothers designed South Park’s lovely Park Drive boulevard in the 1880s, I bet they never imagined dozens of yogis praticing their sun salutations. Join the first-ever Yoga on the Boulevard with Practice Yoga, Friday, Sep. 28, 6pm.
- Meet your Salem Avenue-area neighbors at the Festival of Neighborhoods, Saturday, Sep. 29, 3-6pm, Grace United Methodist.
- Blanket concert – The Patterson Park neighborhood has planned a community concert on their commons. Sunday, Sep. 30, 6-8pm.
Don’t forget to e-mail me your items and report back with your successes!
Volunteers for Dayton! Opportunities: September 11-18
Welcome to our new column for urban volunteer opportunities! I’ll be posting all kinds of ways to get involved in city neighborhoods – from hand-on service to crowdfunding to fun community-building events – so if you have items for submission e-mail me or add them to our Facebook group!
Spotlight on: Garden Station
Have you driven on Wayne Avenue downtown and wondered what that raucous splash of color was by the railroad tracks? Or maybe you’re a regular at the many frequent events occurring at this two-acre community art park, such as the weekly Sunday Market or ‘Free Music First Friday.’ Launched in 2008 as an initiative of the Dayton Circus Creative Collective, Garden Station is now a stand-alone organization led by Lisa Helm with a small crew of volunteers. It is an “urban hub where the Dayton community can come together to enjoy art, campfires, festivals, movies, concerts and community gardens.” They always need help on Saturday work days throughout the growing season, and this week, they are holding Wine and Weeding Wednesday to get spruced up for Urban Nights. The garden’s current fiscal sponsorship agreement expires on September 14 and its estimated monthly costs are $300, so they’d love if you made a tax-deductible donation before Friday! Or if you don’t fancy yourself a philanthropist, you can still give by eating at Blind Bob’s on the first Monday of the month and mentioning Garden Station Night. For more information, follow their page or e-mail Lisa.
Some of the 170 K12 & East End volunteers installing the mosaic
Get Involved!
- Guide our county’s future: Montgomery County is asking citizens to give input through a series of public forums. The topic for Tuesday, Sep. 11th is “Where Do We Stand vs. Other Communities?” Seen any great ideas in other areas that you’d like to bring back here? Chime in!
- Show your art on downtown streets: Activated Spaces, the Downtown Dayton Plan’s joint project of Generation Dayton and updayton, is conducting a final call for submissions for art to fill downtown storefronts. Artists will appreciate that they’re printing the art on vinyl window clings this time, making installation much easier! Click here for more information and to apply by the September 14th deadline.
- The November library levy (Issue 70) includes an “upgraded main library that will be a regional information, reading and cultural attraction for downtown Dayton.” Their online volunteer form asks for help with phonecalls, going door-to-door, endorsers, poll greeters, and public speakers.
- Bike sharing for downtown was recently a hot topic of discussion in our group, and we learned that Bike Miami Valley is exploring the idea. Fill out their brief online survey to share your thoughts on a ‘smart bike’ system!
- Which urban neighborhoods are on Facebook? Several years ago, DMM publisher Bill Pote and I led a training at City Hall to get more neighborhoods on social media. Let us know how far we’ve come by adding to my running list.
- Urban Nights: Still a few more slots availablefor volunteers!
Monica Wirick-Schultz doing some park planting with other volunteers last Friday
- Clean up North Main Street: Volunteer help is needed for cleaning up litter and overgrown vegetation; supplies such as gloves, brooms and bags are provided. Saturday, Sep. 15, 8:30am-1pm, 2141 N. Main St. For more information, contact FROC Priority Board Coordinator Verletta Jackson at 333-3288 or e-mail her.
- Demo Day at the Fifth Street Brewpub: Meet at the community-owned brewpub (1600 E Fifth) at 10 am, Saturday, Sep 15 to demo the interior of the brewhouse. Email them if you can make it so they can plan accordingly (e.g: buy enough beer)
- Community-Police Action Planning: Learn about community-police relations, give feedback, and sign up for volunteer opportunities at the Dayton Community Police Council’s Community Day Party. Saturday, Sep. 15 11am-3pm, Convention Center.
- Help make peace in Dayton neighborhoods: The Dayton Mediation Center is looking for volunteer mediators to attend upcoming trainings and commit to helping with conflict resolution. More details can be found here.
Success!
- Adding color to Xenia Avenue: Over 170 volunteers participated in the year-and-a-half long mosaic mural project led by K12 Gallery for Young People in partnership with East End Community Services Corporation. The finished project can now be seen at 504 Xenia Ave. Like K12’s page to get involved in future projects! The new mosaics decorate the facade of the future location of the Corner Cupboard Charities thrift store, a volunteer-run organization that raises money for other local nonprofits. Check them out!
One of the many streetscape transformations underway in the South Park neighborhood
- DDR volunteers rocked it!: Over 200 volunteers came out to support the Downtown Dayton Revival Music Fest this past weekend and a good time was had by all.
- Invest in the city through real estate! Theresa Gasper of Full Circle Development, LLC recently shared some amazing before-and-after pictures of the homes she and partners have transformed in the Historic South Park neighborhood, an area which saw a 23% value increase in the last reappraisal. There are plenty of great urban realtors who would love to get you started!
- First Friday Park Planters: A dozen volunteers organized through our Facebook group planted about 40 shrubs and perennials at a little downtown park on Friday night before exploring First Friday together. This was made possible by a grant that volunteer Brian Ressler obtained from Keep Montgomery County Beautiful. Thanks everyone!
New Pop-Up Shop “Sew Dayton” to Open in Downtown Dayton
A new business will open downtown on Friday, Sept. 7, as part of the third phase of the Pop-Up Project, part of an initiative to fill downtown storefronts called Activated Spaces. Sew Dayton, owned by two seamstresses, will offer fabric and patterns, custom party dresses, bags, and a variety of accessories, as well as offer classes.
Sew Dayton will pop up for an initial six months at 16 Brown St. in the Oregon District. The store will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hours will be extended to 9 p.m. during First Fridays and Urban Nights. The store’s number is 937-234-7938.
Tracy McElfresh, left, and Jesy Anderson are opening Sew Dayton, a new Pop-Up Shop operated through Activiated Spaces. The store, which will host a soft opening during the Sept. 7 First Friday, will offer sewing classes, custom clothing items and accessories.
Sew Dayton is a collaboration between two existing businesses, Dresses by Tracy McElfresh and JKessel Design. McElfresh is a third-generation seamstress. Her business partner, Jesy Anderson, began sewing three years ago and has not stopped. Together, the pair is excited to bring their love for fabric to a downtown storefront as they continue to offer their custom-designed products and as they teach the art of sewing to others.
Sew Dayton also has a Kickstarter fundraising webpage, and its $5,000 goal has been met through pledges by more than 70 backers. In return for their pledge, these backers will receive anything from handmade zipper pouches or headbands to private sewing lessons, depending on their level of investment.
The opening of Sew Dayton builds on the success of the Pop-Up Project’s first two phases, launched in November 2011 and May 2012. Two of the initial three businesses in the pilot are approaching their one-year anniversary: Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St., and Peace on Fifth, 519 E. Fifth St. All three shops from the second phase remain open for business and include: American π, 37 S. St. Clair St., Arin, 27 S. St. Clair St. and Vintage Barbershop, 110 W. Fifth St.
Two more Pop-Up Shops will open as part of the third phase of the project. They will be announced soon and are anticipated to open this fall.
Activated Spaces’ Pop-Up Project, which helped fill 5,730 square feet of retail space during its first two phases, is led by volunteers from the young professional organizations Generation Dayton and updayton. The project is a strategic effort to fill vacant street-level space and spur interest in opening a business downtown that’s part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.
“The Pop-Up Shops have helped enliven downtown while building on growing momentum for the center city,” said Tom Razauskas, who owns the building housing Beaute Box and Vintage Barbershop. “It has been refreshing to work with volunteers and business owners who really believe in downtown and are excited about its future.”
“The Pop-Up Project provides a low-risk, low-cost, flexible way to showcase local businesses while adding vibrancy to downtown,” said Shanon Potts, a past chair of Generation Dayton and Activated Spaces volunteer. “The long-term goal of the project is to convert temporary leases into traditional leases, while establishing downtown as a regional destination for shopping for one-of-a-kind items and retail services.”
“This project also supports local, creative entrepreneurs as they take a risk and test out their business concepts while bringing renewed life to downtown storefronts,” said Scott Murphy, immediate past chair of updayton and Activated Spaces volunteer. “Visitors who support these pop-up shops will help to spur a more permanent retail environment in our downtown ― the next step in downtown revitalization.”
Visit www.activatedspaces.org or e-mail [email protected] for more information about Activated Spaces.
Simple Steps: Paint a Bridge for Community Vibrancy
***This project has been postponed to June 2 on account of rain! Please follow the event Facebook page for updates!***
On Saturday June 2, 2012, updayton, will be holding an event at the Burns-Jackson Park to paint the pedestrian bridge spanning highway US 35. The event invites everyone from the Dayton area community to assist in painting a colorful mural onto the 2,800 sq. ft bridge deck.
Titled “Unifying the Divide,” this team strives to bring positive attention to a bridge that was built to unify the South Park and Oregon District neighborhoods when they were divided by US 35.
On July 16, 2011, the Creative Communities committee held its first event to clean-up the bridge. Approximately 20 volunteers attended to cut bushes, and remove trash and debris off and around the bridge. After further brainstorming, street painting projects in other cities got the groups’ attention, and thus, the idea for the “Unifying the Divide” project was born. In February, the committee placed a call for mural designs to grace the floor of the bridge, and received a dozen submissions from local artists. After a public online poll, ‘Dayton Wags’ provided the winning design which features a stained glass and floral motif to represent the history and aesthetics of both the South Park and the Oregon District.
The committee used the fundraising website Kickstarter.com to help collect funds for paint supplies and over $1,500 was raised in less than 30 days. The Creative Communities Team also received help from various community partners including Citywide Development, South Park Historic Inc., Oregon Historic District Society, Emerson Academy, and DJ What Not. An aerial photo of the completed paint project will be provided by Perfect Perspectives Aerial and posted on the updayton website once the project is completed.
“It’s been an amazing year of effort on this project,” Laura beamed with pride. “I am so proud of our team and can’t wait to celebrate the successful completion of this project.”
With a design selected and funds raised, only one component remains to implement the Unifying the Divide project: the community. The Creative Communities Team needs the people of Dayton to volunteer on May 5th to paint the mural. The first shift begins at 8am with other sift times throughout the day. Groups or individuals can sign up for a job based on their skill level. The event is expected to end by 8pm.
For more information on how to register to volunteer for the Unifying the Divide project, email [email protected]. Get involved and paint the town!
New Businesses Popping Up Downtown
Peace on Fifth in the Oregon Arts District is a success story from the pilot phase of Activated Spaces' Pop-Up Project.
Three businesses will be up and running by May 4, the next First Friday art hop downtown, as part of the second phase of the Pop-Up Project, part of an initiative to fill downtown Dayton storefronts called Activated Spaces. The businesses selected for the second phase of the project are:
• American π, 37 S. St. Clair St.: This gift and accessories boutique will carry items made in the United States, including handbags, greeting cards, candles and food items. The store will be open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Arin, 27 S. St. Clair St.: Shop owner and jewelry designer Brooke Medlin will collaborate with Dayton artists and other creatives to showcase beautifully designed goods for self and home, along with Medlin’s line of jewelry that includes rings, earrings, personalized necklaces and more. Visitors will be able to watch the creation process in action in Arin’s on-site studio. Rotating guest artists will set up mini-studios in the store and spend two weeks working on a collection of products to be launched at every month’s First Friday art hop. The store will be open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call 937-640-0117.
• Vintage Barbershop, 110 W. Fifth St.: This old-school, classic barbershop will offer haircuts, hot steam towel shaves, facials and more. Haircuts will be $12 and shaves and facials will be $16, with special pricing for seniors. “Our goal is open a classy, professional barbershop while doing our part to make downtown a better place and trying to influence other businesses to follow suit,” owner Ron West said. The barbershop will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call 937-321-6165.
The entrepreneurs who participated in the pilot phase of the Pop-Up Project. Lisa Scott (far right) of Beaute Box extended her lease, as did London Coe (second from right) of Peace on Fifth.
These businesses have three- or six-month leases, although the hope is the business owners will extend those leases ― as happened in the pilot phase of the Pop-Up Project. Indeed, the second phase of the project builds on the success of its pilot, launched in November 2011 for the holiday shopping season. Two of the three business owners in the pilot extended their leases: Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St., and Peace on Fifth, 519 E. Fifth St. In addition, Amore! Designer Consignment Boutique, 16 Brown St., which opened at the same time as the Pop-Up pilots, plans to remain open on a long-term basis, and Basho Screen Printing and Apparel, 521-523 E. Fifth St., opened in a space occupied by a Pop-Up retailer after becoming interested in the location due to the buzz surrounding the project.
Activated Spaces’ Pop-Up Project, which helped fill 2,300 square feet of retail space during its pilot phase, is led by volunteers from the young professional organizations Generation Dayton and updayton. The project is a strategic effort to fill vacant street-level space and spur interest in opening a business downtown that’s part of the Greater Downtown Dayton Plan, a strategic blueprint for the future of downtown.
“The Pop-Up Shops have helped enliven downtown while building on growing momentum for the center city,” said Tom Razauskas, who owns the building housing Beaute Box and the Vintage Barbershop. Razauskas and other participating downtown property owners have supported the project by providing reduced rental rates. “It has been refreshing to work with volunteers and business owners who really believe in downtown and are excited about its future.”
A kickoff event for the Pop-Up Shops will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 18. It will start at Beaute Box, 116 W. Fifth St., and end at Peace on Fifth, 519 E. Fifth St., with stops at all the Pop-Up Shops in between. Raffle tickets will be sold that night $5 each, with all proceeds benefiting Activated Spaces, and prizes will be drawn at each stop. Additional details will be available soon at www.activatedspaces.org.
Basho Apparel was attracted to open a downtown location in part due to the buzz surrounding the Pop-Up Project. (Photo courtesy of Carly Short)
“The Pop-Up Project provides a low-risk, low-cost, flexible way to showcase local businesses while adding vibrancy to downtown,” said Shanon Potts, past chair of Generation Dayton and Activated Spaces volunteer. “The long-term goal of the project is to convert temporary leases into traditional leases, while establishing downtown as a regional destination for shopping for one-of-a-kind items and retail services.”
“This project also supports local, creative entrepreneurs as they take a risk and test out their business concepts while bringing renewed life to downtown storefronts,” said Scott Murphy, immediate past chair of updayton and Activated Spaces volunteer. “Visitors who support these pop-up shops will help to spur a more permanent retail environment in our downtown ― the next step in downtown revitalization.”
Visit www.activatedspaces.org or e-mail [email protected] for more information about Activated Spaces.
Music Video Monday: April 23, 2012
Last week Dayton’s own Ruckus Roboticus unleashed a brand new video for his new single, “Take Me to the Disco.” Ruckus’ new album will be digitally released on Friday, April 27th. That evening you can catch him at the UpDayton Summit After Party at the CADC. The event is free for Summit attendees, $10 for everyone else. More details are available at the Dayton Most Metro Events Calendar.
[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ywnAyn3aA’]
Change is in your hands with updayton
It’s almost time for the annual updayton Summit!
What? You’re not excited? Well, maybe it’s because you don’t know what it is or how much it’s impacted the Dayton area. Allow me to fill you in!
updayton was conceived in 2007 as a way to attract and keep young talent through engagement, connection and empowerment of the young creatives in the Miami Valley. The organization partners with and is sponsored by other local organizations and businesses.
Current updayton Director Yvette Kelly-Fields says, “The Summit provides a platform for people to use creative thinking and problem solving to address issues that affect the attraction and retention of young talent to the region. We are starting to see the fruits of our labor as we see more young professionals moving into the downtown, opening businesses and filling local jobs.”
Former Director Scott Murphy said he believes the summit has helped to spotlight critical issues to help keep more young people in the region. He enjoys the energy and excitement associated with the event and said he’s “particularly proud of how we’ve been able to take the feedback we receive from Summit attendees and turn that into recommendations for local leaders.”
As a graduating college student, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my fellow students complain there isn’t enough opportunity for them as young entrepreneurs around Dayton. They’d rather try their luck in a different city, or even a different state that seems to have better employment options.
But as the updayton site says, we can be the change we want to see, and it has been successful in its endeavors for community and economic change.
“Each project last year created both community and economic impact,” said Maria Norman, in charge of public relations for the organization.
In fact, the current iteration of this very website (Dayton MostMetro.com) was born out of the first updayton summit three years ago, when summit participants in a live survey of various community project ideas voted overwhelming for a comprehensive online resource for the Dayton Region. Since then, the site has grown with the help of over 40 volunteer interns, writers and editors, and has become the go-to site for tens of thousands of people in the region wanting to connect with things to see, do and get involved with.
Winner of the "Unifying the Divide: Bridge Paint Project" - Dayton Wags
Currently, the Creative Communities project is continuing to work on a major beautification project between the Oregon District and South Park neighborhoods called “Unifying the Divide: Bridge Paint”. “This will raise the visibility of both areas and serve as a new attraction and destination point for the City for native Daytonians and visitors,” said Norman.
The focus this year is on increasing residents’ use of alternative transportation, aiding the integration of diverse immigrants in the area, reviving the Twin Towers neighborhood, and developing a sustainable program to improve community’s college students’ perceptions of downtown and encouraging them to participate in and experience all downtown has to offer. Also, for the first time, updayton will present a panel of experts in urban revitalization and who will show how they are changing the game in their community. They’ve been appropriately named, Game Changers.
“It has been said, if you want to change the world, start with your city, start with the updayton Summit. Change starts there,” says Director Kelly-Fields.
The updayton Summit will be held on Friday, April 27, 2012 at the Dayton Art Institute. For more information or to register to attend, visit their website at updayton.com or check them out on Facebook.
Small Effort: Big Effect
There’s a lot of work to do to continue to make our region vibrant and exciting. Some jobs are so big and we as community members feel helpless to do anything.
This isn’t that kind of story.
Before the Clean-Up
This is a story about a group of people who had a simple vision and they are getting it done! Last year at the 2011 updayton Summit, a Creative Communities team emerged with the idea that our neighborhoods are great assets to the community and they should be walkable, accessible and friendly. Nice idea, right? So, how do you DO something about it?
Safe and Accessible After Clean-Up
The Creative Communities team (CC) focused on the pedestrian walkway that crosses 35 and connects the historic neighborhoods of South Park and Oregon District. These two neighborhoods have active neighborhood associations, easy access to entertainment and recreation, and beautiful parks. A bridge connecting the two (and helping neighbors avoid 35 when traveling) makes perfect sense.
Unfortunately, no one wanted to walk over the walkway. Overgrown weeds, tight corners, and a general rusty broken-down look made it feel unsafe. CC came up with a big job for volunteers, but one they knew they could do and do well with the right support.
At the end of last summer they hosted a major clean-up day. It’s impressive what a little elbow grease can do to de-weed, clean and make the bridge a lot more appealing and usable. But they’re not done yet. They don’t want it ‘not ugly.’ They want to see it as a favorite place for community members to enjoy (especially with its close access to parks). It’s gettin’ prettified!
Wanna know where YOU come in? They need your help in three ways:
1) Come out for the follow-up clean up (prepping for the painting) on April 28.
2) Come out for the painting (grown-up paint by numbers = awesome) on May 5.
3) Help out the kick-starter campaign so they can get all the materials they need to make this happen and keep it going into the future. The thing about kick-starter: yeah, a big donation is awesome. But your $5 matched up with the donations from 10 other people giving $5 adds up pretty quick.
Here’s a video from YouTube that will help you know what to expect at the Paint Day this May. Don’t pass up being a part of this opportunity!
