RHS Thriller Club article at My Green Lake - click to read at MyGreenLake.com

There’s a club at Roosevelt High School who will dress up as zombies, come to your October event, and perform the Thriller video zombie dance…for FREE!

Amy at My Green Lake has the story.

Wow. Clubs have sure changed since I was in high school.

Happened by the NE Branch of the library today where I saw a sandwich board advertising a meeting of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association TONIGHT at 6pm!

And, as it turns out, today is my tenth wedding anniversary. Curses!

So now, a plea to you, dear reader: Can you go in my stead?

I would LOVE to write up a post about the meeting and/or get some current contact information on the group.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go to the meeting tonight, take some notes if you find it helpful, remembering-wise, and then debrief with me via email or at the coffee shop of your choice (coffee and doughnut/pastry on me!).

Here’s your chance to both represent AND support your ‘hood! And me. I really appreciate it.

Interested parties: Just email me here at the blog (rebecca at ravennablog.com) if you’re interested!

You’ve got FOUR work parties between now and next Tuesday, if you want a chance to get your hands dirty in your new community garden (or just “happen” to be walking by and want to ask questions).

Here they all are, including who’s the lead on the event and what you might be doing:

• Saturday, May 22, 10am-1pm: Debra leads you in spreading wood chips and planting; wheelbarrows, pitchforks, shovels, rakes, gloves, seeds and plants would be useful.
• Saturday, May 22, 3-5pm: Debra is back for more of the same!
• Sunday, May 23, 9am-1pm: Liz is on hand to guide volunteers in chip spreading, planting, and any other work that may need doing.
• Tuesday, May 25, 5-7pm: Susan (the garden designer) will be on hand to oversee garden work and answer your questions.

If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the Ravenna Community Garden, email the group at ravennacommunitygarden [at] gmail.com.

There is a Ravenna Community Garden Google Group as well.  AND Ravenna Community Garden is also on facebook.

Let's put this pile in its place, shall we?

This Saturday is shaping up to be a busy one, if you’re into gardens and parks. There’s the community garden work party at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, you can Spring Into Bed all around the city, you can get some community service hours in at the Picardo P-Patch (if you have a plot there [EDIT: This is happening MONDAY, from 6:30-8:30pm]), and, heck, maybe your own yard could use some work.

However, every second Saturday of the month, the Friends of Ravenna Ravine gather to do battle against invasives like nightshade, bindweed and jewelweed (all co-starring this month).

Know thy enemy - jewelweed, in this case

George Macomber of the FRR sends out an email the week of the work party, detailing the work to be done that Saturday. This week’s agenda:

We will be starting near the Kiosk removing nightshade along the creek, looking for jewel weed (not as good as it sounds) and other bad things. We also have a few trees to plant. The bindweed is getting started ( it emerges on tax day so it has a 3 week head start.)

This month’s email also included the following tidbit about a future project in the park:

Beginning in late June the county will be starting a project to insure that sewage does not mix with the creek on its way to the Lk. Washington during rain storms. They will block the trail between the 55th and the ball field, and dig down to reach the point where the creek enters a ‘Box Culvert’ that runs under the field. They will not be digging upstream from the drain. They will be treating thistle and removing yellow iris in the daylight area, probably in May and June and replacing dead trees in the fall.

I’m definitely FOR keeping sewage out of EVERYTHING, except the sewer.

FRR meets at the lower playfield at the kiosk in SE Ravenna Park, north of NE 55th St. and north of the ballfield. Check the Friends of Ravenna Ravine homepage for more information on these work parties.

[Clement Clarke Moore I am not.]

farewell to sod

soil delivery!

That’s what the garden site looks like as of 5:30 pm.

The material for the raised bed sides is currently being cut as I type this. The material is called Trex, and it’s a composite material (combination of wood and plastic) that will stand up to the elements for MANY years to come (a prerequisite for building the garden on city property).

good thing Dunn Lumber delivers

a up-close of the tag

If you’d like to read more about Trex, here’s the What is Trex? page of the company’s website.  But the short version is: It’s made of recycled waste materials and no toxic chemicals or preservatives, is easy to clean, AND you can use it around your hot tub.

Don’t forget: The work party is from 9-3 tomorrow, at the north end of the big green field behind the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave NE).

First, though, a few shots of the SOD BUSTIN’:

the view from the west

BUSTED

Now here’s some good stuff: THE PLANS. Design by Susan Gregory of the community garden group (who does this sort of thing for a living, if you’re in the market for your own garden plans).

the whole plan, posing with donated veg

west side

close up of east side "pinwheel"

I will not be in town on Saturday during the bed building work party, but would love to post any pictures and/or comments that are passed on! Just send them my way (rebecca at ravennablog.com).

Like I said in the previous post, the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center Community Garden is a GO. Sod-busting should be happening as I speak, and a raised bed building work party is happening this Saturday.

I received an email this morning from the group who made this project come to life, and it includes descriptions of the work party this Saturday AND the project as a whole (bolded parts by moi):

After many months of planning and dreaming, we are finally ready to start work on the Ravenna Eckstein Community Center Community Garden!! We have permission to construct raised beds and a path, and we will be having the very first work party on Saturday May 8 from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. to get started. Please invite any and all to come down and lend a hand, even if only for an hour or two, or just stroll by and take a look at the garden taking shape! The garden site is at the north end of the little park behind the Community Center [6535 Ravenna Ave. NE], and it is quite a large space. We’ll provide bagels in the AM and Pizza in the PM for hungry workers. Bring a cordless drill and a shovel or wheelbarrow for moving dirt if you can, or just bring your work gloves and your imagination! Also, if you have extra bedding plants we may actually get to putting in some green stuff!!

On Thursday May 6 from 4:00 until 6:00 we’ll be cutting sod and getting ready for Saturday. Come down then if that time works best for you.

A community garden is different than a p-patch, since it is truly a shared endeavor. All of you who are interested in building a stronger sense of community, learning about sustainable gardening, or just enjoying a beautiful growing space to bring your families, please come and join us. We’ll be having work parties all summer, too, if you miss this one.

A HUGE Thank YOU to everyone at the Parks Department and especially to Trevor [Gregg] for all the work done to make this project a reality!

Debra Morrison

Hard work, sunshine, pizza, and a opportunity to share in future community-grown tomatoes? THAT’S a good Saturday.

…but it always feels good.

Another Green Seattle Partnership volunteer event in Ravenna Park is happening this Saturday from 10 am until 2 pm.

More information and contact emails and whatnot at the Green Seattle Partnership website.

There’s a Ravenna Ravine work party coming up on September 13, thanks to Friends of Ravenna Park and the Green Seattle Partnership.

You, your work gloves, and your invasive weed rage can head to the kiosk at Ravenna Park at 10 am this Saturday.  Bring some water, too.  If you get dehydrated, the invasives will win!

For more information, contact Ann at 547-1255 or email frr at 98115.net.