Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here are resources, opportunities, and events that you might want to share with friends and neighbors:
1) New Workshop Series for Married Couples at Women’s Center – March 3rd to April 7th
2) New Mid-MEAC’s First Friday Lunch on Urbandale Farm, March 5
3) Chicken Out with MSU Extension on March 5
4) Build Your Own Rain Barrel on Mar. 6
5) Dining from Your Back Yard – Mar 6 – Don’t miss this one!
6) New Fenner Spring Volunteer Orientation on March 13
7) New Mobile Food Pantry on March 20
8 ) New Old Town Stomp on March 20
9) New Potter Park Zoo hosts renowned Wolf Expert on March 28
10) New Parenting for Peace and Justice at Pilgrim Church – series begins Saturday April 10th
11) Energy Efficiency for Old Windows Workshop- This is a business for someone! April 9-11th, 2010* and April 16-18th, 2010*
12) Everybody Reads Seeks Volunteers
1) Honey, Let’s Talk: Married and Loving It!
…is a workshop for married couples at the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing. This six week workshop includes setting healthy boundaries, love languages, communication rules, intimacy, etc. There is a one time fee of $25. The group runs Wednesdays 5:30-7:00 from March 3rd to April 7th. Pre-registration is required by calling the Center at 517.372.9163.
2) MidMEAC’s First Friday lunch focuses on Urbandale Farm
Plan to attend MidMEAC’s First Friday lunch on March 5th at Central United Methodist Church, 215 N Capitol Ave, from noon to 1. A light buffet lunch (suggested donation $5) will be available; all are welcome; no need to rsvp. Laura Delind and Linda Anderson will describe their work to date to develop an urban farm in the floodplain on Lansing’s Eastside: Why an urban farm? Why this neighborhood? What’s it going to take to create a farm? Who’s involved? What will be done with the food that’s grown? What else might happen with vacant lots in this neighborhood besides a farm? Don’t miss it!
3) Chicken Out With MSU Extension!
For happy chickens, happy neighbors, and a better breakfast! Learn how to do it right!
March 5, 2010, 6:00- 9 :00 p.m.,
Location: Safari Room of the Potter Park Zoo, 1301 South Pennsylvania Avenue Lansing
To Register, call 517-676-7207/ Fax: 517-676-7288, or E-mail: cvernon@ingham.org
What’s All the Flap About??
Wouldn’t it be great to have a few chickens in the back yard? Fresh eggs, bug control, rich compost for the garden, and a chance for the kids to see where food comes from! So you go to the local farm store and buy some chicks. . . .
Now What??
Just like everything else, there is a lot more to raising chickens than meets the eye. • What should (or can) I feed them at different stages of life? • How do I keep them healthy and productive? • What should I expect from my chickens? • What about raccoons, cats, weasels, coyotes, skunks, opossums….how do I keep my chickens safe? • How do I manage the manure in a safe way that will not bother neighbors or harm the environment? • Can I get salmonella poisoning from my chickens, their manure, or the eggs? How can I reduce the risk? • What kind of equipment do I need to do this right? Is it legal to do this in Lansing????
In October of 2009 the Ingham County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution allowing homeowners to the keep “up to five hens on one or two-family residential properties, under certain conditions, unless otherwise prohibited or regulated by local ordinances or private land use restrictions. For more details about this resolution, visit: http://www.ingham.org/bc/BC/INDEX/2009/09-345.htm
4) Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop
Sat., March 6, MSU Plant and Soil Science Greenhouse; register by Friday, Feb. 26th.
The cost per barrel is $40. This price includes all the parts necessary for the basic construction of your barrel during the workshop and a copy of the instructions. Refreshments will be provided. To reserve your space in the workshop, send payment to:
Pat Merry, MGA CAC Treasurer
1739 Brookshire Court
Williamston, MI. 48895
Make checks payable to MGA CAC. Be sure to include your name, email, phone, and time preference (9-10 a.m., 10-11 a.m., or 11 a.m. – noon). Confirmation of your registration with assigned time slot and a copy of the instructions will be emailed to you prior to the workshop. Please identify your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice for time slot assignment. For more information, email Carey Loveland at loveland@msu.edu.
5) Dining from Your Back Yard: Intensive gardening techniques, including sequencing and mixing flowers, veggies and herbs for bountiful backyard harvests.
Saturday, March 6, 2-3:30 pm in the Hunter Park GardenHouse
Lynne Martinez, known to many of you as our former state rep, county commissioner, and non-profit director, also owned a small landscaping company at one time. She has also been a life long, successful, back yard gardener—just the person we needed to inspire gardeners throughout the neighborhood and beyond.
Join Lynne for a relaxed and interactive conversation about dining from your back yard, including information on:
Intensive urban gardening – preparing beds, giving up rows and sequencing planting
Integrating plantings – mixing flowers, vegetables and herbs for beauty and bountiful harvests
Discover the joy of “finding” dinner in your garden, and identify complementary plantings to satisfy and expand your dining preferences, including recipes. To register, call Allison at 367-2468 or email her at allisonb@allenneighborhoodcenter.org.
6) Fenner Spring Volunteer Orientation
Message from the Fenner Volunteer Coordination Team
We’d like to invite all returning and new volunteers to our Fenner Spring Volunteer Orientation! Please join us Saturday March 13th from 10 am-noon for meet, greet, and treats and to start the official kick-off for the upcoming schedule of volunteer activities. In addition to taking care of some of the necessary formalities (bring your emergency contact info!), join us for an informal tour of the center and park (weather permitting). We’ll look back with some history of Fenner as well as look forward to the exciting future at the Center. Thanks in advance for your attendance and participation!
PLEASE RSVP (reply including name and email or phone to fennernature@lansingmi.gov or call 517-483-4224). If you are unable to join us this time, we look forward to seeing you at a future scheduled Volunteer Orientation.
7) MOBILE FOOD PANTRY
City of Lansing HUMAN RELATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT & the Mid-Michigan Food Bank ANNOUNCES the distribution of FREE, fresh, non-perishable food items:
When: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 9am until 11am
Where: St. Casimir Catholic Church, 800 W. Barnes, ansing, MI 48910
Who can participate?
• The disadvantaged and vulnerable.
• Senior citizens on fixed incomes.
• Families/individuals with limited or low income jobs.
ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST BRING A VALID STATE IDENTIFICATION CARD OR DRIVER’S LICENSE
If you or someone you know must choose between buying food and filling prescriptions, please tell them about this important program. Participants should bring a box or bag to carry food. For more information, call the City of Lansing HRCS at (517) 483-4477
8 ) THE OLD TOWN STOMP: Music, Food & Festivities!
The Old Town Business and Art Development Association is excited to host its second annual “Old Town Stomp” fundraising and kick-off event of the year on Saturday, March 20, 6-11:30 pm at Perspective2 in Old Town (319 E. Grand River Ave.). The proceeds from this spectacular evening will help to sponsor over 150 musicians scheduled to perform at this year’s Lansing JazzFest and Old Town BluesFest.
On the front side, as guests begin to arrive at 6 pm, organissimo will be filling the air with lively jazz stylings, setting the tone for an evening of extraordinary music and celebratory spirit. organissimo has generously donated 100 free CDs to the event.
Other festivities include the 2*5*1 Community Turn Around awards, highlighting some extraordinary festival partners, and special festival announcements. Ethnic tapas will be just as lively as the music, making an excellent pairing for the evening. A cash bar, dancing and vintage festival memorabilia will add to the fun of the evening as well.
For the second half of this exciting night out on the town, Greg Nagy will kick it up a notch and fill the dance floor as the blues are celebrated on the back side of the night! Nagy has also generously donated 100 free CDs to the event!
The linen-clad, candle-lit ambiance of Perspective2 offers limited availability. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. To inquire about ticket availability and for complete event details please visit the event website at http://event.pingg.com/TheOldTownStomp or e-mail sharen.lange@oldtownarts.org for more information.
Old Town Business and Art Development Association/Michigan Institute of Contemporary Art is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization committed to quality arts programming, the preservation of Old Town’s historic buildings, and community development efforts. For more information, further details and updates, visit www.oldtownarts.org or call 517-371-4600.
9) Potter Park Zoo hosts world renowned Wolf Expert
On Sunday, March 28 at 2:00pm, Potter Park Zoo will be hosting world renowned wolf expert Dr. Rolf Peterson. He will lead the audience through the wild life of the wolves of Isle Royale National Park and the important predator-prey research taking place there.
Tickets are $15. For more information please visit our website http://www.potterparkzoo.org
10) Parenting for Peace and Justice
Pilgrim Congregational UCC is hosting a free 6 week workshop entitled “Parenting for Peace and Justice”. The workshop will focus on inspiring peace with your family in the home and in the world. Free childcare is provided. The series begins Saturday April 10th and runs 6 consecutive Saturdays through May 15th. The workshop will meet at Pilgrim UCC at 125 South Pennsylvania Avenue from 6 pm to 8 pm. Please preregister by emailing or calling Shantana Goerge: goergesh@msu.edu or 517-676-1671.
11) Energy Efficiency for Old Wood Windows
FREE Window Rehabilitation Workshop for Homeowners Conserve Energy and also Preserve Resources April 9-11th, 2010* and April 16-18th, 2010* – Kalamazoo, Michigan
This great opportunity to learn how to rehab our wonderful old windows submitted/recommended by Eastside Housing Advocate and Restorationist, Dave Muylle.
In Michigan, and throughout the United States, 20% of the housing was built before 1950, and a significant part of that housing stock has traditional wooden double hung windows. This may include your house or a family house or a rental property. Repairing wooden windows is a necessary skill for old house owners. With rehabilitation and a working storm window, old windows can be as energy efficient as new windows.
In an intensive three day workshop, students will learn the fundamentals of repair and rehabilitation of traditional wooden double hung windows. Under the guidance of trained preservation craftspeople, trainees will work with traditional building materials and rehabilitate one complete window.
To request an application, call Sharon Ferraro at 269-337-8804 or email her at ferraros@kalamazoocity.org. The application must be received by: Friday, March 5th, 2010 at 5:00 pm – you will be notified that you have been accepted in the class by Friday, March 12th, 2010.
12) Everybody Reads Seeks Volunteers
Everybody Reads Books and Stuff on Michigan Ave. is transitioning over to a co-op bookstore. As we pursue that goal, we are moving towards more volunteer staff. If you are interested in volunteering at Everybody Reads, please call the store, and leave your name, number or e-mail address. Jackie Dillinger is the Volunteer Coordinator, she will contact you. The store number is 346-9900. Thank-you for your consideration.
