A Walk for Jane and a Dash for a Difference
Comments (0) There are two upcoming scavenger hunts in Hartford. Continue reading 'A Walk for Jane and a Dash for a Difference'»
Category: community
Comments (0) 
Tenth Annual Dragon Boat & Asian Festival this Weekend
By Kerri Provost, August 21, 2010 2:54 pm
Note: Due to rain, the Asian Festival has been canceled for Sunday. The Dragon Boat races are still going on as planned.
Festivities began Saturday morning and go until 4 pm. They will resume at 10 on Sunday and continue through 2 in the afternoon.
A record-setting 67 teams are participating in this year’s dragon boat races. Participants range in age and ability. There are corporate teams, athletes, and people who have some sense of humor, giving their teams names like Blazing Paddles and Splashing Tigers, Soaking Dragons,
Besides boat racing, there are musical performances, martial arts demonstrations, cultural booths, vendors, and more.
The two females pictured above were part of the Malee’s School of Tai Chi and Kung Fu demo on the upper level of the Riverfront Plaza.
Continue reading 'Tenth Annual Dragon Boat & Asian Festival this Weekend'»
Hartford Community Garden Tour
By Kerri Provost, August 20, 2010 9:17 am
There are over 300 community garden plots in Hartford, which means that an even greater number of people have the opportunity to grow (or attempt to grow) their own fruits, vegetables, and flowers. On Thursday evening, two bus loads of people (plus some cyclists) toured several of these gardens, checking out the creative choices made by this year’s gardeners.
Though some may be surprised about the presence of community gardens here, the first one in Hartford was established in the early 1970’s. Issues of “food security” are not new by a long shot, even if such phrases have become buzzwords in recent years. After creating a community garden in Keney Park, twelve more have been developed. How does one find space for such ventures in an urban setting? When a building is demolished, the land on which it sat often is left as a vacant, unkempt patch. Sometimes, these lots are converted into a more useful and attractive alternative — community garden space. Continue reading 'Hartford Community Garden Tour'»
Annual Community Garden Tour
By Kerri Provost, August 5, 2010 1:06 pm
The city of Hartford has a number of community gardens. The crops planted are diverse. One can find eggplant, corn, callaloo, melon, garlic, and pumpkin, to name only a few of the plants. Every August, a tour is given of a handful of the gardens. This year, the tour leaves from the Niles Street Community Garden (between Laurel and Sigourney) and stops at four other city community gardens. It then returns to the site for a meal prepared from ingredients grown in these gardens. Continue reading 'Annual Community Garden Tour'»
Community to Help Displaced Evergreen Avenue Residents
By Kerri Provost, July 22, 2010 3:44 am
A massive fire on July 9th displaced two dozen people who had been living at 45-51 Evergreen Avenue in the West End. This Saturday, there will be a concert held in the Evergreen Avenue Community Garden at 2pm, and if interested, you can bring items to donate to the people who lost their homes. The West End Civic Association says:
The Red Cross suggests that you donate kitchen items such as pans, plates and utensils for the families. They are being relocated and need to start over so kitchen stuff would be helpful. Please only bring items in new or near-new condition.
The garden is located on the corner of Evergreen Avenue and Fales Street.
Broad Street Wheat
By Kerri Provost, July 14, 2010 9:45 pm
Wheat? In the city? Isn’t that something for the Midwest?
Last Saturday, volunteers began to harvest the wheat that was planted in a Grow Hartford plot on Broad Street. I have been told that bicycles were involved in the process. The seeds were planted in April, followed by an invitation to the community to help weed the field.
The wheat will be used to bake bread, which will be shared among project volunteers.
Urban wheat farming is not unique to Hartford. London, New York, and San Diego are some other cities where wheat has been planted.
To read more about food options available to Hartford residents, go to Farm to Table.
1161 Main: Only One Part of the Downtown Blight Problem
By Kerri Provost, July 10, 2010 6:49 am
The demolition of the structure at 1161 Main Street will only be a success if what happens afterward is meaningful, expedient, and future-thinking. While the promised attempt for the City to acquire and destroy this property has many gleeful, the absence of a strong and specific plan for the vacant plot is, at the least, eyebrow-raising. Mayor Segarra, in a press release said:
This is a critically important project. This is an economic development priority for a number of reasons. This is prime real estate that connects our Downtown with our neighborhoods. It is important to beautify all aspects of our city, our visitors deserve to look out of a hotel window and have a wonderful view of our glorious city, our arts community— like the neighboring Hartford Stage which is in the process of a multi million dollar renovation— deserves a neighboring entity that will contribute to the quality of life of Hartford. The reasons to act now are plenty. I can’t think of a single reason to wait any longer.
The 1161 property has been considered an eyesore, which it surely is, but the blight extends beyond this building. This section of Main Street is an example of some of the worst design decisions of the 20th century, which a poorly conceived and maintained roadway. It’s the spot where motorists clog the streets to exit from or enter I-84. Pedestrians wishing to travel along this section of Main are forced to play Frogger with impatient drivers, as the crosswalks are seemingly nonexistent. Malfunctioning WALK signals are a common complaint. Continue reading '1161 Main: Only One Part of the Downtown Blight Problem'»
Community and Food
By Kerri Provost, June 25, 2010 5:58 pm
Community gardens are a valuable resource for those of us who have postage stamp (or smaller) yards. They provide a place for gardeners to relieve stress by pulling weeds; having beautiful flowers and growing our own food is another bonus.
Garden space is relatively inexpensive and allows one to know exactly where her food is coming from that season, depending on how able of a gardener she is and how much she chooses to plant. I have seen people successfully grow tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, peas, chard, cabbage, fennel, collard greens, corn, brussels sprouts, strawberries, raspberries, squash, zucchini, carrots, thyme, rosemary, basil, mint, beets, radishes, onions, garlic, spinach, broccoli, ginger, cauliflower, and pumpkins in Hartford. Continue reading 'Community and Food'»
World Refugee Day
By Kerri Provost, June 20, 2010 7:57 pm
The Hartford Public Library hosted World Refugee Day on Saturday. Continue reading 'World Refugee Day'»
Saturday in Bushnell Park
By Kerri Provost, June 5, 2010 3:14 pm
Between the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure, PRIDE, and who knows what else going on, Bushnell Park was buzzing this morning and afternoon.
