Monday, July 14, 2014

The River Hop organizing committee (Sophia Luong, Bertie Bonnell, Maris Laporte, Matt McCummons, and Barbara Lucas) would like to thank the many people who helped make the 2014 River Hop a huge success:  the many folks who had stops on the Hop (including Patrick McCauley and Tom Stulberg's History Tour); the musicians, sound engineer, and helpers at the picnic; and all the people who just came to have fun!  The whole River Hop weekend was great, and we hope many more people participate next year, either by volunteering, offering a stop, and/or attending!

The "No Trash" efforts at the Beckley Park picnic went better than ever this year thanks to more people remembering to bring their own washable plates and cutlery to eat with, and thanks to Patti Ghezzi, Anna Gagern and Kate Campbell who supervised the bins for compost, recycling, and dirty dishes.  We only had a tiny amount of trash from the whole picnic--under half a pound!!!




Here are a few more photos from Sunday's events:

















Some of the many great musicians:


The History Tour:


Thursday, July 3, 2014

RIVER HOP 2014--Details on the weekend's events!

Saturday July 12th, 2014:  

  • Yard Sales, Garden Walk, Art Hop  (See map for times and addresses. Preliminary lists are below--please check back on July 11th for last minute additions/corrections).

Sunday July 13th, 2014:  
  • 1 pm History Talk and Walk by Patrick McCauley (co-author of “Historic Ann Arbor:  An Architectural Guide”) and Tom Stulberg--meet at the playground at Beckley Park (located at the intersection of Argo Dr. and Chandler Ave).
  • 5 pm Potluck Picnic for the River District Neighborhood, at Beckley Park.  Bring your own beverage, plate, cup and utensils, along with a dish to pass.  Music hosted by "The Understorey" (our own Matt and Jess McCummons!!!!) The fantastic lineup will include a Cajun jam followed by Billy Kirst and friends at 6pm, followed by the RFD Boys and friends at 7pm.!  
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Map of stops on the River Hop:

Check out our printable map with the current list of addresses.


Saturday July 12th Stops on the River Hop


YARD SALES 
(All Sales open Saturday July 12th 10 am to 4 pm unless otherwise noted):
  1. 1205 Pontiac Trail Household items, furniture, misc. from nearby estate sale
  2. 1442 Pontiac Trail (9 – 3) Cheap vinyl records, books, various household items, size 36 jeans, audio components (for parts only), bikes and bike parts, guitars and amp, pet mattress/bed, rabbit cage.
  3. 1515 Pontiac Trail  Baby/toddler clothes and gear, housewares, and furniture.
  4. 1506 Chandler Rd.* Household items, furniture, some antiques, well priced items, some free.  
  5. 709 Indianola (9 – 3) Men & Women's Name Brand Clothing (JCrew/Banana Republic/Gap), Household & Decor Items. Shabby chic and rustic decor, tons of books for $1, and baby & kids items in great condition.
  6. 1606 Chandler Furniture, baby/toddler clothes and other items and general household items.
  7. 1610 Longshore Dr.
  8. 1607 Pontiac Trail Household items, clothes, games, jewelry, vintage stuff, pictures, misc.
  9. 1606 Pontiac Trail Small desks, TV stands, chairs, lots of kitchenware, gently worn women's brand name clothing, other miscellaneous items.
  10. 1608 Pontiac Trail (9 – 3) Bikes and bike parts, furniture, shelving unit, household stuff, bread makers, lots of free stuff at curb
  11. 1603 Peach St. (10 – 2) Queen size high rise Aerobed, LLBean picnic table shelter, other items and box of free stuff.
  12. 710 Taylor St.* (9 – 3) Bikes, toys, dishes, clothes, books, sports equipment and books.
  13. 1718 Chandler Ave.  Men’s clothing, misc. flea market items
  14. 2010 Longshore Drive  Furniture, misc. household items, records, and classical CD's
  15. 1724 Traver Rd. Former potter is selling ceramic-making tools along with other items.
  16. 1725 David Ct. (10 – 2) Retired teacher selling beautiful hardcover books, book club book sets, maps, posters and other school items. Some household items as well.
  17. 1760 David Ct.  Lots of sports equipment, a lawnmower, a set of vintage luggage, an aquarium, a couple of printers with ink, misc. other items. 
  18. 716 Northside Ave.  Small furniture items, tools, a weed whip, women's and men's clothing, golf clubs, Ford F150 accessories: trailer hitch and tonneau cover.  
  19. 885 Wickfield Ct. Kids' stuff, books, CDs, DVDs, clothes, kitchen items, antiques, and more!
  20. 817 Brookside* Furniture, including bunk beds, Playmobil and other toys, clothing, books, camping supplies, free stuff.
  21. 2111 Tibbits Ct. Small appliances, lamps, kids games, and books.
  22. 434 Manor Dr.  (11 – 4) Mid-century vanity with mirror, bench and nightstand, eclectic women's clothing, general and vintage household.
  23. 488 Larkspur St. (9-4) Note that other homes around this address (in Huron Highlands) will also have garage sales at this time. They will be open 9-4 on 7/11 Friday as well.
Of Special Note:  St Vincent De Paul Thrift store located in the Anson Brown building at 1001 Broadway will help celebrate the River Hop on July 11,12 by offering a store wide 50% off sale !! Shop small at St. Vincent De Paul ...and check out one of the oldest buildings in town.


GARDEN WALK 
(All gardens open Saturday July 12th 10 am to 4 pm unless otherwise noted)
  1. 1314 Broadway St.  See how it’s possible to transform a box elder/honeysuckle/garlic mustard wasteland into a prairie and woodland garden with 100 species of trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers native to Michigan. Suggest parking at shopping plaza at bottom of hill. Nancy Stoll
  2. 1305 Broadway  Corner of Jones.  A native plant installation along the roadside, plus a large semi-shaded area featuring over 30 native flowers, grasses, and sedges. Suggest parking a block away at shopping plaza at bottom of hill.  Adela Pinch  
  3. 1117 Pontiac Trail  You can't miss our miniature urban farm (grow food not lawns!) adjacent to the sidewalk. Thank you to our landlord for his support. Nothing of note in the backyard.   Gavin and Lilly Shapiro  
  4. 1219 Wright St.*  Exuberant, free-flowering cottage garden in front. Shady pergola with swings in back.  Bertie Bonnell   
  5. 602 Kellogg  Jesse describes his garden as an urban blend of form and function. Jesse Harrington
  6. 605 Kellogg   This unruly organic food garden, placed in the only sunny spot we have, includes edible weeds and a trellis made from fallen branches collected from our yard.  Evan Chambers and Suzanne Camino  
  7. 1335 Traver Rd  Visit our 4-year-old shade garden!  Feel free to walk the path through our mini-woods, and be sure to see the shade plants in the garden by the driveway, too. Sarah Boren-Rao
  8. 1515 Ottawa Rd.  All the neighbors enjoy this fabulous display of mixed perennials and flowering shrubs. Ann Lyzenga  
  9. 1506 Chandler Rd.*  Old, one family garden—since 1948—with large shady backyard including 4 raised vegetable beds and many containers, and a sunny, pedestrian friendly, front yard.  Mickey Barley and George Kilbreath 
  10. 714 Indianola Ave.  Mostly-native wildflower garden (with vigorous "volunteers.")  Dana Jackman 
  11. 710 Taylor St.*  (open 10-3) A perambulate (mostly edible) garden of consenting, legacy, and gifted greenery lorded over by resident grimalkin. Liz Vandermark
  12. 1701 David Court  This partially shady garden shows what you can do with very little money. Most of my native plants and some cultivars have come from friends or plant exchanges. This is my fourth summer in this house and when I moved in in 2011 there was no garden. Pauline Loewenhardt  
  13. 415 Manor  Cottage garden with flowers, fruits, and veggies in compact southern-exposed space. Small bee hive in front yard, and work-in-progress shade garden in back.  Louis Daher   
  14. 311 Manor Dr.  Corner of Hilldale. Planted for color, sharing and enjoyment, this 28-year-old garden features raised beds made of repurposed materials with perennials, annuals, and vegetables. Joan O’Connell 

ART HOP  
(Saturday July 12th, various times)
  1. 611 Longshore 10 – 4  Collages by Cheryl Dawdy.
  2. 1211 Wright St.  Noon – 3  Prints and original oil paintings by Alice Lucas.
  3. 1219 Wright St.*  10 – 4   Garden, porch, and people paintings by Bertie Bonnell to see in back yard, some for sale.
  4. 1320 Wright St.  11 – 3  Handmade functional ceramic mugs, cups, bowls and pitchers with rich, lustrous glazes and hand detailed patterns. Elliott Kayser is a member of the Ann Arbor Potter's Guild and Jenneva Kayser is a ceramics instructor at the Ann Arbor Art Center.
  5. 1610 Longshore  10 –  4  Ceramics, both functional and sculptural pieces for sale in Gail and Robert Piepenburg's home studio.
  6. 817 Brookside*  10 – 4  Mosaics by Marjorie Lesko.
*These neighbors are offering more than one event!

River Hop 2014 Organizers
Yard Sales: Sophia Luong sophia.luong(at)gmail.com
Garden Walk: Bertie Bonnell bbonnell(at)provide.net 
Art Hop: Maris LaPorter marislaporter(at)gmail.com 
Music: Matt McCummons matthewmccumons(at)gmail.com
Publicity:  Barbara Lucas northsidernews(at)gmail.com


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Things are shaping up for the River Hop Weekend July 12-13th

Saturday July 12th:

10-4 Yard Sales, Garden Walk, and Art Hop—Locations to be posted here July 4--check back for more info then.  If you'd like to sign up to offer a yard sale, garden tour or art show/sale, see contact info in post below.


Sunday July 13th:

1 pm in Beckley Park, History Talks and Tour
Patrick McCauley, co-author of the new book “Historic Ann Arbor:  An Architectural Guide” will give a talk on the history of Lower Town, and Tom Stulberg will give a talk on the Underground Railroad history in Lower Town.  The talks will be followed by a walking tour of the immediate neighborhood led by McCauley.  Total time approximately 2 hours.

5 pm in Beckley Park:  Potluck Picnic for the River District Neighborhood

Bring your own food, beverage, and stuff to eat off of.  Live music, games, fun!


Sunday, April 27, 2014

RIVER HOP 2014 will be July 12th-13th: A WEEKEND OF FUN IN THE RIVER DISTRICT!

We will have a garden walk, yard sales and an artist hop on Saturday, July 12th. On Sunday, July 13th we'll have a history tour and the third annual Beckley Park Neighborhood Potluck (from 5-8 pm).


Please join in the fun! If you would you like to your address to be listed on our map of happenings which will be available here after July 4th, contact the appropriate organizer--

Yard Sales: Sophia Luong sophia.luong(at)gmail.com
Garden Walk: Bertie Bonnell bbonnell(at)provide.net 
Art Hop: Maris LaPorter marislaporter(at)gmail.com 
Music at the Beckley Park Picnic, Matt McCummons matthewmccumons(at)gmail.com


 SATURDAY'S EVENTS:


YARD SALES:  

Here's some motivation to get your spring cleaning underway -- join the neighborhood yard sale! If you no longer have a place for your big, small, old, and new furniture, toys, art, and other items, consider selling to your neighbors over River Hop weekend on Saturday, July 12th. You choose when and how long to have your yard sale open for that day and we'll include your address on the list of yard sales that will be advertised/available on this River Hop website. Contact Sophia Luong at sophia.luong(at)gmail.com if you're interested and/or have questions. 



GARDEN WALK:  



Not your manicured fancy display garden for our neighborhood, but the backyard veggie patch, the curbside perennial plot, a quirky herb garden in colorful pots, a fabulous crop of tomatoes and green beans in a postage stamp space, as well as an English-style riot-of-color flower border is what we want for our tour.  Or maybe you have a gazebo or fountain feature we’d enjoy seeing. Totally weed-free, meticulously mulched, brick-paved gardens are great but maybe not our style.  River District gardeners are too busy and too creative for that.

The gardens will be open Saturday, July 12, from 12 to 5pm.  If you can only do certain hours, we’ll list them.  If you’d like to enter your garden, or to nominate a garden you admire, please email Bertie Bonnell at bbonnell(at)provide.net or call her at 769-6035.


ART HOP:


Attention all River District Artists, Craftspersons, Musicians, Writers:  Do you paint, draw, make pottery, textiles, sculpture?  Did you write a book? Put out  a CD of your music?  We are looking for people in the arts who would like to show/sell their work at their own homes on Saturday July 12th during the River Hop weekend events.  There will be a garden walk and yard sales going on at the same time around the neighborhood so this is a great opportunity to put your work out there for display or sale.  Send your name(s), address, and time on Saturday you will be showing your work to Maris Laporter:  marislaporter(at)gmail.com.  She will compile a list that will be advertised/available on this River Hop website.  

SUNDAY'S EVENTS:


HISTORY TOUR:

Patrick McCauley will give a talk and a book signing on Sunday (“Historic Ann Arbor:  An Architectural Guide”  by Susan Wineberg and Patrick McCauley) at Beckley Park, followed by a walking tour of architectural highlights on Pontiac Trail.  Time yet to be determined.


BECKLEY PARK POTLUCK PICNIC:

Come share some food and music with your River District neighbors from 5 to 8 pm.  Bring a dish to pass and your own beverage (along with plate, cup, and utensils--this is a no-trash picnic.)  Volunteers are needed to help with children's games, set up/clean-up, manning the compost/recycling bins, etc.  If you can help, please contact northsidernews(at)gmail.com.