Bowmanville Community Organization

August 18,2010

Veggie Bingo tonight!

Come out to the Hideout to support our community gardens.  Funds raised from Neighborspace Veggie Bingo on August 18^th will go to support the Bowmanville gardens.   Bring a few friends for a night of fun and prizes!

Join NeighborSpace and the Hideout in supporting Chicago community gardens. Veggie Bingo on August 18^thbenefits the Bowmanville gardens.  

Come and play for the chance to win amazing local prizes from Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks, Death’s Door Spirits, Revolution Brewery, Uncommon Ground, Publishers Group West and more!  

WHERE: The Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia.  

WHEN: August 18^th, Doors open @ 5:30, games begin @ 6 PM.  

WHO: The Hideout and NeighborSpace, Chicago’s land trust for community gardens.  

HOW MUCH: Cards are $1 a pop, or 6 for $5.  

Proceeds benefit a different Chicago community garden each week. Veggie Bingo is family friendly, but anyone under 21 must be accompanied by an adult.  Check out last week’s prizes and more at:   http://veggiebingo.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/bingo-9-beef-bread-and-bingo/    

GreenSpace Charrette #2 (Community brainstorming!)

Help us design our new GreenSpace. We’ve bought a piece of land – now as a community we get to define how we develop and use the space. Join us to help! We will build on ideas collected at our first session held in March.

Email any ideas, concept photos of something you’ve seen, or expertise you can offer to greenspace@bcochicago.org . Take a look at the spot – 5384 N. Bowmanville Avenue.  Read about it in the Summer Bee.  And come to the planning meeting to help create our newest oasis in Bowmanville.  Please fill out the GreenSpace Info Sheet and get it back to us: 

Click here to see the GreenSpace Flyer

Hope to see you Saturday
WHERE:  Tempel Steel Training Room – 5448 N. Wolcott Avenue

WHEN:  Saturday, August 21st, 1pm-3pm         

 RSVP:  greenspace@bcochicago.org or via facebook:  www.facebook.com/bcochicago    

Tunnel Talk

Join us to get things moving with our plan to do something fabulous inside the foot tunnel that connects Bowmanville to West Andersonville.  Local artists Sarah Laing and Amy Zoeller have hatched a plan to beautify the foot tunnel with public art.  They would like to have feedback from the neighborhood on potential design themes for the tunnel.  They are currently looking at images of gardening, sustainability, and the use of recycled materials.   It would be helpful if neighborhood businesses and residents can share their support of the project. 

Meet them at the tunnel to talk ideas and get involved:

WHERE:  Meet at the Foot Tunnel on Berwyn Avenue at Ravenswood

WHEN:  Saturday, August 28th, 1pm

RSVP: publicart@bcochicago.org or via facebook: www.facebook.com/bcochicago

Don’t forget the Ice Cream Social this Sunday August 15th, 2-4 pm

Picture This!. . . BCO Garden Walk Needs your Photographs!

Snap a pic and submit your vision of beauty

The Bowmanville Garden Walk is less than 2 week away! We need your photo entries for our 4th amateur photo contest.  At the Garden Walk all the photographs go on display and the visitors vote for their favorite.  The entry with the most votes wins a $50 prize and is used in the publicity for the Garden Walk next year!  

Deadline for entries has been extended to July 4th! 

Photo Contest Rules:

Must be an original, (Limit 5 photo entries per photographer)

Must be of a garden/landscape subject found in our local Bowmanville area (Can be a gardening themed subject, plant study, gardeners in garden a landscape or a close up.)

Must be at least 5” by 7” (8” by 10” or larger is preferred)

Call Craig Hanenburg at 773-294-2979 for more information

Last minute Garden Walk garden entries please call Craig ASAP!

Click here to download the entry form:

 Here are examples of the past winning photographs

 Billy Kuczek 2009 “Sit Next to Me”

Tom Kennedy 2008 “Garden Bench”

Victoria Sterling  2007  “Savanna Gateway”

Attention Bowmanville Neighbors!

Its not too late to sign up for the June 5th BCO Street Sale. 

The deadline for your entry form is TODAY May 21st.

We will squeeze you in if you hurry and drop off your application form to Barb Wolke at 2311 W Farragut.  Please drop off ASAP as the maps and packages are being finalized for distribution.  We are advertising in the media to get buyers from all over Chicago-land for your used treasures. Don’t Miss out! Click here to download the application form or go the BCO Web Site at http://bcochicago.org/events/streetyard-sale

For questions email events@bcochicago.org or call 1 866-837-1006

Monday March 22, 2010

Support the BCO! – Membership is about more,  than paying your $12. 

We need neighbors to pitch in together so that we can continue to run the events & projects that benefit our community.  How are you helping out?  Meet some neighbors and give an hour or two to the BCO.  And while you’re at it, join the BCO and go ‘dark’ for an hour on March 27th to advocate against climate change. 

Here are some easy ways to get involved in your community: 

• Help plan the June 5th Street Sale!  We need people to work with chairperson Barbara Wolke to pull off this event. We typically have 100+ homes in the sale.   Join the planning meeting on March 30th at 7:00 pm at Barbara’s home (2311 W. Farragut Ave).  We need help putting together packets, delivering packets & flyers, day-of event support, planning the after party and more.   Even if you can’t make the meeting there are ways you can help.  RSVP to events@bcochicago.org or 1-866-837-1006 to help. The time is NOW for this event.  We need your help.

• Help plan the July 10th Garden Walk!  This is a great event in Bowmanville with typically 20+ gardens on display.  There are many easy ways to help out.  Work with chairperson Craig Hanenburg to recruit gardens, put together promotional materials, arrange for day-of support (like judging, awards, gifts), staff a welcome table, distribute signs or flyers, donate food or drinks, & plan the after party.  Contact gardening@bcochicago.org  or 1-866-837-1006  to get involved.

• Become a block captain!  This new program needs neighbors to step forward to increase communication and safety in our community one block at a time.  We have designed an easy way for you to do this.  Check out: http://bcochicago.org/membership to find out how.  Contact membership@bcochicago.org to become a block captain.

• Get out in the gardens!  We need your help to keep Bowmanville beautiful.  Group workdays kick off Saturday March 27th at 9:30 am until 1:30 PM, and continue on the 4th Saturday of each month, through October.  We also work in the evening on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 6 PM until dusk .  Garden related education sessions are planned for the Saturday workdays at 11:30 AM, so you might learn something while helping out!  If you can’t make the workdays contact gardening@bcochicago.org for specific tasks you can help with on your own schedule.

• Be a Layout Designer for the Bowmanville Bee!  We have a new managing editor on board but still need more help with layout.  Do you know someone with graphic design skills willing to volunteer with us on our quarterly hardcopy publication?  Contact news@bcochicago.org 

• Go dark for an hour to take a stand against climate change! March 27th, 2010 at 8:30 pm local time is World EARTH HOUR!   One Hour. In the dark. Where will you be? Join the world and the BCO in shutting off your lights for just one hour. Earth Hour is a global call to action to every individual, business, school and community to take a stand against climate change.  Illinois is an official Earth Hour state with 29 schools, 10 universities, 13 cities (including Chicago), 35 organizations and 57 businesses signing the pledge to participate.  With landmarks like the Las Vegas Strip, the Pyramids of Giza, the Eiffel Tower and the Willis (Sears) Tower going dark, this event has quickly become the largest climate event in history.  Read more at www.earthhour.org.  Log on to the BCO Facebook page and see who else is going dark in Bowmanville.

Thank you! for all you do to make Bowmanville a great place to live!

Check us out on facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/bcochicago

Or on the web:  www.bcochicago.org

(this email is going to everyone on the current BCO email list)

Don’t forget this important Community meeting!

Bowmanville Green Space/Park Planning Meeting This Saturday March 6th

download the information flyer

 As part of the BCO’s quest to secure permanent green space within our community, the BCO GreenSpace Committee will host a charrette on

Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the

Tempel Steel Training Room

 5448 North Wolcott 

This charrette is a collaborative planning process harnessing the talents and energies of our community to create a plan for park development. This brainstorming session will help identify the community’s priorities, suggest potential uses for the open space on Bowmanville Avenue at Bell, and develop potential designs for this space at a conceptual level. The ideas generated at this meeting will help the BCO GreenSpace Committee develop a proposal that will be utilized to acquire support and funding for this project.

We are seeking input from all interested community members. Please join us in our efforts to maintain open space in Bowmanville by participating in this key meeting. If you plan to attend the meeting, please RSVP by email to Kris Neurauter at greenspace@bcochicago.org (this will help us set up chairs in the room and have enough materials for all)

For more information or to join the GreenSpace Committee, please email Greenspace@bcochicago.org or call the BCO Toll Free number at 866-837-1006.  We welcome your input. 

February Open Meeting

BCO Warm UP!

Thursday Feb 18, 2010

7:00 – 9:00 pm

North Community Bank – Bowmanville Branch located at 5241 North Western Ave

Join us for the first 2010 BCO General Membership Meeting! Open to all residents and friends of Bowmanville. Warm up with a hot drink and snacks and find out what is happening in Bowmanville.

Get updates on: Block Captain program, a Public Art project and our GreenSpace initiative.

Meet special guest Bridget Gainer, Cook Country Commissioner (10th District)

Meet some of our local business owners.
Win Raffle prizes! Visit with your neighbors! We hope to see you there. 

Hot Chocolate included!

There has been a noticeable increase of crime in our neighborhood since the summer. The incidents have ranged from a gang related shooting back in late June, to recent break-ins, petty thefts and graffiti. Please be sure you are reporting ALL incidents to the police – we hear about many of these incidents but do not see them all listed in the police beat info. Here are some incidents that residents have brought to our attention:

• Continue to call 911 whenever you see someone acting suspiciously or loitering in the neighborhood
• Call 311 to report graffiti
• Take precautions to keep you and your possessions safe
  • lock doors and windows
  • use alarms
  • lock cars
  • Lock gates
• Don’t assume that you and your property are safe just because you are at home
  • Use caution at all times

The BCO is working on setting up a ‘Neighborhood watch’ type of program in Bowmanville. We are looking for neighbors to help by becoming Block Captains. If you are willing to get involved to help keep our community safe and informed, please contact VP@bcochicago.org.