Friends of Candler Park

What will we do this year?

2010-05-27T10:44:00.000-04:00

The June 12th work day will also be a business meeting for the first 30 minutes to set the agenda for the year's projects. We'll meet at 8:30 AM inside the park.

We need your input! JoJo

<---- this could be our Park!

Spring Recap

2010-05-27T10:40:00.000-04:00

The Friends of Candler Park were hard at work this past month removing and relaying all the pavers in front of the pool house. In an attempt to improve the drainage, we sweated it out removing and laying down more sand creating a slight slope towards the wall corners and sidewalk. Additionally, we replaced some of the worse-off broken pavers with 20 new ones donated by George Dusenbury. Thanks Curt, Mark, George and Walt for all the hard work on Saturday and the Monday before the 420 Festival.

The Easter Bunny hit Candler Park this past month in another great Egg Hunt sponsored by the Friends of Candler Park. The turn out of egg hunters and families was great this year. Bob Ross – my dad - took pictures of our beautiful Candler Park families that can be found at bobrossphotography.com. Next year we plan to have more eggs and will ask for parents to bring one dozen filled eggs for hiding to make sure we can accommodate all our hunters. Thanks to everyone who came out, helped out and dressed up as the EB (Chris Warburton of Mansfield Ave.).

Please join the Friends of Candler Park for their monthly work day the second Saturday of each month at 8:30 AM. The June 12th work day will also be a business meeting for the first 30 minutes to set the agenda for the year's projects. We need your input! JoJo

Easter Bunny in Candler Park

2010-04-05T14:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks for another great Egg Hunt! I hope you all had fun and found some eggs. If you're looking for your photos please visit bobrossphoto.com Enjoy!

December workday

2009-12-10T16:06:00.002-05:00

Next time you’re taking a stroll in our lovely park be sure to cruise by the pool house and admire the work of the Friends of Candler Park’s December 5th workday. Thanks to Park Pride who donated the materials, and tools, we planted were able to plant 6 trees – 2 elms, 4 crape myrtles – and over 300 bulbs! This spring expect to see beautiful daffodils all around the pool house and wall. The tree’s roots are all received a warm winter coat of mulch as well. Check out the album below for pictures of the day!

Candler Park

Screen on the Green

2009-08-31T14:27:00.002-04:00

We'll be back in the park Saturday September 26th to view Madagascar 2! Come out and bring some cash because donations are always accepted for the awesome glow necklaces, popcorn and popsicles. It's first come first serve until we're out so get there early to find your perfect blanket spot.
If you or your business is interested in making a cash donation, a door prize donation or just want to volunteer contact me at ross.jojo@gmail.com
Looking forward to another fun event!

2009-04-21T10:49:00.001-04:00

Electronic Recycling

2009-04-16T14:45:00.001-04:00

The City of Atlanta will host one of the largest single-day electronic waste collections in the southeast.
Saturday, April 18 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Turner Field’s Orange Lot.
For more information, please call Councilmember Smith’s office at (404) 330-6039
http://www.atlantaga.gov/media/nr_electronicwaste_041409.aspx

2009 Spring Electronics Recycling Day in Decatur – Postponed from March 28th.
Saturday, April 25 • 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Decatur High School Parking Lot
Call 404-377-5571 for information.
(Corner of N. McDonough Street and Howard Avenue)
http://www.decaturga.com/cgs_citysvcs_sfm_electronics.aspx

Keep Atlanta Beautiful, Midtown Neighbors’ Association, Grady High School & Georgia E-Waste
Third Saturday of every month from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
8th St. parking lot
http://www.keepatlantabeautiful.org/programs/Grady-Midtown_rec-eWaste.pdf

Eggstrodinary day in Candler Park

2009-04-13T10:45:00.002-04:00

We had a great 2nd Annual Egg Hunt in Candler Park this past weekend. The rain held out for us and neighbors met and had a great time sampling cookies from the Mercantile, creating foam necklaces and finding eggs! If you'd like to see the pictures taken please check out the following link:
Enjoy!

Hippity Hoppity the Egg Hunt is on it's way!

2009-02-27T11:28:00.001-05:00

The Friends of Candler Park is proud to present the 2nd Annual Egg Hunt in Candler Park on April 11th. Festivities start at 10 AM.
Come for pictures with the Bunny, face painting and family fun! Yummy Goodies supplied by the Mercantile. If you would like to help, donate plastic eggs, or any skills please contact JoJo (ross.jojo@gmail.com) or join us at our regular meeting.

Get ready for April Showers with the Friends of Candler Park!

2009-02-27T11:19:00.002-05:00

This year we've got some great activities planned including a rain barrel making workshop in March (just in time for April showers!). Join your neighbors and build friendships and a rain barrel. Neighbor Rebecca Frye will be guiding us through the process which she completed last spring. Along with your enthusiasm please bring the following materials (we'll have the tools):

* 55 gallon food grade barrel (can be found usually on Craigslist on internet sites that sell barrels - $20 plus shipping from http://www.arizonabarrels.com/)
* 3/4 inch water faucet with washer and ring
* 1.25 inch PVC pipe for overflow
* Gutter cap, hose clamp and window screening for the intake
* Flexible gutter connector to connect the gutter to the rain barrel

The materials (barrel plus the above) should be about $30 tops. The Ace in VA Highlands has all the materials and have been very helpful for Rebecca. For more information and pics of the process check out Rebecca's website greenvilleamerica.com/rainbarrels.htm

Novemeber Meeting Notes

2008-11-18T20:13:00.002-05:00

Hello Friends!
Please see the notes below from our meeting on Monday Nov. 17th.

Remember the meetings are at 6:30 before the monthly CPNO meetings (3rd Mondays of the month). If you were unable to attend please feel free to jump on board with any of the projects below or if there's something else you have an interest in let me know!

Friends of Candler Park 2009 Calendar

Workdays 2nd Saturday of each month at 8:30 AM

December
Workday project: playground tree mulching
Event:

January
Workday project: planting at entrance
Event:

February
Workday project:
Event:

March
Workday project:
Event: rain barrel construction Rebecca Frye

April
Workday project: Sweet Water fest. beautification
Event: Saturday April 11th 2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt-JoJo & Chris Warburton

May
Workday project:
Event: bicycle safety with Atlanta Bicycle Campaign
atlantabike2.org (404) 881-1112
-JoJo & Mark

June
Workday project:
Event:

July
Workday project:
Event:

August
Workday project:
Event:

September
Workday project:
Event: movie in the park-George

October
Workday project: Fallfest beautification
Event:

November
Workday project:
Event:

December
Workday project:
Event:

Workdays
Plantings
Invasive removals

Event Ideas
Picnic w/ live music
Making rain barrels with neighbor Rebecca Frye rebeccahr@bellsouth.net
Family Field Day
Education events-stargazing, nature walks, bird watching

Fundraising ideas
"I'm a Friend of Candler Park!" campaign
Eat Out for Candler Park
Flying Biscuit-George Dusenbury
Mercantile-Janea Boyles
San Francisco Coffee Co.- JoJo
San Fran & Java Vino coffee sales
Pint for the Park-the Porter, Corner Tavern, Brewhouse, Vortex

Current Projects
Wall

Project assignments:
Business program-Janea
Community gardens investigation-Carter
Plantings for front entrance-Tom to put us in touch with GA Natural Plant Society rep
George-park movies events
Fundraising opportunities with Park Pride-JoJo

New Meeting Day & Time

2008-11-03T11:55:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends,
We have decided to change our meeting time to the 3rd Monday of the month at 6:30 PM. This is immediately BEFORE the monthly CPNO meeting. The meeting will take place in the First Existential Church 470 Candler Park Dr., NE Atlanta, GA 30307-the same location as the CPNO meeting. See you there!
JoJo

Friends update and meetings

2008-10-09T15:06:00.002-04:00

Operation Boot Camp has generously donated 4 realtor signs for us to advertise our work days, websites & group! We should be receiving them this week and we'll put them on McLendon Ave!

Our monthly meeting will be postponed until further notice due to lack of participation. Please email ross.jojo@gmail.com if you'd like to participate and we can meet!

July Messenger Article

2008-06-27T13:23:00.001-04:00

This past month the Home Depot Foundation came to Candler Park for a work day. Volunteers cleared the drainage area of invasive species as well as spent some time at the pool entrance. At the pool, they laid pavers to create a little patio that will bring more attention to the entrance to the pool. The future plan is for a small brick wall enclosing 3 sides of the patio to further designate the entrance and create a space for community events. Thank you Home Depot Foundation for starting this effort! If your office is looking for a team building event keep your favorite park in mind for a work day.

Upcoming Candler Park Events:

Monthly work days on the first Saturday of the month continue this summer: meet us inside the park at 8:30 AM. Our business meetings are on the second Thursday of the month, 7pm at 270 Elmira Place.

Pack a picnic and watch a movie in Candler Park! The Friends of Candler Park will have a movie night in Candler Park on Saturday, August 2nd. The movie will begin as it gets dark and will be a family friendly film. We will be accepting donations for the park at the event.

Remember to check friendsofcandlerpark.blogspot.com for the most recent Friends of Candler Park news and to vote for a movie!

Freedom Park Garden Spring/Summer Update

2008-06-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

June 17, 2008

Mockingbirds overthrown-bluebirds rule! Yes, the mockingbirds have been pushed off of their perch on the bluebird box and the bluebirds have established a nest! And the bluebirds were feeding young this week. The robins also have crowded the mockers off the birdbath. The garden is no longer mockingbird hill-tra la.

Now in bloom: Wine cups, Purple Coneflowers, St. John's Wort, Rising Sun Tickweed, Butterfly Weed and Larkspur.

Butterfly garden planting:
We planted a special butterfly garden in the third driveway of the garden area on May 10. After we prepared the soil we sowed seeds of butterfly attracting flowers (many of which have since sprouted). Later Phil Edwards, Master Gardener, planted many native butterfly attracting plants: fennel, butterfly weed, bee balm and parsley, among them. Thanks to volunteers Gail Todd, Pandra Williams and Stella Chamberlain for their help.

Bird News:
A Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) visited the garden earlier this month. This little bird is a full time resident in this area and is often seen eating seeds under feeders. Its easily identified by its rusty cap and ground foraging habit. Its "chip", from which it gets its name, can also help with identification. Chipping sparrows build their cup shaped nests in trees or vines up to 11 feet off the ground. They can have two broods a year averaging 4 eggs per brood. This bird might be nicknamed the camel bird as it can live on dry seeds without drinking water for up to three weeks. (The Birder's Handbook, Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Simon and Schuster, 1988). Also seen near the garden recently: Red-headed Woodpecker, American Robin, Chimney Swift, White-breasted Nuthatch, European Starling and that ole Northern Mockingbird. Also the pool is open! The bird bath had some visitors shortly after I put fresh water in the other day-a Tufted Titmouse and two Mourning Doves

Butterfly News:
Butterflies are around in force this month. The Cabbage White (Artogeia rapae) and Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) are frequenting garden areas even as I write. Cabbage Whites are hereby outed as non-native, having been introduced in Canada in 1860. They've since spread out all over North America. They're those white butterflies (about 1 1/2 inches in size) with one or two white spots on their wings and slightly charcoal wing tips. The Gulf Fritillary, about 2 1/2 inches in size, is a bright orange butterfly with black spots ranging throughout the southern United States. Its favorite nectar plants are phlox and lantana. (National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies, Alfred A. Knopf, 1998) Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) vines are one of as its larval host plants. We've just planted this vine in the garden.

Highlighted Plant: St. John’s Wort
(Hypericum frondosum) St. John's wort, a deciduous shrub, is native to the southeastern United States, usually occurring on rocky hills, in limestone glades and barrens. It is drought tolerant. The gray hairstreak butterfly lays its eggs on St. John's wort. Caterpillars eat the foliage. Adult butterflies sip flower nectar. The plant was named for St. John the Baptist because it blooms around the day of his feast. It does best in full sun, but will tolerate partial shade and prefers some shade in the hottest climates.It grows to 2-4 ft tall with about the same width. It likes well drained soil. It sports bright yellow flowers late spring to early fall. It can be propagated by cuttings or sowing seeds outside in the fall. We have two St. John's Worts in the garden. St. John's Wort has been used as a treatment for depression and is also said to help in decreasing alcohol intake.

Workday 6-6-08: Volunteers Bob Sattelmeyer, Cecilia Marrero, Pandra Williams, Dorothy Dabbs and Phil Edwards and I watered and weeded the garden and cleaned the adjoining sidewalk. Also twenty new plant markers were added. Pandra had invited Connie Gray, Ecological Resource Specialist with DeKalb County, to see the garden. Connie gave us some great input.

Thanks, too, to:
Janea Boyles for again helping with gray water (Janea, by the way, runs The Mercantile in Candler Park, which uses "sustainable local ingredients" prepared in an "environmentally conscious" way. (See www.themercantileatl.com for complete information). Also thanks to: Jennifer West who donated some bricks which we used to heighten the wall of the butterfly area and to Robert McLeod who's been watering the garden when he can with his own gray water.

Help, help!
We can always use some help with watering and weeding. If you'd like to be signed up for a workday or would be willing to water occasionally, please email me. If you happen to be passing the garden feel free to deadhead the flowers or pull up some crab grass or other weeds. Or if you have an extra gallon of gray water our plants can always use a cool drink (couldn't we all?).

Good links: http://www.ecoaddendum.org/ This is a link to Ecoaddendum, a project to bring native plants back to the Metro Atlanta area, spearheaded by Pandra Williams. http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/ Thanks to Tom Painter for info about this link-to a guide to native plants of Georgia-most useful. Once you get to the site, type in "B987" ( the publication number) in the appropriate area.

Thanks for your time and good gardening, good birding and good butterflying to all,

Carol Vanderschaaf

Survey Results

2008-06-09T17:25:00.007-04:00

Pool Paza

2008-06-07T09:55:00.006-04:00

This past Friday the Home Depot Foundation worked in our lovely park. They mulched, cleared invasive species from the water drainage area AND started the new pool plaza area. The above is the plan from Park Pride as well as a pic of the new pavers they painstakingly put down.

Work Day

2008-05-05T13:41:00.002-04:00

We had a fantastic and productive work day this past Saturday where we removed invasive species from the basketball court area. Attendance was very good, about 15 neighbors came out to do their part for the parks. Thanks goes to Starbucks for donating coffee!

Freedom Park Bird & Butterfly Garden Work Day

2008-04-28T12:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a chance to help our Park Neighbor, Freedom Park

Freedom Park Bird and Butterfly Garden
Saturday, May 10, 9:30-11:30.
Need volunteers to help prepare a small "butterfly meadow"
Duties: help compost and til the area, spread seed, some planting and weeding in existing garden.
Bring: hoes, water for plants(gallon jugs), and garden gloves.

Ongoing needs: Help with watering during periods of drought, keeping bird bath clean and full, occassional help with weeding.

Benefits: Learn about native plants, birds and butterflys, help establish a permanent educational garden in our community.

2008-04-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

JoJo get's a shout out in Park Pride's Newsletter!

2008-04-17T10:39:00.002-04:00

Taken from Park Pride's Spring 2008 Newsletter.

director
As some of you may know, Candler Park is my park. It’s where my
family swims; plays touch football, baseball & tennis; runs around the
playground and enjoys the annual Candler Park FallFest.
It’s a great park, only two blocks from our home, and we love it. We
have planted trees there, landscaped a new entrance, and spent many
weekends clearing underbrush, spreading mulch and picking up trash.
However, as I have dedicated more and more time to Park Pride, I
have given less and less time to Candler Park.
This winter, I met Jo Jo Ross, a fairly new resident, who runs
“Operation Boot Camp” in Candler Park. She is ready to take up the
slack and lead the community efforts in our park. While I always
focused on physical improvements, Jo Jo wants to focus on small,
informal programs that bring folks into the park – bird watching,
movie nights, stargazing and environmental education, especially for
kids.
Our contrasting approaches highlight a choice that all friends of
the park groups face: how best to direct the time and effort of its
members and volunteers. Jo Jo wants to strengthen the Candler Park
community by bringing residents together for fun activities in their
parks. I, on the other hand, am an adherent to the Park Pride Tee
Shirt motto: “Beautiful Parks Require a Little Dirty Work.”
The good news is that there is room for both approaches – and both
benefit your park and your community. Even better, Park Pride has
programs and resources to support residents however they are engaged
in their park.
To learn more about these resources, simply contact Park Pride, or
attend our conference, or take our parks tour and see what other
communities are doing in their park.
You probably will be surprised at all the resources, know-how and
support that are there to help you make a difference.
George Dusenbury

2008-04-10T21:50:00.003-04:00

The Friends of Candler Park’s first annual Candler Park Egg Hunt was a smashing success! Over 100 kids were on hand to search for eggs, make necklaces and eat yummy treats.

A BIG thanks to The Edgewood Caribou Coffee, Michelle Brawner of the Coca Cola Company for water, The Mercantile for its rock candy, balloon animals, cookies and constant support and Regina Brandt for eggs and egg contents.

Special kudos go to Mansfield Avenue’s Chris Warburton...for dressing in a giant bunny costume.

There are more pics at my dad's photo website rjross.smugmug.com . If you enjoyed yourself at the egg hunt, please consider donating to the Friends of Candler Park via parkpride.org–just make sure you specify that your donation is for Candler Park!

We look forward to more events for our neighborhood and to seeing you all in the park at 8:30 AM on Saturday, May 3rd for our next work day. Our next meeting is scheduled for 7 PM on Thursday, April 10th at the home of Milissa 279 Elmira Place. Feel free to email me for more info, to donate items for other events or to share your Egg Hunt photos! ross.jojo@gmail.com

Things you can do to help Candler Park

1. Volunteer to help the Friends of Candler Park Dog Park Committee (we are investigating interest in an off leash dog area but need someone to head the effort)
2. Help us care for Candler Park on May 3rd
3. Donate to Candler Park: http://www.parkpride.org/donations.html

Stalking the Wild Egg

2008-04-10T21:46:00.001-04:00

Children of all ages are invited to join the Friends of Candler Park on Saturday, March 22 to search for hidden eggs
inside our beautiful park. The fun begins at 10 AM. Along with the egg hunt, we’ll have face painting, photo ops with a
giant bunny and yummy goodies from The Mercantile.

On February 21st the Friends of Candler Park met for our regular meeting and discussed the following:
• The Candler Park usage survey showed that we use our park for 1. walking, 2. pet walking and a tie for 3. jogging and relaxing
• Work day Saturday May 3rd. Invasive species removal around the basketball court.
• Voted to support the Green Committee during the Fall Fest.
• FCP will have advertising space at the Operation Boot Camp 420 fest booth to ensure we have booth coverage for the weekend.
• Talked about how the money from the ING cheering zone could support the park-maybe with a walking trail to support the usage survey results
• We discussed the process of getting a dog park in Candler Park and voted to begin work on it. First step being a survey.

Our next meeting is Thursday March 13th, 7PM at Java Vino (579 North Highland...please don't forget to buy
something delicious to enjoy during the meeting as we use the space in trade!)

I heart Candler Park-JoJo Ross

2008-04-10T21:28:00.001-04:00

I love Candler Park and I feel most people living here and reading this feel the same way. I think of Candler Park as a haven between "big city" livin' and the small town you watched on Leave it to Beaver. Downtown Little Five Points keeps us funky and fresh (and from saying things like "Golly!") but just a few blocks off the busy square are the patterned sidewalks, stoic trees, and old homes that are signatures of our neighborhood. Even more of a trademark is our beautiful Candler Park on McClendon Avenue.

I am fortunate enough to make it to the park about 5 days a week and while spending time there I started wondering what ways I could get involved in keeping it in its best condition and ensuring it remains a safe place for our community. I contacted Tom Painter, CPNO Environment Officer, and he patiently listened to my long list of ideas for the park. He offered his ideas and then came his question "Well, what do our neighbors think is important for our park?" Tom, you are so good. I proposed we reinvigorate the Friends of Candler Park.

The Friends of Candler Park is an organization aimed at caring for and promoting the use of Candler Park. In recent history, there have been clean ups organized with little attendance and I wonder if it's because people don't think our park needs any cleaning up. We are lucky enough to be living in a time when Candler Park is safe, not heavily inhabited at night, and not used as a general dumping ground. That being said, it is not without needing care. There is a need for not only garbage clean up, but also for landscaping. We need to ensure our park remains one that discourages illegal behavior and remains as safe as possible. I invite all of you to take ownership of our park, make it your backyard and become involved in its care and advocacy. Join us in deciding what the top priorities for the Friends of Candler Park should be Thursday January 14th 7pm at Java Vino.