Unpaving Paradise P-Patch

Build your Block Challenge Finalists!

2011-04-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Unpaving Paradise is a finalist in the Umpqua Bank Build Your Block Challenge. Submit your vote in the Capitol Hill branch at the end of Broadway and help our P-Patch build a tool shed and composting center!

You can vote once a day until May 20.

More details on the Umpqua Bank facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/capitolhillumpqua

Thanks for your support!

Summit Slope Park Dedication

2011-04-25T13:37:00.000-07:00

Join us Sunday, May 1 for our official grand opening celebration! The dedication of Summit Slope Park begins at noon. There will be a maypole, musicians and Umpqua Bank and Starbucks will provide some goodies. At 1:30 a Seattle Tilth Master Composter will teach us how to compost and build health soil. Hope to see you there!

The Gardening Begins

2011-03-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

A few people started planting the day after we chose our plots, but March 19th seemed to be the first big push to get plants in the ground.

All pictures were taken by Shawn Brinsfield.

Taking Care of Summit Slope: UP P-Patch Gardeners and Starbucks Pitch in to Take Care of Park

2011-03-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

picture courtesy of Benjamin Benschneider/The Seattle Times

This lovely picture of Judy's peas in our new park and P-Patch is part of a rather gloomy article in the Seattle Times about how the Parks Levy paid for new parks but not for their continued maintenance. While the Parks Department's continued budget woes are certainly of concern, Summit Slope Park and Unpaving Paradise P-Patch have some resources that not every neighborhood park can count on.

First is the dedicated band of volunteers that have worked to plan and fundraise for the park and p-patch over the last three years, many of whom will become gardeners at Unpaving Paradise P-Patch and so stay active in the space's continued care. Second is a pledge by the Olive Way Starbucks to start and head up Friends of Summit Slope Park, a group dedicated to ongoing park maintenance. Many thanks to both groups for being good neighbors and pitching in to keep up our little piece of public land.

Our Patch is Filled with Peas!

2010-12-14T15:34:00.001-08:00

THIS WED! Dec. 1st - Burlap Quilting Bee for John and Summit Park

2010-11-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

There is an important 'burlap coffee bean sack quilting' get together tomorrow, Wednesday, all day and evening (9am to 9pm) at the nearby Seattle Presbyterian Church.

Unpaving Paradise will be amending the soil at John and Summit Park this Saturday (Dec. 4th at John and Summit starting at 9am) with rich nutritive greens and browns. When finished UP will put the soil to bed for the winter by covering it with mostly pre-assembled quilted-together burlap coffee bean sacks. UP wants to give a 'nice look' to the garden for the local community to admire over the winter months. Therefore getting the 500+ coffee bean sacks stitched together in shapes mirroring and custom fitting the designed plots is important. Not only for appearance but to quickly and deftly cover the soil without walking on the soil and compacting it.

The plan is to have pre-measured template patterns on the church floor and then to quilt together the coffee bean sacks to fit the patterns. Many of the sacks have been already stitched together in strips so as to save time on Wednesday's assembling project.

The stitching is simple and requires no previous experience. We will have all materials ready for you. And feel free to be creative by sewing in thick colored yarn!

Please come and help out even if only for an hour. There are two volunteers so far who are coming. Consider lending a helping hand.

They have free church parking on the north side of the building and you are allowed to park for free from 7 to 9 pm in the pay parking lot just across the Street (Howell). The Church (located just behind the Seattle Central Community College) is a block south of East Denny. The quilting bee will be in the downstairs Fellowship Hall; entrance thru church's north side parking lot.

1729 Harvard Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122-2227

John & Summit Bedspread Work Party - Saturday, Dec. 4th

2010-11-30T23:03:00.000-08:00

We have a Bedspread Work Party coming up. This time we'll be spreading coffee chaff, chocolate mulch and leaves on the beds, then covering the whole thing with burlap "bedspreads" for the winter. Come join the fun!

When: Saturday December 4th, 9AM (Rain, snow or shine . . . we're working!)

What: Distributing organic coffee chaff, chocolate mulch and leaves into the garden beds, then covering it all up with our burlap bedspreads

We won't need shovels, rakes and wheelbarrows this time, just small tarps, buckets and gloves. If you have small tarps, please bring them. We have everything else you'll need to help.

We really need your help! Come and bring your friends, too! We'll be moving soil in rain, snow or shine.

Delicious coffee and treats are being provided!

Please RSVP to Barbara at gingergooddog@gmail.com so we know how many to expect.

(Even if you forget to RSVP, come garden with us!)

A copy of a delightful flyer for you to view and post is coming soon.

See you Saturday!

Soil-Moving Party!

2010-11-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

Help fill the John & Summit P-Patch community garden at the

SOIL-MOVING PARTY!

Friday, Nov. 19 @ 11am
Saturday, Nov. 20 @ 9am

We'll work whether rain, snow or shine. Come by and help all day or just part of the day.

We have the tools, but please bring work gloves, shovels, 5-gallon buckets & wheelbarrows if you have them.

Treats and warm drinks will be provided.

We hope to see you there!

Save the Dates!

2010-11-09T14:53:00.000-08:00

Please mark these dates in your calendar:

Friday & Saturday, Nov. 19-20

We'll be getting dirty! And we'll need everyone's help.

More Details to come soon, so check back.

Help get P-Patches included in the new Capitol Hill park

2010-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

You're Help is Needed!

A new park is coming to Capitol Hill at the corner of Federal & Republican. Help is needed to get P-Patches included in the park. If you would like to get involved or stay informed, join the Federal & Republican listserv by emailing FedRepPark-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

John & Summit P-Patch Nov. 2010 Meeting Agenda

2010-11-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

We will covering these topics at the Saturday, Nov. 6 meeting:

Welcome and introductions

Being a part of the P-Patch Program

Individual Responsibilities
Volunteer Hours and Plot Activity
Lettuce Link

Status of Unpaving Paradise P-Patch

Shed
Compost Bins
Soil Committee

Next steps

Join a committee: Soil, Compost, Communication, Stewardship
Form any additional committees that might be needed

November John & Summit P-Patch Meeting

2010-11-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Join a work committee. Share your thoughts. Learn about the progress made so far and what needs to be done by year end.

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 at 10:00 am
Capitol Hill Public Library

Meet and grow with the community. See you there!

Pictures from the 6/5 Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale

2010-06-24T18:39:00.001-07:00

Without further ado, pictures from the Unpaving Paradise-sponsored Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale. All photos are courtesy of Dennis Saxman.

6/5 - UP at the Capitol Hill Garage Sale!

2010-06-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

What: Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale Day
When: June 5th, 10am to 3pm in the empty 500 E Pine Block, between Summit and Belmont. Times vary at other garage sale map locations
Web: http://www.capitolhillgaragesale.com/

June 5th is the date for the neighborhood spring cleaning extravaganza, The Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale! Come check out the recycled treasures and meet the neighbors at sale sites all over the Hill! The Community Council's Open Space Committee, Unpaving Paradise, is sponsoring the CHCGS again this year and we'd love it if you came to visit our booth at the big community sale site on 500 E Pine St. between Summit and Belmont.

Unpaving Paradise is accepting donations of goods to sell to raise funds for the upcoming John and Summit Park and P-Patch. Please consider donating. Not only is it a great way to pass on your wonderful stuff to other people, the funds go to support a fantastic community garden and green space. Even better, the donation is a tax deductible contribution!

Unpaving Paradise is seeking:

Tables and chairs for sale day
Groundcoverings for sale day
A canopy for sale day
Volunteers to help with staffing the sale (It'll be fun and you can meet the neighbors!)

If you have items to donate or would like to help out at the day of, please email us at unpaving.paradise@gmail.com.

To sign up and participate in the selling good times: Register your sale for free at capitolhillgaragesale.com and be included on the Official Garage Sale Map. Sign up for an affordable $20 community space in the empty lot at Belmont and Pine. (Hurry! Space is limited.)

Groundbreaking and more groundbreaking - Pictures!

2010-06-01T16:34:00.000-07:00

First, I want to post a picture of the actual groundbreaking of the park that started just last week!

After two years of work and waiting, this is so exciting to see! (thanks to Shawn Brinsfield for the great picture :)

Now, here are some pictures from our groundbreaking party back in April. While we (sadly) weren't allowed to actually break ground, we did get to celebrate the imminent start of construction for our very own park and P-Patch at John and Summit.

Here's to a quick construction and a park by the end of the summer!

4/17 - Groundbreaking Party for John and Summit Park

2010-04-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

After almost two years of hard work, Unpaving Paradise is happy to announce the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the park and P-Patch at John and Summit.

Details will be out next week, but we wanted to give members of the community an opportunity to participate in the celebration by offering a chance to perform. We're looking for a few variety acts, we won't have access to amplification for this event, so bands can't be taken, but if you have a great juggling act or other type of non-electricity needing act, or know someone who would be interested in performing, please contact us at unpaving.paradise(at)gmail.com by Monday, April 12th.

The Groundbreaking is scheduled from 2pm-3pm on Saturday April 17th. Hope to see you there!

Buying the next park on Capitol Hill: Federal and Republican Acquisition

2010-03-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

As you may know, the Parks Dept. has been working to acquire the empty lot at Federal and Republican in order develop it as a park. The site is near Lowell Elementary and has been empty for at least two years - it was cleared in expectation of a townhouse development that never occurred. The acquisition of Federal and Republican by Parks Dept. will go forward as long as it is approved by the City Council. The bill for the proposed acquisition will go to a vote in the full City Council session on Monday, March 29 at 2 p.m (you can see the meeting agenda here).

The Open Space Committee of the Capitol Hill Community Council/Unpaving Paradise supports the acquisition of this site for the following reasons:

The site is at a good location on a quiet residential street that is near the main thoroughfare of Broadway Ave. E.
The site is 12,000 sq.ft., larger even than the 9,600 sq.ft. park and P-Patch to be at John and Summit.
This acquisition will help fill a need for open space in the Capitol Hill Urban Village area (see Gaps in Usable Public Space - Capitol Hill map).
The site is flat, accessible, with good sun exposure, and is located where there are “eyes on the park” in order to discourage inappropriate activities.

We encourage community members to either attend the City Council meeting on Monday to give public comment or send emails encouraging City Council to pass this measure and authorize the purchase of the land at Federal and Republican. Public comment will take place during the first 15 minutes of the City Council meeting; you may want to come early in order to sign up for 2 minute slot to speak.

Emails for the Seattle City Council:

sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov
tim.burgess@seattle.gov
sally.clark@seattle.gov
richard.conlin@seattle.gov
jean.godden@seattle.gov
bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
nick.licata@seattle.gov
mike.obrien@seattle.gov
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov

John & Summit Update: Bidding is open and Diamond Parking Lot is closed!

2010-03-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Two notes of note from the Parks Dept. concerning John and Summit Park:

From Kelly Davidson, our John and Summit Project Manager

Bids opened yesterday for John & Summit. We received nine bids, four of them where below the engineer’s estimate with all additives. This means that we will award all additives; sidewalk repair, ROW planting and retaining walls for the p-patch area.

We are working with DEA to determine that the current low bidder meets all of the qualifications necessary to initiate the contract. Once that is complete we will move forward with the contract and narrow in on a Notice to Proceed Date.

I’ll provide updates as I have them. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

~ Kelly Davidson (kelly.davidson(at)seattle.gov)

From Joelle Hammerstad, Parks Dept. Communications:

Seattle Parks and Recreation will permanently close the parking lot at 200 Summit Ave E. on Friday, March 26, 2010 at 3 p.m.

Parks purchased this .21 acre property in 2007 with funding from the Pro Parks Levy and is happy to announce that construction is moving forward for this new park on the western slope of Capitol Hill.

The park project develops the existing parking lot into a park that includes a terraced walkway and P-Patch gardens.

Click here for the website with details of the park development project.

~ Joelle Hammerstad (joelle.hammerstad(at)seattle.gov)

A name for John and Summit?

2010-01-04T00:56:00.000-08:00

First of all, I'm delighted to write that John and Summit P-Patch is to be named "Unpaving Paradise P-Patch" in acknowledgment of the work we have all done to make this community garden space happen. Unfortunately, the naming of John and Summit Park is going to be a little more complicated.

Earlier this week, Parks sent out a press release announcing that John and Summit Park would be named "Perugia Park" after Seattle's sister city in Italy. About a day after the naming press release went out, Parks decided that would not be the official name for John and Summit. This was due to community concerns about the naming a park after Perugia on the heels of the recent verdict in the criminal case in that same city involving Seattle resident Amanda Knox (you can read the whole story here).

Unpaving Paradise is going to use this episode as an opportunity to do two things. First, we will petition the Parks Naming Commission to consider a name that is more connected to the Capitol Hill community. While Perugia is a fine city and a fine name for a park, at present the only thing community members associate it with is murder and scandal. We'd prefer that the Parks Naming Commission use our entry for a name, "Paradise Park" after Unpaving Paradise, in order to associate the space with all the dedication and hard work the community put forward in order to make the full John and Summit park design a reality.

Next, we will reach out to the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association (proponents of the name "Perugia Park") to see if we can work together on the next green space that Parks is to acquire on Capitol Hill. The next set of Pro-Parks acquisitions are set to occur in the next year or two, with planning and development to follow in a year or two after that. In a few years time and with the partnership of the Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association, the name "Perugia Park" will bring to mind the work that the SPSCA does with the Capitol Hill community to build a great park rather than the site of a contentious murder trial.

If you'd like to support our proposal to name John and Summit "Paradise Park", please email a letter of support to Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher (timothy.gallagher@seattle.gov) and Parks Naming Commission liaison Paula Hoff (paula.hoff@seattle.gov).

Rundown of this week's meeting about John and Summit Park

2009-12-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

Hong and I met up with Kelly Davidson (Parks coordinator for this project), Craig Skipton (consultant on this project from Mithun) and Casey Hildreth (our Seattle Dept. of Transportation point person for possible street vacations) earlier this week to talk about how the John and Summit project has progressed over the last few months. Here's the exciting news:

* According to Casey Hildreth of SDOT, there are many different ways that we can improve and pedestrianize John St. in order to better incorporate it into the park. Some possibilities include roadway narrowing/closure, parking removal, and the installation of a landscape strip for use as further gardening space.

Any work on John St. would need to be a second stage of the development for the park - this WILL NOT be covered by the planning or budget that Parks has currently for John and Summit. However, it is still an excellent opportunity to pursue in the next year. If anyone is interested on working on this, please email Unpaving Paradise at unpaving.paradise@gmail.com.

* John and Summit park is at 95% design, and will go through the Parks Dept. 95% design review very soon. Once that's finished, Mithun will be able to complete the design for the park and p-patch, and then the project will be ready go out to bid. The John and Summit project will likely go out to bid in January or February 2010, and groundbreaking is anticipated for March.

* One of the final design details that was presented to us was the addition of a recycled steel border around the P-Patch area to delineate it from the lawn and landscaping areas - up until now the construction of any bed borders would be left up to the community. This border would be included if the John and Summit project comes in under bid, which is a distinct possibility since the bad economy makes bidding a lot more competitive on good sized projects like this one. The use of recycled steel is a good sustainable and aesthetic choice: it is a good reuse of a long lasting material and it matches the steel support walls already in the design along John St.

I don't know about you, but now I'm certainly looking forward to March!

~ Jen Power
Chair, Unpaving Paradise
Capitol Hill Community Council

unpaving.paradise.blogspot.com

Park(ing) Day Seattle Prize Winners!

2009-09-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

Tastiest prize: Zen Cakes and Zines (Park(ing) Day Central Park, Bluebird gift certificate)

image courtesy of gravitysalad

Most Multi-Modal: Bike Works (Columbia City, ZipCar gift certificate)

Most Playful: 4-PLAY (Park(ing) Day Central Park, games from Gamma Ray Games and Bucephalus Games)

Greenest Park: Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Wallingford, gardening books from Spine and Crown Books)

Best Execution: Park N Play by Perkins + Will (Downtown, Victrola coffee and shirt)

Most Original (Grand Prize): air.stream by Signal to Noise (Park(ing) Day Central Park, $200 and custom trophy)

image courtesy of gravitysalad

Congratulations Park(ing) Day Seattle prize winners! More pictures to come!

(If not otherwise attributed, pictures are courtesy of the lovely Jen Power, Unpaving Paradise's fearless leader/photographer)

Paradise Unpaved - UP at Park(ing) Day Central Park

2009-09-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 18th was a fabulous day to spend in the park. I could write all about it, but the best way to show you is in pictures:

Here's our lovely garden, and below is our fine and upstanding park activity: picking out new sites for parks on Capitol Hill, courtesy of the Parks Department and acquisitions money from the last Pro-Parks Levy.

image courtesy of gravitysalad

Also, the lovely model of John and Summit Park, courtesy of Mithun, set to become a reality late next year :)

Kicking it with the Zen Cakes - Jacob Sayles of Office Nomads fame chats up the women of WorldChanging.com.

image courtesy of gravitysalad

Web Crowell, Renaissance Man: animator, Capitol Hill Community Council representative, and now founder of Under Pressure Seltzer Works.

Cookies (and moocher) courtesy of Seattle Arts and Lectures.

And look! We made it into the news! If you look closely, you can see Capitol Hill Community Council President Jen Power walking behind Denise Whittaker and she talks about John and Summit Park.

If you'd like to see more, you find more pictures about Park(ing) Day Seattle at People's Parking Lot (of course), the Slog, CHS Blog, and Flickr (thanks gravitysalad!).

Tabling at the Cap Hill Farmer's Market - 9/6

2009-08-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

Spend time with the delicious organic veggies and talk up Unpaving Paradise this Sunday, Sept. 6th at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market. If you're in town, it's not a bad way to spend your Labor Day Sunday. We need volunteers from 10:45am until 3:20pm - if you're interested just email us at unpaving.paradise(at)gmail.com with the hours you can volunteer.

Park(ing) Day Posters and Prizes

2009-08-31T23:03:00.000-07:00

Our event partner People's Parking Lot has an update on prizes that have been donated thus far for the Park(ing) Day Seattle Prize...and have we mentioned that first prize is $200 plus a magnificent and super-secret trophy?

They've also come up with the nifty poster you see to your left. If you'd like to help spread the word about Park(ing) Day and Park(ing) Day Central Park, print out a passel of posters and put them put them up around the neighborhood.

Park(ing) Day 2009

2009-08-16T20:07:00.002-07:00

Unpaving Paradise is taking part in Park(ing) Day 2009 (Friday, September 18th). For those who don't know, Park(ing) Day is about making car spaces (parking spots) into people spaces (temporary mini-parks). The mini-park we hosted on Broadway as part of Park(ing) Day 2008 was a huge success - we got visits from the Seattle PI, Q 13 News, and about half of the neighborhood to boot.

This year Unpaving Paradise is taking part in Park(ing) Day Central Park, a collection of mini-parks hosted by neighborhood organizations and businesses in the empty lot at 500 E Pine. We need volunteers to set up, take down, and hang out at the park during the day. Set up will likely begin at 8am. Take down time is yet to be decided, but will be after 6pm.

If you're interested in participating, please email us at unpaving.paradise(at)gmail.com with hours you can volunteer. If you're busy on Friday, September 18th, we can also use help making and distributing flyers, gathering prizes for the Best Park in the City awards, and generally spreading the word about the event.

For more info, see this CHS Blog post.

Fundraising Update

2009-08-16T20:07:00.001-07:00

As of this last week, Unpaving Paradise made the August deadline and raised enough money to fulfill the construction budget for John and Summit Park. While we still plan on raising money for some of items that will go in after the park/P-Patch is built (tool shed, benches, art pieces), the Parks Department now has all the money it needs to start bidding out the project. We'll keep you updated, but if everything goes according to plan, Parks should break ground at John and Summit at the beginning of next year.

UPDATE: Chill 'n' Grill on the Hill

2009-08-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

For some pictures of the evening of all-ages awesome (with free City Market hot dogs, hamburgers and soft drinks and a line-up of diverse and talented local bands including Mighty Tiger, Eagle Seagull, Norey, Viva la Villain and The Autumn Electric), clicky here.

7/5 - UP Outreach at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market

2009-07-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

Your friendly neighborhood gardeners will be tabling at this Sunday's Capitol Hill Farmer's Market. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com.

Community Supporter: Half Price Books

2009-06-25T15:53:00.000-07:00

Half Price Books just donated $1,750 to Unpaving Paradise through its corporate environmental initiative. The Capitol Hill location led the way in pooling the environmental grant money from stores all over the Seattle area to give to the park at John and Summit. Our friendly neighborhood Half Price Books has also been kind enough to host an info table on UP and the park-to-be - if you have a chance to visit, it's on the top floor just to the left of the stairs.

8/4 - UP to co-sponsor Cap Hill Chill 'n' Grill

2009-06-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

August 4th is the Seattle Police Department's "Seattle Night Out". "Night Out" is a nation-wide crime prevention event that the City of Seattle participates in by waiving the fees for blocking non-arterial streets, thus encouraging block parties all around the city.

This year, Cafe Metropolitain and Unpaving Paradise are co-hosting one of the block parties of the "Seattle Night Out": The Capitol Hill Chill 'n' Grill. There will be free food and entertainment for the whole family, booths with information about neighborhood non-profits, and plenty of time to chill out and meet your neighbors.

If you'd like more information or you're interested in volunteering during the event, please email us at unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com.

UP booth at Pride Festival CANCELLED

2009-06-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

Unpaving Paradise will not have a booth at this year's Capitol Hill Pride Festival.

Potential volunteers: visit the Festival, play Calvinball in the park, and generally enjoy your day off! Have a Happy Pride Weekend!

John and Summit Park and P-Patch: A Project Pertinent to Our Economic Times

2009-06-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you saw a kid in an ad salivating over fresh produce? Ah, those were simpler times with more interesting hosiery (note the nifty seam down the back of the lady farmer's legs - scandalous!).

While we're not on rations and the battles we fight are different, home-grown produce can still play a large role in making our lives affordable and sustainable. In short, our local food is still fighting for us here and around the world. Support your local Victory Garden/ P-Patch today!

Pictures from the Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale

2009-06-15T21:36:00.001-07:00

Justin Carder of CHS Blog and the main organizer of the Cap Hill Garage Sale. He put his time and money into making this event happen - you can help him break even by donating here.

The Amazing Sale: The Community Lot of the Cap Hill Garage Sale

Above and below: our absolutely fabulous booth, courtesy of Panache.

Garage Sale Saturday - UP at the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Garage Sale

2009-06-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday's Capitol Hill Garage Sale was a smashing success for the participants and a big hit with the neighborhood. There were over 70 registered sales and over 30 of them (including UP's) set up shop at the community lot on Pine and Belmont.

The unaccustomed activity on the long-empty lot drew as many people and more as all previous flyering and advertising. Neighborhood excitement and ideas about the present and future activation of the space were recorded by People's Parking Lot, co-sponsor of the Cap Hill Garage Sale and the group responsible for securing the lot for the event. You can see some great People's Parking Lot pictures of the Sale here and see the list of the all the ideas that PPL gathered here.

The UP sale was also a success - we helped some residents get rid of their extra stuff, we had many opportunities for community outreach and we made a grand total of $280.65 (not bad for a day's work!). We also had the most fabulous booth in the entire sale due to a generous loan of equipment from Panache on Broadway. Neon fluffy umbrellas, fake plants, pink flamingoes - it was amazing.

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible - our volunteers (thanks Hong, Josh, Becki, Thomas, and Jen!), our "sale stock" donors, CHS Blog, People's Parking Lot, Panache, Sustainable Capitol Hill, and last but not least, everyone who patronized the Capitol Hill Garage Sale this weekend. You are all amazing!

We need volunteers! - The Capitol Hill Garage Sale and the Capitol Hill Pride Festival

2009-06-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

As we may have mentioned before, June is going to be a very busy month for Unpaving Paradise. Last Sunday's Farmer's Market went wonderfully - the weather was nice, the volunteers hardworking (thanks Josh, Pinar, Micah, Becki and Thomas!), and the Capitol Hill Garage Sale flyers proved so popular we had to run down the street to make more! But we cannot yet rest on our laurels, because the Capitol Hill Garage Sale and the Capitol Hill Pride Festival are coming right up and we still need volunteers for both these events.

Unpaving Paradise will have a sale at the Pine and Belmont community space of the Capitol Hill Garage Sale next Saturday, June 13th. Because UP is a sponsor of the event, we hope to get enough volunteers to run our own sale and to help coordinate the CH Garage Sale as a whole. The sale will run from 10am to 4pm, but we'll need volunteers from about 9am to 5pm so we can do donation pickup, set up, take down and donation of unsold items as well. This event will be outside, but UP will have an canopy over our space.

Unpaving Paradise will also have a booth at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival on June 27th. The Festival will run from 11am to 4pm, but we will need volunteers from about 10:00am to 5:00pm so we can set up and take down the booth. Our presence at the Pride Festival will mostly be about outreach, but we also hope to be able to sell some rainbow bandanas as a fundraiser. This is also an outdoor event, and UP will have a canopy over our booth.

If you are interested in volunteering at either event, for any period of time, please email unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com to sign up!

UP in the news

2009-06-03T14:45:00.003-07:00

Seattle PostGlobe: Capitol Hill to get P-Patch

6/27 - UP Booth at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival

2009-06-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

June is a busy month for Unpaving Paradise! Along with co-hosting the Capitol Hill Garage Sale and tabling at the Farmer's Market, UP will also have a booth at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival on Saturday, June 27th. The Festival will run from 11am to 4pm, and as always, we need volunteers to help run the booth and tell our neighbors all about the park-to-be at John and Summit. If you're interested in volunteering at the UP booth or to poster for the event, please contact unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com.

6/7 - UP Tabling at the Cap Hill Farmer's Market

2009-06-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

We'll be at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market again this Sunday - hope to see you there! If you'd like volunteer, please contact unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com.

John and Summit has just been awarded $150,000!

2009-05-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

Dear UP,

Below is an email from Su-Jn Chon, a project manager at the Department of Neighborhoods. She confirms what we've been hoping for the last few days would come true - John and Summit Park is now almost fully funded due to an allocation from the new Parks Levy P-Patch Development Fund.

We will continue to fundraise and hold outreach events, if not at such a hectic pace as before. There are a few things we could use money for, such as a tool shed, compost bins, and a continuing maintenance fund. However, we can now rest assured that there will be a magnificent park and P-Patch at John and Summit by next year.

It was because of the backing of the whole community that the City decided to fund this project. Thank you all so much for your past and continued support.

~ The Unpaving Paradise Steering Committee

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear Unpaving Paradise,

Congratulations! The Parks Levy Oversight Committee reviewed the P-Patch list of projects slated for the first quarter of the new Parks Levy funding. The committee approved the $150,000 we allocated to the John & Summit P-Patch Development. We are excited to partner with the Parks and Recreation Department to get this wonderful project off the ground quickly and growing fresh parsnips!

Thank you for your stewardship to your neighborhood and the community-at-large.

SuJ'n Chon
City of Seattle - Department of Neighborhoods
Program Manager, P-Patch & Neighborhood Matching Fund programs

6/13 - UP is co-hosting the 2nd Annual Capitol Hill Garage Sale

2009-05-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Unpaving Paradise is proud to co-host this year's Capitol Hill Garage Sale along with CHS blog and Sustainable Capitol Hill. If you're interested in having your own sale that day, go to the Capitol Hill Garage Sale website and register your rummage. If you'd like to help with organizing for the sale beforehand or the day-of, please email us at unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com. Keep an eye on the UP blog for more news on the Sale as the date comes closer.

Mark it down on your calendars - June 13th, 2009 is guaranteed to be a day-long neighborhood bargain-fest!

Tabling at the Farmer's Market

2009-05-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

This last Sunday was the first Capitol Hill Farmer's Market of the year, and we were there to enjoy the bounty and spread the word about the park and P-Patch to be at John and Summit. UP will be at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market every first Sunday of the month through the end of the year - if you're interested in tabling, please email us at unpaving(dot)paradise(at)gmail(dot)com.

Above and below: our intrepid outreach team in action.

Thanks again to this Sunday's volunteers, and to Shawn for his time and photographic skill.

6/13 - UP is cohosting this year's Capitol Hill Garage Sale

2009-05-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the Guitar Hero Showdown

2009-04-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

A note: partway through the event, the Guitar Hero Showdown turned into "Let's hang out and play Rock Band". Despite the alternation of our evening's plans (or perhaps because of it), Unpaving Paradise met new friends and fun was had by all.

The band

The adoring fans

Lord of the Drums

Katherin holds the fort

The band: The Reunion Tour

Reminder: The Guitar Hero Showdown is this Saturday!

2009-04-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Rock out for the park-to-be at John and Summit! Get drinks at Happy Hour prices and battle your friends and neighbors for Guitar Hero supremacy for only $10. The festivities will start at 8pm and go until around 11, or whenever the Guitar Hero of Capitol Hill is revealed. This event is hosted by the Capitol Hill Community Council on behalf of the John and Summit Park.

For the serious contenders, we've listed the Showdown rules below:

The competition will begin at 8:00 p.m. You may arrive up to one hour early to sign-in and warm-up, if you wish. Registration & check-in closes 15 minutes before the start of the tournament.

Registration fee is $10.00 per participant; 100% of this goes to the park.

If you are a competitor and are late to your competition round, a forfeit will be called and you will be eliminated from the competition.

The competition will be run according to three ‘brackets’ corresponding to difficulty level – Medium, Hard & Expert; thus, if you are a Medium, you will not compete against someone who is an Expert. You must declare your skill level at sign-in and may not switch after registration has closed at 7:45pm. For each level, selected songs will become progressively more difficult as you move forward.

Songs for each round will be pre-selected. The initial round will consist of 2 (or 3 as time permits) songs.

The winner will be the player with the highest total score (points), NOT the player with the most correct notes. The winning contestant will move on to compete with another winning contestant in the winner’s bracket whereas the contestant with the lower score will then play against another losing contestant in the loser’s bracket. Contestants will be randomly matched-up and announced before the start of the tournament.

In the event of a tie (total score within 100 points of each other), the contestants will compete again with an additional pre-selected song.

Final rounds will be best two out of three songs in both the winner’s and loser’s brackets.

** In the event that there are only two contestants for a given skill level, both contestants will be allowed to play in the final round, but will again be judged according to highest total score. The player who won the preceding round will be awarded 25,000 points that will be added to their final score as a bonus for winning the previous round.**

There is no pausing allowed. If a player intentionally pauses the game the Event Moderator has the authority to disqualify that player. Any accidental pausing will be reviewed.

Any mishandling of equipment (throwing of guitar, hitting guitar or game console, breaking buttons or whammy bar of guitar, damage of TV, etc.) will result in elimination from the tournament and paying for damages incurred.

All rulings of the Event Moderator are final. The format may be altered to best accommodate the number of players.

Volunteer Pledge Forms are due April 11th!

2009-04-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

As part of our fundraising for John and Summit Park, Unpaving Paradise is applying for the Neighborhood Matching Fund's Large Project Fund. We'd like to include as many volunteer pledge forms as we can with our grant when we submit it to the Department of Neighborhoods. Not only will this show that the community is committed to getting a park and P-Patch at John and Summit, volunteer hours are valued at $15/hr as a match for the NMF Grant.

The volunteer pledge form is below. Please send it to unpaving.paradise@gmail.com by April 11th!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ATTACHMENT: MATCH PLEDGE FORM FOR: _____________________________________

Project: John and Summit Park/ Unpaving Paradise

The individuals, businesses, or organizations listed below commit to donate volunteer time, materials, or services for the above project.

Note:
+ Physical improvement projects require 1:1 match ratio (applicant is responsible for matching the equivalent of $1 for every $1 requested)
+ All other projects require a ½:1 match ratio (applicant is only responsible for matching the equivalent of $.50 for every $1 requested)
+ Volunteer Labor is valued at $15 an hour
+ In-kind Professional Services is valued at up to $75 an hour

Name (Please Print):
Street Address and ZIP Code:
Phone:
Email:
Signature:
Number of Hours Pledged:
Value ($15/hr):
Kinds of Volunteer Activities:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4/25 - Guitar Hero Showdown at Cafe Metropolitain!

2009-04-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Open House Update

2009-03-12T21:43:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who joined us last night at the open house. We had a great time talking about the park-to-be and enjoying Vermillion's cozy cafe space (thanks Diana!).

A big part of the meeting was discussing how community members can get involved in the park-building efforts. The details about our volunteer opportunities are listed below.

We're looking for volunteers for four different functions:

Fundraising

Assist with the grantwriting process
Search for funding sources (governmental, private foundations, private donors) & following up on them
Organizing the "brick sale" fundraiser

Outreach

Postering
Getting the word out online (email/Facebook/website)
Talking to & networking with interested groups/businesses in the neighborhood
Take charge of our ads in The Stranger

Volunteer Recruitment

Bring in more volunteers and figure out who could be where & when

Event Planning

Organize monthly UP events (like our Guitar Hero contest in April)
Putting together outreach materials (posters, notices)
Coordinate with other volunteer groups to increase attendance/participation at events

Please drop us a line at unpaving.paradise(at)gmail.com you'd like to help out with any of these functions. Also, please let us know if you have ideas about ways you could help that are not listed above. We welcome any suggestions and encourage you to speak with your friends and neighbors about UP.

3/11 - Open House!

2009-02-25T00:33:00.000-08:00

You are invited to Unpaving Paradise's Open House on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:30pm at the Vermillion Art Gallery and Wine Bar (1508 11th Ave). Please join us for useful information and lively discussion about the continuing community fundraising project for John and Summit Park/P-Patch. Also, there will be tasty snacks courtesy of local businesses.

Find out how you can make a garden and park a reality at John & Summit!

Friday 3/13 - The Copper Vine's B-day

2009-02-18T00:41:00.000-08:00

Unlucky for some, but lucky for us; The Copper Vine (1315 E Pine St) is celebrating its 2nd birthday on Friday, March 13th and it's giving us a present:

The Copper Vine Turns Two! Join us from 5-8pm to celebrate 2 years of plants, gardening & growing on Capitol Hill. A percentage of each sale will be donated to Unpaving Paradise.

Also, the Copper Vine is still giving away little lemon trees to anyone donating to Unpaving Paradise.

2Thurs ArtWalk and The Copper Vine's Birthday

2009-02-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

The Copper Vine (1350 E Pine St.) is supporting UP once again by donating $1 of every purchase made during the Capitol Hill Art Walk to the park-to-be at John and Summit. The next Cap Hill Art Walk will be Thursday, February 12th.

Also, since The Copper Vine is celebrating its 2nd birthday on March 1st, it's giving a present to the park!

Happy Birthday To Us!
The Copper Vine turns 2 on March 1st. When we opened our doors, we had a beautiful lemon tree with large, yellow lemons. That tree was eventually purchased by a customer but we kept one of the lemons. Its seeds produced these little plants.

To celebrate our birthday, we will be giving away these plants to customers who make a donation to Unpaving Paradise. For more information, see the donation jar by our deck chair!

2/12 - Streets for People Forum

2009-02-06T23:20:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Great City Initiative has invited Unpaving Paradise to present at the Streets for People Kick-off Forum. The Forum will be at SLU Armory on February 12th from 5 to 7pm. Come and listen to speakers, check out the street fair, and visit us at our booth!

"Streets for People" is a campaign focused on created a better and more sustainable future for transportation in Seattle. The forum will be focused on Streets for People's goal of building "a broad based public campaign to transition our streets away from an auto-centric approach to one that treats streets as public places, and prioritizes them for walking, biking and transit."

If you're interested in coming to the forum and helping us spread the word about the community's vision for John and Summit Park/P-Patch, please email unpaving.paradise@gmail.com. This will be a great outreach opportunity for Unpaving Paradise, so we wouldn't mind having a few more volunteers!

2/10 - UP presents to the EDNC

2009-02-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Unpaving Paradise will be presenting the community's vision and fundraising plan for John and Summit Park/P-Patch to the East District Neighborhood Council on Tuesday, February 10th.

This presentation is an important step toward getting a Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant for the park/p-patch - the EDNC plays a big role in rating community projects from the Capitol Hill, First Hill, Central District and Madrona neighborhoods. Please attend and give us your support!

If you'd like to help present to the Neighborhood Council or if you'd just like to cheer us on, the meeting will be from 6:30 to 8pm at the Capitol Hill Branch Library. This will be a normal meeting of the EDNC, so there will be plenty more interesting neighborhood issues on the agenda as an added bonus :)

Wii Sports + Faire = Awesome

2009-01-19T20:37:00.001-08:00

Good times were had by all at the Wii Sports Tournament this last Saturday. Thank you to everyone who came to battle for Wii supremacy and support John and Summit park!

Hong takes on Wii Bowling

Vinny goes for a home run; Allison and David keep score

David takes a break and tries his hand at the game

Our winnters:

John

and

Razz!

Wii Sports Tournament this Saturday!

2009-01-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

When: Saturday, January 17, 2009 02:00 PM - 01/17/2009 06:00 PM

Where: Faire Gallery and Cafe - 1351 East Olive Way

What: Battle for Wii supremacy at the first annual Wii Sports Tournament! Pizza for all and prizes for the winners. $10 entry fee - all proceeds go to the park-to-be at John and Summit.

Hosted by the Capitol Hill Community Council

Capitol Hill Art Walk/2nd Thurs at The Copper Vine

2009-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Copper Vine (1350 E Pine St.) will donate $1 of every purchase made during the Capitol Hill Art Walk to the park-to-be at John and Summit. Visit, have a snack, and learn more about the fundraising efforts. You may even bring home a little photosynthesizing friend.

The Capitol Hill Art Walk is now from 5-8pm on the 2nd Thursday of every month. See their MySpace page for a full listing of participating businesses along the Pike/Pine corridor.

Solstice Sunday - Support Local Businesses and John & Summit

2008-12-19T02:07:00.000-08:00

Celebrate the longest night of the year with the 1300 block of Pine St! Bootyland, The Copper Vine & Whimsy invite you to join them Dec. 21st from 4-7pm for a Solstice evening of cider, cookies & great deals on last minute gifts.

For each customer that mentions Unpaving Paradise when making a purchase, The Copper Vine will donate $5 to the park-to-be at John and Summit!

Snow Cancellation - CHCC Holiday Potluck

2008-12-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

The CHCC Holidays Potluck has been rescheduled for January 9th. Please join us then for food, a warm fireplace, and getting to know your neighbors!

Holiday Potluck with the Capitol Hill Community Council

2008-12-08T21:56:00.001-08:00

Join the Capitol Hill Community Council on Thursday, December 18th for our first annual holiday potluck. We're gathering from 7-9pm at the Cal Anderson Shelterhouse to eat tasty food, meet our neighbors, and gather in front of a lovely warm fireplace.

Meet the Council, bring your favorite food of the season, and hear what we're planning for the New Year!

John and Summit Needs YOU! - Love from the blogs

2008-11-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

Capitol Hill (Park) Stimulus
Justin Carder Wants You! (To Save the John & Summit Park)

Thanks to Justin and Comrade Bunny for bringing our cause to the blogosphere!

Shinka Tea presents: John & Summit fundraising promotion

2008-10-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Shinka Tea is delighted to support Unpaving Paradise in its fundraising efforts.

Join us any Monday or Tuesday evening between now and the end of the year for dessert and sake or tea and we will donate a portion of your ticket price to Unpaving Paradise*. For tickets of $10.00 or more, we’ll donate 10% of the total ticket price. For tickets of $15.00 or more we’ll donate 15% and for tickets $20.00 or more we’ll donate 20%. Just mention this offer to your server when you pay.

In addition to dessert, we’re also promoting five of our favorite loose leaf teas to help support Unpaving Paradise. Purchase 8oz or more of Gyokuro, Ti Kuan Yin, Golden Pu’erh, Earl Grey or Rooibos any day until the end of the year and we will donate 10% of the purchase price** to Unpaving Paradise. Just mention this offer to the barista when you order your tea.

*Offer expires 12/31/08. Only valid with purchase from dessert menu. Offer does not apply to retail items. One donation per ticket; one ticket per table or group. Donation is calculated before tax and tip.

**Offer expires 12/31/08. Offer does not apply to any food or drink product, retail item or prepackaged tea. Donation is calculated before tax and tip.

About Shinka Tea:

Shinka Tea was founded in 2003 by two friends to bring an authentic Taiwan-style teahouse to Seattle. Locally owned and with two locations, Shinka Tea offers a unique menu of all natural shaken tea and blended, frozen drinks as well as a selection of high quality loose leaf teas available by the pot or in bulk.

Shinka Tea
1703 E Olive Way
Seattle, WA 98102
206-709-7868

www.shinkatea.com

Drag Charity Bingo extended to first Sunday of November!

2008-10-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

That's right everyone, you get an extra week to give $5 to the park and enjoy the charms of Giggles Galore and Bingo Boy Marc! Come by the Cafe Metro, bring your friends, and win fabulous bingo prizes!

Our first big fundraiser - Drag Charity Bingo at the Cafe Metropolitain

2008-10-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Giggle Galore and Bingo Boy Marc have been kind enough to have the proceeds of October's Drag Charity Bingos go toward the development of John and Summit Park. Yay, our first big fundraiser!

Drag Charity Bingo is held at the Cafe Metropolitain every Sunday from 8pm until 11pm. You can find the Cafe Metropolitain at the corner of Olive and Boylston. Bring your friends!

National Park(ing) Day Pictures

2008-09-23T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a selection of pictures of the CHCC National Park(ing) Day park, courtesy of Catherine Antsett. To see the rest of her Park(ing) Day 2008 Seattle gallery, visit her website.

Justin and Sauntina load 'em up.

Mithun's amazing park model....

...Saunatina's amazing piggy bank

Charlette one on one with Kery Murakami from the Seattle PI

Jen braves the camera of Q13 Fox News

And finally, a baby.

Thank you to the volunteers who made this park happen - Saunatina, Justin, Charlette, Michelle, Hiromi, Nanette, and Jen! Hurray for Trust for Public Land and the Seattle Parks Foundation for making this as easy as they could! And thanks to our neighbors, who listened to our spiel, donated to the cause, and hung out with us in the park.

Hurray for Park(ing) Day 2008!

The good news and bad news from the last Parks meeting

2008-09-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

The good news and bad news from the last Parks Design Meeting

Good news: Design looks awesome!
Bad news: We now have to raise almost double the money we thought we did.

Thank you Justin for your great synopsis of the September 10th Parks design meeting for John and Summit!

National Park(ing) Day = Success!

2008-09-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

National Park(ing) Day was great! The CHCC/Unpaving Paradise mini-park looked amazing, and the event proved not only to be a great outreach opportunity, but a good fundraising one as well. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!

Pictures coming soon...

Wait, look - our first picture!

Courtesy of Justin and the Capitol Hill Seattle blog.

We need volunteers for National Park(ing) Day!

2008-09-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Unpaving Paradise needs your help! Our first major outreach event, National Park(ing) Day, is coming up on Friday, September 19th - we'll be setting up a mini-park for the day in front of the Vivace espresso stand on Broadway near Thomas St.

We need folks to give us a hand setting up the park, sitting at the park during the day giving out information and flyers, and taking down the park at the end of the day. Set-up will be between about 8 and 9am and take down will be around 6 or 7 and will take about an hour as well.

We also need help putting up flyers advertising the event. The flyers need to go up ASAP, so please email us right away if you want to help.

Please email unpaving.paradise@gmail.com and sign up!

New Logo

2008-09-01T22:19:00.001-07:00

David Sepulveda, a graphic design student from Seattle University, was kind enough to create the logo that is now the header of the blog and the logo to the right. He did all the work free of charge, which was super nice of him - thanks again David! If anybody has work for the aspiring artist, email us at unpaving.paradise@gmail.com and we can send along the requests to him.

Pretty soon you'll be seeing one or both of these logos on posters all over Capitol Hill advertising our Park(ing) Day mini-park - keep your eye out!

Hurray! Press Coverage!

2008-08-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Jen and Saunatina got interviewed last week for the Capitol Hill Times - the community fundraising effort for the John and Summit Park is one of this week's top stories! Click here for the full article.

WorldChanging Seattle just did a piece on National Park(ing) Day - click here for the full article. We posted a comment about the Unpaving Paradise park on Broadway. Here's hoping lots and lots of people see it :)

And here's Jen and Saunatina in their picture for the paper - thank you to Doug Schwartz for taking such a great picture!

Come see us on National Park(ing) Day - Friday, Sept. 19th

2008-08-29T16:45:00.001-07:00

National Park(ing) Day is, according to the Trust for Public Land website: "an opportunity to celebrate parks in cities and promote the need for more parks by creating temporary public parks in public parking spaces". Unpaving Paradise is participating in this year's Park(ing) Day and will have a mini-park on Broadway, right in front of the Vivace coffee cart. Come and visit - buy a coffee, enjoy the (temporary!) greenery, and learn more about the fundraising efforts for the John and Summit Park. We'll be there all day!

Welcome to the Unpaving Paradise Blog!

2008-08-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Hey community members! Welcome to our new space for news and updates.

Unpaving Paradise P-Patch

Build your Block Challenge Finalists!

Summit Slope Park Dedication

The Gardening Begins

Taking Care of Summit Slope: UP P-Patch Gardeners and Starbucks Pitch in to Take Care of Park

Our Patch is Filled with Peas!

THIS WED! Dec. 1st - Burlap Quilting Bee for John and Summit Park

John & Summit Bedspread Work Party - Saturday, Dec. 4th

Soil-Moving Party!

SOIL-MOVING PARTY!

Friday, Nov. 19 @ 11amSaturday, Nov. 20 @ 9am

Save the Dates!

Help get P-Patches included in the new Capitol Hill park

John & Summit P-Patch Nov. 2010 Meeting Agenda

November John & Summit P-Patch Meeting

Pictures from the 6/5 Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale

6/5 - UP at the Capitol Hill Garage Sale!

Groundbreaking and more groundbreaking - Pictures!

4/17 - Groundbreaking Party for John and Summit Park

Buying the next park on Capitol Hill: Federal and Republican Acquisition

John & Summit Update: Bidding is open and Diamond Parking Lot is closed!

A name for John and Summit?

Rundown of this week's meeting about John and Summit Park

Park(ing) Day Seattle Prize Winners!

Paradise Unpaved - UP at Park(ing) Day Central Park

Tabling at the Cap Hill Farmer's Market - 9/6

Park(ing) Day Posters and Prizes

Park(ing) Day 2009

Fundraising Update

UPDATE: Chill 'n' Grill on the Hill

7/5 - UP Outreach at the Capitol Hill Farmer's Market

Community Supporter: Half Price Books

8/4 - UP to co-sponsor Cap Hill Chill 'n' Grill

UP booth at Pride Festival CANCELLED

John and Summit Park and P-Patch: A Project Pertinent to Our Economic Times

Pictures from the Capitol Hill Community Garage Sale

Garage Sale Saturday - UP at the Capitol Hill Neighborhood Garage Sale

We need volunteers! - The Capitol Hill Garage Sale and the Capitol Hill Pride Festival

UP in the news

6/27 - UP Booth at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival

6/7 - UP Tabling at the Cap Hill Farmer's Market

John and Summit has just been awarded $150,000!

6/13 - UP is co-hosting the 2nd Annual Capitol Hill Garage Sale

Tabling at the Farmer's Market

6/13 - UP is cohosting this year's Capitol Hill Garage Sale

Pictures from the Guitar Hero Showdown

Reminder: The Guitar Hero Showdown is this Saturday!

Volunteer Pledge Forms are due April 11th!

4/25 - Guitar Hero Showdown at Cafe Metropolitain!

Open House Update

3/11 - Open House!

Friday 3/13 - The Copper Vine's B-day

2Thurs ArtWalk and The Copper Vine's Birthday

2/12 - Streets for People Forum

2/10 - UP presents to the EDNC

Wii Sports + Faire = Awesome

Wii Sports Tournament this Saturday!

Capitol Hill Art Walk/2nd Thurs at The Copper Vine

Solstice Sunday - Support Local Businesses and John & Summit

Snow Cancellation - CHCC Holiday Potluck

Holiday Potluck with the Capitol Hill Community Council

John and Summit Needs YOU! - Love from the blogs

Shinka Tea presents: John & Summit fundraising promotion

Drag Charity Bingo extended to first Sunday of November!

Our first big fundraiser - Drag Charity Bingo at the Cafe Metropolitain

National Park(ing) Day Pictures

The good news and bad news from the last Parks meeting

National Park(ing) Day = Success!

We need volunteers for National Park(ing) Day!

New Logo

Hurray! Press Coverage!

Come see us on National Park(ing) Day - Friday, Sept. 19th

Welcome to the Unpaving Paradise Blog!

Friday, Nov. 19 @ 11am
Saturday, Nov. 20 @ 9am