North End Farmers Market Opens Season, Offers Double Dollars and Kids Market Programs

North End Farmers Market will open its season this Friday with over a dozen vendors selling
fresh bread, milk, eggs, produce, flowers and more! From 12-1 pm, there will be prepared lunch
offering from Tandoor Indian Restaurant and soulful music by local musician, David Davis.

The Market will once again be offering its Double Dollars Incentive Program, which matches the
amount of money spent by customers using federal and state benefits, bringing more food into
the homes of families. Additionally, the market will offer our North End Kids Market program to
North End youth. This innovative program gives the kids involved tokens to shop at our farmers
market and teaches them about the environment, eating healthy, budgeting and the importance
of knowing where your food comes from.

DATE & TIME: Friday June 22, 2012. 10 AM – 2 PM.
The market is held every Friday through the end of October.

LOCATION: Corner of Main St. and Liberty St., Middletown, CT.

www.northendfarmersmarket.org

The Farmers Market is a project of the North End Action Team. It is made possible through partnerships with CT Department of Agriculture and Wholesome Wave. The North End Kids Market is supported by the Rockfall Foundation and the City of Middletown.

Wholesome Wave is a national nonprofit, working to increase access to and affordability of
fresh, local produce in underserved areas while supporting local farms. www.wholesomewave.org.

EDC Deals w/ Vacant Property, Proposed Sportsplex

The city might finally have a plan and purpose for a nuisance property on Portland Street.

The now-vacant lot at 20 Portland Street had been occupied by a derelict residential building which the city finally took possession of and demolished several months ago. Since then, they have been seeking a use for the property. At its monthly meeting on September 12th, the Economic Development Committee approved a proposal by Joseph Salamone of Peyton Properties, which owns #18 Portland Street next door. Under the proposal, the site would be split between a driveway for Salamone's tenants and a community garden maintained by the North End Action Team (NEAT).

NEAT's Executive Director, Izzi Greenberg noted "We would rather not own the property, we'd rather have the city own it with NEAT responsible for the liability and upkeep." If the city continues to own the property, it would grant easements to Peyton Properties and NEAT. The committee also discussed selling the lot to Peyton, which would then lease it to NEAT. The proposal was approved with the stipulation that the city attorney would determine the best method of having the parties share the lot.

Committee chairman Gerald Daley noted that the proposal solved two neighborhood problems: a lack of off-street parking and a lack of green space. Member Joe Bibisi said "There are a lot of kids down there, maybe 30 kids with no green grass. There's no place for them except the street."

Committee member David Bauer wondered if there might be another future use for the property, since the city has already incurred an estimated $140,000 dealing with the lot. Bauer was the lone dissenter in the vote on the proposal. "We're not so flush with cash that we can't think about what is best for the grand list", he said.

The committee also heard from two Rocky Hill men seeking help in renovating a former manufacturing building into an indoor athletics training facility.

Gary Sekorski and Glenn Rowland plan to lease the former Mohawk Manufacturing building at 1270 Newfield Street (next to NAPA Auto Parts) and convert it into the "Advanced Sportsplex Training Center". They've obtained a Small Business Administration loan, but less than they applied for. So, Sekorski said "We're standing here to say 'what can the city do to help a new business stay in business?'"

The two coaches-turned-businessmen said they would be investing $685,000 to convert the building shell, mostly with 'leaseholder improvements' such as lights, air-conditioning, and installing an artificial turf field.

The Sportsplex would offer young athletes and youth leagues instruction, training, and practice facilties. Rowland said the new business might provide as many as 30 full- and part-time jobs for instructors, referees, concession stand workers and others.

The committee unanimously approved a 3-year partial tax abatement for the complex, which Sekorski and Rowland hope to open by December 1st.

After meeting in executive session, the committee also unanimously approved a modified repayment schedule for The Inn At Middletown, extending the current schedule by two years.

Finally, the next meeting of the committee was rescheduled for Tuesday October 11th because of the Columbus Day holiday.

Next North End Night Market: August 9

Join us on Tuesday August 9, 2011 for our second North End Night Market.

We will have fresh and organic produce for sale from local farms. Esca head chef Joe Bucholz will cooking on site at the market and The Whey Station Grilled Cheese truck will be selling their delicious gourmet grilled cheeses and cheese by the pound from Beltane Farms and Cato Corners Farms.

The Green Dahlia will be on at the market selling locally grown plants creatively designed and Connecticut grown.

We are also excited to have Zen Roasters coffee, Raw You-niverse smoothies, The Hartford Baking Company Breads and Lizzie B’s iced coffee and treats.

Rani Arbo& Daisy Mayhem will be providing amazing music to keep the folks at the market dancing. Daisy Mayhem has been called "Playful and profound” by the Boston Globe and are sure to keep your entire family entertained.

There will be a kids craft area for the little ones, as well.

For more information on the North End Farmers Market please visit our website at www.northenedfarmersmarket.org

The concert series is generously sponsored by Green Street Arts Center, Oddfellows Playhouse and the North End Action Team.

First North End Night Market Next Week!

The first North End Night Farmers Market is next Tuesday, July 19th from 5-8 pm. We'll have great produce vendors, food vendors (dinner, anyone?) and live reggae and funk music by Buru Style.

Go to the website for more information. www.northendfarmersmarket.org

North End Farmers' Market Season Finale

Today from 10 to 2 in front of It's Only Natural Market, 575 Main Street

You don't want to miss it! Several fantastic guest vendors are joining us--Crystal Pistritto with beautiful hula-hoops, Whey Better Farm with soothing soaps, and Tschudin Chocolates with dessert delicacies. Plus, First and Last Tavern will serve up their tasty, soul-warming chili, voted best in this year's Middletown chili cook-off! This week is also your last chance to use WIC and Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program checks before they expire.

We would like to thank everyone involved with the market--vendors, volunteers, musicians, and all the shoppers that took time out of their busy Fridays to stop by. It's been great to see the North End Farmers' Market become a popular Middletown shopping destination as well as a great place to gather with friends over lunch and live music. Have a warm and healthy winter--we'll be back next year!

Today's Market

The North End Farmers Market runs Fridays from 10 AM - 2 PM, in front of It's Only Natural Market, 575 Main St.

Join us for the penultimate farmers' market of the season! A great variety of fresh produce is still available, including greens, eggplant, peppers, squash, apples, and the last of the tomatoes. Our guest restaurant is Public Market, serving up delicious pizza and desserts.

See you there!

The market is on!

The North End Farmers Market runs Fridays from 10 am - 2 pm in front of It's Only Natural Market,575 Main St.

The weather held out for us, so come on over to the market! There is a wide variety of local produce available, as well as Tschudin Chocolates, New Image Greenhouse (beautiful mums), and Pattie Palace serving up lunch.

See you there!

Today at the Market

The North End Farmers Market runs Fridays from 10 am - 2 pm in front of It's Only Natural Market, 575 Main St.

Looking for exciting new ways to prepare meals? Tired of the same old recipes? Take part in the North End Market Cookbook Swap! Bring an old cookbook to the market and grab a new one! The swap will continue until the market ends the last week of October.

This week's guest restaurant is Tandoor, and the guest vendors are Crystal's Hula Hoops and Addeo's Italian Ice. For this week's live music, there will be a guitar and vocal duo.

Kim O'Rourke, Middletown's recycling coordinator, will also be at the market with information and recycling bins to give away!

This week check out new products from some of our farmers. Chris from Chaplin Farm grows his own line of herbal tea, called Ummah Teas, and will have some available at the market. He'll also bring fresh cheeses from SweetPea Farm. And Gotta's Farm will have homemade apple cider, right from the orchard!

See you there!

Blight Ordinance on the Agenda

A building on Middletown's "Blight List"

You may or may not have been following the revisions to Middletown's new blight ordinance. So, here's an update:

This past June, (read about it in the Middletown Press) after many years of complaints by residents who were tired of living next to blighted buildings, NEAT held a workshop to discuss the efficacy of Middletown's Blight Ordinance. Many council people, city department heads and community members came together to discuss the pros and cons, the weaknesses and strengths. At that meeting, everyone agreed that the current ordinance is not an effective document, and that over the next few months it would be rewritten based on Bristol, CT's model.

Since then, the document has gone through department review, ordinance review and review by NEAT members. You can read the new draft here.

It is a much more complete document now, with a greater focus on code enforcement. Before, the ordinance was effective in designating a property as "blighted," but it stopped there. There was little in place to help with remedy. This new ordinance is more focused on preventing buildings from deteriorating to a blighted state in the first place.

This ordinance is a very important document, with implications for the entire city. NEAT feels that this is not just a North End issue, it's an issue for the entire city.


I urge you to come (and spread the word) to the common council meeting this Tuesday, September 8th to sit with NEAT members and (if you're comfortable) speak in favor of this new ordinance which has much tougher enforcement rules and standards.

The meeting is at 7 pm in the council chambers at city hall (245 deKoven Dr.)

NEAT also believes that we need to take this a step farther and create a liscensing program for property owners, where the revenue generated could pay for an additional inspection officer to regularly inspect rental properties in Middletown. NEAT will be working with the city to create a model that works for Middletown.

Please contact NEAT if you'd like more information. Also, you can check out the article in this month's Chronicle (sorry, no link), and there will be stories on this in this weekend's Hartford Courant and next Sunday's New York Times Real Estate Section.

Jewelry Making Tonight!

(Click on poster to enlarge it)

Enjoy the pleasure of a summer evening during North End Nights, a free night of for people of all ages.

This weekly series of participatory arts workshops held outdoors the Luis Lopez Herb Garden (corner of Green and Main Streets) continues tonight, Thursday, July 23rd with Jewelry Making, led by Cookie Quinones at 5:30pm.

Afterward, enjoy the music of R & B Band, Shaded Soul in the Luis Lopez Herb Garden or stop by the Buttonwood Tree book sale or the MAC650 Gallery to see The As Yet Un_named Show featuring Tracy Lynch, Andre Rochester, James Day, Melissa Williams, Matt Graham, Dan Rubenbauer, Mark Robinson, Corey Pane, Kasia Gawkoska, Anjre Kerr and Caitlyn Nadolny. You can also stop by the Buttonwood Tree from 5:00 on for the book sale. For more information on North End Nights, visit www.neatmiddletown.org.

Also, click here to download your North End Pass for discounts at North End restaurants and retailers.

This Pass is good at any and all participating businesses on any of the four Thursdays in July. Light refreshments will be served; in the event of rain, the 5:30 workshops will take place indoors at the Green Street Arts Center.

These events are Co-sponsored by the North End Action Team, the Green Street Arts Center, the Community Health Center, the Buttonwood Tree and the MAC 650 Gallery with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

North End Nights!

(Click on poster to enlarge it)

Enjoy the pleasure of a summer evening during North End Nights, a free night of for people of all ages.

This weekly series of participatory arts workshops held outdoors at the Green Street Arts Center (51 Green Street), the Luis Lopez Herb Garden (corner of Green and Main Streets) begins tomorrow, Thursday, July 9th with a Photo Scavenger Hunt at 5:30pm in front of the Green Street Arts Center.

Afterward, enjoy the music of The 3:27's in the Luis Lopez Herb Garden or stop by the MAC650 Gallery to see The As Yet Un_named Show featuring Tracy Lynch, Andre Rochester, James Day, Melissa Williams, Matt Graham, Dan Rubenbauer, Mark Robinson, Corey Pane, Kasia Gawkoska, Anjre Kerr and Caitlyn Nadolny. You can also stop by the Buttonwood Tree from 5:00 on for the book sale. For more information on North End Nights, visit www.neatmiddletown.org.

Also, click here to download your North End Pass for discounts at North End restaurants and retailers.

This Pass is good at any and all participating businesses on any of the four Thursdays in July. Light refreshments will be served; in the event of rain, the 5:30 workshops will take place indoors at the Green Street Arts Center.

These events are Co-sponsored by the North End Action Team, the Green Street Arts Center, the Community Health Center, the Buttonwood Tree and the MAC 650 Gallery with support from the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

Clarification on Today's Middletown Press Article

Dear Friends,

An article published in today’s Middletown Press (DARE Program Slashed From Proposed Budget) wrongly took words that were not mine and attributed them to me.

In the article, it appears as though I was speaking about tonight’s city budget hearing. In fact, I was not interviewed for the story. The information attributed to me was actually taken from an email I received (and forwarded to NEAT’s members) from Dic Wheeler, of Artfarm.

I do believe that it is important that people come out and speak about the proposed budget, but NEAT’s positions is slightly different from Artfarm’s. I’d like to take a minute to explain our positions.

NEAT is most concerned about funding to the Summer Arts Programming and the City's Matching Grant Program.

As for summer arts, families that live in the North End would be most affected by any changes to the sliding scale that is offered for summer arts programming. Many North End kids take part in those programs, run through the city Arts Office (including the Summer Circus), and wouldn't be able to if not for the financial aid that is offered. For many parents, the summer program is the only affordable option, giving kids a chance to participate in summer programming, and parents a way to work. It must be maintained.

Additionally, NEAT receives funding through the Middletown Commission on the Arts and the Youth Services Bureau for our Arts in the Garden Series and our Youth Leadership Initiative. If the matching grants and after school challenge grants ratio is changed to 4:1, small organizations like NEAT (there are a lot of us in Middletown!) would be unable to participate, leaving some effective, well-deserving programs unfunded.

I do urge each of you to come out to support the much-deserving groups in Middletown that are working hard to ensure that every city child has access to quality arts programming. And, though it wasn't my idea, I encourage you to show your unity and wear red.

Thank You,
Izzi Greenberg
Executive Director
North End Action Team (NEAT)

Macdonough School and NEAT start Pilot XO Program

A few weeks ago a bunch of new XO laptop computers were delivered to Middletown's Macdonough School. The laptops are spillproof, dustproof and drop-proof. They weigh just three pounds and have an incredible assortment of capabilities. And they were free.

These computers are provided by the North End Action Team (NEAT), giving Macdonough School's students access to one of the newest and coolest educational tools out there, the XO laptop computer. This project, he North End Children's Project is one of the first of its kind in the country.

These laptops were devleoped by the One Laptop Per Child organization at MIT to develop a low-cost, high-potential computer for educationally underserved children. These computers are mainly used in third-world countries, and are intended to provide access to technology to students who may not have it. While they are amazing in areas without power, or where children may not have had any exposure to computers, they can also be used as an innovative learning tool for students in the U.S. Birmingham, Alabama is purchasing these for every child in their district to enhance classroom and home use. While the North End does not yet have every child covered, this initial introduction has been a great success.

The laptops, donated to NEAT (a registered non-profit) go straight to use in the after-school program run collaboratively with Macdonough School. By providing kids in the program with a learning tool that is so flexible, students are able to expand the way that they think and learn. AND, because the computers are available for students to take home, students can share their learning with their families, increasing parental involvement in learning, one of the main goals of the school and NEAT. These laptops give students a way to interact with their parents in a learning environment that is disarming and approachable, and allows the children an opportunity to teach their parents, developing confidence and empowerment. Since these machines are in the home, it also allows access for the other members of the family, and provides the tools of connectivity and familiarity, enhancing the personal potential of each member of the family.

Access to technology is limited by income for many families, creating barriers to jobs, opportunities and education. The goals of the program are to create an educational tool for the children involved, but also to help the community become empowered.

For those who may be fooled by their appearance, be assured that these computers are not toys. They have a built in video camera, word processor, calculator, PDF textbook reader, a few games, music programs, a painting application, a chat program, and yes, they can access the internet too. There are also tons of programs that can be downloaded from the Laptop.org wiki site. What they are really good at, though, is teaching kids how to learn. They are meant for kids 2-11 (mostly) and even the youngest learners can explore the principals of basic programming. Instead of just practicing fraction facts, for instance, a student can create a program to teach fraction facts to their friends, changing the dynamic of learning entirely.

Two of Macdonough's teachers have taken on the challenge of introducing the XO laptops in an after school program for the school's third, four, and fifth grade students. Sarah Claffey and Teresa Morello have been providing an overview of the laptops to get children started. Once oriented, the students have the option of taking the computers home for a few days to share new learning with their families. The laptops are also making their way into classrooms to support a variety of learning activities.

About two dozen computers have been donated to NEAT to date, although Izzi Greenberg, NEAT’s Executive Director, is actively seeking donations through the One Laptop Per Child Foundation's Give One Get One Program. For more information, please contact NEAT at 346-4845 or neat@neatmiddletown.org. You can learn more at: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Middletown_Childrens_Project

Democracy Forum Wednesday

On Wednesday, October 8th at 6:30pm at the Green Street Arts Center, The North End Action Team and its youth leadership group, the Teen Dreams Society, will be hosting a Democracy Forum, featuring panelists State Senator Paul Doyle, Common Counselor, Grady Faulkner, Rich Lion,of the CT Libertarian Party and Ken Hiscoe, who was the District Director for Nancy Johnson.

The forum is open to the public, and the goal is to educate you about the political process and understand why civic engagement is important for everyday people. This is part of NEAT's broader voter registration campaign, and hope to not only increase voter registration and participation, but also help people understand their role in the political process and demystify the roles of politicians. It is important that residents know who they are voting for and why. That said, this is not a debate. It is a conversation about civic engagement and the political process. Save the Date!!

Childcare will be provided and there will be pizza for the kids.

Well Worth Saving...

It's been a whirlwind year for Macdonough Elementary School, the North End's main school for K-5. Earlier this year, budget problems faced the school board, and teachers, parents and neighborhood leaders fought successfully to keep the school open. Now, we have more cause to celebrate.

ConnCAN, a non-profit organization, and leader in the field of education has named Macdonough to be the third most improved school in the state. The 2008 CMT scores showed an average of 21% increase in students "at goal" across the board. Also, ConnCAN highlights 10 schools state-wide as "success stories", with a video and spotlight on their website, and Macdonough was chosen for this honor, as well. The video will be filmed in the coming weeks.

Just a few years ago, Macdonough struggled to keep pace within the district. Now, it is in line with the district and state averages in math and reading and exceeds them in writing. The school has new leadership, dedicated teachers and a community that believes it can succeed. 

Congratulations to Teachers, Staff, Students, Parents and community members for proving that this school is well worth saving.  

African Drumming at Erin Street

On Wednesday, the final Arts in the Garden workshop took place in the Erin Street Community Garden. Over 70 people from all over the state gathered in the garden to drum and dance on what turned out to be one of the nicest nights of the summer. The workshop was led by Abdoulaye Sylla, who was really charismatic with the little ones and big ones alike. He had people aged from 2-80 drumming in time and sounding good! The kids took turns leading the drum circle, they did the limbo and stuffed themselves with watermelon.

What a wonderful way to cap off the summer series. One woman, who had traveled from Farmington said: "we just don't have anything like this where we live...my kids love this kind of thing." I heard similar sentiments from other participants. It's nice to know that our little garden is unique and welcoming...

If you haven't checked it out, please stop by and sit on a bench or walk around. You'll be amazed at this year's bounty. The gardeners have done an incredible job.















To see more pictures from the event, go to: http://picasaweb.google.com/neatmiddletown/AfricanDrumming

Thank you to the Green Street Arts Center from co-sponsoring this series and to the Middletown Commission on the Arts for generously funding it!

Final Arts in the Garden

In case you've missed the Arts in the Garden series this year, you can catch the last one on Wednesday, July 30th at 5:30 at the Erin Street Community Garden at the corner of Erin Street and High Street. This week is African Drumming and Dance with Abdoulaye Sylla. These events are open to everyone and are totally free.

We've already had Scarecrow Building, Steel Pan Drumming, Vejigante Mask Making and Jewelry Making.

This workshop is appropriate for all ages and should be a good time...

Thanks to the Middletown Commission on the Arts for funding this program!