Scene in Logan Square: Pumpkinfest 2009

Unity Park Advisory Council’s Pumpkinfest 2009  takes place Saturday, October 24, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Unity Park at the corner of Kimball and Schubert Avenues.

Help the kids celebrate Halloween two Saturdays in a row! 

Come in costume for the costume parade.  Complete your costume with face painting.  Get to Pumpkinfest early for a free pumpkin to decorate (as long as supplies last).  Enjoy the music and general Halloween fun and frivolity!

Open space and Milwaukee Avenue (Part II)

Not surprisingly, real estate experts at the last of the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Development Initiative workshops did not share the community vision of open space along Milwaukee Avenue.

What the real estate experts may not know

As volunteers and people who do not live in the neighborhood, the real estate experts may not have known about the larger Logan Square community’s (though not necessarily Milwaukee Avenue’s, see Open space and Milwaukee Avenue [Part I]) lack of open space, and so may have lacked the context of the community’s desire for open space.

Like the community volunteers, they likely didn’t know of the plans and existing opportunities for open space on public properties along Milwaukee Avenue, but they did not feel that open space on private properties along Milwaukee Avenue was appropriate.

Not living in the area, there is another context that the real estate experts may not have known that may justify some open space:  One of the sites chosen for constructing a hypothetical development, was the Pay Half building at the northwest corner of Spaulding and Milwaukee Avenues, which, as those of us familiar with the area

Scene in Logan Square: House & Garden Walk

Logan Square Preservation House & Garden Walk takes place this Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., centered around the original Kimbell (as in the incorrectly spelled Kimball Avenue) farm.

This year’s House Walk features 3 churches and 10 homes — most of them on what I consider to be one of the “Best blocks in Logan Square.”

Logan Square neighbors have once again generously opened their doors and unlocked the garden gates to allow others to sneak a peak inside (see photo right).

Each year, of the hundreds of folks who participate, about half come from outside the neighborhood, from the suburbs, even from out of state.  It’s a perfect opportunity to better acquaint your friends and family with where you live.

And if you’re bringing friends and family to the House Walk — introducing them to the neighborhood for the first time or renewing their acquaintance with Logan Square — be sure to stop for lunch at a neighborhood spot like Café Bella at 3311 W. Fullerton Avenue or recap what you learned and liked over dinner and/or a margarita at the nearby Fonda del Mar at 3749 W. Fullerton Avenue, where the patio remains open for your relaxation.

Do we need more parking?

Before I delve into the topic of parking a bit more, I want to get a sense of what readers think:  Do we need more parking along Milwaukee Avenue?

For the purposes of this discussion, because I’m going to tie it into discussion of the Milwaukee Avenue Corridor Development Initiative workshops that recently took place, I’m broadening the portion of Milwaukee Avenue addressed and breaking it down into two sections.  Please vote in both polls and read the answers carefully as they appear in random order: