Rainbow Lake -- the saga continues

After two days of pumping, the lake was empty at the end of the workday yesterday. Then the storms swept through, so they're pumping this morning. Again. But today it's workers picking up trash wading around in the half-empty lake, instead of zoo workers and volunteers catching fish. As one of those former volunteers, I was happy to be standing clean and dry on the sidewalk watching the work for a change.

The shallow end of the lake, the one that usually backs up with leaf debris, is dry, so a crew of workers is shovelling out muck. The lake should be much, much nicer when they're done.

Good News Coverage for Lake Rescue

The CA (photo above by Jim Weber) ran a great story on the Local News front page about the first day of fish rescue. That publicity brought out a few more volunteers for the second day of work yesterday, and there was a follow up paragraph this morning about the most unusual find, the Oscar. The zoo curators were quite excited about the Oscar, and he went into his own tank at the zoo immediately. He will be a permanent resident there.

Action News 5 also did a story, with anchor Nick Kenney actually standing out in the middle of the lake. They got some great footage of turtles and highlighted the hardworking volunteers that Park Friends is so grateful to.

Thanks again to all who turned out to splash around in mud and who managed to save more than 10,000 fish -- a great couple of days' worth of work! The park is better for all of you.

Day Two of Rainbow Lake Cleanup

Dedicated zoo staff and, even more impressively, dedicated park volunteers and neighbors, showed up for a second consecutive day of netting fish, carrying heavy buckets, and (increasingly) wading in mud. The lake was down to a small, muddy pond today, thick with both fish and leaves, but the rescue effort really picked up steam. The zoo curators estimated that we saved more than 10,000 fish from dying as the lake was drained. That was "a conservative estimate" too. Many, many thanks to everyone who put their regular lives and work on hold to help out, esp. those who also a put in a second day's work. The zoo had the facilities to house the fish but not the manpower to save them, so volunteers really were the key to saving the fish.

My camera person couldn't make it today, but Josh Horton took some video for anyone curious to see the state of the lake on day two. The lake area will be under repairs for the rest of the week and hopefully filled up by early next week. The fish will be returned to their regular habitat a few days later, after the chlorine settles out and the water can support them.

OPJO Going Strong

The Overton Park Junior Open kicked off this morning, and it was great to see the golf course humming with the golfers of the future. It's a promising looking field and should be a fun week.

One more chance to come play in Rainbow Lake!

Rescuing fish in Rainbow Lake with nets.
Adding caught fish to the tanks in the truck.
Our first turtle rescue.

The Zoo-directed rescue effort in Rainbow Lake today netted 15 turtles and many mosquito fish as well as some sunfish, snails, and other shellfish. The pumping of the lake took a bit longer than originally thought, however, so we're having one more day of wading fun tomorrow starting at noon. Come out and join us if you can. Wear galoshes and bring a net if you have one. I just resurrected my grandfather's fishing net and will mend the holes tonight in preparation for tomorrow. We had a blast today -- come join the party tomorrow and see what else besides a rubber chicken we find on the bottom of the lake.

new Overton Square website

Josh Horton, our new PFI board member, is also taking a lively interest in the development possibilities of Overton Square. This was a thriving area when I was growing up, and it would benefit the park and Midtown in general if it could become so again. It would be amazing if the park and the square were two entertainment hubs people flowed back and forth between -- go to a movie, buy a picnic, walk up to the park to enjoy it, play some frisbee, head back to the square for a cocktail..... What else could you need on a fine Memphis Saturday?

Please visit the new Overton Square community discussion website to give feedback about what you'd like to see in the square. They're compiling ideas to try to influence the owners and developers.

Memphis parks not alone in craving TLC

The AP had a great article yesterday on how Congress is declining to fund maintenance and repairs for the National Mall. I keep saying that Overton Park is the park most seen by out of towners, given the zoo traffic (though Tom Lee also gets a lot of tourist traffic). Either park is an argument for putting a little more maintenance into the places that are the welcome mat for Memphis. Apparently, however, this problem is not confined to Memphis. You could argue that the National Mall is the welcome mat for our nation, and it, like Tom Lee, has damaged sod that is not fixed after large events. Like Overton Park, it is struggling for basic maintenance in these difficult budget times.

I'm thrilled that Rainbow Lake, unlike the Mall reflecting pool, will be cleaned up and repaired beginning today. Maybe we can make this a start on reclaiming the landscaping that George Kessler had in mind when he first laid out Overton Park. The grass has mostly stayed mowed this year, but a little more grooming and removal of both limbs and litter would make a vastly better impression in the mind of our visitors and raise the quality of life for daily park users.

Volunteer Call makes CA

The zoo got some good publicity on the front of the Local News section for its good deed as it gears up to rescue many fish and turtles from Rainbow Lake and foster them over in tanks until the lake is up and running again. City workers will begin draining the lake Monday, and Tuesday from 10-4, the zoo will coordinate volunteers catching and transporting fish for safe-keeping. Volunteers 18 and over wearing galoshes and outdoor work clothes (and sun hats) are being sought by the Zoo. To volunteer, e-mail Brandy Weigandt at bweigandt@memphiszoo.org or call at 333-6654.

Last Shell Concert tonight

Last Music Commission free concert at the Shell tonight -- On a Dead Machine, Perfection, and Stephanie Bolton and Jerry L. Come on out, bring your lawn chair, and hang out with your neighbors. 5-8 pm.

Zoo's Early Plans for Chickasaw Bluffs

The Zoo just posted preliminary plans for a boardwalk in the portion of the Old Forest that they have behind their fence. They are soliciting opinions from the public, which is a good change of policy from the Teton Trek days, so please take advantage of this opportunity to give them feedback. I'll post more information here as I get it. Click on the pictured image (once you're on their site) to see a slideshow of four drawings of the plans. They also have photos of similar area boardwalks, including the lovely Rossville Wolf River wetlands boardwalk that is well worth a visit if you haven't seen it.

Overton Park Junior Open update

People wanting to sign their kids up for the Junior Open golf tournament have been having a little trouble getting through on the phone because of the new golf course hours. The mayor recently cut back most city courses to being open only half the week. Overton Park's course is now open Monday mornings, Friday afternoons (12-8), and all day Saturday and Sunday. During those times, staff should be on hand to answer the phones and register entrants for the tournament. People can sign up through the weekend, so keep encouraging your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews, neighbhorhood kids, etc. to come on out for three fun days of golf, July 29-31.

Dog Bags in Kiosks

Plastic bags for picking up dog waste are now back in the kiosks (one in the Rainbow Lake parking area and one by the East Parkway side pavilion). Please either use them or bring your own bags. We've made some progress on encouraging a culture of responsible dog ownership in the park, but there is still a fair amount of dog poop left sitting around. Please help us set a good example and change the culture into one where everyone picks up the park, whether it's litter or poop. I miss the days when Memphis was perpetually voted one of the cleanest cities in America. Let's start bringing that back, beginning with Overton Park.

Volunteers Needed Tuesday!

The repair work on Rainbow Lake is coming up next week, and a number of park users have asked me what happens to the fish.  I checked with Brian Carter, the zoo publicity guy who sits on our board, and he and the marine curators have graciously agreed to help out with this problem.  The Zoo is going to temporarily relocate the lake's fish and amphibians to the Zoo exhibits and holding tanks, but it's a big job, and they'll need help catching the fish.

Brian says they've bought a large number of nets and need volunteers on Tuesday, July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help out.  Volunteers ages 18 and older who are interested in helping should email Brandy Weigandt at bweigandt@memphiszoo.org. Outdoor work clothes and rubber boots are strongly recommended.

Please help spread the word, since we don't have a lot of time to publicize this effort.

Regional River Park

It's not in our regular Memphis area, which this blog usually focuses on, but I can't resist posting this article in the CA about the Tunica River Park. I was just down there on Saturday and can't say enough good things about this park -- beautiful modern art building with rockers on the porch for river viewing, a lovely promenade, nature walks through a more forested area, a fabulous museum, and riverboat rides. My nieces and nephews are in town, and we went down to have a picnic and pick up several Memphis kayakers who did the 37 mile paddle down from the Memphis harbor to Tunica on a lovely morning. The park and museum are well worth a visit on a day when you're looking for a field trip.

Gun ban passed

The CA reports that the ordinance banning guns in all city owned parks passed its third reading yesterday 11-2, with only Kemp Conrad and Reid Hedgepeth voting against it. Read the full story here.

Vote today by City Council

The Memphis City Council has its third and final vote today on an ordinance to ban guns in all city parks. The ordinance is a response to the Tennessee legistlature lifting the state-wide ban. Councilman Harold Collins is sponsoring the bill, and Kemp Conrad has come out against it. Local governments are allowed to make their own bans, and Germantown and the Shelby County Commission have already done so for their respective parks. Read the CA article here.

Fall on your face in someone's new-mown lawn

They were mowing the grass in Overton Park this morning, just as I had the thought that it was getting to be time. Even with the budget crisis this is much better than the last crisis a few years ago, when they almost stopped completely for the second half of the summer. So bring your picnic blanket out and sit on some lovely grass. The sun and shadows on it are amazing this time of year.

Celebrations

Saturday was such a gorgeous day that I celebrated by going to the park twice -- my regular morning walk and then an after dinner hangout to watch the evening sky. I wasn't alone. 103.5 FM chose the Shell to host its Soul Family Reunion this year, and there was a rocking party happening over there. A very different celebration was a wedding in the Brooks walled garden just opposite the Shell. The harp would have had a hard time competing with the soul music, but it looked like the festival folks took a break to let the ceremony happen. Other celebrations were scattered around the park as families and friends camped out on blankets and enjoyed the evening. It was marvelous to see so many people coming together to rejoice in a beautiful day and mingle our celebrations in one large public park that Memphis is so lucky to have.

Parks in the news

The CA has had two articles over the last two days talking about park news. The first deals with altered hours for golf on park courses. Recently the mayor's office closed most city courses three days a week and made the other weekday hours 12-8 at most courses. The afternoon heat is a tough time to play, esp. for the seniors who are a strong percentage of the customers, at least at Overton Park. Parks Director Cindy Buchanan appealed to city officials and got some mornings added back into the schedule.

The second article featured River Workout Fitness Program, a workout at the Greenbelt park that offered a free trial Saturday morning. Beats a concrete box gym building any day!

Beautiful sky day

I love our Midtown tree canopy, but sometimes I want to see the sky. Today's clouds (and the amazing weather) lured me back to Overton Park for a second time this evening. It's the best place to see a broad span of sky, aside from the middle of Poplar Avenue, which is not a safe viewing area. I hope everyone got to spend some of this gorgeous day outside, or better yet, in a park.

Lick Creek Meeting last night

Park and neighborhood groups met again with the city engineering dept. last night to talk about updates to the storm water flood plan for Lick Creek, both in Overton Park and throughout Midtown. Since our last meeting, the engineers have met with Kevin Tucker, a golf course architect who redesigned Galloway and did a master plan (apparently unimplemented) for the Overton course some years ago.

The plan still calls for widening the culvert under Poplar (which is unfortunately likely to take about six months) and a berm across the front of the zoo and its parking lot (skirting the edge of the Greensward but taking no trees). They've decided to route the water coming into the park under Poplar east and across golf hole #7 instead of west and across several others. That route allows water to flow more directly into the forest, where it can help the thirsty sycamores.

They will also have to rework several bridges, including two newer ones by the golf house and by the Rainbow Lake playground. Still in question are the two older bridges, esp. the one just downstream of Poplar, which were built by the WPA. They can reroute water around them or rebuild them to be wider at the base. The bridges are in dubious repair and may succumb to floods in the highest of storms if left in their present condition. Hugh Teaford of the engineers is due to meet with several of us, including representatives from Landmarks and Memphis Heritage, to consider the question.

Bad news from the meeting was the report on the contracting engineer digging the retention basin at CBU. He has breached a pipe or two and not done effective erosion control during the project, and brown water has been released into Lick Creek. I'd noticed several days ago that the creek through the park was stagnant with a terrible smell, and this is the cause. CPOP has photos of the site and more information here. Given how badly this retention basin construction has gone wrong, park lovers can rejoice that nothing like this project is going to happen in the Greensward.

Meeting about the Cobblestones

OK, so it's not technically a park, but it's part of our city's historic public space right on our magnificent river. TDOT wants to rework the cobblestones and pile a huge layer of rocks on them, keeping people from getting to the water's edge. Friends for our Riverfront is working against this plan, which is one more of a series of suggestions to limit the public access to the river downtown. (As a kayaker, I think there should be places to put a boat in right downtown. Cities like Chattanooga have blossomed by enhancing and preserving their waterfronts and promoting recreational use.) TDOT is holding a public meeting about the cobblestone project on Aug. 11 at
5:30 pm in the Balinese Ballroom, 330 N. Main (corner of N. Main & Commerce) in the Pinch, just N. of the interstate ramps.

Free Workout in the Greenbelt Park

River Workout Fitness Program is hosting a Citywide Fitness Session. It's this Saturday, July 18 in the Greenbelt Park, Harbor Town, at 8 am. Free open-to-the-public workout on the Mississippi River. Bring a yoga mat, light weights, and water. It's a gorgeous setting -- forget the concrete box of a gym and get out and enjoy one of Memphis's finest parks. Click here for more information about River Workout.

Big Weekend at the Shell

103.5 FM is holding their Soul Family Picnic at the Shell this Saturday from 2-9 pm. The last time they held this event, they drew 10,000 people at Audubon, so if you're heading to the park this Saturday, for soul music or otherwise, consider walking or biking if you're able. There may well be a lot of traffic in and around the park. (For comparison, the zoo drew 17,000 that Tuesday in May when traffic ground to a halt on Poplar and McLean.)

Sunday is the next of the Memphis Music Commission's free July concerts at the Shell -- every Sunday from 5-8 pm. This week's lineup is Jamie Randolph & The Darkhorse, NMB, Vincent Tharpe & Kenosis and The LightYears Jazz Quartet featuring TJ Graham.

Rainbow Lake Repair Coming

We've heard from the city that the work on Rainbow Lake (draining it and repairing the aeration and fountains) will begin July 27th and hopefully be finished by the 31st. It's never a fun week when they're doing this work (which used to be done yearly to keep the lake from clogging up and becoming an unpleasant miasma of muck and mosquitoes), but the area will be vastly improved when it is over. They'll post a public notice with a phone number for more information in the park information kiosks the week before the work begins.

Shadow photos, part 2

I'm still reveling in the bellflowers blooming along the jogging trail.


Self portrait with Merlin on the Greensward.

Guns in parks

Today's CA has a story on the ongoing guns in parks debate triggered by the Tennessee legislature bowing to the gun lobby and allowing guns in all parks in the state. Local governments can individually decide to ban them, however, and Shelby County just decided to for all county-owned parks. The city of Memphis is also working to pass a ban, though there was no word about progress on that in this story.

Hangin' at the Shell

Had a marvellous time at the Shell last night. We need to get the word out about the Sunday evening concerts -- there weren't nearly as many people for these as they got for the regular Shell season, even though Di Anne Price and her Boyfriends played, and for my money, they're the best not only in Memphis but anywhere. Tell your friends the free concerts are ongoing -- Sundays from 5-9 or so.

Concert tonight!

Come on out to the Shell for the July Sunday evening concert sponsored by the Memphis Music Commission! Tonight features Richard James, Alan Clayton, and the incomparable Di Anne Price and her Boyfriends, my favorite band anywhere. How lucky are we to be living in Memphis with this amazing music scene? Come celebrate! 5-8 pm at the Shell in Overton Park.

Midtown Farmers' Market?

A local businessman is working on starting a farmers' market, possibly in Overton Park. I love the downtown one, but Midtown could badly use one within walking distance. (It took me 12 minutes to drive from my corner of Midtown near the park down to the south edge of downtown this morning). Also, a market on a different day would be great -- if I'm out of town for the weekend, I miss out for the week, unless I want to drive even further out to the botanic gardens. Madison, WI has a market every day in a different neighborhood, making locally grown food easy for everyone to get and profitable for the farmers. With Millington and Collierville working on getting their own markets, Midtown is overdue.

Junior Open at Overton Park

Don't forget the Overton Park Junior Open is coming! The tournament, the oldest junior golf tournament in the USA, will be held July 29th, 30th and 31st on the Overton Park course, and it's open to children from ages 6-17. With a $10 registration fee, it's days' worth of fun for about the price of a movie. Please encourage children, grandchildren, friends’ children....all children who play any level of golf, to sign up for the fun. PFI has been a long time sponsor of this event and we hope you will join us for the 2009 OPJO. Volunteers for the event are also welcome. Come hang out in the park and watch the golfers of the future.

Healthy living in parks

Merlin and I are hitting the park ever earlier to beat the heat these days. The Greensward was deserted with only ducks honking as we got there, but then I heard voices and realized that an exercise class was in progress on Veterans Plaza. Merlin was mesmerized by the rythmic motions, and I was glad to see a community coming together to enjoy the park and set a good example for the rest of us.

A friend is in China for the summer, and she has reported that Chinese parks are packed from morning to night with people playing music, dancing, and doing tai chi. I love seeing running groups and the Sunday drum circle with dancers, and the new shell concerts are bringing tons of neighbors together. Wouldn't it be great if we had more groups using the park daily and being inspirations for living well?

Free lunchtime concert Friday

OK, so it's not in a park, but the Center for Southern Folklore is also a great resource for our city, and they've been having free lunchtime concerts (brown bag or buy their great greens and cornbread) from noon to 1:00 on Thursdays and Fridays. Friday is one of our best local bands -- the Bluff City Backsliders, a blues/jug band. They really rock the house -- come on down.

Nature constantly new

One of the things I love about walking in the park is that I see something new every day. Sometimes it's because of the constantly changing kaleidoscope of nature, and sometimes it's just that there's so much to see that there's always something I've never noticed before. Today this neat tree knot jumped out at me as I was walking around the jogging trail in the forest. It looks a bit like a gnome. Send in your photos of nifty things from your park.

Heartbreak at the zoo

The baby elephant died this morning after mother Asali accidentally injured the baby with her tusk. What a sad day for the zoo and all of Memphis and especially the new mother. Read the CA story here.

Children's reading hour on Mud Island

Mud Island and the Memphis public library system are presenting "Read Out on the Mississippi," a free monthly event designed to foster the love of reading in our youth. There will be story time the second Saturday of each month (July through October) from 3-4 pm. It's aimed at children aged 3-6, and different library employees will share their passion for reading and read from their favorite books. Bring a blanket and come join in the fun.

I've always thought that anything is better down by the river, and this sounds like a great afternoon out for families. You can splash around in the riverwalk afterwards, take a picnic, hang out for the sunset, whatever suits your fancy. I realized a few years ago that I wasn't spending nearly enough time at the river, which is our greatest asset in Memphis, and I've enjoyed making the river more a part of my life ever since.

New baby elephant at the zoo!

The zoo welcomed its new baby elephant with a pink ribbon on the elephant statue out front. The baby and mother are doing well, but they won't be on display for a few weeks, until they settle in. The calf is the first ever in the history of the zoo. Read the CA article here.

Boy drowns in retention basin

A Millington boy was playing in a retention basin when a flash flood swept him into the drain and killed him. It's a terrible tragedy that does not need to be repeated at Overton Park. This is one more reason to be glad that the main picnic area of the park will not be turned into a retention basin and a trap for the children who routinely play there. Read the full CA article here.

Shadows

I've been enjoying walking lately and looking at the slanting morning light as it makes shadows in the park.

One of my favorite trees

Here's a sketch of one of my favorite trees in the park. It's the bulbous one just west of Veteran's Plaza that shelters the picnic tables there. Just what a tree in a park ought to offer -- haven, coolness, shade.

Plantings and upkeep

I went to St. Louis last year and was amazed at how beautiful the city was. Everywhere I looked the parks were manicured, there were plantings with flowers blooming, there were hanging baskets of plants all over downtown; it was a city with a welcome mat rolled out. That experience made me embarassed for Memphis and made me pine for the days of Memphis City Beautiful when we routinely won awards for how the city looked. There are a few lovely plantings in Overton Park right now, which give me a bit of hope, but I wonder how long they'll last in a city that is closing popular golf courses because of lack of funds.

I hope our new administration will recognize how powerful the visual impact a city makes can be in selling that city to potential investors and inhabitants. Maybe we can improve our green spaces and pick up our litter and attract the investors and young, dynamic workers that any city needs to survive.

More Friends of a park

Here is a great story about the Friends of T.O.Fuller Park and their efforts on its behalf. It's great when a neighborhood can adopt a park and make a difference both for the park and the neighborhood. Park Friends keeps hoping other groups will come together for their neighborhood parks. If anyone wants to start a group, let us know, and we'd be glad to mentor you.

More music at the shell

The Memphis & Shelby County Music Commission will celebrate Memphis Music through free concerts in the Overton Park throughout the month of July. This Sunday, July 5th, beginning at 5:00 PM it's Memphis Music at its best, featuring $5 Cover star, VALERIE JUNE. Joining Valerie will be STREETSIDE SYMPHONY and THE MIDTOWN LOWDOWNS (fronted by Jason Freeman, one of my favorite local musicians). It's Midtown Mania this Sunday and every Sunday in July with the Music Commission at Levitt Shell in Overton Park. Bring your family and your friends and come enjoy the extended concert season at the shell. Showtime is 5 PM.

Overton Golf Course and others closing three days a week

The city just announced that six public golf courses will close three days a week to save revenue. Herenton had previously announced a plan to permanently close several, and this keeps them all open, but this money saving plan will be a loss to all of the seniors and families who depend on Overton as an affordable way to get out, get some exercise, see some friends, and play a round of golf. The Audubon and Galloway courses will remain open every day.

The CA article is here.

Hopefully a new mayor can get a better grip on the city budget and not cut parks and public amentities that draw people to the city and make it a good place to live.

Email Parks director Cindy Buchanan to let her know if you dislike this move. Your letters give her the clout to fight for our courses.

Overton Park Classic this August

The Overton Park 5 Mile Classic road race will be run Aug. 29th starting at 8:00am. This is the oldest Foot Race in Memphis and covers both trails and roads in Overton Park. Starting line is by Rainbow Lake. Call Paul Sax 276-5758 for more information. The forest is the coolest spot to run in Memphis -- come out and take part in this historic race.

Greenway meetings

Just got this in from Sarah Newstock at livablememphis.org:

Shelby Farms Park Conservancy, Shelby County Government, and Greater Memphis Greenline announced that they will by holding two public input meeting to discuss the design and management of the new urban greenway that will connect Midtown Memphis to Shelby Farms Park.

The meetings will give citizens an opportunity to discuss the advantages and challenges that come with greenways. National trails expert Robert Searns will be there, as well as representatives from Ritchie Smith Associates, the trail's designer. Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton and other public officials will also be there to answer your questions about the project.

The greenway—a former rail corridor being converted into a multi-use path—will stretch from Tillman Street at Walnut Grove Road to Shelby Farms Park, connecting neighborhoods and providing a safe opportunity for people to recreate, commute and exercise.

The meeting dates, times, and locations are as follows:

• July 6: Benjamin Hooks Central Library (3030 Poplar Ave, 38111) 7pm–9pm
• July 7: Agricenter International (7777 Walnut Grove Road, 38120) 6pm–8pm

If you would like more information you may call Jen Andrews at (901) 767-PARK x308, go to the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy website, or go to the Visitors Center at Shelby Farms Park.

Music group on the Greensward

Here's a sketch I did one weekend on the Greensward of people hanging out and enjoying the park. Someone recently said to me that all spring she'd gone to the Greensward and been depressed and anxious about the proposed retention basin and that now she can go and just be happy. That's exactly how I felt too when the plan was scrapped. I'm hoping to spend many hours over many years to come out celebrating on a blanket with the rest of Midtown.

Mississippi River photographs coming to Mud Island

John Guider, a photographer from Nashville, is three weeks into a two-month photography expedition down the Mississippi River that will take him all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. An exhibition of platinum prints created during a previous series of solo canoe trips down the river will be on display at the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island River Park starting July 21. Guider will return to Memphis for an artist's reception for "The River Inside" on Aug. 7.

See the photograph of him from the CA this morning under the old Hanrahan Bridge:

www.commercialappeal.com/photos/2009/jun/30/121049/

Flock of Robins

There's been a huge flock of robins finding breakfast on the Greensward every morning lately. They're lovely to look at and not overly shy. Come out walking in the cool and see the show.