Open Streets Franklin : July 22nd deadline to register

Greetings, Seward! Deb Ervin here, your friendly neighborhood Open Streets coordinator. Our event happens Sunday, August 21 and this is a reminder that the deadline to register is a week away (Friday, July 22). If you’re planning on participating, don’t delay!

If you have questions / comments / resources to share, please email me! (Deborah [at] articulture [dot] org)

 

Updates and things that you can help with – – –

Artists. We’d love to involve more artists this year! They can register for free. Please pass on the invitation to participate, or forward contacts to follow up with.
Outdoor-Living-Room-at-Hope_courtesy-of-Bedlam-and-Hope-Communitys-Intersections1 2

Seating + Shade. There is never enough of these. All businesses are invited to set out tents and chairs. You can get creative, too. In 2014, Bedlam Theatre set up a pop up living room outside Hope Community – complete with arm chairs, a couch, and a coffee table and it was a huge hit!

Elders and transport options. We’d love to help our elders engage with the event better. More seating options will help. But it would be GREAT to have options for helping them traverse Franklin. Would you like to sponsor a pedi-cab just for elders? Do you have another idea or connection that could speak to this need?

East African community members. Scot from Capitol Café – who is in the news every other week – has been a fantastic organizer this year, engaging our Somali and Ethiopian businesses. He’s been encouraging everyone to attend in traditional, cultural attire. We’ll have the Somali Museum youth dancers near Triangle Park. We’ll likely have street soccer outside the park, a henna artist, dancers at Rebecca’s Café, and more. Do you have a connection that we should follow up with – a musician, dancer, cultural programmer, or artist?

Nodes. Four themed “nodes” will be highlighted in a handout guide the day of the event: environment, wellness, art, and kids. The locations will be determined at the end of the month, but we’re starting to consider areas – – – environmental sustainability around Portland, wellness possibly on the eastern end, kids zones by Triangle and Peavey Parks, and an arts zone stretching from Cedar to 11th Ave. If you have an opinion about locations – or would like to be placed in one – please share it!

Bingo. Businesses have made it known they’d like to promote specific event times. To meet this need, we’re considering using a Bingo card to promote things that are time sensitive (ie, yoga at Noon and 3pm). If you’d like to be on the card, email Jim Welna (jimace817 [at] aol [dot] com).

By Deborah Ervin

Deb holds an M.A. in Arts and Cultural Management from Saint Mary’s University, and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota where she majored in theater. Based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Deb has 12 years of experience working in the nonprofit arts sector, working with Twin Cities cultural gems such as The Cedar Cultural Center, the Midtown Global Market, In the Heart of the Beast Puppetry and Mask Theatre, and more. She’s primarily drawn towards work that involves relationship building, such as communications and fundraising. Deb also has two decades of experience as an events manager for live music, theater, and dance. Her work as a stage manager has brought her into intimate collaborations with diverse communities, artists from around the globe, and projects ranging from river boat ballets to burlesque holiday shows.