High Street Neighborhood News

by Adelle Foley

Plant a Peace Pole On Saturday, August 11, Brookdale Park will plant a peace pole and rededicate the park to a nonviolent, drug-free environment. The community is invited to join the celebration. High Street Presbyterian Church and Bay Area Cowboys and Cowgirls are partners in this effort to support positive lives and life-giving activities for our youth and their families. A second phase, planned for 2008, will focus on expanding human services. The August 11 rededication is symbolic, but it is particularly relevant after the recent shooting in front of Brookdale Rec Center. [See related Peace-Pole article in this issue.] From Soccer to a Car Wash If you wander by Brookdale Park and Rec Center, you can see a garden and new activities sprouting this summer. A soccer class for middle-school kids (Monday, 5 to 7 p.m.), nail art for high-school youth, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts on Wednesday afternoon, and tennis classes Monday, 5 to 6 p.m., are in progress. It's a pleasure to see tennis racquets swinging all over the park. On Saturdays, from noon to 3 p.m., you may have noticed kids washing cars to help pay for summer camp. My dusty old car was shining as I left the park. There will be a car wash on August 4, and the fund-raisers may continue later in the month. For information on all of these programs and events, drop by, or call 535-5632. Block Party to Focus on Youth The fifth annual Melrose/High Hopes NCPC summer block party will take place on Saturday, August 25, in front of Horace Mann Elementary School, on Ygnacio between Congress and Vicksburg. The focus will be youth. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will be food, entertainment, and family fun. Prayer Tower Church on 47th Ave. will co-sponsor the event. Crafts and Magic at Melrose Branch The final events of the summer fun program at the Melrose Library will be Crafts with Sharon, Thursday, August 2, and Magic with Dan, Thursday, August 9. The crafts program is for elementary school children. Please call 535-5623 to let the library know that your child plans to attend. Both events are at 3:30 p.m. Best wishes to Children's Librarian Sharon (Senser) McKeller and her husband Ian on their June marriage. Bright bougainvillea Listen to the birds calling Discover the creek. Adelle Foley can be reached at jandafoley\@sbcglobal.net.