BPNA Activities
Our
neighborhood values how the residents come together for local
activates more than anything. The friendship that are formed, the
understanding of each other and the acceptance of each of our own
diverse personalities that develops makes living in Benton Park
worth more than anything.
Annual Activates
Mardi Gras Beverage Booth: The BPNA mans a beer booth close to
9th and Russell. We divide the day into a number of shifts. Each
shift normally runs about an hour or two. The BPNA gets a portion of
the proceeds and all of the tips we receive.
Operation Brightside: Every Spring this is a city wide activity
that encourages residences to get out an clean your alley, streets
and parks. The city arranges a number of extra pickups of both trash
and yard waste. Planting in public places is also encouraged.
BPNA Picnic: In July, instead of a regular neighborhood
association meeting, the BPNA arranges a picnic in Benton Park. The
BPNA will supply a main course and you are encouraged to bring a
side dish and your own beverage. This is the best time to get to
meet your neighbors! Come join this fun activity!
National Night Out: This is a national event held every August
is designed to make a stand against crime. So organize your own
block party. Host your party in a nearby park or we can help get the
city to close a block of the street and host it there. Another get
activity to help you get to know your neighbors and show the
criminals that we live here and we stand together. As this is the
same day as our normal BPNA meeting....there is no meeting held this
month.
House Tour: Every year (or sometimes every other year) the
residences of Benton Park open their homes to perfect strangers in
the Fall. This is because we have something to show. We have pride
in our homes and we want the world to see how beautiful it is here.
Ya, we make a little money for the association but, it also helps
attract more residences, encourages neighbors to improve their homes
and eventually increases our property values.
Chalk Art Festival: Don’t miss the colorful Annual Chalk Art
Contest, fast becoming an Autumn favorite on the near Southside in
Saint Louis. All will have the opportunity to participate and/or
witness the coloring of many sidewalks in historic Benton Park at
Jefferson Avenue and Arsenal Street.
BPNA Holiday Party: This is the last hooray of the year is in
December. Help at the St. Agnes, the BPNA supplies the main course
and you are encouraged to bring a side dish and your own beverage.
After everyone has had a bit to eat and the drawings have been
completed, we then hold our annual elections of the BPNA Executive
Board. Please come take part in this activity, meet your neighbors
and let you vote count.
Monthly Activates
1st
Tuesday of the Month - BPNA General meeting: Every month (except
February and August) the Benton park Neighborhood Association meets
to conduct normal business. This usually consist of Committee
updates, guest speakers and sometime updates on the goingon's around
the neighborhood.
2nd
Wednesday of the Month - Housing Corp general meeting: The
Benton Park Community Housing Corporation is our neighborhoods voice
to the city development agencies like the CDA and LRA. They review
building proposals and architectural designs.
2nd
Thursday of the Month - Police Advisory Board meeting: The Third
District Neighborhood Advisory Board exits to improve the quality of
life for its diverse communities. Come meet your local police
department, hear what they have to say and voice your concerns.
3rd
Tuesday of the Month - BPNA Executive Board meeting: Here is
were the elected board members get together to plan current and new
actives, agenda and guest speakers for presentation at the next
Benton Park Neighborhood Association meeting.
3rd
Wednesday of the Month - Neighborhood Happy Hour: Each month we
will gather at a Benton Park establishment to come together as
neighbors to support this great neighborhood and one its local
businesses! Open to any and all! Benton Parkers especially welcomed!
Pass this message on to your neighbors.
Cherokee-Lemp
Historic District Annual Events
Cherokee-Lemp
History Fair -
The Historical and Architectural tours each May during National
Preservation Week. Including Ethnic Foods, Strolling
Musicians, Exhibits of Art and photographs featuring neighborhood
scenes.
Cherokee-Lemp
Cookie Spree -
Held in the 1st weekend of December, featuring music, hot cider and
cookies, cookies, cookies served to shoppers at Cherokee Street's
unique businesses
Halloween Party at the Lemp Mansion - Held in late
October, Dinner, cocktails, live music, costume contest,....
NEW Activates Ideas
If you
have an Idea, let us know what it is and we will get it posted here.
If you
are interested in one of the listed ideas, let us know and we'll see
if we can get to moving forward.
Ideas for the Park!
Tennis Program - The BPNA was recently contact by Tina
Harrison, a Tennis Service Reprehensive for the United State Tennis
Association Missouri Valley Section. Her jos is to basically
visit parks and recreational centers to see what kind of tennis
programming they have and see if she can help out in anyway through
grant money, further programming, etc…
She is
looking for anyone who would like to help organize a tennis program
for Benton Park. if you are interested, please contact us and
we will get you her contact information.
Movie Night in the Park - Utilizing the natural
amphitheater on the West side of the Strolling bridge, the BPNA has
contacted Front Yard Events. They offer you a list of over
7,500 movie titles that can be shown on the big inflatable screen
outside.
The
only requirement is electricity. We can manage with what we
have today but, we have added "Electric Outlets and Lights under the
Strolling Bridge" to the Park redevelopment plan. This would
prove lights to back-light the beautiful gates under the bridge and
power for activities like this.
Blues Festival in the Park - Again needing to utilize the
natural amphitheater on the West side of the Strolling bridge, the
BPNA was contacted by local resident Dave Beardsley of
STLBlues, A Music Promotion Co.
He is interested in
hosting a Benton Park Blues Festival. We meet with him and it
was decided that this would be a great compliment to our May House
Tour. If this is successful, this could propel our House Tour
into an Annual event. Couple this with National Preservation
Week and the Cherokee History Fair and we will have created a LOT of
excitement in Benton Park.
Garage Sale Days - We have a great location on Arsenal with the
park and the side walks. How about once a year we line the
sidewalk with tables, sell the spots for a small fee and let
neighbors hold a one day yard park sale?
People could just pull up next to the park, stroll down the sidewalk
and shop away.
Social Ideas!
Wine & Beer Tasting - Thinking of ideas to create interaction
between the neighbors, that create a social atmosphere while
providing information and education is what we need to more of. How
about meeting 4 times a year for a Wine & Beer Tasting party?
Get sponsors and charge an admission and we have a small fund
raiser.
Dinner for ? - Form a neighborhood pot-luck / cooking event.
Get six-ten people together, cook fabulous food and have a
spectacular dinner. Each couple would host one dinner per
year, the host would plan the menu, send out the recipes to the
other participants and the host cooks the main course. How fun
to spend one evening going through a 3-5 course dinner over about
4-6 hours of social time. Expand your culinary talents and get
to know your neighbors!
Volunteer
You're never too
busy...to make a difference
There is enormous,
untapped kindness available from busy people like you, who yearn for
greater fulfillment through helping others. However, many
well-meaning people are unable to commit to a charitable activity
that requires a specific time commitment - which is characteristic
of many traditional volunteer opportunities.
Thank You
An act of kindness,
no matter how small, is never forgotten. Thank you for your interest
in making a difference!
Last updated:
Friday, November 14, 2008
