Happy Cleveland Hollow'een 2015

Unofficial count of Google Fiber chaperones in Cleveland Holloway this year = 5 

Cleveland Hollow'een was an amazing success! We had donated costumes, many many houses handing out candy, and a mostly good time.  

A group of well behaved and incredibly silly children on Primitive St

Can you thaw a frozen heart? 

A holiday for grown ups and children 

GET THE CANDY FAST! THERE'S MORE THAT WAY!!

Simple and spooky decorations

Teenagers!  She's wearing an infant Superman bib cape while the clown outfit has languished in the costume chest for literally 5 years. 

This little girl was adorable at the park. So shy! 

 

DEATH! Was surprised by the temperature of the hairspray. 

Beautiful snow queen who added a little glitter bling to her cheek at the park.

This kid has been a different version of the devil for the past 3 years. 

Most adorable supergirl twins ever! We had costumes in just the right sizes for the sisters. 

Ninja - yeah, we can do that. 

Kids hanging out, eating pizza, and getting ready for Halloween. 

SUPERMAN! 

Are you cool enough to be a giant box of cereal for Halloween? This kid is. 

More fun at the park. The kids tore through 10 Costco pizzas in 45 minutes.  

My little ones. 

So how much does all of this cost?

Well, we bought 10 Costco pizzas for a total of $108

I spent $71.04 at Kroger buying a case of water bottles,  6 lbs of bananas, 4 discounted scary masks,4 cans of colored hair spray, 4 discounted costumes, 36 glowsticks, 2 boxes of gallon storage bags, and 3 big things of candy.
I also spent $27 at Target buying masks, face tattoos, face paint base, and q-tips,

I've spent about $15 dollars at local thrift stores buying costumes. Spent $30 at a consignment sale buying costumes.

Next year, we'll need to buy pizza, and otherwise have enough from this year returned and remaining to make it another amazing holiday.

Shout outs to volunteers -

• DENA on Elizabeth painted faces again this year - she's so patient and amazing with the kids. 
• Susan B over in American Village donated two huge boxes of her kids (who are now adults!) Halloween stuff
• Tiffany who made, printed, handed out maps 
• Juan Zarazua who gave $100 to buy costumes for the kids
• Maureen on Carlton who thrift store shopped for costumes all year
• Lots of neighbors donating candy, decorating houses, handing out candy, and just generally socializing for the day. 
• Harris on Cleveland for carting around boxes of costumes for years. Up and down from the attic and putting up with a room of our house taken over for prep each year. 

Oakwood Park is now open!

Neighborhood children play and scream with glee.

ABC11 did some wonderful news coverage on build day and came out in force to help renovate the park.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=9296537


Thank you ABC11, Disney, Kaboom, Keep Durham Beautiful, Durham Parks & Rec, and of course Cleveland Holloway neighbors and friends!

Cleveland Hollow'een 2013

Houses are being decorated, costumes being distributed, candy being gathered up.

You can help with Oakwood Park's makeover

Help revitalize Oakwood Park: volunteer for a playground build on 10/31 or 11/2

Over 200 volunteers are needed on October 31st and November 2nd to revitalize downtown Durham and help create an amazing new community-built playspace in Oakwood Park at the corner of Holloway and Dillard/Oakwood streets. Be a part of this incredible project, planned and organized by Cleveland-Holloway neighbors, in partnership with the City of Durham Parks and Recreation Department, Keep Durham Beautiful, KaBOOM!, ABC11 and The Walt Disney Company. Bring your enthusiasm – no building skills are necessary!

Volunteer opportunities are described below. To volunteer, please fill out our online form. A volunteer coordinator will contact you prior to build day to confirm your participation.

Prep day volunteers, Thursday, October 31, 8am to 5pm

Prep Day volunteers work on getting all of the materials ready for the Build Day. They split into teams based on what people feel comfortable with and excited about. The team tasks may include, but are not limited to:

• Unloading and inventorying the playground equipment truck, The Home Depot delivery, and tools.
• Sorting the parts and hardware for sections of the playground so that Build Day teams have everything they need – each section will be packaged at a kit for teams to construct on the build day.
• Cutting wood and sorting hardware for constructing the benches and other side projects – each bench, table, etc. will be packaged as a kit for teams to construct on the build day. All the wood will be cut on Prep Day, so the only power tools used on site on Build Day can be drills.
• Painting/prepping materials for the children’s projects – which may include stepping stones, small murals, etc.
• Sorting and prepping garden materials and getting the gardens ready for planting.
• Helping the hole digging team preparing the site for posts that will be set; potentially setting some posts that need to be in early

Build Day volunteers, Saturday, November 2, 8am to 3pm

In a matter for hours, we will build a brand new playground designed by children in our community and have tons of fun! Build Day volunteers will be randomly assigned to teams when they arrive (by a sticker on their nametag). These teams will have a wide variety of tasks, which could include:  

• Playground component assembly and installation
• Mulch movement onto the playground footprint
• Cement mixing and pouring to put the posts and side projects in place
• Landscaping and gardening (moving dirt for gardens, planting things, etc.)
• Building lumber side projects (i.e. benches, picnic tables, etc.)
• Painting (asphalt games, decorative items)
• Food preparation and service
• Safety support
• Registration table
• Youth supervision

Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Volunteers may move around if their initial task is finished and a different team could use support. All volunteers will be a part of clean-up team.

Growing up in Cleveland Holloway

As grown folks play horseshoes, the rhythmic clank of metal on metal heard streets away, the children of Cleveland Holloway add their chorus of glee.

Cleveland Holloway abounds with childhood. Mr. Troy returns home from the horseshoe pit when the kids get home from school. He takes up his quiet perch on his porch, keeping both eyes on the kids and sometimes enjoying a pipe.  Teresa and Chris spend evenings after work on their porch watching as their youngest son speeds up and down the street on his bike, racing with Tyree, the fastest biker in the neighborhood.  Ian and Madeline catch a glimpse of each other and run screaming each other’s name down the sidewalk, ending up in a puddle of hugs and eventual comparisons of the contents of their pockets (rocks, bugs, flowers).

On weekends, Tymel walks up the street and starts doing cartwheels across the lawn while reciting lines from Scarface, and his little sister Kristina comes running up behind asking if she can play too. They visit with kids and adults, looking for fun.

Some of the most kind and generous children live in this neighborhood. Games are expanded as more people show up, the youngest are fawned over, and the oldest help keep everyone in line.  Tiana’s balancing the line between childhood and grown, watching out for the littler kids, but giggling and cutting up with them as much as she can. She helps plant the garden, dutifully watering every flower and tomato and hoping that it will somehow grow this year.

Children in Cleveland Holloway live a magically charmed life. They can walk to the farmers market and have their pick of vacant lots, gardens, and parks in which to play.

I’ve bridged life stages of single young thing, part of hip couple, and now mommy in my decade in Cleveland Holloway. I’ve watched the little girls and boys grow into adults and parents in their own right. Roshaunda introduced me, coming over after school to make brownies with me (math) or tell stories (reading), or just have a quiet place to sit when life got too hectic. She’d flit between mine and Bill’s porch, Bill insisting that she walk to the library and check  out books, while I quizzed her on her multiplication tables or taught her fractions in the street. Lashena and Alex were the big girls back then, keeping their heads down, going to school, working part time, looking out for everyone and being taken care of in return.

Lashena and Alex are grown now and their respective son and daughter, Reginald and Sylvia, are the oldest of the current Cleveland Holloway babies. When Madeline was born, Sylvia toddled slowly down the street and up the walk to see the new baby that she’d get to play with one day.   

So many children.  Every year kids move here, are born here, play here, and create friendships on these streets. Children have passed on here as well leaving sweet memories of their time with us and inspiring new traditions.

Little Jana will turn two years old soon. Neighbors organized a surprise baby shower for her parents, only to be surprised ourselves when she decided she needed to be born during the shower!  Her mother shared the vegan cake as her father loaded the car to go to the hospital. Dragana and Jana like to stroll around the neighborhood and people watch. “In the past few months while watching Jana all day I've been pretty grateful that we live within walking distance to so many new destinations (coffee shops, bakeries,central park, farmker's market).

While it does not make a huge difference to Jana where you walk, it has been more enjoyable to me to walk to a destination three times a day instead of just hanging out at a park. We also both have a great time people watching downtown. “

A big fan of Mr. Tom’s story time at the Main Durham Library, they hang out at the library a lot, taking part in the activities for the kids. Jana is also one of the kids at our great neighborhood daycare center, Kurmi Wasi  (http://kurmiwasi.weebly.com/). “It's awesome having a trusted neighbor watch your child when you can't.”

Ivy and Isabella are getting settled into the neighborhood.  Their mom and dad like to walk with them to the Durham Bulls and the YMCA. The girls love riding their bikes down the sidewalk to Oakwood Park where they play on the swings and see-saw or meet up with other little ones for adventure.  The walks around the neighborhood, out to downtown and American Tobacco help Ivy and ‘Bella make this neighborhood their home.

A couple of Saturdays ago, Madeline, Hayes, Ash, and Z walked to the Farmer’s Market. At the sandbox they ran into Ian, while their grown-ups ran into Elaine, Dylan, Taylor, and Cliff.  Community feels palpable here as the friendships formed on familiar streets are explored and deepened across a city.

-by Natalie (April 2012)

KaBOOM! Excitement at Oakwood Park

Through the efforts of dedicated neighbors, the help of KaBOOM!, and funding from the Walt Disney Company (!) our dear Cleveland Holloway is slated to get a big update to Oakwood park in November!  Keep your eyes and ears open.  This will be a community build experience, so we will need your help.

"KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America."

Pictures from KaBOOM's online gallery:





Thank you Oakwood Park team!