Neighborhood News


	The Garden of Wonders
	Students at Abernethy Elementary School are hard at work growing The Garden of Wonders. The program, which came to the school from Edwards last fall, is flourishing. The Garden of Wonders teaches kids where food comes from, how it grows and how to cook. Under the leadership of Hawthorne neighbor Linda Colwell, the program is also closely aligned with the Scratch Kitchen at Abernethy - the only school in the district where breakfast and lunch for kids is prepared on site. The team of chefs, Americorps Volunteers and a Community Wellness Coordinator provide classroom education with hands-on experience in the natural world. Students participate in food and garden-based activities that are interwoven with grade appropriate math, science, social studies and arts curricula. The program is designed to educate students about the interconnected relationships of food, environment, ecology, communities and cultural histories. All 375 students at Abernethy, kindergarten through fifth grade, participate in the program twice a month. Shown here is one part of the mural on display in the main hallway of the school. The art project made by K-2nd graders represents the trail of food from farm to school cafeteria. The panels of the mural include scenes from gardens, farms, Grand Central Baking and New Seasons Market. This month kindergarteners will be taking a tour of a chicken coop in the Ladd's Addition neighborhood as they prepare to set up an incubator and look forward to chicks being born in their classroom. There are numerous opportunities to volunteer in support of the Garden of Wonders. If you'd like to learn more about the program or get involved contact Beret Halverson.


	Just in from Italy...Eight New Pastas!
	Pastini is introducing our expanded menu including eight new authentic pastas made with fresh ingredients in the tradition of local Italian pastarias. Also, we're adding a chopped salad, a wonderful baked sandwich and a fantastico new lemon dessert! Look for an entirely updated feel to the menu, too, with the pastas conveniently grouped into dishes with seafood, chicken, meat, vegetarian and Pastini pasta specialties. New graphics, colors and whimsical vintage photos complete the transformation. So, here's what's there! New pastas include piquant Linguini with Piccata, a classic Spaghetti Fra Diavolo with Seafood and Maccheroni and Cheese made with five cheeses and authentically finished with toasted breadcrumbs. We have a wonderfully rich Baked Manicotti and traditional Linguini con Scampi with garlic, butter, sherry and lemon. Two ravioli dishes have been added, Ravioli Rustici with sauteed peppers, onions and Italian fennel sausage and Three-Cheese Ravioli with Bay Shrimp in an elegant lemon-caper sauce. Finally, we've brought in a great new pasta shape called bucatini, which looks like thick spaghetti but with a hole in the middle! This hefty noodle shows up in two pastas, Bucatini Florentine, a summer-style dish with garlic, olive oil, lemon, fresh baby spinach and parmesan and Bucatini Molta Carne, the pasta your Italian grandmother made on Sundays, with Bolognese meat sauce, grilled Italian sausage and two of Pastini's handmade meatballs. Of course, the entire Pastini menu is available for take-out and catering, as well as dining in our bistros. Come in to Pastini at 20th & Division soon and experience again our passion for pasta! Visit www.pastini.net for all the details.

Welcome to the Neighborhood News - our e-newsletter filled with timely and important news. If you do not wish to receive future issues, use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the page. It's easy to use the Send-A-Friend box below. You can contact me at lindsey@myneighborhoodnews.us.

Spring is on the way - don't let the snow today fool you. Read on for news, a great concert tonight for a great cause and some new shops, opportunities and important projects to be a part of.

ASHLEY SHINES ON STAGE

Richmond neighbor Ashley Henry spends most of her time working on growing our nation's renewable energy industry. But for fun and for charity she loves to sing. That's why she teamed up with her friend and Belmont neighbor Esther Lev to start the Concert for Oregon Wetlands. In early 2005, they aimed to create a fun evening that would showcase musical talent and raise money for The Wetlands Conservancy, a non-profit organization that promotes community and private partnerships to permanently protect and conserve Oregon's greatest wetlands. Ashley loves birdwatching, especially in wetland habitats, and she's been a singer since she was a kid, so she decided to combine these two passions. Last year's show at the Doug Fir was a big success; Ashley and friends have been invited back for 2006. The concert is tonight, Thursday, March 9th. Learn more about the show at Wetland Concert. Tickets are $15, and you can order them through the concert website to avoid ticketing fees. You can learn more about Ashley's singing history at www.shamelessselfpromotions.com.

NEW - ENJOY THE KUSH
Opening by middle March, KUSH is a new business located in the 900 Hawthorne Building that will be selling high-quality handmade rugs of all sizes. Owners Brian and Rebecca have more than 10 years in the industry and look forward to their own storefront selling directly to customer and designers. Their hand selected inventory from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Tibet offer a contemporary slant with traditional pieces in "right now" colors.

CHANGES AT APA INI

Built in 1910, this cool house at 1825 SE 7th Avenue is familiar to many of us who enjoyed the unique sales of art, collectibles, jewelery and furniture that was known as Apa Ini. Martha Banyas, who travelled the world and brought it all back to inner Southeast, has stopped the labor intensive sales and is ready to lease the building for office use, preferably to a small, local company. See details about the building and the beautiful Asian-inspired courtyard at for lease.

Apa Ini is now a more intimate operation housed in the rear building on the property. Beautiful wool rugs from Iran, Turkey and the Caucus Mountains are for sale. The rug events and other opportunities to see and purchase Martha's amazing items occur throughout the year. Details are available at Apa Ini.

UPCOMING FOR CHAMBER MUSIC NORTHWEST
Tickets for exciting performances of Chamber Music Northwest go on sale March 15th. The Emerson Quartet, the well-known New York-based quartet, will perform nine string quartets by Dmitri Shostakovich from July 21-23 and then complete the cycle in concert October 25-26. Call 503.294.6400 for more information or visit Chamber Music Northwest for all concerts, ticket prices and performance locations.

IORIO FOR LUNCH AND DINNER
Iorio Restaurant opened at 912 SE Hawthorne Boulevard in December. Co-owners, Chef Christopher Thompson and Hilary Benson are proud to present their Southern Italian flavors with a northwest accent for lunch and dinner. Located across the street from the Lucky Lab Brew Pub, Iorio is open Tuesday-Friday 11:30 am - 2 pm for lunch and Tuesday-Thursday 5-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 5-10 pm for dinner. Reservations are available at 503.445.4716.

Chris and Hilary also offer catering, box lunches, cooking classes and private parties.

HAWTHORNE ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
Construction of the Hawthorne Boulevard Project is coming soon. The project will build transit, pedestrian, bicycle and signal improvements along Hawthorne between SE 20th Ave and SE 55th Avenue. A budget shortfall and project cuts were avoided with the City of Portland leveraging cost savings from other projects and securing additional federal transportation funds for the project. City staff are finalizing construction plans and the project will go out to bid in March. Construction should begin in early June and last approximately one year. Contact project manager Jean Senechal Biggs at 503.823.7211 for more information or go to Hawthorne Boulevard Project.

SAVE OUR ELMS UPDATE
Key activities and gatherings are coming up for Save Our Elms, the neighborhood-based volunteer organization that works to care for and protect the grove of historic elm trees in Ladd's Addition and many other neighborhoods across the city.

Tree Care and Planting Day - March 18th
SOE will plant over 20 new trees and perform some low-limb pruning on young street trees to help them grow to be sturdy and healthy. Volunteers are needed. Meet at the Circle at 9:00 am with gloves, pruning shears, shovels and appropriate clothing. Call Toby Deming at 503.236.0620 for more information.

Annual Meeting - April 4th
The annual membership meeting will be held on April 4th at 7:00 pm at Bob Schatz' office at 2118 SE Division Street. Members will elect new officers and review plans for the coming year.

Inoculation Day - June 14th
Volunteers will meet at 8:30 am at the Ladd Circle to inoculate 88 elms. Your help is needed for this important and fun event. Call Toby Deming at 503.236.0620 for more information.

THE CALENDAR
Join Portland Parks & Rec for a kayak tour around Ross Island. You can get up close and personal with nature from a kayak on the Willamette River. You'll see wildlife - including herons, hawks and kingfishers - as you cruise around Portland's only island. A $43 fee includes an experienced guide, kayak rental and related equipment. Dates are Sundays in March - 3/12, 3/19 and 3/26.

SOLV Clean Up is scheduled for April 22. Stay tuned for more information and how you can get involved.

Put the Abernethy Elementary School Carnival on your calendar for Friday, April 28th, beginning at 5:30 pm. All are invited and it is a lot of fun! Visit Abernethy Elementary School for more info on the school.