Westview Little Free Library

Westview Little Free Library

You’ve probably heard of them before – the “Little Free Library.” It is a movement that started in 2009 of little houses that are placed in front yards and neighborhood entry points throughout the country (even the world!). Neighbors can come and check out books for free with the concept “take a book, return a book.”

As of September a Westview neighbor started her very own “Westview Little Free Library” on South Gordon Street at the corner of Ontario Avenue. A whole spectrum of rotating books can be found at the little library, which is a replica of the owner’s house. The children’s books have been especially popular, so bring the kids to come check out a book. If they write down their thoughts in the “Book Blurbs” the book fairy will even write them a personal response!

The project has been such a success that other neighbors plan to place Little Free Libraries at their houses across the neighborhood.

Stay up-to-date about happenings at the Westview Little Free Library via the website: http://westviewlittlelibrary.tumblr.com

Westview Business District Candy Stroll

Bring the kids out to the Westview Business Candy Stroll from 2:00-6:00pm on Halloween (October 31st) between 1516 to 1541 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. Dress up in your costumes, bring your trick or treat bags and enjoy snacks, candy, games, face painting, music, and dancing.

Sponsored by Hair Nirvana Salon and Spa, Westview Pizza Café, A&L Barber/Beauty Salon, Rhythm of Ink, Big Apple Inn, D Café, V+S Salon Studio, The Barber Loft, Top O’ The Line, Secrets, Law Office, We Rent Houses, and Keep It Wet Carwash.

Kids Stop by Community Garden

Kids Stop by Community Garden

The neighborhood “garden babies” came to visit the community garden and check on and harvest the vegetables that they helped plant. It is a beautiful sight to see how much our children remember what we teach them!

To see photos of the children at the garden view the photo gallery below or visit the Westview Facebook page.

Youth STEAM Summer Camp Photos

The Youth Committee, in conjunction with the John Perdew Legacy Project, hosted a two week youth STEAM camp from July 21st through August 1st, 2014 to allow the children to develop real world skills through arts and science. As part of the STEAM camp (an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) the children worked with artist Ashley Dopson, listened to speakers talk about topics such as banking and finances, college and technical schools, music, tie tying, vegetable harvesting, and bicycle safety. At the end of the two week camp the children received free bicycles thanks to a generous donor.

To see photos of the Youth STEAM Camp view the photo gallery below (click “continue reading”) or visit the Westview Facebook page.

Continue reading

Westview Youth Summer Art Camp

Youth Summer Art Camp

Westview youth will be participating in an art summer camp through August 1st. A kick-off meet-and-greet for the kids and their families was hosted in the Westview Communal Garden on South Gordon Street with music, activities, and learning about growing and harvesting food.

To view photos of the meet-and-greet view the photo gallery below or visit the Westview Facebook page.

Mellow Mushroom Contest

Westview Kids Enter Mellow Mushroom Contest

Mellow Mushroom recently announced an Instagram video contest. The grand prize is a 90-second shopping spree at Sports Authority (up to $2,000). To enter, you upload a 15-second video saying why you should win the prize.

Westview residents thought it would be a fun idea to get some of the neighborhood children together to star in a 15-second video for an opportunity to win the grand prize and get them some new sports equipment to play with. See what they came up with!

KIPP STRIVE Primary Ground-breaking

Time: 9:00am
Location: KIPP STRIVE Academy, 1444 Lucile Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30310
Details: KIPP Strive Primary will be breaking ground on Tuesday, June 5th at 9am. This will kickoff the start of a $10+ million dollar project to construct the new KIPP Strive Primary school building adjacent to the existing KIPP Strive Academy. As many of you know, they’ve been working towards this for quite some time, so lets help celebrate this fantastic investment in the education of the area’s youth and our neighborhood!

Westview Summer Solstice Celebration 2012

Westview Summer Solstice Celebration 2012

What better way to spend the height of summer than at the Westview Summer Solstice Celebration! Come hang out for an afternoon full of fun activities for the whole family!

Information about the day’s events:

  • Location, Time, Date – Where will the event take place?
  • Music – What should I expect to hear?
  • Food – What is there to eat and how can I join the grill-off?
  • Art/Vendor Market – What can I buy and how do I sign up for the artist market?
  • Games/Talent Show – How about some games for the kids?
  • Sponsors – Who is helping to make this event happen?
  • Donations – Can I donate money towards this event?
  • Photos – Check out photos from prior years!

Location, Time, Date

This year we’re doing things a little differently because our neighborhood school, KIPP STRIVE Academy, is expanding to add a new primary school! While we’re sad not to be able to host the event in our regular spot we’re super thrilled about the addition, so please bear with us this year while we host the event in a new environment. That being said…

Join the Westview Community Organization for an afternoon of music, art, crafts, and food on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm along Muse Street (next to the BeltLine path) as part of Westview’s Summer Solstice Celebration!


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Music

Bring your lawn chairs and dancing shoes – we have both live music and a DJ playing at the Summer Solstice Celebration.

  • Juliana Finch
    “Heartbreaky, bourbon-infused Americana” by singer/songwriter Juliana Finch from 3:00pm until 4:00pm.
  • DJ Theo
    Boogie down to house, soul, funk, and classics by DJ Theo.

Grill-Off: Taste of Westview

Are you ready to sample a taste of southwest Atlanta? On the day of the event purchase your "passport" and taste what our grill masters have created! The "passport" will allow you to sample the different foods (chicken and pork) plus a drink for $7. Last year there was so much food most people were too full to taste everything – what a deal! Once you have tasted all the different categories submit your vote for "the best of…".

2012 Grill-Off Participants

  • Beecher-Donnelly (Claiborne & Nash)
  • Morehouse College (Christopher)
  • Project GRAD (Alvin Glymph)
  • West End (Carl & Scott)
  • West End (Sister DeBorah)
  • Westview (Kisha)
  • Westview (Scott)

2011 Grill-Off Winners

Contestants: Are you the master of the grill? Come out and prove it in the Westview Grill-Off! Entries in the Grill-Off are $20, but we will supply you with the food to cook! Individuals, organizations, and restaurants are all allowed to participate. $100 worth of prizes to the winners of the contest!

Art/Vendor Market

Between eating and dancing browse our artist/vendor market!

Vendors: The application fee is only $25! We’ll supply you with a 10×10 space. You bring the tent, table, and other displays. Space is limited, so don’t wait! The deadline is Friday, June 15th, 2012.

Games & Talent Show

Come bring the kids!

  • Field Day Games
    We’ll have field day type games to keep the kiddos entertained. Think tug-of-war, sack races, hula hoops, and more!
  • Crafts
    For the artsy and younger kids we’ll have craft projects. Think maks, bird feeders, and more!
  • Talent Show/Open Mic
    Does your kid have a special talent? Are they eager to show off their moonwalking skills? Shakespeare recital? Breakdancing? Juggling? Chris Rock impression? Sign them up for the talent show hosted by MC Hectic Da Backpacka – there are $100 worth of prizes! There will be musical, non-musical, and open mic challenge categories. We just ask to keep it PG. Sign up by 3:30pm on the day of the event or email trueearth@gmail.com ahead of time.
  • Basketball Shoot-Off
    Show off your hoop-throwing skills for a chance to win movie theater tickets!

Sponsors/Partners

The Westview Summer Solstice Celebration could not happen without the generous donations from:

Interested in sponsoring the 2012 Westview Summer Solstice Celebration? Please email us at info@westviewatlanta.com for sponsorship opportunities or submit a donation via PayPal below!

Donations

We can’t make this event happen without donations from you! In addition to buying a grill-off passport on the day of the event you can help support the Westview Summer Solstice Celebration by making a donation. Small or large – we appreciate it all!


Photos

Curious what prior year’s were all about? Check out our Facebook album’s from 2011 and 2010!

Past Westview Summer Solstice Events

Kids Gardening

Kids Learn To Garden

Westview residents have created their own version of the “Big Brothers/Big Sisters” program. A few neighbors have taken several neighborhood children under their wing to help them with homework, spend dinners together around the kitchen table, and be there to generally support them and teach them every day tasks.

One of the recent projects was learning about gardening. The Westview Community Garden provided a few empty plots to the kids. They weeded the beds and planted vegetables which they will be able to proudly watch grow.

To view more photos of the community garden please visit our Westview Facebook page.

Kids Clean Up Westwood

Kids Clean Up Westwood

Several neighborhood children came together to clean up a littered commercial lot and overgrown street portion of Westwood Avenue. They ended up with 36 bags of trash. And the hard work paid off – several neighbors sponsored a pizza party for the kids when they finished!

To view more photos of the Westwood clean-up please visit our Westview Facebook page.