By Andy Ashby

The McLean mural project should start this June and be completed before summer is gone.

The project’s artist, Carl E. Moore, will soon be done with his Memphis College of Art studies and plans on starting work on the project on June 9.

The project is located on South McLean Boulevard just south of Central Avenue.

Before Carl can start painting, however, the underpass walls have to be prepared.

The Cooper-Young Community Association is planning to clean the site on June 2 if all the equipment can be procured.

We’re looking for volunteers and a commercial-grade pressure washer to get the work done quickly.

The project has been funded through various fundraisers, including Moveable Feasts and pictures with Santa.

Generous donations from the Cooper-Young Community Association, the Cooper-Young Business Association, the Central Gardens Association, Eclectic Eye and InBalance Fitness have also made the project possible.

After the project is completed, the Cooper-Young Community Association will host a grand opening party on or near the site.

If interested in volunteering or donating a pressure washer, please contact project managers Andy Ashby (691-2396) or Brad Gilmer (bgilmer@domicokyle.com).

Also, keep an eye on www.cooperyoung.org for more details and updates.

The artwork of Karen Bottle Capps and Carol Robison will be on display at Otherlands Coffe & Gifts, 641 S. Cooper St., May 13-31.
An opening reception is set for 4-6 p.m. May 13.
Capps, whose show is called Cars, Liquor Stores, Shacks and Bar-B-Q, recreates local landscapes using dound objects, frequently bottle caps. Robison, whose show is titled Urban Landscapes paints scenes that locals would recognize.
Call Otherlands at 278-4994.

The Church Health Center will host a very special evening of the hit musical “A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline,” at Playhouse on the Square, 51 S. Cooper Street on Friday, June 1.
The show will feature more than 20 hits including “Crazy,” “Walkin’ After Midnight,” “She’s Got You,” “I Fall to Pieces” and more that span her career. Come and enjoy this great evening that will benefit the Center, and then stay for an after party on the roof with friends and actors from the musical.

Tickets start at $50 and are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Hannah Newsom at (901) 272-7170, Ext. 1411.

By Emily A. Holmes

Kids love to play in the dirt, and on a beautiful Friday afternoon in April, Peabody Beta Club students broke ground on their brand new school garden.

Rep. G.A. Hardaway joins Principal Jones and Beta Club students in their planting party.

You may have noticed the five new raised beds behind the school that were installed by volunteers in mid-March. These beds, the compost to fill them and the kid-friendly tools to water and tend them were all paid for by a generous grant awarded by local nonprofit GrowMemphis.

GrowMemphis supports community and school gardens in order to build neighborhood food systems that “eliminate hunger, promote health, and further social justice.” This mission was a perfect fit for the Peabody Beta Club students, who wanted a service project that would be both fun and beneficial to the school.

Parents at Peabody are excited for their kids to have the opportunity to learn first-hand how plants grow, where food comes from, and how to grow their own food. In line with the mission of GrowMemphis, the garden will be 100 percent organic.

Students celebrated their new garden by planting summer vegetables and herbs: basil, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, and cucumbers, all donated by GrowMemphis. Along with representatives from MCS Nutrition Services, GrowMemphis, Urban Farms, and E Scape Landscapes, State Rep. G. A. Hardaway joined Principal Kongsouly Jones and her students in the planting party and reminisced about growing up gardening with his family. But fifth grader Bria Dodd was most excited to learn about all “the tools used for gardening and the different kinds of plants you can grow.”

The garden will be maintained over the summer by volunteer Peabody parents. When the school year starts up again in August, teachers will have the opportunity to integrate the garden into the curriculum for lessons in math, science, art, reading, and of course, nutrition.

By Mandy Grisham

When you’re a resident of Cooper-Young and an involved parent at Peabody Elementary, there’s no better email in your inbox than the one containing this message:

“Congratulations! KaBOOM! and the Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group would like to formally congratulate Cooper Young-Peabody Elementary School on receiving a Let’s Play Improvement Grant for a shade structure in the amount of $25,000! Your community’s application and ability to impact even more children demonstrate the type of motivation and high potential for success that we look for in our grantees. We thank you for working to provide quality, fun and safe outdoor play opportunities for the children in your community.”

In 2008, Cooper-Young partnered with Peabody in applying for a KaBoom! grant that we were awarded. The four-year-old play structure has been the stage for many grade school recess games and community gatherings. Numerous “spruce days” have brought parents, children and community members out to freshen up the space, pull some weeds, paint the benches and add murals.

One request many parents have made over the years was for additional shade. During the Memphis heat, this newer playground had not been utilized because the sun is too intense. When we found out about the shade grant and learned it was only available to KaBoom! alumni, we knew we had to apply.

The grant is part of the Let’s Play initiative introduced in November 2010, a $15 million, three-year commitment from Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group to KaBOOM!, the national nonprofit that is saving play by ensuring there is a great place to play within walking distance of every child. Together through Let’s Play, Dr. Pepper/Snapple Group and KaBOOM! will build or fix 2,000 playgrounds by the end of 2013, benefiting an estimated 5 million children across North America.

In another recent conversation the people from KaBoom! said they have “loved hearing about all that has transpired at the playspace since the build (in 2008). It’s incredibly inspiring to know of all the relationships built, connections made, and care given to and use made of the playground.”

The PTA of Peabody had eight members collaborating on the grant application and all of the necessary decisions that needed to be made. We chose a vendor from Missouri who will be installing the structure this summer. The new shade that will be installed over the playground will decrease the temperature of the play area by 20 degrees and reduce UV rays by 90 percent. As a result, it will give us many more months of playtime to the school and neighborhood children.

But before the installation happens, the PTA will be hard at work soliciting donations for the $10,000 we have to contribute!

How can you help? For a $100 donation, your family, organization or business will receive a personalized brick that will be laid in the patio next to the playground showing your support. Bricks are 4 inches by 8 inches and the engraving can be up to 63 letters, 21 letters per line.

Bricks’R’Us has set up a personalized website for our donations: http://bricksrus.com/order/cyca/

(sidebar) We’ve continued to receive more amazing news about our outdoor play area. Last month, GrowMemphis awarded a grant to Peabody parents Emily Holmes and Kalki Winter for a school garden. Also, Memphis City Schools resodded the entire field at the request of persistent parents and Chili Cook-Off attendees. And, a wonderful, anonymous donor has contributed $10,000 for a brand new basketball court to be installed in the play space. It’s a great time to be a Peabody Eagle!

Larrie Ann Rodriguez, B.S., L.M.T., will open Midtown Massage & Bodywork at 885 S. Cooper St., this month. Rodriguez hopes to officially open May 28.

For information call 596-3838, or visit www.Midtown-Massage.com or www.facebook.com/midtownmassage.

(Correction: The print version of this story gave an incorrect phone number.)

When I first moved into the neighborhood, I was cocky. Having lived in Midtown for years and never having been the victim of a burglary or theft, I thought I was very knowledgeable about what would keep my new home, my yard and my belongings safe.

I was wrong.

My new house had a shed — a very sturdy and solid outbuilding. And though it didn’t have a lock, I figured out a way to jury-rig a long steel rope through a hole in the door and padlock it closed. Only a weasel could have weaseled their way into my shed, or so I thought. Then one day I went out to get my bike and, sure enough, it wasn’t there. The thieves managed to squeeze through the tiny space and clear out my tools and my bicycle. They actually took the time to disassemble the bike to get it out through the tiny opening, which showed a true commitment to innovation. I was not innovative enough.

Those ingenious thieves taught me my first lesson, and I’m learning more each year. So here are a few basic things I’ve discovered that everyone can do to increase security in yards, outbuildings and around the perimeter of a home:

• First the obvious — lock up your tools and other outdoor items when not in use. Bikes, lawnmowers and portable grills can walk away in a matter of minutes.
• Keep gates, garages and sheds locked and secured at all times.
• Light every entrance to your property. Motion-detecting lights are great for the backyard.
• Mark your belongings with your driver’s license number or some other distinguishing identification, should something ever be stolen. A UV pen is an inexpensive and invisible way to mark most items.
• Put your camera phone to work and make a visual inventory of your tools and other outdoor furniture. Easier yet, make a 15-second video sweep of each side of your property and the interior of any outbuildings.
• Keep shrubs and trees trimmed to maintain visibility to all doors and windows.
• Plant prickly shrubs and plants near fences and windows.
• Use gravel on paths and in flowerbeds, as the noise can be a good deterrent.
• Bolt down or anchor large pieces — outdoor furniture, grills and garden decorations.
• Maintain your fence. A six-foot fence is recommended for security purposes.
• If you have an existing alarm system, check to see if your outbuildings can be covered as well.
• Consider adding a dog or two to your family.

What to do if you have a problem or a theft:

• Call the police! Every issue or crime must be reported. Documentation can help to establish patterns, determine where resources are needed and ultimately, put people away. Even if you are unsure about the details — the when, what, where, how, and who — be persistent and request that a written report be filed.
• Report your problem to the CYCA office. Sometimes we can see recurring patterns and advocate accordingly.
• Talk to your neighbors. See if anyone has seen or heard anything, or experienced something similar. If multiple households can make reports, the issue is that much more likely to get the attention it deserves.

- Sarah Frierson

By Aaron James

This year marks my family’s 100th anniversary in Cooper-Young, and I am celebrating by throwing a block party at 2028 and 2029 Felix, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 12. There will be food, live music, refreshments, and you’re all invited!

But now, let me tell our tale:

My paternal grandmother Nettie Lee Moore holding my oldest brother Jack Jr. in front of 2029 Felix circa 1955.

It all started when my maternal Great Uncle Vernon Ingram and his new bride, Louise Snowden, built 1839 Walker in 1912. When Vernon’s parents and younger siblings rode a wagon up from north Mississippi for a visit in 1918, he convinced them to quit the family farm and move to the big city.

On Feb. 21, 1922, Vernon’s younger brother Prentice married Louise Thomas at the home of Rev. Utley at 1981 Young. They eventually decided to call CY home too, and bought 1882 Manila in 1937. Grandma Ingram’s family had come from farms in north Memphis at what is now Dunlap and Jackson (a portion of which was called Thomastown Road in the 1880s), as well as south Memphis, where the Levi Road and community still bears their name.

My maternal grandparents were successful business owners, with Ingram’s Food Store on South Main, but unfortunately were not as successful at making babies and finally decided to adopt. Little did they know that the Tennessee Children’s Home, operated by the infamous Georgia Tann, was a literal black market baby factory. But the girl who would grow to be my mother, Gloria Ingram (Hollingsworth), certainly received nothing but love in her new home.

The following decade brought my dad and his family to the neighborhood. Born in Calhoun County, Miss., my paternal grandmother Nettie Lee Anglin (Moore) worked as a Rosie the Riveter during World War II. When she and my step-grandfather Mitchell bought 2029 Felix in 1946, she decided it was time to move her 13-year-old son Jack Hollingsworth to Memphis.

Jack and Gloria both attended Temple Baptist Church on Cooper, where they met and fell in love. The young couple were married in 1953 and welcomed their first child, Jack Jr., in 1954, making their home in the east half of what was then a duplex at 2087-89 Felix. In 1956, my maternal great-grandmother Ethel and her new husband Wallace Williams moved next door to Papa and Grandma Ingram, at 1878 Manila.

By the time I came along in 1963 we lived on North Graham, but found our way back to the family compound in December of 1975, buying the house across from Grandma Moore at 2028 Felix.

A few of my favorite memories include building a tree house from lumber scavenged from the house that was torn down where the Peabody playground is now. Walking to Fairview meant cutting through Harwood Arms, a gun shop where Celtic Crossing is now. And I still remember the day my dad finally let me get my hair cut in fly backs, which I did at Akins, back when it was still a beauty shop. This event, which would become my first step on the road to independence, was only made possible by the intervention of my new stepmother, Alice Wheaton (Hollingsworth.)

When I was 16, I delivered the Press-Scimitar throughout the neighborhood and bagged groceries at Baker Brothers. In high school, my girlfriend’s mother bought us season passes to Libertyland each year, and I bought parts for my 1968 Ford LTD at what would later become Young Avenue Deli.

After a couple of half-hearted years at Memphis State, the girl I was dating at the time said she would only marry me if I got a real job. The one thing I had known I was good at since 8th grade shop class was drafting, so I looked through the want ads and called every architect on the list. It was this serendipitous act that led to my working on the Boatmen’s bank on the corner of Cooper and Young in 1990. After I solved the drive-through dilemma by suggesting an angled canopy, my boss decided to give me a shot at designing the whole project. He and I spent an afternoon walking around the neighborhood and Overton Square, picking out the details that would add flourish to what has proven to be a rather timeless design, if I do say so myself.

Ultimately however, the significance of deep family roots was overshadowed by wanderlust, and I spent the next couple of decades using my profession as both the excuse and the means to travel the eastern half of the country, racking up 25 years, 25 firms, and 25 addresses. I was living and working in Manhattan in 2008, when my sister called on Easter Sunday to tell me our parents had been in an auto accident. Twenty-four hours later, I found myself once again living in Cooper-Young.

But the years have been kind to the old girl. What was built as a blue-collar neighborhood — maintaining this character through both my father’s and my childhoods — has gentrified into the cool part of town.

This year I will start a serious restoration of the house my dad grew up in, while maintaining my Midtown abode in the house my mom grew up in (which my own daughter and granddaughter briefly called home before moving to Austin.)

Having experienced so many locales over the years, I can say without a doubt, that Cooper-Young is the quintessential American neighborhood, and I look forward to a long and fulfilling future being back at home.

Attention block club captains: As I am sure you are aware from last month’s LampLighter, June Hurt put out a challenge to all of you guys to get your block clubs going!

It is time to get those barbecue grills lit, the drinks flowing and the neighbors over to meet and greet. We have new welcome packets at the office for pick up if you have new residents in your area. Stop by and grab a few to have them on hand to drop off to your new residents.

They contain great info on community awareness, Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) and even local restaurant menus.

Also, it has been decided based on feedback from most of you that we will have the National Night Out on the actual day this year. Please mark your calendars for Aug. 7. This will help in getting donations for the event as well as help get all of the neighbors involved since children will be out of school.

As usual, pop tabs will be collected at the CYCA festival booth in September, so get going on collecting those tabs. June prides herself on beating everyone each year, so lets have a new champion in 2012!

If you don’t have a block captain in your area and would like to sign up or throw a party to generate some interest, please contact: april.cyca@yahoo.com for more info.

- April Boleware

By Sydney Ashby

Jason Whitworth (right) has lived on Young Avenue since 1997 with his wife, Amber (center) and children Autumn and Graham. Photo by Sydney Ashby.

One of the unexpected side benefits of the Cooper-Young 4-Miler is that it sometimes entices participants to become permanent residents of the neighborhood.

Jason Whitworth saw the house at 2083 Young Ave. for sale when running the race and decided to purchase it in September 1997. Since then, he and his family have filled the yard with beautiful plants, trees, shrubs and vines.

In early spring, the first thing you’ll notice are the row of pink azaleas that line the front yard. Two crape myrtles anchor either side of the yard and Jason’s stepdaughter, Autumn Rose, planted the colorful pansies at the base of the trees. There are marigolds in the planters that will (they hope!) keep the critters away. And finally, Jason and his wife, Amber, planted the grapevine trellis in the side yard.

Although too young now, you may see Jason’s son, Graham, cutting the yard in the next few years while Francis the dog stands watch. Jason says that he likes living in Cooper-Young because he’s able to get to know his neighbors and enjoy the strong sense of community our neighborhood cultivates. He also enjoys people watching during the CY Festival each year.

Congratulate Jason and his family for being named May’s Yard of the Month. And thanks to Midtown Nursery for sponsoring it again this year. Stop by and pick up a few things and who knows — your yard may be next!