By Andy Ashby

This January, the Cooper-Young Community Association is organizing an event to raise money for a planned mural on McLean Boulevard. Stone Soup Café and four Cooper-Young homeowners are hosting a “Moveable Feast” on Friday, January 27, 2012 starting at 6pm. This will consist of two groups of 20 people each enjoying a three-course meal at three different stops. For each group, the first house will serve salads and appetizers, and the second house will serve an entrée. Then, both groups will meet at Stone Soup Café (993 S. Cooper) for dessert.

Tickets are $20 and will be available for sale at the CYCA offices (2298 Young Ave.). All proceeds will go toward the McLean Mural Project, which will brighten up a popular gateway to the neighborhood.

Local artist Carl E. Moore has designed a mural to be painted underneath the railroad overpass on McLean Boulevard near Central Avenue. He plans on starting this summer. The entire project will cost $5,000, which includes cleaning and treating the surfaces, as well as designing and painting the murals. The CYCA has raised $1,500 so far. The Moveable Feast money, paired with funds raised from the Santa picture event in November, should put us at $2,500, which would be enough to paint one side.

The CYCA is approaching other organizations to raise the remainder of the funds. We may also organize more fundraisers to generate the rest of the money. If you’d like to buy tickets or donate to the McLean Mural Project, stop by the CYCA offices or call Andy Ashby at 901-691-2396.

By Donna Padgett Bowers

Donna Padgett Bowers was asked to tell the LampLighter a little about Painted Planet and Healing Planet as well as her feelings about Cooper-Young and being a CYCA Membership Sponsor (if you are a CYCA member, Donna will give you a 25% jewelry discount on regularly priced items every time you show your card). Here was her response.

Painted Planet has been in business for almost ten years and started right here in Cooper-Young at the corner of Cooper and Vinton. I don’t believe there is another retail store anywhere around where you can get better art, gifts, and jewelry, or get it at better prices with friendlier service than at Painted Planet. We have layaway and gift wrapping, and we will customize and repair your jewelry. Plus, we’re right here in your neighborhood, within walking distance for most of you.

We support the CYCA because we love them and appreciate all they do in this community. We love being a part of this wonderful neighborhood and seeing familiar faces in our gallery. I have actually watched some of your children grow up and feel like many of you are family rather than patrons.

ABOUT PAINTED PLANET

Painted Planet offers many things to its friends and patrons. We offer colorful, affordable art, unique gifts, and beautiful, handmade jewelry. But we’re so much more than that! We offer art openings each month, and during those openings we provide great food and live music in addition to great art. Our events are always free and everyone is invited. On the second and fourth Saturday nights each month from 8-10pm we offer something called Saturday Night Live at the Planet where selected artists paint live and there’s live music too. It’s held in the fenced-in, private performance area behind the Planet (located at 798 S. Cooper). Folks can bring their kids, their coolers, and their lawn chairs and enjoy live art and music under the stars! We also offer art classes and are getting ready to start again soon with artist/teacher Tonya Angel, one of Painted Planet’s favorite acrylic artists. The upcoming classes will be posted on our Painted Planet Artspace Facebook page.

We have two events coming up that we would like to invite the community to. For This We Give Thanks is our November opening on Friday, November 4 from 8-10pm. Our gallery artists and many local artists have created paintings showing what they are most thankful for. It will be a great Thanksgiving Show with great art, holiday food, and live music. It is free and just in time to get you excited about the holidays. Then on Friday, December 2 from 8-10pm we’ll be showcasing the work of Greg Bowden and Jeff Forbes in Two Men with Paint. Greg is our top selling artist, and his work has been featured all over Cooper-Young. Many folks in CY will also remember Jeff, who was my curator for years when we were located on Young.

ABOUT HEALING PLANET

A few years into our business I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and during that challenging time my artists loved, supported, and helped me survive it. I knew I had to do the same for others. Healing Planet – Cancer Ministry was born out of the desire to bless others challenged by cancer. If you go on HYPERLINK “http://www.paintedplanetart.com/”paintedplanetart.com and click on Healing Planet, you can read the whole story of how and why the cancer ministry was started.

As a part of Healing Planet we offer Spa Night on the second Monday each month. We serve a healthy dinner at 6:30pm (sometimes including a nutrition demo) and Spa Night starts at 7pm. The event is free. As soon as women arrive, they sign up for whatever services they want including reflexology, facials, brows, manicures, pedicures, paraffin treatments, foot baths, hand and foot massage, full body massage, spot massage, chair massage, personal training, yoga, nutritional instruction, and prayer. Though we are a Christian ministry, we do not discriminate in any way. No one is asked what their beliefs are, and no one has to participate in prayer if they choose not to.

It’s funny how in the beginning, Healing Planet was just about the pampering and the free services we offer. But now many women come but don’t even get “pampered” by our caregivers. They come for the fellowship, the encouragement, and the prayer. It’s such a blessing to experience what goes on at Spa Night; seeing how these precious women interact with each other, how they touch each other with their words of encouragement, their heartfelt prayers, and their empathy – empathy that can only come from someone who’s been where you are. Some of these women are in total remission, some are newly diagnosed, some are in chemo and radiation now, some have been given little more than a death sentence by their doctors, and some have even left their hospice nurses at home to attend. We’re all at different places on that same road to healing, whether it will be an earthly or heavenly healing. We are all survivors and victors in our own way!

We also are a host site for Look Good Feel Better for the American Cancer Society. This service offers free makeup and healthy beauty products to women who are undergoing chemo and radiation for cancer. At one time Painted Planet was the only host site that was not a doctor’s office or hospital. Our Healing Planet schedule is posted on our Healing Planet – Cancer Ministry Facebook page.

Our top selling artist, Greg Bowden, has created paintings and subsequent prints to raise money for Healing Planet in the past. Recently, Greg brought in his newest creation. The painting is called Resounding Hope, and you can see it on Painted Planet’s Facebook wall. Prints of this painting will be sold during the year to raise money for Healing Planet, which helps us significantly.

After business expenses are paid, the rest of the money we earn goes to Healing Planet. For the last few years there’s not been enough to cover expenses. In response, I’ve sold my personal possessions just to keep the doors open. I have never received one penny in salary or personal compensation. This is totally a labor of love, but with financial times like they are right now, it’s challenging to say the least. We desperately need Cooper-Young residents to embrace us as we embrace them.

I hope with Christmas around the corner, everyone in Cooper-Young will check us out. You will not only find great holiday gifts, but you will have the added satisfaction of knowing that your dollars have blessed women challenged by disease. We welcome your business, and we promise to continue to serve you and this community! For more info about Painted Planet/Healing Planet, check out HYPERLINK “http://www.paintedplanetart.com/”paintedplanetart.com or search on Facebook for Painted Planet Artspace or Healing Planet – Cancer Ministry. You can also email us at HYPERLINK “mailto:paintedplanet@bellsouth.net”paintedplanet@bellsouth.net or call us at 901-725-0054.

By June Hurt

I am pleased to report that Wonder Woman’s run for the LampLighter was an overall success. Along the race route, I collected some modest donations, a few jello shots, and two marriage proposals. I managed to survive the run without any wardrobe malfunctions or major injuries, and most of my dignity remained intact.

The two casualties of the night were my boots, which fell apart shortly after crossing the finish line, and my right big toenail, which will most likely fall off in the next few weeks (you can all thank me personally for not sharing a photo of the toe). To all the runners that chastised me for running in the boots, feel free to pat yourselves on the back, take a bow, and shout, “I told you so!” from the rooftops. Although I still think you people are crazy for running so much, I agree that you know what you are talking about.

Although I always look forward to the Festival, I have to admit that I am also relieved when it is finally over. I’m always amazed at how long and hard our volunteers work for the CYCA throughout the weekend! I’d like to thank our community director, Kristan Huntley, for all her hard work preparing for her first Race/Festival weekend.

Rest up dear friends and neighbors because the CY Regional Beerfest is coming up soon! Be sure to purchase your tickets now at beerfest.cooperyoung.org, Boscos, Mid-South Malts, or the CYCA office.

By Renée Massey

In Cooper-Young and around Memphis, we’re finally getting some relief from the intense heat of the recent summer months. As the weather cools and autumn festivities get underway, many of us start thinking about and planning for the holidays. When you visit family in far-away places, will your pets be going with you? If Fido pants, paces, and whines or Fluffy howls and hisses in the car, you may have second thoughts about taking your beloved furry family member on a long trip. Many of our pets are happy travelers, but others need the comfort and security of their own environment. If your furry friend is happier at home, but you plan on traveling this fall or during the holidays, your Cooper-Young Community Association membership can save you some cash, and I’ll tell you how.

Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care offers CYCA members a 15% discount on the purchase of a package of 24 TLC visits. But what if you don’t need 24 visits? When I recently asked Eileen Castine of Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care about her CYCA sponsorship, she said she can even deduct a smaller percentage for those of us who only need a few visits per year or per month. So whether you need pet care while you’re out of town, when you’re working long hours and can’t get home for a pet potty break, or if you need someone to look in on an elderly pet during the normal work day, your CYCA membership can help save money on this service.

When asked why Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care is a CYCA membership sponsor, Eileen told me that she wants to contribute to making Cooper-Young a good place to live. That goes right along with the CYCA mission! Eileen keeps a busy schedule, and the sponsorship allows her to contribute to Cooper-Young even when she doesn’t have enough time to volunteer. She said, “I love living here because Cooper-Young is a vibrant, creative, caring, and diverse neighborhood, filled with people who are always looking for ways to celebrate and better our community and beyond. I feel at home here.” Eileen told me that being a membership sponsor has positively impacted her business because it gives Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care visibility. Community members know who to call when they need home care, even if that is some time in the future. She expressed how rewarding it has been serving our area and meeting caring pet guardians and their furry family members. Because Eileen’s business offers the kind of love and care that comes with knowing pets are family, Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care is very busy during the holidays. If you will need Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care this holiday season, be sure to contact them soon to ensure they will have availability for your pet. Mr. Scruff’s can be reached at 901-725-9216, on the web at mrscruff.net, or on Facebook.

Speaking of pets, puppies to be exact, another of our CYCA membership sponsors has the goods to hush your puppies. Along with increasingly famous fried catfish, po’ boys, and fresh vegetables, Soul Fish Café at 862 South Cooper has some of the best hushpuppies in the South. (And where else are you going to get hushpuppies?) Soul Fish Café generously offers CYCA members one complimentary lunch or dinner entrée (up to $7) when a second lunch or dinner entrée of equal or greater value is purchased. Sweet! Oh, and speaking of sweet, did I mention that Soul Fish also has great desserts? The word “popular” does not begin to touch the demand for Soul Fish’s food, and the wait that can be seen outside the restaurant on almost any night will attest to this fact. So if your dogs are barking, take your CYCA membership card to Soul Fish Café and ask them for some hushpuppies with your entrées.

If you’re not yet a member of the CYCA, there is no better time than now to support the special things happening in this neighborhood. Join the CYCA online at cooperyoung.org, in person at 2298 Young Avenue, or by telephone at 901-272-2922. Your dues are your ticket to the membership card that wins you discounts at local businesses like Mr. Scruff’s Pet Care and Soul Fish Café. Check them out today, and be sure to thank them for sponsoring the organization whose entire mission is to make Cooper-Young a safer and more desirable place to live, worship, work (while your pets are being looked after), and play (like eating at great local restaurants)!

By Libby Flynt

Cooper-Young came out in full force to support the runners of the CY Festival Friday 4 Miler this year! There were togas, margaritas, tiki torches, twinkle lights, sprinklers, and glow necklaces! Along practically every step of the race route, there were cheers and lights and parties. Young Ave lined the street, Cooper Street had a luau, Nelson Avenue was glowing in the dark, and that’s not even a fraction of the cheering party-goers. Each one of you who came outside with lawn chairs and a beer single handedly pumped adrenaline into every runner.

Jennifer and Avery Word rode in the pace car and judged each registered party on enthusiasm, creativity, décor, and loudness. Congratulations to 1893 Oliver who wins the prize for Best Light the Way Party 2011 with their Roman/Toga themed party! And a special thanks to the Memphis police officers who kept us all safe along the way.

If by chance I have missed any volunteers, please let me know. We want to make sure you are properly thanked!

By June Hurt

In last month’s issue, I announced that I would be running in this year’s CY Festival Friday 4 Miler dressed in a Wonder Woman suit to raise money for the LampLighter. This month I’m relieved to say that I did it, and overall, it was a successful run. Although I fell short of my initial fundraising goal, I collected a little over $300 in cash and online donations. In hindsight, I should have charged everyone for taking all those photos with me. I’m fairly certain that they will haunt me on Facebook forever. But my favorite news was that besides the collected donations, we picked up two new LampLighter Benefactors, which alone made all the trouble worthwhile for me!

I would like to thank three businesses in particular that sponsored my run. First, I’d like to thank Michelle Campbell from Fork It Over for her generous donation and willingness to associate her business with such a silly endeavor. Second, I’d like to thank Gene Elliot from Calming Influence for his donation as well as my wonderful post-run massage, which helped me to walk upright again. Third, I’d like to thank Rob Brennan from Great Lengths Salon for my lovely Lynda Carter-dye job and for donating gift certificates for some of our female overall race winners.

Thanks to everyone that worked so hard to make this year’s race a success!

By Kristan Huntley

The alleys in Cooper-Young are a longstanding feature of the community that have served many purposes over the years, from garage access to utility service to walking paths. Currently, most alleys are constricted by overgrowth, impassible, and sometimes viewed as unsafe. All of this is despite quarterly clean up efforts by neighborhood volunteers and community service workers. Anyone who has helped at one of the quarterly clean ups that focused on alleys knows how hard that alley clearing is (and often itchy because of poison oak and ivy).

In order to properly address the current state of the alleys and plan for their long-term upkeep and usage, information from CY residents needs to be gathered.

The Cooper-Young Community Association has been awarded a small 2011 Strengthening Communities grant by the Community Foundation and the University of Memphis to research perceptions of safety, alternative means of maintenance, and additional proposed uses from you, the Cooper-Young residents, along with stakeholders including local businesses, Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW), and Memphis Police.

There are three research goals:

1. Determine current perceptions of alleys, community safety, and the role each plays in those perceptions.

2. Evaluate community buy-in to the current alley maintenance plan and its perceived effectiveness.

3. Gather alternative ideas of upkeep and usage.

This is where you come in. Cooper-Young residents have never been shy about sharing their opinions. In the upcoming month, you will be receiving a survey, either in paper or digital form, from the CYCA asking about your views of the current state of the alleys, how you envision their future, and how they can be improved to increase safety and decrease frequent maintenance. We need to have as many residents as possible respond to make sure that all interested parties are involved and informed. We want this research project to pave the way for a larger future project that benefits Cooper-Young.

We will also be forming two smaller focus groups so that we can have more in-depth discussion about the alleys and their future. If you are interested in participating in one of these focus groups, or have any questions, concerns, or ideas, please email Kristan at info@cooperyoung.org or call 901-272-2922. Let’s find a way to make the alleys safe and beneficial now and for the future.

By Leslie Thompson
The third Friday of every September in Cooper-Young arrives with a distinctive feeling. It is an almost singular type of excitement that one normally reserves for the last day of school or even Christmas Eve. The sensation is not unlike that of a roller coaster ride with the anticipation it brings as it ascends and click-click-clicks to the crest of its tallest drop. For many the day is a promise of good things to come because on Friday evening the work is almost done. Races have been run, celebrations have been planned, lawns have been mowed, and on Saturday Cooper-Young will put itself on show.
By Friday the streets are marked with booth numbers and the first food trucks appear on scene. Stages are erected early Saturday morning and, with tents and tables in tow, vendors begin to make their way to the neighborhood. They come from all over the United States – California, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, and North Carolina, just to name a few. Hundreds of artists, craftsmen, and curators of curiosities line up in this quaint, historic neighborhood to show you what they have. Handmade soap, jewelry, zombie artwork, paintings, yard ornaments, henna tattoos, custom furniture – this Festival has it all.
With a frozen lemonade or frosty beer in hand and the ubiquitous Pronto Pup never far from sight, over 100,000 revelers weave in and out of the Festival throughout the day. Crowds gather in front of the music stages while shoppers peruse the booths. Impromptu parties and reunions sprout up all over the place, often right in the middle of the intersection. Suffice it to say, the people watching is prime. Come mid-Saturday the atmosphere is that of a massive party where one feels as if they could just about run into everyone they’ve ever known.
This year’s Cooper-Young Festival is Saturday, September 17 from 9am to 7pm, with a rain date set for Sunday, September 18, and it promises to be just as exciting as the years before. But before you join your neighbors, other Memphians, artists, and musicians at the Festival, remember the pre-Fest activities, too. The Cooper-Young Art Invitational and Kick-Off Party will be held on Thursday, September 15 at David Perry Smith Gallery. Located at 703 New York, the original artwork of Nick Canterucci, this year’s chosen Festival poster artist, will be featured. Following that, the Festival Friday 4 Miler takes off through the neighborhood starting at the Trestle on Friday, September 16 at 7pm. Whether you are running or cheering, the race is a fantastic way to jump-start the weekend. House parties with neighbors lighting the way will take place throughout the community, so host a party of your own or join in on the fun.
Come Festival day, almost 400 artists and vendors will have their booths lined up and down Cooper Street and on Young Avenue east of Cooper. Booths will also be found in the First Congregational Church parking lot. The music starts at 12:15pm at the Main Stage, which is located on Young just west of Cooper. The Visible College Stage gets started at the same time in the First Congo parking lot, and the Memphis Drum Shop Stage will follow at 12:30 at the corner of Young and Meda. Take a break from shopping and stop to listen to the sweet tunes of Sid Selvidge, University of Memphis Jazz Quartet, Blue Mother Tupelo, and many more.
The Cooper-Young Festival is in its 24th year and has become one of the most well-known and anticipated street parties in Memphis. Carry on the tradition and join your neighbors in this annual celebration of our lovely, eclectic neighborhood. Remember, no one else in Memphis has a Festival quite like ours.

By Dee Boyland
Neighbors, please join us for our annual pre-Festival Friday 4 Miler neighborhood clean up! We want our blocks to shine for the runners who come out to support our community. This year we will pick up on Wednesday, September 14, at 5pm. This will allow the City of Memphis to collect the trash bags the following day, before the big race.
The Cooper-Young Community Association will provide water and trash bags. Please bring your own gloves and smiling faces, and meet us in the parking lot of Bluff City Sports (769 S. Cooper). For more information contact Dee Boyland at 901-726-1160. Can’t wait to see you!