Plan for the County Fair

The 97th Annual Ramsey County Fair will be held July 14-18. The free admission fair is located in Maplewood on White Bear Avenue at Frost. Now is the time to start planning how you can participate in the fair besides being a spectator when the time comes. There are many opportunities to exhibit your skill or hobby at the fair - ribbons and prize money are given to winners in horticulture, arts and crafts, clothing, foods, photography, home furnishings, etc. There are youth and adult divisions for the competition. Back for another year are the Marionettes from California, fireworks, opening night parade, farmer for the day, children's petting zoo, carnival rides and many food choices. The Talent Contest is open to pre-teens, teens and an open division. Nearly 50% discount on carnival ride tickets will be available before the fair starts. Keep watching the website "ramseycountyfair.com" for all the entertainment and educational opportunities.

Submitted by the Ramsey County Fair

Garden Nominations

Blooming Saint Paul, a program of the City's Parks and Recreation Department, is taking nominations for its Blooming St. Paul Awards until July 9. These awards recognize and promote efforts around the city to beautify our neighborhoods and business areas.

There are several categories:

• Business/Institutional - for beautification of a storefront, plaza, grounds or outside seating
• Residential - for home gardens that are visible from a street, sidewalk or alley
• Environmental - for gardens with an environmental theme or impact (e.g., rain gardens, native plantings or restorations, tree plantings)
• Vegetable - for exemplary residential or community gardens clearly visible from street, sidewalk or alley
• Public Garden maintained by Volunteers - just what it sounds like
• Art in the Garden - for exemplary use of art in a garden
• Gardening Advocate Award - to an individual whose actions promote and support gardening efforts in St. Paul

The judging takes place the week of July 26 and is done by Master Gardeners. The awards ceremony is on January 24, 2011...

For info, criteria and nomination forms go to this site.

Submitted by Blooming St. Paul, Mark Granlund (blooming@ci.stpaul.mn.us)

Arson Awareness Week

This week - May 2-8 is Arson Awareness Week. The theme for this year is Community Arson Prevention. Arson robs communities of their valuable assets - lives and property. Arson destroys more than buildings: it can devastate a community through increased insurance premiums, loss of business revenue, and a decrease in property values. Here are some tips to prevent arson and its consequences:

• Be alert to any suspicious activity in your neighborhood, especially around vacant buildings, and call 911 to report them;
• If you see any open windows or doors on vacant buildings, call the city of St. Paul at 651.266.8989;
• Keep your trash containers in your garage and lock your garage.
• Make certain you have working smoke detectors inside - and outside of each bedroom and on each level of your home. Test them monthly;
• Have at least 2 ways out of any room used for sleeping. Have a fire escape plan for your family, and practice it!!

Submitted by the St. Paul Fire Marshal

More on CP Rail Noise...

Kathy Lantry's office has sent a letter to Rep. Betty McCollum and Senator Al Franken asking for their help on getting information from CP Rail about the noise test they did in early winter. Representative McCollum has responded that she is going to try to get CP Rail to respond to Council member Lantry's Freedom of Information Request more quickly...

We will see how this goes...

If you would like to see a copy of the letter sent to McCollum, contact District 1 at district1council@aol.com.

Opportunities to Plan Parks

There are several opportunities coming up that will give residents in the city a chance to help plan the future of the city and regional parks. Because District 1 has been hit (some would say disproportionately...) with recreation center closures and "repurposing" in the past years. We should grab this chance while we can.

On Tuesday, May 11 at 7p at the Como Visitor Center (1225 Estabrook Dr.) the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is holding a public input session to help them decide how to spend the money that comes from the Legacy Amendment (and other resources). If you remember, the Legacy Amendment was a constitutional amendment that dedicated certain sakes taxes to parks, open spaces, and cultural resources. This is a chance to tell them how funding might be spent on Battle Creek Regional Park and the trails in our area.

Also St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department is holding a series of meetings to talk with residents about how it can plan for a future with dramatic DECREASES in funding. The meeting on the eastside will be held on May 26, 6:30-8:30p at the Phalen Recreation Center (1000 East Wheelock Pkwy). There are other meetings on May 19 (270 N. Lexington), 24 (179 E. Robie), June 3 (1414 St. Albans), and 9 (1978 Ford Pkwy).

Our parks and recreation centers are the front line in creating livable and SAFE communities! Get to these meetings and help plan their and our future!

May Safety Tips

From Pam McCreary (D1 Crime Prevention Coordinator):

I have had reports about solicitors working in neighborhoods to sell various products and services. At this time of year, there seems to be an increase in door knocking and some of what is being "sold" are home security systems. I have done extensive tracking of this in the past, and found that the people I was checking on were legitimate solicitors of these systems. The catch was that they were selling their "no name" product door to door. When you make a decision to invest in a system for your home, YOU take the lead on which reputable company will install the system. Ask friends and family who have systems which company they use and whether they are satisfied. One of the things many people fail to do is find out how the system works. Who does the company call if the alarm is activated - you, the police, or others? And how much time does the response take? If your telephone line is disabled, do you have a back-up to the system? Do your homework before signing on the dotted line - and choose wisely. It is better to have a good system on all points than just a cheap one!

No "Urgently Asking" Please: You are the only one who can determine the best way to handle solicitors at your door. Some people prefer to not even answer the door for strangers, and others open their doors to anyone. Just keep in mind that if you do open your door, you should not let a stranger into your home.

Avoid solicitors by making a sign for your from door that reads "No Soliciting, No Petitioning, and No Marketing." Many people have a "No Soliciting" sign and they still get people knocking who claim they are not selling anything. In truth, the definition of soliciting is "urgently asking", so the term should cover almost anyone who approaches your door asking for anything. Remember, it is YOUR home, so YOU decide whether or not to open the door, who you will talk to, and when to end the conversation. (Note from the community organizer - keep in mind that community meeting notices are often left as flyers at your home - if you want to be notified of these events, you need to be willing to tolerate SOME approaches... )

May Security Tip: As you start to get your yard in order this May, don't leave your garden tools outside overnight. Keep in mind burglary is a crime of opportunity: don't give someone walking by the opportunity to break you garage window with the nice shovel leaning against it. Keeping a tidy yard is just one way to help keep your home and your family safe. Another is to not leave your doors unlocked when you are out in the yard. When we get busy and involved with the work, we can easily miss someone watching us to take the opportunity to slip into the house, take what they want, and be on their way without being noticed. It happens every year to residents, don't be one of them - lock up and be safe!