June 1 Harley Clarke update

On June 1, 2015, SEA President, Sheila Sullivan, attended the last Harley Clarke Citizen Advisory Committee meeting. The meeting was to wrap up the previous four months of meetings and to develop an outline for the final report to City Council for deliberation on the fate of the Harley Clarke property.  Survey responses were received from 1,375 citizens. Nearly 39% supported Option 1, and 28% supported Option 5—both options involve renovation and public use of the building. Among all of the options, nearly 70% of the responses were against commercially privatizing the property. 

About 60 citizens attended, including many community and neighborhood associations that support Options 1 and 5. At the end of the meeting, about twenty citizens gave public comments. The speakers urged the Committee members to pay attention to the overall message from the community survey results, written comments, and public workshop -- that the majority of citizens want the property to remain public.

SEA Marches in Evanston July 4th Parade

Below pictured left to right: Hayley Robb (Journalist), Sheila Sullivan (SEA), Anne Burket (SEA), Anna Roosevelt (SEA), Jeanne Lindwall (No Park Sale), Ald. Judy Fiske (1st Ward), Barbara Janes (No Park Sale)

Photo: Moira Sullivan (SEA)

Do we love Evanston?  You bet!  That’s why we shared our community pride by marching in the Evanston July 4th parade.  But it was a lot more than just a stroll down Central Street. SEA marched alongside our friends at No Park Sale to deliver a clear message—that Evanston parks must be kept for the public, not sold for private or commercial uses.  

SEA has been working with No Park Sale, Central Street Neighbors’ Association, and Evanston Parks and Lakefront Alliance (EvPLA), over the past 4-5 months, to convince the city of Evanston not to sell the Harley Clarke Mansion and property for commercial or residential development.

Alderman Judy Fiske (first Ward) visited with the SEA, No Park Sale and EvPLA marchers at the parade staging area to show her support. SEA President, Sheila Sullivan stated: “We are grateful for the invitation from No Park Sale to join them today.”  Three other SEA members marched with Sullivan.

The beautiful sunny weather drew large crowds along the parade route, many cheering and clapping to show their support of SEA’s message. “The enthusiastic response we received is a clear indication of community support,” Sullivan said.

Evanston to host 30th annual Ethnic Arts Festival this weekend

If you're looking for a fun, cultural event this weekend, look no further than right here in Evanston. On Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, Evanston will host its 30th annual Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival. Located in Dawes Park, the event is free to all members of the community and will feature art, food, music, dance and other performances from a variety of performances. The festival kicks off at noon on July 18 with the Parade of Nations opening ceremony. The event is very family friendly, featuring in arts and crafts section for kids with activities such as origami, Shiobori banners, Aztec Codex Madallion necklaces, tree weaving and more. On both days, the festival will run from noon to 7 p.m.

For more information, click here.

Women Out Walking pushes Evanston women to a healthier lifestyle

The warm weather isn’t just enticing kids to start playing outside – it’s also helping out the women involved with Evanston’s 12 week walking program, Women out Walking (W.O.W.).

W.O.W., now in its eighth year, encourages women to track their steps each week and make improvements over the 12 weeks. Public health educator Kristin Preihs, who works for the City of Evanston Department of Health and Human Services, said the program has seen a lot of growth this year, with twice as much turnout.

“The kick-off participation was surprising, with how many people had heard about it and attended the event,” Preihs said.

The Kick-Off event and orientation, held in late March, was attended by more than 300 people and featured performances several groups, including Urban Beat Dance Studio. Every woman who registered gets a t-shirt, pedometer and the chance to win several prizes including private Pilates sessions and entry to a wine tasting party.

With a couple of weeks already done for the program, Preihs said women already seem very engaged.

“We have had a lot of W.O.W. participants organizing group walks, and then also participating in sponsored activities and group walks as well,” she said. “I think the social networks are really great.”

Outside of the physical act of walking, this program presents an opportunity to learn more about women’s health holistically, focusing on other aspects such as social health and mental health. The program supports women as they explore other fitness activities that they normally wouldn’t try with a group of women in the same situation, Preihs said.

The program will conclude with a closing event on June 21 at Ricky Byrdsong Memorial Race Against Hate at Long Field.