Cedar Park map (click to enlarge)

Now through June 15, the 2018-2019 Cedar Park Neighbors Gary Bronson Memorial Scholarship application is open for young adults pursuing higher education. Applicants must live within the stated boundaries of Cedar Park (see map) and be attending a regionally accredited post-secondary school in the fall to be considered for the scholarship.

Since 1988, the Cedar Park Neighbors Scholarship Committee has been providing young people with both mentorship and financial support to help them be successful in their post-secondary endeavors. In 2017, over $11,000 was raised and nine students were funded with cash scholarships to help defray some of the incidental costs of attendance. During the school year, the committee reaches out to the students via calls, emails and care packages at finals.  Continue Reading

Artist’s rendering of 6-story apartment building proposed for 4312-20 Market Street. The white box on the first floor is a driveway that goes through the building to access five off-street parking spots in the rear of the building.

The Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) zoning committee heard plans for 36-unit “higher end” apartment building last night that would be built across five fenced-in vacant lots on the 4300 block of Market Street.

The six-story building would include two- and three-bedroom apartments, a roof deck and five off-street parking spots at 4312 through 4320 Market Street. Its proposed design includes a driveway cut through the middle of the building to access the five off-street sites. That driveway, which would require drivers to pull across the sidewalk along Market Street, caused some concern for zoning committee members.  Continue Reading

If you dig birds, here’s some good news. Local birder Victoria Sindlinger and illustrator Jess Ruggierio have teamed up with The Woodlands to develop a guide to birds at the cemetery. And it’s a zine!

A release part for the Guide to Birding at The Woodlands is scheduled for Tuesday, May 22, 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Woodlands (40th and Woodland). The zine will be available for sale at the event. Sindlinger will also be hosting bird walks at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

A few days later, on Saturday, May 26, The Woodlands is hosting an “Urban Wildlife Walk.” This includes birds, snakes, salamanders and other critters that call The Woodlands home. It gets underway at 7:30 a.m. rain or shine and is “pay what you wish.”

A 7-year-old male cat, “Jenkins”, has been missing from the 4200 block of Regent St. since Thursday, May 17.

Jenkins is a sweet and super affectionate cat, according to his owners. He is a neutered indoor/outdoor cat who likes to hang out on the east side of Clark Park and on the USciences campus.

The cat’s owners have distributed fliers in the neighborhood about their missing cat. If you see him, please call 917.297.4945.

The public is invited to attend tonight’s Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA) Zoning Committee meeting to learn more about new development projects in the area. Some of the projects on the agenda (see below) were presented at earlier meetings, and this is an opportunity for community members to ask questions or provide comments. The meeting will take place at the SCHA office (257 S. 45th St), beginning at 7 p.m.

The meeting will discuss the following three projects:

• Apartment building at 4045 Baltimore (see rendering): Presentation and discussion of façade materials for use at this apartment complex under construction. This project was presented for the community last year and submitted for approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment at the end of 2017.  Continue Reading

This weekend you can get a rare glimpse inside the Bushfire Theatre for the Performing Arts at 52nd and Locust (224 S. 52nd St.) for the staging of Thurgood, the acclaimed bio-play about the former Supreme Court justice and civil rights icon.

Written by television and film director and producer George Stevens Jr., Thurgood is a stripped down portrayal of Marshall’s life as told by him and includes seminal moments in American history (the announcement of the verdict in Brown vs. Board of Education in the play would regular elicit celebratory hoots and hollers from audiences on Broadway).

Bushfire founder Al Simpkins will direct.

Founded in 1977, the Bushfire stages a few performances a year. The theater itself dates back to 1909, when it served as a Vaudeville house called The Locust. It was later converted to a movie theater until it was abandoned and fell into disrepair.

Tickets for Thurgood range from $15 (for kids) to $30. The show starts at 7:30 tonight and Saturday night.