Have a Wonderful Holiday Season ~ from the North Main Neighborhood!

The North Main Neighborhood
Salisbury, North Carolina 28144
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Holiday Parade ~ Scrooge Trolley Rides ~ Polar Express Train Rides | Holidays for NOMA!

Today is one of the best days to live along the North Main corridor in NOMA ~ the North Main Neighborhood!

Today, the 56th Annual Holiday Caravan Parade will head down Main Street from Spencer into downtown Salisbury!

The Holiday Caravan Parade is an annual tradition ~ Always held the Wednesday before Thanksgiving! It is an event you do not want to miss!

The parade begins in Spencer at 2:00PM, where they will be marching.  They take a little break through much of N. Main Street, but it's still fun to see the floats go by (even though we would LOVE to hear the marching bands!!).  They pick up again in full parade marching glory in Salisbury at 3:00PM!

Be sure to wave to Santa Claus!

Once you're stuffed to the brim with turkey and all the fixin's ~ head downtown on Friday evening!
This Friday, Downtown Salisbury celebrates the season with their annual Holiday Night Out!

On Friday, November 27th, from 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm, dear old Santa Claus and his friend the Grinch make their appearance while Victorian Voices fills the streets with holiday carols.

Hop on the trolley to warm up from the chilly night air to tour the downtown in style while enjoying the festive décor or catch a horse & carriage ride from West Fisher and South Main (beside Caniche).

Our wonderful downtown shops will be opened late to satisfy your family's wish list.

As if that isn't enough ~ 

Scrooge's Christmas Trolley Tour also starts this weekend, and runs through Christmas! 

Lee Street Theatre in collaboration with the Salisbury-Rowan County Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Historic Salisbury Foundation, presents this period production with the audience boarding a trolley for an evenings journey with Scrooge himself as emcee. This special interactive trolley ride will recreate various scenes of Dickens’ classic 1843 tale “The Christmas Carol.” 

Passengers travel back in time to Christmases’ past with Scrooge on his journey via the trolley to see scenes from this wonderful holiday story acted out at historic sites in Downtown Salisbury. This is a live-theater presentation that your family will not want to miss this holiday season. For more info, visit: http://www.thecommunitypicnic.com/events/scrooges-christmas-trolley-tour/

AND...

Right up N. Main Street in the other direction ~ hop on the Polar Express! 

The North Carolina Transportation Museum is again featuring the Polar Express Train Rides this holiday season!  These very popular rides were sold out by October last year!

Inspired by the hit movie, this holiday favorite comes to life as you and your family take a ride on THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride!

Set to the sounds of the motion picture soundtrack, families are sure to enjoy their trip to the North Pole, complete with hot chocolate and cookies served on board the train. Passengers will then be entertained by a reading of  The Polar Express. Upon arrival at the North Pole, Santa will greet the children and present each with the first gift of Christmas.  On the return trip, each child will receive their own silver sleigh bell, heard by all those who BELIEVE.  Families are encouraged to wear their pajamas for the ride and join in on the magic of Christmas!

So NOMA ~ Experience the joy of the holidays that will surely become annual holiday traditions for the whole family.  

And at the center of it all ~ THE BEST NEIGHBORHOOD! Traditions bring us together!

The North Main Neighborhood
Salisbury, North Carolina 28144
www.facebook.com/NOMAnorthmain
www.NextDoor.com / NOMA North Main

Leaf Collection - Fall Spruce Up - BlockWork! Happy Autumn, Salisbury NC!

Fall is upon us! It's gorgeous out now . . . after about 8 straight days of rain . . . and boy do we love it! 

Very soon our foliage will be turning the glorious colors of autumn ~ burnished reds, golds and yellows. 

And along with that comes FALL! Leaf fall! 

Have no fears!  The City of Salisbury works to help us keep our neighborhoods beautiful through the season with scheduled leaf pick up!

From this map, it looks as if most of NOMA is in Area II. But if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the Public Service folks at (704) 638-5260.

Next week is also the annual Fall Spruce Up!

If we take a bit of time this week and weekend to get our bulky stuff we'd like to get rid of to the curb, the City will pick this stuff up on our normal garbage collection day, which for most of us in the North Main Neighborhood is Tuesday morning, October 22nd.

Note there are some restrictions, such as computers, TVs, carpet, and building materials. Our experience has taught us, however, that the City is most helpful and willing to assist us in getting these things out of our way. 



Just phone the City Public Services department at (704) 638-5260 in advance and they are likely to help you make arrangements to pick up or dispose of restricted items.

And speaking of cleaning up neighborhoods, Saturday October 24th is the annual BLOCKWORK project! 

Volunteers by the hundreds are expected to swoop into the 800/900 block of S. Jackson Street in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood to pitch in and help clean, scrape, paint, weed, plant, and repair... neighbors helping neighbors, one block at a time! If you even have just an hour to spare, come join the fun! 

BLOCKWORK, a grass-roots program developed in 2010 by the Community Appearance Commission's Neighborhood Leaders Alliance (NLA), strives to bring residents and community volunteers together to build cleaner and safer neighborhoods, one block at a time. Working together with property owners, residents, city staff and other support groups, participants help neighborhoods establish a proactive approach with stewardship of housing resources. The design and implementation of the BLOCKWORK program is focused on community-wide participation in neighborhood improvement. 

The City of Salisbury's BLOCKWORK has been nationally recognized and is a GREAT way to give back to the community!   It is held each October on 'National Make a Difference Day!' 

So come on out ~ all day Saturday October 24th ~ or even just for a bit! More hands make the tasks go lightly!


We're pretty happy about Fall in NOMA! How about you?

The North Main Neighborhood
Salisbury, North Carolina 28144
www.facebook.com/NOMAnorthmain
www.NextDoor.com / NOMA North Main

The 40th Annual OctoberTour™ ~ Coming to the North Main Neighborhood!

 

OctoberTour™ - October 10th & 11th, 2015

In just one week, Historic Salisbury Foundation hosts its annual OctoberTour™ of historic homes! This October 10th & 11th is the 40th anniversary of this extremely popular tour that brings thousands of visitors to Salisbury, North Carolina.  And this year, the North Main Neighborhood is pleased and privileged to have (3) properties on the tour!

Ramsey-Voss House, ca. 1929: 927 North Main Street

Built in 1929 by Robert W. Ramsey, a worker for Southern Railway, this brick cottage has only had three owners - Ramsey, his daughter and son-in-law, T. E. Voss, and the current owners. Typical of the English influenced cottages built in the late 1920s and 1930s along the east side of North Main Street, the home occupies an elevated lot and is separated from the road and sidewalk by an attractive stone retaining wall, creating a sense of place.

Lombardy-John Steele House, 1799-1801: 1010 North Richard Street

Lombardy, a two-story with attic, side-hall plan frame house, was constructed for John Steele in 1799-1801. Steele (1765-1815) was one of the most prominent politicians from Rowan County and was elected to a number of local, state, and federal offices, receiving an appointment by President George Washington as Comptroller of the Treasury in 1796. This plantation home was Steele’s principal residence until his death in 1815.

The John Steele House is the oldest house in Salisbury, and is in the North Main Neighborhood!

Myers-Morris House, 1893: 1428 North Main Street 

Constructed for rural route postman, D.R. Myers and his wife, Mittie, this two-story framed house is offered on OctoberTour as a 'rehabilitation-in-progress'. The Myers’ daughter, Floise, married Zeb Morris, and their five children were born in the same room in this home. It was later an antique store and then sat vacant for many years before being stabilized by HSF’s Revolving Fund in 2014, and recently sold to new owners in the summer of 2015!

The North Main Neighborhood could not be more thrilled to have had Historic Salisbury Foundation stabilize this important house in our neighborhood, and one of the (5) Morris children has been writing one of our representatives with stories and photos of growing up in this beautiful house!  And to now have this wonderful home on the OctoberTour is just the icing on the cake!

With our fine array of late 1800-early 1900 residential architecture along the North Main Corridor, it's hard to imagine that much of this landscape was once part of a large plantation. Part of the many segments of OctoberTour is the annual tour luncheon, and this year's topic is the Plantations of Rowan County.

This year's luncheon, with a delicious meal and wine catered by Buttercup Café and Catering, features a discussion by noted historian, Gary Freeze, as he presents "Re-Discovering Rowan County's Plantation Heritage." the luncheon will be held at the Rowan Museum at 202 N Main Street (11:30-2:30).

Following this insightful talk, each participant will have the opportunity for a sneak preview of the newly renovated Peter Kern Home.

Tickets for the luncheon ($45.00 per person) are available at www.octobertour.com.

Meanwhile, up on North Main Street, the neighborhood is a-bustle with activity in preparation for bringing this wonderful event to our community!  The City of Salisbury installed lengths of new sidewalk and performed sidewalk repair, particularly in OctoberTour site proximity, along the eastern edge of North Main!  We love it!

AND . . .

We could just HUG the City of Salisbury for edging our beautiful granite curbing down the length of the Main Street corridor from the railroad tracks to the Spencer town line.

What a difference this investment to the NOMA neighborhood makes!

All in all...we can barely contain our excitement in this rare opportunity to have the Historic Salisbury Foundation bring OctoberTour to the North Main Neighborhood!  We thank the Foundation for the investment it has made in our neighborhood and our historic homes, and for recognizing the strength, history, and beauty in our neighborhood culture and architectural fabric that makes up our community!

Special NOMA thanks to Historic Salisbury Foundation Executive Director Brian Madison Davis for spear-heading this movement to NOMA, and to volunteer Doug Black for the absolute gazillions of hours invested in stabilizing some of our most strategic homes!


Please visit the North Main Neighborhood during the 40th Annual OctoberTour!  Share the joy!

* OctoberTour™ site photos courtesy of the Historic Salisbury Foundation.  www.historicsalisbury.com / www.octobertour.com

The North Main Neighborhood
Salisbury, North Carolina 28144
www.facebook.com/NOMAnorthmain
www.NextDoor.com / NOMA North Main

FALL SPRUCE UP WEEK ~ OCTOBER 19 - 23, 2015

It's that time of year again!

The CITY OF SALISBURY's PUBLIC SERVICE DEPARTMENT brings us their FALL SPRUCE UP WEEK & APPLIANCE AND TIRE COLLECTION !

This Fall's SPRUCE UP WEEK is October 19 - 23, 2015

The City of Salisbury will pick up your old appliances, tires without rims (limit 5 tires or less per location) and extra bagged trash the week of October 19 - 23, 2015.

Place the items at the curb on your regular collection day before 7 a.m.

For most of NOMA, this is Tuesday morning, October 20th!

**NO BUILDING MATERIALS WILL BE COLLECTED (No carpet, padding, sheetrock, windows, lumber, commodes, sinks, etc.)

**NO ELECTRONICS WILL BE COLLECTED (No televisions, computer equipment, etc.).

This collection is for RESIDENTS living inside the city limits of Salisbury only (NO BUSINESSES).

If you have questions, please call Public Services at (704)638-5260. They are often very good about helping you dispose of the more challenging items!

Happy Sprucing!






The North Main Neighborhood (NOMA)
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BLOCKWORK 2015 ~ Call for Volunteers!

The award-winning BlockWORK program is coming soon to a neighborhood near YOU! BlockWORK 2015 will be in the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood on Saturday October 24th!

What is BlockWORK? 

The City of Salisbury’s Community Appearance Commission hosts the BlockWORK Neighborhood Improvement Project annually. BLOCKWORK is grass-roots program of the Community Appearance Commission's Neighborhood Leaders Alliance (NLA) designed to bring community supporters together to promote cleaner and safer neighborhoods - one block at a time. Neighborhood leaders submit applications for a block of their choice to compete for an intensive work day with volunteers, similar to the United Way’s Day of Caring. After careful review of applications, a selection committee chooses a block based on potential impact to the community, feasibility of the project and neighborhood support.

Neighborhood leaders, project site managers and city staff meet with property owners to evaluate needs and design work plans. Projects include exterior repairs like painting, porch repair, decorative fence installation, sidewalk and landscaping work, and a major student art project. Crew leaders are recruited to direct the specific projects and help finalize the work plans.

Over 100 neighborhood and community volunteers provide labor for the work teams during the event. Property owners and residents will participate on the teams and contribute to the purchase of materials if able.

Four successful BLOCKWORK events have been held since 2010, including the initial event on South Shaver Street which earned the City a 'National Make a Difference Day' award and a $10,000 prize! Hurrah for BlockWORK!!!

CHESTNUT HILL NEIGHBORHOOD

Chestnut Hill is one of the earliest subdivisions in Salisbury. It grew out of the large farm of Samuel R. Harrison that was known as Chestnut Hill. The house, torn down in the 1960s, sat a distance back from South Main Street on a significant amount of land owned by Harrison. In 1892, the Dixie Land Co. purchased Harrison’s acreage and divided it into 103 lots.

The Chestnut Hill neighborhood, which includes the city-owned cemetery of the same name, extends roughly between South Main and South Fulton streets from Thomas Street to the cemetery. South Jackson, South Church, McCubbins, South Main, Chestnut, Harrison and Johnson streets represent the main arteries. The neighborhood has roughly 150 properties, many turn-of-the-century cottages with rocking chair porches.

People in Chestnut Hill have been talking about the need to revitalize the neighborhood for several years. People need to know the neighborhood is safe, well-lit, has good streets and sidewalks, and is a good place to raise a family. With that in mind, the Chestnut Hill community aims to establish a neighborhood watch program, has formed a neighborhood association, and is working with the city to address streetlights and signs.

The Chestnut Hill Neighborhood originally submitted their BlockWORK application asking only to have a critical and highly visible vacant lot turned into a neighborhood pocket park. After reviewing applications, and visiting the neighborhood, the BlockWORK selection committee deemed it feasible to perform the more typical repair and landscape work to the entire length of the 800 & 900 blocks, as well as incorporating some of the pocket-park proposed ideas into that lot. This BlockWORK project is expected to make a lasting imprint upon a neighborhood on the cusp of revitalization!

VOLUNTEERS:
 

BlockWORK attracts volunteers of every race, creed, and age to help transform a community! There is an activity for anyone who wants to participate! Not only does BlockWORK utilize the skills of those who understand carpentry, masonry, painting, and landscaping, but folks just interested in helping to register volunteers, hand out t-shirts (Yes! Volunteers get a free BlockWORK t-shirt!), or help with breakfast and lunch (Yes! Volunteers are fed ~ and thank goodness for morning coffee!)!

Site Managers are a special breed of volunteer ~ and a role that someone you know can surely fill!
Each home along the selected block, or this year BOTH selected blocks, has a site manager that reviews and itemizes the work needed...and steers worker-bees towards those tasks on BlockWORK Saturday!

Even artists are welcome to the BlockWORK project! Each year, an art project is incorporated into the neighborhood improvement work. Know of artists who'd like to make a difference? Send them to BlockWORK!   NOMA's Sean Myers (www.photogator.com) participates annually, documenting the process of each project with his wonderful photos! 

North Main Neighborhood (NOMA): 

It might be a fun neighborhood activity to get NOMA residents together as a BlockWORK team! If you would be interested in creating a NOMA team to work together as a neighborhood project, please contact BlockWORK Planning Committee member Sue McHugh at suemch @ aol.com. 



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you are 16 or older and interested in volunteering, contact Lynn Raker in the Community Planning Services Department by October 16th at (704) 638 -5235 or lrake@salisburync.gov.

No special work experience is required – just a willingness to make a difference in the community!

The North Main Neighborhood (NOMA)
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Historic Preservation Grant Applications Due September 30th! Only ONE Grant Cycle This Year!

If you live in the portion of the North Main Neighborhood that is a designated local historic district (North Main Historic District), you are eligible for the Historic Preservation Incentive Grants offered by the City of Salisbury to assist you in making exterior repairs and improvements to your home!

These modest matching grants are available for exterior projects on owner-occupied homes within the four local residential historic districts in Salisbury NC.

Typically, depending on annual city budget approvals, these grants are offered bi-annually, in Spring and in Fall, with a relatively short time allowance to complete the work.

This year, Historic Preservation Incentive Grants will be awarded in just ONE application cycle!

Applications are due September 30, 2015...however applicants have until June 1, 2016 to compete the work upon receiving notice of award!

If you live in the historic district, watch your mailbox! A notice will be mailed to owner-occupied properties and more information will be available from the Historic Preservation Commission website or by calling staff at 704-638-5324.

On May 19, 2015, the Salisbury City Council adopted new historic district design guidelines that guide the process for making changes to the exterior of buildings and property in local historic districts and establish the amount of review and approval required per type of project before work commences.


The design guidelines are the official document that the Historic Preservation Commission uses when making decisions on the appropriateness of a proposed project. This document provides a helpful table with information on what types of projects that do not require a COA (Certificate of Appropriateness) and those projects that do, as well as the level of review required for projects that entail obtaining a COA. A recent guideline update also simplified the process to obtaining a COA, and many projects that previously required a hearing by the full Historic Preservation Commission can now be approved at staff level.

If you have any questions about any work you are considering for your property, city staff is available to help you navigate the approval process. 

Work that is completed without a COA or deviates from the approved COA may be subject to an 'after-the-fact' COA process, which may include notices of violation and civil penalties if not corrected! 

There is a copy of the new guidelines on sidebar to the right! > > >

Questions?

If you have any questions about historic preservation in Salisbury, please do not hesitate to contact Catherine Garner, City of Salisbury Preservation Planner at 704-638-5324 for more information. 

Together we can ensure that Salisbury maintains its status as the statewide leader in historic preservation for future generations to visit, enjoy, and learn from, and that the North Main Neighborhood is at the top of the list!

The North Main Neighborhood (NOMA)
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No BlockWORK for NOMA This Fall. But BlockWORK Still Needs Us!

The North Main Neighborhood association (The Old North Salisbury Association)submitted an application to the City of Salisbury's Community Appearance Commission on behalf of NOMA for its annual award-winning BlockWORK program.  But alas...once again we were not selected!

What is BlockWORK?

BLOCKWORK is grassroots program of the Community Appearance Commission's Neighborhood Leaders Alliance (NLA) designed to bring community supporters together to promote cleaner and safer neighborhoods - one block at a time.  BlockWORK addresses needs along a single residential block, and invites 100s of volunteers to the neighborhood to clean, re-landscape, and perform minor repairs on homes along the selected block. Neighborhood leaders are encouraged to submit applications for a block of their choice to compete for an intensive work day with volunteers.

After careful review of applications, a selection committee chooses a block based on potential impact to the community, feasibility of the project and neighborhood support. The selection committee also reviews the ratio of owner-occupied vs. rental homes, and whether there is strong support from neighborhood representatives. Once a year, typically coinciding with United Way's 'Day of Caring' in October, the selected block is closed to traffic and truckloads of volunteers, plants and shrubs, mulch, and tools descend upon the neighborhood in a whirlwind transformation effort!

The North Main 2015 BlockWORK Application

Members of the Old North Salisbury Association, the neighborhood association for NOMA, submitted the 800 block of North Main Street. Unfortunately, the BlockWORK program is unlikely to ever happen right on a Department of Transportation (DOT) highway such as Main Street (NC 29), and is traditionally conducted in a side-street portion of a neighborhood.

816 N Main Street ~ abandoned 10+ years

The abandoned home at 816 N Main that is in serious stages of demolition-by-neglect (and is the site of a dangerous storm drain failure in the front yard and sidewalk area - not shown here), a home which the application suggested be repaired, is also beyond the scope of what the BlockWORK project can accomplish. (A new City initiative is in the works to address abandoned homes.)

The North Main application was summarily rejected.

Bad News / Good News

That's the bad news. The good news is that a very deserving block in the Chestnut Hill Neighborhood was selected. Chestnut Hill is going through major revitalization efforts thanks to its neighbors and residents, the many churches in the neighborhood, and to organizations such as the Historic Salisbury Foundation that has stayed demolition on several circa 1900 homes there.

BlockWORK is in its 5th year and was awarded national recognition (and $10,000 to the City of Salisbury!!!) for its work, its interactive nature, and what the program represents to Salisbury.

BlockWORK History

Prior BlockWORK projects have transformed:

• 200/300 Block S. Shaver Street - 2011
• 1000 Block S. Fulton Street - 2012
• 700/800 Block E. Franklin Street - 2013
• 900 Block W. Horah Street - 2014

E. 11th & N. Main Street Beautification Project

Some extra funding from the 2013 BlockWORK project was used in NOMA for the 11th Street Beautification Project that helped us get the new green space, sidewalks, curbing, and bus shelter at the corner of E. 11th Street and North Main Street.

The City of Salisbury additionally helped us with the demolition and subsequent mini-beautification project at the corner of W. Steele and Main, so we can't complain too greatly! We certainly appreciate the impact these projects have made to the neighborhood!

Prior NOMA Applications

800 Block of N. Lee Street

The North Main Neighborhood submitted the 800 Block of N. Lee Street during the very first run of BlockWORK in 2011. This block remains a great candidate for the project, and we hope it will get submitted again in future years.

900 Block of N. Jackson Street

We submitted dual applications in 2012, submitting the 900 Block of N. Jackson Street and the 1200 Block of N. Church Street.  The 1200 Block of Church is still a viable candidate, while on Jackson, someone purchased the (3) cute little brick cottages and invested substantially in sprucing them up nicely ~ making an enormous difference to this portion of the NOMA neighborhood.

1200 Block of N. Church Street

Both years, a small team of neighbors cruised up and down all 40+ blocks of the North Main Neighborhood, taking photographs & notes on which streets could be viable candidates...and there are several!

NOMA did not submit for BlockWORK 2013 & 2014, knowing the 11th Street Beautification Project was in full swing.

FUTURE BlockWORK for NOMA

Anyone can submit a block for BlockWORK....as long as we can show a strong support team, submit a block that can be closed to traffic, and offer a street that has homes that represent a feasible project, we should be able to secure a BlockWORK project in the future for North Main.

In the meantime...if you've never volunteered for the BlockWORK day ~ you're really missing out! What a fun event and so heartwarming to see the community come together to 'make a difference'!

SAVE ♦ THE ♦ DATE ♦ BlockWORK 2015

This year's BlockWORK will be held on 'Make a Difference Day' October 24th, 2015 in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood (S. Church Street).

Save the Date and join in ~ there is a mini-project for every skill level, from serving food and drink, registering helpers, or painting/scraping/planting/repairing!




What we give now, we're sure to get back one day when BlockWORK comes to NOMA!










The North Main Neighborhood (NOMA)
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Congratulations to Rowan County Little League Softball World Series Champions!

North Main Street hosted the start of the parade today honoring Rowan County's Little League World Series softball champions!

The streets in downtown Salisbury from Richards BBQ on North Main Street, through downtown, and from W. Innes to Fulton Street were lined with fans waving, holdings signs and flags, and shouting encouragement to Rowan County's Little League World Series softball champions.

The girls won the championship earlier this week in the tournament played in Portland, Oregon.

The parade featured the team, coaches Steve Yang and Rob Hales, as well as several other Little League teams from across the county.

Following the parade downtown, the girls were honored with special events at the Salisbury Community Park.

To see the video, captured by WBTV-Salisbury, check the North Main Neighborhood Facebook page HERE: NOMA - The North Main Neighborhood

Way to go, Rowan County Little League World Champions!

The North Main Neighborhood (NOMA)
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