Norwood Welcomes America Dinner: A Great Success

The Norwood Welcomes America Dinner highlighted the rich culture woven into Norwood and its people.

Welcome America Week is a national movement observed in the second week of September. Along with Welcome America Week events around the country, the Norwood Welcomes America Dinner asks immigrants in the community to take the lead. Norwood residents from Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Palestine, and Jordan planned the sold-out family-style dinner, which brought 50 neighbors together at Lower Millcrest Park to share a meal and their cultures.

“The ultimate goal is to create a Norwood where people from all cultures are known, respected, and loved,” said Carson Sotelo, Event Chairman.

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Get your Historic Home Tour tickets now!

Brought to you by Norwood Together and Norwood Historical Society, this year’s historic home tour will start at Victory Park and walk through some of the oldest streets of Norwood.

We will be discussing architecture, history, gardening and how to keep chickens in a city. Each tour will be kept to a maximum size of 15 people, and tour times are 20 minutes apart. Come rain or shine, this is an outside walking tour lasting roughly 70-80 minutes and covering a mile in diameter.

The tour begins and ends in the at Victory Park at the corner of Montgomery Road and Mills Avenue

At the end of the tour, enjoy a fall market brought to you by the Norwood’s Off Pike Market! Crafters and food vendors, festivities and pumpkins! 

This event is sponsored by Realtor Jennifer McGillis, UDF, Ventura Builders Group, Cappy’s and Off Pike Market.

Continue ReadingGet your Historic Home Tour tickets now!

Norwood Together’s Welcome America Dinner

How many of your Norwood neighbors have been to Sri Lanka? Experienced the rich culture of Venezuela? Enjoyed a family style meal in Palestine or Jordan? On September 12, the Norwood Welcomes America Dinner will highlight the rich culture woven into Norwood and its people.

Welcome America Week is a national movement observed in the second week of September. Along with Welcome America Week events around the country, the Norwood Welcomes America Dinner, sponsored by Norwood Together, asks immigrants in the community to take the lead. Norwood residents from Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Palenstine, and Jordan planned the sold-out family-style dinner, which will bring 50 neighbors together at Lower Millcrest Park to share a meal and their cultures. 

“​​Norwood is a diverse community, and yet we all can naturally gravitate towards and build relationships with people like us.  You bond over shared interests, ways you were raised, or shared values,” said Carson Sotelo, Norwood Together event chairman. “This event serves as a catalyst… The person who before felt profoundly different from you is now sharing a meal from their culture with you. You experience a piece of their life.  You’re neighbors and equal members of the Norwood community.” 

After last year’s virtual event for Norwood Welcomes America Week, we felt the excitement of our community when we had the opportunity to celebrate this year in the form of an international picnic. An example of what those participating will get to experience is a taste of Palestine through a traditional dish called Qidreh, or lamb with rice stewed with spices in a heavy copper or brass pot, best served with a fresh tomato salad and yogurt sauce. The dish is designed for shared meals and is often cooked in communal wood fired ovens. Sotelo adds, “The ultimate goal is to create a Norwood where people from all cultures are known, respected, and loved.”

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Norwood Together, Northwood Cider Co. earn Duke Energy grant

A $20,000 Duke Energy grant will help transform the old brakeshop at 2075 Mills Ave. into Northwood Cider Co.

The grant, awarded to Norwood Together and Northwood Cider Co., was one of eight urban revitalization grants distributed by Duke Energy this year to redevelopment and small business assistance programs across southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky. In all, Duke Energy is investing $250,000 in the region.

“Keeping our communities vibrant is critical now more than ever,” said Norwood Together President Mary C. Miller in the press release announcing the Duke Energy grants. “Receiving this grant from Duke Energy will allow us to pay for the pre-development costs and accelerate bringing Northwood Cider Company to Norwood. Duke Energy’s grant is a testament to their commitment to helping small businesses and local economies. And, for that we’re grateful.”

Economic and small business development are key priorities for Norwood Together. In the Quality of Life study that began Norwood Together, at community meetings and events, and in countless conversations among neighbors, Norwood residents have said they want businesses that give them places to go and gather.

The Montgomery Road Redevelopment Plan, created in partnership with the City of Norwood and Hamilton County Planning + Development, also calls for economic development around Mills Avenue, right in the heart of Norwood’s business corridor.

Continue ReadingNorwood Together, Northwood Cider Co. earn Duke Energy grant

Making a difference at Millcrest

On June 26, help a Norwood teen make a difference at Lower Millcrest Park.

Diana Ferra Villalobos, a Norwood resident and senior at Mount Notre Dame Academy, is organizing a clean-up of Lower Millcrest Park from 9 a.m. to noon June 26. Norwood Together and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful are supporting the project.

To help, all you have to do is show up!

Here’s an essay Villalobos wrote about why she decided to clean up Lower Millcrest:

The Meaning of Millcrest
By Diana Ferra Villalobos

The one planet that allows us to live is deteriorating. Unfortunately, I did not come to that conclusion until I saw the effects of it.

In 2020, our world was turned upside-down, especially with COVID-19 and quarantining.  However, we must not forget the tragic wildfires in California that had taken many souls and homes. From the moment I saw the skies turn grey, the birds fly away, and the trees turn to ashes, I knew that our only home was being destroyed. I want a better, more beautiful earth for us all. This is why my project focuses on Millcrest park.

 I moved to Norwood in December 2019, but it wasn’t until this year that I frequented Millcrest. It was also this year that I attended my very first clean-up (also at Millcrest), and it came to my attention that there is a lot more garbage than I expected. I went to this clean-up and had to move around the roots and plants just so I could reach a can of Sprite. I believe that my family and I spent around three hours there, but we couldn’t get everything. I don’t want it to be that way anymore.

I want us to walk around Millcrest freely without having to see a bag of chips, cans, or beer. Not only is this dangerous for the little ones, but it also harms our plant life. The space that the garbage is taking up could have been for flowers, but now it is reserved for plastic debris. However, that can change. We can change that, which is why this project is so important to me. Not only are we taking initiative, but we are also creating space for new life to grow. The earth has allowed us to survive, I am simply hoping we can return the favor.

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Summer fun in Norwood

There are so many opportunities for spending time with your family and fellow Norwood neighbors this summer. If you would like to get outside, get involved, or hangout, Norwood Parks are where all the action is this year! 

Find out more about the events listed below and other Norwood happenings at your Ward Community Council meeting. Each Ward Community Council meets on the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. The next meeting is May 27. Location information is on the Norwood Together Facebook page.

June 

6:30 pm June 4: Fridays on the Lawn: Food Trucks, Victory Park
8:30 pm June 11: Fridays on the Lawn: Movie Night, Victory Park
9 am June 19: Off Pike Market, Victory Park
9:45 am June 19: Lindner Park Volunteer Day
7 pm June 24: Ward Community Councils
5:45 pm June 25: Lindner Park Volunteer Day
6:30 pm June 25: Fridays on the Lawn: Concert, Victory Park
7 pm June 25: Shakespeare in the Park, Northwoods
9 am June 26: Lower Millcrest Park Clean-Up

July

6:30 pm July 2: Fridays on the Lawn: Concert, Victory Park
8:30 pm July 9: Fridays on the Lawn: Movie Night, Victory Park
6:30 pm July 16: Fridays on the Lawn: Concert, Victory Park
9 am July 17: Off Pike Market, Victory Park
7 pm July 22: Ward Community Councils
6:30 pm July 23: Fridays on the Lawn: Food trucks, Victory Park
6:30 pm July 27: Norwood Day Parade, Montgomery Road
10 am-7pm July 28: Norwood Day at Coney Island
6:30 pm July 30: Fridays on the Lawn, Victory Park
7pm July 31: Shakespeare in the Park, Dorl Field

August

6:30 pm August 6: Fridays on the Lawn: Food trucks, Victory Park
7pm August 13: Shakespeare in the Park: Romeo & Juliet, Upper Millcrest Park
8:30 pm August 13: Fridays on the Lawn: Movie Night, Victory Park
6:30 pm August 20: Fridays on the Lawn: Concert, Victory Park
9 am August 21: Off Pike Market, Victory Park
7 pm August 26: Ward Community Councils

Continue ReadingSummer fun in Norwood

City adopts Montgomery Road Plan

This spring, City Council approved a resolution to adopt the Montgomery Road Redevelopment Plan to guide the future of the corridor from Dana Avenue to the Norwood Lateral.

You can review the plan here.

The Montgomery Road Plan is the result of a $30,000 planning grant secured in 2020 by Norwood Together and the City of Norwood. A steering committee of residents, city officials, and business leaders have been helping Hamilton County planners create a vision for Montgomery Road, a blueprint to “relaunch the Pike,” as Mayor Schneider says.

Despite covid restrictions, Norwood Together and the City of Norwood hosted several public meetings last fall — in person at the Community Center and over Zoom — to allow residents to share their feedback on a draft of the plan. County planners then incorporated residents’ ideas in the final plan. 

The City and Norwood Together hope to work on a similar plan for the north end of Montgomery Road, from the Norwood Lateral to the city’s border, soon.

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Norwood Clean-Up Week is March 20-27!

The goal: Get our city ready for a spring and summer of fun! The week includes several city-wide, volunteer Clean-Up events, opportunities for you and your neighbors to work together to get rid of winter mess. Here’s the schedule: 

  • Montgomery Road Clean-Up: 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 20; meet at City Hall to get supplies.
  • Knothole Baseball Field Clean-Up: 11 a.m. Saturday, March 20; meet at Dorl Field.
  • Lower Millcrest Cutting Party: 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 24; volunteers will be cutting out invasive undergrowth; bring gloves, saws, and loppers, if you have them. 
  • Citywide Parks Clean-Up: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 27; meet at your favorite park and bring gloves and yard tools (rakes, etc.) if you have them. 

During the week, we hope you will take the opportunity to clean up around your own house and neighborhood. Pick up yard waste bags (FREE!) from the Norwood Health Department, 2059 Sherman Avenue. Report potholes or other issues to Public Works with the city’s new See, Click It, Fix It! app. Go on a litter walk with your family.

LITTER WALK CONTEST
And here’s your chance to win that $50 Lowe’s gift card. During Clean-Up Week, go on a litter walk in your neighborhood and take a picture of you and the trash you pick up. Post that picture on Norwood Together’s Facebook page. Every photo is one entry in a raffle. On March 27, we’ll pick a winner. 

Watch our Facebook page and this newsletter for more updates on Norwood Clean-Up Week. 

Continue ReadingNorwood Clean-Up Week is March 20-27!

Review the draft Montgomery Road Plan

Norwood residents helped “relaunch the Pike” when they attended a November 19 open house to review the first draft of a new vision for Montgomery Road.

Because of covid restrictions, Norwood Together and the City of Norwood had to limit the number of people at the open house. But residents still have time to review the draft plan and share their ideas for the Pike.

See the plan highlights here, and the open house presentation here.

Then email your feedback and questions to Norwood Together: norwoodtogether@gmail.com.

The Montgomery Road Plan is the result of a $30,000 planning grant secured earlier this year by Norwood Together and the City of Norwood. A steering committee of residents, city officials, and business leaders have been helping Hamilton County planners create a vision for Montgomery Road, a blueprint to “relaunch the Pike,” as Mayor Schneider says. The plan is for Montgomery Road from Dana Avenue to the Norwood Lateral.

What planners will share at the open house is just the first draft. Hamilton County planners will incorporate residents’ ideas into the plan before submitting it to city officials for adoption.

Continue ReadingReview the draft Montgomery Road Plan

New Floral micro-park thanks to you

Norwood has a new place for neighbors to gather, and walkers and bicyclists have a new rest stop on their way to or from Wasson Way.

Jon Moore, with help from neighbors and a $500 Wasson Way Mini-Grant from Norwood Together, installed a micro-park at the corner of Hudson and Floral avenues this fall. Read Jon’s reflections on the project here.

Wasson Way Mini-Grants are meant to encourage experimentation, build leadership, and bring people together.  And that’s exactly what Jon’s micro park has done already. Dozens of residents donated to this project, which includes two benches, a trash can, two trees, and a large garden bed. Neighbors, including a handful of children, came together to install the park, and some of them will be helping Jon with maintenance of this new community space.

Funding for the Wasson Way Mini-Grant program came from Norwood residents who wanted to encourage their neighbors to use the biking and walking trail, and make it easier for people to access Wasson Way, which runs along the south end of Norwood. From beginning to end, the micro park at Floral and Hudson is a community project — one resident’s idea, supported by the work and generosity of his neighbors. It’s a wonderful thing to see. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!

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