NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ . . . by Frank Carr

The Shiloh Peace Garden

Spring came to North Point Breeze as if driven by a bellows, igniting the cityscape with magnolia and daffodil and forsythia blossoms. The plum tree on the patio has left its annual squall of blossoms and the cherry tree is shimmering into the long evening. And on the busy corner of Thomas Boulevard and North Homewood Avenue another bellwether of spring has quietly stirred.

Amid the pastoral oasis of the quiet corner lot a single figure worked the soil with a planting stick. So the dog and I walked over and said hello. It was Jane, a new gardener with Grow Pittsburgh, getting the soil ready for the third summer of the Shiloh Peace Garden. “Onions,” she said, when I asked what was up. “And more leeks.” The first planting of leeks was already a long line of green fountains standing nearly a foot tall.

Shiloh Peace Garden is a collaboration between a benevolent neighbor who bought the property hoping to “keep it green,” and Grow Pittsburgh, an established organization which manages the Frick Greenhouse Project only a couple blocks up Homewood at Penn Avenue. For the past two summers the garden has produced organic vegetables like leeks and peppers and zucchini and herbs and garlic which are sold on site, one day a week. On other days the vegetables are available at the Frick Museum Shop.

In addition to the delicious, healthy food now available on the corner, the Shiloh Peace Garden has become a happy center of quiet activity for the neighborhood on a busy intersection. Even in winter the garden had visitors and, after two years it has become an old friend. We will continue to see (and taste!) what’s growing in the Shiloh Peace Garden all summer long, just for you! You can dig up more information on Grow Pittsburgh and the Shiloh Peace Garden at http://www.growpittsburgh.org/.


Shiloh Peace Garden: Welcome!













East End Brewing Company's Annual Keg Ride Slated for May 14th
Speaking of old friends, another East End Tradition is fast upon us, and this one will begin on the very edge of the new Apiary! I am speaking of course, of the Sixth Annual East End Brewing Company's Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride. Each year Hops Wizard Scott Smith and his cohorts brew the summer’s supply of Pedal Pale Ale and release it to mark the “beer community’s” start to the cycling and outdoor season. Here’s the word (and a great photo) from the East End Brewing website (go to the "Good Beer News" link on the site's home page, click on the archive link, and check out the March/April Good Beer News): http://groups.google.com/group/eastendbrewing/browse_thread/thread/4a8606a3057a3c5b

"Dust off that bike and polish up your liver - or maybe it's the other
way around? Regardless, it's time to gear up for this year's Keg
Ride. If you're new around here, and don't know what I'm talking
about, for the last 5 years, we've been delivering the very first
kegs of our summer seasonal, PEDAL PALE ALE in a very special way...
by bicycle. And for everyone riding along, the first beer is on me!
Just like the "Reverse Keg Ride" we did in the fall, this one's a
Charity Event too - with 100% of every dollar raised going to two very
worthwhile local charities. Plus we've got a bunch of new stuff this
year too...

- On-line registration/contribution, so no more huge line on ride day!
(Watch for a "Late Breaking" message when this goes live)

- Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win an East End Brewing/
Big Hop Cycle Jersey! http://ow.ly/1t9Lk

- Everyone registering EARLY gets a chance to win a Pittsburgh Cycling
Jersey! http://ow.ly/1t9GI

- Want to pull a keg? We're auctioning off 3 keg pulling slots to the
highest bidders! (Auction goes live about 2 weeks before Ride Day -
I'll let you know.)

Read all about the Keg Ride, see the stats and some photos from
previous years, and (eventually) get yourself registered right here:
http://www.eastendbrewing.com/node/830 And by all means, please feel
free to pass this link on to every single person you know. It's going
to be a great day, so I'll see ALL OF YOU and your bikes on May 14th!"

Okay, that’s the recent buzz in North Point Breeze. I’m sure the bees will come to know the garden, and probably the brewery too! Spring, after all, is a time for discovery. ~ Frank Carr