Join your neighbors and small businesses as we get Jackson Street ready for Thanksgiving! We’ve got two meet up locations and while it is going to be wet, you can take solace in doing a bit of good and getting some Saturday morning exercise and fresh air!

Saturday, November 17th: 9:30-11:30

Find Jackson Commons at 25th & Jackson. Thanks Two Big Blondes!  We’ll have coffee, cake and all the supplies you need and will be working between MLK and 23rd Ave S. We will also have a box for coat and blanket donations for the Seattle Neighborhood Group/POCAAN’s “Get Off the Street Program”. So please feel free to drop off any warm clothes even if you don’t have time to pick up garbage.

Join Jackson Place Community Council at the corner of 20th and Jackson. Thanks Pratt! Can’t say if they’ll have coffee, but they will be ready to give that section of Jackson a little love.

We can also use some volunteers who are interested in promoting small businesses pass out “Gift Local” materials.

This street clean is part of the Jackson Street Corridor Association‘s Adopt-a-Street program.

It’s been years and years, but there used to be a bakery on Jackson and 26th. It’s a parking lot now, but you’ll find us there today, imaging a future where there is once again a small, family run bakery on our street.

Come eat cake with Jackson Commons and grab a cup of espresso at the newly opened  ”Jackson Street Grill” 

10 AM. Jackson Street between 25th and 26th.

The cake is free, but we’re lending a hand to the Colman Neighborhood’s coat drive for the Seattle Neighborhood Groups/POCAAN’s “Get off the Street” Program. So if you have an old coat, blanket, or small toiletries or any other things that might help folks stay a little warmer if they’re homeless, we’ll be happy to get them to the right place!

Jackson Commons invites you to join Jackson Place wild-crafter and forager, J.T., as she takes us on a walk along Jackson Street and the surrounding neighborhood showing us the many different plants that grow wild along our sidewalk and parking strips that are edible or used for traditional medicine.

Wednesday, September 26th.
Walk starts at 6 PM… though we’ll be there starting at 5 pm to chat and hangout, so join us a bit early if you can.
Ocean Cafe (between 25th and 26th on Jackson)

You will want to be sure to bring a note pad as you’ll likely be surprised at the number of plants that exist and many of the folks last year found a camera helpful.

Here’s a link to what it  was like last year: LOTS OF FUN and super interesting.
http://www.centraldistrictnews.com/2011/08/25/foraging-in-th 

Are you interested in what a revitalized Jackson Street could look like? Are you following along with the Promenade 23rd Redevelopment? Are you curious about what steps neighbors might be able to take to support and grow the small businesses along Jackson? Do you want to help us get that Street Car spur? Do you want to figure out how to build a small business incubator or a public market? Are you simply interested in helping us continue and plan more events on Jackson?

We’re kicking off the Jackson Commons initiative!
Thursday, September 13, 6 to 7:45 pm, at the Douglas-Truth Library.

We don’t have any guest speakers this time, but will instead be working on forming some working groups and talking about the Jackson Commons goals. 

We had a great turn out six weeks ago, and looking forward to another great evening!

If you can’t make it, but want to be on the mailing list, for future mail and to make sure you’re on the list for direct updates from DPD on the Promenade 23 parcel, please drop us a note at JacksonCommons@gmail.com and we’ll get you on that list. If you were at the last meeting and haven’t got an email from us, please drop us a note. We had several emails bounce! 

As always, you can follow along at our site www.jacksoncommons.com, our Facebook page (which is the most up-to-date) JacksonCommonsSeattle, our Twitter @JacksonCommons…in addition to Pinterest and G+!  

A hearty thank you to Meg, Berhane and the staff at East African Imports for helping us throw a swell evening dinner at the Promenade 23. 

Weather was perfect, beats by DJ Newman were stellar and we really appreciate all the neighbors who turned up to take a chance on eating outside in the parking lot of the Promenade 23. We have this notion that part of creating the Jackson Street we want is to start getting folks to actively imagine that neighborhood with us.

If you’ve not been to eat lunch or dinner at East African Imports, you should! It’s got a beautiful restaurant with tasty food behind the store. They have awesome coffee too and they can pull you an espresso.

East African Imports 
http://www.eastafricanimports.com
East African Imports on Facebook
2301 South Jackson Street, Suite 204 (that’s the Promenade 23)

We have several more events in the work, including being at the Two Big Blondes huge annual sale this Friday at 25th & Jackson, National Cheese Pizza day on September 5 with our pals at All-Purpose Pizza on September 5, as well as our continuing pop-up cafes and Cake Box: a Jackson Street Bakery Experience. To stay in the know on the awesomeness that is Jackson Street, follow along on our site at JacksonCommons.com , Facebook JacksonCommonsSeattle or twitter @jacksoncommons.

Do you have an idea on how to make the corner of 23rd and Jackson better? You’ve been hearing that there might be some new apartments or changes to the Red Apple and you have some ideas? You think we need a street car and know where it should be parked? 

There’s going to be lots of “official” time to talk about this in the months ahead, but we think now is a great time for neighbors to generate some sketches and get some new ideas! It’s SKETCH CAFE!

Jackson Commons has invited architects and artists down to the front of the Red Apple. We’re inviting anyone in the community from five to ninety-five to stop by between 10 am and Noon tomorrow, Saturday, August 18, and tell us your ideas for a revitalized Promenade 23. 

You’ll have one minute to tell these folks with pens about your ideas, and they’ll have five minutes to draw it. We’ll be tweeting the results on the spot! @jacksoncommons

You want a water park instead of a grocery store? Well, ok! Have someone draw it! It’s that kind of experiment. Can’t make tomorow? Follow along at jacksoncommons.com or on our Facebook JacksonCommonsSeattle to find out when we’re having another one! We’re planning them all through the fall (and always looking for more people handy with a pen to draw some pictures!)

And just a reminder: If you’ve not reserved your spot for the Ethiopian feast on Sunday night with our friends at East African Imports, there’s still time! It’s going to be an awesome dinner + dj right at the Promenade 23! 

http://jacksoncommons.com/2012/07/30/east-african-feast/

It’s been a great month as we kick of our project to re-imagine Jackson Street as a Seattle Destination! And August is only going to be better, bigger and a heck more fun! Did you know that the most beautiful Ethiopian restaurant in Seattle is at 23rd and Jackson? Now you do!

East African Imports and Jackson Commons invite you to an family-style FEAST!
Dinner + DJ + neighbors talking about how to make Jackson Street the best street in Seattle: Go Jackson! 

Sunday, August 19th
Promenade 23, Upper Level 
6:00 pm. One Seating.

$20 for adults/$10 for kids. Cash as the door to keep it simple for everyone, please.

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED: http://jacksoncommons.com/2012/07/30/east-african-feast/

This dinner is limited to 80 people and space is filling up fast, so make your reservation today!

Did you know that there is actually quite a bit of pruning and clean-up you can do to your fruit trees right in the middle of summer?

We’re not talking hard pruning, or life-altering cuts to your trees to reshape them and boost production, but fine tuning that gets them ready for a nice sleep and more fruit next year!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21st.: 5:30 for chat and sandwiches, 6:00 on the ladders! 
Starts at 733 25th Ave S. 

Join the Colman Neighborhood Community Harvest for a HANDS-ON summer pruning workshop with Don Ricks, of the Piper Orchard. We’ll take a look at some new apple and quince trees, revisit the plum trees we worked on in our Spring Pruning workshop and then go tackle some unruly plums and too-tall pears.

Wear work clothes, bring gloves and pruning tools if you have them. Email knox.gardner@gmail.com if you have questions. PS: We will be looking for more volunteers to help us pick fruit to get to the St. Mary’s Food Bank, so if you think community harvest/gleaning is something you have time for, be sure to drop me a line!