Indy residents are encouraged to bring their non-invasive plants, seedlings or seeds including divided perennials, bulbs, tubers, pond plants or indoor plants, vegetable or flower seeds or seedlings to share. Likewise, anyone is welcome to take what he or she needs from the wide variety of plants at the exchange. Small donations will be accepted from those who don’t bring plants to share, but are NOT required. If possible, residents bringing plants should arrive fifteen minutes early and label their plant donations (perennial, biennial, annual, herb, seeds, bulbs, indoor, etc.) and note whether the plant thrives in sun or shade as well as flower color, if applicable.

If you’d like to donate plants but need help dividing the ones in your yard, please contact Sarah Wiehe at indytilth@gmail.com or at 317.797.3392. Volunteers are needed to dig perennials the two weekends before the Plant Exchange (April 24- 25 and May 1-2). Additionally, volunteers are needed to organize the plants and give advice on plant care during the Plant Exchange (May 8, 1-2 PM). If you’d like to volunteer or drop off extra plants prior to the event, contact Wiehe ASAP at the number/email address above.

More than 80 people from around Indianapolis participated in last year’s inaugural Plant Exchange. “Last year’s exchange was a big hit with far more interest projected this year,” stated organizer Sarah Wiehe, a MFC resident and MFC Unity group member. “Several other cities around the US are already doing very successful annual free plant exchanges,” noted Master Gardener and Plant Exchange committee member Dawn Marie.

Additional information and promotional flyers to pass to your friends and neighbors can be found at the IndyTilth website at http://www.indytilth.org/plantexchange.html. If you would like a brief presentation made to your organization, please email indytilth@gmail.com.

The MFC Unity Group consists of an informal collection of neighbors from all parts of the MFC area served by the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corporation, including the Historic Meridian Park, Watson-McCord, traditional Mapleton-Fall Creek neighborhoods, and Haywood Park. The Plant Exchange grew from discussions held at neighborhood-wide Unity Forums staged to develop camaraderie, cohesiveness, and engagement. These forums were made possible through an IMAGINE grant from the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative.

There are several ways to ensure that MFC can keep the recycling bin:

• Make sure only the allowed materials are deposited into the bin
• Do not leave trash around the outside container
• RECYCLE! A great way to show that we need the bin is by using it!

Materials accepted in the City’s Recycle Indianapolis program include:

• Glass
• #1 and #2 plastics
• Aluminum, tin, and steel beverage and food cans
• Newspapers and magazines

Any other materials will be considered contamination!

Lets all work together to ensure we will continue to have a community recycling bin in our neighborhood!

“We are extremely grateful and excited to have been awarded this grant,” said Project HOME Indy Board president Kristen Schunk Moreland. “Our goal is to provide a nurturing residential environment to help these girls and their children. We want to help them build self-sufficiency, create opportunities to expand life skills, access healthcare, and realize greater educational success.”

“This grant allows us to move ahead quickly to renovate the home we will use to serve teen moms desperate for a stable living environment and appropriate social services,” said Emily Styron, Project HOME Indy executive director. “Project HOME Indy is fortunate to receive this assistance and increasing support from the local community and partner organizations.”

To learn more about Project HOME Indy, visit it on the web at www.projecthomeindy.org.

Attendees are welcome to bring snacks or desserts to share at this neighborhood pitch-in and social event. If you are a new to the neighborhood or know someone who is, please contact Karla Johnson at 926-5431.

Information about the members of Board of Directors is available on the Neighborhood Association page.

HMP President Doug Day (right) recognizes Past President Larry Sanner for his many years of service on the board of directors.

Naughty or nice? Santa consults with Dick Luchtman and Dr. Steve Towns.

$10 – Craftsman
$25 – Colonial Mission
$50 – Tudor Revival
$100+ – American Four-Square

Funds collected by the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association are used to offset annual operational expenses like the rental of a packer truck for alley clean-ups, obtaining gardening supplies for the medians and tree planting activities, signage, social events, Web site maintenance and more. To the extent possible, it is the board’s intention to use monies raised from special events such as the home tour to fund larger beautification and infrastructure initiatives.

Dues can be paid by any one of the following options:

• Online on the Dues web page;
• Bring with you to any general meeting or social event; or
• Mail to VP and Treasurer John Carmer, 3015 N Pennsylvania Street, Apt. 12, Indianapolis, IN 46205

What: 2009 Home Tour Open Meeting
When: Saturday, Jan. 10, 9-10:30
Where: Cassie Mehlman’s house @ 3070 N. Delaware St.

Whether you are new to the neighborhood, have never participated in a home tour, or are a past home tour participant, we need your thoughts and input going forward. We are looking for fresh ideas and thinking as well as what has worked in the past.

Cassie and I agreed to be co-chairs for the 2009 tour in December and we are looking forward to key neighbor input from both the seasoned and the novice, the practical and the idealistic. We plan on building on past success, but we also want to take the time this year to think about the future of this revenue-generating, awareness-building and time-intensive event for our neighborhood …

The 2009 home tour could be similar to ones in the past [the 2006 Centennial tour is an exception because it had a larger budget for marketing and promotion], or there could be just enough time in planning to make it a bit different … We are interested in gathering some interesting and innovative ideas regardless of whether they will be implemented in 2009.

Just come have some coffee with us and see what develops …

You will help us decide. Also to be discussed at the meeting will be new committee structures and identifying point-persons to head each committee.

RSVP to Cassie at csm34@sbcglobal.net so we can plan food and drink accordingly.

See you then!
Amy Rubin
Cassie Mehlman
2009 Home Tour Co-Chairs