National Avenue gets a brewpub

MirrorTwin2A new brewpub is coming to Mentelle Neighborhood this summer. Mirror Twin Brewing plans to be open in August at 725 National Avenue as part of the Warehouse Block development. The space will include the first permanent location of the food truck Rolling Oven Pizza. Mirror Twin has three more days to go on a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000 in startup capital. Donors will receive prizes. Welcome to the neighborhood!

Great day for neighborhood history

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Ann Olliges, who initiated the historical marker project, unveiled it.

Thanks to everyone who helped make today’s Mentelle Neighborhood historical marker dedication and history program a great success.

And thanks to our special guests: Vice Mayor Steve Kay; Council Member Jake Gibbs; Bettie Kerr, the city’s director of historic preservation; Becky Riddle and Rick Adams of the Kentucky Historical Society; Mentelle descendant Randy Runyon and his wife, Elizabeth; Maureen Peters, president of the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation; and longtime Mentelle Neighborhood resident Martha Jane Stone.

A working narrative of the neighborhood’s history is at this link.

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Tom Eblen talks about the history of Mentelle and Bell Court neighborhoods.
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Tom Eblen interviews Martha Jane Stone, who has lived on Cramer Avenue since 1933, about her memories of the neighborhood.
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Mentelle descendant Randy Runyon, a professor at Miami University in Ohio and author of an upcoming book about the Mentelles, talks about his ancestors’ role in history.

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(Photos by Maureen Peters, Caryn Huber and Tom Eblen)

Marker unveiling, history program begins at 2 p.m. Sunday

Don’t miss the unveiling of our neighborhood’s new Kentucky Historical Society marker at 2 p.m. Sunday in the first median of Mentelle Park near Richmond Road. Vice Mayor Steve Kay and Council Member Jake Gibbs are among the confirmed guests.

After brief remarks, we will walk over to Bell House, 545 Sayre Ave., for a history program at about 2:30 p.m.  Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen, a Mentelle Park resident, will give a presentation about the shared history of the Mentelle and Bell Court neighborhoods. He also will do a brief “interview” with Martha Jane Stone, who has lived in the same house on Cramer Avenue since 1933, about her memories of how the neighborhood has changed.

And a special treat: Mentelle descendant Randy Runyon, a professor at Miami University in Ohio who is writing a book about the Mentelle family, will give a brief talk about his ancestors.

After the history program, all neighborhood residents are welcome to stay for the semi-annual Mentelle Neighborhood Association meeting. This won’t last long, but it is your opportunity to ask questions, get information and get involved in your neighborhood.

See you Sunday!

GreenFest Saturday on National Ave.

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Don’t miss this free event Saturday in our neighborhood. There will be local food and beer, more than 20 community and green-living vendor boots, a native plant exchange and a dozen workshops about everything from bicycle maintenance to keeping chickens. For more information, go to Bluegrass Greensource’s website: BgGreenSource.org.

A note from our Median cleanup crew…

A big thank you to everyone who assisted with the Mentelle Median clean up.  We had nine neighbors brave the cold and damp on Saturday morning!   All the beds are weeded and mulched except the last bed on the Cramer end, new trees have been mulched and tree limbs trimmed at the historic marker location.   Special thanks to Madison Fortune who nourished us with hot chocolate.

Our median is looking great and ready for the historic marker dedication!

-Jill DeBolt

Mentelle Median cleanup

A reminder that this Saturday morning, May 14, at 9am, we will all be gathering to clean up the median. Please bring your gardening gloves and any tools that might be helpful.

If it is raining at 9am, we will wait and begin once it stops and dries out a bit.

Historic marker dedication May 22

Please attend a dedication ceremony for the Mentelle Neighborhood’s new Kentucky Historical Society marker at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 22, in the first median of Mentelle Park near Richmond Road. Mayor Jim Gray, Vice Mayor Steve Kay and Third District Council Member Jake Gibbs plan to be there.

After brief remarks, we will move to nearby Bell House, 545 Sayre Ave., for a short history program that includes an “interview” with our neighborhood’s senior resident, Martha Jane Stone, who has lived in the same house on Cramer Avenue since 1933. She will talk about some of her memories of the neighborhood and how it has changed over the years.

The history program will be followed at about 3 p.m. by the Mentelle Neighborhood Association’s semi-annual membership meeting.

The Kentucky Historical Society has issued a press release about our new historic marker, which you can read at this link.